Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1624 Chaplain's Column for October 2023 - False Teachings

“He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them.” ”

—Luke 21:8

Over the last few weeks we have heard alot about false teachings and prophets. Recently we have heard that Andy Stanley, son of the late Charles Stanley, and Pastor of the Atlanta megachurch, Northpoint Church, has held "conferences" to promote inclusion of the gay lifestyle  in church. Trying to wrap it in a "diversity" bow, Stanley has committed the error (sin) of changing the Word to conform to the world. The Church is to be the opposite. We are to be a bulwark against the pro-Sodomite and anti-religious sentiment of the world around us. Stanley is just one of many that I could list. But  this should not surprise us. The Bible has warned us of this for thousands of years. Jesus warned us of the false prophets. So did the Apostles Paul and Peter.

If we look at Revelation 13:11-18, we are given seven (7) signs of a false prophet. Some of those signs are that they promote the teachings of Satan, not God. Another is that he deceives people to follow false teachings. Those are just two but they can be applied to what we see in many Churches today. The "feel-good" philosophy of Joel Olsteen comes to mind. The "prosperity gospel" of Creflo Dollar to name another.

I am going to delve into this more in a future article, but I have included the musings of Pastor Greg Laurie, of Harvest Church, on his thoughts on false teachings and prophets:

"In the times in which we’re living, we should be aware of religious deception. Jesus said that in the last days, there would be an explosion of it, culminating in the appearance of the ultimate deceiver, the Antichrist.

We should look out for cults and groups who say they’re the way to God and that their leader, guru, or teacher is the Messiah. Today, in addition to relatively established cults, newer groups have sprung up. There has been a literal explosion of mysticism and spirituality in recent years.

But for the most part, it has not been a return to biblical Christianity. Rather, it has been a New Age mixture of everything under the umbrella of so-called spirituality.

People basically have a do-it-yourself divinity. They say things like, “I don’t believe in organized religion, but I am a very spiritual person. I draw a little from this belief and a little from that belief. It all will get us to Heaven or closer to God.”

However, the Bible tells us that in the last days, Satan will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them. They will be condemned for not believing the truth.

We need to realize that whenever there is the genuine, there always will be the counterfeit. The devil is the great deceiver and the great counterfeiter. Jesus said of him, “He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 NLT).

The devil is an expert at offering substitutes for the real thing, with enough truth to make it believable and enough error to destroy us.

That is why we must be students of Scripture. The Bible tells us to test the spirits to see if they’re really of God (see 1 John 4:1). We must stop believing the false teachings that come our way. Far too often, we in the church are gullible because we allow our feelings and emotions to direct us instead of looking at things through a biblical lens. We must learn to think biblically and compare everything to what the Bible teaches.

We also need to understand that all religions do not teach the same thing. To believe otherwise is to ignore what the Bible teaches. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT).

If you are a true Christian, then you must believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God."

Prattville Dragoons Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Commander's Column for October 2023 - A Weaponization of the Federal Government Agencies

 It is frightening to witness the weaponizing of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the federal Justice Department against those who questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 elections.  Every day it seems new charges are brought against President Trump by state attorney generals installed by Soros to pursue these very tactics and lawsuits.  Dozens have now been imprisoned for attending rallies in Washington on January 6, 2021 supporting President Trump, calling for an investigation into voting irregularities and, entering the capital building.  Conflicting evidence shows people in a frenzy at the gates to the capital where Ashli Babbitt was shot while other tapes show an orderly procession of people seemingly touring the halls of the capital escorted by capitol police.  Subsequently, the FBI has executed arrests of many of these protestors who attended the rally including those who entered the capital building and some are facing many years incarceration under charges of insurrection.   The photos and videos of the arrests are alarming with heavily armed FBI agents swarming residents and places of business and handcuffing citizens as they lead them off to jail under questionable charges with secretive trials.  Calls for the release of all the tapes showing the capital building are ignored.  Evidence of federal agents acting as instigators in the rallies is ignored.  The mere grounds defining those rallying and protesting as mounting an insurrection seems ridiculous as the only people armed on January 6th were the capitol police.  These arrests and imprisonments should be frightening to American citizens believing in our First Amendment rights as these actions certainly seem to be an infringement of our rights to assemble and free speech by a weaponized federal bureau bent on protecting those in power including President Biden and his administration.  

These actions by an American President of course are not without precedent.  Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus and arrested dozens of political opponents as threats to his administration and to the federal government existence.  “On September 17, 1861, fully one third of the members of the Maryland General Assembly were arrested, due to federal concerns that the Assembly "would aid the anticipated rebel invasion and would attempt to take the state out of the Union."” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_in_the_American_Civil_War#:~:text=On%20September%2017%2C%201861%2C%20the,of%20the%20Union.%22%20Although%20previous)  Arrests for hypothetical possibilities.  Earlier in the spring of that year, “Baltimore Mayor Brown,the city council, the police commissioner, and the entire Board of Police were arrested and imprisoned at Fort McHenry without charges.”  Following the May Supreme Court ruling that the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus was unconstitutional and “Lincoln's dismissal of Chief Justice Taney's ruling (he) was criticized in a September 1861 editorial by Baltimore newspaper editor Frank Key Howard (Francis Scott Key's grandson), (and) Howard was himself arrested by order of Lincoln's Secretary of State Seward and held without trial. In all nine newspapers were shut down in Maryland by the federal government, and a dozen newspaper owners and editors like Howard were imprisoned without charges.”

Lincoln justified his actions saying “that the American people will, by means of military arrests during the rebellion, lose the right of public discussion, the liberty of speech and the press, the law of evidence, trail by jury, and Habeas Corpus, throughout the indefinite peaceful future”.  Something like 14,400 civilians were arrested by Lincoln during the lead up and course of the War for Southern Independence.  Lincoln moved the enforcement of these arrests from the State Department to the War Department in 1862 placing “the program always in the hands of persons who were firm believers in its necessity as a means of saving the Union” including Joseph Holt, judge advocate general.  The Merrick Garland of 1862 as it were.  It seems that Lincoln’s arrests were effective as there was little opposition to the enforcement measures, “Clement Vallandigham was the most famous politician in Dayton, Ohio, but his arrest in the night — despite a mysterious shrill whistled signal and three shots the victim fired into the air to alert friends — brought few people even curious to see what was happening. True, a mob the next night set fire to the offices of the local Republican newspaper, and one rioter was shot by a soldier while trying to cut a water hose in use to douse the fire, but the riot was quickly put down without loss of life. There were indignation meetings in most of the major cities of the North following Valiant Val's arrest, but this was orderly protest organized by politicians with some stake in preserving the system.”  This lackadaisical laissez faire attitude persists today in questioning authority even such overbearing use of prosecution threatening very individual freedom and liberty.  Lincoln’s arrests focused on Confederate citizens with a large percentage claiming Jefferson Davis as their President and those refusing an oath of loyalty.  A parallel could certainly be claimed that those jailed for the January 6th “insurrection” claim Trump as their President.  (https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/idx/j/jala/2629860.0005.103/--lincoln-administration-and-arbitrary-arrests?rgn=main;view=fulltext )

Upcoming Events for Confederate Compatriots

Battle of Bibb Furnace Reenactment – Sat and Sun, Oct 7-8^th at Brierfield Ironworks Park

 

Autauga County Fair – Tuesday Oct 10^th thru Saturday, Oct 14^th , 5pm-10pm (noon-10pm Sat) at Autauga Cty Fairgrounds

 

Fall Muster – Saturday, October 28^th, 10am at Philip Edward’s place in Posey’s Crossroads

 

26^th Annual Bill Anthony Memorial Battle for the Armory – Fri-Sun, Nov 10-12^th on Rifle Range Road in Tallassee AL

 

Prattville Christmas Parade – Friday Dec 1^st starting at 7pm on Court St thru downtown Main Street, Prattville

 

Dragoons Christmas Social – Friday Dec 8^th starting at 6pm at Buena Vista mansion in Prattville

 

Salvation Army Red Kettle Bell Ringing – Saturday Dec 16^th from 9am-8pm at Winn Dixie, Prattville

Prattville Dragoons at the Alabama Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Yellowhammer Jammer

A great number of members of Camo 1524 attended the 1st Annual Yellowhammer Jammer sponsored by the Alabama Division SCV on Saturday September 30th at Confederate Memorial Park in Marbury AL.  Eleven members were there helping with the camp's booth and enjoying the festival.  They included Commander Waldo (whose wife dropped by also), 2nd Lt Karl Wade, Quartermaster Myrick, Treasurer Billy Leverette, Brigade Commander Harold Grooms, Color Sgt Dennis and his wife, and compatriots Darrell Haywood, Tyrone Crowley (and his wife), Rob Schwartz and a surprise when Wyatt Willis was spotted.  Also, Comms Ofc Doug Butler helped in the reenactment area showing what an encampment would have looked like during the War Between the States.  The camp set up a booth to sell camp stores to raise money for the National SCV Museum at Elm Springs and it was a good success with flags, totes, mugs, and license plates being sold.  There was an artillery battery with cannons firing salvos every so often.  There was a period encampment too setup by the Order of Confederate Rose where they demonstrated how to make cream butter.  The Children of the Confederacy had a booth and tables where kids could play cornhole beanie toss, hula hoops, balloons, and they even enjoyed a magic show put on by past-Commander Gary Carlisle.  There was even a hot dog eating contest.  Two camps offered food including boiled peanuts and beef jerky and the Division had a tent with lunch offerings of BBQ pork sandwiches and hot dogs with chips and sodas and another with popcorn and cotton candy.  The main attraction was a stage where a number of entertainers sang and played including former Division Commander Carl Jones plus Mutt Cooper, Brendan Young, Ally Knight and the Unreconstructed Band.  Former SCV Commander-in-Chief Chuck McMichael was the guest speaker.  The park chapel and museum and of course the veteran's cemeteries were also open to walk thru.  It was a very enjoyable day sitting under the shade of the canopy under the tall pines with the last warmth of the Alabama summer making for a wonderful day for all, young and old.  

                           

Sons of Confederate Veterans Prattville Dragoons Camp 1524 Meeting for September 2023

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.  

The Golden Age of Southern Movies

 1938-1946 - The “Golden Age” of Positive, Southern-themed Movies

If you enjoy old movies and would like to see the Antebellum South presented in a positive light, there are five movies you may want to see.

The Toy Wife - 1938

Set in antebellum Cajun Louisiana and lavishly produced by MGM, the film heralded the studio’s newest starlet, German actress Luise Rainer. In some ways it was MGM’s answer to Warner Brothers’ hit, “Jezebel” (1938), starring Bette Davis. Rainer is the lead female character, Gilberte “Frou Frou” Brigard, who has returned from strict convent school in France to her father’s immense plantation in Louisiana. Just as in “Gone with the Wind,” released a year later, Frou Frou is flighty and has a “devil may care” attitude towards practical things, including a possible future husband. While infatuated with the debonair and undisciplined Andre Vallaire (Robert Young), she ends up in a loveless marriage with the far more practical and worldly George Sartoris (Melvyn Douglas). Parallels with “Gone with the Wind” abound in this movie.

Maryland - 1940

The film “Maryland” was a big-budget Twentieth Century-Fox color production, with deluxe casting of Walter Brennan, John Payne, Fay Bainter, Charlie Ruggles, and Hattie McDaniel, who had already established herself as a major player in “Gone with the Wind”. In contemporary America we are too apt to think of Maryland as one big suburb of Washington, DC. But Maryland was traditionally a Southern state, and this film reflects the long and honorable Southern tradition of fox hunting and racing champion horses.

The Vanishing Virginian - 1942

Stars Frank Morgan (the Wizard in “The Wizard of Oz”), Spring Byington, and North Carolinian Kathryn Grayson, whose exquisite soprano voice in heard during the movie. Beginning in pre-World War I times, “The Vanishing Virginian” traces the history of the Yancey family and its head, Robert, who was prominent in Virginia politics for several decades. But it is also the recounting of how Southern and Virginia traditions survived and met the headwinds of the twentieth century, including women’s suffrage.

Colonel Effingham’s Raid -1946

A Twentieth Century-Fox production, this is a relatively short, black and white film, of 70 minutes, but a true gem just the same. It stars Charles Coburn as Colonel Will Seaborn Effingham, who returns home to Fredericksville, Georgia, after years in the US Army, there to be received by his young second cousin Albert Marbury (William Eythe) and by his older cousin Emma (the versatile actress Elizabeth Patterson). He stumbles upon the plans of the town fathers, who are mostly Yankee transplants only concerned about the almighty dollar. They intend to tear down the historic courthouse which dates from the antebellum period and perhaps remove the giant Confederate monument commemorating Fredericksville’s honored dead. Effingham launches his final “raid,” organizing the citizens and the UDC in a campaign to save the historic courthouse. Effingham finally convinces the town officials that the courthouse should remain and be appropriately repaired, not torn down. In the final scene, we see Effingham in his military uniform reviewing members of the Georgia National Guard as they march off to muster (the film is set in 1940). As they pass in review, the band strikes up the sound of “Dixie” to an enthusiastic crowd.

Virginia - 1941

This film is perhaps the best, and certainly the most openly pro-Southern. It is a lavishly-produced, Technicolor Paramount feature, in a sense that studio’s answer to the major films from Fox and MGM celebrating the South. And what a film! Starring a young Fred MacMurray, Madeleine Carroll, Sterling Hayden, and Louise Beavers, the movie recounts the return of Charlotte Dunterry (Carroll), heiress to the old Dunterry family plantation in northern Virginia. The plantation house, reportedly designed by Thomas Jefferson, has fallen into disrepair, and Charlotte who has spent much of her life in New York, intends to sell. MacMurray, whose name in the film is Stonewall after the great general, is a neighbor and fierce defender of Southern heritage and tradition. He tries to convince Charlotte to stay on, not to sell. The return of an ancient black servant, Ezechiel, home to Dunterry house to die persuades Charlotte that she, too, should stay faithful to her family and her traditions. And she orders that the giant portrait of her Confederate officer grandfather be hung once again in the central hall. One rewarding scene occurs when Charlotte suggests that Southerners should just get over the war which was, she asserts, about slavery. Stonewall, or Stony as his friends call him, quickly corrects her and explains that Yankee overreach and aggression were responsible for the war, and, indeed, for much of the resulting poverty that has afflicted the Southland. “Virginia” is worth searching out and is recommended to any Southerner interested in a favorable view of our traditions and heritage.

This information was provided by Prattville Dragoons compatriot Tyrone Crowley and extracted from “Gone But Not Forgotten” by Boyd Cathey on the Abbeville Institute blog, 1 September 2023.  See https://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/gone-but-not-forgotten/

Dragoon Compatriot Works the Prattville Dragoons Monument Grounds

Dragoon Tyrone Crowley went down to the Dragoon Monuments site on Saturday Sept 9th and pulled a few weeds, straightened the decoration at the base of the older monument and generally tidies the monument grounds.  He stated he did this work in honor of those Dragoons who continue working the grounds maintenance at the local Robinson Springs and Indian Hill cemeteries.  Outstanding work by this long standing compatriot.