Dr. Joseph Jones served as the association's surgeon general and helped sponsor efforts in 1890 to archive and maintain Confederate army medical records.
The organization was founded in November 1885 as the Tennessee Confederate Memorial and Historical Association.
In 1887 they renamed the organization, the Association of Confederate Soldiers, with individual camps (formally called Bivouacs) named in honor of former Confederate notables, including Tennessee generals James E. Rains and Frank Cheatham.
In 1889, the organization successfully sponsored legislation in Tennessee to provide funding for the Confederate Soldiers' Home and Cemetery.
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.