Sons of Confederate Veterans

Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc.

File:Scvlogo.png
Formation	July 1, 1896 (1896-07-01)
Type	Lineage society
Headquarters	Elm Springs
Location	Columbia, Tennessee
Membership	30,000
Official language	English
Commander-in-Chief	Michael Givens
Key people	Ben Sewell III (Executive Director)
Staff	6 (2013)
Website	www.scv.org

The Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc. (SCV) is a fraternal lineage society headquartered in Columbia, Tennessee that is open to any male descendant of those men who served honorably in the Confederate States armed forces. It is a 501(c) organization dedicated to ensuring that the memory of their Confederate ancestors remain alive and untarnished. The organization is committed to educating others about the South's role in the American Civil War and preserving Confederate monuments, graves, and artifacts. It is not affiliated with any other organization and categorically rejects any person who advocates the overthrow of the United States government or is knowingly a member of any hate group.

History

The Sons were organized at Richmond, Virginia in 1896 at the Convention of the United Confederate Veterans (UCV). Initially the Sons were charged with assisting these Veterans during reunions and ensuring the true history of the Confederacy and its struggle be accurately documented. The Sons continues to grow as an historical, patriotic, and non-political organization dedicated to ensuring that a true history of the 1861-1865 period is preserved. It is driven by the Charge given to the Sons by General Stephen D. Lee. That Charge is as relevant today as it was 116 years ago:^{[citation needed]}

"To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we submit the vindication of the Cause for which we fought; to your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles he loved and which made him glorious and which you also cherish. Remember, it is your duty to see that the true history of the South is presented to future generations!"^{[citation needed]}

Lieutenant-General Stephen Dill Lee

Organization

The Sons have the minimum organization needed to be consistent with its long-term survival and adherence to its original goals. Each Camp makes most of the decisions necessary for its existence and to carry out its programs. The higher levels of the organization exist to assist the camps, to implement policy and to serve as a clearinghouse for ideas. Structurally, the organization is centered on the camp and its support with the other layers of responsibility as outlined below.^{[citation needed]}

National

The members acting through elected delegates govern the Sons. The General Headquarters is located at Elm Springs, near Columbia, Tennessee. An Executive Director, who is a paid administrator of the organization, manages the Headquarters staff. The General Executive Council serves as the board of directors to govern the organization between conventions. Our elected and appointed national officers have the responsibility to oversee the operations of the total Sons organization.^{[citation needed]}

Departments To make it easier to manage and support the geographical area that is covered by the national organization, the country is broken down into three Departments that are called the Army of Northern Virginia, the Army of Tennessee, and the Army of Trams-Mississippi. Again, to manage this level of the organization, officers are elected and aides are appointed who have oversight for their respective Departments.^{[citation needed]}

Divisions

Within each Department are several state level organizations called Divisions that are generally in geographical proximity to one other. Each state having five camps is known as a Division. The Commander-in-Chief may also form a provisional division where a state or territory has at least two Camps. Divisions have a set of officers and aides to help manage and support the organization at this level. The division organization has responsibility for all camps in a particular state. The Division Executive Council is responsible for exercising the authority of the Division between division conventions.^{[citation needed]} Brigades

In divisions with a large number of camps where management and support is difficult, intermediate organizations known as brigades may be formed. Brigades are established to even out the workload, assist the Division Commander, and to provide quicker assistance and support for all camps. As an example a Division may be divided into an appropriate number of brigades, each complete with its own officers and aides. An example might be the Northeast, Northwest, Middle West, Middle East, Southeast and Southwest.^{[citation needed]} Camps

The backbone of the Sons is the individual Camp. Some may be as small as to have only seven members (the constitutionally required minimum), while many average forty members. Some camps have the same name and number of a previous Sons camp that may have existed in the same area in the preceding years. New Sons camps may request the assignment of the name and number of a former Sons Camp if it expects to serve the same general area as its predecessor. Otherwise, the Camp may choose any name that will relate the camp to the community it serves or to the Camp's proposed activities. General Headquarters will assign the Camp with a number.^{[citation needed]}

Notable members

President
Harry Truman

Lieutenant General
John Lejeune

American football coach
Bear Bryant

Academy Award winner
Clint Eastwood

Journalist, writer,
and media consultant
Pat Buchanan

• Trace Adkins (born 1962), American country singer-songwriter
• Ellis Arnall (1907–1992), Georgia governor
• Gresham Barrett (born 1961), U.S. representative from South Carolina^{[citation needed]}
• Tate Brady (1870–1925), American businessman
• Bear Bryant (1913–1983), an American college football coach^{[citation needed]}
• Phil Bryant (born 1954), Mississippi governor
• Pat Buchanan (born 1938), American journalist, writer, media consultant, and U.S. presidential candidate
• Gregg Cherry (1891–1957), North Carolina governor
• John Courson (born 1944), South Carolina state senator
• Charlie Daniels (born 1936), American country singer-songwriter^{[citation needed]}
• Thomas DiLorenzo (born 1954), American economics professor^{[citation needed]}
• Hugh Dorsey (1871–1948), Georgia governor^{[citation needed]}
• Clint Eastwood (born 1930), American film actor, director, producer, composer, pianist, and politician
• Charles Farnsley (1907–1990), U.S. representative from Kentucky
• Orval Faubus (1910–1994), Arkansas governor
• Murphy Foster (born 1930), Louisiana governor
• MacDonald Gallion (1913–2007), Alabama attorney general
• Virgil Goode (born 1946), Representative from Virginia and U.S. presidential candidate^{[citation needed]}
• Marvin Griffin (1907–1982), Georgia governor^{[citation needed]}
• Dorsey Hardeman (1902–1992), Texas state senator
• Harry Hawes (1869–1947), U.S. senator from Missouri
• Johnson Hagood (1873–1948), American general
• Jesse Helms (1921–2008), Senator from North Carolina and U.S. presidential candidate
• James Hylton (born 1934), American race car driver
• John Lejeune (1867–1942), American general
• Trent Lott (born 1941), U.S. senator from Mississippi
• Creighton Lovelace (born 1981), American pastor^{[citation needed]}
• Lester Maddox (1915–2003), Georgia governor^{[citation needed]}
• Larry Mendte (born 1957), American journalist^{[citation needed]}
• William McCain (1907–1993), American archivist and college president
• Glenn McConnell (born 1947), South Carolina lieutenant-governor
• Charley Reese (1937–2013), American newspaper columnist
• Absalom Robertson (1887–1971), U.S. senator from Virginia
• Joe Rollins (1918–2008), Texas attorney and civic leader
• Richard Russell (1897–1971), Governor and U.S. senator from Georgia^{[citation needed]}
• John Slaton (1866–1955), Georgia governor^{[citation needed]}
• Floyd Spence (1928–2001), U.S. representative from South Carolina,
• Herman Talmadge (1913–2002), Governor and U.S. senator from Georgia^{[citation needed]}
• Strom Thurmond (1902–2003), Governor, U.S. senator from South Carolina, and U.S. presidential candidate
• William Tuck (1902–2003), Governor and U.S. representative from Virginia
• Harry Truman (1884–1972), American president
• Ernest Vandiver (1918–2005), Georgia governor^{[citation needed]}
• Danny Verdin (born 1964), South Carolina state senator
• Lee Ware (born 1952), Virginia delegate^{[citation needed]}
• Alexander Weddell (1876–1948), American diplomat
• Guinn Williams (1871–1948), U.S. representative from Texas
• Hank Williams, Jr. (born 1949), American country singer-songwriter^{[citation needed]}
• Joe Wilson (born 1947), U.S. representative from South Carolina

See also

• Confederate Memorial Day
• Confederate Memorial Hall
• H. L. Hunley JROTC Award
• Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum
• Military Order of the Stars and Bars
• Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
• United Daughters of the Confederacy

External links

• 1911 Confederate Veterans Questionnaires at the Arkansas History Commission
• 1911 Confederate Veterans Reunion Registration Forms at the Arkansas History Commission
• Civil War Service Database at the Alabama Department of Archives and History
• Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database at the National Park Service
• Confederate Home Records at the Arkansas History Commission
• Confederate Pension Records at the Arkansas History Commission
• Confederate Pension Applications at the State Archives of Florida
• Confederate Pension Applications at the Georgia Archives
• Confederate Pension Applications at the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
• Confederate Pension Applications at the Louisiana State Archives
• Confederate Pension Applications at the Mississippi State Archives
• Confederate Pension Applications at the Oklahoma Department of Libraries
• Confederate Pension Applications at the Tennessee State Library and Archives
• Confederate Pension Applications at the Texas State Archives
• Confederate Pension Applications at the Library of Virginia
• Confederate Soldiers Home Records at the Tennessee State Library and Archives
• Confederate Veterans Records at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History
• Pension Bureau: Act of 1885 Pension Applications at the North Carolina State Archives
• Soldiers' Records at the Missouri State Archives
• Sons of Confederate Veterans Politicians at PoliticalGraveyard.com
• United Daughters of the Confederacy and Sons of Confederate Veterans Collection at the University of Mississippi
• Sons of the Confederate Veterans Collection at James Madison University's Special Collections.