Who Are We?
The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) Lt. George E. Dixon Camp # 1962 honors Confederate ancestors through the preservation of history and heritage so future generations can understand the motives of the Southern Cause. The Lt. George E. Dixon Camp was chartered on January 1, 2002, in Belleville, Illinois. Our camp is named in honor of Lt. George E. Dixon, the captain of the CSS Hunley submarine.The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is the direct heir of the United Confederate Veterans, and the oldest hereditary organization for male descendants of Confederate soldiers. Organized at Richmond, Virginia in 1896, the SCV continues to serve as a historical, patriotic, and non-political organization dedicated to insuring that an accurate history of the 1861-1865 period is preserved.
There are two levels of membership in the Lt. George E. Dixon Camp # 1962:
- Membership into the Sons of Confederate Veterans: SCV membership is open to all male descendants of any veteran who served honorably in the Confederate armed forces. Membership can be obtained through either direct or collateral family lines and kinship to a veteran must be documented genealogically. The minimum age for full membership is 12. Prospective members should submit an Application Form, along with a Detailed Genealogy describing your relationship to the veteran, and proof of his service. We have trained genealogists who can assist documenting your ancestry.
- Membership into the Knights and Ladies of the Golden Circle: This is an associate membership for people who cannot qualify for membership in the SCV, but still have an interest in Confederate history and want to participate in the activities of the camp. Send an Application and $20 annual membership fee to our Camp Adjutant.
SCV members will receive the bi-monthy magazine,"Confederate Veteran," and our camp newsletter, "The Blue Light News." Associate members will receive the camp newsletter. Associate members can subscribe to "Confederate Veteran" by sending a check for $26 ($50 for overseas) made payable to the Sons of Confederate Veterans to:
PO Box 59
Columbia, TN 38402-0059
Who was Lt. George E. Dixon?
Lt. George E. Dixon, the namesake of our camp, was 25-26 years of age, height 5’ 9”, a young and athletic man with sandy blond hair. Though he was originally believed to have been born in Kentucky, Doug Owsley, the forensic expert from the Smithsonian, believes Dixon was most likely born in the mid-west, possibly Ohio. He was a man of at least some wealth as indicated by the gold fillings found in his teeth, his diamond studded jewelry and an ornate gold watch he carried in his pocket. Thus far, Dixon’s history can be traced to 1860 when he was a steamboat engineer traveling the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Cincinnati, Ohio.When the Civil War began, Dixon was in Mobile, Alabama. For the first years of the war, he became a part of the Mobile Community and even joined the local Masonic lodge. Dixon joined the Mobile Grays, a local police force. In October of 1861, he enlisted in the Confederate Army and was assigned to the 21st Alabama Volunteer Regiment. He was wounded at Shiloh but was spared more serious injury or even death when the mini-ball hit a Twenty Dollar Gold Coin. His fiancé Queenie Belle had given him the coin when he left for war. After being wounded at Shiloh, Dixon returned to Mobile and became involved with the development and construction of the H. L. Hunley. After it sank with Horace Hunley aboard in 1863, Lt. Dixon convinced General Beauregard to allow him to take command the submarine and use it to help break the Union blockade of Charleston.
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Who are the Knights and Ladies of the Golden Circle?
The original Knights of the Golden Circle were men dedicated to helping extend the Republic of Texas westward. It became an organization of those who supported Southern ideals and the Southern Cause against the Union and consisted of people from both North and South. Most worked clandestinely to try and help the South by providing information, supplies, equipment, interfere with Union recruiting, etc. They were often tracked down and prosecuted for their pro-Southern sentiments. We adopted the name for those who were interested in history and helping the camp persue our goals and activities. The Knights and Ladies of the Golden Circle are people who otherwise do not qualify to belong to the SCV but want to be part of what we are doing. They can participate in everything we do as a camp, but have limited input on SCV specific activities and cannot hold a position as a camp officer. We welcome everyone to belong to the camp through the Knights and Ladies of the Golden Circle who have an interest but do not qualify to join the National SCV organization.We named the men’s auxiliary the Senator John M. McConnell Chapter: in honor of Senator McConnell who has done much in the project to raise, preserve, and restore the CSS H.L. Hunley. The women’s auxiliary is called the Queenie Bennett Chapter in honor of the sweetheart of Lt. George E. Dixon. These men and women support the camp with their participation and enthusiasm an all that we do.
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