Dawn Aberg: Another Expert on the War Between the States

The James Deshler Monument

       Boy did my proposal for a monument to James Deshler stir up a hornets nest around here. I never realized there were so many ignorant people in the world. This Dawn Aberg I'm mentioning in the title wrote a letter to our local newspaper about being offended herself about another "Confederate Monument." I guess she has trouble with reading and writing because we proposed a "Military Monument" to Brigadier General James Deshler. Of course like others, she must place her own spin on things. Never mind the truth, that would get in her way. 

       First let's review a few things she claimed in her letter. Her first twist comes with the fact that Deshler's father came to Tuscumbia, Alabama to cash in on the booming cotton trade to get rich off products provided by slave labor. David Deshler came to Tuscumbia in 1825. What did he move here to do? To build a railroad linking Tuscumbia to Decatur, Alabama. He served as director of that railroad. He was a strong advocate of building up Tuscumbia to become a major town at that time. So, where is the twist? Well Ms. Aberg says he made his money off slave products. That is quite a spin there. Because the man built a railroad means he made a fortune off slave products? Has this woman lost her ever loving mind. With that line of reasoning, we should shut the entire town of Tuscumbia down today because at the time it was making money off slave products. Let's not stop there, but shut down the entire South. That was one of her more remarkably stupid comments, but there's more. 

       Ms. Aberg claims the real reason James Deshler is famous today is because of his father's wealth. Where in the hell did she get this information? Let's look at the Deshler family that moved to Alabama. David Deshler and his wife moved here in 1825. They had three children, David, Charlotte, and James. Charlotte grew sick at age 13 and died. David went to West Point and while bathing in the Hudson River, he drowned. He rests in the National Cemetery there today. James Deshler then graduated high in his class at West Point. There were several notations by high ranking government officials about his intelligence. He served in the United States Army and was with Sidney Johnston during the Mormon Expedition. Now this is the part that only really educated people can understand, because you have to be capable of looking at history the way it was, not as you see it from today. Ms. Aberg, never can. 

       Ms. Aberg claims she has deep roots to Colbert County, Alabama (her mother grew up here), but has spent the majority of her life in Massachusetts, California, New York, Sweden, and France. Now someone with that much extensive travel surely knows what the definition of a state happens to be. A state is a country. When Hitler was rallying Germany what did he cry, "Das Gans." The State. Before the War Between the States, each state was it's on country first and attached to the Federal government second. So when the Southern States began to leave the Union, what did all the officer's from those states do? They left to join the military forces of their home state to defend it against an unconstitutional invasion. (By the way, it was constitutionally illegal for a state to invade another state until Lincoln took control). 

       James Deshler came home and fought giving his life for his native state (country) as I would hope anyone at that time should have done. Thus you have these idiots today that look at history through modern eyes. I have a few questions for Ms. Aberg that I would love for her to answer for me. 

       First, why is it just the Southerner's who are offensive? There were slaves in the North, but they get a free pass. I've never understood that. Why do the cities of Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, and many more get a free pass when they all owned ships that raced back and forth between Africa and America selling slaves? They too get a free pass from being offensive. What about the thousands of Irish children snatched off the streets and sent to the Northern states to work in factories at ages as young as eight and forced to work 20 hours a day for a nickel per day, only to find that they'd owe the company more than they made at the end of the week by taking meals? They were worked until they were completely broken down and then discarded on the streets to fend for themselves. This of course doesn't bother Ms Aberg in the least. That is fine with her, she'll take all the Northern brainwashing she can get. 

       I hate to bring up race in all this, but several have taken this argument there, so I will answer one of the above questions for you. Why do we not care for those poor Irish children who were treated much worse than slaves? Because, they are the wrong color, they don't sit around and cry about they way their ancestors were treated, and they are mature enough to not cry every time something offends them. 

       Oh, and by the way, when David Deshler finally died, he left everything he owned to the city of Tuscumbia. I hope you don't shop in that racist town, Ms. Aberg. I also noticed Ms. Aberg is one of those who was moving to Sweden when Trump was elected president, but like the rest, she's still here. 

Leroy Pope Walker and his handkerchief

Leroy Pope Walker

       Leroy Pope Walker was born in 1817 in Huntsville, Alabama. His father was a United States Senator. He attended college at the University of Alabama, but left there to study law at the University of Virginia. He then returned to Huntsville where he began his profession as an attorney at the age of 21. Six years later he began his political career in the Alabama state legislature. He was a supporter of secession. By the time the war began Walker was one of the wealthiest men in the state. 

Home of Walker in Huntsville

       Walker was a leader in taking Alabama out of the Union and then went to Tennessee to help that state prepare for secession. Davis made Walker the Confederacy's first secretary of war, although the lawyer had no military experience whatsoever. Walker truly believed there would be no war, that there would be a peaceful separation. He is famous for making the statement that all the blood shed as a result of secession could be wiped up with a handkerchief. 

       Walker was a very unpopular secretary of war. Men found him to be extremely aloof although he was a very considerate man, his quite manners caused him to be misunderstood. Davis constantly interfered with Walker's job because of his own experience as secretary of war in the United States and also because a lack of experience on the part of Walker. 

       Walker was actually attempting to accomplish something extremely important for the Confederate States when he was forced from office. He was trying to prevent Leonidas Polk from moving into Kentucky knowing that would throw Kentucky onto the Federal side of the war. He lost a lot of favor in the Confederate Congress and with Davis and his cabinet. He then resigned his seat. Polk moved into Kentucky and that state was lost forever to the Union side. 

       President Davis was happy to see Walker go, but also understood that the man had powerful friends in Alabama. The Confederate president would commission Walker a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. He returned to Huntsville, Alabama where he took command of a brigade and they were sent to Mobile, Alabama under Braxton Bragg. 

Braxton Bragg

       Bragg despised Walker as a political general and openly stated that he would make the man miserable. Bragg stayed true to his word. Walker only lasted five months as a soldier before resigning his commission without seeing any action at all. 

       Following the war, Walker returned to his profession of lawyer. He would never be involved in politics again. His son once said that Walker was no politician. He wasn't much of a soldier either having never gotten the chance to be. Walker is probably more famous for being the attorney of Frank James during his trial in the state. Walker County, Alabama is named in his honor. 

Walker in his later years

       Walker died in 1884 and was buried in Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville, Alabama where he rests today. 

Me at the grave of Leroy Pope Walker

Boy Hero Of The Confederacy

Sam Davis

       Samuel Davis was born in 1842 near Smyrna, Tennessee. At age nineteen he left home to attend the Nashville Military Academy which was only about twelve miles from his home. When the Civil War began, he joined Company I, 1st Tennessee Infantry. He saw action near Cheat Mountain in Virginia under General Robert E. Lee.

       His regiment was sent back to Tennessee. Davis was slightly wounded at the Battle of Shiloh and wounded more seriously at Perryville. After recovering he joined a cavalry company called Coleman’s Scouts. This small group of soldiers operated behind enemy lines around Nashville and provided information to Confederate General Braxton Bragg. These men always wore their military uniforms which distinguished them from spies. The Federal army considered these men such a nuisance that they refused to treat them as soldiers. Federal General Granville Dodge ordered his men to kill all the scouts they could find. 

Sam Davis boyhood home

       Sam went home to visit his family in 1863 and on the return trip to join his command was captured by Federal forces under Dodge. He wore his uniform which should have given him a prisoner of war status. Davis was also carrying mail directed to the Army of Tennessee. Dodge charged him with carrying mail to persons in arms against the Federal government and of being a spy. Sam pled guilty to the first charge, but denied being a spy as he was captured in uniform. Of course, he was found guilty on both counts and sentenced to be hanged. 

Sam's boot cut open by Federal troops to find the papers he carried

       He was offered a chance to save his life if he would give information about Coleman’s Scouts. He refused, saying, “I would rather die than betray a friend or be false to duty. If I had a thousand lives to live, I would give them all rather than betray a friend.”

       Before his execution, he wrote to his mother: “Dear mother. O how painful it is to write you! I have got to die to-morrow --- to be hanged by the Federals. Mother, do not grieve for me. I must bid you good-bye forevermore. Mother, I do not fear to die. Give my love to all.” And to his father, he wrote: "Father, you can send after my remains if you want to do so. They will be at Pulaski, Tenn. I will leave some things with the hotel keeper for you."

       

Sam Davis Memorial on his hanging site

       He rode to the hanging site sitting atop his coffin in an army wagon. The Federal soldiers escorting Sam, begged him to cooperate so they wouldn’t have to see him hanged. Arriving atop the hill just outside of town, a noose was placed around his neck. It was his twenty-first birthday. The officer in command of the hanging had trouble performing the awful task because Sam looked so young. Sam told the man, “Officer, I did my duty. Now you do yours.”

       The Boy Hero of the Confederacy rests today behind his boyhood home in Smyrna, Tennessee. In a future blog I will tell the sad story of his cousin, also a member of Coleman's Scouts.

Stone marking the exact spot where he was executed

Sam Davis grave

A close up of his tombstone

A Vision Across The Miles

Confederate Brigadier General States Rights Gist

       Confederate Brigadier General States Rights Gist was standing on Winstead Hill just south of the town of Franklin on November 30, 1864. He was busy trying to convince his servant Wiley to saddle his horse “Joe Johnston” for the coming charge because his other horse “Kitty“ was broken down. Wiley tried his best to persuade Gist not to ride this particular horse, saying, “Marse States, you ain’t got no business riding Joe. Joe ain’t got no sense when the bullets come around.”

       Gist had no choice because “Kitty” was stumbling as she walked. He replied, “He’ll just have to get used to the bullets.”

       Gist also realized the danger the frontal assault would present. He told his servant, “Wiley, you take charge of my money, my watch and ring. I might get tripped up this evening. Use what money you need, and if anything happens, take the watch and ring to my wife.”

       

Photo of Gist in the South Carolina Militia

       At that same moment almost four hundred miles away, General Gist’s brother Nathaniel lay of his deathbed with a fever. Their sister Sarah sat next to the bed attempting to make him as comfortable as possible. Nathaniel Gist had gotten typhoid fever while bringing the body of a dead relative from the front lines home for burial. 

       Nathaniel appeared to be getting delirious from his high fever. He stared at the ceiling as if he were seeing something happening far away. Suddenly, he announced, “Sarah, States has been killed in battle this afternoon.”

       Everyone present in the room became unnerved by the announcement. There was no reason to believe States Gist had even been in a battle, much less killed. He’d made it through three years of war with only a few minor wounds. Sarah attempted to calm Nathaniel. She was sure it was only the fever. 

       She said, “No, States is all right, your only dreaming.”

       Nathaniel refused to be comforted. He continued in his delirium, determined that his younger brother was dead. Finally, he announced, “I know that States is dead.”

       Back in Tennessee, States Rights Gist was leading his brigade of South  Carolina troops forward in one of the bloodiest assaults in the history of this country. Gist’s horse “Joe” was shot through the neck and began to plunge so wildly that the general was forced to dismount. 

       States then charged forward on foot leading his men. As they approached the Federal line, Gist was hit in the thigh by rifle fire. He refused to leave the field and was determined to share the fate of his men. As they reached the Federal breastworks, Gist was hit in the chest, a bullet passing through his left lung. He was in intense pain and as he was carried from the field, his last words were to one of his staff officers, “Lieutenant Trenholm, take me home to my wife.” 

       

Janie Gist

       He died at a field hospital at 8:30 p.m. His servant Wiley heard that Gist had been wounded and went in search of him. He asked a local lady if he could bury Gist in her yard and she was only too happy to provide a place for the great man. His wife, Janie Gist had his body brought back to South Carolina in 1866 and he rests there today in Trinity Episcopal Church Cemetery, Columbia, South Carolina. 

       Nathaniel survived his brother by only nine days. He rests in Fair Forest Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Jonesville, South Carolina. How he could possibly know his brother was dying in battle is a mystery. Perhaps when one is that close to death, he can sense things about those he loves so much.

Grave of States Rights Gist