Press Release
Re: Sons of Confederate Veterans statement concerning Ku Klux Klan rally scheduled for September 2, 2006 at Gettysburg National Park.
To whom it may concern,
The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) repudiates, in the strongest terms the actions of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
The KKK has announced their plans to hold a rally on the hollowed ground in Gettysburg where so many Southern soldiers lost their loves fighting for Southern independence. The KKK has erroneously declared themselves "the ghosts of the Confederacy."
They are neither "ghosts" nor representatives of those noble and gallant men who wore the grey. The SCV is the only organization that has a direct connection to the Southern soldiers of the late Confederacy. In convention at New Orleans in 1906 the remaining Confederate veterans charged the members of the SCV with the duty to defend their good name and their symbols, including the revered Confederate Battle Flag. Through these acts no one except the SCV has the right to speak for the fallen soldiers, display their symbols or guard their history.
Therefore, be it known that the SCV fully disapproves of and condemns all actions of the KKK and do not recognize, in any manner, their claim of connection to the Confederacy, her soldiers or cause.
In light of the recent decision of the National Park Service to refuse to fly the Confederate Battle Flag in honor of or remembrance of our brave American ancestors, the SCV also, repudiates the actions of the National Park Service for permitting this rally and allowing the KKK to brandish our revered flag.
The citizen-soldiers who fought for the Confederacy personified the best qualities of America. The preservation of liberty and freedom was the motivating factor in the South's decision to fight the Second American Revolution. The tenacity with which Confederate soldiers fought underscored their belief in the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. These attributes are the underpinning of our democratic society and represent the foundation on which this nation was built.
Today, the Sons of Confederate Veterans is preserving the history and legacy of these heroes, so future generations can understand the motives that animated the Southern Cause. The SCV is the direct heir of the United Confederate Veterans, and the oldest hereditary organization for male descendents of Confederate soldiers. Organized at Richmond, Virginia in 1896, the SCV continues to serve as a historical, patriotic, and non-political organization dedicated to ensuring that a true history of the 1861-1865 period is preserved.
Membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans is open to all male descendents of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces.
Michael Givens
Commander
Army of Northern Virginia
Sons of Confederate Veterans