1. You must be a Member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Good Standing.
Members of the SCV are most welcome and encouraged to join even if they do not have a motorcycle(dismounted cavalry) at the time of submitting the SCV Mechanized CavalryMembership Application.We currently have one annual national meet, around the second week of June, which rotates to each host state each year. Members living near each other are encouraged to gather on a more frequent basis to attend camp meetings, dedications, re-enactments,and other SCV and UDC events together. Even rides for fun are good to hone the skills and fellowship of the South's new Mechanized Cavalry! We have "Back Patches" that you may wear, if you wish, at appropriate places and times.Had the motorcycle been in existence during the War Between the States our ancestors would certainly have utilized that mode of transportation. We are then the present day mechanized cavalry, Confederate States of America, on-going.There is a one time application fee of $100.00 to cover an attractive back patch. This fee also helps us pay for the expensesof the group and membership activities.There are currently no annual dues or fees. We are a Heritage group. We are not a motorcycle club. We follow a set
of standing orders necessary to uphold the ethics and values of our
organization.
Printable Membership Application
To Join the Sons Of Confederate Veterans:
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
