'Men of Wilcox' details Civil War units, soldiers and veterans from Wilcox County, Alabama

Sallie Cargill Jones

A little over a year ago in this space, I presented readers with a proposed “recommended reading list” of books about Wilcox County. I compiled this list based on recommendations and suggestions submitted to me by readers of the newspaper, and a number of well-known books made the list, including such local favorites as “Lummie Jenkins: The Unarmed Sheriff of Wilcox County” by Delynn Jenkins Holloran, “With a Southern Accent” by Viola Liddell and “Down Home: Camden, Alabama” by Bob Adelman.

However, the one book that was recommended over and over again by readers, far and away above all others, was “Men of Wilcox: They Wore the Gray” by Ouida Starr Woodson. Published in 1989, this book is generally considered to be the best book about Wilcox County and the Civil War, but, nowadays, copies of this book are extremely hard to find, even among Civil War buffs.

A couple of weeks ago, a local history enthusiast made available to me their treasured copy of Woodson’s “Men of Wilcox,” which I read from cover to cover just a few days later. Having now read this book for myself, I can see why it is so highly regarded.

Dedicated to Wilcox County’s United Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter, which was the first organized UDC chapter in all of Alabama, Woodson’s 50-page Civil War book consists of five parts. The first part provides brief histories for the 17 Confederate military units formed in Wilcox County or made up of men from Wilcox County. In the second part, Woodson provides muster rolls for units from Wilcox County, including the well-known Wilcox True Blues and Camden Rifles.

The third part of the book details the Wilcox County Confederate soldiers who enlisted in the Confederate Army outside of the county and others who moved to Wilcox County after the war. The fourth section consists of four pages of the names of Wilcox County soldiers who died in the line of duty, including men who fell in famous battles like Gettysburg, Chickamauga and Antietam.

The fifth and final section of the book discusses Wilcox County soldiers who were provided artificial limbs, veterans pensions and widows pensions in the years following the war. Much of Woodson’s extensive research was derived from sources such as the Sallie Cargill Jones Scrapbook, early UDC membership records, local cemetery records, pension records and Masonic records.

I was very impressed by this book and the obvious amount of work that went into its publication. This book helped me learn a lot about Wilcox County history as it relates to the Civil War, and I would say that it’s a “must read” for any local Civil War enthusiast.

In the end, Woodson is to be commended for her efforts in “Men of Wilcox.” Not only does her book inform historical researchers of today, but her book also helps keep alive the memory of Confederate service members from Wilcox County. Many, no doubt, would have long faded into the forgotten mists of history had they not been included within the pages of Woodson’s “Men of Wilcox.”