SCV Camp 1524 Dragoons Attend McKeithen Cemetery Historical Marker Dedication

Saturday, September 6, 2025, a historical marker was unveiled at the Alexander McKeithen Cemetery, located on Hastings Hollow, in the Columns Subdivision in Millbrook, Alabama. 

Extended family was on hand to witness the unveiling of the marker, which was presented by Larry Caver, from the Old Autauga Historical Society. 

The cemetery dates back to at least 1862 when the location was still a part of Autauga County. The oldest grave is for Thomas McKeithen who was killed in action at Malvern Hill in Virginia in 1862. He was the brother of Dr. A. S. McKeithen, a surgeon in the Prattville Dragoons during the war, and afterward, a physician in Prattville until his death. 

Prattville Dragoons SCV members. Tyrone Crowley, Eric Davis, and 1st Lieutenant Larry Spears were on hand to support the presentation. 

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots

                Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots 

Dragoons Camp Meeting – at Prattville Masonic Lodge on Thursday September 11th at 6:45pm

Alabama UDC Convention – Friday-Saturday September 12-13th in Prattville

 

Raid on Little General’s Farm Reenactment – Friday-Sunday, September 19-21st , Gallant AL

Beauvoir Fall Muster – Friday-Sunday, September 17-19th, Biloxi MS

Autauga County Fair – Tuesday- Saturday, October 7-11th, Autauga County Fairgrounds, Prattville AL

Dragoons Fall Muster – Saturday October 25th 10am-2pm at Philip Edward’s home – BBQ lunch and clay shooting

Battles for the Armory – Friday-Sunday, November 7-9th, Tallassee AL

Prattville Christmas Parade – Friday, December 5th, 7pm, Court St and Main St, Prattville AL

Dragoons’ Christmas Social – Saturday, December 6th, 6-9pm, Eclectic AL

CofC Christmas in the South and Santa’s Post Office – Saturday, December 13th, CMP 

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Dixie Butt Fundraiser

Members of SCV Camp 1524 held their annual Dixie Butt fundraiser to generate proceeds for the camp treasury.  Members were asked to " Buy One and Sell One" and a number of compatriots went above and beyond selling many to friends and neighbors.  Saturday August 16th Quartermaster Myrick went by Smokin S BBQ in Wetumpka to pick up the quanitity of hot and cold butts for distribution that morning to purchasers. Smokin S has prepared the butts for the last several years for the camp and they also provide catering services for the camp's Christmas Social.  Delicious product.   2nd Lt Karl Wade and compatriots Darrell Haywood and Wayne Sutherland helped bag the butts for transport.  Treasurer John Dennis and his wife kept the books, accounting for the butt tickets distributed and the monies paid, a lot of commendable work to keep straight. Camp 1524 1st Lt Larry Spears, Adjutant Doug Butler, and Color Sgt Billy Leverette worked the distribution for most of the morning there also greeting camp members and friends of the SCV who arrived to pick up their butts.  Brigade Commander Waldo took a quantity of butts to deliver...compatriot Philip Edwards visited for quite a while with everyone... brand new member Blake Dickinson brought his two beautiful children to the event for a while... Skip Ward who always donates a few butts for later camp events drove thru... Allen Herrod whose facility was used for the distribution point stopped in to pick up a couple butts.... Earl Edmondosn and Danny Smythe came in and chatted with the compatriots under the canopy for a while.  It was a great opportunity to see members and friends of the camp this morning and proved to be another successful fundraising campaign.  

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Meeting for August 2025 - The Confederate Soldier

The Dragoons of SCV Camp 1524 met for their monthly meeting on Thursday August 14th at the Masonic Lodge in downtown Prattville.  Rob Schwartz entertained everyone during the fellowship time before the meeting with traditional songs on his guitar.  At 6:45, Commander Grooms welcomed everyone before Chaplain Brantley opened with an Invocation and Color Sgt Leverette led everyone in the pledges and saluted to the flags.  Commander Grooms then read the SCV Charge before highlighting announcements and upcoming events including the Dixie butt sale, Autauga County Fair and the camp's fall muster.  Compatriot Blake Dickinson was sworn in as a new member by Chaplain Brantley and Commander Grooms, a cause for celebration. 

Camp 1524's own Paul Whaley gave an excellent but sobering presentation on what Lincoln's War was like for the average soldier. He delivered personal accounts from the letters and diaries of the men in the field.  There were 425 General officers in the Confederate army and 23 different armies/commands.  The Confederates were recognized to have incredibly talented Generals but you can't have great leaders such as these without troops.  Paul has done reenactments for many years rising in those ranks from a private to a Colonel.  He participated in the event at Gettysburg where 13000 men reenacted Pickett's charge, the Confederates charging and tearing down picket fences and getting mowed down attacking while Union forces 5 and 6 deep reloaded rifles and passed them forward.  

It was extremely difficult as a Confederate soldier with the deprivations and conditions.  Paul read an account from a soldier who fought at Allatoona Pass in October of 1864.  Thirty men in his company charged into a hail of bullets and immediately 28 dropped leaving just him and one other soldier.  He was hit in the hand and then the other remaining soldier was hit by a mini-ball.  He held the dying man in his arms when another shot hit his friend in the head.  Amazing, shocking and terrifying certainly for the soldier being so close to and witnessing death so intimately.  The manner of death was frequently gruseome with arms and legs strewn over battlefields or shattered on the wounded. The 50 caliber balls left gaping wounds and would spray entrails and brains about when they struck soldiers in the abdomen and head.  Men lost entire jaws and survived.  Bayonet and sword wounds.  Crushed by horses and wagons.  Impaled by wood splintered and metal from cannon shell fragments.

Food was often scarce and in unsanitary spoiled condition most often in the field.  The soldiers would bake cornbread using spoiled meal which often had worms.  Biscuits were fashioned with rudimentary ingredients; hardtack was the usual.  Pickled or brined beef was a common meat when available along with pork fatback and some bacon which was sometimes used over and over again to grease cooking pans until it became a hard briquette. Black eyed peas sometimes made into hoppin' john, sweet potatoes, cabbage, and rice were available on occassion.  Coffee was made from wood bark and horse feed boiled in water.  Poor diet led to sickness and death.  

In 1864 Confederate General Hood led troops thru Decatur AL toward Tennessee, 135 miles in 7 days. After fighting all day in Decatur, the troops endured freezing rain which soaked them clad in threadbare clothes. Shirts and pants and jackets were unwashed for long periods and often ragged with many holes.  The men would dig shallow holes and spoon to conserve body heat.  Many went without socks and shoes lost soles and some would go barefoot.  This area in late 1864 was controlled by guerilla bands of deserters who would bushwhack the Confederate soldiers as they moved thru picking and sniping them off.  

Many soldiers died in hospitals for lack of proper care, modern medicine and sanitation.   The Union Army had 11000 surgeons while the Confederates had only about 2000 doctors. Chronic diarrhea and viruses killed many who had to live together in the field and in hospitals.  Filthy latrines would have a sparse layer of dirt spread over the defecation daily but often soldiers in camp would just leave their tent and relieve themselves in the middle of camp.  The stench of gangrene and putrid odor from wounds and chamberpots would waft thru hospitals.  More died from wounds and disease in the 7 weeks following the battle at Corinth MS than died in the two day bloodbath at Shiloh. 

The battle flags were used to communicate troop positions and rally charges during battles.  But those colorbearers carrying the flags were targets. Paul shared an account of one colorbearer being hit by 40 bullets.  Often in battles, three or four colorbearers would fall in quick succession in the hail of bullets attempting to plant the flag on a rise.   

Prattville Dragoons of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Erect New SCV Signboard at I-65 Battle Flag Site

Members of the Prattville Dragoons met early on Friday morning August 1st to install vertical support timbers and crossmembers to build a permanent signboard frame to display the Alabama Division Sons of Confederate Veterans banner to complement the Battle flag at the site on I-65 near Pine Level.  I-65 Flag Chairman David Smith, Dragoons Adjutant Doug Butler and members Todd Rogers with his grandson Carson, Lee James and Philip Edwards did tremendous work to erect this new sign which allows better visibility to display the informational banner for the Alabama Divison SCV to passers-by on the interstate below the site there.  

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots

Dragoons Camp Meeting – at Prattville Masonic Lodge on Thursday August 14th at 6:45pm

Dragoons Dixie Butt Fundraiser –Saturday, August 16th

Battle of Decatur Reenactment –Friday-Sunday, August 29-31st 

Alabama UDC Convention –Friday-Saturday September 12-13th 

 

Dragoons Fall Muster – Saturday in October TBD 

Dragoons of Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 at the Prattville Cityfest

Prattville's annual Cityfest, usually held in May was postponed due to inclement weather and was rescheduled for July and instead of lining Main Street in the downtown area, the field at the Autauga County Fairgrounds was the site for the Cityfest held on Saturday July 19th.  Dozens of craft and food vendors braves the extreme heat to offer their products to a greatly diminished number of Cityfest patrons.  Nonetheless the Dragoons of SCV Camp 1524 setup their booth that moring and manned it throughout the day til after 3pm.  Dragoons present included Quartermaster Myrick who brought the canopy and all the camp stores and stayed the entire day, Brigade Commander Waldo, Treasurer Dennis (who also stayed all day), Color Sgt Leverette, Adjutant Butler and compatriot Schwartz.   A few items out of the camp stores including 3x5ft flags and ballcaps and Confederate shot glasses were sold and a number of mini-Battle flags and SCV Alabama Division education posters were handed out to passers-by.  A number of patrons stipped by to offer encouragement for the work the camp does in promoting Southern history and one area school teacher inquired about the camp making a presentation with reenactors portraying Confederate soldiers and President Jefferson Davis.  While the traffic at this year's edition of Cityfest was disappointing, it is always a pleasure to meet our neighbors and promote Southern heritage by participating in these arae festivals and parades.