Sons of Confederate Veterans 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 : 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 .