Prattville Dragoons Set Battle Flags on Confederate Veteran Graves at Oak Hill Cemetery for Confederate History and Heritage Month

The Prattville Dragoons, Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524, got a head start on April’s Confederate History and Heritage Month by flagging the Confederate veteran graves at Prattville's Oak Hill Cemetery on Saturday March 30.  Members met at 8:00AM at Oak Hill Cemetery where Battle flags were placed at over 80 Confederate veteran graves.   At least 12 members and a couple special guests reported for duty and the flagging was completed in a spirited manner. Camp Commander Stuart Waldo, 1st Lt Harold Grooms, 2nd Lt Karl Wade, Treasurer Billy Leverette, Adjutant Wayne Sutherland, Quartermaster Bill Myrick, Color Sgt John Dennis, and compatriots Larry Spears, and Allen Herrod combed maps provided by Adjutant Sutherland to place flags on all these heroes final restring places.  Commander Waldo's son Cooper proved to be very capable reading the maps.  Tyrone Crowley also stopped by to pick up flags to set at other cemeteries.  Final resting places flagged included at least one Unknown Confederate veteran and some of the original Dragoons who rode off to defend their new country in 1861.  The breeze picked up and showed the beautiful flags fluttering in the wind after the work was completed.  

Dragoons at the Autauga County Bicentennial Fair Event at Jones, Alabama

The Prattville Dragoons were well represented at the final event planned by the Autauga County Bicentennial Fair Committee, which was held at the Jones Community Center in western Autauga County on Friday and Saturday March 9th and 10th.  Dragoon Beir Butler came dressed as an actual dragoon, which means a heavily-armed cavalryman (has sword, pistol, and rifle or musket), and together with Andy Bodenheimer and wife of the Tallassee SCV Camp, kept attendees entertained with explanations of Confederate camp life, punctuated at intervals with actual gunfire.  Dragoon Tyrone Crowley and wife portrayed Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Pratt.  Friday was a school day and Dragoon Beir Butler educated the children about the life of Confederate soldiers showing them the equipment in the encampment set up there. 

Below are pictures of Beir Butler at his tent, saluting after placing a Battle Flag on the grave of Confederate John C Williams (one of five Confederates here, all of whom had flags placed on their graves), sitting at their table with Andy Bodenheimer and wife, and finally dressed as a  Prattville Dragoon.   Pictured also are the Crowleys impersonating the Pratts.

It was a fine weekend, enjoyed by all, and a most proper ending for the Autauga County Bicentennial celebration.  Autauga County Bicentennial exhibits were inside the Jones Community Center and Pleasant Valley Methodist Church, next door.  Five Confederate veteran graves were identified there and flags placed on these. 

Prattville Dragoons First Spring Cemetery Cleanup March 2019

Eleven Dragoons answered the call to duty Saturday morning March 16th at Indian Hill Cemetery in Prattville where the crew performed routine maintenance including cutting the grass, removing branches and weed eating.  A section of fence was also repaired installing three new horizontal slats and a new, large sign detailing the history of the area and the cemetery and recognizing our camp as the cemetery caretaker was installed. Thanks to the following compatriots who participated today (pictured below): Karl Wade, Harold Brooms, Dale Boyles, John Dennis, Bill Myrick, Stuart Waldo, Phillip Edwards, Skip Ward, Wayne Sutherland Bill Branch and Larry Spears. The sign was purchased by the camp with a donation assist by Harold Grooms and Karl Wade. Compatriot Tyrone Crowley composed the historical wording which appears at the bottom of the sign. 

Prattville Dragoons Camp Meeting for March 2019

The Prattville Dragoons held the annual business meeting on 14 March at the Prattville Masonic Lodge. The required business included camp officer elections, reports from the Commander, Treasurer and a Newsletter report. 

The Dragoons outstanding Chaplain Tom Snowden, was recognized for his years of service to the camp as a great spiritual leader and a Brigade Certificate of Appreciation was prepared and presented by Brigade Commander Josh Stover. Tom requested to relinquish the office of Chaplain due to health issues but promised to continue to contribute and present his excellent slide show before our camp meetings. Tom received a standing ovation for his dedication to the camp members and their families through the years. The presentation is recorded in the 3rd attached photo showing 1st. Lt. Commander Harold Grooms, Tom and Brigade Cmdr. Josh Stover.  

The incumbent officers for Commander, 1st. Lt. Cmdr., 2nd Lt. Cmdr., Adjutant and Treasurer were reelected. They are Stuart Waldo, Harold Grooms, Karl Wade, Wayne Sutherland and Billy Leverette. Compatriot Will Dismukes was elected the new Chaplain.  The only appointed position that had a change last night was Compatriot John Dennis taking the Color Guard position. 

The Nathan Bedford Forrest bronze bust was brought by Commander Stover and was placed on a front center table and made available for all to admire. This is the bust purchased by the Dragoons from Monuments Across Dixie to be donated to the new SCV Confederate museum at Elm Springs in Tennessee. It is pictured in the last photo.

It was announced that the camp donated money to the Southern Victory Campaign and $250 for tornado relief to the Wetumpka Police Department. 

Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 Chaplain's Column for March 2019

The Message from Jesus is Not Guilty

   Whether we receive  private or public shame, it is always painful.  And unless you deal with it, it can be  permanent.  In The eighth chapter of John we are told about a woman caught in the act of adultery. It was really designed to be a trap to snag or fool Jesus.  The woman was only the bait in the Pharisees’ game.  Jesus responded by writing in the sand and saying, “Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her.”

   I believe it did not take long before  all the Pharisees would leave and give up on this trick.  Jesus and the woman are left alone and he said to her, “I also don’t judge you guilty.”

   If you’ve ever wondered how God reacts when you fail, read these words and let them wash over your soul.  Jesus left a message—not in the sand, but on a cross.  Not with his hand, but with his blood.

Please remember all the people on our prayer list.

Southwest Central Brigade Alabama Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Flag Day

The day was uplifting and spirits were high as the Prattville Dragoons helped host the Southwest Central Brigade Confederate Flag Day on Saturday March 2nd. This year Confederate Memorial Park was chosen as the venue and many members of the public dropped in for free mini Battle Flags, Battle Flag stickers and free hot dogs with all the trimmings.  Camp stores were also sold to the visitors including ball caps, Confederate flags, Battle Flag tote bags, car tags, etc.  Dragoons' Quartermaster Bill Myrick even brought some of his world famous baked beans as a treat for lunch to compliment the dogs.  A bouncy house was available for the kids, plus free snow cones and other activities for the youngsters with reenactors set up nearby demonstrating reproduction period weapons and the Verbena fire department set up for a fundraiser next to their new fire truck. 

Brigade Commander Josh Stover set up a computer with internet access to  assist visitors in finding a Confederate ancestor and getting information for applications to join the SCV.  Josh stayed busy throughout the event and some visitors were surprised at what Josh was able to find for them using online genealogy research tools.   Division 2nd Lt. Commander Tim Steadman and Samual C. Kelly Camp Commander Zachery Grizzard joined us for a portion of our activities.  Dragoons present included Commander Waldo, Quartermaster Myrick with his wife Peggy, Adjutant Sutherland, Tom and Tyrone Crowley, Larry Spears, Harold Grooms, Beir Butler, Will Dismukes, and Josh Stover.

The SCV Library was open for the visitors and was manned by Librarians Tyrone Crowley and Vann Royal. Many visitors toured the Library with Tyrone and Vann helping some of them with research. The Reenactor living history area was set up adjacent to the library and manned by Beir Butler, Andy Bodenheimer.  They had weapons and military accoutrements on display for the visitors and presented very interesting details of how Confederate soldiers were armed and supplied.

Pictured below are 1) Commander Stuart Forrest Waldo with his new personal bust of General Nathan Bedford Forrest; 2) A portion of the visitors enjoying the refreshments we had to offer; 3) Brigade Commander Josh Stover helping some visitors locate their Confederate ancestor with an assist from Vann Royal; 4) Josh Stover, Zachery Grizzard and Division officer Tim Steadman showing the colors; 5) Dragoons' 1st Lt. Cmdr. Harold Grooms and Adjutant Wayne Sutherland preparing the refreshments; 6) Commander Waldo with his children Cooper and Julie; 7) visitors looking over the camp stores; 8) Visitors scrutinizing the reenactors' table; 9) CMP museum curator enjoying some of the refreshments; 10) Carol Crowley admiring the items being raffled by the Verbena Fire Department; 11) A beautiful camellia bush (the Alabama State Flower) in bloom at CMP; 12) Dragoon Will Dismukes with wife Amber and son Pratt. Pratt especially enjoyed the bouncy house! 

Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 Commander's Column for March 2019

Independence for Sovereignty and the Struggles for Self-Determination

During our February Valentine’s Day camp meeting Dana Casey Jones made a presentation on Kate Cummings who was a Confederate nurse.  She stated during her discussion, “Kate grew up very conscious of her Scottish background but took on the Southerner role will fervor (when her family moved to Mobile AL).  She wrote of the conflict between the North and the South, as similar to Scotland’s constant struggle with England for her freedom.  She was passionate about Southern rights because of that background.”  I mentioned in closing at the meeting that my wife and I had been watching “The Outlander” on Starz recently which is a romance series following a British woman who served as a nurse in WWII and time traveled back to 18^th century Scotland.  She falls in love and marries a Scottish Laird of the Fraser clan, quickly appreciating and sympathizing with their struggle to preserve their way of life and resist what they view as an occupying British army and an illegitimate king on the throne.  Obvious parallels can be drawn with those very same issues just over one hundred years later with the Confederate states struggle for independence.  Scotland and England were united under a common crown thru the 17^th century but the Scottish Stuart line was deposed due to Protestant-Catholic disputes early in the 18^th century which led to Scottish resistance when England and Scotland were formerly united under the Treaty (and Acts) of Union.  Armed conflict resulted and it was this period in which The Outlander heroine found herself.  Ireland and Scotland into the 19^th and 20^th centuries struggled for sovereignty and in Ireland, armed conflict, a War for Independence erupted against the British authorities resulting in the establishment of the Irish Free State.   In Scotland, the struggle for home rule and sovereignty did not wain but did not escalate to arms in the last two hundred years and instead took the form of devolution movements and referendums and in a vote for the question of independence in 2014 which was narrowly defeated.  French speaking Quebec voted on independence from Canada in 1995 with the "No" option carrying by just 54,288 votes (50.58%).

Some have stated that the War Between the States was a second War for Independence, that very much the same impetus existed for the Confederate states to secede as did for the colonies to declare their Independence from Britain.  “Somerset v Stewart is a famous judgement of the Court of King’s Bench in 1772 which held that chattel slavery was unsupported by the common law in England and Wales. Lord Mansfield decided that “The state of slavery is of such a nature that it is incapable of being introduced on any reasons, moral or political. It is so odious that nothing can be suffered to support it but statute.” The judgement involved the “discharge” of a black slave and has been recognized as “one of the most significant milestones in the abolitionist campaign”.  Some historians believe the case contributed to increasing colonial support for separatism in the Thirteen Colonies of British North America, by parties on both sides of the slavery question who wanted to establish independent government and law.” (en.m.wikepedia.org/wiki/Somerset_v_Stewart) Nonetheless, while this judgement rejected the institution of slavery in England proper, slavery in the British colonies across the globe was widespread.  “Although slaves had been sold in the American colonies since at least 1619, slave labor did not come to represent a significant proportion of the labor force until the last quarter of the 17^th century.  After that time, the numbers of slaves grew exponentially.  By 1776, African Americans comprised about 20% of the entire population in the 13 mainland British colonies.  It is important to remember that the North American mainland was a relatively minor destination in the global slave trading network.  Less than 4% of all African slaves were sent to North America.  The vast majority of enslaved people ended up in sugar producing regions of Brazil and the (British) West Indies.  The widespread ownership of slaves (throughout the colonies including the north like “Boston and Newport (where) 20-25% of the population consisted of enslaved laborers (and…) Philadelphia and New York supported significant enslaved populations”) had significant implications.  During battles with Britain during the 1760s and 1770s, American patriots argued that taxing the colonies without their consent reduced the colonists to the status of slaves.  Since individuals in all the colonies owned slaves, this rhetoric had enormous emotional resonance throughout the colonies and helped turn the colonists against the mother country.”  (teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/25577)  But we are taught in our elementary education that the founder’s Revolutionary War was all about taxes on tea (and the British government’s over-reach to control the colonies) and not about preserving their property rights (and the institution of slavery) while the War for Southern Independence was all about their property, slaves, and not about preserving their sovereignty and resistance to the Republican led federal government’s over-reach.  There persists the preposterous Yankee version of history that despite the parallels throughout history of sectional struggles for sovereignty and independence and the resistance to central government taxation without equitable representation and distribution, the War Between the States was singularly about emancipation of the slaves in the Southern states.