History of the North Carolina Division
The organization of camps of Sons of Confederate Veterans in North Carolina predates the formation of the
national confederation. Of the twenty-three camps present at the organizational meeting of the Sons of
Confederate Veterans in Richmond, Virginia, on June 30th
and July 1st, 1896, three were from North Carolina. This
participation was exceeded only by Virginia, the host
state, and equaled by Georgia. South Carolina was
represented by two camps and Alabama one. The three
pioneer camps were the George Davis Camp No. 5,
Johnston Pettigrew Camp No. 15, and Henry L. Wyatt Camp
No. 17.
In spite of this rather auspicious beginning, the
organization did not immediately flourish in our state.
Most of the camps founded in the late 1890s and the
early 1900s seemed to have remained active for at most
one year.
The first signs of a resurgence in the Sons of
Confederate Veterans in North Carolina seems to have
come during the 1920s. By 1926, the Division had 715 members in 41 active camps.
The 1929 Reunion of the United Confederate Veterans, the Sons of
Confederate Veterans, the Forrest Cavalry, and the Southern Confederate
Memorial Association was held in Charlotte on June 4th through 7th. During the
preparation for the reunion, reports indicate that a number of camps around
the state were revived, and new camps were formed. However, it is doubtful
that any of these survived for more than three or four years.
By 1961, the North Carolina Division was defunct. That year Commander R.
L. Walker started a reorganization drive due to the absence of North
Carolina representation at the joint reunion in Richmond.
Division Commander R. L. Walker founded the Capt. M. W. Norfleet Camp
No. 1249 in Winston-Salem in 1961 which reactivated the North Carolina
Division. The first state convention in recent times was held in
Winston-Salem on May 10, 1969. By 1971, there were five active camps in
North Carolina. The Asheville Camp No. 15 hosted the 1979 National Reunion. But, the
Division had only six camps by 1980 as several camps started and then
disbanded. But, the Division hosted the 1985 National Reunion in Raleigh
on August 7th through 10th.
The year 1986 marked the beginning of the present day North Carolina Division. The Division had 11 camps and 485 members at the end of the year. The
Carolina Confederate was established as the new Division publication
which would be sent out quarterly on a regular schedule and be mailed to
all members of the Division.
The reorganization of the Division began to take effect almost immediately
and began to show results in a wave of new camps. In just three years,
North Carolina had 26 camps and 1,134 members. Most of this growth can
be attributed to the efforts of Division Commander Byron Brady. While
serving one term as adjutant and two terms as commander, the Division
grew to 1,450 members in 45 camps by May 1992. During this time period
the Division Public Relations Committee was established, Confederate Flag
Day was adopted and celebrated every year, Confederate Memorial
Weekend was established in conjunction with our annual Division
Convention, the General Longstreet Memorial Fund was organized, and the
Division booth at the North Carolina State Fair was started.
Under the leadership of Commander Frank Powell, the North Carolina Division had
2,769 members in 75 camps from the mountains to the sea. The Carolina
Confederate was expanded to bi-monthly and judged best in the
Confederation two consecutive years. In 1994, the Division led the fight to
defeat a proposed monument to honor General Sherman's men at the
Bentonville Battlefield. In September, 1995, the Division sponsored its first
reenactment, Echoes of Dixie.
In the decade since 1998 the North Carolina Division has advanced in many areas. It
has grown from 4 to 12 Brigades and now is at the point of having 96 camps
with new camps being formed as you read this. Membership has risen to
nearly 3,000.
Soon after the turn of this Century a time of contention began when a few
who had risen to leadership posts tried to bully the membership into
making the Division "Politically Correct". Their efforts failed and in 2002 the
members elected Brian Carawan as Division Commander. Under his
administration the "Political Correct" movement leaders were given leave to
follow their path elsewhere. Commander Carawan will long be remembered
as the North Carolina "David" who slew the scalawag "Goliath".
In 2004 the members overwhelmingly elected Bruce Tyson, of Fayetteville,
to lead as Division Commander. He immediately set about restoring the bonds of fraternity and adding new members and camps.
Today, the North Carolina Division is a vibrant growing organization of men who
contribute much to the civic affairs of their communities.
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