NEWTON, NC – The Sons of Confederate Veterans and Captain C.F. Connor Camp have partnered to sponsor and fund the raising of a 20-by-30-foot Confederate flag on an 85-foot pole on N.C. Highway 16.
The flag was raised July Fourth by a group of 70-80 volunteers and was planned for six months prior, SCV member Robert Smith said.
“As they take down our monuments, this is a way we support and respect our Confederate ancestors,” Smith said. “They take down our monuments; we try to put up 100 flags.”
A string of Confederate monuments have been taken down in recent years, most notably in New Orleans through an ordinance signed by Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Smith also said he’s traced his family lineage and discovered 18 family members who served in the Confederate army.
“It’s our history; it’s our heritage. The flag is blowing because of the breath of the Confederate dead,” he said.
Other nearby residents voiced their opinions on the recent flag raising, including Carroll Setzer, a resident of Newton for 47 years.
“I like (the flag) being here. It’s the heritage of people who fought in the Civil War,” Setzer said…
Source: Sons of Confederate Veterans raises flag on 85-foot pole near Newton | News | hickoryrecord.com