Three months following the Battle of Manassas was the Battle of Balls Bluff near Leesburg, Virginia. General P.G.T. Beauregard observed the valiant efforts of the 8th Virginia during this battle and he commissioned his wife to sew a battle flag based on the newly adopted cross of St. Andrews design for presentation to the unit. The Generals wife was not able to locate an adequate amount of red silk to complete the flag. So in an effort to complete her task in a timely manner she dismantled a dress from her wardrobe which happened to be pink. Respectable women in the south seldom wore a red dress unless their occupation was a “Lady of the Evening.†Records show that approximately 100 flags were produced by women in the south using pink fabric. Once completed, General P.G.T. Beauregard presented the flag to members of the 8th Virginia in November 1861, which was proudly carried into battle until this first flag was retired after the Battle of Sharpsburg in 1862. The honors inscribed on the flag were installed all at the same time after the flag was retired.You can see more of what I do at www.8kvirginia.orgOnce said by Lt.General Stephen Dill Lee CSA in 1906
"To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we submit vindication of the Cause for which we fought. To your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles he loved and which made him glorious and which you also cherish. Remember, it is your duty to see that the true history of the South is presented to future generations."..
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