The Last Moments of Two Mississippi Brothers

 

On top is Lt. Enoch Henderson Williams and on bottom is Joseph Green English Williams, both of Company C, 40th Mississippi Infantry. (Photo's courtesy of Danny Jones.)

       One of the saddest stories of the Civil War happened at the Battle of Franklin in Tennessee. Two brothers fought in the same company in the 40th Mississippi Infantry. Enoch Williams was born in 1806 in Georgia. He died one year before the war began. At some point he moved his family to Atalla County, Mississippi. Nothing is known about his wife except her name was Nancy. He had five children, four boys and a girl (some sources state that he actually had six boys and a girl). His oldest son William Williams died two years before the war began at the age of 26. 

       Enoch's second son was named Enoch Henderson Williams. He enlisted in Company E, 18th Mississippi Infantry when the war began. Just after the Battle of Shiloh, Enoch transferred to Company C, 40th Mississippi Infantry where he was commissioned a lieutenant. Enoch's brother Joseph Green English Williams also enlisted in Company E, 18th Mississippi Infantry. It was noted that as the two brothers were growing up, they were inseparable. They both attended Mississippi College together and it quickly became obvious that the younger brother Joseph was the better student. It made sense that they would both join the Confederate Army together. Joseph transferred to the 40th Mississippi with Enoch and was also commissioned a lieutenant. 

Private Columbus Marion Williams (Photo courtesy of Danny Jones)

       Another brother Columbus Marion Williams joined Company E, 18th Mississippi Infantry and records show that he got sick, was sent home where he died. Family sources say he was severely wounded at Gettysburg and was captured. When he was exchanged he was sent home to Mississippi to recuperate. According to the family, he died of gangrene in the still unhealed wound in 1870 at the age of 25.

       The source that claims there were six brothers says five of them died in the war and only Columbus survived. The names of these brothers or where they possibly served and died are not known if they even existed. 

       The story becomes much more melancholy. At the Battle of Franklin, Enoch and Joseph were still lieutenants in the 40th Mississippi Infantry in Winfield Featherston's Brigade. They went into the assault on the right flank of the Confederate Army having to fight their way past an Osage abatis. At some point in the fight, Enoch was shot in the stomach and Joseph was severely wounded in the arm. They were found the next morning, both had deceased, both holding the other brother's wound attempting to staunch the flow of blood. Each had tried to save his brother's life over his own. 

       They were probably buried together, the Confederate dead were placed in the ditch outside the earthworks. Later, Carrie McGavock of the Carnton Plantation had these men exhumed and placed in the Confederate Cemetery behind her house. Enoch was recognized (probably by something written in his pocket), however Joseph was not. Enoch rests in the Mississippi Section of the Confederate Cemetery in grave number 3. Joseph rests in an unmarked grave either in the Mississippi Section or the Unknown Section of the Cemetery. We can only hope they are buried near each other. Enoch was 27 and Joseph was 24. 

       The only information I could find about the one surviving sibling was Nannie Elizabeth Williams married a man named Johnson. I couldn't find any information on whether they ever had any children. Nannie died in 1911 at the age of 62. She rests today in Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee. The story becomes even sadder when you realize that the only chance for the family line to continue was through Columbus. He married Francis "Fannie" Elizabeth Sallis. They had two children, one child which was born dead in 1868 and a daughter born in 1869 named Elma Marion Williams. Unfortunately, she died at the age of three. Fannie lived until 1926. All four rest today in Sallis Cemetery, Sallis, Mississippi. 

       

       

A Mini-Civil Wargasm With My Buddy Pat: Part II

Ruthie, Stacie, and Pat

       I went to church with Pat Sunday morning and on the way back to his house, he took me to a few places. I didn't expect much, a Confederate cemetery, and an old ironworks site. The cemetery was larger than I expected and kept extremely neat. These soldiers were brought to a house that still stands today (but privately owned) from Mississippi where they died of disease and wounds. Pat said he'd never been inside the house. I told him that I'd ask if they would show us around, but we arrived to find a fence around the property with a large iron gate. We figured they didn't want to show anyone around by the looks of things. 

About half of the Confederate Cemetery

       The next stop found us in Shelby, Alabama outside what appeared to be an old abandoned house. It was actually the Shelby Hotel and dated back to the war. Again, we wanted to go inside, but someone had a padlock on the door. The place has fallen into disrepair and it appears someone plans to let if fall apart. Pat said the last time he visited the site the windows were all intact. The glass is very old and its a shame someone is vandalizing the place. 

Shelby Hotel

       Next to the hotel is the old Shelby Ironworks site. There is a neat little park on the south side of the road, but across the road stands the ribs of one of the old furnaces. Someone had recently cleared the area with a bulldozer, so Pat and I prowled a good deal of the area. We found more ruins, but my biggest fear was chiggers. Since taking Doc Rick Price to Shy's Hill two years ago, I've had an extreme fear of chiggers. I was eaten alive. Pat promised me we were safe and luckily, almost two weeks later, not a bite. 

Remains of one of the furnaces

       I got on Pat's nerves asking him a thousand questions regarding the area. He finally told me that I was asking him things he couldn't answer. The place was so neat and I was so excited that I wasn't thinking about how I sounded. Arriving home, I did a little research and learned just how large the ironworks site truly was. 

An old Photo of both furnaces

A map of the entire area showing the Shelby Hotel, furnaces, and rail lines

       Overall, the trip was a blast and I'm already looking forward to the next one. I told Pat next time I'll take him down to Columbus, Georgia to the Civil War Naval Museum. We may even head on down to Andersonville, another place I've never mentioned if he would like. 

Sam Stewart and the tragic Company B, 35th Alabama Infantry at Franklin

Lagrange Military College

       Lagrange College in Franklin County, Alabama (now Colbert, County, Alabama), was known as the West Point of the South. Young men from all over the country came here for a military education. In March, 1862, the 35th Alabama Infantry Regiment was formed at the school. The majority of the officer corps and a good deal of the enlisted men came from the student body. A lot of local farmers also enlisted with the regiment. 

       The regiment would go on to see action at the battles of Baton Rouge, Port Hudson, Corinth, Champions Hill, Jackson and throughout the Atlanta Campaign. Company B would march into Tennessee with General Hood with only twenty-one men. 

At Franklin, the 35th Alabama Regiment served under General Scott, William Loring’s Division and Alexander Peter Stewart’s Corps. They would advance on the far right near the Carnton Plantation and charged the Osage Orange abates in front of the Federal breastworks. 

Captain Samuel D. Stewart led these men. The boy was from near Mobile, Alabama and was only 21 years old. Stewart was elated  at the thought of charging across two miles of open fields and hitting the Federal lines. He may have just been trying to keep his men’s spirits up. Most men knew that few of them would come out of this battle unscathed. 

Captain Samuel D. Stewart

       Stewart said, “With this open field, we’ll be able to see who gets the farthest. I know Company B will not be behind and will continue to hold their high standing in the regiment.”

The regiment marched to within seventy-five yards of the Federal line before the enemy infantry opened fire. The men charged forward and reaching the Osage Orange found that they couldn’t fight their way through the man made barrier. 

Captain Stewart was right there with his men, hacking at the tree limbs with his sword. A bullet soon struck him in the abdomen, he crashed forward into the abatis and rolled out on the ground. His men thought he was dead, but he soon rose again only to have his left ear shot off. He was carried back to the McGavock House where he suffered tremendously. Some reports state he had four bullet wounds. He would die sometime during the night. 

        Of the twenty-one men who went into action at Franklin, four would be killed, thirteen wounded and out of action, two would be slightly wounded and only two came out unscathed. Besides Captain Stewart,  Fourth Sergeant Tom Peebles, Private William Bradley and Color Bearer Robert Wheeler would die. 

Joseph Thompson and Richard D. Beaumont would both be wounded by the same cannonball. Joe Thompson would have his leg amputated at the field hospital near the McGavock House. Second Sergeant Daniel Downs and Private’s William Woodford, James O. Murphy, A. Waddy Mosely, and J.P. Cooper would all be wounded. Steve Harmon would make it on to Nashville where he would be captured. The rest of the company present at Franklin haven’t been identified yet. 

       Joe Thompson wrote following the war how the entire town of Franklin within four miles of the battlefield had opened their doors and taken in the wounded. He had nothing but the highest compliments for the people of Franklin, Tennessee. 

Today, Lagrange College no longer exists. On April 28, 1863, the Federal Army under Colonel Florence M. Cornyn burned the college down. The brave color bearer Robert Wheeler would be brought home to Tuscumbia, Alabama where he rests in Oakwood Cemetery, not far from the grave of Brigadier General James Deshler. Captain Samuel Stewart still rests today in the McGavock Confederate Cemetery in Franklin, Tennessee.

Grave of Captain Samuel D. Stewart