Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Continue Historic Robinson Springs Cemetery Grounds Mainenance

Members and a friend of the Prattville Dragoons on August, Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th mowed, trimmed and cleaned off all the graves at the historic Robinson Springs cemetery in Millbrook AL. It is the final resting place for many area settlers and community founders as well as Confederate veterans and some US veterans. A larger and improved SCV Guardian sign was also installed that camp 1st Lt Rob Schwarz's wife Donna made.  Hubert Champion, a friend of Rob's and prospective camp member, brought his big Zero turn mower again which made quick work of the lawn expanse. Brig Cdmr Harold Grooms joined in using his regular riding mower too. Also working was 1st Lieutenant Commander Schwartz, Color Sergeant John Dennis, Quartermaster Bill Myrick,and, compatriot Larry Spears using assorted push mowers and weed eaters and leaf blowers.  It was great to have everyone pitch in and make quick work of it and leave the place looking so good. This is part of our Guardian program services that we, the Sons of Confederate veterans do as a service to our community. A big thank you and a rebel yell goes out to all who gave of their time and effort to accomplish this important work.

Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 Annual Dixie Butt Fundraiser

Members of the Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 had a great time of camaraderie while distributing smoked Dixie butts as part of the annual fundraising on Saturday August 20 2022.   Camp Commander Waldo, 1st Lt Schwartz, Treasurer Leverette, Color Sgt Dennis, Quartermaster Myrick, Brigade Commander Grooms, and compatriot Haywood worked the distribution and greeted customers and camp members including Skip Ward and Bill Hamner who donated some butts for future events, Bill Branch, Dale Boyles and Paul Whaley.  These delicious smoked butts are provided by Smokin S and are always popular with repeat customers.  The camp sold 115 butts at a nominal margin over cost and proceeds from the sale and additional donations go to many worthwhile projects and initiatives like the local community food bank and donations to heritage projects including the Alabama State Archives  historic flag conservation and artifacts program as well as purchases of flags for veterans graves, community event registrations, and camp meeting speakers' stipends.  Many thanks to everyone who bought, sold or helped the camp in this annual fundraising effort.  

Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 Meeting for August 2022

Two dozen members, wives and friends of Camp 1524 gathered on Thursday evening August 11th at the Prattville Masonic Lodge for the monthly meeting.  Chaplain Brantley opened with an invocation followed by Color Sgt Dennis leading everyone in the pledge and salutes to the flags.  The SCV Charge was recited by Commander Waldo then compatriot Crowley played a radio spot featuring Brigade Commander Grooms providing a story of the origins of Taps.  Compatriot Larry McGowan was introduced to the camp as submitting his paperwork for membership under a great grandfather who was in a SC cavalry regiment, interesting in that Larry rides and is very interested in joining the SCV Mechanized Cavalry.  Commander Waldo then presented Certificates of Recognition and  Meritorious Service awards from the Division Reunion to many of the outstanding contributors in the camp.  Upcoming events including the annual Dixie butt fundraiser and other announcements were highlighted.  

The guest speaker for the meeting was Camp 16 Commander and AL Division JAG Jay Hinton who spoke on Robert E. Lee.  Campo 16 was formerly the John Pelham camp and is the oldest SCV camp in the Alabama Division.  Jay posed the question, "Do we need Robert E. Lee today?"  Is he more worthy of admiration that the Hollywood actors, NBA dribblers, and other entertainers who command a soapbox today?  Lee's former home is Arlington House and it stands today as a memorial to Lee.  The grounds are the Arlington National cemetery.  Most states and locales still have streets and schools named for Lee and colleges too.  Cities such as Leesville SC still carry his name.  Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee still have state holidays commemorating Lee.  When opinion polls or referendums are posed to the public, overwhelming numbers of  citizens favor retaining the name of Lee on public properties.Washington College was subsequently renamed Washington-Lee University after his death.  The CSS Lee was a Confederate warship.  After the WBTS, an Indiana company constructed the steamship Robert E. Lee.  Lee left many commemorations and monuments.  

We all honor our forebears and especially Robert E. Lee  for their honorable sacrifice.  Lee followed his state of Virginia in secession and was named the Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia in 1862 and in February 1865 General in Chief of the Confederate Army.  We honor Washington for leading a successful secession and fight for independence but just because Lee lost the War for Southern Independence does not mean he was on the wrong side of history.  It should be noted that Washington sits atop his mount on the Great Seal of the Confederacy.  In 1874 Benjamin Hill in addressing the Southern Historical Society said of Lee, "He was a foe without hate; a friend without treachery; a soldier without cruelty; a victor without oppression, and a victim without murmuring.  He was a public officer without vices; a private citizen without wrong; a neighbor without reproach; a Christian without hypocrisy, and a man without guile.  He was a Caesar without  his ambition; a Frederick without his tyranny; a Napoleon without his selfishness, and a Washington, without his reward.".  Lee was the quintessential Confederate general.  1990s polls placed Lee as the most admired American in history above MLK, Washington and Lincoln.  What would today's generation say?

Why remember the Confederate soldiers?  As SCV members, we pledge to do so.  But, the Confederate soldier taught us a number of lessons.  They teach us about the constitutional priority of state sovereignty.  Lee served the United States attending West Point and completing without any demerits and served in the Mexican War and as Commandant of West Point. He was not a secessionist but believed it a constitutional remedy although he favored diplomacy.  It should be remembered that Northern states threatened secession seven times prior to the War Between the States.  But when Lincoln called for troops to invade the South to collect his tariffs, Lee followed his state of Virginia in secession.  Lee poured himself into his students both at West Point and later after the WBTS at Washington College.  He was a devout Christian.  A humble man, he refused an appointment as a Union Major General and likely Presidential candidacy after to follow his state and defend her.  Lee provided an example of nobly dealing with loss and hardship.  He provided a legacy of how to live and die well - it is said he attended a church meeting where he wrote a personal check to pay for a raise for the pastor and when returning home that night suffered a stroke which led to his death two weeks later.  Jay explained that the refurbishment of the Lee statue removed from Montgomery's Lee High School is completed but Camp 16 has plans for a monument base and placing it in a park with a prominent location in Lee County.  A fitting tribute to a man of superior legacy who we should all wish to emulate.  

SCV Camp 1524 Chaplain's Column for August 2022 - Caring and Presence Even in Silence

 “They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.”

Psalm 19:3

The other night, as I prepared to go to bed, I shut down the lights, the television, and the fan in my office. What caught my attention in that moment was the silence. It is unusual as I live near I-85 in Montgomery. But for that brief moment there was no sound.

Have you ever had times in your life where you felt that you were receiving static or silence from the Lord? That your “spiritual wi-fi” was in a low bar? Or that you were alone?

You are not alone. Many a soul struggles with what theologians’ call “divine silence.” To make it worse, it can drag on for days, weeks, even months. Following a calamity, the victim crawls out, cries out, and expects overnight relief. It doesn’t come. When someone loses a partner or suffers from a lingering illness, they turn to God for relief, only to be met with silence. That awful silence! No prayer seems to change anything.

Believe it or not, Psalm 19, a song that turns our attention to the skies, has something to say about those anguishing times of silence on earth. The lyrics to this psalm of David fall naturally into two sections with a sharp line of division in the middle. So obvious is the dividing line that some folks have theorized it was written by two different people. However, I have every confidence that David composed the entire song and that the sudden shift is deliberate.

The dividing line falls between verses 6 and 7. Verses 1-6 deals with the world God created. It describes in great detail the fact that His creative work displays His power and glory. The second section, verses 7-13, deals with the truth God has communicated. It describes some of the benefits derived from the Scriptures as well as the discernment it can bring to one’s personal life. In verse 14, we see David end the Psalm with a prayer. The composition as a whole brought David much- needed relief during the Lord’s long silence and has given hope to many generations of people who have struggled through the grind of divine silence. Throughout the Psalm, David reminds us that the Lord is not only close to His creatures, He cares for us as well. 

Even when the silence can be deafening, the Lord is there and takes care of us in times of turbulence and pain, as well as the good times!

Glory Be!

Remember those on our prayer list.

SCV Camp 1524 Commanders Column for August 2022 - Blind Mandate Government Overreach

Heard an astounding radio ad spot today sponsored by the nanny state petitioning listeners to visit vaccine.gov and to get their boosters for “added protection”.   Every day there is more anecdotal evidence as well as a growing body of research that supports that the mRNA COVID vaccines with their spike protein carriers may cause harm to those inoculated.   The Twitter universe is rampant with posts of people claiming to have had serious side effects after getting the vaccine and/or boosters.  “The German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) admitted 1 of every 5,000 COVID-19 vaccinations cause “serious side effects.”  Although likely an “underestimation” due to voluntary reporting the admission implies almost 300,000 Americans and Europeans have experienced a severe adverse event after receiving a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine” including myocarditis and pericarditis and menstruation disruption.  (https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/germany-covid-vaccine-side-effects/)  The efficacy of the vaccination has also come into serious question with those receiving even multiple boosters becoming ill with the latest variants of the virus.  Vaccine “protection waned to negligible levels within 4-7 months” according to a study published in The Lancet.  (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8871492/)  It is accepted that the elderly and those with serious underlying medical conditions and comorbidities which may make them more susceptible may seek to stay fully vaccinated requiring frequent boosters.  But long-term side effects given a questionable medical preventive benefit is leading more and more to question the rationale and safety of these mRNA vaccines especially for lower risk and younger patients. 

This brings back to the debate the legitimacy of the original mandates from the federal government.   While the federal government sought to keep the population safe from what appeared to be a serious pandemic threat, the pharmaceutical companies profited by suppressing data on efficacy and side effects/safety and seemingly continue to espouse the benefits of continuing on an endless booster regimen even for small children while reaping multibillion dollar government contracts for these vaccines.  The Supreme Court in January of this year blocked the federal government’s vaccination mandate thru the OSHA rule for employers calling it a "blunt instrument that draws no distinctions based on industry or risk of exposure to COVID-19."  This ruling in support of a lower court ruling which stayed the mandate accepting plaintiffs’ position that OSHA’s "claimed authority over [employees'] private lives and vaccine status is an egregious government overreach."  (https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/supreme-court-vaccine-or-testing-rule.aspx) 

Those who oppose the federal mandate cite the Tenth Amendment which provides that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people” and previous Supreme Court rulings have supported that “the state legislatures (should) decide whether or not vaccination is the best way to protect public health.”  (https://lawreview.law.miami.edu/federal-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-constitutional-issue-proper-exercise-emergency-powers/)  And accordingly, when the states have enacted legislation regarding vaccine mandates recently, twenty have passed laws supporting individual freedoms and restricting their state governmental agencies from requiring vaccinations.  This all harkens back to the principle of states’ rights and a limited government.  These states’ rights principles are the very same which our Confederate forebears sought to defend in resisting the invasion of their states by Lincoln’s Union army.  The relevance of the Cause is very much still alive today. 

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots

Dragoons Camp Meeting – 6pm, Thursday, August 11^th at the Prattville Masonic Lodge

Dixie Butt Fundraiser Distribution – Saturday August 20^th at 8am at Herrod’s Chevron in Prattville

Robinson Springs and Indian Hill Cemetery Grounds Maintenance Workdays  – TBD

General Nathan Bedford Forrest Birthday Party

On Saturday July 30 ,  Butch and Pat Godwin hosted their 23rd annual birthday celebration of Lt. General Nathan Bedford Forrest at Fort Dixie near Selma.  It was a great time with ice cold watermelon being served all day along with iced tea and lemonade. Then for supper they served up fried catfish with all the trimmings. They also had live music by "The Band Jubilee."

The festivities were opened up with a few words from the Bible and an opening prayer from Alabama Division Chaplain Robert Griffin.  SCV member Jason Boshers spoke along with some others including Gene Andrews from Nashville who was the executive director of the boyhood home of General Forrest in Chapel Hill. He spoke on the history of General Forrest's actions in our war for Southern independence. 

The main guest speaker out of Memphis, Tennessee, host of the radio broadcast "The Political Cesspool", James Edwards is the author of the book "Racism Schmacism: How Liberals Use The "R" Word To Push The Obama Agenda".  James spoke with enthusiasm of how the current "woke" push and rewriting of our history affects us all. But he perceives it turning around as ordinary people are getting fed up with the liberal agenda. He also brought some copies of his book after finding a new publisher as he was PC "canceled" by his previous publisher and Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

A large canopy was set up with plenty of chairs which made it comfortable to relax and listen to the program and provided shade and cover when a short rain shower cooled everything off. There were  vendors with their wares displayed on tables, and a silent auction and a live auction were conducted and even some free doorprizes.

Ed Boardwine and Mike Whorton helped Butch and Pat keep things running smoothly. Also in attendance was the Mechanized Cavalry from Mobile ,Opelika and North Alabama.  From the Prattville Dragoons we had Harold Grooms, Dave "the bug man" Thompson, Carol, wife of Tyrone, and 1st. Lt. Commander Rob Schwartz as well as compatriot Hubert Champion. 

A good time was had by all at this wonderful event commemorating one of the great cavalry officers in our history.  

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Guardian Program Signs at Local Cemeteries

SCV Camp 1524 Lt Commander Rob Schwartz worked with compatriot Larry Spears to refurbish the SCV Guardian signs which are posted at the Robinson Springs Cemetery in Millbrook and the Indian Hill Cemetery in Prattville, purchasing new signs, cleaning them up and applying a new SCV Battle Flag on those.  The Guardian program is meant for an SCV camp or member to adopt a cemetery in which a Confederate veteran is interred and to provide continuing grounds maintenance for the cemetery and graves therein.  

Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Robinson Springs Cemetery Continuing Lawn Maintenance

Members and compatriots of the Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 worked at Robinson Springs Cemetery in Millbrook AL early on the morning of Friday July 26th to mow and trim the grounds and around the gravesites in this historic local cemetery.   Friend of the camp Hubert Champion came over from the Selma area bringing his zero turn mower as well as a walk-behind push mower and trimmer and leafblower.  Shown in the photo below, 1st Lt Schwartz, Comms Officer Butler, Quartermaster Myrick, and Color Sgt Dennis joined Hubert to make quick work of the mowing and cleanup.  Additionally, camp Commander Waldo and Brigade Commander Grooms participated but left before the photo-op.  The Dragoons maintain this cemetery as part of the SCV Guardian program as a number of Confederate veterans are buried here.