Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 at the Millbrook Revelers Mardi Gars Parade and Festival

The Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 fielded an entry in the Millbrook Revelers Mardi Gras parade and a booth at the festival this Saturday February 7th and it was a great success. The crowds were large, probably larger than in the past and everyone had a very good time.  Dragoons participating in the festivities either by working at the booth, walking in the parade or both included Adjutant Doug Butler, Treasurer John Dennis, Darryl Haywood, Color SGT Billy Leverett, QM Bill Myrick, 2LTCMDR Karl Wade and BC Stuart Waldo.  Also, Chaplain Chop Chop and Sgt Snake of the SCV Mechanized Calvery joned the Dragoons for the parade, riding their Harley Davidsons. The Dragoons were well received both at the booth and in the parade - everyone wanted the mini Battle Flags and candy that we handed out during the parade and at our booth and this year’s Alabama Division poster was a sought after item.  Merchandise sales at the booth were steady all day with flags, ballcaps, car tags, belt buckles and shot glasses emblazoned with Confederate flags all sold to help raise money for the camp's activities. But the main goal to promote the Sons of Confederate Veterans was an outstanding success as always including making a contact interested in joining Camp 1524.  The parade route which ran down Main Street from Mill Creek Park past the Village Green Park (where the festival was held) was lined with thousands of spectators and hundreds of mini-Battle Flags and SCV coins and lots of candy were handed to spectators all along the way.  Treasurer Dennis and BC Waldo carried a Mardi Gras themed camp banner to lead the parade entry, Waldo's family drove the appropriately purple colored Charger decked with a couple window mounted Battle flags, Adjutant Butler and his OCR complement Ms. Johnson wearing a Mardi Gras purple period gown rode in their golf cart which was decorated with Mardi Gras bunting and garland and two large Confederate flags off the back and, the Mech Cav riders brought up the rear guard.  All in all, a terrific day and a successful event. Happy Mardi Gras!

Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Chaplain's Column for February 2026 - Obedience and Service

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103 (ESV).

   My family and I have a nightly ritual of reading and praying through the Evening Prayer liturgy from the 1662 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. Part of this liturgy involves reading through the entire book of Psalms every month on an appointed schedule. It is always amazing to me how rich the Psalms are; they always have something that resonates with anything we might be facing in life, and mirror the ways the Godly man interacts with God through his various trials and tribulations.

   About a week ago, we read through Psalm 119 again. The longest chapter in the entire Bible, it takes us about four days to read through. I’ve read Psalm 119 many times over the years, but one thing stood out to me: throughout Psalm 119’s 176 verses, every single verse mentions God’s “word,” “laws,” “statutes,” “judgments,” “testimonies,” or “commandments” at least once. And nearly every time, the Psalmist is looking to God’s commandments as the guidepost of his actions and the source of his strength. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

   Obedience to command is one of the foremost skills every man must learn, no matter his calling or walk of life. Every civilized man routinely obeys something, whether that is his boss at work, his commanding officer in the military, or the laws of his country. And that’s just the human element. To be Godly as well as civilized, a man must obey, not just the commands of his human superiors or the laws of his government, but also the commands of God.

   Our modern ears often recoil at the mention of “obedience.” Many see the idea of obedience as a sign of subservience, as though by obeying we are allowing ourselves to be walked on or taken advantage of. But Scripture (and history) tells us another story. Obedience to God is where true freedom is found. As Martin Luther once put the paradox, “A Christian Man is the most free lord of all, subject to no one; a Christian Man is the most abject servant of all, subject to everyone.”

   The Christian man is called to a life of obedience and service. But obedience and service are not servitude. In serving God, his family, and his fellow man, a Christian man finds a dignity that can be found nowhere else. Think of all the great heroes we admire in history. We admire them for their great acts, for sure; but it isn’t just for the actions alone.

We admire Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and so many others for their brilliant military achievements, sure. But we admire them most of all for what motivated them to achieve those things. All they did, they did in the service of their people and in obedience to what they believed was God’s command to them, to protect their people against the invader of their homeland. And even in defeat, most of them returned to serve their people as well in peace as they had in war. They could have become bitter, violent, lawless men, haters of the Union against which they had struggled so long and seeking its ill forever. But they didn’t. Even in defeat, they refused dishonor and spent the rest of their lives in service to their people, whatever flag flew over them. It is this for which we truly, and rightly, admire them.

   As our fathers obeyed the commandments of their God, their Country, and their brave leaders, I pray that all of us may do the same. Our times are different, but our cause is the same. We face different adversaries, and (thank God) are not yet facing our Brothers across the battlefield again. But our call is the same. The man who loves freedom must love God’s law. The man who loves greatness must seek to serve. “Bear one another’s burdens,” says the Apostle Paul, “and so fulfil the Law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, ESV).

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots

From the Prattville Dragoons Camp Dispatch for February 2026:

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots

 

Alabama Division Robert E Lee Birthday Celebration – Saturday, January 24^th, 9:30am, Archives, downtown Montgomery

 

Millbrook Mardi Gras Parade and Festival – Saturday, February 7^th, 9am festival start and noon parade

 

Prattville Dragoons February Camp Meeting – Thursday, February 12^th, 6pm social hour, 6:45pm program

 

Alabama Division SCV DEC – Saturday, Feb 21^st , 9am EC meeting at Southern Cultural Center in Wetumpka

 

AL Div SCV Education Conference – Saturday, Mar 28^th, 9:30am, Southern Cultural Center in Wetumpka

 

Children of the Confederacy Confederate Memorial Day – Saturday, Apr 18^th, 10am, CMP

 

AL Div SCV Confederate Memorial Day – Saturday, Apr 25^th, 10am at the state capitol, downtown Montgomery

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Chaplains Column for January 2026 - Humility and Honor

 “Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.” Proverbs 18:12 (ESV). 

Everyone loves to receive honor. No matter how great or small your ambitions, it’s always a good experience to be honored, to receive acknowledgement and praise. But honor is a bit of a heady brew, which sometimes can turn the head of even a previously wise man. And as Solomon said, haughtiness of the heart comes before destruction. So what’s the answer? King Solomon tells us: Humility is both the antidote to haughtiness and the forerunner of honor itself. 

It goes against the modern philosophy of achievement, doesn’t it? The world says, “look the best and promote yourself as the best, and you’ll deserve the best.” But God says,  “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11, ESV).

We have just passed through the season of Advent, and, at the time of this writing, are now in Christmastide. This time of the year, we celebrate our Savior, Jesus Christ, Whose Incarnation was an act of humility beyond any other. As the Apostle St. Paul put it, 

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11). 

Our Savior was the ultimate model to us of the Honorable Man. It is His example we should seek to follow in all things. And it is He that we should also honor above all things. But why should we honor Him? St. Paul tells us: because He, being God, humbled Himself to the point of becoming a man, like us, and dying a death shameful even to us, without any reason but His love for us and desire to save our miserable, sinful selves. This unfathomable willingness to humble Himself has earned Him the rightful honor, not only of every man, but of God the Father Himself. 

There is nothing wrong with seeking honor, or even with loving honor. But the way to Honor, as Scripture tells us and as Jesus Christ so beautifully demonstrated, is Humility. Bearing burdens before seeking benefits. Taking responsibility before taking credit. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45, ESV). 

Are we seeking to imitate our Lord and Savior in this area? Are we sincerely trying to do the work, to run the race He has set before us, regardless of how it might affect our dignity, our reputation, or our popularity? Is there any good work that is “beneath us?” Let us follow Christ our King, and pursue the path of Humility, for that, brothers, is the Road to Honor.

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Meeting for January 2026

The Dragoons of SCV Camp 1524 held their monthly meeting on Thursday evening January 8th at the Prattville Masonic Lodge.  The camp's new chaplain led everyone in an opening prayer then Camp Commander Grooms went over camp business including upcoming events like the Millbrook Revelers Mardi Gras parade and festival. Next Samuel Johnson was sworn in as our newest camp member. Samuel not only joined the camp but already had stepped up and volunteered to be our camp chaplain and penned his first column for the recent newsletter. We were honored to have Alabama Division Commander, Jimmy Hill, attend our meeting.  He brought news from the Division and informed us of Division upcoming events including the DEC, Robert E. Lee Day at the Alabama State Archives, Confederate Memorial Day at the state capitol and the Education Conference and Reunion, encouraging Dragoons attendance at these events local to Prattville/Montgomery.  The speaker for the evening was compatriot Tyrone Crowley. He read a poem written by Alabamian, Cecil Wingard, entitled “Lee at Jacksonville.” He described the scene where General Lee spoke at Jacksonville, Florida, as he toured the South after Lincoln’s War.  

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans at the Vida Community Christmas Parade

Members of SCV Camp 1524 particiapted in the Vida Christmas parade on Saturday December 20th.  The parade starts at the Vida community Center and proceeds down the main street there and turns back to finish back at the Community Center.  It was a beautiful clear December holiday weekend.  Streets are lined with spectators and the Sons of Confederate Veterans entry is always warmly received. Lots of mini Battle flags, SCV coins and of course candy are handed out to the folks lining the roadway.  2nd Lt Karl Wade, Treasurer John Dennis and his wife Mary Jane, Quartermaster Bill Myrick and Color Sgt Billy Leverette all participated to represent Camp 1524 and the SCV.  After the parade, the locals serve all those parade participants and spectators a wonderful BBQ lunch including great desserts there in the Community Center.  Always an enjoyable holiday tradition.  

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 at the Prattville Christmas Parade

Members and family of the Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 participated in the Prattville city Christmas parade on Friday night December 12th.  That morning Camp 1524 members Larry Spears, Bill Myrick and Stuart Waldo met to decorate the trailer as the float for the entry including a tree and garland with lights and a display of historic flags including the Alabama Secession flag, Dragoons flag which is a swallowtail First National, an Alabama state flag and a Bonnie Blue.  That evening, Camp 1524 Commander Grooms pulled the trailer with his truck and Treasurer Dennis and Comms Officer Davis carried the camp Christmas banner in front.  Brigade Commander Waldo's family was in their Dodge Charger which had a couple of Betsy Ross flags flying from the back windows and an SCV logo license plate in front.  Adjutant Butler brought his golf cart which he decorated with garland and lights and he was dressed in a period soldier's uniform.  Quartermaster Myrick and Larry and Stuart walked along the trailer handing out candy including requisite candy canes to the thousands of parade spectators.  Larry even made a fiend with Montgomery Biscuits mascot Big Mo. It is always a huge parade and a greatr Christmas event where the SCV and Camp 1524 can positively get out in front of their neighbors.