Home > Back to Search Results >
Unionists & deserters in Alabama...
Unionists & deserters in Alabama...
Item # 692605
March 14, 1863
NEW YORK TIMES, March 14, 1863
* Wayne County, Alabama "tories"
Among the front page column heads are; "News From Washington" "Secretary Chase in New york to Negotiate a Loan" "Reports of a Refugee From Charleston" "The Negro Pickets on the Rappahannock" "Important From Alabama - Wayne County Full of Unionists and Deserters".
More war-related reports inside.
Eight pages, never bound nor trimmed (desired), nice condition.
AI notes: In 1863, Wayne County, Alabama—like much of the Confederate South—saw a sharp rise in desertion as the harsh realities of war, economic hardship, and Confederate defeats eroded morale among local soldiers. Though specific rosters of deserters from Wayne County are scarce, the region was part of a broader southeast Alabama area known for harboring deserters and Union sympathizers, often referred to as “tories.” Many men abandoned their posts and went into hiding in the dense piney woods or rural backcountry, where they sometimes formed armed bands to resist Confederate authorities. These groups raided supply lines, disrupted conscription efforts, and occasionally clashed with local militias or Confederate enforcers. In response, the Alabama legislature passed stricter laws in mid-1863, authorizing home guards and county militias to arrest deserters and punish civilians who aided them. This created a tense environment in Wayne County and surrounding areas, where families were often divided in their loyalties and Confederate control weakened, illustrating how internal dissent deeply undermined the Southern war effort.
Category: Yankee
Available Now
$25.00
