Confederate Memorial Day Commemoration

United Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter President Pat Godwin hosted a belated Confederate Memorial Day observance on Friday evening May 29th at Confederate Circle at Old Live Oak Cemetery in Selma.  Confederate Memorial Day in Alabama was on April 27th but due to coronavirus concerns and "safer-at-home" orders from the governor's office, events were cancelled at that time.  As venues have opened and restrictions eased, commemorating this ongoing historical occasion was important.  A few dozen attendees including members of the UDC and the Sons of Confederate Veterans enjoyed a beautiful evening under the shade of the magnolias at Confederate Circle.  This section of the Live Oak Cemetery was originally dedicated on April 26 1878 by the Selma Ladies Memorial Association dedicated to the Confederate veterans buried there and is owned and maintained by UDC Selma Chapter 53.  Mrs. Godwin welcomed everyone and recognized special guests which included past SCV Commander Ronnie Simmons.   Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 members there included Brigade Commander Josh Stover who was recognized for his work on monuments, Commander Stuart Waldo with his family, Tyrone Crowley who was depicting Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and  Wyatt Willis who was recognized as a past SCV Lt. Commander and having led the establishment of the I-65 Battle Flag.  Nelson Andrews, Chaplain of SCV Camp 62 provided an Invocation and camp Commander Dan Olinger led everyone in the salute to the Confederate Flag and also provided welcome remarks.  Jason Boshers, Commander of the SCV Army of Tennessee was the keynote speaker.  He spoke about heroes of the War for Southern Independence like Sam Davis and others who despite being from very different walks of life, came together in the defense of their homeland against the Yankee invaders and did their duty for their families and loved ones.  Ms. Nicky Walton rang the bell as everyone participated in a Roll Call of Honor to recognize one of their Confederate ancestors.  Then "Amazing Grace" and "Dixie" were sung to close the program. 

Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 Robinson Springs Cemetery Workday on Memorial Day Weekend

Six members of Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 as part of the SCV Guardian program mowed the Robinson Springs cemetery in Millbrook AL on Saturday morning May 23.  Communications Officer Doug Butler brought his riding mower which helped make short work of the expanse of grass while Commander Waldo, 1st Lt Grooms and Quartermaster Myrick all used push mowers to mow around the markers more closely.  Color Sgt John Dennis also mowed and used his weed trimmer to trim right around the tombstones and gravesite borders.  Compatriot Tyrone Crowley used both his weed trimmer and leaf blower to finish up the work.  The cemetery looked very good after the mowing and after new US and Confederate flags were put out at those veterans graves for the camp's observance of Memorial Day.  Robinson Springs is the final resting place of many of the areas founding citizens and many veterans. 

Memorial Day Observance as Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 Place US Flags on Veterans Graves at Oak Hill Cemetery

To commemorate Memorial Day, members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 purchased US flags and placed these at US veterans graves in the Prattville Oak Hill cemetery on Saturday morning May 23.  Adjutant Sutherland got twelve dozen US flags and these were all placed at graves of men and women who served their country including during wars from the Spanish American War thru the World Wars and Korean War and Vietnam War.  A number of graves told incredible stories such as John Wesley Rush who served as a Captain in the US Army before following his state of Alabama and defending her in the Confederate States Army.  Katharine Bell served in the Womens Army Corps in World War II.  Milford Deramus was a three war veterans serving in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  Dragoons camp members including Commander Waldo, Quartermaster Bill Myrick (a Vietnam War veteran), Adjutant Sutherland, and Color Sgt John Dennis and compatriot Tyrone Crowley (also a veteran) along with Carol Crowley, a member of the local Daughters of the American Revolution, all assisted in this community service effort.  The cemetery looked very good with all the US flags waving in the light breeze of the Memorial Day weekend morning.  

Prattville Dragoons Camp Meeting for May 2020 - 30th Anniversary of the Chartering of Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524

Closely following Alabama Governor Kay Ivey's limited easing of the "safer at home" orders, the Prattville Dragoons held their first camp meeting since March coincidentally 30 years to the day since the camp was chartered on May 14th 1990 at that very same location, the historic Scott House in downtown Prattville.  To still observe social distancing precautions, the grounds adjacent to the Scott House, now the Prattville Creative Arts Center and Gallery were utilized as everyone set chairs about under the trees in the city park there to enjoy the sunset over the nearby Autauga Creek.   The camp's flags including the US, Alabama, Second National and Confederate Battle Flags were displayed and caught the eye of many passers by.  The Chaplain opened the meeting with an invocation followed by the pledges and salutes to the flags led by Color Sgt John Dennis.  Commander Waldo recited the SCV Charge and then welcomed the special guests which included former camp commanders Brent Moore and Wyatt Willis as well as former member Don Strength.   In all approximately eighteen members and guests attended the meeting, for many the first opportunity to leave their homes and gather with friends since the coronavirus pandemic flared up. 

Commander Waldo provided announcements including upcoming events such as the Alabama Division Reunion in Foley upcoming on Saturday June 6th as well as a camp cemetery workday at Robinson Springs called for Saturday May 23rd.  The reenactment of the Battle of Cuba Station will also be held soon on Saturday May 30th in Gainesville AL.  Quartermaster Bill Myrick gave an update on the Hunley awards which were provided to local high schools.  SCV membership renewals and the upcoming Dixie butt fundraiser were also highlighted.  Compatriot Tyrone Crowley was the guest speaker and he welcomed those special guests who included early camp members.  He set up a table on the grounds to display the original SCV charter for the camp, two newsletter awards for the camp, a photo frame showing old photos from past events and, a copy of a photo which was supposedly of the Prattville Dragoons in Pensacola from 1861 during the War for Southern Independence. Tyrone then provided a recounting of the tremendous work that those founding members of Camp 1524 made to the establishment of the Dragoons in Prattville and to the Cause including the raising of the I-65 mega Battle flag.  Commander Waldo recognized all the current Dragoons officers and the contributions they continue to make to the success of the camp and the local community.

Commander Waldo wrapped up the meeting with the SCV closing followed by a benediction by the Chaplain.  It was a great event to reunite after sheltering in place for the pandemic, a welcomed opportunity for fellowship and an amazing opportunity to recognize the very special occasion, the 30th anniversary of the founding of SCV Camp 1524.

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Provide Pizza Lunch to Local Police Departments for National Police Week

Dragoons Camp 1524 2nd Lt Karl Wade, a former Alabama State Trooper, and Communications Officer Doug Butler delivered pizzas to the Prattville Police Department and the Autauga County Sheriff's offices on Friday May 15th as part of the camp's annual recognition of National Police Week.  2nd Lt Wade reported that both Sheriff Sedinger and Chief Thompson were most appreciative of the camp providing the pizza lunch and cookies for their departments and the SCV compatriots conveyed that we appreciate what they do for our communities and that we all support them and that is it is appreciated the relationship Camp 1524 has with these local police departments. 

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Meeting for May 2020 Announced

May Camp Meeting – 30^th Anniversary of the Founding of SCV Camp 1524

Thursday May 14^th will mark the 30^th anniversary of the founding of the Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 and we will mark the occasion with a special camp meeting at the site where those founding members chartered the Dragoons.  We will gather in the public space adjacent to the Prattville Creative Arts Center and Gallery, formerly the Scott House (c 1890) at 342 S Chestnut Street in downtown Prattville where these men took the bold enduring step to follow the Charge and advance the Cause in our community by establishing Camp1524.  Tyrone Crowley will host a presentation on that historic occasion and those early efforts of our founding compatriots.  Tyrone penned the history of that meeting which can be found in the newsletter below.  The meeting will start at 7pm in the property adjacent to the Scott House.  Please bring a chair and any personal protective apparel you may wish to use.  The governor has relaxed the shelter in place order to allow public gatherings of greater than 10 people but we still need to practice recommended social distancing and maintain 6 feet between each other while assembled.  This is a wonderful occasion to mark this anniversary and a return to our monthly camp meetings and fellowship so please make every effort to attend. 

Members The Prattville Dragoons Camp was chartered May 14, 1990, at a meeting at the Scott House located at 203 South Chestnut Street in Prattville. The camp is named for the first company to leave Autauga County in the spring of 1861, a cavalry company outfitted by Daniel Pratt.  Charter members were Rodger Williamson II, John K. Brown, Leonard Morrison, James David Coleman, Rodger M. Williamson, Larry Owens and M. L. Bulger. Rodger Williamson II was elected the first commander of the new camp.

The purpose of the camp was found in the words of Lt. General Stephen D. Lee in his commission to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, "…to your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles he loved and which made him glorious and which you also cherish. Remember it is your duty to see that the true history of the South is presented to future generation."

In its effort to follow this charter the camp has worked to mark the graves of Confederate soldiers, clean up cemeteries, celebrate Confederate Memorial Day, participate in events that honor our ancestors, and teach the true history of the War Between the States.

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Commander's Column for May 2020 - Resistance to Tyranny in this Pandemic

Writing this column on Monday April 27th, Confederate Memorial Day in Alabama.  This Confederate Memorial Day is very much unlike any other in the past 150 years as we remain sheltered in place to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19.  Entering the month of April, Confederate History and Heritage month, I was looking forward to our annual picnic and the Confederate Memorial Day programs but this new reality of social distancing caused the Alabama Division SCV to cancel all camp and state SCV events.  I hope everyone is adhering to recommended precautions and staying safe and healthy while still remembering our Confederate ancestors and their valiant fight for state’s rights and originalist liberties.  

I am very pleased that in spite of the required cancellation of those aforementioned events that the Prattville Dragoons nonetheless stepped forward to commemorate Confederate History and Heritage month and honor our Confederate forebears.  As is our custom, the last Saturday of March members of Camp 1524 gathered at Prattville’s historic Oak Hill cemetery to place flags on the dozens of Confederate veteran’s graves there.  A number of compatriots including Color Sgt Dennis and Quartermaster Myrick took flags to place at other cemeteries around the area.  James and Larry Spears placed flags at two cemeteries later in April in the Millbrook/Deatsville communities.  The camp continued its advertising campaign throughout the month displaying ads on the electronic billboards at Main and Memorial and at Hwy 14 and I-65.   Additionally, members continued their dedication to the care of cemeteries which are the final resting place for Confederate veterans as part of the SCV guardian program by mowing and trimming the Robinson Springs cemetery, having already worked the Indian Hills cemetery in March preparing it for Confederate History and Heritage month.  

Despite the shutdown of most of the American society and economy, the enemies of the truth of the Confederacy, Southern heritage and the ideals of our founders’ constitutional principles were still hard at work.  The Virginia state legislature under new “progressive” control passed a bill allowing the removal of historic Confederate monuments there.  The new US Marines commandant issued a directive forbidding the display of any Confederate symbols on any Marine installation as part of an enlightened social awareness as part of his remaking of the branch.  These ignorant bigots are focused on their politically correct agenda despite the dire emergency situation our country faces with this coronavirus.   As Nancy Pelosi eats her ice cream and revises emergency aid bills to include funding for the Kennedy Center and Planned Parenthood, Gov. Ralph Northam and Gen. David Berger march in lockstep to the same misguided enlightened agendas.  Indeed, this coronavirus emergency has illustrated the extent to which our governments have evolved into an omnipotent overreaching nanny state infringing on constitutional personal liberties restricting individuals’ movements, access to resources and even violations of 1st and 2nd and amendment rights as governors and mayors have curtailed access to guns and ammunitions and enforced with fines and arrests the closure of churches and worship services in certain localities.  This situation has again illustrated the degree to which government can and will control the populace as it has since the War for Southern Independence.  One can contrast the degree to which those in positions of governance abuse their power such as in New York and Michigan and California to the approach of that instituted in South Dakota where minimally restrictive recommendations were instead provided to instruct and guide the citizens to make informed personal choices.  Indeed, Confederate Battle flags began showing up at protests as a symbol of resistance and in response, the fascist Michigan Senate Democrats attempted to pass a bill banning the display of the Battle Flag at protests  (https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/politics/michigan-politics/bill-would-prohibit-confederate-flag-from-capitol-building-and-capitol-grounds/69-edf9c595-cf41-4a1f-96a3-fcc212d2f710). 

I am so proud of our members who despite the adversity of the coronavirus quarantine still gathered to carry forth the Charge in the face of the ignorant socialist progressives and politically correct elitists who would blindly erase our nation’s history and struggles.  We need to undeterred advance the Cause.  Too I am gladdened that it appears that our membership has largely weathered this storm and stayed safe and healthy even while still safely gathering to perform these community service activities.   I am looking forward to gathering together in fellowship with our camp members who have endured this unprecedented struggle against an invisible enemy and hoping we can soon enjoy our picnic at Confederate Memorial Park, a festival with our neighbors in downtown Prattville on Main Street, a Reunion of Confederate compatriots from across the Division in Foley and, the reinterment of one of America’s greatest cavalry officers when General Forrest is finally laid to rest at Elm Springs in Tennessee.  Deo Vindice. 

Sons of Confederate Veterans Prattville Dragoons Camp 1524 Chaplains Column for May 2020 - A Godly Heritage of Freedom

I hope everyone is doing well and safe.

As I write this, I am watching folks on TV and radio who have had enough! Protests around the county, including one right here in Montgomery, featuring our very own Will Dismukes as a speaker!

Much like our Confederate ancestors, these men and women of today have decided that they will exercise their rights to protest the ever over-reaching arm of the government. As Genesis 48 reminds us, we do indeed have a “Godly Heritage.”

In keeping with God’s word, Galatians 5:1, we are told that, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Do not have a sense of fear. Over 150 years ago, Southerners, who had had enough of a terrible tyrannical government, went off to war with a desire to fulfill the promise of God to be free and protect their homes, families, and communities.

In the poem, The Love of Dixie, Orion T. Dozier reminds us how it is a gift from God to live in Dixie:

Then suddenly, as the lightning’s light,

Dispels the darkness of the night,

My grief has fled, my cares had sped,

The world was bright, my heart was light,

And from my very soul I said:

“I’m glad I live in Dixie.”

May God continue to watch over you and your families and protect you all.

And may God save the South!Remember those on our prayer list.

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter in place orders restricting gatherings, a number of events have been cancelled or postponed. 

Upcoming Events

Prattville Cityfest - Saturday May 9, 2020, Main Street downtown Prattville AL POSTPONED

Forrest Reinterment and National Museum Grand Opening - Saturday, May 23^rd , 10am-3pm, Elm Springs, Columbia TN POSTPONED

Jefferson Davis Birthday Observance - Saturday, June 1st, First White House of the Confederacy, Montgomery AL

Alabama Division Reunion - Friday, Saturday, June 5, 6, 2020, Foley, AL

National Reunion - Wed-Sat, July 15-18, 2020, St. Augustine, FL