Dedication Of The Commonwealth’s Largest Flag

By Susan Hathaway · Originally published October 2016 · p. 19

DANVILLE, Va.—On Saturday, July 23rd, a coalition of heritage groups, led by the Virginia Flaggers, gathered in Danville, Virginia to raise and dedicate the Commonwealth’s largest Confederate Battle Flag. Over 700 people braved the nearly 100-degree temperatures to witness the hoisting of the 30’ x50’ flag on a 119’ pole adjacent to the Hwy 29 bypass. In a ceremony that featured a Confederate Color Guard, Honor Guard, and artillery fire, representatives and leaders from the North Carolina Division and National SCV, local UDC, Mechanized Cavalry, and other heritage groups brought greetings. Speakers included N.C. SCV Division Chaplain Rev. Dr. Herman White and Danville locals who helped lead the ceremony and share historical information. Bagpipe music played as the flag was raised in honor of all Confederate soldiers, and in particular memory of Brigadier General William Lewis Cabell, a Danville native who served honorably in the War Between the States and helped design the Confederate Battle Flag. After the war, Cabell moved to Dallas, Texas, where he served three terms as the city’s Mayor and was active in the United Confederate Veterans. He helped establish homes for needy Confederate Veterans in Texas, was instrumental in getting Texas to allocate pensions for Confederate Veterans, and served in many leadership roles in the UCV. The General W. L. Cabell Hwy 29 Memorial Battle Flag is the 14th massive roadside Battle Flag raised in and around Danville, Va., in the 12 months since Danville City Council voted to remove the 3x5 Third National Confederate Flag that had flown for years on the Confederate Monument on the grounds of the Sutherlin Mansion, the Last Capitol of the Confederacy, where President Davis met with his cabinet for the final time.

Confederate Color and Honor Guards, led by piper Luke McDonald and Greg Randall as Jackson, open the ceremony with the presentation of colors.