The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-12-19

1881. for the Army OF the Potmac.
Its Captain was y. Woodruff. co. p.
13th Ala. Reg. was mustered into
service Feb 1852 ana went into camp
of instruction at Talladega March Al
1862, with II. H. McBee Capt. who re-
signed In about four months. when
samuel c. Kelley Of Oxford was
made Capt Another company wac or
ganized at White Plains with Capt.
Wood Hanna ct its head.
About this time 9 company was
organized 10 oxferd with w, +. Hanna
Capt. and DIR. q. H. Allen LIST Lieuten-
ant.
Not satisfied with the companies she
sent from her own county, Calhoun
contributed q great many of her men
and boys to other counties About
young boys left Oxford In July 1851
to Join caiyalry Co. in Taliadega
called the Mountain Rangers In the
company Of one hundred there was
not boy over twenty-one years Of
lage. A. W. Bowie OF Taladega, father
OF our congressman Sid Bowie was
made Capt. Afterwards G. X. Miller,
now Judge OF the city court OF Tall
adega Co. was made Capt. OF the COM
pany.
1t IL said that the only presentation
of black flag during the war took
place at Oxford. This occurred about
July lst 1864 when the 51st Ala. John
r. Morgans Cavalry regiment wai
bivouaeked Miss Todd sister Of Pres.
Lincoin's wife, came up from Selma
with party for the purpose and pre-
scented the nag which was a beauti-
full piece of work. Across the bottom
was black stripe bearing the words,
I'VE will neither give nor receive
pardon" A young Lieutenant In an
elegant speech declared that he would
accept the nag In behalf of his COM
pany, and would give assurance that
| 1t would never be trailed In the dust.
but that under the terms Of war the
black appendage would have to be
removed and this was done.
One Of the last battles Of the war
took place In Oxford two weeks after
few hundred Confederate soldiers near
Mumford eleven miles south Of Oxford
He then moved up the Tenn. River. r..
R. to Blue Mountain fnow Anniston)
destroyed the Oxford Iron Works,
before mentioned} and all the depots
from Mumford up to the end Of the
r. RI at Blue Mountain including
old choccolocco furnace. which was
built just after the war commenced,
ny SdIDduku anu SItcH. IL was ORttat-
ed for time for the Confederacy, the
produce was shipped to Selma and was
consumed by the Confederate arsenal
(This furnace afterwards passed into
the hands OF Mr.. Horace Ware of Col
umbiana) On April 20, 1855 Croxton
arrived In Oxford. The Federals had
a battle in the streets, ono union
soldier and his horse were killed and
two confederates captured. The pri-
soners were Capt. Clark In charge of
the Confederate commissary post here
and his secretary. Private Lloyd. Clark
had shot the dead Yankee. but Lloyd
although offered his liberty for the
information refused to tell who had
fired the fatal shot. He was finally
given an opportunity to run for his
life, and almst escaped but was shot
and killed, about where the OXFORD
Bank now stands. He was buried in
the Oxford cemetery where now rests
the bodies of fifty-seven Confederate
soldiers. There are also eight or ten
others buried in the old Snow ceme-
terry a half mile east of town.
Capt. Clark was later paroled, and
on his return to oxford brought the
first information that the war was
over. After the Oxford engagement.
Croxton raided through Jacksonville,
White Plains. back through oxford.
then to Checcolocco where he destroy
ed Mallory's thread mill. and Wilson's
factory on the Tallapoosa.4 On his
way to Georgia Croxton succeeded IN
destroying all the factories that had
been missed by the main column UNI
der Wilson. Gen. Wilson under whom
Croxton served, was q pail bearer for
Gen. Joseph Wheeler, they were cadets
together at West Point. Gen. Wilson
served in the Spanish American war,
and was made Governor of Cuba. Did
Calhoun only send her sons. and give
the product OF her soil, no indeed, for
we must remember her women were
not eating bread of idleness at this
time but were doing their part nobIy
at home. and let us give them their
just honor and glory. Another bit of
interesting war history too we'll
known be to dwelt on at any length
is the fact that THE Gallant Pelham"
was a son of old Calhoun. His birth
place near Cane Creek is still preserv-
ed and Dame Rumor has it that the
beautiful girl whose image he carried
in his heart Is still a resident of OK
ford, a girl no longer, but a woman
loved and honored by all who knew
her.
1 would like to say in closing THAT
1t is an Ill wind that blows nobody
good and If Croxton had not burned
Choccolocco furnace. don't suppose
should have the pleasure of being
with you ladies. this afternoon, as my
father Stephen STICKY came to Alabama
with Col. s. s. Gildden to rebuild this
furnace which he commenced In the
spring of 1873. The first fire was
kindled by Harry. little son Of Mr..
Sticky. The furnace was put In blast
Sept. 80, 1878 Harry also blew the
first whistle of this furnace. The
name was changed from Choccolocco
Furnace to Alabama Furnace, and is
now called Jenifer. In excavating to
lay the foundation many bars of big
iron were found. all marked "Chocco-
Iocco,".
This was the first iron furnace re-
built after the war, and really 1t may
be said that the rebuilding of this
furnace was the beginning of the iron
era which has spread all over this fair
| land of ours.
Mrs. ]. w. Cunningham
Historian Gen w. H Forney Chap
ter, Admission. Ala