About

Popular Irish Catholic poet-priest Abram J. Ryan published the first issue of the Banner of the South in Augusta, Georgia, on March 21, 1868 as a weekly, Democratic paper. Ryan was editor of the newspaper while L. T. Blome and Company handled printing responsibilities. A former Confederate chaplain, Ryan was fiercely anti-Reconstruction and voiced his sentiments in the pages of his paper. The editor-priest also published his literary works like “The Conquered Banner” or “The Sword of Robert E. Lee” in the Banner of the South. Ryan was not exclusively focused on issues regarding the American South, however, and often wrote about matters concerning Catholics and the Irish. With his popularity increasing, Ryan spent more time traveling on speaking tours and relinquished editorship to Patrick Walsh in 1869. Walsh, a Confederate Veteran, continued Ryan’s opposition to Reconstruction in Georgia but shifted editorial tone from “Lost Cause” narratives to proto-“New South” ideas. Walsh argued that the South had superior natural resources and economic development was imperative to the region’s success. The paper began printing as the Banner of the South and Planters’ Journal in October 1870. The Banner ceased printing in late 1871 or early 1872 as Patrick Walsh took on more responsibility at the Augusta Chronicle.