Q&A with Tim Hawkins
Q: Is the Sons of Confederate Veterans a social group, a cultural, historical or re-enactment group? What kind of group is it?
A: It’s a historical organization — not political and we’re not associated with any other group out there. We focus on the true history of the South, particularly from 1861 to 1865.
Q: The period of the Civil War?
A: Yes. The War Between the States, the War of Southern Independence or (laughing) the War of Northern Aggression as some call it.
Q: What are membership qualifications?
A: You have to be an heir of a Confederate veteran.
Q: How are you related?
A: My second grandfather, my great-great-grandfather, was Pvt. Charles J. McClellan, Company C, 26th Georgia Volunteers. He went in in 1861 and survived the war but was wounded. His last military record was when he was released (from duty) in Richmond, Virginia, to go home. Home was Waynesville, Georgia. I’ve visited the graves of three ancestors buried there in a cemetery that’s now in a cow pasture. There used to be a church there.
Q: You know history pretty well?
A: I’m learning. I think a lot of people are interested in their ancestors and are on ancestry.com tracking relatives. Some in our local camp have 10 or 15 Confederate veterans as relatives but we all take pride in them and what they fought for and why. That’s why the Sons of Confederate Veterans was formed in 1896. We have the charge to make sure true history of the South is passed on to future generations.
Q: Local SCV groups are called camps?
A: Yes, ours is the Lt. James T. Woodward Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1399, founded in 1981.
Q: You talk about true history, what they fought for and why. Can you elaborate?
A: Well, history as it was is not always what’s taught in schools. Why they fought was states’ rights. At the time the political environment was one of high taxes and high tariffs on the South which was feeding raw materials to the industrial north. There are many related issues.
Q: Slavery?
A: A lot of people take away that it was over slavery, but I don’t think 750,000 people would have died for that. Southerners fought because their homeland was invaded by the north. My ancestors were sharecroppers and didn’t own slaves.
Q: But still, doesn’t bringing up the Confederacy, its symbols and flags raise racism issues?
A: It’s unfortunate. As far as the flag, people don’t understand anybody can pick up any flag and fly it and it doesn’t necessarily truly represent what they’re preaching. The U.S. flag flew over most ships that brought slaves here, never a Confederate flag, but because certain organizations and political groups fly the Confederate flag the meaning has supposedly changed to hate and racism. We don’t have anything to do with people like that. We don’t preach hate and we’re not going to tolerate it.
Q: So you say no hate, no racism?
A: I get around the state as part of a motorcycle club that’s part of the Sons of Confederate Veterans — we just did a fundraiser for a little girl in Jasper — and I wear my vest with a Confederate battle flag on back and haven’t ever had a problem with anybody being rude or anything. We approach everyone with respect and treat everybody with respect. We focus on history and ancestry. In fact, we have a young black member who could tell us more about his ancestors who fought for the South than most of us. He had five veteran ancestors, one captured along with Jefferson Davis.
Q: Traditionally, April is Confederate History Month and April 26 Confederate Memorial Day. Does your group commemorate it?
A: We sponsor or take part in observances. One at the Confederate monument on Cotton Avenue in Macon, others at cemeteries in Middle Georgia like Rose Hill Cemetery, Woodward Cemetery, others around Warner Robins, Byron and Fort Valley. We’ve had proclamations from officials from Warner Robins, Houston County and Byron.
Q: What other general activities?
A: We’re very active. Things like a VA event in Dublin where we cook 300 leg quarters for vets and provide hats, pens, pencils and things. We do things like take care of Woodward Cemetery and cemeteries in Elko and Warner Robins. We present awards to Junior Air Force ROTC cadets.
Q: What are your meetings like? When are they?
A: They’re open to anyone and are at the Ole Times Country Buffet on Russell Parkway in Warner Robins the second Monday at 6 p.m. to eat then meet at 7. We normally have a historical program, like one I did recently on artillery, or something on battles or a certain day in history. There are things like what people had to substitute for other things during the war because of scarcity, like dyes for clothes, medicines and even eating utensils. You can also get help from our genealogists about ancestry and who in your history might have served. You can contact me for more camp information at thawkins426@gmail.com.
Answers may have been edited for length and clarity. Compiled by Michael W. Pannell. Contact him at mwpannell@gmail.com.
This story was originally published April 26, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Q&A with Tim Hawkins."