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What is 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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