During the Civil War a volunteer organization called the U. S. Sanitary Commission (the forerunner of the American Red Cross) was formed to raise supplies and funds for the North. As part of its activities, the Commission issued a call for quilts and blankets for the soldiers. All supplies donated to the Commission were marked on the back with a stamp that said "US Sanitary Commission."
The quilts were given to soldiers to use as their bedrolls and were used in hospitals for wounded soldiers. Over the course of the war, the Women's Auxillary made more than 250,000 quilts. Of these, only six are known to exist today. Only one of these quilts is in the public domain, on display at the Lincoln Memorial Shrine in Redlands, California. It is a national treasure.
Because of the effectiveness of the Northern blockade of their ports, Southern women did not have access to the raw materials to make new quilts. So they sent their soldiers off with priceless family heirloom quilts.
Just as the women of the Civil War honored their brave soldiers, the Home of the Brave quilters are making these Civil War replica quilts as an expression of our deepest appreciation and respect for the service and sacrifice made by the United States military personnel in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
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