Confederate History/Heritage Groups Being Formed
In addition to the Sons of the Confederacy (headquartered in Tennessee) and several Robert E. Lee associations in North Carolina, another group has been formed in response to the SCV’s headlong plunge into contemporary politics. The Descendants of Confederate Veterans (DCV) is up and running in Texas and accepting applications. The new group has an impressive website at www.descendantsofconfederateveterans.org/home.html.
In most of their website material, DCV founders make it clear that they intend to be what the SCV used to be: A patriotic, non-political organization. However, the DCV’s constitution DOES mention the promotion of "a more profound reverence for the principles of the States Rights governance . . . ." That particular wording will likely cause the new group some problems as it tries to convince prospective members that the DCV has no interest, as an organization, in modern political activity.
Rumors of additional defections from the SCV and the formation of alternative Confederate history/heritage organizations continue to make the rounds. The United Sons of Confederate Veterans, long incorporated in Mississippi as part of the national SCV, will likely serve as a new nation-wide group (possibly in conjunction with the Military Order of the Stars & Bars) if things go badly for moderates at Nashville. Oklahoma, Florida, and Alabama are likely to see organized defections from the SCV after Nashville. Rather than formal resignations, non-renewal of dues in 2006 will be the most striking evidence that SCVers are turning their backs on an organization that embraces the philosophies of leaders like Ron Wilson, Denne Sweeney, and Kirk Lyons.