 | |
 Confederate Veteran, cover dated May 1893 | |
| Editor | Frank B. Powell III |
|---|---|
| Former editors | S. A. Cunningham Edith D. Pope |
| Frequency | Bimonthly |
| Founder | S. A. Cunningham |
| Founded | 1893 |
| Final issue | Still in print |
| Language | English |
| OCLC | 1564663 |
TheConfederate Veteran was a magazine about veterans of theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War of 1861–1865. It published histories of the Civil War with a focus on Confederate events. It also propagated a myth of theLost Cause of the Confederacy. It was instrumental in popularizing the legend ofSam Davis.[1] A subsequent magazine of the same title is still in print and is an official publication of theSons of Confederate Veterans organization.[2]
TheConfederate Veteran was founded byS. A. Cunningham inNashville, Tennessee in 1893.[3][4][5] Initially, it began as a fundraising newsletter for the construction of a monument in honor ofJefferson Davis, thePresident of the Confederate States, inRichmond, Virginia.[3][4] Its first issue included several articles about Jefferson Davis written by Cunningham,Abram Joseph Ryan's poem entitled,The Conquered Banner,[5] and an article about the town ofLexington, Virginia written byJ. William Jones, a Southern Baptist minister.[4]
The magazine became "the official organ first of theUnited Confederate Veterans and later of theUnited Daughters of the Confederacy, theSons of Confederate Veterans, and the Confederate Southern Memorial Society."[5] Over the years, the magazine became "one of theNew South's most influential monthlies."[3] Through it, Cunningham became a leader of theLost Cause movement.[3] It had a readership of over 20,000 by 1900.[4] After Cunningham's death in 1913, the second editor wasEdith D. Pope. In a 1927 edition of the magazine, Pope debunked the claims made byWilliam Mack Lee about supposedly serving as a body servant toRobert E. Lee.[6] The magazine ceased publication in 1932.[3] The magazine came back into publication in 1984.[7]
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 six 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.
