Military Order of the Stars and Bars


The Military Order of the Stars and Bars is a lineage society founded in 1938 for men who are descended from military officers or political leaders in the Confederate States of America.

Membership

Membership is open to males who are direct or collateral descendants of Confederate officers who served honorably in the Confederate military, elected or appointed civilian officials of the individual Confederate States, officials of the Confederate National government, and officials of the Five Civilized Tribes that allied with the Confederacy. Members may join local chapters as well as state societies or be a national at-large member, with the organization working as a lineage society.

History

The order was founded in 1938 in Columbia, South Carolina, at a meeting attended by 17 former Confederate officers and 47 male descendants of Confederate officers. They voted to begin a new CSA veterans society, with a commitment to hold annual meetings, and chose the name of the "Order of the Stars & Bars".
The organization changed its name to "The Military Order of the Stars & Bars" at the 39th General Convention held in Memphis, Tennessee in 1976. It adopted the Confederate battle flag as the official insignia of the order.

Organization

The Military Order of the Stars and Bars is a non-profit 501 3, non-political educational, historical, patriotic, and heritage group. The top officer is called the "Commander General of the Military Order of the Stars and Bars".

Pledge

At the initiation of new members, and at the beginning of meetings, members pledge to "commemorate and honor the service of leadership these men rendered in the cause of the
fundamental American principles of self-determination and States' Rights and to perpetuate the
true history of their deeds for the edification of ourselves, our society, and for generations yet unborn" and salute the Confederate flag "with affection, reverence and undying devotion for the Cause for which it stands".