Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/940

the time of the John Brown attempt to inaugurate servile insurrection in the South, fearing that the time had arrived when the politicians of a certain class, who had been for years preaching and urging on the "irrepressible conflict," were about to commence a series of overt acts, he assisted in organizing a cavalry company at Athens, Ala., of which he was made first lieutenant. While the services of this company were not immediately needed, the applause which John Brown's outlawry received from certain classes at the North and the howl of anger that was raised over his execution for the murder of peaceable citizens of Virginia, determined the officers to hold the splendid organization together and in readiness for future events which were plainly foreseen. In May, 1861, the company, having dismounted and reorganized as infantry, went to Richmond, Va., and became a component part of the Ninth Alabama regiment, which was sent to Winchester to oppose General Patterson's advance. There a brigade was formed with other Alabama regiments, hastily brought together, and Gen. E. Kirby Smith put in command. On July 20th this brigade, with other troops, was hurried over the mountains to embark on cars at Piedmont Station for Manassas. A part of the brigade, by leaving the train west of Manassas and double-quicking in the direction from which the roar of battle proceeded, came in on the Federal right flank, in time to do gallant service and render much needed aid; but the Ninth, having been delayed by a collision, did not reach the field until the battle of Manassas had been fought and won. During the succeeding winter Kirby Smith, who had been severely wounded, was promoted and C. M. Wilcox, the first colonel of the Ninth, was put in command of the brigade, which, after many hard struggles with the foe, became famous as "Wilcox's brigade." After General Lee's expedition into Maryland and his return to Virginia, the subject of this sketch was promoted to the rank of captain and assigned to duty as paymaster and quartermaster of his regiment. This was a very timely promotion, as his health had become seriously impaired under the hardships and exposures which the inadequately equipped infantry had necessarily to bear. There were but few engagements of General Lee's army, or any large portion of it, in which the old Ninth and the entire brigade did not take an active part; and as battle succeeded battle the ranks became so depleted that, after the battle of the Crater, at Petersburg, in which the command suffered very severely, it became necessary to consolidate companies and regiments; as there was no longer any material at home, "between the cradle and the grave," from which to draw recruits. Captain Floyd was ordered to the trans-Mississippi department with dispatches to Gen. E. Kirby Smith, in command at Shreveport, La., and was by him assigned to duty as commandant of the post at Minden in that State, with orders to prepare for the wintering of the larger portion of the army at that point. Among the troops wintered there was the Second infantry division, Gen. C. T. Polignac commanding. General Polignac was a young French prince who had espoused the Confederate cause with the hope, perhaps, of becoming to the South what the Marquis de La Fayette had been to the rebels of 1776. The two young officers were necessarily thrown together with some degree of intimacy, and