Saturday, November 11, 2017

Freeman Cemetery

Location:
Highway 69
DeKalb County, Alabama
N 34° 17.526              W085° 55.438

Date of Visit: October 8, 2011

Pvt
WH Freeman
Co G
49 Ala Inf
CSA
1843
1862

His record indicates that he died May 18, 1862. - Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama. Original data from: The National Archives, Retrieved from at 3-Fold November 11, 2017. (http://www.fold3.com)

According to Brewer’s History of Alabama units, the 49th was organized at Nashville, in January 1862, and attached to the Kentucky brigade of Gen. Breckinridge. It took part in the battle of Shiloh. A few weeks later, the Forty-ninth was sent to Vicksburg, with Breckinridge's brigade.  The Union bombardment of Vicksburg begin on May 18. It would seem that that he  probably died in route to or in Vicksburg before hostilties and was possibility buried there.

Brief Historical Sketches of Military Organizations
Raised In Alabama During the Civil War, Reproduced from Willis Brewer's Alabama:
Her History, Resources War Record, and Public Men From 1540 to 1872, www. archives.alabama.com

Report of Brig. Gen. M.L. Smith, Official Record War of the Rebellion, Volume 15, page 6

Pvt
David C Freeman
Co B
3 Ala Cav
1839
1863

According to his Find a Grave Memorial this marker was added as a memorial to a soldier who drowned crossing the Tennessee River with Captain Wheeler. His actual burial site is unknown. Find A Grave Memorial #102679745, accessed November 11, 2017. Private Freeman does not appear in the records of the 3rd Alabama Calvary, nor does a DeKalb County unit. There was a Company B of the 3rd Confederate Calvary from DeKalb County. I cannot confirm if he served in this regiment.



Note: These brothers were sons of Elisha and Ann Freeman and their service records were almost as problematic as locating the family cemetery. It sits on a narrow shelve on the east face of Sand Mountain.  Traveling up or down the face on Highway 69 one has to be looking in the exact “right” location to see the tombstones in the winter. Forget it in the summer.  Finding a place to park is also pretty challenging.







No comments:

Post a Comment

A Note to Visitors