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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 ante-bellum 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.
Charge
to the Sons of Confederate Veterans
"To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we will commit 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
which he loved and which you love also, and those ideals which made him
glorious and which you also cherish."
Lt. General
Stephen Dill Lee, Commander General,
United
Confederate Veterans,
New Orleans, Louisiana, April 25, 1906
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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.