Sons of Union Veterans form Camp in Dover-Foxcroft
A year and a half after the Camp was formed, Col. C. S. Douty Camp 11, Department of Maine, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War finally received its physical charter in a signing ceremony at last week’s annual Department Encampment in Waterville. This was the first time members of Maine’s SUVCW had been able to meet in person since the pandemic restrictions were put in place.
The Camp is named after Col. Calvin Sanger Douty of Dover, who was the commanding officer of the 1st Maine Cavalry during the Civil War, and who died on the battlefield in Aldie, Virginia in 1863. He is buried in Dover Cemetery. He was also the namesake of Dover’s C. S. Douty Post 23, Grand Army of the Republic. The G.A.R. was the nation’s largest Union veterans’ organizations, but it ceased to exist with the death of its last member in 1956. The Sons of Union Veterans are the successors and legal heirs to the G.A.R.
The SUVCW is a fraternal, patriotic and educational organization of male descendants of Union veterans who had served in the Civil War from 1861-65. The purpose of the Order is to educate our fellow Americans about their sacrifices and “help keep green the memory of the Boys in Blue.” The Sons have been present in Maine since 1883, and four prior SUVCW Camps have existed in Dover and Foxcroft from 1883 until 1926.
For more information on the SUVCW or to contact our Camps, check out the Department of Maine website at www.suvcwmaine.org or visit our Facebook page.