USA > Alabama > Alabama history > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29
The next day Forrest captured Colonel Russell and two hundred and thirty men, whom Streight had sent forward to seize the bridge across the river at Rome.
Streight's purpose to destroy all public works and to burn the city of Rome would have been accom- plished if Miss Emma had not piloted the Confed- erates to the ford, and thus, as General Forrest himself said, "facilitated pursuit by at least two hours."
6. Marriage and Death .- Miss Sansom afterward married Mr. C. B. Johnson. She lived for many Aug. 22, years in Calloway, Texas, and died there August 22, 1900 1900, a widow and the mother of several children.
7. Testimonial From Alabama Legislature .- As a testimonial of appreciation of her heroic service, the legislature of Alabama in 1863 voted her a gold medal and a section of land. This land was sold for Confederate money, which was soon worthless. In 1899, by a vote almost unanimons, the legislature again donated to her a section of land; but as all the State lands have been used for other purposes, the
1899
183
MISS EMMA SANSOM
legislature will probably give her heirs the equiva- lent in some other form.
8: Extract from the "Ballad of Emma Sansom."_ John Trotwood Moore has vividly described the inci- dents of this chapter in his beautiful Ballad of Emma Sansom. One stanza reads:
"Do you wonder they rode like Romans adown the winnowing wind,
With Mars himself in the saddle and Minerva up behind? Was ever a foe confronted and captured by such means Since days of old and warrior bold and the maiden of Orleans?"
SUMMARY
General Garfield sent Colonel Streight with a large force through northern Alabama to destroy Confederate furnaces and railroads. The Federal force was soon attacked, defeated, and pursued by General Forrest and his men. With the assistance of Miss Emma Sansom, who guided Forrest to a ford across Black creek, the retreating Federals were overtaken and forced to surrender. As a testimonial of her services, the Alabama legislature voted her a gold medal and a section of land. She died in Texas in 1900.
QUESTIONS
1. What plan of campaign was proposed by General Garfield in 1863? 2. Give an account of the fight between General Forrest and Colonel Streight. 3. Describe the pursuit of the Federals. 4. What service was rendered by Miss Emma Sansom? 5. Narrate the incidents of her ride with Forrest. 6. Describe the capture of Colonel Streight. 7. To whom was Miss Sansom married? 8. When and where did she die? 9. In what way did the legislature reward her? 10. Recite the lines from the Ballad of Emma Sansom.
General Joseph Wheeler
CHAPTER XX.
GENERAL JOSEPH WHEELER (1836-1907)
1. Popularity .- Just after the fall of Santiago, it was said that if a congressman-at-large had to be elected by vote throughout the States of the Union, General Joseph Wheeler would be the popular choice by a large majority. This was a high compliment and one well deserved, for General Wheeler had a career that well illustrates the chivalry of the American soldier.
Sept. 10, 1863
2. Early Life .- Joseph Wheeler was born in Augusta, Georgia, September 10, 1836, and was
[184]
-
1861
GENERAL JOSEPH WHEELER
185
graduated at nineteen years of age from the West Point Military Academy. After spending a year at the cavalry school for practice at Carlisle, Pennsyl- vania, he was transferred to New Mexico as lieu- tenant of a cavalry company.
3. Colonel of Infantry Regiment .- In April, 1861, he resigned his commission in the Federal army and cast his fortune with the Southern Confederacy. He was the first colonel of the nineteenth Alabama regi- ment of infantry and was almost continuously engaged in battle from the beginning to the end of his service for the Confederate cause.
At Shiloh, Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee river, in one of the bloodiest and most desperate battles of the war, he checked with a single brigade the right wing of the Federal army. After the battle had been going on for an hour, he led his troops into the Federal lines, and cut off and captured General Prentiss and twenty-two hundred of his men. When the Confederates were forced to retire from Shiloh and Corinth, he prevented the enemy from pressing the retreating forces.
He was everywhere the ideal soldier-quick, cool, brave and determined. He won from every supe- rior officer with whom he came into contact the praise due the gallant in war.
4. Cavalry Commander .- Colonel Wheeler was transferred to the command of cavalry in the summer of 1862. He was well fitted for a cavalry commander. He had many troops from other States, but the majority of his men were Alabamians led by Generals William Wirt Allen, James Hagan, Moses
1862
186
ALABAMA HISTORY
Wright Hannon, John Herbert Kelly, and other brave officers of Alabama.
Colonel Wheeler possessed so much energy and skill, and was so active and watchful, that he rarely failed in any plan he formed. He foiled Buell at Mumfordville and enabled General Bragg to capture the town and four thousand Federal prisoners. He struck the rear of General Rosecrans's army at Murfreesboro and led his troops over every opposi- tion, sweeping from his path infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Because of his dash and bravery in this battle he was made a major-general. At Chicka- mauga he hurled his command against the Federal right and center with such effect that the "blue- coats" thought that Longstreet's corps was upon them.
5. A Daring Cavalry Raid .- After the battle of Chickamauga, General Wheeler used his cavalry to carry out a plan against the Federals that for daring and success was hardly equalled during the war.
Rosecrans's depot of supplies was at Bridgeport in Alabama, while his army was encamped at Chatta- nooga. One of the two routes that connected these places lay along the north bank of the Tennes- see river and the other through the Sequatchee (se kwach'e) valley. The one by the river bank was shortest, but it was cut out of the mountains that skirted along the river and could not be travelled by troops, because they would be subject to fire from the Confederates. The Sequatchee route was guarded by the cavalry of Burnside to the east and that of Crook to the west. Burnside with four thous-
187
GENERAL JOSEPH WHEELER
and men was on the south near the place at which Wheeler wished to cross the Tennessee river. Crook was on the north, guarding the ford with three thousand eight hundred cavalry and a battery of artillery.
Wheeler with less than four thousand men attacked Burnside and drove him to Loudon. Then he marched back to the ford, and in the blaze of Crook's fire crossed the river, routed Crook, and captured seven thousand mules and twelve hundred wagons full of ammunition and provisions. Pushing on to MeMinnville he captured fifteen hundred pris- oners, took possession of railroads and bridges, and destroyed all of the supplies of General Critten- den's corps.
For ten days his cavalry remained north of the Tennessee and so crippled Rosecrans that he was unable to move his army from Chattanooga. Rose- crans's supplies were cut up, and his army put on starving rations. The Federal cavalry tried hard to overtake General Wheeler, but he kept out of the way, except when he wished to fight. Two or three Federal generals would sometimes press him for battle, but he would hold them at bay until night came on; then he would slip away, attack some place that was not expecting him, and capture it before help could be had.
General Grant succeeded General Rosecrans in command of the Federal forces at Chattanooga. ITis first telegram to General Thomas was to hold Chat- tanooga at all hazards. Thomas replied, "We shall hold until we starve to death." From this telegram
188
ALABAMA HISTORY
it can be understood how successful Wheeler had been in destroying the supply trains and depots of the Federals. The Confederate Congress thanked him for this brilliant service.
6. In the Tennessee Campaign .- General Wheeler recrossed the Tennessee and went to Missionary Ridge to aid General Bragg. Passing toward Knox- ville, he defeated the cavalry of Burnside, capturing batteries, trains, and prisoners. With General Pat Cleburne he checked Grant's advance from Chatta- nooga.
7. In the Georgia Campaign .- In 1864, General Sherman advanced into Georgia with an army of nearly one hundred thousand men. General Joseph E. Johnston opposed him with barely half that num- ber. When Johnston made a stand behind fortifica- tions, Sherman had men enough to attack the Confederates in front with one part of his army and to march around their rear with the other part. As Sherman had this advantage, Johnston was forced to retreat. Wheeler's cavalry took care of Johnston's rear with such skill as to preserve order and protect the supplies.
July 28 to July 30, 1864
General Sherman sent Generals Stoneman, Mc- Cook, and Garrard, in command of nearly nine thou- sand cavalry, to destroy the railroads about Newnan, Georgia. Wheeler's cavalry, assisted by troops under Humes and Kelly, met the Federals, and after several severe battles captured General Stone- man, General MeCook, five brigade commanders, and three thousand two hundred soldiers, with the horses, arms, equipments, artillery, and wagon-trains.
189
GENERAL JOSEPH WHEELER
A few hundred Federals, thoroughly demoralized, escaped to Sherman's main column. Colonel Brown- low was barefooted when he reached camp and reported to General Sherman, who was much grieved by the loss of his cavalry. The Federals tried to make it appear that the Confederates had over- whelming forces of infantry and cavalry, but this is not true. The Confederate cavalry, General Wheeler said, "was hardly one-third of the Federal forces; and the number of prisoners captured exceeded the entire Confederate force."
After capturing Atlanta, Sherman marched on through Georgia into the Carolinas. He had to keep his men and trains close together, for Wheeler was quick to discover and to attack any unprotected trains. Macon and Augusta were saved by his tact and presence.
8. Commended by President Davis .- President Davis, writing of Sherman's march, used this lan- guage:
"It was in compact columnn and advancing with extreme caution, although opposed only by detach- ments of Wheeler's cavalry and a few hastily formed regiments of raw militia; but no formidable opposi- . tion was made except at the railroad bridge over the Oconee, where Wheeler, with a portion of his com- mand and a few militia, held the enemy in check for two or three days. With a small force General Wheeler daringly and persistently harassed, and, when practicable, delayed the enemy's advance, attacking and defeating exposed detachments, deterring his foragers from venturing far from the
190
ALABAMA HISTORY
main body, defending cities and houses along the railroad lines, and affording protection to depots of supplies, arsenals, and other important government works. The report of his operations, from November 1 to December 20, displays a dash, activity, vigilance, and consummate skill which justly entitle him to a prominent place on the roll of great cavalry leaders. By his indomitable energies, operating on all sides of Sherman's columns, he was enabled to keep the gov- ernment and commanders of our troops advised of the enemy's movements, and, by preventing foraging parties from leaving the main body, he saved from spoliation all but a narrow tract of country, and from the torch, millions' worth of property which would otherwise have certainly been consumed."
9. Services in the Carolinas .- General Wheeler received the thanks of the State of South Carolina for his defense of Aiken. A week before the close of hostilities the fifty-first Alabama cavalry regiment, under his command, captured the first Alabama United States regiment.
At Averysboro General Wheeler was in battle; at Bentonville he drove back Sherman's right from Johnston's line of retreat.
Apr. 29, 1865
10. Farewell Address .- On April 29, 1865, he addressed this farewell to his command:
"GALLANT COMRADES: You have fought your fight ; your task is done. During a four years' struggle for liberty you have exhibited courage, fortitude, and devotion. You are the sole victors of more than two hundred severely contested fields; you have par- ticipated in more than a thousand conflicts of arms;
191
GENERAL JOSEPH WHEELER
you are heroes, veterans, patriots; the bones of your comrades mark the battlefields upon the soil of Ken- tucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi; you have done all that human exertion could accomplish. In bidding you adieu, I desire to thank you for your gallantry in battle, your fortitude under sufferings, and devotion at all times to the holy cause you have done so much to maintain. I desire to express my gratitude for the kind feeling you have seen fit to show toward myself, and to invoke upon you the blessing of our Heavenly. Father, to whom we must always look for support in the hour of distress.
"Brethren in the cause of freedom, comrades in arms, I bid you farewell.
J. WHEELER."
11. Later Life .- After the war, General Wheeler settled in Lawrence county, Alabama, and engaged in merchandising, farming, and the practice of law. He was true to his friends, generous to everybody, and the very soul of popularity. In 1882, he was elected to Congress and served continuously in that high office for eighteen years.
President Mckinley appointed him a major- general in the Spanish-American War, and at El Ca'ney his advice saved American arms from defeat and inspired the advance until Santiago fell. He saw brief service in the Philippines, and died a retired brigadier-general of the army of the United States. He was buried in Arlington Cemetery, and over his remains is the highest monument in that national burying-ground.
1882
1898
1906
£
N
192
ALABAMA HISTORY
SUMMARY
Joseph Wheeler, a Georgia graduate of West Point. com- manded a brigade at Shiloh and checked the advance of the right wing of the Federal army. Transferred to command of cavalry, he planned and executed one of the most daring cavalry raids of the war. He served with distinction in the campaigns in Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas, and dismissed his troops with a touching farewell address. After the war he settled in Alabama, served in Congress for eighteen years, was a major- general in the Spanish-American War, and died a brigadier- general of the United States army.
QUESTIONS
1. How was General Wheeler regarded by the people at the close of the Spanish-American War? 2. Give an account of his early life. 3. What did he accomplish at the battle of Shiloh ? 4. Why was he made a major-general? 5. Narrate the incidents of his daring cavalry raid. 6. What services did he render in the Tennessee campaign? In the Georgia campaign? 7. What did President Davis say about him? 8. What did General Wheeler accomplish in the Carolinas? 9. Give the substance of his farewell address. 10. Sketch his life after the war.
CHAPTER XXI
MOBILE DURING THE WAR
1. Loyalty of Its Citizens .- When the War between the States came, Mobile companies promptly left for the armies of the Confederacy. Its hospitals were all that skilled surgeons and loving women could make them. Its fortifications were among the last to admit the downfall of the Confederate States. Its military record on land and sea is bright with deeds of patriotism and bravery.
John Newland Maffitt, in the Oreto (afterward the Florida), ran the Federal blockade into Mobile Bay. When his sick men and battle-shelled vessel were ready for active service, he again passed the block- ade lines and began his career of naval successes, cheered by the loyal support of the citizens of Mobile.
2. Battle of Mobile Bay .- On August 5, 1864, Admiral David Glasgow Far' ra gut, assisted by a powerful land battery, moved his fleet into Mobile Bay. He had four ironclad monitors and fourteen steamers which carried one hundred and ninety-nine guns and twenty-seven hundred men. To oppose him were the Confederate forts and torpedo lines, and Admiral Franklin Buchanan with the ironclad Tennessee and three wooden gunboats which carried twenty-two guns and four hundred and seventy men.
At the opening of the fight one of the Federal monitors, the Tecumseh, was blown up with one hun- dred and twenty men. As his vessels hesitated to [193]
Aug. 5, 1864
194
ALABAMA HISTORY
advance, Admiral Farragut stationed himself in the rigging of his flagship, the Hartford, and led the attack on the Tennessee until that vessel was cap- tured. His victory made him master of the Bay. Fort Gaines fell on August 8, and Fort Morgan sur- rendered fifteen days afterward.
Aug. 8, 1864
March, 1865
Admiral Farragut pronounced the battle of Mobile Bay "one of the fiercest naval combats on record." 3. Capture of Mobile .- In March, 1865, General Canby started from Fort Morgan with thirty-two thousand Federal troops to invest Mobile. He was opposed by three Confederate brigades-Gibson's Louisianians, Ector's North Carolinians and Texans, and Thomas's Alabama Reserves. The latter were relieved by Holtzelaw's brigade from Blakeley. The whole force was less than four thousand men.
Apr. 1, 1865
Although mire and water helped to check the advance of the Federals, they approached nearer day by day to Spanish Fort and batteries Huger (yoo jee') and Tracy, which were defended by the Confederates. The doomed Spanish Fort fell.
Apr. 8, 1865
General F. Steele marched from Pensacola with nearly fifteen thousand men, destroyed railroads, and burned all public property about Pollard. He stormed and captured Blakeley. The garrison of thirty-five hundred Confederates under General Liddell defended gallantly, but were unable to save the town. This was April 9, the same day on which General Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Batteries Huger and Tracy fell two days later.
Apr. 12, 1865
General D. H. Maury was then in command at Mobile. When he saw the forts of its defense fall,
195
MOBILE DURING THE WAR
he evacuated the city. The Federal general, Gordon Granger, took immediate possession.
4. Federal Occupation .- The presence of the Fed- erals caused the negroes to act and dress as if it were a holiday. Like children, they put on all the gaudy attire they could find to celebrate the beginning of their freedom.
Federal officers and soldiers found no welcome in Mobile. The homes were in sorrowful quiet. The ladies and gentlemen kept themselves in seclusion, both because of the sadness in their hearts for the downfall of the Confederacy and because of the throngs of negroes and Federal troops.
Bishop Richard Hooker Wilmer continued the Episcopal service as pre- scribed by his church, pray- ing for the President of the Confederate States. General Thomas, the Federal com- mander, ordered him to refrain. The good bishop refused and was imprisoned. His church was closed, but he held to his position, deny- ing all authority to dictate his prayers for the United States government, He said Bishop R. H. Wilmer that he had no prayers for the power that had brought wreck and ruin on his people. Ile was finally released by order of President Johnson.
Early in the afternoon of May 25, 1865, the whole May 25, city was jarred as if by on corthquake. Tho acci- 1865
196
ALABAMA HISTORY
dental fall of a loaded shell, or some other careless- ness on the part of the Federals, produced a terrific magazine explosion. Thirty tons of gunpowder and a large amount of assorted ammunition were stored in the magazine. Three hundred lives and nearly a million dollars' worth of property were destroyed.
5. Return of Peace and Prosperity .- The return of peace threw into the city immense cotton supplies. The people at once entered upon business. Farmers and merchants strove to restore the prosperity that blessed the country before the war. Hundreds of thousands of bales of cotton were stored in the ware- houses of Mobile. Agents from Liverpool and other manufacturing centers paid high prices for cotton, the kingly staple of the South. Schools and churches were reopened.
The reconstruction measures of Congress gave serious annoyance to the people of Mobile. Political troubles pressed more heavily on it than on other cities of the State, because it had greater commercial interests. During reconstruction times a heavy debt was heaped upon the city; corrupt politicians in charge of city offices made dishonest use of the public money, and subjected the citizens to misrule of the worst kind. Though these conditions lasted several years, the spirit of the people and the growth of trade could not be checked. With the return of good government, confidence was restored and the city began to enjoy an era of peace and prosperity.
As the only Gulf port of the State, Mobile will not likely lose its importance. Work on the Panama Canal has added new life to the city's business, and
.
197
MOBILE DURING THE WAR
with the completion of this great inter-ocean route Mobile will reap largely of commercial benefits.
6. Distinguished Mobilians .- The city has many beautiful buildings, public and private, and is noted for men successful in business and distinguished in professions. It has furnished one judge of the supreme court of the United States-John A. Camp- bell; five judges for the supreme bench of Alabama- Abner S. Lipscomb, Henry Hitchcock, Arthur F. Hopkins, Henry Goldthwaite, and Edmund Spann Dargan. The bar is honored by the names of Toul- min, Smith, Manning, Chandler, Semmes, Dunn, Anderson, Taylor, Clarke, Hamilton, and a host of others. Drs. Nott, Gilmore, Gaines, Ketchum, Mastin, Owen, and others dignify its history in sur- gery and medicine. Thaddeus Sanford, A. B. Meek, John For syth', Jones Mitchell Withers, Charles C. Langdon, and Erwin Craighead have won high rank as editors. In literature many names suggest them- selves, but the most prominent are Mrs. Chaudron (cho dron'), Mrs. Octavia Walton Le Vert, Mrs. Elizabeth W. Bellamy, Mrs. Augusta Evans Wilson, T. C. DeLeon, Peter Joseph Hamilton, Hannis Tay- lor, Father Abram J. Ryan, and A. B. Meek.
SUMMARY
The citizens of Mobile were most loyal to the Confederacy, and bravely and stubbornly resisted capture. In 1864, occurred the · battle of Mobile Bay, in which the Confederate fleet was over- whelmed. In 1865, the city was besieged by a large force of Federals, and was evacuated only after the forts defending it had been taken. Its conquerors, however, found no welcome from its citizens. Soon after the war, Mobile began to prosper
198
ALABAMA HISTORY
as a market for cotton and as a shipping port for commerce with the world. This prosperity was checked for a time during "reconstruction." The city can boast of many distinguished men.
QUESTIONS
1. In what ways did the citizens of Mobile show their loyalty to the Confederacy? 2. Describe the battle of Mobile Bay. 3. Give an account of the capture of Mobile. 4. How were the Federals received in the city? 5. What happened to Bishop Wilmer? 6. Describe the magazine explosion. 7. Tell of the return of peace and prosperity. 8. What effect did recon- struction have on Mobile? 9. To what is the city's importance chiefly due? 10. Name some distinguished Mobilians.
CHAPTER XXII
ALABAMA IN POLITICS (1859-1865)
1. Governor A. B. Moore .- Andrew Barry Moore's second term as governor marked the beginning of the exciting years that preceded the War between the States. In another chapter has been told his connection with the first start of the Confederacy; how he heartily supported the Southern cause, aided in the equipment of State troops, and did every- thing in his power to encourage the South. When the war closed he was imprisoned in Fort Pulaski, near Savannah, Georgia, along with other distin- guished Southerners. Upon his release he returned to Marion and engaged in the practice of law, enjoy- ing the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens.
2. Governor Shorter .- John Gill Shorter, of Bar- bour county, faced the difficult measures necessarily arising during the progress of the war. Some of the troublesome questions with which he had to deal related to the raising of State troops, the care of the families of soldiers, and an increase in taxation in order to pay interest on bonds and to carry on the war. These questions provoked so much discontent among the people that Governor Shorter was defeated for reelection.
3. Governor Watts .- Thomas Hill Watts, of Montgomery, had won honors in peace, and, as colonel of the seventeenth Alabama infantry, had
1859 to 1861
1861 to 1863
1863 to 1865
[199]
200
ALABAMA HISTORY
distinguished himself for bravery and daring under fire at Shiloh. While in camp he was informed of his appointment as attorney-general of the Confed- erate States. He fulfilled the duties of his high office in Richmond until called to the governorship of Alabama by the election of 1863.
Governor Watts had to deal with the same ques- tions that had caused the defeat of Governor Shorter. In trying to solve them, he showed marked energy and ability during the gloomy eighteen months of his term of office.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.