Beginnings of Conflict

1859 - 1861

The Act of the General Assembly of Alabama of 1859, to organize and arm 8000 volunteer soldiery, was passed in less than 90 days next following, and in response to the abortive attempt of Abolitionists of the East ("the John Brown raid") to incite general rapine and massacre of whites of the South by their Negro slaves.

Under this act a company of cavalry was immediately raised in the County of Talladega, and Andrew W. Bowie, son of Ex-Chancellor Alexander Bowie, a local lawyer of prominence who had seen active service under Col. Jack Hays of Texas, in the Mexican war, was chosen Captain. This company was, in large measure, made up of young men, sons of farmers with a small number of professional and business men from the villages; was elegantly uniformed, armed with regulation cavalry pistols and sabers, with mounts of the best breeds furnished by the stables of Tennessee and Kentucky.

From its organization in 1859 down to Alabama's secession, this company was regularly drilled, and immediately offered its services to the State government of active duty in the field. Until provisional government of the Confederacy was organized, the State declined to call any cavalry organization, and many members of this company, impatient at the delay, joined companies of infantry then organizing for active duty.

We may obtain some historical estimate of the war spirit abroad in the State, at that period, in an extract from a private letter under date, Talladega, June 10, 1861:

"It is impossible to do anything at home, and besides when a Southern home is threatened, and the spirit of resistance is irrepressible, next week our County will have four full companies in the field. We have a Ladies Aid Society, supplying the soldiers with comfortable clothing and the necessaries of the occasion. All men, rich and poor, are coming up generously and paying the amount of their taxes extra for the benefit of the soldiery and their families. This, the paying of a double tax, is done voluntarily, and in all cases with the greatest cheerfulness. Once a week, every place of business in our village is closed for one hour, and all people with one accord repair to one of the churches to offer up prayer to the God of Nations and of battles to preserve our country and shield our armies. A God fearing people will never be delivered over to their enemies."

Captain Bowie was a lawyer, but under the same law the Reverend Jefferson Falkner, a minister of the Baptist church, about sixty years of age, organized a cavalry company in the County of Chambers, like Talladega, itself not a great plantation country but having a considerable slave population.

In July 1861, Bowie's and Falkner's companies were offered and accepted for service in the Confederate army and in August were in rendezvous at Iuka, Mississippi. On the 18th of April preceding, the writer was attending lecture in the Law class at the University of Virginia. On that day Virginia adopted an ordinance of secession, and the excitement preceding that enactment, with trains filled with troops passing by, the formation of two or three companies in the student body, rendered study impossible, and on the 19th he, with quite a number of Alabamians, laid books aside and embarked for home. Reaching Talladega I at once attached myself to Captain Bowie's Calvary Company, was chosen 2nd Corporal and appointed secretary of the company by the Captain: and having given my personal note for a horse, rode away with the company on July 29th for the front. The company had enlisted "for three years or during the war", but when mustered into service on the 13th of August at Decatur, Ala., by Lieut. J.S. Lanier, of General Polk's staff, it was only for one year as "his instructions so directed."

The following letter is used here to indicate, as far as may be, the character of the rank and file of the Confederate armies. They were neighbors and friends at home, whether rich or poor, learned or unlearned. All were in battle array with one common purpose, the defense of altar and fireside:

"Camp Obion, Hickman Co., Ky., Oct 8th 1861 "***** The scene has materially changed from my guard tent at Iuka, from which I last addressed you. I have paid a flying visit to many strange places, seen many, to me, strange sights and have been much more thoroughly introduced to the trials, hardships and excitements of ''glorious war''.

"I believe I stated in my last that we had just received marching orders for Union City, Tenn. We left the morning after I wrote and reached Corinth, Miss., that day, but failing to get transportation to Union City, were compelled to remain one week. On Sept. 2nd we again took up our march (by rail) and reached our destination, 110 miles, the same day safely.

"On arrival we cleared off a camp ground and were preparing for a stay of some weeks at least, but were destined to be somewhat disappointed, for the second night, about 12 O'clock, a messenger from Gen. Polk came, posthaste, asking if we could be ready to march ''in two hours''. Our Captain answered "ready", and in twenty minutes we were in our saddles and formed in line. We were then ordered to sleep the remainder of the night on our arms and to keep our horses saddled. At daylight we were again in the saddle with canteens filled and our blankets strapped behind us. At sunrise we proceeded to headquarters and in a few minutes were on the march as the vanguard of the ''Army of Occupation'' of Kentucky.

"We took up the line of the Mobile and Ohio railroad and marched all that day through suffocation dust and under a burning sun, without a morsel to eat, as time had not been allowed to cook. Detachments were left at all the (railroad) bridges along the way to keep the road open to the transportation of infantry and artillery, to pass up to Columbus.

"After posting a sufficient guard at all the points requiring protection, I was sent on with the remainder of the company to Columbus. We halted on the outside of the town, near a private house, the proprietor of which furnished us a pasture for our horses, killed a fat beef, and his wife, with a nice, pretty, dear young lass, worked till nearly midnight in the kitchen, cooking our bread. We had no shelter for the night, except for six or eight sick men. The rest of us, worn out with the day's march, threw ourselves on the grass and slept as soundly as if on 'downy beds'. I awoke at daylight with a terrible pain in my side, got up and found I had been sleeping on a great big apple!

"We entered the town just in time to see the Yankee gunboats steaming up the river, after letting fly several bombshells at a crowd of unarmed citizens. In 12 hours we had 12,000 troops in the town and batteries arising at every available point. "Two days after was Sunday, I was sitting under a tree reading when I heard firing up the river. In another moment the bombs came whistling over the town. The gunboats had come down and fired a few rounds to wake up our batteries. Failing to bring any response, they left for Cairo, 20 miles away.

"We remained three days in Columbus on short rations and it was more than a week before we had any shelter, as our tents had been left at Union City. I was then sent off on a scout up the river, remained two days and came back just in time to be sent off, 12 miles, to guard a bridge on one of the most important approaches to the town. Here I remained for another week, with nothing for shelter but swamp trees, but fared well in the eating line, as the citizens around were very kind and supplied us with an abundance. During the week, and the week previous, I had never slept more than four hours a night.

"Our 12 men at the bridge were recalled to Columbus and the whole company, with two other cavalry companies and one piece of artillery were sent to Bayou Obion, six miles from Columbus, to act as picket guard in that quarter; and from that point I am now addressing you.

"I went to Columbus the other day in company with the Captain and 1st Lieut. While there, the gunboats came down again, to within three miles and opened fire. We went upon a high bluff, where there was a strong battery, to make observations. We were well repaid the trouble of climbing. For an hour and a half a brisk cannonade was kept up on both sides. We could distinctly see the flash of the Yankee guns and follow with the eye the bombs and round shot in their course. Some shells would fall in the river, far short of the mark, then burst and throw up immense volume of water; others would burst high in the air and send forth spiral clouds of blue smoke. Some passed, hissing over our heads, and one fell within 30 feet of where we were sitting on our horses, burst and threw dust and trash all around us. Fortunately, no body was hurt on our side - although crows exposed themselves, anxious to see the display. We have something of this kind every few days.

"We have at our head Gen. A. S. Johnston, the long looked for military chieftain, who has been the subject of so much remark and anxiety. Generals Polk and Cheatham are also here with their commands. General Hardee arrived here day before yesterday from Missouri and left, with his entire force, for the interior of Kentucky, today. We are expecting every day to make an advance on Paducah, 60 miles above us, where there is a strong Federal force, and when we do, you may expect a big fight.

"Camp life agrees with me finely. I never enjoyed better health or endured so many hardships. I mess with Captain Bowie and two of the lieutenants. We have a negro servant to cook but attend to our horses ourselves. At present and for the last two weeks, our cook has been sick, and I was installed chief of the culinary department. I had never cooked before except occasionally on a camp hunt. All hands predicted evil of my present assignment but I took the place. You ought to see what nice biscuit I make, how finely I smother a steak or cook an egg! And when it comes to batter cakes, I find my forte. We have abundance from the surrounding country; milk, eggs, butter, poultry, etc., and draw plenty of coffee, flour, rice, beef. Unfortunately about half our men are sick with chills, fever, etc. My horse "Don Pedro", is fat and too full of mischief. It is curious, what strong attachments are formed between us and our brute servants. Our horses are the nearest objects of our care and soon begin to occupy a part of the room in our affections, usually given to a more tender devotion."

General Albert Sidney Johnston commanded the Department of the West, both sides of the Mississippi. His headquarters were at Bowling Green, Ky. General Leonidas Polk commanded at Columbus, General Hardee to the East of that point. General Beauregard was second in command under Johnston, with headquarters at Jackson, West Tennessee. Lieutenant Richard H. Brewer, a native of Maryland, graduated from West Point, resigned from the Cavalry of the United States Army, was made Major, and put in command of a battalion consisting at first of Bowie's, Falkner's and a company from East Feliciana, Louisiana, commanded by Captain Cole. Brewer was a stern, taciturn, strict disciplinarian, remarkably cool and self possessed in battle and a typical Kellerman.  Under him the battalion was perhaps as thoroughly drilled and disciplined as any Confederate cavalry organization, the drill being in the double rank formation and according to Hardee's Tactics, prepared for the U. S. Dragoons. Later, the tactics prepared by Gen. Cooke for the Federal cavalry, were adopted and served a better purpose, owing to the nature of the country and the largely changed uses to which the socalled cavalry branch of the service was put.

Under Brewer the battalion, known officially as Brewer's Mounted Rangers, discharged outpost duty in Western Kentucky until the fall of Fort Donelson, in Johnston's rear, forced him to evacuate Kentucky speedily.