A GLIMPSE OF CONFEDERATE HISTORY IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

Calhoun County was organized by an act of the Alabama legislature that was passed on December 18th, 1832. The act created the county from the Cherokee and Creek Indian Cessions and was part of the territory known as "New Alabama". Originally named Benton County in honor of the Missouri statesman and U.S. Senator Col. Thomas H. Benton, the county was bordered on the east by the State of Georgia, and on the west by the Coosa River.

A NAME CHANGE FOR THE COUNTY On January 29th, 1858, the county's name was changed to Calhoun County to honor the great John C, Calhoun, the former Vice President of the U.S. and a highly respected U.S. Senator and statesman from South Carolina.The reason that the name was changed is because the residents of the area agreed more with the philosophy of Calhoun then they did with the ideas of Benton. The county's original dimensions included parts of what is now Etowah County, most of Cleburne County, small parts of Cherokee and Talladega Counties and all of present Calhoun County.

CALHOUN COUNTY AND THE WAR FOR SOUTHERN INDEPENDENCE When the call for a Constitutional Convention went out in late 1860 to determine Alabama's fate, Calhoun County sent a full slate of Secessionalist delegates to Montgomery. They were the only County in north Alabama to do so, with most sending full or partial delegations of Cooperationalist delegates. Secession was approved, and with it, the volunteer company called the "Calhoun Guards', which was led by Captain Daniel P. Forney, immediately offered their services to the Republic of Alabama. Sent to garrison Fort Morgan on Mobile Bay, this unit would later become Company A of the 2nd Alabama Infantry Regiment. This was the first of the nearly 30 full companies and parts of many others that Calhoun County sent to the Confederate States of America for service in her armies. A number of men from Calhoun County also served in units from the States of Georgia and Mississippi. At least ten county residents served in the Confederate States Marine Corps and perhaps a dozen or so in the Confederate Navy. Altogether, nearly 4000 men served in the Confederate armed forces from Calhoun County. Additionally, 800-1000 African-Americans, a few free, but mostly slaves, served the Confederacy in a variety of duties. In fact, Calhoun County had a 200 member Colored Confederate Veteran's Association in 1889. While the county suffered little physical damage, (it remained under Confederate control until after Appomattox), the death toll (nearly 50%) and the economic ruin occasioned by the War impacted on all classes and virtually everyone in the county was significantly affected.

SOME CONFEDERATE NOTABLES FROM CALHOUN COUNTY Lieutenant Colonel John Pelham (The Gallant Pelham) is undoubtedly the best known Confederate soldier from Calhoun County. However, the list does not end there. Major General John H. Forney and his brother, Brigadier General William H. Forney, were both Calhoun Countians. Generals John T. Morgan and Thomas Hindman had earlier resided in the County and General George "Tige" Anderson made Anniston his home after the War. Several Confederate legislative members and representatives also called the County their home. Numerous Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels, Majors and Captains from the area also served in the Confederate Army. There were officers and men from Calhoun County that served in every Army Department in the Confederacy, from the Army of Northern Virginia in the east, to the Army of Trans-Mississippi in the west, and everywhere in between.

THE WAR IN CALHOUN COUNTY Calhoun County served as a major supply base for the Confederacy during the entire War. The Confederate Army maintained a large supply depot at Blue Mountain, which was the terminus of the Alabama and Tennessee River Railroad. The Blue Mountain Depot was used to train and re-equip troops, and played a major role in the Atlanta Campaign of 1864, furnishing and replenishing much needed supplies to the Confederacy's Army of Tennessee. The ladies of the area supplied clothing, shoes and homemade goods to Confederate units throughout the entire conflict. A number of training camps and stations as well as recruiting posts were located in the County, but they tended to be short lived and were generally used as collection points for much needed recruits. Confederate hospitals were located in Jacksonville and convalescent camps were located in the area to care for wounded soldiers. Iron was smelted in Oxford and Ohatchee and shipped to Selma for use in manufacturing plates for the Confederacy's ironclads and for use at the Confederate Military Arsenal that was located there. Coke production to fuel these furnaces was provided by the Confederate Nitre and Mining office, which produced the coke in the hills around what is now Anniston. The agricultural output of the area, including crops (generally wheat, corn, sorghum and oats) and livestock, was entirely in Confederate hands during the War. These resources were used extensively by Confederate military and government entities during the period. Various skirmishes occured in the County during the War, generally involving calvary troops attempting to repel Yankee raiders. The largest battle took place on the banks of the Coosa River in the battle of Ten Islands, near Ohatchee. Other engagements occurred at Ladiga, near Piedmont, and in and around Oxford. General John Bell Hood sent his supply wagons and wounded to Jacksonville in 1864 after he evacuated Atlanta and was heading for his ill-fated Tennessee Campaign.

THE AFTERMATH OF THE WAR When the War was over, the county was subjected to military rule by the Yankee forces for an extended period of time, having garrisons in various sites throughout the county, but mostly in Jacksonville, which was the county seat. The "Reconstruction" period was hard on most Calhoun Countians, as it was on most of the people throughout the South. Some area residents were so harshly treated that they immigrated elsewhere, mainly to States such as Texas and Arkansas, some even going to Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma. Calhoun County was carved up into other counties, partly because of it's strong support of the Confederacy during the War. We dealt with both carpetbaggers and scalawags during this period with a great many leaving our area for good. Some did not leave alive. There were problems up until the era ended, with the problems leaving with the occupying forces and members of the Freedmen's Bureau. Truly, the Confederate period of history validates the notion of Calhoun County being "the Heart of the Heart of Dixie"!!! Deo Vindice Written by William K. Snowden and William C. Daniel, Jr. Copyright © , June 28, 2000, all rights reserved, Permission to copy by written request only. Contact pelhamscv@webtv.net for information.