The United Sons of Confederate Veterans was founded in Richmond,
Virginia in 1896, during the annual reunion of the United Confederate
Veterans. The original Commander-in-Chief was James Ewell Brown,
Jr., son of the famous Virginia cavalry leader. The name of the
organization was later shortened to Sons of Confederate Veterans.
1896 was not the beginning of the Sons organization in Tennessee,
however. Prior to that time a society that went by the name of
"Sons of Confederate Veterans" was active in Tennessee
as an auxiliary to the association of Confederate veterans in
Tennessee which predated the formation of the United Confederate
Veterans. Many of these original Sons camps in Tennessee resisted
joining the United Sons of Confederate Veterans. Among those
which held out for a while was the camp connected with the Benjamin
F. Cheatham Bivouac of the Association of Confederate Soldiers
in Nashville.
The Nashville camp of Sons finally elected to join the United
Sons of Confederate Veterans. The General Joseph E. Johnston
Camp became Camp No. 28 of the USCV on June 22, 1898. The camp
was very active over the years, playing a central role in the
veterans reunions. That duty became more demanding as the ranks
of the veterans thinned and became more infirm with age. Finally,
the veterans could no longer carry on their burden, and the UCV
shifted the obligations of defending the Confederate cause to
their sons and grandsons.
One of the great tragedies of history is that this shift of duty
from the UCV to the SCV took place at essentially the same time
that the Sons of the South were once again called upon to defend
liberty in the great struggle of World War II. Due to the response
to the call to colours, the rolls of the members of the SCV were
greatly depleted. Many went to serve as their sires had before
them, and like the heroes of old, many left never to return.
In the wake of World War II, many Sons of Confederate Veterans
camps lost their charters. Among those was General Joseph E.
Johnston Camp No. 28.
The arrival of the Confederate Centennial Celebration in 1961
revitalized interest in the Confederate States of America, and
in the Sons of Confederate Veterans, resulting in the resurrection
of the camp in Nashville. A new charter for General Joseph E.
Johnston Camp No. 28 was issued by the General Headquarters on
September 25, 1962.
The revitalized Joe Johnston Camp No. 28 was active in the Centennial
observances, and fielded its own re-enactment unit. The camp
was particularly active in sponsoring the re-enactment of the
Battle of Nashville in 1964, held at the foot of the hill occupied
by Fort Negley, where the Nashville Sounds baseball stadium is
presently located.
Another great project of the camp was the raising of funds for
the casting of an heroic sized bronze bust of Lieutenant General
Nathan Bedford Forrest, to be placed in the Tennessee capitol
building. This bust was largely paid for by funds raised from
the sale of a print of General Forrest commissioned by the camp,
and painted by artist Joy Garner. The bust, sculpted by Jane
Baxendale, wife of the late Albert Baxendale, a former member
of Camp No. 28, was placed in the capitol on November 5, 1978.
Camp No. 28 continues its tradition of services to the community
and to the memory of our Confederate ancestors through its annual
candlelight tour of Mount Olivet Cemetery, the proceeds from
which go to the upkeep of Confederate Circle in that historic
burial ground. Camp No. 28 hosted the Tennessee SCV Division reunion in
1996 and hosted the National SCV Reunion in 1997.
Several members of Camp No. 28 are members of the Battle of Nashville
Preservation Society. The MOS&B chapter affiliated with Camp
No. 28 is the General John Hunt Morgan Chapter, also located
in Nashville.
Deveraux D. Cannon, Jr. is a past Commander of the General
Joseph E. Johnston Camp and a past Tennessee Division Commander.
He served as Commander of the General William B. Bate
Camp in Gallatin, Tennessee.
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