This project represents one of the most extensive resources yet made available on the site. Having examined in excess of 11,000 entries for Confederate veterans living in Alabama in 1907, I extracted the details on those men of Irish birth. I then combined it with analysis of the Irishmen’s service records and pension applications, creating mini-biographies for each of them. Using this data I mapped them at three points in their lives; their place of birth in Ireland, their place of enlistment into Confederate or State service, and their place of residence in Alabama in 1907. This information is now available for the first time to explore below.
Some of the maps produced based on the Alabama Confederate veteran information; birthplaces in Ireland and enlistment locations during the Civil War.
Those who had fought for the Confederacy or their dependents did not become eligible for Federal pensions until 1958. Prior to that, some individual former Confederate states did offer pensions, most usually to those who were in indigent circumstances. These pensions tended to apply to those former Confederates living within the state, regardless of whether or not they had served that state during the war. In 1907 Alabama undertook a census of all the Confederate veterans residing within its boundaries for the purposes of managing pension applications. It was an enumeration they repeated in 1921. The census recorded the veteran’s name, place of residence, birth date and birth place, enlistment and service details across all 67 Alabama counties. The information within this census provides us with an opportunity to examine the Irish Confederate veterans who were living in Alabama in 1907. Examining the original census returns for 65 of the counties and transcripts of the remaining two, this information acted as a baseline for mapping these Confederate Irishmen across the 19th and 20th centuries. In order to compliment this information, and for comparative purposes, this information was combined with an examination of the Irishmen’s original service records where they were available, as well as any original pension files which the men or their widows had received. The resource below combines all this data, providing maps of the men’s origins in Ireland, their enlistment locations in the Confederacy, and their place of residency in 1907 Alabama. It also includes a table of the number of Irishmen by Alabama county, and the proportion of the overall numbers of Alabama-based veterans they represent, as well as individual biographies of each of the Irish veterans based on the three sources consulted.
Overview of the Data
In total 11,741 records on the 1907 Alabama Confederate Census were assessed (See Table 1 below). Of these, 54 men gave their place of birth as Ireland– 0.46% of the total. Of the 67 counties enumerated in Alabama, only 14 had Irishmen who had fought for the Confederacy living in them in 1907. These were Chilton County (3), Clay County (1), Cullman County (1), Dallas County (1), Elmore County (1), Greene County (1), Jefferson County (4), Lauderdale County (1), Marshall County (1), Mobile County (32), Montgomery County (5), Shelby County (1), Tuscaloosa County (1) and Walker County (1). As can be seen, the story of Irish veterans in Alabama is overwhelmingly a story of the Irish population in Mobile. Research by Professor David Gleeson has indicated that 16% of the soldiers who enlisted from Mobile during the war were of Irish birth, representing 35% of Mobile’s Irish male population aged over 15. Included within the the group of 54 Irishmen are a number who served in specifically Irish companies, namely the ‘Emerald Guards’, who served as Company I of the 8th Alabama Infantry, and the ‘Emmet Guards’, who fought as Company B of the 24th Alabama Infantry. Both these companies were recruited out of Mobile. The information on the 1907 census was largely based on details provided to the enumerator by the veteran. Analysis of the original military records of these men adds further detail to their service, and often highlights discrepancies between the versions of the experiences which they gave and that officially recorded during the war. The pension applications themselves give an insight into how old age impacted the men and how well they had fared economically; they also occasionally offer glimpses of the treatment and attitudes towards African-Americans that were fundamental to both the conduct of the Civil War and opposition to Reconstruction. (1)
Ireland
Of the 54 Irishmen, details regarding at least a county of origin was available in 45 instances. In many of these a town or townland of origin was also stated. You can explore this mapped data in more detail by clicking the images below (it is also recorded in the individual biographies). In all 20 Irish counties were identified as places of birth. Cork had the highest representation with 9 veterans, followed by Donegal (4), Galway (4), Derry (3), Laois (3, including two brothers), Wicklow (3), Fermanagh (2), Longford (2), Mayo (2), Roscommon (2), Sligo (2), Antrim (1), Dublin (1), Kildare (1), Louth (1), Tipperary (1), Waterford (1), Westmeath (1), Wexford (1) and Limerick (1).
The locations where Irish Confederate veterans recorded in the 1907 Alabama Census were born. For those where county only was provided, the county town was selected as a representative location. Those identified to Ireland only were excluded. Click on the map to view it in detail; each point contains information on the soldier or sailor’s service.
Heat map of the birthplaces of Irish Confederate veterans recorded in the 1907 census, showing where concentrations of the men came from. Cork had the highest number of veterans. Click on the image to visit the map and explore it in further detail.
Enlistment
The majority of the Irishmen enlisted in Alabama, with Mobile topping the list of locations where they joined up. A number of the men had served in the units of different states, only moving to Alabama after the Civil War. These included soldiers who had joined the colors in Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana. Aside from Alabama units, men are represented who fought with well-known units such as Patrick Cleburne’s 15th Arkansas, with the Kentucky ‘Orphan Brigade’, with Wheat’s Louisiana Tigers and with the 5th Confederate Infantry, among others. You can explore details relating to these men by clicking on the map images below and by exploring their biographies. It was often the case that those pension applications from men who had served outside the state contain more detail than those from Alabama. The reason was that in the absence of comrades from their unit in Alabama to give affidavits for them, these veterans had to describe their service in detail. Where this occurred their statements are quoted in full in the biographical section.
The locations where Irish Confederate pensioners living in Alabama in 1907 enlisted for Civil War service. Click on the link to access the map and examine the details behind some of the men.
Heat map showing the density by location of where Irish Confederates living in Alabama in 1907 had enlisted for Civil War service. The major centre is Mobile, Alabama. Click on the image to explore the map.
Veterans
The final series of maps relate to the Alabama locations where the veterans lived in 1907. Again these are overwhelmingly centred on Mobile, as is made clear in the heat map. To explore some of the men and where they made their homes in the early 20th century you can click on the maps below. For those who received pensions from the state there is often significant detail pertaining to their property and post-war activities, which have been incorporated into the biographies.
The locations where Irish Confederate veterans were living in Alabama at the time of the 1907 Census. Click on the link to explore the map in more detail and view service details of some of the men.
Heat Maps
Heat map showing concentrations of Irish Confederate veterans living in Alabama in 1907. The vast majority were centred around Mobile. Click on the image to examine in further detail.
Biographies
Biographies of each of the 54 men on which the mapping has been based are provided below. They are arranged by county, and are compiled from three sources of information– the 1907 Enumeration, their Civil War Service Record and their Alabama State Pension records. The information under each soldier is broken down by source and describes what each says about the soldier or sailor’s service; as readers will note the details they provide are demonstrably not always accurate. The fruits of combining these sources can be extremely compelling; while some demonstrate sustained and dedicated service to the Confederacy, others indicate that men may not always have been truthful about either their length of service or how that service came to an end. Some entries provide detail on men whose service can be harder to reveal than those who served in army units, such as those who were in State Militias, the Confederate Navy or the Confederate Engineers. As indicated above, they can also offer glimpses into the treatment and view towards African-Americans.
Dedicated Service
There are many examples of dedicated service to the Confederacy among the men below. James Holland of Ballydehob, Co. Cork served for the entire war in the 2nd Tennessee and 5th Confederate Infantry until captured at Nashville, while Patrick Dougherty was selected for the Color Guard of the 41st Alabama Infantry. Thomas Bergin of Co. Laois stayed with the 2nd Kentucky Infantry through the war, while men like Thomas Griffen of the 7th Louisiana and James Killion of the 8th Alabama went all the way to Appomattox; Richard Long of Cork and the 15th Tennessee all the way to Bentonville. Others were severely wounded in the course of their service; Thomas Gordon of Galway and the 8th Alabama lost his left eye at Gettysburg, while Pierce Kent of Castlelyons, also of the 8th Alabama, was shot in the head at the same battle. Richard Jordan of Gort and the 3rd Alabama Infantry took four wounds at Seven Pines, while Michael Burke of Galway and the 15th Arkansas Infantry went down carrying the colors at Missionary Ridge. For many, service to their state and their comrades meant giving their all to the cause.
Discrepancies
Just as there are those below who gave exemplary service, there are also those who seem to have been less dedicated. In the decades following the American Civil War, former Confederate soldiers often chose to misrepresent how their time in the army had ended. Understandably, they were often reluctant to admit having deserted the cause, having taken the Oath of Allegiance or having been less than committed to the Confederacy. To do so would have impacted not only any future prospects they had of obtaining a pension, but would also likely have had social repercussions. This is an aspect of Irish service that is explored in fascinating detail by Professor David Gleeson in his book The Green and the Gray. Combining some of the sources below shows that a number of the Alabama Irishmen may have been economical with the truth when the enumerator came calling in 1907. Among them were men like James McIntyre, from Co. Donegal. In 1907 James claimed to have served with the 9th Mississippi Infantry until April 1865, but his service record suggests he deserted the cause at Dalton, Georgia in 1864. Frank Skelly of Drogheda and the 24th Alabama Infantry was arrested by the Provost Marshal in December 1863, perhaps having attempted to desert. Lieutenant Jeremiah Lynch from Whitechurch in Co. Cork and the 24th Alabama Infantry said he was wounded and captured at Atlanta in 1864 (which he may have been) but his service record indicates he was court-martialed and cashiered from the regiment in 1863. Michael McGuire of Co. Longford said he was captured at Gettysburg while in the 15th Alabama Cavalry, but his unit never served there. Dennis Brady of Co. Donegal served in Lumsden’s Battery, but in January 1865 told his Union captors that he wanted to take the Oath of Allegiance, claiming he was loyal and had only enlisted in the Confederate army to avoid conscription.
Accounts
There are a number of notable accounts of service, particularly for those men who served in non-Alabama units, like Thomas Griffen, who was clearly a formidable Louisiana soldier. As well as the recounting of military exploits there are also indicators of the general attitude to African-Americans held by many Alabama Irishmen, and the arduous conditions they faced during the war. William Lilley of Waterford City, who in the late war years worked with the Confederate Engineers in Mobile, noted that among his jobs was “standing guard over the Yankee negro prisoners” who were employed in helping to build obstructions. One can imagine the horrendous conditions these men would have been subjected to as they were effectively returned to slavery. Most revealing though is the rather chilling letter written in 1912 by the friend of John Henry Toner from Co. Derry. Toner had been seeking entry to the Alabama Confederate Soldier’s Home, but apparently some queries had been raised about his service. A lawyer friend of Toner’s in Mobile wrote to the Home to support his case. In addition to highlighting his service in the Civil War, he also added that Toner remained true to the cause after the conflict:
“when the call of the white men of this State to protect the homes and the lives of the women and children during the rule of the Carpet-Bagger and the Black, Toner was no laggard and on more than one occasion he carried his life in his hand, his military training in those days stood him in good stead.”
What exactly carrying “his life in his hand” entailed after 1865 is not made clear, but the letter suggests it involved targeting Northerners and African-Americans. That having participated in such activities would be deemed a point of honour in 1912 speaks volumes about the realities of the Jim Crow era, and the involvement of at least some of the Mobile Irish population in the opposition to post-war Reconstruction.
Old Age
The pension file data in particular provides an insight into what life could be like as an elderly veteran in the early decades of the 20th century. For those who relied on physical work, their ability to earn a living as a laborer or farmer reduced significantly as they became less able to work, and presumably also less desirable employees. It is interesting to note that a number of the veterans, such as Thomas Griffen, Jeremiah Lynch and Patrick Burke, worked as watchmen, clearly an activity that was one of the few open to the elderly. Some were reliant on the charity of family or friends, while a number sought and received admission to the state home for Confederate veterans. There follows below the 54 individual biographies, organised by county of habitation. As always I would be pleased to hear from readers who may have additional information on any of these men’s service.
CHILTON COUNTY IRISHMEN
ROSS BROWN, IRELAND
1907 Enumeration: Born on 17th March 1829, he entered Confederate service as private in October 1861 in Mobile, Alabama. He served in Company A of the 21st Alabama Infantry, and was paroled in Mobile in 1865. In 1907 he lived in Mountain Creek, Chilton County.
Civil War Service Record: Service record confirms enlistment in Company A of the 21st Alabama Infantry on 13th October 1861. It notes that he refused to take the bounty. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a fair complexion, gray eyes and brown hair, and was by profession a sailor. He was discharged on 28th October 1862 on condition that he enlist in the naval service. A Ross Brown is recorded on the strength of the C.S.S. Morgan as a Quartermaster, though it is unclear if this is the same man.
Alabama State Pension (11292): Applied for pension in 1902. Claimed service in 21st Alabama Infantry and also aboard CSS Morgan. Claimed to have been wounded at the Battle of Shiloh. Claimed to have had charge of the ordinance at Mobile in the evacuation and was captured as he was coming into the city from the works. He was left when the evacuation took place. He was 72-years-old on making the application and was unable to make a living due to old age. He was illiterate and lived in Mobile. He had no real estate or personal property. Although he had one grown son he was of no assistance to him.
ROBERT CRU[I]SE, IRELAND
1907 Enumeration: Born on 7th March 1833. Robert entered Confederate service at Mobile in April 1861, serving as a Captain in the navy. He surrendered at Fort Morgan, Alabama. In 1907 he was living in Mountain Creek, Chilton County.
Civil War Service Record: I have not found any further information on Robert’s service.
Alabama State Pension: I have not yet identified a pension based on Robert’s service.
JAMES ROBINSON, IRELAND
1907 Enumeration: Born on 12th June 1833, he enrolled as a private in Company C of the 2nd Sharpshooters in Augusta, Georgia in March 1862. He was paroled in Augusta Georgia in May 1865. In 1907 he lived in Mountain Creek, Chilton County.
Civil War Service Record: Service record confirms enlistment in Company C of the 2nd Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters on 15th May 1862. He was in hospital in Union Springs, Alabama in July 1864.
Alabama State Pension: I have not yet identified a pension based on James’s service.
CLAY COUNTY IRISHMEN
JAMES MCINTYRE, CASTLETOWN, CO. DONEGAL
1907 Enumeration: Born on 18th February 1843, James enlisted in Eufaula, Alabama as private on 17th June 1861. He served in Clark’s Company A of the 1st Alabama Regiment until December 1861, when he re-enlisted as a private in Company B of the 9th Mississippi Infantry at Fort Barrancas, Florida. He continued with them into 1864 when he was transferred to Virginia, where his service was terminated by parole in May 1865. Two years of his service was spent as a Corporal. In 1907 he lived in Quenelda, Clay County.
Civil War Service Record: Service record confirms enlistment in Company A of the 1st Alabama Infantry on 6th February 1861. He was 5 feet 4 inches tall, with blue eyes and dark hair and by profession was a laborer. He was transferred to Company B of the 9th Mississippi Infantry by order of General Bragg on 15th December 1861. He was reported sick in hospital at Lauderdale Springs, Mississippi on 1st June 1862. He deserted from camp near Dalton, Georgia on 15th January 1864.
Alabama State Pension: I have not yet identified a pension based on James’s service.
CULLMAN COUNTY IRISHMEN
JAMES HOLLAND, BALLYDEHOB, CO. CORK
1907 Enumeration: Born on 23rd December 1840. Enlisted as a private on 1st March 1861 in Memphis, Tennessee and re-enlisted in Corinth, Mississippi in April 1862 for service in the 5th Confederate Infantry. Wounded a Chickamauga on 19th September 1863, he was captured on 16th December 1864, continuing in service until 5th June 1865. He remained all through the service and never had a furlough. He was imprisoned in Camp Douglas and at Point Lookout, Maryland. He had no papers, only those that were in the Auditor’s Office in Montgomery from the Secretary of War. In 1907 he lived in Hanceville, Cullman County.
Civil War Service Record: James Holland enlisted in Company K of the 2nd Tennessee Infantry (Knox Walker’s) on 26th April 1861. When the 2nd was consolidated with the 21st Tennessee he became a member of Company D of the 5th Confederate Infantry. In July 1863 he was engaged in guarding cattle at Tyner’s Station, Tennessee. He was confirmed wounded at Chickamauga on 20th September 1863, and spent time in hospital in Tunnel Hill & Forsythe, Georgia. He returned to his regiment sometime in 1864, and was captured at Nashville on 16th December after which he was taken to Louisville, Kentucky and ultimately imprisoned in Camp Douglas, Illinois. He was transferred to Point Lookout, Maryland on 23rd March 1865 and was released on 5th June 1865.
Alabama State Pension (1709): Applied for pension in 1900. Living in Hanceville, he was 60-years-old when he applied, and claimed he could not carry out manual labour due to his Chickamauga wound and as a result of hear failure and rheumatism. He had 80 acres of land with a common plank house, a corn crib and common stables valued at $250. His personal property amounted to 1 horse ($20), 2 cows and calves ($20), 6 hogs (sows and pigs) ($10), 1 clock ($2), 1 wagon ($10) and farming tools and implements ($5). On 25th March 1899 he wrote to the auditor in Washington D.C. for a discharge pertaining to his service in order to advance his pension claim. In it he noted: “I was discharged from hospital at Point Lookout M.D. about the 5th of July 1865 I was captured at the Battle of Nashville in 1864, when Hood and Thomas fought. I was private in the 5th Confed Tenn Vols which the records will show…I am now old, and don’t know of any of my comrades are living as I belonged to an Irish Regt and am an Irishman, my comrades are all dead or their whereabouts are unknown to me.” On 23rd March 1914 was told he was ineligible for a pension as his name could not be found on the rolls of the regiment, apparently a result of the administrators checking the rolls of the 5th Tennessee Infantry rather than the 5th Confederate Infantry.
DALLAS COUNTY IRISHMEN
JOHN CHARLES JONES, CO. CORK
1907 Enumeration: Born on 12th October 1835, he entered service as a private on 10th April 1861 in Livingston, Alabama, becoming a soldier in Company G of the 5th Alabama Infantry. He was captured at the Battle of the Wilderness on 6th May 1864. In 1907 he lived in Selma, Dallas County.
Civil War Service Record: The service record of John C. Jones is limited; it confirms his service in Company D of the 5th Alabama Infantry, and notes that he was promoted to Corporal.
Alabama State Pension (11804): Applied for pension in 1911 at the age of 76 and he was granted a Class 2 pension on 16th August that year. He claimed he was not able to carry out manual labour due to sickness and old age– he was partially paralysed on his left side. He owned no real estate or personal property.
ELMORE COUNTY IRISHMEN
WILLIAM H. SMITH, IRELAND
1907 Enumeration: Born on 3rd April 1846. Entered service as a private in January 1861 in Tuskegee, Alabama to serve in the Tuskegee Zouaves. He was captured on the retreat following the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stones River), and had first seen service at the Navy Yard in Pensacola, Florida. He re-enlisted as a private in the 51st Alabama Cavalry in Selmer (Tennessee?) and remained in service until the end of the war, at which time he was imprisoned. Wounded twice during the conflict, he was paroled from Point Lookout, Maryland. In 1907 he lived in Robinson Springs, Elmore County.
Civil War Service Record: The Tuskegee Zouaves served as Company B of the 4th Alabama Infantry, but did not see service in the Western Theater, so William H. Smith could not have been serving with them when he fought there. There are no precise matches to William H. Smith in either the 4th Alabama Infantry or the 51st Alabama Partisan Rangers, though he may be one of the men recorded as Smith.
Alabama State Pension: I have not yet identified a pension based on William’s service.
GREENE COUNTY IRISHMEN
JOHN ELLIS, IRELAND
1907 Enumeration: Born on 25th December 1826[?] and entered service as a private in Eutaw, Alabama in March 1862. He served in Company C of the 2nd Alabama Cavalry, and served until the close of the war, being paroled at Gainesville, Alabama in April 1865. In 1907 he lived in Clinton, Greene County.
Civil War Service Record: John Ellis enlisted on 22nd March 1862 in Company C of the 2nd Alabama Cavalry. He had to pay 40 cents per day for his horse. He was serving as a blacksmith for the regiment in late 1862. He was part of a detachment commanded by Captain J.L. Price surrendered at Citronelle, Alabama by Lieutenant General Richard Taylor on 4th May 1865 and paroled at Gainesville at on 13th May.
Alabama State Pension (7581): Applied for pension in 1899. Said he was 80-years-old in 1906 and was unable to make a living from manual labour. Although he was a farmer he owned no land, but had 1 horse valued at $20 and mechanical and farming tools and implements valued at $10.
JEFFERSON COUNTY IRISHMEN
PATRICK HENRY DOUGHERTY, ‘BENEGAT’ [?], IRELAND
1907 Enumeration: Born on 20th March 1834 [?] and entered the service as a private in Carrolton, Alabama in the Spring of 1862. He served in Company D of the 41st Alabama Infantry until the close of the war, when he was paroled at Danville, Virginia. In 1907 he was living in Bessemer, Jefferson County.
Civil War Service Record: The service record confirms Pat Dougherty enlisted on 27th March 1862 in Company D of the 41st Alabama Infantry. He became part of the Color Guard from 10th October 1862 and was serving as a Corporal. He was in hospital suffering from rheumatism on 30th January 1863, and was again sent to hospital in Dalton, Georgia on 25th June 1863 ,but was back with his regiment shortly afterwards. He was absent on furlough in June 1864, but afterwards returned to the unit.
Alabama State Pension: I have not yet identified the pension based on Patrick’s service.
DARBY DUNN, CO. WEXFORD
1907 Enumeration: Born in 1832, Darby entered the service as private in 1863 at Brock’s Gap, Alabama. He served in the Truss Home Guards and was captured at Brock’s Gap. in 1907 he lived in New Castle, Jefferson County.
Civil War Service Record: I have not located service records for the Truss Home Guards.
Alabama State Pension: I have not yet identified the pension based on Darby’s service.
JOHN MARTIN HORAN, SLIGO TOWN, CO. SLIGO
1907 Enumeration: Born on 6th January 1840, he entered service as a private in Perry, Georgia on 15th March 1861. He became a soldier in Company C of the 1st Georgia. On 15th April 1862 he received 30 days furlough, and enlisted in Terrell Light Artillery in Perry, Georgia in May 1862. He was made drill sergeant of heavy artillery and remained as such, also spending 6 months as orderly sergeant. In 1907 he lived in East Lake, Jefferson County.
Civil War Service Record: I have not located a record for John Martin Horan in the 1st Georgia or the Terrell Light Artillery.
Alabama State Pension: I have not yet identified a pension based on John’s service.
FRANCIS PATRICK O’BRIEN, DUBLIN CITY, CO. DUBLIN
1907 Enumeration: Born on 29th February 1844. He enlisted as a private in the Independent Rifles at Montgomery, Alabama on 9th January 1861, serving until 20th April that year. He re-enlisted that day as a private in the Montgomery True Blues, 3rd Alabama Regiment (also in Montgomery) and was with them until 1st April 1862. On 30th April 1862 he enlisted as a private in Norfolk, Virginia in the Montgomery True Blue Light Artillery, with whom he stayed until his parole on 15th May 1865. In 1907 Francis lived in Birmingham, Jefferson County.
Civil War Service Record: Frank P. O’Brien became a private in Company G of the 3rd Alabama Infantry, having enlisted on 7th January 1861. He is recorded as serving with Lee’s Battery of Alabama Light Artillery, and was on furlough in April 1863. He was absent without leave in October 1863, but returned, and was recorded as having another furlough in June 1864. He appears on a roll of prisoners of war at Fortress Monroe on 27th December 1864 having been captured on 12th December near Hamilton, North Carolina while holding the rank of Commissary Sergeant. He was paroled at Point Lookout, Maryland on 18th February 1865.
Alabama State Pension: I have not yet identified a pension based on Francis’s service.
LAUDERDALE COUNTY IRISHMEN
THOMAS B. BERGIN, CO. LAOIS
1907 Enumeration: Born on 22nd April 1835, he enlisted as private at Nashville, Tennessee in May 1861, serving in Company F of the 1st Kentucky Cavalry. In 1863 he was transferred to Company F of the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry with whom he served until 1865, being discharged at Richmond, Virginia. In 1907 he lived in Killen, Lauderdale County.
Civil War Service Record: Service record shows he served in Company F of the 2nd Kentucky Mounted Infantry. His service record shows he took the Oath of Allegiance to the United States at Nashville, Tennessee on 22nd May 1865, having surrendered at Washington, Georgia on 9th May 1865. His place of residence was given as St. Louis County, Missouri, his complexion as dark, hair as dark, eye colour as hazel and height as 5 feet 8 inches.
Alabama State Pension: (17015): Applied for pension in 1907. Had been wounded in the left ankle by a pistol ball during the war which left him lame. Said he was 64 in 1907. He was illiterate. In 1907 he was farming 40 acres of land which were worth $200. He had 1 old mule valued at $50, 1 cow valued at $15, 4 pigs worth $4, 1 clock worth $1, household and kitchen furniture worth $20 and mechanical and farming tools and implements worth $3.
MARSHALL COUNTY IRISHMEN
THOMAS D. GRIFFEN, IRELAND
1907 Enumeration: Born on 9th October 1833. Entered service as a private on 7th June 1861 in New Orleans, Louisiana and served in Company I of the 7th Louisiana Infantry. He was paroled at Appomattox Courthouse or Lynchburg on 9th April 1865. In 1907 he lived in Guntersville, Marshall County.
Civil War Service Record: Service record shows Tom Griffin enlisted in Company I of the 7th Louisiana Infantry on 7th June 1861. He came through all the regiment’s actions in 1861 and the summer of 1862 unscathed, but was wounded at Second Bull Run on 29th August 1862. He missed Chantilly, Harper’s Ferry and Sharpsburg (Antietam) as a result but was back for the Battle of Fredericksburg. He was again wounded at Chancellorsville on 4th May 1863, and missed Winchester and Gettysburg due to this. He was back by the time of Raccoon Ford, but was captured at Rappahannock on 7th November 1863. He was exchanged on 10th March 1864, and spent time recovering in the C.S.A. General Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia between 10th March and 14th April when he received a furlough. He was at the Overland battles until wounded at Cold Harbor. He missed Monocacy while recovering in Wayside Hospital (General Hospital No. 9) in Richmond, but was back again to participate in all the battles that his unit fought in until the end of the war. He was among those surrendered by Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, and was paroled at Lynchburg on 13th April 1865.
Alabama State Pension (107781): Applied for pension in 1899. His initial application indicated he had 40 acres of land, but later stated he had no land. In 1891 he was working as a night watchman. He had a watch/clock/jewellery valued at $6. Claimed he needed pension due to wounds during the war (wound to right knee) and old age. Noted that he was on the skirmish line on the retreat of the Army of Northern Virginia from Richmond in 1865. In his application he said he was wounded at 2nd Manassas (Bull Run), below Fredericksburg, at the Chickahominy and at Port Republic. He gave a statement to say that he had “inlisted in May 1861, in the city of New Orleans…in the Tiger Rifels, Wheats Battalion, and remained in this battalion until they were disbanded, after the seven days fight at Richmond…he then joined Co. I, 7th La…in which company and regiment he continued until Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House…He was wounded four times, as follows: First, at the second battle of Manassas in left arm, Second, at the battle of Port Republic in 1862…he was wounded in the knee, on account of which he is now disabled from making a living by manual labor. Third, at the battle below Fredericksburg in 1863 he was wounded on head and back. Fourth, at the battle of Chickahominy swamp in May 1864 he was wounded in left hipp. That he made diligent search for some member of his company and regiment and after writing all around he has failed to find a single member of his company. He having inlisted in a Louisiana company and has not been back there since 1866, and has lost sight of all his company and regiment. There was only thirty six of that brigade returned to New Orleans after the surrender. After the surrender his command was shipped from Ft. Monroe, Va., to where they took shipping to New Orleans, and that he remained in New Orleans only one year, from which place he came to Marshall County…and has been a resident of the county ever since.”
MOBILE COUNTY IRISHMEN
CHRISTOPHER BAILEY, ATHY, CO. KILDARE
1907 Enumeration: Born on 26th August 1845, he entered the Confederate service as a private on 26th October 1861 in Richmond, Virginia. He served in Company H of the 22nd Alabama Infantry; wounded at the Battle of Franklin on 30th November 1864, he was taken prisoner at Pulaski, Tennessee on 25th December and imprisoned in Nashville and Louisville before his parole on 16th June 1865. In 1907 he lived in Mobile, Alabama.
Civil War Service Record: Christopher Bailey is recorded as enlisting in on 5th August 1861 in Company B of the 22nd Alabama Infantry at Mobile, Alabama. He later served in Company H. He was recorded as 5 feet 6 inches tall with a dark complexion, dark hair and hazel eyes. He was wounded at Shiloh, Christopher was a Sergeant-Major by the time of Nashville in 1864, and is recorded as being captured at Pulaski, Tennessee on 25th December 1864. Placed in No. 1 U.S.A. General Hospital in Nashville on 10th February 1865, he was forwarded to Louisville, Kentucky on 6th May 1865 and was released on 16th June 1865 having taken the Oath of Allegiance.
Alabama State Pension (38785): In application gave date of birth as 26th August 1845. Applied for pension in 1914. In 1914 had a property at the South West Corner of Cedar & Charles St. which was in his wife’s name, who was dead; and in it he had goods and merchandise. His property was valued at $950. He had firearms worth $5 and goods, wares and merchandise worth $75. He was a carpenter but was no longer able to work. Claimed to have been wounded at Shiloh, on 28th July 1864 in front of Atlanta, and at Franklin. Said that after Nashville all wounded were left behind to be taken prisoner. Was in hospital in Pulaski, Tennessee when he was captured in December 1864.
PATRICK BURKE, LIMERICK CITY, CO. LIMERICK
1907 Enumeration: Born on 3rd March 1834, he entered Confederate service as a private on 27th March 1861 in Mobile, Alabama. He served in Company A of the 1st Battalion Alabama Heavy Artillery. Patrick was captured at Fort Gaines, Alabama on 7th August 1864. He served with the provost guard and was paroled at Meridian, Mississippi on 10th May 1865. In 1907 he lived in Mobile, Alabama.
Civil War Service Record: Patrick Burke initially served in Company B of the 1st Battalion Alabama Infantry, rising to Corporal on 22nd August 1861 and later to Sergeant on 29th December the same year. He was recorded as enlisting on 29th March 1861. He was absent on furlough on 17th February 1864, but had returned to be captured at Fort Gaines on 8th August 1864. As a POW he was taken to Ship Island, Mississippi from New Orleans on 25th October, and thereafter he applied to take the Oath of Allegiance. He was exchanged on 4th January 1865.
Alabama State Pension (20539): Application dated 1899. Claimed to have developed rheumatism as a result of suffering from scurvy while a POW at Ship Island. His address was 312 Lipscomb Street in Mobile but did not own his property; he had none, and neither did his wife. He had household and kitchen furniture worth $30. It was claimed that his children could barely support themselves. He worked as a watchman, but his rheumatism meant that he was too feeble to do much.
THOMAS FRANCIS BURKE, MALLOW, CO. CORK
1907 Enumeration: Born on 17th March 1839, he entered Confederate service as a private on 23rd April 1861 in Mobile, Alabama. He served in Company A of the Continental Alabama Light Artillery and was paroled at Mobile on 5th May 1865. In 1907 he lived in Mobile, Alabama.
Civil War Service Record: Thomas Burke is shown as serving in Company A of the Alabama State Artillery having enlisted on 4th May 1861. He was wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga on 20th September 1863 and sent to hospital, there is no further record.
Alabama State Pension (18288): Application dated 1906. Application confirms his birthplace as Mallow, Co. Cork. He had no real estate or personal property. At time of application old age and infirmities were preventing him from carrying out manual labour. He was a widower with two children, but they did not help him. Application claims “he has nothing.” He picked up odd jobs, but did very little and did not make $300 per year. Claims during the war that he was sick when troops came from Fort Blakely and was sent to hospital in Mobile where he was when the Federals took possession of the city.
JAMES BYRNES, CO. WICKLOW
1907 Enumeration: Born on 15th September 1840, he entered Confederate service as a private on 8th July 1861 in Mobile, Alabama and served in Company I of the 12th Alabama Infantry. He was paroled on 9th April 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. In 1907 he lived in Toulminville, Mobile County, Alabama.
Civil War Service Record: James Byrnes is recorded in Company I of the 12th Alabama Infantry having enlisted on 8th June 1861. He was wounded at Spotsylvania Courthouse and was reported absent as a result on 19th May 1864. There is no further record.
Alabama State Pension (20559): Application dated 1908. Recorded as ‘James Burns’. Claimed to have been wounded at Seven Pines (Fair Oaks), Gettysburg and the Wilderness. Was unable to carry out manual labour due to his age, personal debility and wounds. Owned no real estate or personal property of value. He was never married and although he worked a little was too feeble to do much. He was given a place to stay.
JOHN CLASBY, CO. MAYO
1907 Enumeration: Born on 12th April 1844, he entered Confederate service as a private on 5th June 1861 in Mobile Alabama, and served in Company K of the 32nd Alabama Infantry. He was paroled on 8th April [1865?] at Vicksburg, Mississippi. In 1907 he lived Prichard, Mobile County, Alabama.
Civil War Service Record: John Clasby enlisted on 28th March 1861 and became a private in Company K of the 32nd Alabama Infantry. In January 1862 he was detailed as a brigade teamster and held that position for most of that year. He was sent to hospital in Meridian, Mississippi on 26th July 1863 by the Regimental Surgeon but soon returned to duty. There is no further record.
Alabama State Pension (16417): Application dated 1911. Confirmed birthplace as Co. Mayo. He was unable to work due to his age, infirmities and disability. He owned 18 acres in Mobile County valued at $1500. He also owned 1 mule valued at $100, 2 cows valued at $30 and one shotgun valued at $5. States that he was captured at Spanish Fort, Alabama during the war and exchanged at Vicksburg.
JOHN COWLEY, CO. WESTMEATH
1907 Enumeration: Born on 11th October 1843, he entered Confederate service on 1st October 1861 in Mobile Alabama, and served in Company F of the 15th Confederate Cavalry. He was paroled on 25th April 1865 at Gainesville, Alabama, and retained his parole in 1907, when he lived in Mobile.
Civil War Service Record: John Cowley entered service as a private in what would become Company F of the 15th Confederate Cavalry (Alabama and Florida) enlisting on 1st October 1861. Company F had initially been Captain Arrington’s Company A, City Troop, Mobile, Alabama. He appears on a roll of prisoners surrendered at Citronelle, Alabama by Lieutenant General Richard Taylor on 4th May 1865 and was paroled at Gainesville on 14th May 1865.
Alabama State Pension (6913): Application dated 1923. At that time his wife was dead but he had five living children; John aged 51 who had no occupation, William aged 43 who was a lawyer, Solago? aged 30 who was a truck dealer, Amber aged 40, Aggie Roche aged 46 and Annie aged 28. He belonged to a camp of Confederate Veterans. He had a parole dated 14th May 1865 in Gainesville from Major-General Canby allowing him to return to Mobile along with the horse which he owned.
JOHN PATRICK CRONIN, FERMOY, CO. CORK
1907 Enumeration: Born on 10th June 1847 (almost certainly 1827), he entered Confederate service in 1861 in Mobile, Alabama, serving as a private in Charpentier’s Battery of Light Artillery. On 10th April 1865 he was detailed as an ambulance driver in the medical department at Mobile, Alabama and was paroled at Meridian, Mississippi on 13th May 1865. In 1907 he lived in Mobile.
Civil War Service Record: Recorded as Patrick Cronin, he enlisted as a private on 17th October 1861 at the age of 31. He served in Company C of the 2nd Battalion Light Artillery. In March and April 1862 he was sick in General Hospital in Mobile. On 28th April 1862 he was officially detached to serve as a nurse in the General Hospital, and was again sick in September/October and remained the same way for much of 1863. The balance of evidence suggests he remained as a nurse. He appears on a roll of prisoners of war of nurses and patients of Moore Hospital surrendered at Citronelle, Alabama by Lieutenant-General Richard Taylor on 4th May 1865 and was paroled at Meridian, Mississippi on 16th May 1865.
Alabama State Pension: I have not as yet identified a pension associated with John’s service.
DANIEL CROWLEY, IRELAND
1907 Enumeration: Born in 1846, he entered Confederate service in 1861 in Mobile Alabama. He served as a private in the Washington Light Infantry, Company A of the 21st Alabama Infantry. He was captured at Fort Morgan in August 1864 and taken to Elmira, New York. He was paroled at Meridian, Mississippi on 10th May 1865. In 1907 he lived in Mobile.
Civil War Service Record: Daniel Crowley is recorded in Company A of the 21st Alabama Infantry, having enlisted on 13th October 1861. Rising to the rank of Corporal, he was captured at Fort Morgan, Alabama on 23rd August 1864, he was taken to Elmira, New York before being exchanged on 2nd March 1865. He appears on the roll of members of Company E of the regiment commanded by Captain R. Middleton surrendered at Citronelle, Alabama by Lieutenant-General Richard Taylor on 4th May 1865 and paroled at Meridian, Mississippi on 13th May 1865.
Alabama State Pension: Application dated 1912. Claimed he was wounded at Shiloh. He was unable to work due to disability caused by sickness and old age. He owned a house and lot which had a small frame cottage valued at $1500. He had household and kitchen furniture valued at $50.
LAWRENCE JOSEPH CULLEN, BALLYDUFF, CO. WICKLOW
1907 Enumeration: Born on 23rd February 1833, he entered Confederate service in Mobile, Alabama as a blacksmith on 12th April 1863, serving in the Engineer Corps. He was paroled on 15th April 1865 in Mobile, where he still lived in 1907.
Civil War Service Record: I have not as yet located Lawrence’s service record.
Alabama State Pension (4657): Application dated 1911. He was unable to undertake manual labour due to general debility. He had 20 acres of land valued at $100. At the time of his application he was a widower living in the Hanan Home. During the war he was detailed to make horse shoes, and didn’t leave Mobile with the troops who went out in April 1865, at which time he “can’t well tell what happened.”
KEVIN MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM, ‘COLONARY’ [?], CO. WICKLOW
1907 Enumeration: Born on 8th August 1848, he entered service on 15th April 1864 in Montgomery, Alabama. He served as a private in the Home Guards, and on 17th April was detailed to the Quartermasters Department as he was underage. He was in Mexico at the time of the surrender, and was living in Mobile in 1907.
Civil War Service Record: I have not as yet located Kevin’s service record.
Alabama State Pension: I have not as yet located a pension file associated with Kevin’s service.
JOHN DIAMOND, PORTUMNA, CO. GALWAY
1907 Enumeration: Born on 6th October 1839, he entered Confederate service in April 1861 in Millry, Washington County, Alabama. He became a private in Company K of the 15th Alabama Cavalry and was wounded at Pascagoula, Mississippi in July 1862. He was detailed to drive cattle for the Confederate Government, and was in hospital in Lucedale, Mississippi at the time of the surrender. He was living in Mobile in 1907.
Civil War Service Record: I have not been able to locate a service record for John Diamond in the 15th Alabama Cavalry.
Alabama State Pension (11080): Application dated 1899. He was unable to undertake manual labour due to a wound in the left breast, rheumatism and eventually his becoming totally blind in the 20th century. He had worked as a carpenter but became too feeble to secure work regularly. He had several children, noting that some of them were doing very well– one assisted him by paying his rent. When he applied neither he nor his wife had any money. In application stated his year of birth was 6th October 1837. He was illiterate. He had no property and had household and kitchen furniture valued at $12. He claimed to have been wounded in a skirmish near Halls Mills, Alabama.
JAMES DUGGAN, CO. CORK
1907 Enumeration: No date of birth given. Entered service in September 1861 in Mobile, and served in the Mobile Dragoons Cavalry Company. He was paroled on 16th April 1865 at Little Washington, Georgia. In 1907 he lived in Mobile.
Civil War Service Record: James Duggan enlisted on 25th August 1861. He became part of Company B of the 15th (also known as the 1st) Battalion Alabama Partisan Rangers in August 1862. In early 1863 he was sick in the General Hospital in Mobile, but had returned to his unit by March. There is no further detail on his service.
Alabama State Pension: I have not yet located a pension file related to James’s service.
THOMAS GORDON, CO. GALWAY
1907 Enumeration: Born on 6th January 1835, he entered Confederate service on 23rd April 1861. He served as a private in Company I of the 8th Alabama Infantry (Emerald Guards). He was wounded at the Battle of 2nd Manassas (Bull Run) in 1862 and again in the left eye at Gettysburg on 3rd July 1863, where he was captured. He was imprisoned at Davids Island in New York on paroled on 5th October 1863 (3rd October is also given). He received a furlough for disability and remained disabled. In 1907 he lived in Mobile.
Civil War Service Record: Thomas Gordon is shown to have enlisted in Mobile on 20th May 1861, becoming a member of Company I, 8th Alabama Infantry. He was 5 feet 8 inches in height, with a dark complexion, grey eyes and dark hair, and was by occupation a farmer. He was present at engagements such as Yorktown and WIlliamsburg, but was sick during the start of the Seven Days- intermittent fever kept him from his unit between 31st May and 9th June, but he had returned in time to participate at Frazier’s Farm, and was wounded at Second Manassas (Bull Run) on 30th August 1862. He missed Sharpsburg (Antietam) while he recovered, but had returned to take part in Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. He is recorded as having been wounded at Gettysburg on 2nd July 1863 and taken prisoner on the 5th. Thomas was taken to DeCamp General Hospital on Davids Island in New York Harbor, from where he as paroled. He is recorded in S.C. Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia in September 1863 and also spent time in Episcopal Church Hospital in Williamsburg that month. By the Spring of 1864 he was recovering in hospital in Mobile, and was in Ocmulgee Hospital in Macon, Georgia in November 1864. He was retired from service following the examination of a medical board that November, and received a certificate of disability for discharge in January 1865, due to the “total loss of left eye, and great impaired vision of right, effects of gun shot wound received…at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2nd 1863.”
Alabama State Pension: I have not yet located a pension file related to Thomas’s service.
FRANCIS HANLEY, MOUNTMELLICK, CO. LAOIS
1907 Enumeration: Born on 15th January 1841. Entered service in November 1861 at Mobile, Alabama and served as a private in Company B of the 21st Alabama Infantry (Montgomery Guards). In September 1863 he was detailed to Company C of the 2nd Regiment Engineer Troops, and was captured at Fort Blakely, Alabama on 9th April 1865. Imprisoned at Ship Island, he was paroled near Vicksburg, Mississippi on 8th May 1865. In 1907 he lived in Whistler, Mobile County, Alabama.
Civil War Service Record: Francis Hanley is recorded as enlisting on 13th October 1861 into Company B of the 21st Alabama Infantry. He was detached to the Quartermaster Department on 26th May 1862. He reached the rank of 5th Sergeant but was reduced to the ranks on 23rd April 1863. The reason for this may have been desertion- he was included on a list of deserters from the Reserve Corps of the Army of the Mississippi compiled near Tupelo, Mississippi on 28th June 1862. He clearly had been caught or returned, as by the 22nd June 1863 he was again detailed to the Quartermaster Department. There is no further detail on his service.
Alabama State Pension (6355): Application dated 1922. Claimed to have been living in the state since 1848. Married in 1869, he had two children, 39-year-ld James a coach carpenter and May who was 29. He was a member of Camp No. 11 of the Confederate Veterans.The value of his property was given at $300 and that of his wife at $2000. An assessment of his property in Whistler noted he had a seven room single storey frame house, and also owned a number of other lots, all of which was valued at $2000. The household and kitchen furniture was valued at $180, while investments in bonds or other securities was valued at $300. Claims to have been captured at Fort Blakely, later paroled at Big Black on the Mississippi.
JAMES HANLEY, CO. LAOIS
1907 Enumeration: [Brother of above?] Born on 23rd March 1844. Entered service in Mobile, Alabama on 12th April 1863 and served in Company C of the 2nd Alabama Engineer Troops. He was discharged for disability on 5th October 1864, and in 1907 lived in Whistler, Mobile County, Alabama.
Civil War Service Record: I have not yet found detail on James’s service.
Alabama State Pension (20676): Application dated 1901. His widow Frances Cordelia Hanley applied for a pension following James’s death in 1911 (she had been born in Tangipahoa, Louisiana in 1864 and claimed the pension until her own death in 1950). The couple had married on 15th January 1890. They had five children who in 1911 were; Annie E. Rhodes a clerk in Jacksonville, Florida, Margaret Hanley a clerk in El Paso, Texas, Agnes B. Lallaman who had died, Charles Hanley a painter in Jacksonville, Arkansas and R.A. Hanley an accountant in Mobile, Alabama. When he initially applied James was unable to carry out manual labour due to general debility, lung trouble and bronchitis. Though he owned no real estate, he owned cattle worth $15, watches/clock/jewellery worth $5, household and kitchen furniture worth $150 and mechanical and farming tools and implements worth $5. James was discharged from the Engineers due to disability in 1864.
RICHARD BARTHOLOMEW JORDAN, GORT, CO. GALWAY
1907 Enumeration: Born on 20th September 1839. Entered Confederate service at Mobile Alabama, serving as a private in Company K of the 3rd Alabama Infantry. He was wounded and captured at Seven Pines (Fair Oaks), and was paroled at Meridian, Mississippi in May 1865. He had served as a conscript officer with the rank of 1st Lieutenant from 1862 to 1865. In 1907 he lived in Mobile, Alabama.
Civil War Service Record: His service record shows his enlistment in Mobile on 24th April 1861, serving as a private in the 3rd Alabama Infantry’s Company K. He is recorded as having been wounded and captured at Seven Pines (Fair Oaks) on 1st June 1862. He is recorded as admitted to U.S.A. General Hospital on 22nd and Wood Sts. in Philadelphia on 12th June 1862 suffering from gunshot wounds. He was sent to the Provost Marshal twelve days later, and was exchanged at Aiken’s Landing, Virginia via the Steamer Coatzacoalcos on 5th August 1862. By October he was back in Mobile. On 13th December 1862 he was given a special assignment; it transpired that he had been wounded in four places at Seven Pines and was disabled from further active service in the field, so he was sent to Major Swanson in Notasulga, Alabama (Camp Watts) for service as a drill master and enrolling officer.
Alabama State Pension (16438): Application dated 1891. He was unable to carry out manual labour due to his age and his inability to gain employment. He owned no real estate and had a .38 calibre Smith & Wesson worth $15, 1 gold watch, 1 locket and 1 clock worth $30, household and kitchen furniture worth $75 and books and desks worth $40. He noted he was wounded at Seven Pines (Fair Oaks).
MICHAEL JUDGE, CO. SLIGO
1907 Enumeration: Born on 12th April 1848. Entered service on 16th January 1864 in Mobile, Alabama, serving as a private in Company A of the 1st Battalion Alabama Cadets. He was paroled at Meridian, Mississippi on 10th May 1865, and in 1907 lived in Mobile.
Civil War Service Record: I have not as yet sourced a service record for Michael Judge.
Alabama State Pension (38772): Application dated 1914. He owned no real estate, had bicycles and vehicles valued at $150 and mechanical and farming tools and implements worth $6. He lived at 901 Marine Street in Mobile.He claimed to have been in the 1st Battalion Alabama Cadets, the ‘Pelham Cadets’ joining in November 1864.
DANIEL KELLY, HENBROOK, CO. ROSCOMMON
1907 Enumeration: Born in July 1828, Daniel entered service in Mobile, Alabama in April 1861. He served as a private in the Cre