Benjamin D. Portis of Lower Peach Tree was Wilcox County, Alabama's last surviving Confederate veteran

Benjamin D. Portis

April is Confederate History and Heritage month in Alabama and was designated as such to recognize and honor the history of the Confederate States of America. Readers often send me questions about Confederate soldiers from Wilcox County, and the answers to those questions sometimes yield interesting results. As chance would have it, a reader sent me a great Civil War-related question earlier this week: When did Wilcox County’s last Confederate soldier pass away?

According to old editions of The Wilcox Progressive Era, Wilcox County’s last surviving Confederate veteran was Benjamin Darius Portis, who passed away at the age of 94 on June 21, 1937 at Lower Peach Tree. Portis was born at Lower Peach Tree on Feb. 22, 1843 to Solomon Wilder Portis and Julia Jones Portis, who moved to Alabama from North Carolina in 1819. When the War Between the States broke out, Portis was preparing to enter Southern University, which was then located in Greensboro.

Portis, with the permission of his parents, volunteered for the Confederate Army and became a member of the Sixth Alabama Infantry. He went on to fight in the battles at Cold Harbor, Malvern Hill, Spotsylvania Court House and the siege at Petersburg. He was severely wounded at Boonsboro Gap in Maryland in September 1862, three days before the Battle of Antietam.

Portis was sent home to recuperate from his wounds and returned to his regiment in August 1863. Newspaper accounts say that at the end of the war, Portis was one of General Robert E. Lee’s “tattered and hungry soldiers who laid down their arms at Appomattox. He believed in all his soul in the cause of the Confederacy, but after that cause was lost, he adapted himself to changed conditions, did his part during the dark days of Reconstruction and was a loyal citizen of the United States.”

After the war, Portis married Lucy Maiben of Monroe County in August 1866, and they had 10 children. Lucy Portis died in May 1915 and four of their children preceded their father in death. When Lucy died, it was said that “her going left a void in (her husband’s) life that neither the love and consideration of his children nor the sympathy and thoughtfulness of relatives and friends was ever able to fill.”

Except for his time in the army, Portis lived almost his entire life in Lower Peach Tree and served as a Justice of the Peace for 50 years. He also joined the Methodist Episcopal Church South at a young age and served as a church steward for all of his adult life. A staunch Democrat, it was said that he voted for Jefferson Davis for President of the Confederacy and after the war, he voted in every national, state and local election that was held during his lifetime.

When Portis died, he was buried in the Portis Cemetery at Lower Peach Tree “where for more than a hundred years past, members of his family have been sleeping. In compliance with his wish, only the simple, beautiful burial service of his church was read.” His simple headstone reads, “Benjamin D. Portis – Feb. 22, 1843 – June 21, 1937 – Co. I, 6^th Alabama Infantry, C.S.A.”

In the end, let me know if you have any additional information about Portis and his military exploits. He and his wife had 10 children, so they likely have many descendants still around today, including more than a few who probably still live in Wilcox County. It would be interesting to know if these descendants have any more information about this colorful character in Wilcox County history.

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