I am seeking information about a man who served in the 48th AL Reg. Cleveland Fortune Moulton lived in Mobile and at the beginning of the War entered the service as a private in Co. A, Mobile Continentals. On February 25, 1861, he was commissioned liertenant-colonel of the 48th Alabama Regiment. He replaced Col. Makinstry who was made judge advocate of the southern Confederacy. Moulton also served on the staff of Gov. Gill Shorter and from 1864 until the close of the War he werved on the staff of Gov. H. Watts. While still in command of the 48th, he was elected to the state legislature. He remained in the legislature for four terms and then returned to the service of the Confederate Army until the close of the War. Following the War he resumed his practice of law, was appointed judge of the circut court at Mobile, and was elected mayor of Mobile in 1873 and again in 1874. (This information came from a book published in 1896 entitled, "A Memorial Record of Kansas City and Jackson County.")

I am writing from the Bates County Missouri Historical Society and am seeking any insight into what kind of service he would have experienced during the War. Judge Moulton moved to Bates County Missouri (western border of our state - about a 1 hour drive south of Kansas City) in 1882 and upon his death in 1904 was buried in the Crescent Hill Cemetery in Adrian, Missouri. We are working to establish his military biography and to learn as much about him during the War years as is possible.

Anyone help you folks in Alabama can offer will be greatly appreciated. Our county was also home to one of Missouri's most beloved Confederate Generals, Gen. JO Shelby, "The Rebel Who Never Surrendered," who lived close to the Adrian area as well. Shelby and his men went to Mexico at the close of the War but returned to Missouri after two years. Gen. Shelby was appointed US Marshal of Western Missouri in 1893 by President Grover Cleveland, and we have learned that Judge Moulton's wife was a first cousin of President Cleveland. That will be another connection we will be exploring. We're proud of our heritage here and want to preserve the memories of these, and other, outstanding citizens. Please share any thoughts, comments, or information.

Thank you kindly.
Peggy Buhr
Bates County Museum