Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Meeting for October 2025 - WBTS Reenacting

The Dragoons of SCV Camp 1524 held their monthly camp meeting on Thursday evening October 9th at the Prattville Masonic Lodge.  Commander Grooms opened the meeting with an Invocation and Treasurer Dennis then led everyone in the pledges and salutes to the flags.  Commander Grooms then recited the SCV Charge and highlighted upcoming events including the fall muster and canned food drive and Christmas Social.  New camp member Dale Dellegar was then sworn in and presented with his certificate, a real cuase for celebration.   

Camp Adjutant Doug Butler gave a presentation on WBTS reenacting.  Doug has been involved with reenacting for 30 years and is a Colonel in the SCV Reenacting Division.  He brought his collection of just about everything one needs to be a reenactor.  Center were valuable Enfield and Springfield rifles including one with an engraves Confederate flag on the receiver.  He also had period sabers and bayonets. He showed a box of homemade blank rounds and explained the packing and use of those. He has not only bought period appropriate clothing like jackets and boots and equipment, but he has made many of the articles he uses in the field. He had numerous canvas and cloth ditty bags which held all sorts of miscellaneous things from medicine to string to games including checkers and cards.  He presented period correct canteen, kettle, lantern, stove, tent, skillet, cups, and leather holsters. He made and showed a couple of haversacks and wooden ammunition boxes. Cheats used in a reenactment encampment and hidden from view during the living history or reenactment event included a shovel, hammer, first aid kit, flashlight, lighter, fan, swiss army knife, sleeping bag with air matress and cot and baby wipes which he indicated were especially appreciated.  An amusing portion of the presentation was when he recounted some of the funny questions he has been asked by schoolchildren at living history reenactments including, "Is the fire hot?", " Do you sleep in there (tent)?", "Does it hurt when you get shot (by blanks)?", "Is that gun real?", "Do you get paid for this?", "Is that food real?", "Did you kill that chicken you're eating?" and women are commonly asked, "How do you go pee?".  Good stuff. 

Doug’s enthusiasm and expertise was captivating and inspiring. He made each camp member want to suit up and charge the enemy!

Prattville Dragoons Chaplains Column for October 2025 - Seasons of Life

"The truth is, of course, that what one regards as interruptions are precisely one's life."  

C.S. Lewis 

Ecclesiastes 3:1

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Life is never dull. We all seem to be going through something right now or recently. And sometimes it feels like unfortunate events never stop. 

I have recently gone through some stuff with family dealings and conflict, some of which the cuts are old and deep. More recently, I have gone through philosophical and spiritual disagreements with an organization in which I have membership. I have lost some friends recently, what I can only call a "culling" that the Lord is doing in my life. I trust in His vision and path for my future on this. 

All this to say, so what? The C.S. Lewis quote above caught my eye recently and turned me introspective. I have always viewed "something I'm going through" as a "season" or a temporary interruption. But as Lewis points out, what if this is just life? 

We can see in the Bible that many men went through what they thought would be temporary inconveniences- Job, Jonah, Daniel, Moses, and David, just to name a few. But many went through rough times for the bulk of their lives. The Apostles were hated for spreading the Gospel and all but John was martyred. But God redeemed them every time they suffered. All went on to the glory of God. 

The above verse in Ecclesiastes is well-known. There was even a famous song about it in the 60's. It inspires us to get through the "season" we are going through whatever that might be. However, when we look at the calendar every season is merely a continuation of life. Spring and Summer brings us new life and a new energy. Autumn and winter will bring cooler temperatures (praise be!), leaves falling, and shorter, colder days. While we suffer through the cold, dark days of Winter, we yearn for the warm breeze and vitality of Spring! 

And so it is with life. The constant theme through, not merely a period of it, is that Christ walks with us. I have the famous "Footprints" poem in my office to remind me that while God does not promise an easy life, but He does promise to walk beside us, and yes, sometimes even carry us during the darkness in our life. 

What a joy to think about everyday! Every day is a blessing because we have a Savior who loves us and even came and defeated death for us and our Sins! 

Let us remember that in the good days and the bad and then when unfortunate events occur in our lives we know that whatever happens that God is with us in this life and has promised a new life with him beyond death. 

Amen.

Dragoons’ Reenactor in Color Guard for Alabama Division UDC Convention

Prattville Dragoons’ Adjutant Doug Butler along with Reenactment Brigade Commander Jeremy Booth and Trace Johnson of the Tuscaloosa Ploughboys SCV Camp 2312 provided a color guard for the UDC Historical Banquet which was a part of the annual Alabama Division UDC Convention at the Prattville Marriott Sept 11-13th.  The color guard posed with UDC banquet attendees before the program and then posted colors as part of the processional which started the evening’s agenda.  SCV SWC Brigade Commander Waldo’s daughter also brought greetings from the Children of the Confederacy during the recognition of guests.  Alabama Division Commander Jimmy Hill was in attendance representing the SCV and former Commander Carl Jones brought greetings from the SCV and was the recipient of a UDC award recognizing US Armed Forces service members.  Brion McClanahan of the Abbeville Institute gave the keynote speech presenting on modern progressive activist historians contrasting them to historians of the early 20th century who recognized the legitimate contrasting perspectives and positions of those who fought that War. 

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 September Meeting

T he Dragoons of SCV Camp 1524 held their monthly camp meeting on Thursday night September 11th at the Masonic Lodge in downtown Prattville.  Commander Grooms led the attendees through the camp business and upcoming events.   Following, the guest speaker was Compatriot Bob McClendon, a member of the Troy SCV camp, Life Member of the SCV and Commander for the Southeast Alabama Brigade. Bob is a living history Reenactor of more than 40 years and author of several articles and books, including "The Definitive History of the 53rd Alabama Cavalry". Autauga County Confederate soldiers, including some Dragoons, were part of the 53rd. He gave a moving presentation on Company K of the 53rd Alabama regiment and reminisces of members from that unit. After the presentation he answered questions and had some of his books available for sale.

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.