Story of an Ancestor--Moses Eason

by

Fred McCaleb

Moses got caught up in the Civil War on May 15, 1862 when he enlisted at Fayette, Al. Whether he enlisted willingly or not is not known. One of his wife’s cousins, Steve Woodard, was one of the dreaded Home Guards that saw to it that the poor southern boys enlisted. Moses was slightly above 30 years old at that time, was already married to Elizabeth Woodard, the daughter of Jessee and Mily Brown Woodard. They already had children Susan “Sudie” Elizabeth Eason and Joseph Eason. Joseph died young, probably during the war.

Four days after enlisting in Fayette, Al. Moses was on the Muster Roll of Tuscaloosa, Al. They were assigned to Co. I 41st Ala. Infantry. J.M. Jeffries, surgeon, was captain of Co. I to start. Moses, according to my mother, had the job of picking up the dead and wounded. Was in a first aid or ambulance job. They called it driving the meat wagon in WW2. I suppose the meat wagon Moses drove was powered by horsepower and not too speedy.

In September 1862 they were in route to Ky. The 41st was in Murfesboro, Tn. Dec. 4, 1862, Tullahoma, Tn. Feb. 2, 1863, Jan. and Feb. 1863 Manchester, Tn., also March and April 1863. Where they were from June to October was not stated. From July to August 1864 they were in Petersburg, Va. From Jan. to Feb. 1865 they were in trenches near Petersburg. They also spent some time near Chattanooga and some time in a place is Ms. The 41st surrendered as some of Robert E. Lee’s finest troops at Appamatolx courthouse. Col Henry Talbird was commander of the whole 41st which included several Companies. Moses’ Co I commander, Major J.M. Jeffries , was commander of the whole regiment at the end. I guess Talbird had been killed. When Lee surrendered to Grant at Appamatox, it took Grant 3 days before he thought of telling Lee’s men to stack arms so the Union army could take them up. Grant gave each southern soldier a slip of paper saying he was paroled if he behaved himself. If the soldier had a horse or possession along he let them take that home with them.How Moses got home the 700 miles from Va. I can only guess. It was probably a combination of walking, riding stage coaches and wagons without money and possibly a few trains in some sections.
About 170 soldiers out of about 1400 in the 41st got back home alive. How horrible.

Moses’ oldest girl Sudie was 9 when he arrived back to his hill farm in NE Fayette Co. Al.. She married Rev. James I. McCollum 18 Dec. 1873. James became a famous Baptist Preacher of the county.Their children were Etta born 1876, L.D. born 1876, Zora born 1883 married Chambers, Doris born 1883, W. Travis born 1876, and Vera Mae born 1889 and married a Sparks. My grandma Mary Roxie Eason was born the first child after the war on 15 May 1866, so Moses must have got back from Appamatox about Aug. 1865. Mary Roxie married S.W. Hallmark. Martha Della, born 11 Aug. 1870, married Andrew “Drew” Jackson Hallmark Their children were William Victor Hallmark born 1888,m. Carrie Killingsworth, Gus Hallmark, and Laurie Annie Hallmark who married a Dendy. Minnie was born Nov. 1873 and never married. Emma was born 1878 and married Henry Killingsworth. They had a son named Clyde that married Pearl Fowler. They had no offspring.