Barbour County AlArchives Biographies.....Hiram Hawkins September 9 1826 - after 1893
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Ann Anderson alabammygrammy@aol.com May 12, 2004, 11:48 am

Author: Brant & Fuller (1893)
    COL. HIRAM HAWKINS. - He is strongest who meets and manfully performs every
material duty required of him by his fellow-men. Such a man does not pause to
inquire into the reasons that have prompted the call upon him, but goes about
the doing of whatever has been appointed for him to do, thus setting example to
the fraternity and encouraging those who are steadfast. It is not for him to
question, but for him to do. The voice of duty is trumpet-toned to him, and he
goes forward, valiantly, whether upon the field of war, in the realm of
commerce, upon the hustings, in the cabinet, or in the peaceful haunts of the
arts or the sciences. He is of that stuff which elevates the world by serving
the higher and better purposes of humanity; that material of which publicists,
statesmen, philosophers and heroes are made. In all the concerns of men he plays
his part, and he nearly always plays his part well. That spirit moves him which
makes the best hobnail and frames the wisest law. It is the spirit of
application, of that infinite capacity for labor which we call genius. Such a
man as that is Hiram Hawkins, of Alabama; soldier, lawyer, farmer, legislator,
man of many affairs, he has always performed his duty, and performed it with a
fidelity and a per-severance which won for him high honors in battle, and has
brought him high place in the state and the confidence of his people. Few names
in Alabama are so familiar to the people, few so sincerely honored. He enjoys
the personal friendship of all men of note, and the esteem of all intelligent
citizens, the confidence of all classes. In battle he won high rank; in peace he
bears most worthily the distinction of leader and good citizen. The agricultural
interests of Alabama owe more to him than to any other Alabamian of his time,
for he has been for many years first in progressive farming and in the movements
looking to the material welfare of the farming community. Upon the affairs of
state he has long exercised a wise and wholesome influence, and those in
authority have sought his counsel eagerly. Col. Hawkins was born in Bath county,
Ky., September 9, 1826, and is therefore sixty-six years old. He was one of the
seven sons of Thomas and Mary (Dean) Hawkins, and he had five sisters. His
ancestors came from the shores of Bristol channel to Maryland, shortly after the
first settling of that territory as a colony, being driven away from England, as
so many others were, by political and religious oppression. Their property at
home had been confiscated to the crown, and on their arrival in America they
began life anew. They prospered in the new land, and for nearly a century the
family enjoyed very considerable influence; taking an active part in the war for
American independence. At the close of the Revolution Col. Hawkins' grandfather
removed from Maryland to Kentucky, and was one of the band of brave and hardy
men who redeemed Kentucky from wilderness and savagery. Col. Hawkins was brought
up on his father's farm in Bath county, and obtained his education at the common
schools of the district, which were then not of the best. He left school at the
age of nineteen, and it was intended that he should receive collegiate training,
but reverses in the family fortunes made that impossible. Being a student from
habit and inclination, and being left to his own resources in that direction, he
trained himself in the higher branches of study. His father was a man who held
high place in the esteem and confidence of his neighbors, and did much toward
the upholding of his district. By occupation the elder Hawkins was a farmer,
merchant and miller, combining the three in one, as was frequently done in that
day, and even now in country districts. He was the good man of the district, and
his generosity was imposed upon. When his neighbors desired to borrow money he
affixed his name to their promises to pay. By this means heavy losses were
incurred, and the son was called from school to assist in the management of the
estate. The father, shortly afterward, went on his annual journey to Baltimore
for the purpose of purchasing goods for the store. On his return journey, and
when at Maysville, Ky., he was stricken with cholera, which was then scourging
the country, and the son, being informed of the facts, hastened to his father's
side, arriving in time to be with the father when death came. The son returned
home and assumed charge of the family affairs, and by his energy, activity and
ability, he quickly made himself felt in the business, social and political
circles in which he moved.

   Early in life, he evinced a fondness for the military, and when twenty-six
years old he was chosen by the militia regiment of his county as colonel, and
the selection was confirmed by the governor of Kentucky. That was in 1852. In
1854 the democratic party in Bath county undertook for the first time to
organize to the extent of nominating a full ticket of its own for the various
county offices. Col. Hawkins was nominated for the responsible position of high
sheriff, a worthy honor for one so young. He made a vigorous and able canvass,
and was defeated by the old sheriff, who was a whig, by only some thirty-odd
votes, and notwithstanding the fact that two independent democrats ran against
the nominee. He won something more than a personal victory, however, for this
campaign made a nomination thereafter by that party in his county equivalent to
election. He was an eloquent and convincing speaker, and, with his tall,
perfectly proportioned figure, his clear-cut, almost classic face, black wavy
hair, and keen eyes, and voice of great volume, he was a notable man in all that
region. He possessed to an unusual degree the confidence of the people, and of
this he was himself soon to receive convincing proof. The year 1855 is memorable
in the political annals of Kentucky. It was then that the great whig and
know-nothing parties swept the state with a whirlwind of enthusiasm and
political madness, carrying their state ticket through by what was then the
enormous majority of 50,000. In that year the governor, all the state officers
and members of the lower house, and half the senate were elected. Bath and
Bourbon counties formed one senatorial district, and it was Bath's turn to name
the democratic candidate for senator. Col. Hawkins lived in Bath, and was not an
aspirant for the senatorship or any other political office. But his party was
determined to have him, and when the time came to name county candidates he was
unanimously chosen for the senate. A committee was sent to notify him, and he
declined the honor which had been conferred, saying that he was not an aspirant
for the place, and if elected he could not take his seat because he was
constitutionally inelligable on account of his age; whereupon he was immediately
chosen for the lower house. That was a remarkable tribute to his worth as a man
and his influence with his party. It would have been an extraordinary honor to
any man. Col. Hawkins accepted the nomination to the lower house, and he entered
upon the canvass with his characteristic vigor, and all over the county his
voice rang loud and clear for democracy. On election day he led the ticket of
his party, and was elected by nearly 500 majority. This was when Kentucky was
swept by the opposition. It was only in Bath county that the storm was stayed,
and that was owing largely to the personal popularity and influence of Col.
Hawkins-a rare triumph, indeed, for a young man under thirty. Col. Hawkins'
predecessors of his own political faith had been able, under no unusual
conditions, to win by but fifty majority at best. Such distinguished honors and
such remarkable achievements are rare even in American political history. Upon
the records of the Kentucky legislature he left the impress of his wisdom, and
of his zeal in the welfare of the people.

   When Col. Hawkins had finally settled up his father's business he found that
he had not saved a dollar for himself. But he had something more than money-a
good name, an irreproachable character. The confidence of a wide circle of
personal friends was reposed in him; and these stood manfully by him in the most
trying time of his career. His credit was good, and he never abused it. Within
four years after his settlement of his father's affairs, he owned several farms
and disposed of them profitably, and at the end of that time he owned in fee
simple 200 acres of valuable blue-grass land, upon which he resided with a
lovely and gifted wife. But his restless and energetic spirit of enterprise did
not long permit him to dwell in peace under his, own home roof. In 1859 he sold
his farm, with a view to entering upon broader fields; and he made some
investments in Texas. The following year he established a sheep ranch in Texas,
stocking it with several hundred head of Kentucky sheep of superior breed, and
intending to remove to his new property the next year, 1861. But it was not to
be. The thunder of the approaching storm of war filled all political and civil
space with its roar, and while the tumult raged death came and bore away Col.
Hawkins' wife from his side. Fate was weaving a web of its own that wound the
man within its mazes, and he was powerless. The thunder of the coming conflict
grew louder, the darkness of the political atmosphere denser. The spell was upon
him, as it was upon all the land.

  Students of history need not be told that Kentucky occupied a peculiar
position at the outbreak of the war between the states, or the great rebellion,
as history records that most gigantic struggle of the ages. In that day in
Kentucky it required a man of nerve and convictions to express and defend his
own position in regard to the dispute which led millions to battle. Col. Hawkins
did not wait, nor did he daily with the issues of the hour. He boldly and
fearlessly arrayed himself against what seemed to him to be the coercive
measures of the Federal government, and he joined his fortunes to those of his
state upon the basis of neutrality. As soon as hostilities began he raised,
drilled, and disciplined a company of cavalry, which he tendered to the governor
to be used in sustaining the state's policy. A state legislature was elected, a
majority of which, it was said, was pledged to this policy of keeping out of the
strife. But when the legislature had met and organized, the situation was
quickly changed. The neutrality theory was exploded by formal act, and soon the
state was occupied by Federal soldiers and Federal marshals; and many of the
leading citizens were arrested and hurried away to prisons beyond the Ohio
river. Early in the afternoon of a September day, in 1861, a messenger, sent by
one of Col. Hawkins' friends, came in haste to inform him that troops had been
sent to Bath county, and that Federal marshals were already on the way to arrest
him. To him no course was left but to get out of the way as speedily as
practicable. Hurriedly he summoned a few of the young men of the company of
volunteers he had organized and drilled, and, they joining him, preparations
were hastily made; and at 12 o'clock midnight this little band of gallant souls,
armed with shotguns, mounted their horses and rode away to battle for what they
believed to be the cause of constitutional liberty and American freedom. The
next afternoon the party was joined by thirteen other young men, well armed and
equipped, and having the same purpose in view. Arriving at West Liberty, the
courthouse town of an adjoining county, they found several companies in process
of being properly organized to join the Confederate forces. An agreement was
entered into, whereby these companies were to follow Col. Hawkins and join him
at Prestonsburg, on the Big Sandy river, and there await developments.

   Within a few days about 400 men had gathered at Prestonsburg, among them
being several well organized and equipped companies. A mass meeting was held,
and it was resolved to go into camp and prepare for war. A leader was needed to
assume charge of the camp, and by common consent, and with remarkable unanimity,
Col. Hawkins was chosen for this honorable and responsible position. Hon. J. H.
Burns, the circuit court judge, took part in the meeting. He was made commissary
of the camp (and afterward of the regiment), and did great service, for he was
amongst his own home people, and in him they had great confidence. Within a
short time hundreds of men came to that camp of volunteers upon the Big Sandy
river. On one day five full companies from the interior of the state arrived,
all well mounted and well armed, most of them carrying Enfield rifles. This was
the outlet for Gen. Breckinridge. Col. John (Cerro Gordo) Williams, afterward
United States senator, came to the camp, and he was sent to Richmond to obtain
government recognition and to muster Col. Hawkins' forces into the service of
the Confederacy. Before Col. Williams' return, Col. Hawkins, seeing that he had
no company and would probably have no command when Col. Williams did return,
resigned his position as commandant of the camp, and recommended as his
successor, Hon. John Ficklin. Mr. Ficklin was chosen. Within a few days Col.
Hawkins had organized a company of seveuty men for cavalry service, he
preferring that arm of the service, if he could be at liberty to report to only
the colonel commanding. Upon this condition Col. Hawkins tendered the services
of his company as soon as Col. Williams returned from Richmond with the
authority to muster the troops into active service. Col. Williams refused to
accept the company as mounted rangers, whereupon Col. Hawkins called his men
together and told them that he preferred the infantry rather than to be placed
in the battalion of mounted men. His company was thereupon disbanded, and,
together with thirty of his men, he was mustered in as a private soldier.
Probably no similar record can be found in the annals of the Civil war. Col.
Hawkins gave up the certainty of commanding a fine company of cavalry, and took
his place in the ranks of the infantry; and this fact is a stong illustration of
his character as soldier and as citizen. But the course he then pursued proved
to be the wisest. Three days after the occurence he was mustered in as captain
of a company of 115 men, and permitted to nominate every subordinate company
officer, each one of whom was unanimously accepted. When the regiment was
organized Capt. Hawkins was elected major, only one company voting against him,
and that company had a worthy candidate of its own for the same position, and
Capt. Jack May of company A, of the regiment was made lieutenant-colonel; some
months after that Col. Williams was made a brigadier-general. In 1862, Col. May
resigned, and the honor of commanding the regiment was conferred upon him who
had done so much for its welfare and its efficiency. Once more it was Col.
Hawkins. His regiment was the Fifth Kentucky infantry, and from the time he
assumed command till the close of hostilities that regiment bore a conspicuous
part in the great struggle. And it was a glorious record that famous regiment
made. At Princeton, Va., Resaca, Chickamauga, at Mission Ridge, Rocky Face Gap,
at Dallas, at Intrenchment Creek-in every battle it was in the thick of the
fight, and its gallant and heroic colonel was at its head. At Intrenchment
Creek, July 22, 1864, Col. Hawkins' clothing was many times torn by bullets; one
ploughed through his sword belt, and finally a ball struck him in the left hip,
producing a dangerous wound. It being a flesh wound he soon recovered, and
resumed command of his regiment, taking an active and conspicuous part in
harassing detachments of Gen. Sherman's army in its march to the sea. Of his
valor in battle his gallantry and noble bearing at all times the record of those
dreadful years of strife tell in the terse but elegant language of the soldier.
His men loved him fondly and trusted him implicitly; and the high regard
entertained for him by his military superiors is best shown by a letter from
Maj. Gen. S. B. Buckner to the secretary of war, recommending Col. Hawkins for
promotion to a brigadier-generalship, and a letter from. Gen. Humphrey Marshall
making the same recommendation. Gen. Buckner 's letter is dated January 20,
1864, and he refers to Col. Hawkins as "an officer of zeal, intelligence,
gallantry and ability." Gen. Marshall wrote under date of January 27, 1864, to
President Jefferson Davis, that Col. Hawkins was "attentive to his duties; of
most excellent character and deportment; of cool courage under fire; of fine
military bearing, and of great skill and caution."

   Col. Hawkins has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Mary Workman,
daughter of James Workman, of Bath, Ky., whom he wedded September 8, 1853. She
died August 1, 1860. His second wife, who still survives, was Mrs. L. A. Boykin,
of Eufaula, Ala., whom he married while on "wounded leave," after the battle of
Intrenchment Creek, September 22, 1864. He is without children. His second
marriage was really the beginning of his career in Alabama. After Johnston's
surrender at Greensboro, N. C., in 1865, Col. Hawkins returned to Eufaula and
engaged in farming, a few miles from that town, in Barbour county, in which
occupation he is still engaged. In his leisure moments he resumed the study of
law, having fitted himself for admission to the bar before the war. He early
took a high place in his adopted county, and soon became its most noted
progressive farmer. To all his neighbors he endeared himself, and his public
spirit, his energy, and his ripe intellect made him a conspicuous figure, not
only in his county, but in the life of the state. In 1870, Col. Hawkins was
chosen president of the Union Female college at Eufaula; his accomplished wife
was made lady principal, and during the three years in which he had control of
that institution, the number of pupils increased 100 per cent; and that this
great increase was due to his personal influence and worth is demonstrated by
the fact that, after he resigned, the attendance fell off one-half. In 1882,
Col. Hawkins was elected a member of the lower house of the Alabama legislature,
as a democrat, and re-elected in 1884 without opposition, thus receiving
practical demonstration of the people's confidence. In the legislature his
record proved him to be an enlightened and broad-minded patriot. He was honored
each term with the chairmanship of the committee on agriculture and was
instrumental in securing much needed legislation in that interest, among which
was the act establishing the department of agriculture, of which he was the
author. He has for many years been a leader in the agricultural organizations of
Alabama and for a term of two years, 1889-91, was the second officer of the
great National grange organization, and for five years has been master of the
Alabama State grange, a position of honor and trust, which he still holds. In
1890 he was elected president of the Alabama State Agricultural society, and has
been chosen his own successor at each meeting since then. He was chosen
president and general manager of the Alabama State fair, with headquarters at
Birmingham, in 1891, and re-elected in 1892. The wisdom of this choice was
demonstrated by the fact that the fair of 1891 was the most successful ever held
in his state. So in all the duties of life he has proved himself to be an able,
honest, fearless man, and he has won a place in the affections of the people
that ought to gratify the ambition of any man. He is strong, self-reliant, and
upright, and the people of Alabama love him as a man, and esteem him as one of
the representative men of the south of to-day. Lucien Julien Walker.



Additional Comments:
from "Memorial Record of Alabama" p. 430-436, 439


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