Wilcox County soldier was buried in unmarked grave in November 1864

James Toliver Powell

I always enjoy hearing from readers of the newspaper, and this week I received a nice email from Oak Hill native, Howard Williamson, who now lives in Cullman.

In this space about a month ago, I wrote about the organization of the South Alabama Rebels in Wilcox County on Aug. 24, 1861. Shortly thereafter, the South Alabama Rebels were mustered into the Confederate Army as Co. A of the 23^rd Alabama Infantry Regiment. In all, companies from 10 South Alabama counties, including Wilcox County, made up the 23^rd Alabama Infantry.

As chance would have it, Williamson’s great-great-grandfather was Wilcox County soldier James Toliver “Tol” Powell, who served in the 23^rd Alabama. A few years ago, Williamson wrote a family history book and that book featured a chapter on Powell’s exploits during the War Between the States. Williamson was kind enough to send me a copy of this chapter, which sheds much light on the regiment’s history.

Powell, who was 28 years old with one daughter and another baby on the way, enlisted in the South Alabama Rebels on Sept. 12, 1861. Around the first of October, Powell left Camden with the rest of the company for Montgomery, and in February 1862 they found themselves in Knoxville, Tennessee, defending the eastern flank of a defensive line that ran from Columbus, Kentucky to Knoxville. In August 1862, the 23^rd helped drive Union forces from the Cumberland Gap.

The unit was later transferred to General John C. Pemberton’s army, where they helped defend Vicksburg and other points in Mississippi. At the Battle of Port Gibson, they attacked and captured a battery of Union artillery. They were also present at the Battle of Champion Hill and at Big Black Bayou.

It was at Big Black Bayou that the unit had perhaps its finest hour. They were in the rear guard and after the rest of the army had crossed, an order was given to withdraw across the bayou. Due to an error, the 23^rd didn’t receive the order and ended up holding off the entire Union army for 13 bloody hours.

They eventually withdrew around 11 p.m. after receiving the order to withdraw from General S.D. Lee. From there, they entered Vicksburg as one of the most historic sieges in U.S. military history began. Rebel forces at Vicksburg, largely due to starvation, surrendered on July 4, 1863, and members of the 23^rd were taken prisoner.

About two months later, they were exchanged for Yankee prisoners and ended up in the army of General Braxton Bragg. Later, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, they were posted on Lookout Mountain. They eventually pulled back to Missionary Ridge, where heavy fighting ensued.

The army eventually retreated to Dalton, Georgia, where it went into winter quarters. After fighting in the Battle of Atlanta, General John Bell Hood led the army in a disastrous campaign in Tennessee in October 1864. As the army approached Columbia, Tenn., Hood ordered the 23^rd to make a show of force and skirmish across the Duck River. It was here that Powell was mortally wounded, and he died on Nov. 28, 1864, after having survived three years of deadly combat.

Like so many of his fallen comrades, Powell was buried in an unmarked grave, and he remained so for 136 years. Fast-forward to the year 2000 when noted Civil War historian Tom Burgess determined where Powell and his comrades had been buried in Columbia’s Rose Hill Cemetery. After an appropriate marker was placed over the previously unmarked mass grave, members of the Williamson and Powell families held a memorial ceremony there in the fall of 2000.