The Confederate Survivors Association was a

fraternal organization A fraternity (; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western conce ...

for

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

veterans of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

. It was based in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, and remained active well into the 20th Century. The Confederate Survivors Association (CSA) was a benevolent, historical, and social association dedicated to preserving the comradeship of those who served all Confederate military and naval service functions. Membership was based upon service, accompanied by endorsements verifying that service. The group was formally organized on May 3, 1878, but originated in an older organization known as the Cavalry Survivors Association which had been established in August 1866 as one of the earliest Confederate veterans organizations. Capt. William B. Young was the president of the Cavalry Survivors Association for twelve years until it merged with the Confederate Survivors Association in 1878. Former Confederate general

Goode Bryan Goode Bryan (August 31, 1811 – August 16, 1885) was a planter, politician, military officer, and American Civil War general in the Confederate States Army. His brigade played a prominent role during the Battle of the Wilderness, fighting stubbor ...

presided over the first organizational meeting of the new CSA. On June 2, 1879, the city of Augusta gave custody of the chimney of the city's

Confederate Powderworks The Confederate Powderworks, also known as the Augusta Powder Works, was a gunpowder factory during the American Civil War. It is one of the only permanent structures completed by the Confederate States of America that wasn't destroyed by Union f ...

to the CSA to "beautify it and protect it from injury as a Confederate Memorial." The group restored the brick chimney and added a memorial plaque. The CSA adopted 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 ...

' constitution in February 1894, but not without concern about losing individual identity. The Augusta Confederate Survivors Association became Camp No. 435 of the United Confederate Veterans; however, it retained its original name. In 1896, the Augusta CSA petitioned the UCV to change its name to Confederate Survivors Association so that the C. S. A. could be retained. At its peak, the CSA had over 900 members from throughout Georgia, although many were in the Augusta area. Another chapter had been founded in

York County, South Carolina York County is a county on the north central border in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 282,090, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. Its county seat is the city of York, and its ...

, in 1880. In 1894, seven years after former Brig. Gen.

Roswell S. Ripley Roswell Sabine Ripley (March 14, 1823 – March 29, 1887) was an officer in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War, a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. He was also an author and a prosperous ...

's burial in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, the local Confederate Survivors Association, erected a monument of him. In December 1898, after the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

toured the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

by train to celebrate the victory over

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and to thank the citizens for their support of the war effort. During a whistle-stop in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

, the 400 members of the Bibb County CSA camp warmly greeted the President, and one veteran presented him with a Confederate badge. McKinley may have been the first U.S. president to wear such an emblem publicly. Presidents, or commanders, of the association included Gen.

Clement A. Evans Brigadier-General Clement Anselm Evans (February 25, 1833 – July 2, 1911) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Afterwards, he edited a 12-volume wor ...

(1878–79); Col. Charles Colcock Jones, Jr. (1879–July 1893); Capt. F. E. Eve (1894 – May 1897), Salem Dutcher (1897–1899), H. B. Smith (1889–1900), George W. McLaughlin (1900–?), George T. Lamback (1912), A. J. Twiggs (1921), and Gen. J. D. Fooshee (1936). A collection of CSA records and artifacts is maintained in the Reese Library of

Augusta State University Augusta State University was a public university in Augusta, Georgia. It merged with Georgia Health Sciences University in 2012 to form Georgia Regents University, later known as Augusta University. History Augusta State University was founded ...

Notes

References

Reese Library webpage for the CSA

{{Authority control American Civil War veterans and descendants organizations