Prattville Dragoons Camp 1524 member Tyrone Crowley and compatriot Al Booth and their wives attended the Winter Quarters reenactment event at Confederate Memorial Park on Saturday, January 29. The temperatures were certainly appropriate for Winter Quarters: in the 20s both Friday and Saturday nights and quite chilly and windy on Saturday.
Following is a review of the day offered with info provided by Park Director Calvin Chappelle, who is also a fine fifer who was part of the music provided.
Confederate Memorial Park, a historical property of the Alabama Historical Commission, hosted their Winter Quarters living history from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Using authentically reconstructed 1860s-era barracks, approximately 100 living historians provided an immersive experience for visitors of all ages. Winter weather during the War Between The States created impassable roads and other harsh conditions that significantly slowed most campaigns. Soldiers busied themselves with a variety of duties including drill, work detail, music, and games. This living history event provided visitors a glimpse into this daily life.
Spread over 102 acres of rolling wooded countryside near the center of the state, Confederate Memorial Park incorporates the site of Alabama’s only Confederate veterans’ home. Life for the old soldiers, called “inmates” at the Home, was better than most had known before their admission. The Home provided housing, meals, clothing, allowances, medical care and, for many, a place to die and be buried with dignity. The museum offers exhibits on the life of an Alabama Confederate veteran from recruitment to old age, including hundreds of artifacts from the War Between The States and the Soldiers' Home.
Mark your calendar for the next living history at Confederate Memorial Park, scheduled for Saturday, April 23, 2022, also the date of the Dragoons’ annual picnic at Pavilion 3 at the Park. Learn more about the Park by visiting https://www.facebook.com/ConfederateMemorial and about the picnic by reading your Camp Dispatch newsletter.
After
enjoying the living history event, the Crowleys also visited the Confederate
Research Library, at the Park. The
Library has a collection of about two thousand books and is a valued resource
for researching ancestors, battles, leaders, and other subjects related to the
War Between The States.
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