"Union Soldiers of St. Clair County - 24th August, 2024," a trip to the Ashville Museum and Archives in Ashville, Alabama
I was very delighted to have an opportunity to attend a program at the Ashville Museum and Archives for the “Union Soldiers of St. Clair County” program presented by Mrs. Sharon Ingle of the St. Clair County Historical Society and North East Alabama Genealogical Society. Her presentation was inclusive of information about local families within the county who served in the United States Army during the American Civil War. Her research was inclusive of a depiction of the various aspects of their service, and their undertakings following the war. Most interesting was her mention of the incident which gave cause for these men to side with the Union, as such is believed to be concerned with these men moving their cattle to Horse Pens Forty, in order to hide their livestock from the Confederate Army which had been gathering livestock for the cause. This resulted in the loss of a young man’s life as he was caught in a skirmish with Confederate Soldiers who had discovered the cattle and were seizing them.
She explained that a few families from the area were so upset over the incident that it drove some of them along with others, to travel north under the cover of night to enlist in the Union Army. They did so in Tennessee, and if I can recall correctly, these men would form Company K of the 1st Tennessee (Union). They would then be sent back to Alabama to picket a railroad connection and supply line for union forces operating in the north of the state. From here, they would have an unfortunate encounter with General Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry, which would capture many of them after overwhelming their position. These poor men would then find themselves imprisoned near Selma at Cahaba. For many of them, they would spend the rest of the war here. Afterwards, they would be moved to a parole camp outside of Vicksburg, Mississippi, where they would wait to be taken north for release and discharge.
An arrangement would be made on their behalf to secure passage on the SS. Sultana, which would carry them north on a very swollen and flooded Mississippi River. The steamer was very much over capacity while serving as host to its civilian passengers, crew, and roughly 1,400 Union soldiers. On the morning of April 27th, 1865, the vessel would meet its end some seven or so miles north of Memphis, Tennessee when its boilers exploded, instantly killing many aboard and breaking the structural integrity of the vessel.
Those not killed instantly in the explosion would be left with no choice but to seek the safety of the frigid spring waters of the Mississippi River as the ship was quickly engulfed in flames. Many of the soldiers on board were in a weakened state given the months of imprisonment and conditions of such and this would lead many of them to drown in the cold waters of the Mississippi. In addition to the enlarged river from spring flooding, the current, and water temperature would contribute to the death of many who had survived the explosions. It is estimated that as many as 1,259 perished in the disaster, inclusive of some of these men from St. Clair County, Alabama.
Mrs. Ingle closed her portion of the program with a recap of these men following their return home after the war, inclusive of who they were married to and providing information about their descendants. Overall, it was a wonderful presentation and the information that she presented was very fascinating, especially considering the relationships that existed between these families and others in the area who had been tied to Confederate service in the war. It seems that these men shared a very close bond with each other after the war, regardless of loyalties.
Following her presentation, I was honored to present on the company and on what we do as living historians in the field. My presentation included many visual aides and the use of Private Taylor Browning as a model of what an enlisted man wore and carried. I enjoyed sharing information about the uniforms, conditions in the field, weapons used, and how they were loaded and fired, as well as the living situations these men endured whilst on campaign. I also spoke on our purpose and mission as living historians and how we inform our own research and gave examples of popular primary source documentation that we utilize when developing our impressions of the period.
I am very appreciative to Mr. Robert Debter, the Archivist at Ashville Museum and Archives for allowing us to join the program and take part. It was another wonderful opportunity to share great information about our past and connect with those interested in learning about our past.
I also greatly appreciate both Taylor and his father, Matt (our company Chaplin), for joining me for the program. I count myself quite fortunate to have wonderful members within our organization who are always willing to help with these programs which further advance our educational programming goals as an organization.
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