The ''Confederate Veteran'' was a magazine about veterans of the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
of 1861–1865, propagating the myth of the
Lost Cause of the Confederacy
The Lost Cause of the Confederacy (or simply Lost Cause) is an History of the United States, American pseudohistorical historical negationist, negationist mythology that claims the cause of the Confederate States during the American Civil Wa ...
. It was instrumental in popularizing the legend of
Sam Davis
Sam Davis (October 6, 1842 – November 27, 1863) was a Confederate soldier executed by Union forces in Pulaski, Tennessee, during the American Civil War. He is popularly known as the ''Boy Hero of the Confederacy'', although he was 21 when he ...
. A subsequent magazine of the same title is still in print, and is an official publication of the
Sons of Confederate Veterans
The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates monuments to them, and promotes the pseudohis ...
organization.
History
The ''Confederate Veteran'' was founded by
S. A. Cunningham in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
in 1893.
Initially, it began as a fundraising newsletter for the construction of a monument in honor of
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
, the
President of the Confederate States
The president of the Confederate States was the head of state and head of government of the Confederate States. The president was the chief executive of the federal government and was the commander-in-chief of the Confederate Army and the Confe ...
, in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
.
Its first issue included several articles about Jefferson Davis written by Cunningham, Abram Joseph Ryan
Abram Joseph Ryan (February 5, 1838 – April 22, 1886) was an American poet, Catholic priest, Catholic newspaper editor, orator, and former Vincentian. An active proponent of the Confederate States of America, he has been called the "Poet-Priest ...
's poem entitled, ''The Conquered Banner
"The Conquered Banner" was one of the most popular of the post-Civil War Confederate poems. It was written by Father Abram Joseph Ryan, a Roman Catholic priest and Confederate Army chaplain. He has been called the "poet laureate of the postwar so ...
'', and an article about the town of Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...
written by J. William Jones
J. William Jones (25 September 1836 – 17 March 1909) was an American Southern Baptist preacher and writer who became known for his evangelism and devotion to the Lost Cause of the Confederacy. During the American Civil War of 1861–186 ...
, a Southern Baptist minister.
The magazine became "the official organ first of the United Confederate Veterans
The United Confederate Veterans (UCV, or simply Confederate Veterans) was an American Civil War veterans' organization headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was organized on June 10, 1889, by ex-soldiers and sailors of the Confederate Sta ...
and later of the United Daughters of the Confederacy
The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...
, the Sons of Confederate Veterans
The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates monuments to them, and promotes the pseudohis ...
, and the Confederate Southern Memorial Society." Over the years, the magazine became "one of the New South
New South, New South Democracy or New South Creed is a slogan in the history of the American South first used after the American Civil War. Reformers used it to call for a modernization of society and attitudes, to integrate more fully with the ...
's most influential monthlies."[ Through it, Cunningham became a leader of the ]Lost Cause
The Lost Cause of the Confederacy (or simply Lost Cause) is an American pseudohistorical negationist mythology that claims the cause of the Confederate States during the American Civil War was just, heroic, and not centered on slavery. Firs ...
movement.[ It had a readership of over 20,000 by 1900.] After Cunningham's death in 1913, the second editor was Edith D. Pope. The magazine ceased publication in 1932.[ The magazine came back into publication in 1984.]
Another magazine of the same name is still currently in print by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. This current incarnation of Confederate Veteran Magazine is printed 6 times per year, and is mailed to members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. An online digital version is also available. Subscriptions to the magazine can be purchased by non-members.
See also
* ''Southern Bivouac
''Southern Bivouac'' was a little magazine published by the Southern Historical Association of Louisville between 1882 and 1887. Written by several former Confederate army officers, it featured tales of many of exploits never before told by the m ...
''
* The Southern Historical Society
References
Further reading
*
External links
* ''Confederate Veteran'' at Wikisource
Wikisource is an online digital library of free-content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Wikisource is the name of the project as a whole and the name for each instance of that project (each instance usually rep ...
– 40 volumes under construction
''Confederate Veteran''
at The Online Books Page
The Online Books Page is an index of e-text books available on the Internet. It is edited by John Mark Ockerbloom and is hosted by the library of the University of Pennsylvania. The Online Books Page lists over 2 million books and has several feat ...
''Confederate Veteran''
at the Sons of Confederate Veterans
The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers that commemorates these ancestors, funds and dedicates monuments to them, and promotes the pseudohis ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Confederate Veteran
1893 establishments in Tennessee
1932 disestablishments in Tennessee
American Civil War magazines
News magazines published in the United States
Defunct magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1893
Magazines disestablished in 1932
Magazines published in Tennessee
Sons of Confederate Veterans
United Confederate Veterans
United Daughters of the Confederacy