Alan J. Pitts
Always try the most obvious solution first.....
Tue Mar 6 21:27:09 2001


Both the McBride men received veterans pensions from the State of Alabama. P. C. McBride served as a sergeant of Co. "C" 5th Ala. Cav. Regt. His service record isn't found with that command, but this isn't unusual, since no muster rolls exist for Co. "C". I challenge anyone to name unit having a more confusing or obscure organizational history than Patterson's 5th Ala. Cav. Regt. Any rivals would have to be one of General Roddey's other units. I've been studying this regiment for about a year now and still don't have half the answers to all my questions.

Here are the notes I have on this company:

First captain: R. F. Gibson. Appointed Major [February 5, 1863, to rank from November 23, 1862].
Followed by: Samuel H[arrison] Brown. Promoted Captain [February 5, 1863, to rank from November 23, 1862].

This company probably organized at Moulton, Alabama, about September 15 1862. Stationed at Tuscumbia, Alabama, Captain Gibson signed a requisition to feed sixty-four horses on October 31, 1862, and eighty-five on December 31, 1862. Captain Brown and 1st Lieutenant John P. Moody received Navy revolvers from the Confederate armory at Macon, Georgia, March 21, 1864.

Your ancestor said he enlisted in May 1862 (perhaps a little early for this unit) and was cut off from his command shortly before the end of the war. The 1860 census gave his age as 25 (page 907 Lawrence Co AL); on Apr. 27, 1896 he gave his age as 61. He said he lived at Crow, Ala., owed 160 acres of "mountain land"; had twelve acres cleared on which he had a log cabin, an orchard, a garden and a house.

His unit would've served in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia, and he didn't mention being wounded. That part sounds more like John K. McBride, who enlisted on May 24, 1861 at Hillsboro. Here are my notes on his company, which joined the 9th Alabama Infantry Regiment.

Company “C” of Lawrence County “Pope Walker Guards”
Captains:
James M. Warren. Resigned July 21, 1862, to avoid dissension in the regiment. Later appointed Lieutenant Colonel, 5th Alabama Cavalry Regiment.
Malachi G. May. Promoted Captain [August 22,] 1862, to rank July 21, 1862. Wounded at Sharpsburg, Maryland, September 17, 1862, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 2, 1863. Absent without leave since October 22, 1863. Dropped from the rolls May 16, 1864.
William T. Couch. Wounded and disabled at Frazier’s Farm, Virginia, June 30, 1862. Promoted Captain [August 7,] 1864, to rank May 16, 1864. Assigned to duty with General Jones M. Withers, Reserve Corps of Alabama, January 14, 1865.

John K. McBride was appointed 1st Sergeant when the company organized. He was elected Jr. 2nd Lieutenant on Sept. 16, 1861, and eventually promoted 1st Lieutenant when Captain May resigned (i.e., same promotion dates as Capt. Couch). There are suggestions that McBride was promoted captain which I don't believe. However, it's clear that he was in command of the company on the day he was wounded, July 3, 1863. He suffered a fracture of his left wrist which was struck by grapeshot and carried off. As a result the left arm below the elbow was amputated. He was captured in a Confederate field hospital on July 4, 1863, and spent several months in Federal prison. He was exchanged at City Point, VA on Apr. 30, 1864, and sent home on leave on June 8, 1864. It doesn't appear that he returned to his unit.

On June 13, 1899, he gave his age as 71. He gave his age as 39 in 1863. His birthdate as shown on the pension records was Feb. 21, 1827. His post office at the time of the pension application was Pitt, Ala. Of course the originals of the pension application are in Montgomery at the ADAH; I viewed microfilm of his service record and pension on file at the Birmingham Public Library, Southern Collection.







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