Conecuh County AlArchives History .....History of Conecuh County, AL 1881
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 25, 2004, 3:18 am

CHAPTER XXI.
The War Record of Conecuh-Intense Excitement-Conecuh Patriotism-Conecuh 
Guards, &c.

   The election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency of the United States in 
1860, was the signal for the clash of conflict. For successive decades the 
storm had been gathering, and the delay only rendered more terrific its fury 
when at length .it did burst upon the country. Petty sectional issues had 
grown into giant proportions, and by their strength had drawn the North and 
South face to face, with demonstrations the most hostile. A review of these 
issues need not here be attempted, as they are familiar to all. .We have only 
to do with the part borne in that period of carnage by the brave sons of 
Conecuh. Her people felt as deeply as did any, the force of the great 
questions which were moving the masses throughout the broad land of States. 
The withdrawal of Alabama from the Union, sent a tremor of patriotic thrill 
throughout the hosts of her brave men, and under the impulse of this power, 
they formed themselves into military organizations, and repaired at once to 
the scene of conflict.

   Among the companies earliest enlisted for this approaching struggle, was 
that of the Conecuh. Guards. They were organized at Sparta, April 1st, 1861, 
and on the 24th of the same month they left their homes for the seat of war in 
Virginia. Through the zealous efforts of some noble women, among whom were the 
Misses Stearns and Mathews, Mrs. Jay and Mrs. Dubose, a magnificent banner had 
been ordered for the gallant company, and reached Sparta just the day before 
their departure for Virginia. A large concourse had gathered at the Sparta 
depot to witness the formal presentation of the flag and to take affectionate 
leave of friends and loved ones. Master Henry Stearns held the banner during 
its presentation, and on either side of him stood three young ladies, dressed 
so as to represent the States that had withdrawn from the Union. Miss Irene 
Stearns represented South Carolina; Miss Kate Autrey, Georgia; Miss L. 
Henderson, Florida; Miss Mathews, Alabama; Miss C. Cary, Mississippi; Miss S. 
Crosby, Louisiana. This group, having been confronted by the company, drawn up 
in order, Miss Mathews proceeded to deliver the following

ADDRESS.

   Gentlemen of the Guards:-The clouds which have so long impended over us, 
have burst at last in the fury of war, the tocsin has sounded, your country 
has summoned you to arms, and nobly answering to her call, you have assembled 
here to bid adieu to old familiar scenes and faces, and to receive in return 
our parting words of encouragement and cheer. We admire your valor, we love 
your patriotism, we par-take of your enthusiasm, and as a token of these 
feelings we have assembled to-day, to present to you this banner, consecrated 
by a thousand loving wishes-a thousand earnest prayers. The light of spring is 
on the Southern hills, a thousand flowers lend fragrance to the breeze, a 
thousand birds are warbling songs of love-the friends of your youth, the 
companions of your boyhood, are around you-all is peace, and beauty, and 
tranquility. But the gleam of sunlight upon gay uniforms and flashing steel, 
reminds me (of what I would fain forget) that from all these you must turn 
away-that you must exchange the quiet of these green old woods, in all their 
spring-tide beauty, for the turmoil of the camp; sweet bird songs and loving 
tones, for the musket's rattle and the cannon's roar; kindly smiles and 
familiar faces, for the whizzing ball and deadly bayonet. In these perils we 
may not participate-we may not share with you the battle's rage, nor partake 
of the hardships and privations of a military career-but we, too, have our 
mission. It is ours to give you words of sympathy and cheer, to animate you by 
our enthusiasm, to encourage you to deeds of noble daring. Our prayers shall 
attend you our smiles shall welcome your return, and should it be the fate of 
any here to fill a warrior's grave, his name shall be embalmed with our 
heartfelt tears and cherished forever in our inmost memories. As the Spartan 
women in the olden times sent forth their loved ones to the battle, bidding 
them never to return unless graced with the laurel wreaths of victory, so do 
we now bid you go forth, to return to us only when our native land is free. I 
profess to be endowed with no gift of prophecy, but I feel, I KNOW, that the 
South will be victorious in the approaching conflict. Already has the 
telegraph brought to us "great news from the Carolinas," and our ears welcomed 
the salutes which ushered in the victory. Already has one important stronghold 
yielded to our arms, and the Black Republican flag gone down dishonored, 
before the proud banner of the Confederate States. Naturally gallant and 
chivalrous, the sons of the South have plucked Fame's proudest laurels

      " On many a field of strife made red 
                    By bloody victory."

In the thickest of the fight has ever rang the Southern war-cry; going as 
gayly to the battle as to a fete champetre. No foe has ever yet withstood the 
rush of Southern steel, and in such a cause as we are now engaged, our armies 
MUST prove invincible. Battling on their own soil, in the holy cause of 
Freedom, in defence of their homes and loved ones, and in short, of all that 
is nearest and dearest to the hearts of men, they will know no such word 
as "fail," and Victory must be their handmaid. The war may be long, it may be 
bloody, but there can be but one result-the eagle of victory will finally 
perch upon the banner of our young Republic. Go, then, "where glory awaits 
you," and may this flag, which, in the name of the ladies of Conecuh county, I 
present to you to-day, float ever like the white plume of King Henry of 
Navarre, in the very front of battle. Then

"Take thy banner, .may it wave
Ever o'er the free and brave;
Guard it 'till our homes are free,
Guard it--God will prosper thee."

   At the conclusion it was presented to Captain Bowles, and, in behalf of his 
company, he expressed his thanks for this expression of encouragement.

   The company embarked on the following morning For Montgomery, receiving a. 
number of accessions to its ranks at Evergreen. (A complete list, together 
with a succinct history of the company, will be found in the Appendix.) The 
organization and departure of the Conecuh Guards, were speedily followed by 
the organization of other companies in the county, while others joined 
companies from the surrounding counties. Quite a number of the gallant boys of 
Conecuh entered the ranks of the Monroe Guards. The patriotism of no county 
was more profoundly stirred than was that of Conecuh. Not only did brave young 
men leave the comforts and clustering associations of palatial homes, and set 
their faces toward the uninviting camp and the perilous field; but brave 
mothers, wives and sisters, sought to inspire them with timely words and deeds 
of sacrifice. And great was the patriotic generosity manifested by very many 
of the oldest citizens, in supplying the families of absent soldiers with 
food. Draught after draught, was made upon the barns and smokehouses of men 
too old for service, by the families of those upon whose labors they had been 
dependent for the necessities of life. And after the first year of the war, 
vast quantities of clothing were manufactured by hands unused to work, and 
sent to distant camps. Every spinning wheel and machine, every card and 
needle, was drawn from its hiding place, and made to render service to a 
struggling people. With the closing of our ports, came the effectual check 
upon the importation of foreign luxuries, conspicuous among which were tea and 
coffee. But nothing daunted, divers substitutes were laid under contribution, 
and vast were the quantities of parched bran, peanuts and potatoes, that were 
served up to take the place of departed teas and coffees. And it may not be 
amiss, in this connection, to refer to the extraordinary conduct of the slave 
population of Conecuh, during the stormy days of the war. Never were a people 
truer to a trust, than were they. Instances were by no means rare, where the 
father and husband of the white family, had left wife and children in the 
midst of a vast throng of slaves, upon whom they had to rely for protection. 
And they were a cardinal factor in the prosecution of the war, not only as 
producers of the necessary supplies for the army, but as bulwarks of 
protection around Southern homes. In their artlessness they shared largely in 
the patriotic sentiment that swayed the families of their masters, and 
ofttimes from their demonstrative worship, could be heard the prayer on behalf 
of absent masters.

INVASION OF CONECUH.

   After the surrender of the Florida coast to the enemy, Conecuh was 
repeatedly threatened with an invasion from the south. Remnants of commands 
were stationed at Pollard, and at points below, which, no doubt, served 
largely to check the advance of the enemy from that quarter. Not until early 
in 1865 was an invasion experienced by the people of Conecuh. Colonel Spurlin, 
at the head of a regiment of cavalry, advanced from the direction of Milton, 
Florida, via Andalusia, and struck the railroad at Gravella. Here they 
proceeded to displace the rails in such way as to bring the next south-bound 
train into direct conflict with the high embankments, which here line the 
railroad on either side. Upon the arrival of the train it was easily captured, 
with all its passengers. Proceeding southward, toward Evergreen, along the 
line of road, these undisputed masters of the situation found much pleasure in 
firing upon defenceless citizens. They entered Evergreen without encountering 
the slightest resistance, and proceeded to despoil families of silver plate 
and jewelry, and to rob the surrounding plantations of mules and horses. 
Proceeding still southward, they burnt the depot building at Sparta depot, and 
the jail at Sparta. The lurid glare of these burning buildings, at night, 
struck terror into the hearts of defenceless men and women.

   The people of Bellville, having learned of the capture of their sister 
village, Evergreen, a body of mounted citizens proceeded in that direction, 
for the purpose of reconnoitering. When they had come within three or four 
miles of Evergreen, they suddenly encountered a small squad of Spurlin's 
command, that had been sent forward upon the Bellville road to guard against 
any sudden demonstration on the part of the citizens, while the chief command 
was moving along the dirt road toward Sparta. This squad had dismounted near 
the Bradley Plantation, in a sudden curve of the road, to burn a wagon, which 
had just been captured, when the Bellville deputation rode suddenly upon them. 
The surprise was equally shared in by both parties, but evidences of 
precipitate flight having been first given by the reconnoitering Bellvillians, 
nothing was left the invaders but a hot pursuit. With a clattering pell-mell, 
the citizen soldiery, still clinging to their shot-guns, fled back toward 
home. All would have reached their homes in safety, but for a diseased horse, 
which was ridden by Willie McCreary. Unable to keep abreast of the others in 
the stampede, his animal continued to slacken in speed until he was finally 
overtaken at Hunter's creek. Here, Willie, then a lad of sixteen, fell into 
the hands of the enemy, and was sent at once to Ship Island, as a prisoner of 
war. The extreme northern portion of Conecuh suffered somewhat from the 
depredations of Wilson's raid during the following month.

   The events just recorded, were but the prelude of a scene of chaotic 
confusion throughout the county. Unfortunately for its inhabitants, this 
disaster was introduced just at a season when every thing turned upon activity 
on the farm, and when entire cessation of labor would have been well nigh 
calamitous. Following in the wake of these local troubles, was the surrender 
of the armies of the Confederacy, and the sudden close of the war. With the 
crops just springing into luxuriant promise, the slaves were liberated, and in 
their exhilaration, they left their old homes in vast crowds, and thronged the 
Federal camps. Utter lawlessness everywhere prevailed. Demoralization was wide-
spread and rampant. Gloom was depicted in every countenance as men gazed upon 
a scene of universal disaster. The Southern soldier, returning to his home, 
after years of privation, either maimed or poverty-stricken, if not both, was 
confronted by the wreck and ruin of war. But with a heroism, just as marked as 
that which they had evinced on the weary march, or upon the field of carnage, 
they addressed themselves to the work of repairing their shattered fortunes, 
and of providing for loved ones. Their heroism was not more conspicuous under 
the leadership of Lee, Jackson and Johnston, than it was in peacefully 
following their vocations after the tattered banner had been folded, and the 
cannon hushed in silence.

   The following is a list of the county officers who served during this 
period:

JUDGES OF PROBATE.
1862-A. D. Cary. Disqualified by age in 1863.
1864-John M. Henderson. Appointed by Governor Watts to fill the unexpired term.

SHERIFFS.
1863William M. Strange.

CIRCUIT CLERKS.
1864William A. Duke.

SENATORS.
1861--D. C. Davis: 
1865-William A. Ashley.

REPRESENTATIVES.
1861-William A. Ashley. 
1863-William Greene. 
1865-F. M. Walker.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

History of Conecuh County, Alabama
By
Rev. B. F. Riley
Pastor of the Opelika Baptist Church
Columbus, Ga.;
Thos. Gilbert, Steam Printer and Book-Binder
1881

Chapter XXI

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