The United Daughters of the Confederacy is the oldest heritage organization in the country. According to the Louisiana Division website, the organization’s general purpose is “to preserve the true history of the Confederacy and keep in sacred memory the brave deeds of the men of the South, with no bitterness towards the government of the United States of America.”

The objectives of the organization are “Historical, Educational, Benevolent, Memorial and Patriotic: To collect and preserve the material necessary for a truthful history of the War Between the States and to protect, preserve, and mark the places made historic by Confederate valor; To assist descendants of worthy Confederates in securing a proper education; To fulfill the sacred duty of benevolence toward the survivor of the War and those dependent upon them; To honor the memory of those who served and those who fell in the service of the Confederate States of America; To record the part played during the War by Southern women, including their patient endurance of hardship, their patriotic devotion during the struggle, and their untiring efforts during the post-War reconstruction of the South; and To cherish the ties of friendship among the members of the Organization”. (http://www.louisianaudc.org/purposes--objects.html).