'Sparta' book indicates Conecuh soldier shot General 'Stonewall' Jackson

Three weeks ago in this space I wrote a column about a book published in 1881 called “The History of Conecuh County, Alabama” by Benjamin Franklin Riley. This great book contains a wealth of information about the county’s early history and the important people from the county’s past. It’s a “must-read” for anyone interested in local history.

Since then, I’ve run across another outstanding local history book that I’d never even heard of until I encountered it for sale at a local restaurant. The book’s called “Sparta, Alabama: 1821-1866,” and it was published by former Evergreen mayor Pat Poole in 1984. This 84-page book also contains a wealth of information about the county’s past, including information that might surprise you.

The bulk of the book is Poole’s effort to pin down exactly where Sparta, now a ghost town, was actually located, which was hard to do because no trace of the town remained even in the 1980s. Local historians have known the general location of the town for a long time, but Poole attempted to determine its exact location. He also painted a picture of everyday life in the old town and described how it came to be and how it eventually faded into history.

To do so, Poole researched old incorporation papers, old land office records, railroad and military records, old newspaper stories and historical letters. Poole’s book also includes a fascinating 12-page transcript of an interview he conducted with longtime Sparta resident, Elizabeth “Miss Lizzie” Stallworth, who was 95 years old at the time of the interview. The book also includes a map of old Sparta that was based on an old map owned by the late J.H. Dey Jr.

One thing in the book that really caught my attention, because I’d never heard it before, was in a section of the book about the county’s early military history. That section mentions that at the start of the Civil War, Conecuh County was the first county in Alabama to form a company of soldiers. This company, known as the “Conecuh Guards,” was attached to the Fourth Alabama Infantry Regiment as Co. E.

The Conecuh Guards went on to fight at Gaine’s Mill, Spottsylvania, Chickamauga, Sharpsburg, Strawberry Plains, First and Second Manassas, Gettysburg, Seven Pines and Petersburg under such commanders as Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. In a footnote, Poole’s book mentions that “General ‘Stonewall’ Jackson was killed, accidentally, by a man from Conecuh. The fault was on the side of the general, seeing as he did not give the required password when crossing a line of guards surrounding the Confederate camp.”

Unfortunately, incidents of this type are common in every armed conflict, and it’s a unique bit of historical trivia that a Conecuh resident has been linked to such a famous case of “friendly fire.” On and off during the past few weeks I’ve tried to find more information about the Stonewall Jackson-Conecuh County connection, but haven’t had any luck. If anyone in the reading audience has any more information about the incident, please let me know by calling The Courant at 578-1492 or by e-mailing me at courantsports@earthlink.net.

In the end, if you’re interested in local history and would like to read Poole’s book for yourself, copies of it are for sale at his restaurant, Bubba’s BBQ, on State Highway 83 in Evergreen. They’re $5 each.