The Alabama in the Civil War Message Board

Re: A.W. Starke
In Response To: Re: A.W. Starke ()

Thanks George. The following account is also included in the same edition of the Troy Southern Advertiser. It appears to suggest that this company was not Alabama Reserves. Wonder if the other names mentioned (ie. William Brooks, Sergt. T.M. Reid, Lieut. Jones, Lieut. Collins) might help identify it?

"It turns out as we said in our last, that Captain Starke's company were not captured in the late fight at Pollard, but acted most heroically. They were of the men with which Gen. Clanton is represented to have made such gallant resistance to the raiders. They had two fights on the same day. The company was divided into two detachments, one under Lieut. Jones, guarding the railroad bridge, the other under Lieut. Collins, guarding the dirt road bridge on the Big Escambia some two miles below the railroad bridge.

Thursday morning, the 15th December, while that part of the company were at the dirt road bridge were at breakfast, the pickets were fired upon and drove in by the Yankee cavalry at full speed and thundering charge, with such rapidity that all the company scarcely got into the earthworks before the enemy were on them. With steady courage, they fired into the rushing column _ _ _ on the eve of charging again, when a fire was reopened successfully dispersed them, except the sharpshooters, these kept up a fire of that scattering and dangerous kind, and was promptly replied to by the "boys." It is proper to state that a part of a Reserve company was with them.

Appearances indicating that the enemy were arranging to flank them, a cavalry company was sent out to prevent it, and watch their movements; this company, it was afterwards ascertained, instead of doing the duty assigned them, made tracks for Pollard, and thus left Lieut. Collins' detachment of Captain Starke's company and the Reserves, entirely unprotected. A consultation of officers deemed it prudent to withdraw from that position, and under orders from their officers, after having repulsed the furious rush of the cavalry in the beginning, and then driven them off when they attempted another charge, and after sharp shooting for some time with the enemy, they retired to Little Escambia dirt road bridge. Lieut Jones' detachment at the railroad bridge, was attacked soon after the assault on the other detachment, and after losing one killed and one wounded, and finding himself in danger of being cut off retired, and formed a junction with the other detachment at Little Escambia bridge.

Here the whole company was together and with some others numbering in all about seventy-five men and joined by Capt. Starke, they awaited the coming of the enemy. When the enemy advanced they met them courageously and fought gallantly until about dark, when they discovered that the enemy were surrounding them, and liked only some two hundred yards of having them "hemmed in." From this critical situation they did well to escape in any manner.

The odds against them was immense, as no estimate places their number under five hundred. As an evidence of their strength, a few days afterwards, they stoutly resisted Col. Colvin's Regiment a part of Clanton's Brigade, Gen. Armistead's Brigade and Liddell's Brigade, and these forces as one statement has it, was too weak to pursue the foe beyond Pine Barren Creek. Estimate this number against seventy-five men, and those seventy-five must have been brave and determined as a spartan band led by their own Leonidas."

Henry

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Thanks *NM*
Re: A.W. Starke