Hi Karen:

The Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia conducts an annual fund raising dress ball in the spring [the event name is "Celebrate South"] which honors a different state of the Confederacy each year. This past spring the State of Louisiana was honored.

One of the souvenirs given to ball attendees was a Louisiana cockade featuring a replica of a Louisiana Confederate uniform button [the Pelican emblem]. These were made for the event by volunteers from the United Daughters of the Confederacy in the Richmond area. Contact Lisa Morano at the MOC and ask what research they did to authenticate this Louisiana cockade. You can e-mail her at >>> lmorano@moc.org <<< or call direct at (804) 649-1861 x. 44.

In addition to the MOC's own extensive Louisiana collection [two brigades of Louisiana infantry fought with the Army of Northern Virginia], Confederate Memorial Hall in New Orleans worked closely with the MOC staff to authenticate historical Confederate Louisiana materials and loan items from its own collection for exhibit in Richmond in conjunction with this event.

Check out MOC's "Celebrate South" webpage: http://www.moc.org/Ball/CelebrateSouth.html

Hugh Simmons