'Lucas' Raiders' historical marker tells of local Civil War events

I’m kicking off a new little project this week in which I hope to spotlight one historical marker a week for the foreseeable future. I’ve always enjoyed finding and reading historical markers, and hopefully this project will be beneficial in a couple of ways. I hope that it’ll inform people about our local history and give them more details about the location of area historical markers.

This week’s featured historical marker is about “Lucas’ Raiders” and can be found in front of the Monroe County Library on Pineville Road, just off the downtown square in Monroeville, Ala. If you’re facing the library, look to the right, and you’ll see it on the corner of the library’s lawn. What follows is the complete text from the marker:

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“LUCAS’ RAIDERS – The following eyewitness account was written by T.C. McCorvey of Tuscaloosa in April 1865 during the War Between the States – ‘A boy of 13 has a distant recollection of some of the incidents of the raid on Monroeville. The first raid naturally created a wild panic in the village. When couriers arrived announcing the approach of the Federal cavalry along the road from Claiborne, women and children crowded terror-stricken to the village hotel.

"The probate judge of Monroe County at that time, Murdock McCorvey and Mrs. Mary Eastin Spottswood rode out two or three miles on the Claiborne road to meet the advancing raid and ask protection for the homes of the village. They were conducted to Lt. Col. Asa L. Gurney, of the 2nd New York detachment. Not a house in the village was pillaged.

"The commissary stores that had been collected by the Confederate government under the so-called ‘tax-in-kind’ and stored in houses on the northern side of the public courthouse square were burned; but private property, except horses and forage were respected. The iron safes in the courthouse offices were broken open and some documents scattered and lost in the search for valuables; but there was not wanton destruction of public records.

"This was not to be the last of the raiders. Lucas’ brigade passed through Monroeville, some seven or eight miles to the northwest, parallel to the route of Smith’s army. Accordingly on the 21st of April the advance guard of Lucas’ command dashed into Monroeville, unannounced this time by courier and by nightfall the whole brigade encamped the village.

"The 2nd New York cavalry commanded by General Morgan H. Chrysler encamped around the Baptist Church, a half mile or more east of the courthouse. Guards were placed to prevent the plundering of homes but smokehouses and barns were swept clean.”

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I was working at The Monroe Journal newspaper in Monroeville when this marker was erected in front of the library, and I remember that there were a few people in town who disputed the version of events on the marker. I forget what the controversy was over, but it had to do with the sign being too “politically correct.”

In the end, visit this site next Wednesday to learn about another local historical marker. I’m also taking suggestions from the reading audience, so if you know of an interesting historical marker that you’d like me to feature, let me know.