RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 29 (UPI) -- A Virginia historical organization said it raised the Confederate flag along a busy freeway to remind motorists of the state's Civil War heritage.
The Virginia Flaggers dedicated 15-square-foot banner along Interstate 95 in Chesterfield County Saturday, even though trees largely hid the flag from the view of drivers on the highway.
"Richmond needed a reminder of her Confederate heritage," the group's Susan Hathaway told the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch.
Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War; however the idea of raising the stars-and-bars prompted a public debate from critics and proponents, the newspaper said. The flag is seen by some as a salute to Southern heritage, but others connect it to the institution of slavery.
Saturday's flag-raising drew about 200 people who gathered around the 50-foot flag pole along I-95. "Dixie" was sung and a volley of musket fire saluted the banner.
