John W. Adams, SCV Webmaster, Florida
Division
Kenneth E Bachand, 2nd SC
Regiment Camp #71, Pickens, SC
Charles Kelly Barrow, John B. Gordon Camp #
1449, Thomaston, GA
Jack Bridwell, SW Georgia Brigade
Commander, John K. McNeill Camp #674, Moultrie GA
Greg Briggs Maj. Gen. Bushrod Johnson Camp
#1720, Dayton, OH
Allen C. Connel, Walter P. Lane Camp #1745,
Orange, TX
Frank Conner, SCV IHQ Camp # 584, Elm
Springs, TN
Jim Dean, Gen. John B. Gordon Camp #46 and
Roswell Mills Camp #1546, Atlanta, GA
Donald L Futch Berrien Co. Minutemen Camp
#1789, Nashville, GA,
Jim Gabel, General J. O. Shelby Camp
#191, Sedalia, MO
John Griffin, John K. McNeill Camp #674,
Moultrie GA
Bertil Haggman, SCV Europe Camp # 1612
Scott Adam Hardin John Hunt Morgan Camp
#1342, Louisville, KY
The Heritage Preservation Association
Calvin E. Johnson Jr., Gen. Patrick R.
Cleburne Camp #1361, Kennesaw, GA
Paul Mattoon, Gen. Richard H. Anderson Camp
#47, Beaufort, SC
Jim McNabb, W. L. Cabell Camp #1313,
Dallas, TX
Robert McNabb, Stuart’s Horse Artillery
Camp #1784, Floyd, VA
Chris Millirons, Col. Wm. Norris Camp
#1398, Gaithersburg, MD
Maury Morris, Commodore Matthew Fontaine
Maury Camp #1722, Fredericksburg, VA
Collin Pulley, Urquhart-Gillette Camp
#1471, Franklin, VA
Michael A. Purdy Confederate Memorial Camp
#1432, Stone Mountain, GA
Steven Shelnutt, Capt. Matthew T. Nunnally
Camp #1671 Monroe GA
Scott Williams, Sterling Price Camp #145,
St. Louis, MO
Part #1: QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERAN ORGANIZATION
1.1. What is the mission of the Sons of
Confederate
Veterans?
The Sons of Confederate Veterans are
organized to honor and memorialize the principles, sacrifices and
history of our ancestors. This is our Southern heritage, history and
culture which is threatened by some who wish to deny us our rights.
Some in this land of the free would enforcing their will to
eliminate all historical reference to the Confederacy. In doing so
they would remove all symbols and monuments to brave men.
Revisionist "historians" have distorted our ancestors
lives and we wish the truth to be known. We are an organization
based on heritage, not hate.
In 1896, the Sons of Confederate Veterans
was founded by the veterans and progeny of veterans who fought in
the War Between the States. The Sons of Confederate Veterans are the
direct heir of the United Confederate Veterans, the oldest
hereditary organization for male descendants of Confederate
Soldiers. The SCV was established as, and remains, an independent
organization that supports the protection and preservation of
Confederate heritage and the true history of 1861-1865. Current
members are descendants of the original defenders of Confederate
heritage and are not aligned or affiliated with any other
organization other than the Military Order of the Stars and Bars.
The SCV is an organization pledged to serve as a historical,
patriotic and non-political organization.
The mission of the SCV is best stated with
the Charge to the Sons of Confederate Veterans given by Lt. General
Stephen Dill Lee Commander General, United Confederate Veterans, in
1906:
"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"
Sources and Further Reading: Contact
the International Headquarters of the SCV at call 1-800-MY SOUTH
(697-6884), Confederate Veteran Magazine, PO Box 59, Columbia, TN
38402-0059, Confederate Veteran Magazine-CD ROM, and bound volumes.
1.2. Why honor men who served for the
Confederacy, after all weren’t they traitors?
First the soldiers of the Confederacy were
not traitors. Some historians have branded any man who fought for
their home state in 1861-65 as a traitor. This is a liberal Northern
point of view which is quite narrow. If you investigate the reasons
that these men fought for their home (farm, county, state), you may
find many different answers to the reason why they fought. Most
likely you will NOT find the answer of overthrowing the United
States Federal Government.
The citizen soldiers who fought for the
Confederacy personified the best qualities of America. The
preservation of liberty and freedom was the greatest motivating
factor in the South’s decision to fight the a second time for
independence. They resigned their bond to a government they found
increasing abusing the constitution and the rights of the states for
self determination. They did not seek to destroy the federal
government, they chose to withdraw and form their own government
that was to be truer to the original constitution. It was the
Northern politicians that were traitors to the constitution.
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 originally built.
General Robert E. Lee and others are
slandered by some as traitors. An interesting point to be noted is
that William Rawle’s book "View of the Constitution" was
the primary book used in teaching the Constitution and was used at
West Point until the war. General Lee told Bishop Wilmer (of
Louisiana) that had it not been for the instruction received from
Rawle’s text book at West Point he would not have left the United
States Army to join the Confederate Army at the breaking out of the
War between the States. He chose to serve the Confederate States
army and his home state of Virginia in particular based on
instruction given at the (Federal) United States Military Academy.
Some quotes from Rawle’s include:
"The state is the more
important entity, to which citizens gave their allegiance, not some
Union of states…"
"The Union was formed
by the voluntary agreement of the States, and in uniting together
they have not forfeited their nationality, nor have they been
reduced to one and the same people. If one state chooses to withdraw
its name from the contract, it would be difficult to disprove its
right of doing so, and the Federal Government would have no means of
maintaining its claim, either by force or right."
"It will depend upon
the State itself whether it will continue a member of the
Union."
"If the States are
interfered with they may wholly withdraw from the Union."
Many of the Southern leaders were trained
and educated by the United States Military Academy. It is slander to
call them traitors based on the education received by the Federal
government.
We honor our ancestors for their courage,
love of family, and dedication to principles that many in today’s
world can not comprehend. These men endured countless hardships for
a cause they felt was right. It is for these reasons that we honor
our ancestors, lest the country forget their sacrifices.
Sources and Further Reading: View
of the Constitution by William Rawle.
1.3. How does one become a member of
the SCV?
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. Kinship
to a veteran must be documented genealogically. The minimum age for
membership consideration is age 12.
Proof in kinship to a Confederate Soldier
can take many forms. The easiest method is to contact the archives
of the state from which the soldier fought and obtain a copy of the
veteran’s military service record. The SCV has a network of
genealogists to assist you in tracing your ancestor’s Confederate
service.
Joining the Sons of Confederate Veterans
serves today as a means for a gentleman to honor his Southern
Ancestry with memorial, historical and educational activities. If
you are a male descendant of an ancestor who fought for the
Confederacy you can call 1-800-MY SOUTH (697-6884) to receive a
membership packet. You can also call this number to inquire about
the location of an SCV camp (local organization) nearest you.
Sources and Further Reading: Contact
the International Headquarters of the SCV at call 1-800-MY SOUTH
(697-6884), or PO Box 59, Columbia, TN 38402-0059 or your local SCV
Camp.
Prattville, Dragoons
