Nathan Bedford Forrest Birthday Remembered Despite Statue Vandalization in Memphis

The evening of Friday July 8th the N.B.Forrest statue in Forrest Park in Memphis TN was vandalized with "Black Lives Matter" spray painted on the front of the granite base just above the General's and his wife's headstones.  Undetered and with around the clock police protection in the park, the Sons of Confederate Veterans and hundreds of friends observed Forrest's birthday on Sunday July 10th with a celebration in the park at 2pm which included free ice cold watermelon following the program. Nathan Bedford Forrest was born on July 13, 1821 and was one of the most brilliant and successful battlefield generals of the War for Southern Independence.  His monument in the park is threatened by the City of Memphis who wish to dishonor this hero and defender of Memphis and disinter his remains and move them and the statue elsewhere.  The SCV and like minded compatriots are fighting this short sighted bigoted attempt by the city of Memphis to diminish this important historical figure and remain steadfast in efforts to protect this majestic monument as well as the sacred burial site of Forrest and his wife.

Sons of Confederate Veterans National Reunion

The SCV National Reunion was held the week of July 13-16 in Dallas Texas.  Past Alabama Division Commander Tom Strain was elected Commander in Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and Paul Gramling of Shreveport, Louisiana was elected as Lieutenant Commander in Chief.  Alabama Division 1st Lt. Commander Carl Jones was appointed SCV Chief of Heritage Operations (formerly known as Chief of Heritage Defense) at the National level. This is a very demanding, important responsibility to promote our Southern heritage and react to heritage violations nation wide for which Carl is well qualified.

CiC Tom Strain

 

Prattville Dragoons Camp Meeting for July 2016

Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 was honored to have the esteemed Dr. Charles Baker as our guest speaker at the Dragoon July meeting. Dr. Baker is the current Alabama Division Chaplain and has served many times in this capacity. He has also been Chaplain In Chief at the National level and is a Past Alabama Division Commander. He pastors an Independent Church in the Center Point area of Birmingham and has been at this location many years.

Dr. Baker spoke on the recent Southern Baptist Convention’s resolution condemning the Confederate Battle Flag which asks Baptists to not allow it to be displayed on Confederate veteran graves in their church controlled cemeteries. Although not a Southern Baptist, he certainly has opinions on this matter and freely shared them with the camp. Dr. Baker asked how these people, who obviously have no regard for the true history of the South and this particular flag, could do such a thing. He emphasized that pastors and delegates should be about telling the truth and if pastors could not tell the Biblical truth, we should not be in their church. He reminded everyone that there are churches where the truth is told and we should seek them out while emphasizing that not all Southern Baptist pastors and delegates were ignorant of the truth and we should support those who do support Biblical truths as well as our shared Southern heritage and traditions. 

Dr. Baker cited the history of the major revivals in the Confederate Army and the fact that these men came home after The War and established churches in their home area because of their conversions experienced in the Army revivals. This led to the South being nicknamed the “Bible Belt”. He questioned how the Southern Baptist delegates could turn their backs on their very founders by condemning the Battle Flag. Dr. Baker said if he was in a church where the pastor supported this resolution, he could not stay there under a pastor who did not acknowledge the truth.

Commander Waldo and others spent a good bit of time explaining our Dixie Butt fund raiser and the details for this year.  Compatriot David Gatch is our Fund Raiser Chairman this year and reports that the fundraiser has gotten off to a strong start.  The monies raised thru this annual fundraiser are used for all the camp's activities including donations to the Alabama Archives for historic flag conservation, heritage defense and monument preservation, community announcements/advertisements, camp stores for cemetery flag settings and community events/parades, and recognition awards such as the JROTC Hunley awards presented at Prattville and Stanhope Elmore High Schools each spring.  

Commander Waldo was the recipient of the Alabama Division Clement C. Clay Newsletter award as (past) editor of our Camp Dispatch. Lt. Brigade Commander Bill Myrick presented the award.

Chaplain Tom Snowden continues to provide an excellent visual presentation via a projection screen of camp members and activities before the meeting. This is reason enough to attend and see this marvelous collection of photos that he has accumulated.  All are encouraged to attend the camp's monthly meetings to enjoy fellowship and educational presentations. The next camp meeting will be August 11 at the Shoney's on Cobbs Ford Rd in Prattville.  

Dr. Baker

Newsletter Award

Dr. Baker's Column Pertaining to the SBC Proclamation

Alabama Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Proclaim Law Enforcement Day

SCV Alabama Division Commander Jimmy Hill has issued a proclamation designating Monday, July 25 as Law Enforcement Day in the Alabama Division. Every camp and individual members of the Alabama Division are encouraged to express our gratitude in some manner to our Law Enforcement personnel on that day.  This recognition is in response to the attacks on law enforcement personnel in some locales around the country.   

The Prattville Dragoons, Camp 1524 officers have been working on a public display of our support for law enforcement in the area. At the suggestion of Compatriot Karl Wade, a retired State Trooper, a rotating digital billboard at Main Street and Memorial Drive (Hwy31) in Prattville will publicly and impressively show our support for Law Enforcement for two weeks (starting this past weekend). This billboard advertisement is similar to what the camp has done for Confederate Memorial Day and Christmas in past years. This location is one of the busiest intersections in Prattville and close to the downtown area.   

Commander Waldo encourages individual camp members and the general public to find ways to show our support for Law Enforcement on July 25.  Please be sure when you show your support to a law enforcement agency you let them know you are doing it as a member or supporter of the Alabama Division SCV and show them the attached proclamation. 

In these troubled times we must band together and protect the rule of law. By the gestures we make on July 25, we as the Alabama Division SCV show support to our Law Enforcement community and wish to thank them for their sacrifices and dedication to service. 

I am the Confederate Battle Flag

I Am the Confederate Battle Flag

by
Charles H. Hayes

www.b17.com/hayes

I am the Battle Flag    of the Confederate States of America.    I am a proud flag.   I have led great armies to great victories.   From tall masts I have saluted,   And been saluted by,   The ablest generals in history.    I am a potent symbol.   I have the power to stir the blood   Of those who carried me in battle   Though that blood be continents away   And generations removed from those battles.    I am an honorable flag.   Do not use me for ignoble purposes.   I am a symbol of pride, not arrogance.   I represent love of homeland, not hatred toward anyone.   But no matter who carries me   Or for what purposes, I cannot be dishonored.  I secured my honor in a hundred battles   Where good men dying passed me to good men still struggling;   Where we prevailed against almost impossible odds;   Where we were beaten by overwhelming numbers;   Where I was as bloody, torn, tired, and soiled   As the men who carried me.    I am a worthy flag.   I have stood watch over the graves of patriots.   I have comforted widows in their loneliness.   As a blood-stained rag I have been passed as a rich legacy   To the heirs of those who had lost all for my sake.    I am the Battle Flag of the Confederate States of America.   Do not forsake me.

Prattville Dragoons Chaplain's Column for July 2016

Pursuit Of Humility

1^st Timothy  1: 12-13

     Some people believe that thinking badly of themselves is a sign of humility. Let’s look in the Bible at Paul and what He has to say about this. Paul does not berate himself and tell God how vile and sinful He is. Instead, Paul talks repeatedly with a spirit of humility about the grace of God.

     To pursue humility, it is necessary that we die to self. We must refuse to put ourselves first and instead ask the Lord what is His will for our situation. God wants us to be devoted to other people because He has made us reservoirs of His truth—something those around us greatly need. And when God blesses others, we who follow Christ are to delight in the good things that come to them (Rom. 12:15).

     For ourselves, we must wholly depend on God. If we want to live with genuine humility, we must rely on Him in every circumstance. The Lord has many good things in store for us. When we direct our thoughts continually to His grace and goodness, our confidence in Him will grow. It is also important that we distance ourselves from whatever appeals to our pride, such as wealth, prestige, applause, or certain relationships—the list is different for every person. Finally, we must determine to obey God regardless of the earthly consequences. When you humble yourself before Him, you can mark that day as the beginning of the best part of your life.

     Jesus lived His earthly days with a humble spirit, and He taught that we should demonstrate humility as well. Jesus promises that those who humble themselves will be exalted by their heavenly Father. However, He warns that those who put themselves first will find that God opposes them (James 4:6).

Please remember to pray for those on our prayer list.

Prattville's Doster Cemetery

DOSTER CEMETERY

It sits by itself in the middle of a farm field in Autauga County, Alabama, about 100 yards north of the US Highway 82 Bypass in Prattville. Actually it sits in what was once the community of Dosterville. “It” is the Doster Family Cemetery. Motorists whizzing by on the busy bypass rarely seem to notice the tall cemetery markers barely visible over tall weeds.

Until June 30, 2016, the Doster Family Cemetery had lain for several years overgrown and forlorn, abandoned by even those local residents alive today who are descendants of those buried there. At one time these were important people. They were important in the founding and growth of Prattville and Autauga County. War heroes. A legislator. Children, too many children.

These people are no longer lying in a forgotten, neglected, abandoned place. The men of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524--the Prattville Dragoons--are seeing to that. One of the many public service projects they work on every year is the maintenance of neglected cemeteries where Confederate Veterans are buried. The effort at the Doster Family Cemetery was led by Camp Quartermaster Bill Myrick. The initial attack was with weed eaters, herbicide and a lawnmower. The cemetery is once again presentable and will honor those interred there. It will improve as the Dragoons continue to care for the cemetery.

One of the notables buried there is Absalom Doster, born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in 1796. He was married to Sarah E. Alexander Doster and they had two children, Charles Smith Graves Doster and Alexandria Victoria Doster. Absalom Doster was a farmer (one could, based on his sizeable land holdings, call him a planter). He was a Mason and served in the Alabama Legislature.  He also served his country during the War of 1812. He was a private in the Rosser County, Georgia, militia.

Charles Smith Graves Doster, who is buried nearby, served in the Prattville Grays during the War for Southern Independence. He was promoted to major on November 24, 1863. After the war he was given the honorific title of “Colonel,” a title used by most lawyers of the period. He was, after the war, the law partner of Zachariah Abney who also had served in the Bibb Grays, achieving the rank of Captain. Abney was a member of Forney’s Alabama Brigade and was present when General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. After the war he returned to the law practice he had begun in 1859.

Zachariah Abney was married to a member of the Doster family, Alexandria Victoria Doster. She was his law partner’s sister. In addition to his practice of law Abney served as Register in Chancery. He was appointed to that position in 1883 and served until his death in 1911. He is buried in the Doster Family Cemetery.

It's a shame that this cemetery, as other important ones in this county and many others, has been allowed to get into the state it was in until the Dragoons arrived.  The Dragoons will do their best to see that its condition is improved.

Jack Moore and Tryone Crowley