Battle of Newton ( Alabama ) The Battle of Newton was a minor skirmish that took place in the small town of Newton , Alabama , on 14 March 1865 , during the final days of the U . S . Civil War . It was fought between local Home Guard troops and elements of the 1st Florida Cavalry ( US ) , who had invaded the Wiregrass region of Alabama in violation of a directive given by Brigadier General Alexander Asboth , commanding Union forces in Pensacola , Florida . Led by Second Lieutenant Joseph Sanders , a former captain in the Confederate Army who had switched sides and joined with the Federals , the Floridians intended to burn the courthouse of Dale County — which was then located in Newton — as had been done in other nearby counties during this same period of time . However , their movement toward the town was detected by local citizens , and they were ambushed and routed on the town square by Newton ' s home guard before they could do any damage . Sanders reported three dead and five wounded , while no casualties were reported among the home guard troops . Background . An area of relatively low population and economic importance in Antebellum Alabama , Dale County had been relegated to the status of a backwater during the Civil War era , largely neglected by the state government in Montgomery . Mostly covered by and with few big farms or plantations , the area proved an attractive gathering location for deserters from the Confederate Army , as well as Southern Unionist s who had been harassed or worse by their " Secessh " neighbors . These " bushwackers " , as they were called , hid out in the forests of Dale and adjacent counties , seeking aid and supplies from Federal forces in Pensacola — or , more often than not , simply seizing them from the largely - defenseless locals . One " bushwacker " leader was Joseph G . Sanders , a millwright and resident of Dale County who had first served as a private in the 31st Georgia Infantry before being elected captain of Company C in that regiment . In 1864 Sanders had resigned his commission ; facing the possibility of being drafted to fight for the South as a private , he chose to go over to the Union side , where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and assigned to Company F , 1st Regiment of Florida Cavalry ( US ) . Sanders ' unit attracted not just Confederate deserters and local Unionists , but also outright criminals and other less - than - desirable elements , as well . In the late winter of 1865 , Brigadier General Alexander Asboth , commanding Federal forces in the Florida Panhandle , ordered Sanders to make a raid into Washington County , Florida , to raise recruits and also to " confiscate " horses and cattle . However , instead of carrying out these orders , Sanders and his men made their way into the Forks of the Creek swamp near Campbellton , where they waited for a chance to attack Newton and burn the courthouse there , which contained records of Sanders ' previous service with the Confederate Army . The courthouse at Elba in adjacent Coffee County had been torched by a " bushwacker " unit under the leadership of John Ward , and Sanders hoped to repeat their escapade in Newton . Accordingly , he set out for there on the night of 14 March 1865 . Newton was also the location of the local Confederate conscription office , staffed at the time by Captain Joseph Breare , a former officer with the 15th Alabama Infantry who had been wounded at Gettysburg and returned home to lead efforts against local draft - dodger s and deserters . This made it an even more tempting target for Sanders , who was seen as a traitor by the citizens of Dale County . Battle . Unbeknownst to Sanders , he and his men had been spotted on the roads leading toward Newton , and their probable destination had been guessed . Jesse Carmichael , a veteran of the 15th Alabama who had served as a corporal and lost a hand at Antietam in 1862 , was notified by his father of Sanders ' impending arrival in Newton that night , and he hastened to warn the town . As the citizens formed up to defend their village , Carmichael and another wounded veteran of the 15th , John McEntyre , rode some distance outside of town , to provide an early warning of Sanders ' arrival . Spotting Sanders at the head of a mounted company of 44 men , Carmichael quickly rode back to Newton , where he led his neighbors to an ambush site he had chosen near a spring a mile east of town . However , once he had headed out on another reconnaissance mission these men abandoned this position and returned to town , fearful for the safety of their families . Meanwhile Breare and his home guard unit had arrived in Newton , and upon hearing what was happening , Breare immediately took charge of the town ' s defense . Breare wanted to keep the defenders close to the square , so that they might surprise Sanders and catch him amidst Newton ' s buildings and streets , leaving him less room to maneuver . Accordingly , he formed his men on the west side of the square , opposite of the direction that Carmichael believed that Sanders would be coming . Disagreeing with Breare ' s approach , and unable to dissuade him from this course of action , Carmichael took nine of his friends and arranged them to the east of the square : Carmichael and three of the men took up positions near a hotel , while the other six formed up further down in a side street between the hotel and the square . Sanders and his company rode into Newton from the southeast at full gallop , yelling " huzzah , huzzah ; here we are ! " and heading for the courthouse . Carmichael and his outfit let them pass , then opened up on them from behind with double - barrelled shotgun s and rifle s while their friends up ahead simultaneously fired into the front of the attacking column . Thoroughly alarmed by this unexpected development , the attackers bolted for the edge of town and rode off into the night , reportedly hampered by malfunctioning pistols and rifles as they tried to return fire . A one - handed ex - corporal and his nine friends had routed a Union cavalry force four times their size — on foot and in the dark , without one of them being hurt or killed , and with Breare ' s men on the other side of the square never getting off a shot in the process . Sanders , for his part , reported three dead and five wounded among his troops . Aftermath . Sanders ' actions in Alabama became the subject of an investigation in June 1865 when he returned to Pensacola after an unauthorized four - month absence . He had been given fourteen days for his mission , and when he returned after four months with only eight men out of the twenty he started with , the Army demanded to know why . Sanders ' proffered explanation seems to have satisfied his superiors , for no court - martial ensued , and he was permitted to resign at his own request and " for the good of the service " on 13 September 1865 , after saying that he feared for the safety and welfare of his family ( who were living in Dale County at the time ) . Sanders returned to Alabama after leaving the army , where several citizens of Newton attempted to arrest him at his home but were repulsed with one of them being killed in the process . He fled to Decatur County , Georgia , where his victim ' s father tracked him down and killed him . Though completely unimportant in terms of the war as a whole , Carmicheal reported that the successful outcome of the home guard ' s minuscule engagement at Newton gave hope to local citizens , who had suffered much at the hands of raiders like Sanders and Ward . The town later constructed a monument to those of its citizens who defended it that evening , which can be seen adjacent to the square ( now minus the courthouse ; the county seat was moved to nearby Ozark in 1870 ) . In recent years , the battle has become an item of immense local interest , with an annual festival and reenactment on the third weekend of October .