Members and friends of the SCV Camp 1524 Dragoons met on Thursday evening September 14th at the Prattville Masonic Lodge for their monthly meeting with about twenty-four in attendance. Rob Schwartz played his guitar and sang a number of songs to entertain folks in the social hour before the meeting began. He then led everyone in the Invocation (as well as the Benediction later) to start the meeting in Chaplain Brantley's absence. Color Sgt Dennis led everyone in the pledges and salutes to the flags then Commander Waldo read the SCV Charge. New member Maynard Lee James was sworn in, always a great event for the camp. and he received his certificate and lapel pin. The Commander then reviewed the upcoming events including reenactments, the Division Yellow Hammer Jammer scheduled for September 30th at Confederate Memorial Park, the camp's fall muster scheduled for the end of October and the holiday season activities rapidly approaching. The results of the camp's Dixie butt fundraiser were announced and applause offered to everyone who contributed.
The guest speaker for the camp meeting was Reverend Ed Shirley of Trinity United Methodist Church who spoke on Circuit Riders. He began recollecting John Wesley's birth in 1703 in England. The Wesley brothers decided to become ordained ministers of the Church of England like their father. John attended Oxford University. They immigrated to America to minister to the settlers and natives, arriving in the Savannah-St. Simons Island GA in 1736 having limited success and returned to England. Around that time, Charles Wesley was born again, filled with the Holy Spirit and John soon thereafter. This resulted in their impassioned belief that the Church of England needed a revival and a movement of the Holy Spirit but their enthusiasm was shunned by the Church. George Whitefield, a friend of John's shared how they could reach people thru preaching outdoors and they started groups called Methodist Societies around 1739, so called because of their methodical meetings.
Methodist preachers were assigned a route to ride to preach and they were thus called circuit riders. 500-800 miles was the typical route/circuit in the Americas which saw their rise around 1770. The circuit riders were the common preacher for the common people. They were faithful in the execution of their riding - it was said in inclement weather they only crows and circuit riders were outside. The Methodist circuit riders assembled a Book of Discipline which contained rules for the preachers - that they were truly converted, that they knew the rules, that they commanded attention with a loud voice for the outdoors in which they were preaching and, that they had a horse.
There were many dangers in the 18th century Americas for the circuit riders who made only about $50 per year for their service. They had to rely on hospitality along their routes, a barn to sleep in and food for sustenance. There were wild animals including bears and panthers and also Indian tribes all along the way. Their saddlebag had their few possessions including a Bible (Rev Ed showed a Bible dating to 1860), their Book of Discipline (again, Rev Ed showed one dating to 1870), a hymnal, and food consisting of jerky and unleavened bread. Circuit riders became illustrative of American faith. Many of the circuit riders became chaplains during the War Between the States. In 1861, the Confederate Congress established the post of Army Chaplain including pay rate. The Union Army did likewise and specified a uniform including a black frock coat. Rev. Ed sang a song describing circuit riders and played his parlor guitar accompaniment.
There were about 3700 chaplains assigned in the Confederate and Union armies at all levels from camps to brigades. Rev. Ed provided statistics on the denominations of the chaplains with around 30-40% Methodists, 12-14% Baptists, 10-14% Episcopalians, 8-18% Presbyterians as well as Catholics and non-denominational chaplains. Isaac Taylor Tichenor, the fighting Baptist Chaplain was among the most famous of the War's chaplains serving the 17th Alabama Regiment and earned acclaim as a sharpshooter rallying the troops at Shiloh. He later, after the War, served as President of the Alabama State Agricultural and Mechanical College which became Auburn University and also led the Southern Baptist Convention. The War saw a great spiritual revival with some 150,000 Confederates saved, certainly may with the ever-present danger of death enhancing their recognition of mortality. By 1890 with the frontier disappearing and horses replaced by trains and automobiles, the circuit riders largely disappeared also.
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