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History of the Oklahoma Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Around 1890, Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory started on their way to statehood which would culminate with the merger of the two territories into the State of Oklahoma. Confederate veterans began settling in both territories and began forming camps of United Confederate Veterans.
″To encourage the preservation of history, perpetuate the hallowed memories of brave men, to assist in the observance of Memorial Day, and to perpetuate the record of the services of every Southern Soldier″.
With the formation of the USCV, later shortened to Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), the organization would grow to many camps, learn from their fathers and in cooperation with the United Daughters of the Confederacy, care for the graves of Confederate veterans, erect many monuments to honor Confederate soldiers and perpetuate their memory with Confederate Memorial Day observances.
With the United States entry into WWII, the Oklahoma SCV would slowly dwindle to comparatively few members, as most men, except for those too old, went off to war. Many camps went dormant. The last camp, the General Nathan Bedford Forrest Camp, Oklahoma City, finally succumbed to what appeared to be loss of interest on the part of Confederate descendants. By the 1950s, Confederate descendants began rebuilding the Oklahoma SCV, re-chartering dormant camps, organizing and chartering new camps and gaining new members. The present day Oklahoma Division traces its origin to the formation of Brig. Gen. Stand Watie Camp No. 1303, Oklahoma City, in February of 1970. This camp began to actively work to establish new camps and their first success was the establishment of the Folsom-Colbert Camp No. 1356, Duncan. (This camp was later renamed to honor its founder, James A. Morgan.) Thanks to the special efforts of Mark L. "Beau" Cantrell, a third camp was added: the Brig. Gen. Albert Pike Camp No. 1367, El Reno.
The Oklahoma Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans had its rebirth in December 1975. Due to the loss of records on the national level, history of the Division prior to World War II is little known. It was upon the executive order of Commander-in-Chief James M. Edwards, Georgia, the Oklahoma Division was created and Charles H. Smith, Oklahoma City, named Commander.
Charles Smith continued to serve as Commander, Oklahoma Division, until August 1976 when he was elected Commander, Trans-Mississippi Department. Dr. Paul Jon Miller was to succeed as Commander of the Oklahoma Division. On July 28, 1977, the Oklahoma Division was convened in Confederate Memorial Hall, Oklahoma Historical Society in Oklahoma City. Mark L. "Beau" Cantrell was elected the new Division Commander while Dr. C.W. Buck was chosen Lieutenant Commander. The Division was honored that Charles H. Smith was named SCV Chief of Staff, an office he was to hold for the next three years.
In July 1978, "Beau" convened the first formal meeting of the Division at the Hilton Inn West, Oklahoma City. He was re-elected Division Commander. In June 1979, the Division hosted its meeting at the Elk's Club, El Reno. The featured speaker was Dr. Kenny Franks, author of a new book, Stand Watie and the Agony of the Cherokee Nation. Beau was elected to his third term as Commander.
In 1980 the Division held the first of its meetings in Duncan. Commander Cantrell was selected for a fourth term. It was at this meeting that a per capita tax was first levied on members: $2, and a Division Constitution was adopted. The newest camp in the Division was the Capt. Clem Vann Rogers Camp No. 1378, Tulsa. (This camp later changed its name to Col. Daniel N. McIntosh.) Another camp, the Lt. Col. John Jumper Camp No. 1389, Shawnee, applied for charter.
1980 also saw the first loss of a Past Division Commander. Dr. Paul Jon "Doc" Miller succumbed to cancer in September. He had attended the General Convention in New Orleans to say his final farewell to his many friends throughout the Confederation.
In New Orleans, Charles Smith was elected Lt. Commander-in-Chief, SCV. Four term Oklahoma Division Commander Mark L. "Beau" Cantrell was elected Lt. Commander-in-Chief, Military Order of the Stars & Bars. Both of these Oklahomans were to have an impact on their respective organizations. 1982 also saw the formation of the Pickens County-Chickasaw Nation Camp in Ardmore.
In 1981 the Division had grown in camps and membership. That year the Division met in Oklahoma City at the 45th Infantry Division Museum. We were honored to have as a special guest longtime friend Bill Knight from Los Angeles who reported on the progress of a book he was writing, Red Fox, now recognized as a standard work on Brig. Gen. Stand Watie. Dr. C.W. Buck was elected Commander.
In May 1982 the Division hosted its second meeting in El Reno at old Fort Reno. James A. Morgan, Duncan, was elected Commander. This was a very important year for the Division because it was host to the General Convention, the first since 1918 when it was held in Tulsa for the UCV. It was also important in that the second Oklahoman in the organization's history was elected Commander-in-Chief, Charles H. Smith. Dr. George Tabor, Oklahoma City, had been elevated to this position in 1931-1932.
In May 1983 the Division met in Oklahoma City. Distinguished visitors included R.T. Clemmons, Commander-in-Chief, MOSB. The Col. Richard A. Sneed Camp was formed with Jordan B. Reaves as Commander. For the first time the state was divided into Brigades: the Oklahoma Territory Brigade (western) and the Indian Territory Brigade (eastern). Daniel K. Almond, Oklahoma City, was named chairman of the SCV Permanent Headquarters Committee and launched the first earnest effort to secure a home for the national organization.
The Division again met in Oklahoma City in 1984. Charles W. Britton, past Trans-Mississippi Dept. Commander and Committeeman, was elected Division Commander. Distinguished guests included MOSB CiC R.T. Clemmons, SCV Lt. CiC Lynn J. Shaw, Tennessee, who was keynote speaker for the occasion. That summer "Beau" Cantrell was elected Commander-in-Chief, Military Order of the Stars & Bars.
In 1985, Duncan again was site of the Division Meeting. The flag of the Choctaw Nation, a blue field with a red center with white arrows, bow and tomahawk, was adopted as the official flag of the Oklahoma Division. The Division continued to pass resolutions supporting the establishment of a permanent headquarters for SCV.
 In 1986, the Division returned to El Reno and H. Paul Williams was named Commander. In May 1987 the Division met at the Sportsman's Club in Oklahoma City. Col. Jordan Reaves hosted a reception at his famous gun room prior to opening the convention. His famous gun collection is now a central exhibit at the 45th Infantry Division Museum. It was during this meeting that a "unitary rule" was adopted. This rule bound all camps within the Division to support the resolutions and candidates adopted by the Division at its annual meeting. Richard Rea was elected Commander. In 1988 the Division once again returned to Duncan. Floyd "Sonny" Webb, Duncan, was elected Commander, Oklahoma Division. Division personnel were responsible for hosting the first re-enactment in Oklahoma, the Battle of Honey Springs, held July 17, 1987. The Division meeting moved to the western part of the state in 1989, at Canton. Charles Smith was again elected to lead the Division. Standard awards were established for the Division recognizing the outstanding senior and junior members of the Division, the best project and the best camp. A Division lapel pin was adopted. This year, the 100th anniversary of the opening of Indian Territory to settlement, saw the General Convention again meeting in Oklahoma City. At this convention, the only camp ever organized on the convention floor came into existence: 1st Volunteer Camp No. 1501, Edmond. In 1990, the Thompson-Ponotoc County Camp, Ada, was added to the Division. Charles Smith was re-elected to a second term and per capita tax was increased to $4 per member. In 1991, Don R. Courtney was elected to succeed Charles Smith to the Divisions top post. Through his efforts, the T.H. Hubbard Camp No. 1579, Hardesty, in the Oklahoma Panhandle was established. Don flew his plane to the Panhandle practically every month to support this camp during its first year. In 1992 the first of three highly successful joint Division meetings was held in conjunction with the Arkansas Division. The first of these was held at Fort Smith, Arkansas. The following year, 1993, the joint meeting was held at Arrowhead Lodge in Eastern Oklahoma and was to be the largest meeting ever held. Both Divisions were extremely well represented. CiC Robert L. Hawkins was the keynote speaker. In 1994, we returned to Fort Smith. Dr. James G. Caster was elected Commander. A third brigade was added and two were renamed: Cherokee Brigade (east of I-35 and north of I-40), Choctaw-Chickasaw Brigade (east of I-35 and south of I-40) and the Oklahoma Territory Brigade (west of I-35) retained its original title. In 1995, the Division meeting returned to Duncan once again. Robert E. Henson, Jr. was elected Commander; Jeffrey W. Massey was elected 2nd Lt. Commander while Stephen Rice was elected 2nd Lt. Commander. Brigade Commanders: Oklahoma Territory - Maj. H.B. "Barney" Larkin; Cherokee Brigade - Commander William Harold Tydings; Choctaw-Chickasaw Brigade - Commander Ron Miller. The Division Constitution was amended whereby officers are elected to two-year terms and the office of Chief of Staff was added. During early summer of 1996, Walter Kennedy, Louisiana, resigned his position of Committeeman, Army of Trans-Mississippi Dept. Commander Henson was appointed to fill this vacancy on the General Executive Council by CiC Norman Dasinger, Jr. Upon accepting the appointment, Commander Henson resigned and Jeffery W. Massey assumed Division Commander. Stephen Rice, Yukon, moved to 1st Lt. Division Commander, while Maj. H.B. "Barney" Larkin was named 2nd Lt. Division Commander. In August of 1996, Commander Henson ran a successful campaign for Commander, Army of Trans-Mississippi Dept. during the General Convention in Richmond, Virginia. Tragedy befell the Division when on November 15, 1996, Commander Henson died suddenly. Don R. Courtney, a Past Commander of the Oklahoma Division, was appointed to fill this vacancy by CiC Peter W. Orlebeke. In 2004, the Oklahoma Division would incur much internal turmoil resulting in the loss of its Division charter. In 2006, the Oklahoma Division, under the leadership of Commander Dr. Leslie Tucker and Lt. Commander Harold Tydings, both long-time SCV members, and with a new Division Constitution, the Oklahoma Division was re-chartered based on our founding principles and our Charge given to the SCV by Lt. General Stephen Dill Lee in 1906. Today, the Oklahoma Division has come a great distance in recovering from the troubles of 2004. Ten years after re-chartering, the Division has twenty camps and almost 500 members. We have contributed many officers and committee members to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and there is little question that since its formation the Division has had a profound impact upon the national organization. Although not large, the Division possesses some of the most talented men. As their Confederate forebears who helped to settle the state now called Oklahoma, they are a hearty, innovative group of men. Although friendly and easygoing, underneath these casual exteriors is character filled with determination and a resolve to advance the Cause of Southern History. We continue aggressive recruiting to increase our membership of dedicated Southern patriots who are committed to giving our Confederate ancestors the honor and respect they deserve and to the preservation of our Confederate heritage. The Oklahoma Division will continue to be a training ground for leaders who will take us into the future.
We are not a hate-group, nor are we elitists. We are non-partisan in every nature. The main goals of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is to vindicate the Cause for which our Confederate ancestors so bravely fought more than a century ago, the feats that they proudly accomplished, and last but not least, our ancestors themselves will never be forgotten. And that is what we hope to acomplish with this web page.
"The name and service mark of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is reserved for use only by the officers and members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. This use is permitted only for authorized promotions, meetings, events, and communications. Impermissible use of the name and service mark includes, but is not limited to, the endorsement or promotion, directly or indirectly, of any political candidate, political party, or other persons or organizations."
The Oklahoma Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is in no way affiliated with nor endorses any of the organizations or companies referred to on these pages other than the Sons of Confederate Veterans. They have been included on these pages only for the information and awareness of such organizations and their purpose. Any information presented by these organizations and companies does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the SCV.
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