Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Meeting for July 2023 - First White House of the Confederacy

Almost two dozen Confederate compatriots gathered on Thursday evening July 13th at the Prattville Masonic Lodge for the monthly meeting of SCV Camp 1524.  Chaplain Brantley opened the meeting with an Invocation and Color Sgt Dennis led everyone in the pledges and salutes to the flags followed by Commander Waldo reciting the SCV Charge.  Upcoming events and announcements were highlighted including the annual membership renewals and Dixie butt fundraiser upcoming.  

The guest speaker for the month was Col. Jayson Altieri who presented on the First White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery.  Jayson is a volunteer docent (historian) at the FWHC which is open weekdays from 8:00-3:30 and on Saturdays 8:30-3:00. The FWHC operating budget comes from the state capital grounds budget as it sits on state property; donations and sales from the gift shop go towards cleaning and upkeep of the furnishings in the house.; there are approximately $2M in period furnishings in the house.  The FWHC was purchased by the First White House Association in 1900 and moved to it's current location in 1921 and bequeathed to the state soon thereafter.  

The house is an Italianate design built in 1825 near the railroad depot by the Alabama River by William Sayre who was a land owner and cotton trader who helped build the area's first railroads as he sought a means to ship his cotton to Mobile while the routes by the Alabama River and by dirt roads were slow and dangerous.  An interesting side note highlighted by Jayson was that Zelda Sayre was grandniece to William and she met F. Scott Fitzgerald at a Montgomery society event when he was stationed nearby in the US Army, later marrying the author of The Great Gatsby".  The house was leased by the Confederate government for a residence for President Davis and his wife who entertained local society, political and military leaders there. 

The eaves along the roofline which serve to enhance cooling ventilation to the attic have cast iron Liberty Cap motif coverings; this Liberty Cap comes from an ancient Turkish design and the motif has become the insignia for the First White House Association.   There are two parlors on the first floor of the house which have red woven carpets covering the floor - these were not original to the house but date to 1857 from Georgia and are representative of the period.  The furnishings throughout the house that are either period correct or actually owned by the Davis'.  Period furnishings include the piano and dining room set on the first floor.  President Davis penned his seminal "Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government" at a desk which can be found in the house.  One bedroom has the furniture arranged just as Mrs.Davis had it from her apartment in the Majestic Hotel off Central Park in New York where she lived following the death of Pres. Davis til her own death in 1906.  A set of her china is displayed in the dining room. 

The house includes some special displays including that of a gunboat quilt.  These quilts were sewn by local community ladies for soldiers and auctioned off to raise money for the building of gunboats for the Confederate navy.  There are other items of personal memorabilia belonging to the Davis' on display in the FWHC.  

SCV Camp 1524 Prattville Dragoons Chaplain’s Column - Seeking Forgiveness

"If we confess our sin, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins to cleanse us of all unrighteousness."

1 John 1:9

 

"Bear with one another and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Colossians 3:13

 

"Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts."

Isaiah 55:7

 

   We speak and write about forgiveness quite often. We are often offended or hurt by another and are reluctant to forgive their transgressions as it is in our nature to hold a grudge.

I can hold grudges with the best of them. I took a class called "Freedom" at my church about three year ago. Part of the class was about forgiving others and letting go as it only hurts you. That is quite true. I did not realize until the class just how much I was holding on to wrongs against me, real or perceived. Sometimes I was holding on for years, even decades!

   But what about when you are the transgressor? When you are the one who hurts someone else? I recently did just that. I did something very foolish and inexcusable. Even worse, I hurt those I care about the most. I shattered their trust. I would dare say that I would rather be the aggrieved party than be the perpetrator of hurt. I think of my namesake, David, who sinned against the Lord. He committed adultery and even had someone murdered. God forgave David and even honored his future descendants.

   So, I know that nothing I can do will separate me from God's love. Still, I feel I have once again failed God. I even have this image that He must watch me and shake His head at me. Fortunately, He is a loving God who, in His tender mercy, sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins and grant me mercy.

   But that does solve the problem of those I have hurt by my foolishness. How do we seek to repair the damage and regain the trust of those we have wronged? Nobody better to answer this than Billy Graham.

   Rev. Graham says,

 

   "It’s always important to seek the forgiveness of those we’ve hurt, even if it is hard to do. Jesus said that if “your brother or sister has something against you … First go and be reconciled to them” (Matthew 5:23-24). They may not forgive you, of course; they may reject your attempt or react with renewed anger over what you did, but then it becomes their problem, not yours. You will have done everything you could to let them know you regret what happened, and that you want their forgiveness. That’s what’s important to God. The Bible tells us to “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone” (Colossians 3:13).Why is it important to seek the forgiveness of those we’ve hurt? For one thing, it could bring about reconciliation. After all, you were the one at fault; you alone are responsible for the hurt that resulted. But that hurt will only be healed if you seek to heal it (and if the other person responds).But now that you’ve given your life to Christ, you have another important reason to seek the forgiveness of those you’ve hurt. It’s this: You now have an opportunity to tell them how God has forgiven you — and how He can forgive them also. No matter how much you’ve wronged others, it’s small compared with the wrongs we’ve committed against God. And yet He still loves us, and Christ stands ready to forgive us."

Amen.

SCV Camp 1524 Participates in Prattville Independence Day Parade

Members of the Dragoons, Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 participated in the Prattville Independence Day parade on July 4th which ran from Court Street down Main Street downtown that morning starting at 9am.  Quartermaster Myrick and compatriot Larry Spears rode in Bill's truck which displayed the camp's banner for the Independence Day event.  1st Lt Tyler Suttle was there at the parade with his little boy and met at the starting point before the parade rolled.  Also joining the Dragoons were members of the Alabama Division Mechanized Cavalry including Larry McGowan who is also a member of the Dragoons.  There were thousands of spectators lining the streets and the Dragoons' entry was warmly greeted especially the men riding the Harleys all along the parade route.  Bill and Larry threw candy out to all the children spectating the parade.  Great beginning to the Independence Day holiday. 

SCV Camp 1524 Prattville Dragoons Commander's Column – A Calling as a Son of Confederate Veterans

Another recent sermon resonated with me as outlining applicable points to our Cause.  The Sermon was entitled “The Calling” regarding 2 Timothy 1:6-9.  Our pastor said we are called to a person as Christians, he being Jesus Christ.  As Southerners and Sons specifically, we are called by our Confederate ancestors.  The veterans who served their states and the Confederacy in their fight for independence. 

The purpose for which we are called is to honor the Cause for which our Confederate ancestors fought and died.  We remember the sacrifices and deprivations they endured in defending their homes and families from the invasion of an army bent on forcing them into a union which they rejected as unconstitutional , subjugating them and their Southland to servitude to an almighty centralized federal government.

We are called with a passion to defend our Confederate ancestors character and good name as the Charge further implores us, “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.”   When we sing “Dixie” and exclaim “Hooray” we all surely recognize the stirring in our souls that our ancestors sang the same song and believed in that wonderful Dixieland and the God fearing culture and society they and their forebears created that is the South.

We are called down a path.   General Robert E. Lee said,  “Duty then is the sublimest word in the English language. You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less.”  We are called as Sons of Confederate Veterans to follow the Charge which Stephen Dill Lee recited first to those United Confederate Veterans in 1906 in New Orleans.  We should serve as Sons of Confederate Veterans to honor their legacy and see that our children and grandchildren continue to recognize and appreciate the truth in their valiant struggle.

Finally, we are called into a position, that being an assignment or role or perhaps leadership position within the SCV to do the work of our camp or perhaps the state or national organization.  You will receive the most blessings and return on the investment in your SCV membership thru engagement in the activities of the camp be it helping with cemetery maintenance, at a booth at a fair or festival, participating in a parade of Christmas season bell ringing for the Salvation Army with your brothers, or simply but importantly renewing your membership and supporting our fundraising to continue the work of the camp, the Charge.  

You should be proud to be able to embrace with a passion the purpose and calling to continue down the path of honoring that noble person, your Confederate ancestor, thru serving the camp and SCV in a position of servitude as they did the Cause of independence to preserve their way of life and protect their homes and families. 

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots

 

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots

 

160^th Battle of Gettysburg Reenactment – June 30-July 1^st, Historic Daniel Lady Farm

 

Prattville Independence Day Parade – July 4^th  9am, Court Street to Main Street, Prattville AL  

 

Dragoons May Camp Meeting – July 13^th  6pm, Masonic Lodge, Prattville AL 

 

SCV National Reunion – July 19-22^nd , Hot Springs AR

 

Ole Bedford’s 24^th Annual Birthday Celebration - July 29^th, 3pm with catfish supper at 6pm at Fort Dixie, Selma AL

 

Dixie Butt Fundraiser Distribution – 8-10am Saturday August 12^th, Herrod’s Chevron on Memorial St, Prattville AL