Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Dixie Butt Fundraiser

Members of SCV Camp 1524 held their annual Dixie Butt fundraiser to generate proceeds for the camp treasury with distribution on Saturday August 15th.  Members were asked to " Buy One and Sell One" and a number of compatriots went above and beyond selling many to friends and neighbors.  Saturday morning, compatriot Myrick went by Smokin S BBQ in Wetumpka to pick up the quanitity of hot and cold butts for distribution that morning to purchasers. Smokin S has prepared the butts for the last several years for the camp and they also provide catering services for the camp's Christmas Social.  Delicious product.  Color Sgt Leverette and Commander Waldo set up the canopy and hung an SCV recruiting banner on it to make ready for customers.  Treasurer John Dennis and his wife kept the books, accounting for the butt tickets distributed and the monies paid, a lot of commendable work to keep straight. 2nd Lt Karl Wade and compatriots Darrell Haywood and Commander Waldo helped bag the butts for pickup and transport and Adjutant Doug Butler also worked the morning.  The men greeted camp members and friends of the SCV who arrived to pick up their butts.  Brigade Commander Waldo took a quantity of butts to deliver...compatriot Philip Edwards visited for quite a while with everyone... Skip Ward who always donates a few butts for later camp events dropped in to pick his up and say hello... Allen Herrod whose facility was used for the distribution point stopped in to pick up a couple butts...1st Lt Harold Grooms also stayed a while at the distribution. It was a great opportunity to see members and friends of the camp this morning and proved to be another successful fundraising campaign with butts sold and donations also made.  

Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Chaplain’s Column for August 2026 - A Time to Every Purpose

 "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1

This Memorial Day, we once again gathered beneath waving flags, among the monuments to our glorious fallen, and with the cherished memories of ancestors and loved ones who paid the ultimate price for our liberties. Across the South and throughout our nation, families paused to honor those who gave their lives in service to country, duty, and conviction. For members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, these observances carry profound historical meaning and spiritual weight.

For in a world that rushes to forget, we remember. We remember, not only the sacrifices made, but also the character of the men who endured hardship, suffering, and death with steadfast devotion. In a world that tears down its monuments, we protect and build them. We recognize that the memories of the past are the guideposts to a brighter future; and in the faithfulness of our Fathers, we find strength to be faithful ourselves.

Scripture reminds us in Revelation 2:10: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Those words were written to Christians facing persecution we can only imagine here in our peaceful and beloved land. Yet they continue to speak powerfully to every generation that values honor, sacrifice, and perseverance.

Faithfulness unto death is not merely about dying bravely. It involves living faithfully every day beforehand. The faithful Confederate soldier, despite hunger, exhaustion, wounds, and even overwhelming odds, remains committed to his comrades, his homeland, and his beliefs until the very end. His courage and fidelity remain timeless virtues worthy of remembrance.

Memorial Day ceremonies remind us that the things we love best always carry a cost. The rows of markers in our cemeteries testify that freedom, community, and heritage are preserved only when men and women are willing to place duty above comfort and conviction above convenience. As Christians, we understand that the highest example of faithfulness unto death was demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ, who willingly endured the cross for the redemption of mankind. His sacrifice gives eternal meaning to all earthly acts of courage and devotion.

Our task on Memorial Day is not simply to remember the dead, but to emulate the virtues they displayed. We honor them best when we ourselves remain faithful—to God, to family, to truth, and to the preservation of history. In a world increasingly forgetful of sacrifice and tradition, we must be faithful to the ancestors that so faithfully served for the sake of us, their Sons, that the memory of our ancestors be neither erased nor neglected.

As the lingering memories we called up this Memorial Day continue in our minds, may we keep forever in remembrance those who gave up their yesterdays so we could enjoy our tomorrows. May we carefully pass down both the history and the principles those men, our noble ancestors, friends, and loved ones, cherished and died for. And may we never forget those who stood faithfully until death, and may we strive to live lives worthy of their memory.

            Deo Vindice!

 

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Meeting for August 2026 - Founder's Christian Principles on Secession

Twenty two members and guests of the Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 held their monthly meeting on Thursday evening August 13th at the Masonic Lodge downtown.  Chaplain  Johnson opened the meeting with a Benediction followed by Color Sgt Leverette leading everyone in pledges and salutes to the US, Alabama, and Confederate Battle flags.  The SCV Charge was recited by Commander Waldo who then highlighted upcoming events of interest for camp members and other announcements.  The guest speaker for the August camp meeting was Dr. Grover Plunkett, an assistant professor in History and Political Science at Faulkner University who spoke on the founder's Christian ideals affecting their view on secession.

Dr. Plunkett maintained the United States was founded as a Christian nation where verifiably, all but three of the 52 founders were of orthodox Christian faiths.  The foudning documents and democratic replubicanism were based on Biblical principles and accounts most importantly the inate God given pursuit of liberty.  In the Bible for instance, the people with one voice said they woudl accept God's laws when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandements.  A social contract for that pursuit of liberty was entered into by the founders in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  The founders wished to maintain their liberty they had enjoyed for 150 years and it was England which sought to restrict those liberties including with confiscatory taxation without representation and hence their was a revolution as they sought to preserve their God given liberty. 

The Southerners in the mid-19th century similarly were not tryin to gain liberty but instead were attempting to retain their liberty hence midway thru the War of Northern Aggression the mantra was changed from Lincoln's stated preservation of the Union to a crusade to end slavery as the former likely would jave resulted in more states seceding.  One's name and who you are mean something and your home largely defines you and your life and family so the impetus for the South taking up arms was entirely the invasion of their home soil by Yankee invaders - they were going to fight against foreign invaders coming in and telling them who they are and their place and what to do, restricting their liberties. We all must preserve our  individual liberty as the government can not and will not bestow such - the government seeks power and control and money to sustain and grow. 

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Commander’s Column for August 2026 – The Demographics Problem Facing the SCV

Some time ago in this same space I wrote that the camp should take every opportunity such as thru participation in festivals and in community service projects to educate our neighbors and the public as to the true history of the South and the Confederate Cause, to normalize the SCV and the Battle Flag such that we are recognized as a valued and respected organization.  It’s become increasingly apparent though that this approach does not capture the severity of the problem or address the real issue which jeopardizes our continued efforts at preserving Confederate heritage.  The intervening years have shown that there has been a concerted effort by our very government at all levels to allow an influx of foreigners including illegal aliens into our country, our states and our communities.  It should be transparent now that these foreigners have no intention of assimilating into our culture while we enjoy the diversity of Mexican food and bilingual signage in our neighborhoods.  This is only happening in Texas and border states though, right?  In 2024 sixty Haitians arrived in Sylacauga AL for settlement thru a federal Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan (CHNV) Parole Program.  Spanish is the second leading language spoken in Alabama with about 285,000 residents  and almost 190,000 households speaking such.  Estimates place the percentage of foreign-born people in Alabama at 4.5%.  Oh, that’s a small percentage but consider that although Presidential election year voter turnout may run as much as 50%, in primaries and local elections, turnout can run as low as 10% (as was the case in a statewide runoff in June of 2026).  But foreigners don’t vote in US elections!  Then passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act shouldn’t be an issue at all then, right?  That is a common-sense proposed federal election bill that would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.  But this bill cannot make it thru the US Senate as we have been waiting nearly six months for the SAVE America Act to pass since the U.S. House of Representatives approved it on February 11, 2026.  That’s just federal elections though, right?   Today, 55% of Dearborn, Michigan residents claim Middle Eastern or North African ancestry based on official census data and 4 out of 7 members of the Dearborn City Council are of Arab descent. The 62,000-square-foot Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights just held its grand opening in June 2026 joining the 120,000-square-foot Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, the largest mosque in North America.  Dearborn was the birthplace of Henry Ford and of the modern auto industry, Ford’s River Rouge Plant.   Oh, but that’s Michigan.  The Islamic Center (EPIC) also known as The Meadow is a 400-acre mosque and master-planned community in East Plano, Texas.  In 2024 the third tallest statue in the United States was unveiled in Sugar Land, Texas, a massive 90-foot-tall Hindu monument of their deity Hanuman located at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple.  There are active debates as to whether Sharia law can be adopted within communities in cities across the United States.  It was announced with some fanfare just three weeks ago that Georgia is now majority non-white (with just 48% Caucasian); about 40% of new residents between 2020 and 2025 in Georgia were Hispanic.  Stone Mountain just outside Atlanta of course is the site of the largest relief sculpture in the world depicting President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.  Not surprisingly with this demographic shift, there has been an almost constant uproar in recent years over this historic sculpture with the SCV leading the fight to defend this incredible work of art.  This is where we are folks.  It’s not a matter of education. It is a matter of reversing decades of uncontrolled illegal immigration as well as legal temporary status including H1B, H2A and TPS programs (which according to the recent SCOTUS ruling can produce US citizens of any offspring of these foreigners).  It is a matter of revisiting/reversing the disastrous Hart-Celler Act (Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965) which abolished national origin quotas and shifted modern immigration demographics away from that which had long favored Northern and Western Europeans, the demographic on which our nation was founded and thrived.  In Spain right now, thousands of Moroccans have invaded with the Spanish government’s tacit approval, taking control of the cities of Cauta and Melilla, squatting in homes, stealing, stoning Spaniards, and setting cars on fire.  Reports of hundreds of thousands of rapes by migrants in the UK.  These foreigners invading America and western Europe have no intentions of assimilating.  They want to cancel our culture and heritage and control and dominate our cities and society.   Some are recognizing the seriousness of the situation.  Charlie Kirk had warned us, "Mass migration is a weapon being used to take over the West."  But also, Marco Rubio, current Secretary of State recently said,  "Mass migration is not some fringe concern of little consequence.  It's destabilizing societies all across the West."  Of course, he of Cuban decent.  But VP JD Vance agreed, "We cannot rebuild Western civilization by letting millions of migrants into our countries. It has to stop."  And Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated, "Like the Christian crusaders who pushed back the Muslim hordes in the twelfth century, American Crusaders will need to muster the same courage against Islamists today."  As the saying goes, “There is nothing new under the sun” and these battle lines have been drawn before.  John Quincy Adams wrote in an 1830 essay, "The precept of the Koran is perpetual war against all who deny that Muhammad is the prophet of God."  In 1802 Alexander Hamilton in an op-ed opposing Thomas Jefferson’s more liberal immigration policies, "To admit foreigners indiscriminately to the rights of citizens, the moment they put foot in our country... would be nothing less, than to admit the Grecian Horse into the Citadel of our Liberty and Sovereignty."  There is an observed progression where minority groups advance their empowerment and influence beginning with simply asking for respect, then demanding rights, then building coalitions to actually assume power including politically, and finally institutionalizing control including thru laws and enforcement. Uthman ibn Farooq an Islamic preacher in California with the One Message Foundation said, “No one can stop Islam in America.  This is not your country, this is our country.  This is the land of Allah. If you want to live in a place with no Muslims, I suggest you go to hell.”   This is the goal.  I recently shared an article where the author highlighted that the attacks by Marxist revolutionaries on Confederate heritage was easy low hanging fruit and those responsible used the removal of our monuments and vestiges of Southern history as a “test case” to “sever us from our shameful past”, to reframe, distort and rewrite our nation’s history as one of grievous oppression to be forgotten and founders shamed.  It was not a coincidence that the governor of South Carolina who has been credited with starting the whole woke movement against Southern heritage and history by removing the Confederate Battle Flag from the state house in Columbia SC was the daughter of Punjabi Sikh immigrants from India.  No sense of historical perspective, an ignorant lack of appreciation and respect of Confederate heritage.  These Mexicans who want to take back California, Islamists who want Sharia Law as the law of the land here, the Indians who want to displace all our workers and, all the politicians who allowed the influx of these immigrants…here we are.  The fact is, many of our neighbors don’t want to be educated as to the true history of the South and the Confederate Cause and will never appreciate and respect our heritage.  That’s not what they want.

Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Cemetery Maintenance in July 2026

Members of the Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 have been laboring in the Alabama summer heat maintaining the grounds at the two local cemeteries for which the camp acts as SCV Guardians to care for the final resting place of Confederate veterans.  Comms Officer Eric Davis trimmed around all the tombstones across the Robinson Springs cemetery in Millbrook on Friday July 10th.  Then on Monday July 20th, Treasurer John Dennis and his wife Mary Jane and David Whitehead mowed, trimmed and cleaned Indian Hill cemetery in west Prattville off CR 86.  Tremendous work by these dedicated compatriots remembering our fallen heroes and founders of these local communities.  

SCV Camp 1524 Prattville Dragoon Commander at Children of the Confederacy General Convention

The annual General Convention of the Children of the Confederacy was held at the historic Marietta Hilton from Wednesday July 15th thru Saturday July 18th.  Setup and UDC and CofC officers meetings comprised the first day and then the first business meeting was held on Thursday followed by a field trip on Friday to local historic sites like Kennesaw Mountain.  The Hilton property was the site of the Georgia Military Institute in the leadup to the War Between the States and the Brumby House (built by Colonel Arnoldus Brumby circa 1851) immediately next door served as the home of the commandant of GMI and today serves as a "Gone with the Wind" Museum. One room in the Hilton provides historical prints and photos from the WBTS period and later scenes from Marietta as well as a cannon from GMI used during the war.  The grounds in the back of the Hilton are now the City Club Marietta golf course and sunsets are beautiful in the evening looking out west over the course from the hotel.  Camp 1524 Commander Waldo and his daughter arrived Friday evening to attend the business session on Saturday which included the election of new CofC officers for the 2026-27 term.  That afternoon following lunch Commander Waldo and his daughter went across Powder Springs Street from the Hilton to Brown Park to walk thru the beautiful historic Marietta Confederate Cemetery where the story of Maddie Harris Lyon and other women and widows of Marietta who helped establish and care for this cemetery is told with bronze statues, monuments and memorial benches. That evening was the President's Evening, Banquet and Confederate Ball back at the Hilton conference room.  This included a procession of all the state flags into the ballroom, a procession of all the current and incoming CofC officers and their escorts where they then did a dance joining hands together in an unbroken chain.  CofC Presidents from the states with representatives in attendance provided reports from their Divisions and the outgoing and incoming CofC Presidents gave speeches also.  The ribbons and sashes were placed on the new General Officers in a ceremony and outgoing officers donned new sashes designating their former status. A candlelight aging out ceremony was held for those CofC members graduating from high school including a message from a UDC representative encouraging their continuation of the Cause as SCV and UDC members.  A banquet of fried chicken, baked macaroni and cheese and green beans, salad, and the requisite peach cobbler (befitting a Georgia dessert) was served.  Following the banquet, a period dance instructor (re)taught and led everyone in the Virginia Reel and other historic round dances.  It was an enjoyable evening to wrap up another grand CofC General Convention. 

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Meeting for July 2026 - 13th and 14th Amendments

The Dragoons of SCV Camp 1524 gathered on Thursday evening July 9th for their regularly scheduled monthly meeting returning to the Masonic Lodge in downtown Prattville.  Rob Schwartz played his guitar in the social hour leading up to the meeting and had everyone singing along with songs including "Dixieland".  1st Lt Harold Grooms stood in for Commander Waldo who was returning from travel out of state and he opened the meeting with a Benediction.  Color Sgt Billy Leverette led everyone in the pleadges and salutes to the flags.  Harold then recited the SCV Charge and then highlighted all the upcoming events and wrap-up of recent events including the recruiting booth at the Clanton Peach Jam festival.  The guest speaker for the evening was Commander John Land from Montgomery who spoke on the 13th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution and led a discussion as to the legality of these as they were passed by the Southern states under coercion as a requirement for readmission to the Union as part of Reconstruction which again brings into question how a state not in the Union could ratify an amendment. Good discussion with camp members including legal scholars in attendance. The meeting was brought to a close with an Invocation by Chaplain Johnson.  

Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 at the Prattville Independence Day Parade

Members, friends, and family of the Dragoons of SCV Camp 1524 participated in the Prattville Independence Day parade on Saturday July 4th.  The parade lineup was at 8am and the parade rolled at 9am, starting in front of the courthouse before making a left onto 4th Street, a right onto Washington and a left back onto Main Street before the final leg down Northington to the park and stadium.  It was very warm even that early in the morning but crowds gathered all along the parade route to catch candy tossed their way - the spots with tree shade were particularly popular.  Former camp and brigade commander Bill Myrick accompanied by his wife drove his truck which had a nice display of flags including the Bonnie Blue, Alabama Secession, Dragoon banner, and Alabama State flags standing in the bed of the truck.  Camp Commander Waldo and Comms Officer Davis carried the camp's Independence Day banner to lead the group.  Corporal represented the Mechanized Cavalry on his Harley Davidson while Camp 1524 Adjutant Butler drove his golf cart festooned with flags and red-white-and-blue bunting.  Doug also had music playing through a large speaker as well as a bubble maker with which he lined the streets with soapy bubbles.  Commander Waldo's family rode in the purple Charger, including his wife and son and daughter and another local member of the Children of the Confederacy.  It was an enjoyable start to the festivities for Independence Day in Prattville culminating with fireworks at dusk at the clock tower. 

Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Chaplain's Column for July 2026 - Blessed is the Nation Whose God is the LORD

 

 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." Psalm 33:12 (KJV)

As we gather to celebrate Independence Day this weekend, the pomp and pageantry (not to mention the rousing noise of fireworks and general gaiety) rightly remind us of our nation's founding. Yet for Christians, the greater reminder is that no nation is truly blessed because of its military strength, economic prosperity, or political institutions. According to the Scriptures, a nation's greatest blessing is found in acknowledging the sovereign Lord.

Psalm 33:12 is more than a patriotic verse; it is a timeless Biblical principle. Both in Scripture and in History, we see that Nations flourish when they seek God's righteousness and decline when they forget Him. This truth was well understood by many of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. They spoke openly of Divine Providence, appealed to the Creator as the source of human rights, and called upon the people to seek God's favor through prayer and repentance. They recognized that liberty was not merely a political achievement but a sacred trust, to be exercised under the authority of Almighty God.

That same conviction was carried into later generations, including to our Confederate forefathers. Throughout the War Between the States, Confederate camps frequently held worship services, prayer meetings, and revivals. General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church. General Robert E. Lee was a devout Anglican layman who regularly attended Divine Service, even while beleaguered by Grant’s armies at Petersburg. And the Constitution of the Confederate States of America, unlike the Constitution of the United States, invoked “the favor and guidance of Almighty God” in its Preamble.

The true history of the new Nation brought forth on this Continent by the men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the men who fought for its principles in 1861-1865 is that this was, from the beginning, a Christian Nation.     

That Nation today stands in great need of spiritual renewal. By the blessing of God, our Nation remains to us, and our land has been blessed with peace and prosperity. But in the midst of that peace and prosperity, our people have forgotten Him. It is for us, whose mission is to pass down the lessons of the true history of our Country to future generations, to remind our children and grandchildren of this lesson: Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

The answer to our nation's deepest problems will not be found in elections alone, nor in wealth or power, but in humble hearts turning once again to the Lord. The promise of Psalm 33 remains as true today as when David first penned it: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD." For it is in the Kingdom of God, and in His righteousness, that our Republic found its first strength, and will find its long endurance.

May this Independence Day find us grateful for the blessings of liberty, mindful of the sacrifices of those who came before us, and above all, committed to seeking first the Kingdom of God.

            Deo Vindice!

SCV Camp 1524 Commander's Column - Shine Like Stars as Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans

 

A recent sermon at my church reminded me of the challenges we face collaborating with other compatriots as members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.  One of the frequent issues cited among camps is the interpersonal conflicts that often disrupt the good work we are trying to accomplish to further the Cause.  We sometimes lose site of the entire premise for being a part of the SCV as embodied in the Charge.  The sermon message pertained to Philippians 2:12-18 and instructed believers and their faith to “shine like stars” and similarly, when we gather with compatriots for SCV events and perform community service and outreach or recruiting events within our communities, we should strive to shine as positive lighthouses.  The core takeaway from Philippians 2:12-13 is to “let God’s work become visible in your life.”   Especially when we project to our friends and neighbors in our community, we need this to be in a positive light and highlight the great things the SCV does and what we are doing for the community in the way of service projects and donations and preserving historical vestiges including cemeteries and monuments.  We have used a poster exhibited in our recruiting booths to illustrate photos from school living history presentations and JROTC Hunley awards as well as cemetery maintenance and food drives and these have elicited statements of surprise from passers-by and potential detractors.   Put a spotlight on the positive things the SCV and your camp is doing. 

Those verses in Philippians also instruct believers to “refuse what dims the light.”   My takeaways from the sermon along these lines applicable to the SCV and camps is to curtail the complaining.  Minimize the grumbling and arguing – keep your eyes fixed on the Charge and why we are attempting to advance to Cause to honor our Confederate ancestors.  We are all volunteers in this organization and should respect the efforts of all compatriots and show humility in our interactions.  It is human nature to think our ideas, our way is best but we must strive to respect other perspectives and experiences and work together in a spirit of cooperation to further the Cause.  “Shine like stars, don’t whine like stars.”

The final message from the sermon pertained to Philippians 2:15-16 and the takeaway was to “live differently in a dark world.”  We are living in a dark and twisted generation.  Isiah 5:20 states, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.”  Today evil is framed as good and this is defined as “moral inversion or ethical deception”.  LGBQTXYZ is embraced as a normal alternative lifestyle.  Abortion is framed as personal choice and empowering women to have ultimate control of their body; they have lost sight of their bodies as a temple to the Lord and that another God-given human life is growing within them. Replacement of western cultures with third world migrants is presented as diversity, equity and inclusion.  Our vestiges to our Southern history and our noble honorable Confederate heroes are being desecrated, removed and destroyed.  Some of these are beautiful priceless works of art like the monuments which have graced the boulevards and parks in Richmond and Atlanta and other Southern towns.  We are attacked and denigrated as Lost Causers and slavery apologists.  But we know the truth of our Confederate ancestors’ struggle for independence and their brave defense of their homes and families in the face of insurmountable odds.  As SCV compatriots we should shine like stars, as examples of Southern gentlemen.  We must hold firmly to the Cause and be enthusiastic in advancing the Charge to a community which may be surprisingly unreceptive to the true history of the South, prepared to defend our ancestors virtues and the ideals which motivated them to secede from the Union and resist the tyrannical invading federal forces for four arduous years.

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots  

 

Prattville Independence Day Parade – Saturday, July 4^th, 9am, Court and main St, downtown Prattville AL 

 

Prattville Dragoons July Camp Meeting – Thursday, July 9^th, 6pm Masonic Lodge, Prattville AL

 

SCV National Reunion – July 15-19, Griffin Gate Resort and Conference Center, Lexington KY

 

Dixie Butt Fundraiser/Distribution – Sat August 15^th, 8-10am, Herrod’s Chevron, Prattville AL

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 at the Clanton Peach Jam Festival

Members of the Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 sponsored a recruiting booth at the Peach Jam Festival in Clanton on Saturday June 27th.  It was a warm summer day but the Dragoons had a successful event providing a few SCV membership applications and chatting with men who expressed interest with the goal to start a new SCV camp in Clanton.  Items from the camp stores were also sold including flags, car tags, caps and shotglasses emblazoned with the Confederate Battle Flag.  Members of Camp 1524 at the Peach Jam Festival included Adjutant Butler who led the effort, Quartermaster Delegar, 2nd Lt Wade and 1st Lt Grooms. 

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Meeting for June 2026 - The Defense Works of Atlanta

SCV Camp 1524 held their June meeting at the Smokehouse Pit BBQ, in Millbrook and it was very enjoyable with great service from the staff, a nice room to hold our meeting and delicious BBQ and drinks. Of course, fellowship with compatriots was best including Brother Schwartz who kept everyone entertained prior to the start of the meeting with traditional songs on his trusty guitar. Chaplain Johnson opened the meeting with a benediction after which Color Sgt Leverette led everyone in the pledge to the US falg and salutes to the Alabama state and Confederate flags. Commander Waldo then read the SCV Charge to those gathered. 1st Lt Grooms presented Bill Myrick with an appreciation award for his many years of faithful service as the camp Quartermaster stating that brother Myrick had been the camp quartermaster since Appomattox!

Next Commander Waldo awarded Camp Treasurer John Dennis the Alabama Division Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest award for his outstanding service of going above and beyond his camp duties as Color Sgt, Treasurer, participation in all the camp activities and leading the care of Indian Hill cemetery. Commander Waldo discussed camp business and upcoming events and then turned the floor over to our guest speaker, Dr. Lawrence Krumenaker. Dr. Krumenaker holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Georgia and attended Michigan State and Case Western. He is a professional astronomer, science educator, and writer. He gave a compelling presentation on the defense of Atlanta and the specific battle lines including the Outer Lines, the Inner ring defenses designed by Lenuel Grant and anchored by triangular forts called shoupades which were assembled to withstand the advance of Sherman's armies in 1864 to protect the city and citizens in and surrounding Atlanta. His presentation also showed remanants of these lines and forts and oftentimes the modern buildings and roadways constructed atop these obscuring any resemblance to those historic fortifications. It was a good comprehensive overview presentation of the defense of this key Confederate rail hub and city of Atlanta. Commander Waldo closed the meeting with the SCV Closing and Chaplain Johnson saw everyone off with an Invocation. Another enjoyable gathering of Camp 1524.

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Members at the 103rd Alabama Division Children of the Confederacy Convention

Members of the Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Members attended the 103rd Alabama Division Children of the Confederacy Convention held at the Confederate Memorial Park in Marbury AL on Saturday June 13th.  Camp 1524 Adjutant Butler was on the reenactment color guard led by Brigade Commander Jeremy Boothe and they posted colors to open the Comvention.  Additionally, from Camp 1524, Commander Waldo, compatriot Crowley and his wife and compatriot Schwartz were also in attendance.  Following posting of the colors, the CofC Creed was recited and pledges and salutes made to the Christian, Alabama State, and Confederate flags.  A welcome to guests including UDC officers was made by President Waldo presiding over the Convention.  She also provided a President's report for activities completed in her chapter furthering the Cause undertaken during her tenure.  The Tuscaloosa chapter also provided a report for activities of that chapter from the last year.  Elections were then held and Camp 1524 Commander Waldo's son was announced as the new President for the coming year.  A wreath was laid at the cemetery there at Confederate Memorial Park and two volley salutes were provided by the reenactors as part of an honor guard for that ceremony.  Following, a luncheon was served with chicken nuggets, chili sauced meatballs, pasta salad, chips, brownies, cookies, fruit and a celebratory cake along with beverages for everyone in attendance.  The UDC Division President then presented a General Robert E Lee award to Ms. Bearden for her tremendous work with the UDC and the CofC and also presented the two graduating CofC members aging out with checks for their college checking accounts. It was a great 103rd annual Children of the Confederacy convention.  

Prattville Dragoons Camp 1524 Attend Alabama Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Reunion

Three members of the Prattville Dragoons attended the Alabama Division SCV convention in Athens AL on Saturday June 6th.  Commander Waldo was joined by compatriots Larry Spears and Tyrone Crowley as delegates for Camp 1524.  The Reunion started with greetings from representatives of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Order of Confederate Rose, Order of the Stars and Bars, and Children of the Confederacy. Commander Waldo's daughter brought those greetings from the CofC and was later named one of the three recipients of the Gen Joseph Wheeler scholarship.  After that, the Mechanized Cavalry rode up on their Harleys carrying the flags which were then posted in the hall.  Pledges and salutes to the flags was followed by a reading of the SCV Charge and a Benediction offered by the Division Chaplain.  Adjutant Hattabaugh welcomed everyone to the Reunion as his was the local host camp.  This was an election year so business consisted of a couple of amendments to AL Division consitutions which went unchallenged and then elections were held for the positions of Division Commander, 1st Lt Commandr and 2nd Lt Commander. Commander Hill ran unopposed for Commander as did 1st Lt Martin and 2nd Lt Jewellson also.  Following reports from the Adjutant and Treasurer and updates on Division projects including conservation of artifacts at the State Archives, the morning session concluded and we all enjoyed a lunch of fried catfish, fried chicken, ham, sweet potato casserole, green beans and corn with banana pudding and peach cobbler with sweet tea.  Awards were given out during the lunch hour.  Following lunch, Brigade meetings were held including elections of Brigade commanders. This was followed by a Last Roll Call for members who had passed away in the year since the last Reunion.  Then everyone sang Dixie and a closing Invocation brought the Reunion to a close. 

Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 Commander’s Column for June 2026 - Gerrymandering

     In the headlines recently are efforts to redraw congressional maps in multiple states across the country from California to the Carolinas.  The April 2026 Supreme Court decision reversed decades of racially motivated gerrymandering following the Voting Rights Act passage in 1965.  The SCOTUS ruling prohibited “unconstitutional racial gerrymandering, any use of race in legislative districting, only being justified to remedy specific, identified instances of past discrimination—and not simply to balance out partisan or racial demographics.”  (https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-supreme-courts-callais-decision-sets-new-framework-for-racial-gerrymandering)

The term gerrymandering entered American lexicon around 1812 following efforts in Massachusetts by the Jeffersonian Republicans “brazenly contorting districts into odd shapes to maximize (their) party’s gain. Even though the Jeffersonian Republicans received (a minority) 49 percent of the vote, they won 29 of the 40 seats in the state Senate.” (https://www.history.com/articles/gerrymandering-origins-voting)   Once the opposition Federalist party was in power, the districts were redrawn.  During Reconstruction, former Confederates were unable to vote for approximately a decade and only until they swore allegiance to the Union, so black Republican candidates were installed by carpetbaggers and dominated elections for this period.  Following this disenfranchisement and restoration of the Confederate veterans’ voting rights and gaining political power again, “Southern Democrats redrew districts to maximize their electoral advantage including “long stringy districts” to concentrate as many Black voters as possible into one district so that the rest of the districts would have a white majority.”  In 1874 South Carolina even had “introduced the first non-contiguous voting district”.  “Modern forms of gerrymandering continues and in some ways it’s politicians picking their voters as opposed to voters picking their politicians.”  This strategy is further illustrated by the New England states which are 100% Democrat in federal congressional seats but actually have up to 46% Republican voters in some of these states.

This period after “Reconstruction, from 1878 through 1896 saw the most aggressive use of gerrymandering, a period in which Democrats and Republicans were in close competition for national power and partisan loyalties were firm.”  Gerrymandering became more “effective, because with voting loyalties largely fixed, it was easier for mapmakers to draw districts to maximize their side’s representation and, more essential, because, with so few undecided or swing voters, the only way for parties to win national elections was to maximize the impact of their side’s votes, by shifting boundaries to distribute them efficiently.  In many ways, this late 19th-century era resembles today’s politics—closely fought national elections, intense partisan loyalties, and aggressive constitutional hardball tactics.”  (https://www.newamerica.org/insights/what-we-know-about-redistricting-and-redistricting-reform/where-we-have-been-the-history-of-gerrymandering-in-america/)  The late 1990s saw Republicans assume federal political power after decades as the minority conservative party.  “As the century waned, the two parties became more culturally and geographically sorted, congressional elections were increasingly nationalized, and the share of naturally competitive congressional districts declined steadily. Much of this was not because of gerrymandering, but rather due to Democrats abandoning rural America, and Republicans abandoning urban America.” 

Interesting to see the evolution of the political landscape and the transformations of the Republican and Democrat parties over the past 160 years.  The conservatism and gravitation toward the rural constituency of the antebellum South is no longer represented by the antebellum Democrat party and that of the Confederates and, the chasm has widened over the past few decades and election cycles.  The repercussions from these latest restrictions on gerrymandering will be interesting to see as to whether a shift in national political power and culture will result. 

Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp 1524 Chaplain’s Column for June 2026 - Be Faithful Unto Death

  “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” — Revelation 2:10.

This Memorial Day, we once again gathered beneath waving flags, among the monuments to our glorious fallen, and with the cherished memories of ancestors and loved ones who paid the ultimate price for our liberties. Across the South and throughout our nation, families paused to honor those who gave their lives in service to country, duty, and conviction. For members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, these observances carry profound historical meaning and spiritual weight.

For in a world that rushes to forget, we remember. We remember, not only the sacrifices made, but also the character of the men who endured hardship, suffering, and death with steadfast devotion. In a world that tears down its monuments, we protect and build them. We recognize that the memories of the past are the guideposts to a brighter future; and in the faithfulness of our Fathers, we find strength to be faithful ourselves.

Scripture reminds us in Revelation 2:10: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Those words were written to Christians facing persecution we can only imagine here in our peaceful and beloved land. Yet they continue to speak powerfully to every generation that values honor, sacrifice, and perseverance.

Faithfulness unto death is not merely about dying bravely. It involves living faithfully every day beforehand. The faithful Confederate soldier, despite hunger, exhaustion, wounds, and even overwhelming odds, remains committed to his comrades, his homeland, and his beliefs until the very end. His courage and fidelity remain timeless virtues worthy of remembrance.

Memorial Day ceremonies remind us that the things we love best always carry a cost. The rows of markers in our cemeteries testify that freedom, community, and heritage are preserved only when men and women are willing to place duty above comfort and conviction above convenience. As Christians, we understand that the highest example of faithfulness unto death was demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ, who willingly endured the cross for the redemption of mankind. His sacrifice gives eternal meaning to all earthly acts of courage and devotion.

Our task on Memorial Day is not simply to remember the dead, but to emulate the virtues they displayed. We honor them best when we ourselves remain faithful—to God, to family, to truth, and to the preservation of history. In a world increasingly forgetful of sacrifice and tradition, we must be faithful to the ancestors that so faithfully served for the sake of us, their Sons, that the memory of our ancestors be neither erased nor neglected.

As the lingering memories we called up this Memorial Day continue in our minds, may we keep forever in remembrance those who gave up their yesterdays so we could enjoy our tomorrows. May we carefully pass down both the history and the principles those men, our noble ancestors, friends, and loved ones, cherished and died for. And may we never forget those who stood faithfully until death, and may we strive to live lives worthy of their memory.

Deo Vindice.

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots

 

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots  

 

AL Div SCV Reunion – Friday and Saturday, DEC June 5, Convention June 6 at Old South Clays, 27246

Wooley Springs Rd, Athens AL

 

Prattville Dragoons May Camp Meeting – Thursday, June 11^th, 6pm Smokehouse BBQ, Main St Millbrook AL

 

Peach Jam Festival – Saturday, June 27^th 7am setup – til at Clanton City Park

 

Prattville Independence Day Parade – Saturday, July 4^th, 9am, Court and main St, downtown Prattville AL 

 

SCV National Reunion – July 15-19, Griffin Gate Resort and Conference Center, Lexington KY

 

Dixie Butt Fundraiser/Distribution – Sat August 15^th, 8-10am, Herrod’s Chevron, Prattville AL