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Who are the Sons of
Confederate Veterans?
The citizen-soldiers who fought
for the Confederacy personified the best qualities of America.
The preservation of liberty and freedom was the motivating
factor in the South's decision to fight the Second American
Revolution. The tenacity with which Confederate soldiers
fought underscored their belief in the rights guaranteed by
the Constitution. These attributes are the underpinning of our
democratic society and represent the foundation on which this
nation was built.
Today, the Sons of Confederate
Veterans is preserving the history and legacy of these heroes,
so future generations can understand the motives that animated
the Southern Cause.
The SCV is the direct heir of
the United Confederate Veterans, and the oldest hereditary
organization for male descendants of Confederate soldiers.
Organized at Richmond, Virginia in 1896, the SCV continues to
serve as a historical, patriotic, and non-political
organization dedicated to insuring that a true history of the
1861-1865 period is preserved.
Membership in the Sons of
Confederate Veterans is open to all male descendants of any
veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces.
Membership can be obtained through either direct or collateral
family lines and kinship to a veteran must be documented
genealogically. The minimum age for full membership is 12, but
there is no minimum for Cadet membership.
Applicants should submit an application form, along with a detailed genealogy
describing your relationship to the veteran, and proof of his
service.
To obtain proof of his service,
contact the archives of the state from which the soldier
fought and obtain a copy of the veteran's military service
record. All Southern State's Archives have microfilm records of the soldiers
who fought from that state, and a copy of the information can
be obtained for a nominal fee. In addition, the former
Confederate states awarded pensions to veterans and their
widows. All of these records contain a wealth of information
that can be used to document military service.
The SCV has a network of
genealogists to assist you in tracing you ancestor's
Confederate service.
The SCV has ongoing programs at
the local, state, and national levels which offer members a
wide range of activities. Preservation work, marking
Confederate soldier's graves, historical re-enactments,
scholarly publications, and regular meetings to discuss the
military and political history of the War Between the States
are only a few of the activities sponsored by local units,
called camps.
All state organizations, known
as Divisions, hold annual conventions, and many publish
regular newsletters to the membership dealing with statewide
issues. Each Division has a corps of officers elected by the
membership who coordinate the work of camps and the national
organization.
Nationally, the SCV is governed
by its members acting through delegates to the annual
convention. The General Executive Council, composed of elected
and appointed officers, conducts the organization's business
between conventions. The administrative work of the SCV is
conducted at the national headquarters, 'Elm Springs,' a
restored antebellum home at Columbia, Tennessee.
In addition to the privilege of
belonging to an organization devoted exclusively to
commemorating and honoring Confederate soldiers, members are
eligible for other benefits. Every member receives The
Confederate Veteran, the bi-monthly national magazine which
contains in-depth articles on the war along news affecting
Southern heritage. The programs of the SCV range from
assistance to undergraduate students through the General Stand
Watie Scholarship to medical research grants given through the
Brooks Fund. National historical symposiums, reprinting of
rare books, and the erection of monuments are just a few of
the other projects endorsed by the SCV.
The SCV works in conjunction
with other historical groups to preserve Confederate history.
However, it is not affiliated with any other group. The SCV
rejects any group whose actions tarnish or distort the image
of the Confederate soldier or his reasons for
fighting.
If you are interested in
perpetuating the ideals that motivated your Confederate
ancestor, the SCV needs you. The memory and reputation of the
Confederate soldier, as well as the motives for his suffering
and sacrifice, are being consciously distorted by some in an
attempt to alter history. Unless the descendants of Southern
soldiers resist those efforts, a unique part of our nations'
cultural heritage will cease to exist.
If you would like more
information about the Sons of Confederate Veterans,
call
1-800-MY-SOUTH, or 1-800-MY-DIXIE. Or write to:
General
Headquarters
Sons of Confederate Veterans
P.O. Box
59
Columbia, Tennessee 38402-0059
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