Association of Confederate Soldiers
The Association of Confederate Soldiers (Tennessee Division) was an organization formed by veterans of the American Civil War in 1887 as an offshoot of the United Confederate Veterans. Its goals included funding the construction of a monument to Confederate valor, caring for Confederate graves, encouraging accounts of the Civil War that would honor and defend the Confederate cause, and bringing living veterans closer through programs designed to benefit ailing Confederate veterans and needy widows and orphans.
The association held annual reunions, the last of which took place in 1951. As with many other veterans groups, individual camps (formally called Bivouacs) were named in honor of former Confederate notables, including Tennessee generals James E. Rains and Frank Cheatham. Dr. Joseph Jones served as the association's surgeon general and helped sponsor efforts in 1890 to archive and maintain Confederate army medical records.
In 1889, the organization successfully sponsored legislation in Tennessee to provide funding for the Confederate Soldiers' Home and Cemetery. The building opened in 1892, and was managed by a board of fifteen trustees, (six of whom were women). Each served until death or resignation, when his or her successor was appointed by the Governor of Tennessee upon the recommendation of the Association of Confederate Soldiers. The home closed in 1941.
The Association of Confederate Soldiers was also affiliated with the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and some of the ACS bivouacs are still active as SCV camps today.