O.R.E.L          

      The Order of Robert E. Lee (OREL) serves as the Official Ladies' Corp to the Georgia Divisions Sons of the Confederate Veterans (SCV). The OREL is unique to the state of Georgia. We originated here, and we carry on what our ancestors started for us. The OREL is not affiliated with an organization other than the SCV. It is a non-profit, non-political organization. We strive to carry on the Southern  traditions and understandings of our heritage.                                                                             
     The Ladies of the Gen. Lewis A. Armistead Camp #1796 are very active members. Two of our ladies are on the  Ga Division OREL Executive council. All of our ladies work with our men to further our heritage through such events as memorials, grave marker dedications, living histories, and re-enactments. The ladies also participate in two major annual state events: the Robert E. Lee birthday Celebration at the State Capitol every January and the State SCV Reunion each June.
     The Goals of the OREL begin at the local level and extend to the State level. The OREL supports several programs. The Scholarship Program is open to every high school student (public, private, or home schooled) who wishes to further his or her education. The Debutante presentation is available to young ladies from the age of 16 to 21 years of age and who meet all of the requirements. This presentation is a part of the annual SCV Reunion Banquet and Ball each June. Also at  the annual SCV Reunion is the Southern Arts and Photography Contest. This contest is for students in grades Kindergarten through 12th. The first place winner in each category wins a cash prize.
     Our Camp sponsored a Debutante at the 2001 Reunion in Dalton, and also at the 2002 Reunion in Moultrie. You can see our 2002 Debutante escorted by our Camp Commander at our Photo Gallery page. We are  sponsoring two Debutantes this year at the 2003 SCV Reunion at Statesboro.
     Membership is open to any lady twelve years of age and above who will devote herself to uphold the honors, ideals, traditions and noble values inherent in Southern Culture. Lineal descent from a Confederate Veteran or Officer is no longer a membership requirement. Children under the age of  twelve may participate in the Order of Robert E. Lee as honorary members. Initial dues are 15.00. We invite all ladies interested to join our organization.
     For additional information about the OREL, membership or any of the programs available, please contact Donna Mull, Executive Director at (912) 764-2822 or Phyllis Smith, NC brigade Sponsor and Ga Division membership chair at (770) 233-9553 or e-mail: pes324@yahoo.com

     OREL CURRENT ROSTER

A HISTORY OF THE

OREL

     The Order of Robert E. Lee was first organized July 4,1897 by some seventy loyal Southern daughters of Confederate officers. Among them was the daughter of Georgia's General John Brown Gordon, the Commander-in-Chief  of the United Confederate Veterans Association and the daughters Generals Cobb, Colquitt, and Howell. Originally its membership was open to men and women eighteen years of age and above and who were lineal descendants of commissioned officers in the Confederate Army or Navy.
     An excerpt from The Atlanta Constitution states the object of the Order was "to honor and perpetuate the memory of those who served the South as commissioned Officers in the war between the states, to show.... appreciation of that valor, patriotism and self-sacrifice which have never been excelled in any age or country, and that nobility of character which was as conspicuous in peace as in war, in defeat as in victory." They purposed to collect "in imperishable form every particle of evidence concerning these men as connected with the War, showing the posterity our respect not only for the men who wore the gray, but for the cause which led them to wear it." Secondly, they committed themselves to erecting in every Southern state "noble monuments to the men and women who gave freely and gladly for their country, themselves and all that was theirs."
     Over the years, with the loss of so many Confederate Veterans with whom the Order served, the membership dwindled until it became a dormant organization. In 1990, Commander Charles M. Clements III issued an executive order establishing a pilot project to determine the feasibility of recreating the Order as a ladies' and family auxiliary to the Sons of the Confederate Veterans. He appointed an Official Ladies Corp committee consisting of Chairman Rev. James Reynolds, Jim M. Fouche' and P. Charles Lunsford. The project met with resounding praise for its potential benefit to the SCV in promoting Southern Heritage and the true history of the War Between the States. Two years later, on October 24th, 1992, Chairman Reynolds presented a resolution in an Executive Council session to revive the Order of Robert E. Lee. It received unanimous acceptance.
     The present day Organization  serves as the official Ladies' Corps to the Georgia Division Sons of the Confederate Veterans. It is governed by an Executive Council operating under duly established by-laws and the Constitution of the Ga. Division SCV. Members of the Order are represented by Brigade Sponsors from each of the six Brigades in Georgia.
 

                                                                                              Compiled by Glenda Ruth Johnson
                                                                                             

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