A Lion-Hearted Officer

By Carl D. Williams Jr.

A Lion-Hearted Officer from Albany, Georgia.

On 28 April 1861 a fortnight after the Federal surrender at Fort Sumter, Private Thomas M. Nelson was among eighty-three volunteers assembled at the Albany, Georgia railroad depot ready to defend the Confederate cause. The twenty-eight year old doctor had been assigned to Company E of the 4th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was enroute to Richmond, Virginia.

Upon arriving in Virginia, Dr. Thomas M. Nelson was named surgeon of the 4th Georgia, though he would never fight with the unit. For unknown reasons, Nelson resigned his position in November and returned to Albany.

In April 1862, an independent cavalry company was formed called Nelsons Rangers, with the former surgeon as its Captain. Eventually there were more than 130 men in the company, including many friends and four of Nelsons nephews.

In mid-August, Nelsons Rangers escorted Major General E. Kirby Smiths 19,000 Army of Kentucky as they marched from Knoxville, Tennessee to drive the Federal Army of the Ohio out of Kentucky.

1863 through 1864 Captain Thomas M. Nelson And his Rangers served as personal cavalry escort for Commander Lieutenant General Stephen D. Lee. They fought against Grants and Shermans Armies throughout Central Mississippi and Northern Alabama. Due to his successful leadership, Captain Nelson was promoted to a Lieutenant Colonel. Later Nathan B. Forrest reported that Thomas M. Nelson was a Lion-Hearted Officer.

His story takes place during only three years of his life. He was a brother, uncle, family man, friend, doctor, Cavalry Captain, and father. A man who started the War as a private and ended it as a Lieutenant Colonel and who became a leader of men!

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491772706

Carl D. Williams Jr.

Carl D. Williams, Jr., a retired social studies high school teacher of thirty-one years. The subjects he taught were American History and psychology. His love for the War Between the States, psychology, and items in a shoe box inspired him to write, A LION-HEARTED OFFICER. Carl and his wife, Gail, live in Albany, Georgia and have two children and three grandsons.

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Copyright © 2015 Carl D. Williams, Jr.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-7269-0 (sc)

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iUniverse rev. date: 07/20/2015

CONTENTS

1938 5 O’clock p.m., Albany, Georgia

1861 The Girl I Left Behind

1938 7 O’clock p.m., Albany, Georgia

1862 Corn, Salt, & Apples

1938 9 O’clock p. m., Albany, Georgia

1863 Every Man Is Needed Here

1938 10 O’clock p.m., Albany, Georgia

1864 And For Dixie, Dear Old Dixie

1938 Bedtime, Albany, Georgia

Postscript: The Battle Of Harrisburg

July 23, 1863,

Morton Depot, Mississippi.

I could relish the sight of home folks, one hour with you would make me surprisingly happy. I never have longed for home so much as now. Yet, I would not go if I could, every man is needed here.

Captain Thomas M. Nelson.

Dedicated to:

Nancy Gail, Jennifer,

Mark, Jacob, Candice,

Tyler, Ryan, & Cash.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In 1938, the Crosby children were rummaging through a pile of trash behind a house on Society Avenue that was FOR SALE. The youthful children, David, Alyce, and Vera discovered letters, pictures, and a medal dated 1863. They referred to their discoveries as their treasures. Their treasures laid the foundation for my journey that led to this story.

Forty-five years later, Vera, my wife’s mother, handed me a shoe box and said, Since you teach American History, I’d like you to have what’s in this box. That was 1983, and ever since then I have endeavored to research the items I found in the box.

The years spent as a History and Psychology teacher at Albany and Westover High Schools led me to not only appreciate the study of the past but also the why of the past. I have always enjoyed studying the War Between the States. Why people thought as they did? Why they suffered as they did? Why the North and the South fought? I took the letters and pictures and searched through diaries, letters, journals, books, and the internet enjoying the adventure of reading about the life of the name I found on the medal, T. M. NELSON.

Thanks to my children, Jennifer and Mark as we spent several vacations tracing Captain Thomas M. Nelson’s Rangers march into Kentucky. We followed Nelson’s Rangers route through the Cumberland Gap, through the hills of East Tennessee and to the Battle at Richmond, Kentucky. Later, Gail and I followed the Rangers along the Tennessee River in North Alabama where we ate Slug Burgers and visited the battlefields at Brice’s Cross Roads and Tupelo in Mississippi.

There are no words to adequately express my love and gratitude for my wife Gail helping me spell words, giving advice, and affording editorial support. I also wish to offer my gratitude to Aunt Chris Crosby, Nick Grayson, and many others over the past thirty years who kept asking me, When are you ever going to finish your book? I finally called it quits June 2015. So family and friends, here it is! I hope you get as much pleasure from reading, A LION-HEARTED OFFICER, as I did researching and writing it!

DIXIE

Dr. Francis Orray Ticknor

Air-Annie Laurie

Oh! Dixie’s homes are bonnie,

And Dixie’s hearts are true;

And ’twis down in dear old Dixie

Our life’s first breath we drew;

And their our last we’d sigh,

And for Dixie, dear old Dixie,

We’ll lay us down and die.

No fairer land than Dixie’s

Has ever seen the light;

No braver boy’s than Dixie’s

To stand for Dixie’s right.

With hearts so true and high,

And for Dixie, Dear old Dixie,

To lay them down and die.

Oh! Dixie’s values are sunny,

And Dixie’s hills are blue;

And Dixie’s skies are bonnie,

And Dixie’s daughters, too,

As stars in Dixie’s Sky;

And for Dixie, dear old Dixie,

We’d lay us down and die.

No more upon the mountain,

No longer by the shore,

The trumpet song of Dixie

Shall shake the world no more;

For Dixie’s songs are o’er,

Her glory gone on high,

And the brave who bled for Dixie

Have laid them down to die.

1938

5 O’CLOCK P.M., ALBANY, GEORGIA

The hot August afternoon sun baked down on the Crosby kids as they walked to the ice cream shop. As they passed the old Nelson home, David exclaimed, Wow, look at that big pile of trash! He ran over and started rummaging through all the boxes, pushing aside old chairs and discarded clothes. Maybe there’s a treasure in here, he said.

His sisters, Alyce and Vera were furious. Come on David; let’s go get some ice-cream. We’re hot!

David asked, Who does all this belong to? Alyce, the oldest sister explained this was the old Nelson house and that Mr. Nelson had died several weeks ago and it probably wasn’t safe for them to go through all the trash. The house was for sale and she was afraid they might get into trouble.

David, paying no attention to his older sister, began opening boxes and throwing things out. All of sudden he came across a medal. It was sort of plain, but to a little boy it was a treasure. There was a Confederate flag in the center with the words United Daughters of the Confederacy to the U.C.V. engraved clockwise around the stars and bars. A bar was attached with the name T. M. Nelson inscribed on it. He did not understand the letters, but he knew what the flag meant. He started thinking about all the places he could wear it.

David went right to another box and found a letter written by T. M. Nelson. It was hard to read because it was so old and had fancy lettering. Opening another box, he found another letter written by T. M Nelson. He really was not too interested in these letters, but stuck them in his pocket anyway.

In the meantime, Alyce and Vera were getting aggravated at David and yelled for him to come on. They were ready for some ice cream, but all of a sudden Alyce spotted a small gold frame. The picture in the frame intrigued her. The man was very handsome. He had the most gorgeous eyes she had ever seen. His hair was dark and wavy and he had a mustache to match. She could not take her eyes off of the picture. As she placed the little picture in her dress pocket she thought; what a handsome man! She would like to marry a man that looked like that one day.

David ran up and yelled, Let’s go! I’m hot, so they all went on down the street to the ice cream shop to get some cold ice cream. They all talked and laughed about their discoveries.

When they returned home, they found their grandfather and great grandfather sitting out on the big front porch playing dominos. In this heat, that was the coolest place to be. They began to tell them all about their treasures. David took the medal and the letters out of his pocket and showed them to his grandfather. Alyce was a little hesitant about showing her picture because she was afraid they might want to take it from her and she did not want to give it up.

We found all this behind the old Nelson house, David stated. They were throwing it all away.

Please can’t we keep them? Alyce begged.

Wow, said their great grandfather. Do you know who this man is in the picture and who this medal belonged to?

The kids were anxious to hear.

Go inside and tell grandmother to fix us some lemonade and I will tell y’all all about this man, said great grandfather Arnold. His name is Thomas Nelson from Albany and he fought in the War Between the States!"

The kids ran yelling for their grandmother to fix the lemonade so Grandfather Arnold could them the story of Dr. Thomas M. Nelson –A Lion-Hearted Man.

1861

THE GIRL I LEFT BEHIND

6 NOVEMBER 1860: LINCOLN ELECTED PRESIDENT, WASHINGTON D. C.

Though winning in the Electoral College, Abraham Lincoln’s lack of a popular majority is an indication of the problems he would face with a divided nation.

10 JANUARY 1861: ALBANY PATRIOT NEWSPAPER, ALBANY, GEORGIA

Needless to say, the news that Abraham Lincoln was elected to the Presidency on a platform that intended to discontinue slavery came as a lightning bolt thrown from Satan to plantation owners from Albany and Dougherty County.

Meetings were held throughout the county producing fiery debates with raging tempers about what action should be taken. Planters and citizens from the town signed petitions and elected delegates. The citizens wanted immediate independence from Lincoln’s Union and appropriations were approved for arms and munitions of war. The delegates declared the State of Georgia ought not to submit to the election of Lincoln and Hamlin, pledged as they are to carry out the policy of the Black Republican Party.

At about 4 o’clock, Mr. James L. Byington and his bar keeper, Cynes, raised a new banner over his hotel. The flag designed by Mr. Byington inscribed with gigantic letters Georgia and her Rights! Liberty or Death floated proudly in a gentle wind. A large number of citizens cheered and applauded as new enlistees in the Albany Guard saluted the banner.

Just then, bookstore owner, L. E. Welch, appeared with a large bundle of Northern periodicals called Harper’s Magazine and piled them in the middle of the street in front of Byington’s Hotel. People screamed encouragement to Little Nathan as he torched the magazines. While the fire burned, citizens standing in the street delivered speeches and sermons. A young man outfitted in red, white, and blue costume rode on horseback shouting to the ladies that he was prepared to safeguard them from the Yankees.

Red, White and Blue

Tuesday last, our citizens were agreeably surprised at the sudden appearance of three ladies and gentlemen on horseback, dressed in disguise, and in the costume of the Red, White, and Blue. They thought proper to keep the surprise a secret, but failed, as we have discovered whom they were. Their object we learn was to give assurance that the ladies were ready and willing to defend Georgia’s rights out of the Union. God bless all such brave and noble spirits.Albany Patriot, January 10, 1861.

As a powerful matter of protest, Albanians, along with the rest of the state of Georgia, wanted to accompany South Carolina and secede from the Union. An ordinance to dissolve the union between the State of South Carolina and the United States was signed 20 December 1860.

In answer to Georgia’s request to secede, a communication from Washington D. C. proclaimed that all seceding states would be forced at the point of the bayonet to remain in the Union. Florida announced her independence 10 January 1861 and the following day Alabama did the same. Now all eyes turned to Georgia the Empire State of the South.

19 JANUARY, 2:00 PM, 1861: GEORGIA SECEDES, MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA

Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860 led to the calamitous conflict known as The War of Southern Independence. It was a miserable rainy day 2 January 1861 when Georgia voters went to the polls and selected delegates to a convention that would decides the state’s response to Lincoln’s election. Following other Southern States; South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama; delegates to the Georgia Secession Convention convened at Milledgeville.

We do further declare and ordain that the union now existing between the State of Georgia and other States under the name of the United States of America is hereby dissolved, and that the State of Georgia is in full possession and exercise of all those rights of sovereignty which belong and appertain to a free and independent State.

After a high-spirited debate, the delegates voted 208 to 89 to leave the Union and also create Georgia’s first constitution since 1798. The delegates took the entire afternoon as they publicly signed the Ordinance of Secession.

Georgia became an independent and sovereign state on Monday, 21 January 1861. The people of Dougherty County were now unified and the next step to be taken was if Georgia would join the Confederate States of America. Anyone who had opposed the secession of the State now declared that they would defend her with their last drop of blood.

21 JANUARY 1861: COURTHOUSE, ALBANY, GEORGIA

Dr. Tom! Henry! Over here!" Luke shouted as he rubbed his cold wet hands together. He stood behind a roaring bonfire calling to Tom, Henry, and Scott Thomas. The rains brought old-man-winter’s frizzed blast to subsidize allowing the fire to catch hold. It snapped and crackled like a buggy whip on the frigid rain soaked night.

We’re our own country! Luke exclaimed as he waved a bottle of Pine Top high over his head. Luke took a swig from the bottle and with his other hand wiped the stinging smoke from his eyes. We’re free from Old-Man Lincoln!

Thomas pulled his dark wet overcoat tightly around his slender frame as he and his fifteen year old man servant, Scott Thomas, and Reverend Henry F. Holt walked towards Luke and the inviting warm blaze.

Tom! Congratulations on being elected City Physician! Spicer F. DeGraffenried, a tall gangly, twenty-four year old merchant expounded. When Thomas, Scott Thomas, and Henry reached the fire, Spicer slipped out a damp newspaper from underneath his overcoat. He cleared his throat and read the article.

Albany Patriot, January 10, 1861.

City and District Election

On Saturday last the election for city and district officers took place in Albany, and resulted, as follows:

For Mayor–—F. K. Wright.

For Councilmen–—J. Jackson, J. L. Byington, J. A. Davis, J. G. Stephens, S.F. DeGraffenried, E. T. Jones.

Marshal–—J. W. Kemp.

Clerk of Council–—J. F. Cargile.

City Treasurer–—S. Atkinson.

City Physician–—Dr. Thomas M. Nelson.

Sexton–—J. M. Brack.

Magistrates–—J. M. Cooper, C. J. McClendon.

Constable–—J. M. Brack.

Can you believe it? Spicer stated. Thomas you were elected City Physician and I am a Councilman!

Dr. Thomas M. Nelson, a local twenty-eight year old doctor anxiously awaited his marching orders. Thomas was a hard-working and dedicated man who was respected for his sound and honest judgment as a doctor of medicine. The tall, slender doctor was an avid supporter of state rights and a slave owner. With a head full of thick, wavy dark hair and a mustache, mysterious dark eyes, tan complexion, and neighborly smile, it was no wonder he was quite popular with his female patients.

He also enjoyed his involvement in politics. In 1856 at a Democratic meeting held at Starkville, Lee County, he was selected as a delegate to the State Convention.

There was a raging thunderstorm that Monday evening and it was not a very favorable night for a celebration. But this evening was different for Dr. Thomas Nelson and his friends. Even though the news about Thomas and Spicer being elected to city offices was important, it was the reports about Georgia’s succession that brought the men and women out that night. The information was received on short notice, but it did not take long for the Albany streets to be filled with young and old alike. The excited crowds tried to build fires in the streets to keep warm. Broad Street was beautifully brilliant; many of the businesses and houses were tastefully decorated with fancy lights.

A local black band serenaded the people as artillery fire exploded in rapid sequence. Three firings every minute! The occasion for Thomas and his friends was incredibly inspiring.

Colonel Tift, owner of the local newspaper held a telegram from Dougherty Counties Delegates to the Secession Convention; Mr. R. H. Clark and Mr. C. E. Mallary. The Colonel stood on the back of a wagon surrounded by torches planted in the ground. As he began to address the crowd, Thomas, Luke and others gathered together and listened. Colonel Tift’s raspy voice exploded deep from his diaphragm, as he read the telegram.

The vote was 208-89 to adopt an ordinance of secession, shouted Colonel Tift. He voiced his opinions about State’s Rights and the right of Georgia to succeed.

The chilly, raw, smoked filled nighttime air cut deep into Thomas’ chest. However, he didn’t feel the cold because of a fervent fire that burned deep inside his soul. He knew what he decided tonight would become his destiny forever and that he was going to play an important role in his countries fight for freedom. His future was sealed on that wintry night.

Following the Colonel’s speech, Thomas grabbed his friends and gave out a loud yell, Long live the South and long live Georgia! The crowd cheered him wildly. A brilliant celebration took place in Albany that night in spite of the severe rainstorm earlier. Speeches were made and a local Negro band began performing. Scott Thomas asked his master if he could watch the band. Young Scott and many others free and slave, shuffled and skipped to a new piece of music entitled, Secession Quickstep.

Sixteen days after the surrender of the fortress at Charleston, South Carolina, the cry for volunteers swept like a ferocious windstorm all over Dougherty County. Many young Southern men of affluence and privilege were enthusiastic to fight for freedom.

Armed conflict with the Union loomed dangerously in the horizon as people attended meetings held at the courthouse to discuss politics, states’ rights, and the approaching war. It was at one of these meetings that the members of the Albany Guards decided to take action.

Now, the prospect of war had turned into a reality. The regional military company, Albany Guards, mustered in as a unit. Brave men throughout the community hurriedly answered the call and as the young men continued to sign up, their women and sweethearts decided to make their uniforms. The Albany Guards were proceeding towards armed conflict.

It is doubtful that the Southern States could have raised and equipped an army without voluntary companies and support such as that found in Dougherty County.

1838-61: ANTE-BELLUM YEARS: ALBANY, GEORGIA, DOUGHERTY COUNTY

Albany, Georgia in the 1850’s was a region of enormous wealth. With its rapid transformation, Dougherty County became a land of opportunity and a place where inhabitants could become affluent planters. In Albany, the optimistic and the industrious could find cheap land, limitless rights and a new life. By 1860, cotton was king in the developing county when a civil war linked the North and South together in a bloody conflict.

The settlement was established on a bluff overlooking the Thronateeska River. The Hitchiti and Ososch Creek tribes settled their villages alongside the embankment of the Thronateeska. Thronateeska was the Creek word for waterway. However, the new pioneers to the region had a difficult time pronouncing and spelling the word, so it was changed to Flint.

The river had a well-defined channel due to the fact that the State, during the years 1836 through 1839, spent over $15,000 to widen and dredge it. The Flint River allowed farmers to merchandize their bales of cotton throughout the South. Steamboats were used to transport the cotton to Apalachicola, Florida. Then, goods and merchandise were brought up stream from the Gulf region, like oysters, sacks of salt, whiskey, food items, fresh fish, and oranges. Just as soon as the boat whistles blew, every man, woman, and child would scamper to the boat landing at the end of Broad Street to welcome their arrival. After being unloaded, hundreds of bales of cotton were packed on steamships named Albany, Flint, Southern, Magnolia, and The White Rose and transported southward to the Gulf.

It was soon detected that navigation was more preferred during the winter months than the hot, dry summer months. The Albany Patriot, the local newspaper, reported that the summer of 1845 was a particularly dry year and the cotton growers were suffering from the difficulties of the navigation of the river, some have lost their crops, and a majority has not been able to get them to market. Also, river trading was a hazardous business due to the enormous bulk of their cargo and the weight of the steamboats. They frequently had machinery problems or found themselves stranded on a sand barge. Therefore, conversation about a more dependable manner of transporting cotton to market was discussed. The paper wrote they needed a direct route to a seaboard market, one which is accessible and stable at all seasons of the year.

The city leaders decided to build a railroad. Permits were attained and Nelson Tift was elected in 1849 to procure a railroad for Albany. Finally, on 5 September 1857, the first transport train, the Southwestern, puffed into the station accompanied by many distinguished passengers. Upon arrival, a fine four horse Omnibus met the dignitaries and took them to the hotels three blocks away. The construction of the Southwestern Railroad Line brought about a new and novel era to the city.

By 1860 Albany became a flourishing town and the principle market place of Southwest Georgia. The retail stores were stocked with the needs of the planters and the town’s people. Albany’s Blacksmith and Carriage Shop were located near the docks. Hill’s Livery Stables was positioned between two hotels, Byington’s Hotel and Isabella House. There was a Bar and Billiard Saloon in Isabella House that was renowned for offering premium whiskey and the finest cigars in Southwest Georgia.

The patron of Albany, forty-nine year old, Nelson Tift advertised in the regional newspaper about his enterprise:

NELSON TIFT’S

CHEAP CASH STORE

NEXT DOOR EAST OF

AND OPPOSITE TO C. W. RAWSON

BROAD STREET, ALBANY.

$25,000 Stock of GOODS just opening and selling

near the cost, for CASH.

Albany Patriot, Thursday, June 10, 1858.

Groceries, Provisions, Liquors, Candies, Spices, Nuts,

Domestic Dry Goods, Boots and Shoes, Hard-Ware, Cutlery, Hollow Ware, Iron, Steel, Nails, Rope, Carpenter’s and Blacksmith’s Tools, Twine, Paints, Oils, Window Glass, Wood, Coarse and Fine Wool Hats, Tobacco, Snuff, Saddles and Bridles, Harness, Mill Cross and Cut Saws.

DeGraffenried Gentlemen’s Wearing Apparel specialized in men’s accessories, especially hats of varying styles. Mr. Francis H. DeGraffenried, a twenty-one year old merchant from Decatur County, sold some top hats and derbies, or Bowlers, as they were known in England. Bowlers were never very popular in Albany. Soft felt hats such as porkpie and slouch were all the rage in Southwest Georgia.

Mister’s Hunt, Pynchon, and Rawson boasted about managing one of the largest showrooms in Georgia. They supplied salt, iron-nails, cheese, tobacco, coffee, sugar, corn mill, and linsey-woolsey in Georgia and Choctaw stripes. Hardware was also sold in their huge showroom. There were sugar boilers, corn suckers, straw-cutters, cutlery, and circular saws.

The most recent styles in ladies apparel could be found at Mrs. Eagan’s Millinery Goods and Dress-Making Shop. Mrs. Eagan respectfully inform her friends and customers with ads in the local newspaper that read; now has on hand a large stock suited to Fall and Winter seasons, which she will sell at most reduced prices. Dressmaking in all its various branches promptly attended to, offering the well-bred woman affordable fashions. Mrs. Eagan also provided a dazzling variety of French, English, and Neapolitan bonnets with artificial flowers and elegant clothes to match.

Young ladies, like sixteen year old Fannie Tift, the Colonel’s daughter, took advantage of the stores fashionable apparel. Fannie always said, If the mistress of an estate could not find the appropriate attire at Mrs. Eagan’s, she was NOT in a womanly frame of mind.

Miss Fannie Tift could always be seen in one of Mrs. Eagan’s’ fashions from England. Her ivory silk taffeta brocaded with interchangeable day and an evening bodice from Ashley House, Yorkshire, England was this year’s fashion statement.

Mr. David Lewis’ tailor shop could customize clothing for the gentlemen that would conform to them flawlessly. Mr. Lewis’ advertisement for the gentlemen was that he could deck out the esquires with his famous Southern Fit. The men from the surrounding plantations were always seen at Lewis’. John and Thomas, the Nelson brothers, and their friend Luke visited the establishment frequently. Each had their own embroidered waistcoats made out of silk upon black cloth and the ornamentation was derived from a pattern of natural flowers. With dark trousers and black overcoats, the gentleman physicians presented a demeanor of being well qualified to their patients and profession.

BYINGTON’S HOTEL, Albany, Ga.

Albany Patriot, December 17, 1857.

We take pleasure in announcing to the public that this new Hotel is now open for the reception of the traveling public. As a caterer, Mr. Byington is un-surpassed, and we speak for him a liberal share of patronage.

The Byington Hotel located on Broad Street was the place to be seen and it was reported to be one of the finest hotels in Georgia. Forty-two year old Mr. James L. Byington and his wife Caroline managed the City Hotel until 1857. They built their own guesthouse in 1860. The chic, fashionable hotel was named after Mr. Byington. The Byington Hotel had neatly furnished rooms with its own fireplace. The people visiting Albany found the hotel very modern and comfortable. The most noticeable feature of the hotel was The Table because it surpassed any other hotel in the country. The unique hotel furnished ice cubes to their customers, a luxury with which the town had never been before supplied.

Mr. Byington’s cook specialized in delicious Turtle Soup. Young boys, who knew every mossy path that lead to the riverbank, would catch giant turtles in the Flint and neighboring creeks and sell them to Mr. Byington. The youngsters competed against each other and the boy who would bring Mr. Byington the largest turtle for his soup pot was given a free bowl of Turtle Soup to enjoy and some spending money.

On Thursday last, Messrs. Griffins and Sasser caught two turtles from the river near town, one of which weighed 48 lbs. and the other 80lbs. The largest of these was served up in excellent soup by Mr. J. L. Byington of the City Hotel, on Thursday, to an admiring crowd of citizens. [Albany Patriot, April 25, 1851].

People often visited Byington’s to devour the excellent Turtle Soup and drink tea with ice cubes in it or purchase stage tickets. The agency that sold stage tickets for stages’ running from Albany to Bainbridge, Thomasville, and Tallahassee were located in a room off the lobby of Byington’s Hotel.

Albany was a thriving little city of 9 dry good stores, 7 wholesale and retail grocery establishments, 2 confectioneries, 3 hotels, 2 livery stables, 2 drug stores, 1 hardware store, 1 book store, 2 tin shops, 2 tailoring shops, 4 churches, 1 printing press, 22 lawyers, and 13 physicians. [Albany Patriot].

With successful establishments in and around the town, Albany had grown large enough that she needed her own militia unit. Every town and village in Southwest Georgia was established into units for the preservation of the law. Militia units were seen protecting citizens during social and civic activities. The Constitution for Georgia required every free man from the ages of eighteen to forty-five to register. During frequent musters, local farmers, businessmen, and even doctors were to show their abilities with firearms, target practice and military drillings. Colonel Nelson Tift’s Albany Guards were organized 13 October 1857 as an independent company unit of the Georgia Volunteer Militia.

The 1850’s and 1860’s were exhilarating times for Albany and it was for that very reason Thomas and John Nelson moved from Columbus to establish their medical offices in Albany. Thomas decided to live in Albany, but his older brother lived south of the city on a 470 acre plantation in Baker County.

John P. Nelson’s plantation according to the 1850 Agriculture Survey included 300 acres of improved land and 170 acres of unimproved land valued over $6,000. He raised horses, milk cows, oxen, cattle, and swine valued at over $400 and his farm equipment valued $150. Life was good for the Nelson brothers.

1838-1861 ANTE-BELLUM YEARS: PLANTERS & SLAVES, DOUGHERTY, COUNTY

The prosperous planters owned vast plantations, on which slaves lived and labored. Approximately 189 farms were located in Dougherty County and most of the cultivated land consisted of 100 to 1000 acres per holding. The 1860 population reported that Albany had 2,207 white citizens, and over 6,000 slaves, with nine free Negroes.

Slavery was always a part of the Nelson Family history, from Virginia in the 1600’s until now. Thomas owned a fifteen year old male named Scott Thomas. Young Scott was more a friend to Thomas than a field-hand. Because he could read and write, he was able to be of assistance to Thomas Nelson with his medical practice.

Eventually, the planters replaced their rudimentary log cabins for well-built homes with plank-boards. Sometimes, if a person had resources he might construct his Albany residence with bricks like Captain William E. Smith. The plantations were well fenced and their fields were producing thousands of bales of cotton yearly, which was sold throughout the world. By 1860, Planters like Mr. B. O. Keaton, Mr. Joseph Bond, and William S. Menghen became the most dominant, successful, and affluent members in the community.

The greater part of the farmland in the county was referred to as the Redlands because of the deep red coloration of the clay. The Redlands produced hardwood trees, principally oak and hickory with long needled yellow pines. After the land was cleared for farming, commercial fertilizers, horse manure, and humus were introduced and the Redlands became cultivatable. The lengthy warm summers allowed the growing season to last from March to November. Soon the plantations began yielding abundant crops like cotton and corn. Tobacco and sugarcane were also cultivated but for the planters own consumption and entertainment. Hogs, dairy and beef cattle, chickens, and ducks were also raised, which allowed this section of Georgia, to become one of the most prosperous and productive areas of the South.

However, the life of the slaves was another story, and Albany became the center for slave trading and selling. William R. Neal was a slave trader, who in 1846 had thirty slaves for sale. His human inventory included field hands, cooks, washers, ironers, and seamstresses. The office of Gabriel Sibley offered to SELL AND BUY NEGROES and other property on commission at fair and reasonable rates. Both men held auctions each January to sell and buy slaves and they expected to get at least a $1000 for each.

The enslaved captive was restricted to the desires of his master. The frequently and repeatedly over worked slaves were extremely vital to the success of the numerous plantations located in Southwest Georgia. The number of slaves increased nearly fifty per cent between 1854 and 1859 and the 5, 494 slaves were listed in the tax digest as worth valued at $3,518,120. However, more than half of the whites in the county did not own slaves and of the 322 slaveholders, more than half owned ten slaves or less. Only, thirty-seven plantation landholders owned between fifty and a hundred. According to the 1860 U. S. Census Office, three slaveholders owned between 100 and 200 slaves each and other plantations within Dougherty County and surrounding counties used and owned over hundreds of slaves.

Colonel Nelson Tift owned nine slaves. Thomas’ brother, John P. Nelson, who lived south of Albany in District 1—Baker County—had over forty-seven slaves on his planation. Young Scott Thomas was born and raised on John P. Nelson’s planation until Thomas took charge of him two years ago.

The sale of the Negroes belonging to the Estate of the late Joseph Bond, commenced in this city on Tuesday morning last, and ended Wednesday evening. We have not been able to see the correct list of the sale, but sufficient is ascertained for us to state that 536 Negroes in families sold at an average of about one thousand and twenty-five. There are thirty yet to be sold. One negro girl which was offered as unsound brought $1800; one negro girl 17 and negro boy 20 years old, brought $3600; one field hand 30 years old brought $2005; several boys brought over $2000; boy Gilbert, wife and child, purchased by Gen. Smith, at $4500; one family, Jack, wife and eleven children from 5 to 18 years old brought $16000.10, purchased by Wm. S. Menghen, Esq. [Albany Patriot 5 January 1860].

There was rarely hostility between the races during the ante-bellum period and problems committed by slaves were reported as minor. However, dilemmas did happen as a fire was discovered in the office of Drs. [John Page] Nelson and Byrd, which had obviously been set by an incendiary. A committee of citizens found that the fire had been kindled by a Negro boy of 11 years in the employ of the doctors. The boy was whipped and branded with the letter ‘A’ (Arson) in the right hand, as a punishment for the crime. [Albany Patriot 1851].

The only way a slave could show disloyalty was to run away and various slaves ran away hoping to secure their sovereignty. Nelson Tift had a slave named Ralph who successfully ran away in 1852. It is supposed he is trying to make his way to North Carolina; where he was purchased last winter. He wore off a suit of Linsey Clothes, sack coat very large for him, and a wool hat considerably worn. Ralph is a dark copper colored man, 23 or 24 years old, about 6 feet high, rather likely and intelligent. He has two scares on the left side of the face—one over the eyelid and the other under it, which give him the appearance of slightly squinting; the scare over the eye is about an inch long. [Albany Patriot].

The majority of slaves remained on the land of their owners and worked there for their entire lives. A long accepted custom was celebrated in Dougherty County, after the crops were seeded and following harvesting time a kingly feast was prepared for the workers. After a sumptuous barbecue the Negroes would begin a dance to the music of the fiddles. Christmas time was especially exciting for the slaves, because they were permitted to come into the town to shop for gifts. For two weeks both races welcomed the Yuletide celebration. Dances were held in the streets, as fiddle players and organ grinders played.

A few planters took exceptional pride in their slaves. A Dougherty County plantation owner, W. H. Culbreth offered a wager of $100 that his Gus could pick more cotton during the day than any other workman in the district. The picking was to be done in Mr. Culbreth’s cotton field and he would also pay the hand $5.00 that picked more cotton than Gus would. The bet was on and after eight days of picking, Gus won hands-down. The account of Gus’s picking for the eight days was 337, 375, 365, 375, 365, 412, 479, and 546 pounds. September 12th, 1861.

There seemed to be an unspoken fear among the citizens of Dougherty County and Albany about a possibility of an uprising by the slaves. In the daytime, the citizens could associate and observe them. However, when evening came, the slaves would assemble themselves together. They would dance or have prayer meetings, which lasted for half the night.

Slave’s developed rhythmic songs that helped them to maintain spirit and pace while they worked. The Biblical story of Elijah being taken away to heaven by a chariot contains the mixture of sadness and joy and suggested that they will find a better life in heaven. One such song is Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

Swing low, sweet chariot,

Coming for to carry me home

Swing low, sweet chariot,

Coming for to carry me home

I looked over Jordan and what did I see

Coming for to carry me home?

A band of angels coming after me

Coming for to carry me home

For so many years, according to the slave owners, their slaves were happy and contented.

Now, times were changing, servants never smiled or laughed as they worked in the fields or tended to their chores. The slaves were secretly talking about escaping and began using their songs to express their desires to be free. Slave songs were becoming more than simple hymns of endurance and belief in a better life.

Plantation owners were never aware their slaves were planning to escape, because slave songs were part of the day’s routine. Many slave owners would simply hear the religious and Biblical references and assumed his slaves were singing for spiritual reasons. Unknowing, plantation owners hearing their slaves singing, The Gospel Train’s a’comin, thought their slaves were encouraging people to be baptized in order to find peace in God’s Kingdom.

On the contrary the songs allowed the slaves to communicate secret messages and information to each other about the Underground Railroad. They sang songs to help guide those who wanted to escape. The spiritual, The Gospel train’s a’comin’, alerted other slaves that a group was preparing to escape and travel north to freedom. Gospel Train was code for the Underground Railroad.

The Gospel train’s a ‘comin’.

I hear it just at hand,

I hear the car wheel rumbling,’

And rollin’ thro’ the land.

Chorus

Get on board little children,

Get on board little children,

Get on board little children.

There’s room for many more!

Lyrics

I hear the train a’comin’,

She’s comin’ around the curve,

She’s loosened all her steam and brakes,

And strainin’ ev’ry nerve.

Chorus

The fare is cheap and all can go.

The rich and poor are there,

No second class aboard this train,

No difference in the fare.

Mistrust and uneasiness was elevating between the slave owners and the citizens of Dougherty County. Citizens bolted their doors at night and started keeping a loaded firearm close by at all times. Even night noises like the rustle of the wind, a distant thunderstorm, or the hoot of an owl living in the barn produced nervous terror. Anxious fear, which no one would speak about, filled each night with blackness and trepidation.

1838-1861 ANTE-BELLUM YEARS: SOCIAL LIFE, ALBANY, GEORGIA

The social life for the planters was filled with excitement. The men of the plantations were devotedly attached to the sport of hunting and they excelled in it. They were accomplished riders, skillful shots and experienced hunters. Thomas and his friends loved to go fox hunting and steeple chasing on his brother’s farmland. It provided thrilling entertainment and recreation for them. The young well-to-do men were always pleasantly surprised that the charming maidens from the neighboring areas came by to see them ride. A banquet was held after a hunt and the wild game caught was cooked. The hunters enjoyed a meal of wild turkey, venison, drinking, and conversation consisted of topics about crops, roads, literature, friends, politics, and the eligible young ladies of the region.

During the decades before the War, these Southern elites began to see themselves as a historical community descended from the Norman conquerors. Southern men boastfully traced their blood and race to William the Conqueror in 1066 that conquered the Britons and the Saxons. They belonged to that stock recognized. Many southerners considered themselves as Cavaliers because they encompassed intellect, honor, gallantry, and valor.

Northerners, by contrast, were descended from the Britons and Saxons.

This image of the Southerner as a cavalier was largely gleaned from the Scottish writer, Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). His stories of the defense of Scotland against the Saxon invasion inspired personal heroism and gallantry. Many Confederates carried copies of Scott’s novels with them. I have been reading some of Walter Scott’s fine tales, and I will tell you they are worth reading and studying. [Richard Simpson, 3rd South Carolina Infantry].

Sir Walter Disease! The South would never have confronted the North, if Scott had not run the people mad with his medieval romances. Sir Walter Scott caused more real and lasting harm than any other individual that ever wrote. [Mark Twain].

Little excuse was necessary to bring the women together. Hosting a social or a tea party was considered neighborly and Colonel Nelson Tift’s wife, Maria, along with her daughters Fannie, Clara, and Maria were among the best hostesses in the city. There were club meetings; parties, horse races, shooting tournaments, dinners, teas, and weddings to attend and invitations were usually extended on Sundays while everyone was at church. The ladies enjoyed talking about the latest fashions at Mrs. Eagan’s Dress Shop, mutual friends, problems with children and their responsibilities at home.

The ante-bellum social life and refinement enhanced greatly in Albany after Mr. Nelson Tift built the Bridge House. In 1857, Colonel Tift hired a free Negro named Horace King, whose father was a mulatto and his mother the daughter of a Catawba Indian, to construct a toll bridge over the Flint River.

Horace King, his father was a mulatto and his mother the daughter of a Catawba Indian was born a slave in South Carolina in 1807. John Godwin, a contractor purchased King and taught him how to build covered bridges. Godwin and King earned reputations as master bridge builders and went on to build bridges and homes in the Southwest Georgia area. In 1846 Godwin suffered financial problems and freed King, who later achieved great success as the best practicing Bridge Builder in the South.

The Alabama lawmakers freed Horace King when John Godwin, a contractor and King’s master suffered financial problems. Horace King built the first public bridge across the Chattahoochee River in Columbus, Georgia and devoted his life building some of the most renowned covered bridges throughout the South.

Bridge at Albany

Our enterprising fellow townsman, Col. N. TIFT, has just concluded a contract with Dr. A. J. Robinson, of Columbus, for the erection of a first class Bridge, to span the Flint River at the foot of Broad Street in this city. Horace King, the celebrated bridge builder, will superintend the work. The covered-lattice portion of the Bridge will be 350 feet long, resting on three hollow wood piers, to be subsequently filled with masonry, and will be about 40 feet above high water. The trestle bridging will be 580 feet long, making a total length of 930 feet. If no unforeseen occurrence should prevent, the Bridge will be open for crossing on the first day of December, and will be completed by the first day of February next.

This is an additional improvement for which the Col. should receive the thanks of our business men, if no one else. His persevering energy is worthy of high praise, and by it, much of the cotton and produce of the country from the west side of the River and has hitherto been carried to other towns, will now find its way to this market. [Albany Patriot, September 23, 1858].

Colonel Tift abounded his ferry business once the bridge that was 930 feet long and cost $30,000 was constructed twelve months later. Mr. Tift charged a toll of .75 cents for a carriage or wagon drawn by four horses and 2 cents for each head of livestock that used his bridge. A sign, which was written in dark bold letters above the entrance, announced there would be a 5 DOLLARS FINE FOR GOING FASTER THAN A WALK ON THIS BRIDGE.

A large two-story brick building, located on the western side of the river, was constructed as the Toll Bridge’s entrance. It faced Front Street and an open archway allowed you access to the bridge. Above the archway were accommodations on the ground floor where the bridge keeper lived and the private offices for Colonel Tift.

Yet, the crowning glory for the Bridge House was its second story; it became the social and entertainment center for Southwest Georgia. The second-story room extended over the archway and was suitable for meetings and plays. The theatre became known as, Tift’s Hall. The room fitted with awe-inspiring fresco paintings and magnificent painted theater scenery. Famous performers like Laura Keen in The American Cousin performed there and Sal Smith Russell, the famous actress, also stared in the play, The Field of the Cloth of Gold. Also, traveling caravans of Shakespearean actors performed, in addition to local masked balls, promenades, and formal dress balls.

The celebrated Irish comedian Harry McCarthy was very popular and sold out each time he performed in Albany. Harry McCarthy a short handsome man, clean shaven, with a straight nose, thin lips, and thick black hair which covered his ears. His specialty was imitating people with various dialects. He called his acts Personation Concerts.

After the War began, McCarthy was loved from one end of the Confederacy to the other because of his rousing, animated shows about Dixie. He could make fatigued soldiers laugh and smile when he sang his rendition of the Bonnie Blue Flag. The song began its popular career in New Orleans. Striding out on the stage in full Confederate dress uniform, Harry McCarthy would stop center stage, gaze at his audience, and without fanfare began to sing the first verses of the song.

We are a band of brothers,

And native to the soil,

Fighting for the property we gained by honest toil:

And when our rights were threaten’d,

The cry rose near and far,

A beautiful girl, Harry’s new bride, Lottie rushed onto the stage waving a dark blue silk flag with a single star, throwing her arms

around McCarthy’s neck, as he sang the last two lines,

Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag,

That bears a Single Star!

From every corner of the theatre boys and men excitedly jumped to their feet, cheering, and throwing hats into the air.

Mr. Harry McCarthy wrote the words to an old and popular Irish melody, The Irish Jaunting Car, to fill a void in a theatrical program that he was directing. His sister, Miss Marion McCarthy first sang the song at the Variety Theatre in New Orleans. The song was an instant hit and it ran through eleven editions during the War.

All the fun loving young people attended dances and balls at Tift’s Hall. Fannie, whose father owned the establishment, frequented it regularly. She took every opportunity to manifest her beauty as she wore a ball gown made by Cowper & Co., 13 St. Ann’s Square, Manchester. A matching cape set off the cream silk taffeta and brocaded skirt. The ivory wool cape was trimmed with quilted coral-red silk that embroidered the front, back and hood of the garment.

In 1859, Albany was known for its sociability, hospitality, and merriment. Dancing became a popular pastime. Dance academies and schools opened their doors for business and at Afflock’s Dancing School and for $10 you would receive sixteen lessons for the most recent in ballroom dancing. You could be instructed in the following dances; Cotillions, Polka Quadrilles, Ball Room and Mazard Sets, Military Quadrilles, The Waltz, Schottische, Mazurka, Saloon Polka, Redowa, and many others.

The social life of the Old South in Albany was absolutely a charming time with stability, contentment, and fun. The years before the War were filled with great accomplishments for the citizens of Albany. The local newspaper, Albany Patriot, boasted on, 30 August 1860; that Dougherty County was the wealthiest county in the United States, having an average capital of $22,747 for each voter.

26 JANUARY 1861: LOUISIANA CONVENTION, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA

We do further and ordain, That the State of Louisiana hereby absolved from all allegiance to the United States of America.

27 JANUARY 1861: THE OFFICE OF ASA F. TIFT, KEY WEST, FLORIDA

Asa F. Tift, Nelson Tift’s older brother, made a fortune as a merchant and owner of the largest and most successful salvage operation in Key West, Florida.

In 1826, the Tift family moved from Connecticut to Key West where the father sailed from Charleston, South Carolina to the Keys delivering mail and other small items. The brothers, Amos, Asa, and sixteen year old Nelson helped their father establish and managed a small trading store.

After the United States Navy defeated the pirates, who controlled the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in the 1840’s, the Navy left Key West, Florida leaving behind a wharf and supply warehouses. Asa F. Tift, being a clever businessman, purchased the naval warehouses and wharfs and renamed the dock, Tift’s Wharf.

A. F. TIFT

Commission and Forwarding Merchant,

KEY WEST.

FIRE PROOF WARE-HOUSES—

Blocks and Falls—Horses for hoisting cargo

and every other possible convenience for

the relief and dispatched of vessels arriving

at this port in distress.

COAL! COAL!! COAL!!!

ANTHRACTIC, CUMBERLAND, and WELCH COALS

In large quantities, and of superior quality, for the supply of

steamers, constantly on hand: steamers can have as good dispatch

as in any port in the United States:

ALSO

WATER AND ICE,

For the supply of ships, steamers, and families, constantly on hand.

Key West is 160 miles southwest of Miami and only ninety miles north of Havana, Cuba. One side faces the Atlantic Ocean and the other the Gulf of Mexico and in the 1800’s it was the deepest port between New Orleans and Norfolk, Virginia. During the Golden Age of Sailing over 100 ships per day passed by Key West. Sailing around The Keys required a skilled captain to navigate the treacherous reefs and tricky currents. Due to poor maps and charts that existed at the time many ocean vessels on average one ship per week would wreck sailing from the islands of the Caribbean to Boston and New York. The richest cargoes of the world: laces, silks, wines, silverware reached Key West this way and was exposed to the elements of nature and the sea.

Brave Wreckers would watch the reef night and day from observation towers ninety feet tall. The Wreckers would also patrol the reef in their own small vessels; because, when a wreck was spotted, the cry Wreck Ashore would echo all over the island as men scrambled to the docks to join the race to the reef. The first man to reach the wreck became the Wrecking Master who controlled the salvage operation and got a larger share of the prize. The goods salvaged from the wreck would later be sold at auction. Scavengers like Asa Tift made a fortune.

Asa, his wife, Annie, and their daughter, Anna lived a prosperous life afforded him to have built in 1851 at 907 Whitehead Street, the largest residential home on the island. After three years living in their home, Annie died, leaving Asa to raise his daughter alone.

According to the 1860 Census, Monroe County, Key West, Florida had a population of 2,241 whites, 435 slaves, and 156 free blacks, making it the largest and richest city in Florida and the wealthiest town per capita in the United States all due to salvaging.

The greatest salvage operation ever untaken in the Keys occurred 28 August 1856 when the Isaac Allerton sank due to a hurricane. The merchant ship was 137 feet long and weighed 594 tons. The ship, built in 1838 in Portsmouth, carried cargo throughout the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic for years. She sank in five fathoms of water fifteen miles from Key West. Asa Tift and his men were the first to claim her, even though they were unable to salvage all her cargo; they recovered enough to be valued at $50,000, making the Isaac Allerton the richest salvage operation ever in the Keys.

On 10 January 1861 in Tallahassee, Mr. Asa F. Tift spoke and voted for secession and the next day, The Ordinance of Secession was signed and Florida became a State in the Confederacy.

Key West remained in Federal control because of the actions taken by Captain Brannon. While the citizens of Key West slept, the Captain marched his entire Federal command from their barracks to Fort Taylor and took possession of it. The Federals were supplied with four months of food and 70,000 gallons of water, enough supplies to last until reinforcements arrived. Fort Taylor, during the War, was used as a Federal outpost to threaten Confederate blockade-runners.

1 FEBRUARY 1861: TEXAS CONVENTION, AUSTIN, TEXAS

AN ORIDANCE To dissolve the Union between the State of Texas and the other States united under the Compact styled the Constitution of the United States of America.

9 FEBRUARY 1861: FIRST CONFEDERATE CAPITAL, MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

Montgomery, Alabama with a population of 9,000 was a small quiet town situated on seven high bluffs that sloped down to the Alabama River which flowed 330 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. At the start of the War it was a major depot for tobacco, rice, corn, and cotton and was the heart of the state’s plantation economy. Being a major transportation center with steamboats traveling to Mobile, stagecoaches traveling east, and a railroad running northeast and southwest justified Montgomery as the richest town of its size in the nation. As the first capital of the newly formed Confederate States of America, Montgomery called itself The Cradle of the Confederacy!

During a convention in the State Capital Building on 9 February 1861 the Confederate States of America was formed. Seven seceding states: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas, created a Confederate Constitution, a document similar to the United States Constitution, but with greater stress on State’s Rights and slavery.

The editor of the local newspaper, Albany Patriot boasted that women and children of Dougherty County could whip any army the Yankees could send against us!

18 FEBRUARY 1861: DAVIS INAUGURATED, MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

Jefferson Davis was elected President and Alexander Stephens, Georgia’s son, was endowed with talent as a political leader and one of the state’s most highly respected men was chosen as Vice-President unanimously on their first ballot. The newly formed Confederacy finished their constitution and made plans for an independent nation.

Thomas and his servant, Scott Thomas, glanced out the second-story window of his doctor’s office and witnessed the recently adopted Confederate flag being raised above the warehouse of Sims and Rust.

Dr. Thomas Nelson later learned that their new flag was named The Stars and Bars. It had three broad stripes; the large border stripes were red, the center stripe was white, and a circle of seven stars was set on a blue background. Each branch of the service was assigned a different sized version of the flag. The Confederate Government determined the Infantry’s Flag was to be four-by-four feet, the Artillery’s Flag was three-by-three, and the Cavalry’s Flag two and-a-half by two-and-a-half.

A brand-new flag was a gift from Mr. John R. Sims and Captain Y. G. Rust to the Albany Guards and citizens of the city. After a ceremony in which Captain Rust proceeded over, he commanded present arms and placed the flag at the top of a beautifully decorated wreath made from Southern flowers prepared by Mrs. John R. Sims for the occasion.

Thomas and several local physicians and dentists leased offices on the second-floor of Sims & Rust storage place. After reading his advertisement in the Albany Patriot he heard loud noises and excitement from the street. Locking his officer door, he and Scott Thomas went downstairs to take part in the festivities. As Albany Guard appeared in their handsome uniforms the people rejoiced, as they celebrated the occasion with toasts to President Davis and Vice-President Stephens, with sparkling champagne furnished by Mr. John R. Sims and Mr. Y. G. Rust. Thomas and friends celebrated with merry toasts. Sims and Rust provided more sparkling Champagne and they made the following toast to the flag, May it wave forever over the gallant sons and brave spirited daughters of Georgia!

Local musicians began playing patriotic songs like Daniel Emmett’s, Dixie and the song about a blue flag with a single white star called the Bonnie Blue Flag. The song’s popularity was second only to Dixie throughout the Confederacy. Albanians, free and slave sang with vigor, raising their glasses of champagne high and roared when they came to the word Georgia in the song.

23 FEBRUARY 1861: LINCOLN ARRIVES IN WASINGTON D. C.

3 MARCH 1861: CAPTAIN EDMUND KIRBY SMITH, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Mother, I have forward my resignation and am enroute for Florida and the Southern Confederacy. I have been promoted to a Major and in a few weeks would have been a Lieutenant Colonel of Cavalry. Rank with me now is no consideration, and I would rather shoulder a musket in the cause of the South than be a commander-in-chief under Lincoln. I shall go to Montgomery on my way home and if my services are needed by Mr. Davis my sword will be placed at his disposal. I will give you full particulars on my arrival.

Your loving son,

Edmund

4 MARCH 1861: PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN, WASHINGTON D. C.

Monday 4 March 1861 Lincoln and outgoing President James Buchanan left the Willard Hotel in a horse-drawn carriage bound for the capitol. Shortly after 1 p.m. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Roger B. Taney administered the presidential oath of office. The sixteenth President of the United States said no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.

5 MARCH 1861: CONFEDERATE CONGRESS ARMY APPROPRIATION

MONTGOMERY, ALA., EXECUTIVE OFFICE, March 5, 1861.

Hon. Howell Cobb, President of the Congress.

Sir: Herewith I have the honor to transmit the estimate of the Secretary of War of the amount required for the support of the Army of the Confederate States, also, of that requisite for the support of a portion of the provisional army, authorized to be raised.

JEFFERSON DAVIS.

11 APRIL 1861: FORT SUMTER, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

A Federal supply ship, Star of the West, a civilian steamship owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt was hired by the United State government to transport military supplies and reinforcements to the garrison of Fort Sumter for $1000 a day. The New York City ship was launched 17 June 1852. The ship had a length of 228 feet and a thirty-three foot beam, with wooden hull-side paddle wheels and two masts.

The Star of the West tried to reach the Federal troops assembled in the fort; however, cadets from The Citadel stationed at the Morris Island Battery fired a warning shot across her bow as the ship entered Charleston Harbor. This prevented Star of the West from reaching the fort and resupplying Major Robert Anderson’s garrison. The Star of the West was compelled to return to New York Harbor with its supplies undelivered.

President Lincoln intended to send another supply ship, however; Confederate officials feared a trick and ordered the commander of Fort Sumter to surrender and abandon the fort. This news sent Charleston into a passionate, frenzied state of anticipation. The merriest, maddest dinner we have ever had yet. Charleston’s men were more audaciously wise and witty than ever. [Mary Chesnut].

The Louisiana Creole, Brigadier General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard (Old Bory) commander of all Confederate forces at Charleston received new orders from Secretary of War LeRoy P. Walker from Montgomery, Alabama. The report stated; a Federal naval