Old Josh,in: The Unusual Confederate Soldier (#69)

Old Josh, in:
The Unusual Confederate Soldier
(September, 1862)



Confederate Soldiers in Alabama, 1862




In September of 1861, Alabama knew they were going to be involved with the Civil War, on October 7, 1861; Alabama supplied 27,000-men for the Confederate cause, which were three regiments, two battalions, ten detachment companies of horses and as many foot solders, and five other regiments. The Choctaw Indian, sided with the Confederates during this time, in particular a Muskogean tribe also known as Chakchiuma, which its ancestress went back to the Mississippi Valley, and some parts of Alabama. It was in August of 1862, General Braxton Bragg, pushed the Union Soldiers out of Alabama, Private Blue, an Indian Scout of the Choctaw tribe, and Sergeant Wakefield, a young Caucasian were three soldiers who fought with ideals, never got drafted, rather joined the Confederate Army, and all carried a flint-lock rifle, the Indian also had a musket, and Blue had two pistols tucked into his belt, and all carried their ammunition in a cartridge box attached to the right side of their belt.
After the last battle, the General gave ten-percent of his soldiers leave, a thirty-day leave; these three soldiers would be together for that period of time, and when they regrouped, Private Blue would go onto fight at Chickamauga, and later on be separated from his unit in Alabama, find it again, and be rejoin to the end of the war, and go on from there, being a gunfighter, and being killed some time in the mid to late 1880s.
But it was in 1862, this took place, September, 1862, all three rode into Ozark, Alabama.
The young sergeant, walked into the main store, called, ‘Dale’s Hardware,’ the sergeant put two dollars on the counter, Old Josh was in the store buying shovels for Mr. Hightower,
“Yes soldier, its two dollar,” said the owner, and that was for a pair of shoes and a quart of whisky, a man came up to the young clean shaven soldier, thinking something was funny, but couldn’t put his finger on it, most soldiers were unshaven, unkempt, gaunt, dough looking, and this one wasn’t. Josh looked on, Blue had gone across to the bar, and the Indian, they called Fox was outside looking in through the window at his companion.
He walked up to the soldier, looked the sergeant over, then in the eyes, said,
“Go ahead buy your shoes, and whiskey, I’ll figure it out in a minute,” and he stepped back a moment, looked at the soldier from behind, looked out the window at a few of the other confederate solders walking about, then looked at the Indian looking in. Most were in their 20s that was all he could say for the sergeant, that he also was in his twenties.
It was Clayton McAllen, from a farm outside of town. He was big and robust; broad shoulders, and had three young boys, no wife. Most of the soldiers cloths were ragged from either having been worn too long, or having been handed down from another soldier, but the sergeant’s was sewed properly, and kept even pressed, it was not uncommon for the uniforms to be ill fitted by the Confederates, but this soldier’s was not, Josh knew something was up, and pretended to be looking at shovels more than he should have, that is, looking over, and over the same shovel, always keeping an eye on the mischievous.
The Sergeant paid the two dollars, and Clayton said,
“Turn around soldier!”
And the soldier did half way, he noticed the sergeant was not missing any buttons, thus, the outfit was not uncomfortable at all, he knew, any soldier lucky enough to have a fitting pair of shoes also, with no horseshoe nails in them to keep the soles on, was more than lucky, he should be an Officer or General. And although most soldiers had white shirts, they were usually not white, but dirty white, his was not. This shoulder was clearly not shabby, but he also knew the Confederates had spirit, that is what made them fight, not the pay, they seldom seen any, if it wasn’t months before a payment came, and they got one regularly, they were more than lucky. Then out of the blue, inexpedient, as Clayton and his family were anyhow for the most part, he grabbed the soldier by the crotch, and squeezed, and squeezed hard but could not grab onto anything significant, and the soldier didn’t scram. Then he knew, the soldier’s appearance was not that of a male, but concealed to be a male, the Sergeant was a woman. This was not uncommon just peculiar, and he said, “Let’s go in the back of the store and find out what you have between those legs of yours!” And started to pull her by her belt, and Old Josh, slipped the shovel’s wooden pole end, to the floor, the pointed long end of the shovel, and he, Clayton tripped, on his way to the back door, and had to let go the Sergeant’s belt, and the Indian came in, aimed his musket at Clayton, and the Sergeant kicked him in the groin as he stood up, and he fell back down onto his knees; aching, with tears in his eyes. She said, “Is that the response you were looking for?”
She had the whisky bottle in one hand, and the shoes in the other. And no sooner had they got out of the store, Blue was staggering across the street, and the Sergeant said,
“Too much trouble in this town, let’s hightail it out of here, get back to our unit,” and it looked like the Indian, never said a word, just smiled. And Old Josh, paid for the shovel, and laughed all the way to the buckboard where he waited for Mr. Hightower.


Written 8-16-2008 Note: Confederate Soldiers also included women (posing as men) No: 69