Dear editor,
William "Uncle Billy" Lundy was much loved and admired by his fellow citizens of Crestview.
When he passed away as the last Confederate soldier in Florida, a memorial was built for him at the intersection of Highways 85 and 90.
At this memorial — and rightly so — was a flagpole on which flew the soldier's flag, which "Uncle Billy," along with thousands of other Floridians, followed into the din of battle; thus, it was called a battle flag, and was not only easier to see than older patterns, but also was very symbolic.
Its model was the St. Andrew’s Cross of Scotland, which bore the white x on a field of blue. X in the Greek alphabet represents the letter c in our current alphabet, and was to represent Christ.
This was very fitting because the Confederate Army was the most Christian in the world.
It has been reported that the NAACP will be asking Crestview’s mayor and city council to remove this soldier's flag from William Lundy's Memorial, which was moved several blocks north and now resides on 1st Street.
If the citizens of Crestview want to keep this honorable monument and flag together — designed and built as William Lundy would have wanted it — and if you want to defend this memorial and our Southern heritage, please contact Crestview Mayor David Cadle at his office, 682-3812.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Call Crestview mayor if you support Lundy flag