Alexandria City Council Votes to Ban Flying of Confederate Flag

The Alexandria City Council Tuesday night voted to stop flying the Confederate flag on two holidays in the City. The practice previously was for the City to fly the flag on Robert E. Lee’s birthday in January and on Confederate Memorial Day in May.

Watch a discussion of the issue from last night in the City video here (go to 00.33.18):

City Council members also voted to appoint a citizens group to review the city’s flag policies and decide whether any changes should be made to its Confederate memorials and street names. The group will report back to council with recommendations.

The City of Alexandria has compiled a list of Confederate street names in the City, after Mayor Bill Euille said the City Council planned to review its policies about displaying the Confederate flag and consider its street names and statue.

The shootings of nine people in June at a Charleston church prompted communities around the country to take a second look at Confederate symbols in their towns. The man accused of shooting the parishioners had posted photos of himself online holding a Confederate flag. Shortly after the shootings, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called on the state legislature to immediately begin the process to remove the flag from the statehouse. In July, the Senate voted 37–3 to remove the flag.

Alexandria was part of the Confederacy during the Civil War but was occupied by Union troops. Before Tuesday night, twice a year, the City of Alexandria flied the first flag of the Confederate States of America (not the Confederate battle flag), at the intersection of Washington and Prince streets on Robert E. Lee’s birthday (Jan.19) and on Confederate Memorial Day (the last Monday in May, in Virginia). Lee was the leading Confederate general whose boyhood home, now privately owned, is in Alexandria.

Euille said earlier this year that the City would consider stopping its practice of flying the Confederate flag. “The statue and changing street names will be both difficult and challenging, due to state laws, however, it is fair for the community to at least have a dialogue on these issues,” he said in a recent interview with Patch.

Euille asked the City’s Office of Historic Alexandria to compile a list of Confederate street names. “It can potentially be controversial, but it also could be refreshing and educational at the same time,”Euille recently told the Alexandria Times. “The list the staff put together is mind-boggling in terms of names associated, particularly with streets. One would never have guessed the number of street names that were somehow tied into names of military folks who fought in the Confederate Army and so forth.”

Another controversial Confederate name is out of the City’s purview. Jefferson Davis Highway was named by the General Assembly in 1922.

The only Alexandria public school named after a Confederate veteran is Matthew Maury Elementary School. Public schools in Virginia are named by local school boards.

Here’s the list of streets in Alexandria with Confederate names, compiled by the Office of Historic Alexandria:

1. Beauregard Street — Named for General Pierre G. T. Beauregard, Gen., CSA, designer of the CSA “Battle Flag”
2. Bragg Street — Named for Braxton Bragg, Gen., CSA
3. Braxton Place — Named for General Bragg’s first name
4. Breckinridge Place — Named for John Cabell Breckinridge, elected Vice President of the United States in 1856, later served as Brig. Gen., CSA .
5. Calhoun Avenue — Named for J. Lawrence Calhoun, Major, CSA
6. Chambliss Street — Named for General John Chambliss, CSA
7. Dearing Street — Named for James Dearing. Although unconfirmed by CSA Senate, Dearing was the last Confederate General to die in battle.
8. Donelson Street — Named for Daniel Smith Donelson, Brig. Gen., CSA .
9. Early Street — Named for Jubal Early, Gen., CSA
10. Floyd Street — Named for John Buchanan Floyd, Brig. Gen, CSA
11. French Street — Named for Samuel Gibbs French, Brig. Gen, CSA
12. Frost Street — Named for Daniel M. Frost, Brig. Gen., CSA
13. Gordon Street — Named for John Brown Gordon, General, CSA
14. Gorgas Place — Possibly named for Josiah Gorgas, Gen., CSA
15. Hardee Place — Named for Confederate General William Joseph Hardee
16. Hume Avenue — Named for Frank Hume, a former Confederate soldier and spy who settled Alexandria.
17. Imboden Street — Named for Gen. John D. Imboden, CSA
18. Iverson Street — Named for Gen Alfred Iverson, Jr., CSA
19. Jackson Place — Named for James W. Jackson, CSA defender who killed Union Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth at the Marshall House on May 24, 1861.
20. Janney’s Lane — Named for Major Eli Hamilton Janney, Major, CSA, Alexandria, owned property along the roadway.
21. Jefferson Davis Highway — Named for Jefferson Davis – first President
22. of the Confederacy. (formerly River Road along Potomac Yards)
23. Jordan Street — Named for Thomas Jordan, Brig. General, CSA
24. Jubal Avenue — Named for Jubal Early, Gen., CSA
25. Kirkland Place — Possibly named for Sergeant Kirkland, a Confederate soldier who was called the “angel” of the Battle of Fredericksburg, who cared for wounded Federal soldiers.
26. Lee Street — Named for the Lee Family of Virginia, first surveyed in 1749 as Water Street until it was changed to Lee Street upon the death of Mrs. Robert E. Lee in 1874.
27. Longstreet Lane — Named for James Longstreet, Lt. Gen., CSA
28. Maury Lane — Named for Matthew Fontaine Maury, Chief of Sea Coast, River and Harbor Defenses for the Confederacy, in 1850’s attempted to eradicate slavery from the United States entirely by re-settling Southern slaves in South America.
29. Pegram Street — Named for John Pegram, Brig. Gen, CSA
30. Reynolds Street — Named for Alexander Welch or Daniel H, Brig. Gens., CSA
31. Quantrell Avenue— Named for William Clark Quantrell, Gen., CSA
32. Rosser Street — Named for Thomas L. Rosser.
33. Van Dorn Street — Named for Earl Van Dorn, Brig. Gen., CSA
34. Wheeler Avenue — Named for Joseph Wheeler, General, CSA

The following are possible Confederate names of streets, also compiled by the Office of Historic Alexandria:

1. Armistead Street — Possibly named for Louis Addison Armistead, Gen, CSA
2. Armistead was married at Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia.
3. Cockrell Street — Named for either Francis Cockrell, Brig. Gen., CSA, or Cockrell family, property-owners in Alexandria.
4. Courtney Avenue- Possibly named for A.R. Courtney’s Battalion, CSA
5. Davis Avenue — Possibly named for Jefferson Davis, former president of the Confederacy.
6. Frazier Street — Possibly named for Col. James Frazier, CSA
7. Gorgas Place — Possibly named for Josiah Gorgas, Gen., CSA
8. Hampton Drive — Possibly named for Wade Hampton, a Confederate Cavalry
9. Officer.
10. Herbert Street — Possibly named for Colonel Arthur Herbert, commander
11. of the 17th Virginia Regiment, CSA.
12. Johnston Place — Possibly named for Joseph Eggleton Johnston, Gen. CSA
13. Jordan Court — Possibly named for Thomas Jordan, Brig. General, CSA
14. Kirkland Place — Possibly named for Sergeant Kirkland, a Confederate
15. soldier who was called the “angel” of the Battle of Fredericksburg, who cared
16. for wounded Federal soldiers.
17. Lee Court — Possibly named for Robert E. Lee, Gen, CSA
18. Mosby Street — Possibly named for John Singleton Mosby, also known by his nickname, the “Gray Ghost”, a Confederate army cavalry battalion commander.
19. Palmer Place — Possibly named for Joseph Palmer, Gen, CSA
20. Paxton Street — Possibly named for Elisha Franklin Paxton, Gen., CSA
21. Pelham Street — Possibly named for John Pelham, Lt. Col., CSA
22. Pickett Street — Possibly named for George E. Pickett, Brig. General, CSA
23. Pierpont Street — Possibly named for James Lord Pierpont, Musical Composer of Strike for the South, and CSA hero
24. Preston Road — Possibly named for John Smith Preston or William Preston, Gens., CSA
25. Pryor Street — Possibly named for Roger Atkinson Pryor, Gen., CSA
26. Rhoades Place— Possibly named for Robert G. Rhoades, Gen., CSA
27. Ripley Street— Possibily named for Roswell Ripley, Gen. CSA
28. Scott Street — Possibly named for Thomas Scott, Gen., CSA
29. Shelley Street — Possibly named for Charles Miller Shelley, Gen., CSA
30. Sibley Street — Possibly named for Henry Hopkins Sibley, Gen., CSA
31. Sterling Avenue — Possibly named for Sterling Price, Gen., CSA
32. Stevens Street — Possibly named for Clement Hoffman Stevens, Brig. Gen., CSA
33. Stevenson Avenue — Possibly named for Carter L. Stevenson, Major. Gen., CSA
34. Stewart Street — Possibly named for Alexander P. Stewart, Gen., CSA
35. Stonewall Road — Possibly named for Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Gen, CSA
36. Stevenson Avenue — Possibly named for Walter Husted Stevenson, CSA
37. Thomas Street — Possibly named for Allen Thomas, Gen. CSA
38. Tyler Place — Possibly named for Grayson Tyler, field officer, 17th VA Regiment, CSA, or Robert Tyler, Gen. CSA

Source: Office of Historic Alexandria August 2015