The Southern Historical Society was an American organization founded to preserve archival materials related to the government of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

and to document the history of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

.Historical Convention
" ''The Daily Picayune,'' July 16, 1873, page 4 via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

A Southern Historical Society
, ''The Daily Phoenix'' (Columbia, South Carolina) May 28, 1869, page 2. via Newspapers.com The society was organized on May 1, 1869, in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. The society published 52 volumes of its ''Southern Historical Society Papers'' which helped preserve valuable historical resources.

History

Dabney H. Maury Dabney Herndon Maury (May 21, 1822 – January 11, 1900) was an officer in the United States Army, instructor at West Point, author of military training books, and a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. ...

founded the Southern Historical Society on April 15, 1869, in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. Maury and the eight other founding members donated family papers, books, and artifacts to the society to form its initial collection. Its first publication began in 1876 and continued until 1959. The society was officially organized on May 1, 1869; signatories included

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army Officer (armed forces), officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate General officers in the Confederate States Army, general in th ...

, J. E. Austin, Dabney H. Maury, B. M. Harrod,

Simon Bolivar Buckner Simon Bolivar Buckner ( ; April 1, 1823 – January 8, 1914) was an American soldier, Confederate military officer, and politician. He fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War. He later fought in the Confederate State ...

, S. H. Buck, A. L. Stuart, George Norton, and C. L. C. Dupuy. As initially organized, the society had a president and secretary-treasurer, which were paid positions. Prominent individuals from each of the former Confederate states, plus the border states of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, and the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, were appointed as state vice–presidents to help expand the society throughout the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

and to gather material relating to their areas. The first officers were

Benjamin Morgan Palmer Benjamin Morgan Palmer (January 25, 1818 – May 28, 1902) was a Presbyterian minister and theologian in the United States. He served as first Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) in 1861. Life Palmer was born in Char ...

, president; Braxton Bragg, vice–president for

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

;

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

, vice–president for

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

;

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American politician who served as the 14th vice president of the United States, with President James Buchanan, from 1857 to 1861. Assuming office at the age of 36, Breckinrid ...

, vice–president for Kentucky; and

Alexander H. Stephens Alexander Hamilton Stephens (February 11, 1812 – March 4, 1883) was an American politician who served as the first and only Vice President of the Confederate States of America, vice president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, and l ...

, vice–president for

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. The society's objective was "to collect reliable data of the workings of the late Confederate Government, and the battles, sieges, and exploits of the war." Other targeted Confederate materials for the archive included newspapers, speeches, literary and medical journals, journals, maps, agricultural and manufacturing reports, geological reports, weather reports, sermons, poetry, songs and ballads, mining operation records, and foreign relations. The society also wanted to document the names and details of wounded soldiers, mortality records, and exchanges of prisoners of war. In addition, records of enslaved people and documentation of the impact of emancipation on the

Slave states and free states In the United States before 1865, a slave state was a state in which slavery and the internal or domestic slave trade were legal, while a free state was one in which they were prohibited. Between 1812 and 1850, it was considered by the slave ...

. Once collected, the archival materials were to be classified and preserved, with an outlook for eventual publication. Preservation was to be achieved by securing a fireproof storage building. The society's president, Benjamin Morgan Palmer, wrote in July 1873:

It is due to the noble men who fell martyrs to the "
Lost Cause The Lost Cause of the Confederacy, known simply as the Lost Cause, is an American pseudohistorical and historical negationist myth that argues the cause of the Confederate States during the American Civil War was just, heroic, and not cente ...
" that a faithful history of the events of the four years of bloody war be truthfully recorded, and an impartial view of the motives that actuated them be handed down to posterity with the seal of an impartial and unbiased history… The country has been flooded with partisan histories, in many of which the pretended historian has wandered as far from truth as if he had been writing a work of fiction, and in all of these every incident favorable to the Southern character has been suppressed, and the plainest facts so warped that the actors themselves would not recognize them. It is high time steps were taken to record the events of those years as they occurred….

With the assistance of these state vice–presidents, 6,000 copies of the circular were distributed throughout the southern United States. Newspapers and magazines reprinted the circular in both southern and northern states. However, membership was mostly limited to New Orleans, and there were only 44 dues-paying members at the start of the society's second year. In 1870, its president was B. M. Palmer. When Palmer turned down reelection as president, he was replaced by

was vice–president and J. William Jones became the secretary-treasurer. When Jones' health declined, James Strawbridge was elected secretary-treasurer. However, Strawbridge resigned at a meeting on December 12, 1870. The society did not meet again until July 10, 1871, with just ten members present. Palmer presided over the meeting and was reelected president and

P. G. T. Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (May 28, 1818 – February 20, 1893) was an American military officer known as being the Confederate general who started the American Civil War at the battle of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is comm ...

as vice–president.

John W. Caldwell John William Caldwell (January 15, 1837 – July 4, 1903) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. Early life and family John W. Caldwell was born in Russellville, Kentucky, on January 15, 1837."Caldwell, John William". ''Biographical Directory ...

was elected secretary-treasurer with an annual salary of $500. The society held a reorganizational convention on August 14, 1873, at

White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia White Sulphur Springs is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,231 at the 2020 census. The city emblem consists of five dandelion flowers and the citizens celebrate spring with an annual Dandelion Festiva ...

The convention opened with a speech by

Jubal Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was an American lawyer, politician and military officer who served in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early resigned his ...

. Representatives attended from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. The society moved its offices and archives from New Orleans to Richmond, Virginia. On August 25, 1873, a letter from a writer in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

to the editor of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' said:

The meeting of the Southern Historical Society might seem like a harmless affair. Its ostensible object is to make a defense in history of "the Lost Cause." The spirits in this movement are mainly the military chieftains of the rebellion. …As a mere nursery of military vanity, and a desperate effort to write the Confederacy and its leaders into some measure of posthumous fame, it might be permitted to pass with a sneer at its folly. But I am constrained to believe that its real purposes are hidden, and are by no means so innocent as they appear.

Seal

In October 1888, the executive committee adopted a seal for the society, adapted from the great or broad seal of the Confederate States of America by Robert A. Brock; the seal was engraved,

pro bono ( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...

, by Mr. M. S. O'Donnell of

Malden, Massachusetts Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,263 people. History Malden is a hilly woodland area no ...

. The circular seal has the motto: "The Southern Historical Society, Organized May 1, 1869;

Deo Vindice ''Deo vindice'' (Latin for "(With) God (as our) defender/protector") was the national motto of the Confederate States of America. It appears on the margin beneath the Heraldic badge, device of the Seal of the Confederate States. Never codified ...

". Its central device is a man on a horse, with the text "Re–organized Aug.15.1873" surrounded by a wreath of assorted plants.

Publications

In 1869, the society started publishing editorials and reports in '' The New Orleans Picayune'' and ''

The Land We Love __NOTOC__ ''The Land We Love'' was an American little magazine. It was founded in May 1866 by Daniel Harvey Hill, a former Confederate general, who edited it until March 1869. The eponymous land was the Southland, and the magazine recounted ...

'', a literary and agricultural magazine published by former Confederate general

Daniel Harvey Hill Daniel Harvey Hill (July 12, 1821 – September 24, 1889), commonly known as D. H. Hill, was a Confederate general who commanded infantry in the eastern and western theaters of the American Civil War. Hill was known as an aggressive leader, b ...

. By 1874, ''

Southern Magazine __NOTOC__ ''The Land We Love'' was an American little magazine. It was founded in May 1866 by Daniel Harvey Hill, a former Confederate general, who edited it until March 1869. The eponymous land was the Southland, and the magazine recounted th ...

'' took over Hill's publication, and included twenty pages in each issue from the society. Eventually, the society began publishing a journal, the ''Southern Historical Society Papers''. Starting in January 1876, the ''Southern Historical Society Papers'' eventually comprised 52 volumes of articles written by former Confederate soldiers, officers, politicians, and civilians. Contributors included

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

, John B. Gordon,

John Bell Hood John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the decision to replace ...

, J. William Jones,

Robert M. T. Hunter Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter (April 21, 1809 – July 18, 1887) was an American lawyer, politician and planter. He was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative (1837–1843, 1845–1847), Speaker of the United ...

William Henry Fitzhugh Lee William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (May 31, 1837 – October 15, 1891), known as Rooney Lee (often spelled "Roony" among friends and family) or W. H. F. Lee, was the second son of General Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Custis. He was a planter, a Confe ...

, and

Zebulon Baird Vance Zebulon Baird Vance (May 13, 1830 – April 14, 1894) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 37th and 43rd governor of North Carolina, a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, and a Confederate officer during the American Civil ...

. The first fourteen volumes were edited by Rev. J. William Jones, who also published ''Personal Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Letters of Gen. Robert E. Lee'' in 1875. The ''Papers'' had a nationwide circulation and was published through 1959. Historian Richard D. Starnes has noted that the society was uninterested in historical accuracy and objectivity and "dedicated itself to the creation of a Confederate historical memory" and "to preserving the Confederate perspective of the Civil War". He added, "Sometimes, the documents were altered as part of the society's campaign to construct a Southern historical memory and in an effort to protect its own leadership."

Legacy

According to modern historians, the organization's purpose was to promote the Lost Cause in its publications. Historian

Alan T. Nolan Alan T. Nolan (19 January 1923, in Evansville, Indiana – 27 July 2008, in Indianapolis) was an American military historian, best remembered for his books ''The Iron Brigade'' (1961), ''Lee Considered: General Robert E. Lee and Civil War History' ...

quotes from the advertisement for subscriptions to the organization's publication, and comments, "Writing whose purpose is to 'vindicate' the 'name and fame' of the South's 'great struggle' plainly proceeds from an advocacy premise". Historian Gaines Foster said it was an "avowedly" historical organization, which "eventually became important in the Confederate tradition" and, through their publications, a group of Virginian pro-Confederacy writers "refought the war,". The society established itself at

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, which became the home of the

American Civil War Museum The American Civil War Museum is a multi-site museum in the Greater Richmond Region of central Virginia, dedicated to the history of the American Civil War. The museum operates three sites: The White House of the Confederacy, the American Civil ...

. It influenced the

Sons of Confederate Veterans The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates monuments to them, and promotes the pseudohisto ...

and activists in favor of public display of the Confederate battle flag. Historians use the society's journal as a source for Civil War research and an example of how historical memory can be shaped to serve external goals. One modern historian notes, "For historians today, the ''Southern Papers'' serve as a storehouse of information concerning the Confederacy. Second, only to the War of the Rebellion records, the Papers represent the largest collection of battle accounts, unit rosters, and other primary material about the southern armies during the Civil War."

Notable members and contributors

Alexander Hunter (novelist) Alexander Hunter (1843- June 30, 1914) was an American soldier for the Confederate States Army, civil servant, and novelist who authored '' Johnny Reb and Billy Yank'' and ''The Women of the Debatable Land''. Early life Hunter was born in 18 ...

Edward Porter Alexander Edward Porter Alexander (May 26, 1835 – April 28, 1910) was an American military engineer, railroad executive, planter, and author. He served first as an officer in the United States Army and later, during the American Civil War (1861–1865) ...

* Robert H. Anderson * Bishop James Atkins *

* Joseph E. Brown *

Matthew C. Butler Matthew Calbraith Butler (March 8, 1836April 14, 1909) was a Confederate soldier, an American military commander, attorney and politician, and slaveholder from South Carolina. Database at He served as a major general in the Confederate States ...

* Alexander William Campbell * George Llewellyn Christian * Charles Magill Conrad *

William Wilson Corcoran William Wilson Corcoran (December 27, 1798 – February 24, 1888) was an American banker, philanthropist, and art collector. He founded the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Early life and education Corcoran was born on December 27, ...

Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry (June 5, 1825 – February 12, 1903) was an American Democratic politician from Alabama who served in the state legislature and US Congress. He also served as an Officer (armed forces), officer of the Confederate States ...

Jubal A. Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was an American lawyer, politician and military officer who served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, ...

Charles Erasmus Fenner Charles Erasmus Fenner (February 14, 1834 – October 24, 1911) was a Louisiana lawyer who captained a battery in the American Civil War, and later served as a justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from April 5, 1880, to September 1, 1893. Durin ...

Charles W. Field Charles William Field (April 6, 1828 – April 9, 1892) was a career military officer, serving in the United States Army and then, during the American Civil War, in the Confederate States Army. His division was considered one of the finest ...

Augustus Hill Garland Augustus Hill Garland (June 11, 1832 – January 26, 1899) was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician from Arkansas, who initially opposed Arkansas' secession from the United States, but served in both houses of the Congress ...

* Randall L. Gilbson * Jeremy Francis Gilmer * John B. Gordon *

Wade Hampton Wade Hampton may refer to the following people: People *Wade Hampton I (1752–1835), American soldier in Revolutionary War and War of 1812 and U.S. congressman * Wade Hampton II (1791–1858), American plantation owner and soldier in War of 1812 * ...

* Isham G. Harris *

Harry T. Hays Harry Thompson Hays (April 14, 1820 – August 21, 1876) was an American military officer serving in the U.S. Army during the Mexican–American War and a general who served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Known as the "Lou ...

Paul Octave Hébert Paul Octave Hébert (December 12, 1818 – August 29, 1880) was a soldier and politician who served as List of Governors of Louisiana, 14th Governor of Louisiana from 1853 to 1856. A veteran of the Mexican–American War, Mexican-American War, ...

Henry Heth Henry Heth ( not ) (December 16, 1825 – September 27, 1899) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Eastern theater of the American Civil War, Eastern Theater of the American ...

* William Y. C. Humes * Benjamin G. Humphreys *

Eppa Hunton Eppa Hunton II (September 24, 1822October 11, 1908) was a Virginia lawyer and soldier who rose to become a Brigadier general (United States), brigadier general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he served as a ...

* William Preston Johnston * J. William Jones * James Henry Lane *

Alexander Lawton Alexander Robert Lawton (November 4, 1818 – July 2, 1896) was a Confederate lawyer, politician, diplomat, and brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life Lawton was born in the Beaufort Dis ...

Fitzhugh Lee Fitzhugh "Fitz" Lee (November 19, 1835 – April 28, 1905) was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, the 40th Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and United States Army general in the Spanish–American War. He was the son of S ...

John Letcher John Letcher (March 29, 1813January 26, 1884) was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress, was the 34th Governor of Virginia during the American Civil War, and later served in ...

* Robert D. Lilley *

George Washington Logan George Washington Logan (February 22, 1815 – October 18, 1889) was a North Carolina politician who served in the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War as a peace and Unionist candidate. Logan was born in Rutherford Count ...

Armistead Lindsay Long Armistead Lindsay Long (September 13, 1825 – April 29, 1891) was a brigadier general for the Confederate States of America, and the author of the 1886 book ''Memoirs of Robert E. Lee''. Early life and career Long was born in Campbell County, V ...

Stephen Mallory Stephen Russell Mallory (1812 – November 9, 1873) was an American politician who was a United States Senator from Florida from 1851 to the secession of his home state and the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. For much of that perio ...

* John S. Marmaduke * William T. Martin * Henry M. Matthews *

* Joseph C. Mayo * Thomas T. Munford * Cyrus S. Oberly * Henry W. Ogden * James Phelan * Trusten Polk *

Beverly Robertson Beverly Holcombe Robertson (June 5, 1827 – December 12, 1910) was a cavalry officer in the United States Army on the Western frontier and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. Early life Robertson was born on a p ...

Raphael Semmes Raphael Semmes ( ; September 27, 1809 – August 30, 1877) was an officer in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. He had served as an officer in the United States Navy from 1826 to 1860. During the American Civil War, Semmes was c ...

Thomas Jenkins Semmes Thomas Jenkins Semmes (December 16, 1824 – June 23, 1899) was an American politician who served as a Confederate States Senator from Louisiana from 1862 to 1865. He was the 9th president of the American Bar Association 1886–1887. Biograp ...

Ashbel Smith Ashbel Smith (August 13, 1805 – January 21, 1886) was a slave owner, pioneer physician, diplomat, and official of the Republic of Texas, Confederate officer and first President of the Board of Regents of the University of Texas. Smith helped ...

* James Strawbridge * Walter H. Taylor * William Terry *

Robert Toombs Robert Augustus Toombs (July 2, 1810 – December 15, 1885) was an American politician from Georgia, who was an important figure in the formation of the Confederacy. From a privileged background as a wealthy planter and slaveholder, Toomb ...

Isaac R. Trimble Isaac Ridgeway Trimble (May 15, 1802 – January 2, 1888) was a United States Army officer, a civil engineer, a prominent railroad construction superintendent and executive, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was born in Virg ...

* Charles S. Venable *

Severn Teackle Wallis Severn Teackle Wallis (September 8, 1816 – April 11, 1894) was an American lawyer and politician. Biography Severn Teackle Wallis graduated from the secular St. Mary's College in northwest inner Baltimore in 1832, and later studied law ...

Gabriel C. Wharton Gabriel Colvin Wharton (July 23, 1824 – May 12, 1906) was an American civil engineer and soldier who served as a general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. After the war he was a politician and later resumed his engineer ...

* Cadmus M. Wilcox * Robert E. Withers

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Historical Society, the 1869 establishments in Louisiana Historical societies of the United States Historiography of the American Civil War History of Montgomery County, Virginia History of New Orleans History of Richmond, Virginia Neo-Confederate organizations Organizations based in Richmond, Virginia Organizations established in 1869