Teenager with ties to Oak Hill killed at the Battle of First Manassas

Today – July 21 – marks 162 years since the Battle of First Manassas, which is also known as the First Battle of Bull Run.

The Battle of First Manassas was fought near Manassas, Virginia on July 21, 1861 and is considered the first major battle of the War Between the States. This battle, which was considered a Confederate victory, resulted in 4,690 casualties, including 387 dead Confederates. Among those dead was 17-year-old Private John D. Robbins who apparently had strong ties to Wilcox County.

What’s somewhat unusual about Robbins is that he was a member of Co. E of the 4^th Alabama Infantry Regiment. This company was known as the Conecuh Guards and was organized at Sparta, which at that time was the county seat of Conecuh County. This unit was organized in April 1861 and was mustered into the Confederate army at Lynchburg, Virginia on May 7, 1861, about two months before the battle that claimed Robbins.

Records reflect that Robbins and the Conecuh Guards fought as part of what was then called the Army of the Shenandoah, which was under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston. This army was divided into four large brigades and the 4^th Alabama was part of the Third Brigade, under the command of Brigadier General Barnard E. Bee. The 4^th Alabama was under the command of Col. E.J. Jones and Col. S.R. Gist.

According to noted Alabama historian Steve Stacey of Frisco City, Robbins was killed during the heavy fighting, and he was likely buried in a mass grave at the battlefield. However, at some point in the past, a memorial headstone for Robbins was placed in the Ebenezer Methodist Cemetery at Oak Hill. This simple grave marker reads as follows: In Memory Of John D. Robbins, Pvt. Co. E, 4^th Ala. Inf., Confederate States Army, Dec. 1, 1843-July 21, 1861, Killed at 1^st Manassas.

One of the best sources of information about the Conecuh Guards is a book called “History of Conecuh County, Alabama” by the Rev. Benjamin Franklin Riley. This book was published in 1881 and contains a complete roster of the Conecuh Guards from when they were organized at Sparta. This roster notes that John Robbins was killed at the First Battle of Manassas, and it also notes that a soldier named Thomas Robbins “died from wounds received at Gaines’ Farm, July 1862.”

Interestingly, the Ebenezer Methodist Cemetery also contains a memorial gravestone for Private Thomas Elijah Robbins. The conflict at Gaines’ Farm is more commonly known as the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, which was fought on June 27, 1862 in Hanover County, Virginia. Records indicate that Thomas Robbins was 20 years old at the time of his death.

In the end, these two soldiers, even though they were in a Conecuh County unit, obviously had ties to the Oak Hill area. If anyone knows any additional details regarding why they had memorials placed in the Ebenezer Methodist Cemetery, please let me know. It would be interesting to know what their connection is to Oak Hill, which is many miles from where the Conecuh Guards were formed in April 1861.

(Got a comment or question? E-mail Lee Peacock at leepeacock2002@hotmail.com.)