What is the Order of Confederate Rose?
Order of Confederate Rose is a non-profit organization made up of state societies. There is no national organization; however, the state societies come together for an annual meeting every year in July as COSS, Confederation of State Societies, at the same time and location as the Sons of Confederate Veterans annual National Reunion.
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Order of Confederate Rose Society was first started in Alabama in 1993, and was named after one of the most notable female confederate spies, Rose O'Neil Greenhow. The main purpose of the Order of Confederate Rose is to support the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Each state society has individual chapters within the state and may have their own projects and additional activities. Chapters are formed when a Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp sponsors an Order of Confederate Rose Chapter.
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Tennessee Society Order of Confederate Rose
The current Tennessee Society Order of Confederate Rose was formed in 2004 and consists of chapters across the state of Tennessee. ( Please see: CURRENT TNSOCR CHAPTERS AND CONTACTS page for a list of currently active chapters, area of meeting, and contact person. If you are interested in joining or learning more about the OCR, please contact the chapter closest to you.)
Any woman, man, or child in Tennessee may join the Tennessee Society Order of Confederate Rose. Families are encouraged to join as a family. You do NOT have to prove your lineage to be a member. If you have a desire to learn the truth about our southern history and have a heart and passion for supporting our Southern Confederate Heritage, honoring our Confederate ancestors, and keeping the truth of our history alive, then you are a perfect candidate for membership in our great organization! Many SCV members are also supporting members of the OCR. The ladies are called Roses, and the men are all called Thorns. “Rosebuds” are young ladies, and “young rebels” are the young men under 16.
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History of Rose O'Neil Greenhow
After her father's death, Rose's family moved to the The Old Capitol Boarding House, where they lived with their Aunt, who ran the boarding house. Because of Rose's connection with presidents, generals, and other high-ranking military officials, and because of her sympathy for the Confederate cause, Rose was recruited by Captain Thomas Jordan to be a spy for the Confederacy.
Rose took control of the spy network in Washington and used a 26-symbol cipher to pass along her information. Because of her connections, she was able to get information on the entire Washington defense system and pass along vital information to the Confederacy. Rose was credited with the Confederacy's win at the First Battle of Bull Run because of information she was able to pass on to General P.T. Beauregard.
In early 1862, Rose was arrested for being a spy. Rose, her maid, and her youngest daughter, “Little Rose,” were sent to the Old Capitol Prison, which was the very boarding house where she lived as a child. Even as a prisoner, she was able to get information to the Confederacy. She would place candles in the window when she had some information to share and send “Little Rose” out to play in the courtyard with cipher messages hidden in rubber balls.
Rose was released from prison in May 1862, with the stipulation that she stay within the Confederate borders. President Davis sent Rose on a diplomatic mission to Europe in 1863, where she met with Queen Victoria and Napoleon III and gained support for the Confederate States. She wrote and sold her memoirs while in England.
Upon her return, a Union blockade runner, the Condor, ran the boat she was in aground on a sandbar. Feeling trapped, she demanded a lifeboat to get to shore. Rose had concealed the $2000 in gold that she had been given in England to support the Confederate States by sewing it into her clothes for safekeeping. Sadly, due to rough seas, the lifeboat overturned, and the weight of the gold pulled her under, and she drowned on September 29, 1864. Her body washed ashore, and she was buried in Wilmington, North Carolina. Her coffin was draped with a Confederate flag.
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Photo of Rose O'Neal Greenhow and daughter "Little Rose" in 1862
while being held prisoners in the Old Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
