Confederate Memorial Hall Civil War Museum
Press Release
January 15, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patricia Ricci
(504) 523-4522
(504) 523-8595 FAX

Second Louisiana Cavalry Flag to be Returned to Museum

Confederate Memorial Hall, Louisiana's oldest museum, houses the second largest collection of Confederate memorabilia in the nation.

During its 112 years of operation, Memorial Hall items have been stolen from the collection and a major burglary occurred in 1969. Many of the items have been recovered through the efforts of the New Orleans Police Department, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies around the country. Items missing were reported and are still being sought by these agencies.

Recently, a flag from the museum collection appeared on "EBAY", a web-based auction facility. A museum volunteer, Ken Legendre, noticed that this flag was up for sale on the site. This information was provided to the FBI by museum curators and an investigation was initiated. It was determined that the flag was consigned to an independent party in Washington, D.C. for the express purpose of selling it over the Internet.

The FBI contacted the seller and told him that the flag was stolen. Upon learning this, the seller immediately agreed to return the flag. The seller stated that he had purchased the flag at a Civil War relics show in the late 1970s. At the time of the purchase, he had no knowledge that this flag had been stolen. There are no charges against the seller in this continuing investigation, therefor the seller will not be identified.

The First National Confederate Cavalry Flag used by the men of the Second Louisiana Cavalry was donated to the collection by its survivors in 1892. At a presentation by the FBI, Friday January 17, 2003, at 10:00 AM, the flag will be returned to Memorial Hall.

Following the presentation, the flag will be displayed with other items of the Second Louisiana Cavalry and a reception will follow.