Doug Croley
87 Men Of The 23rd AL Died In Mobile, AL
Sat Apr 14 10:44:53 2001


My Story

My grandfather, John A. Croley, and my grandmother, Minnie Lee Page - Croley, both told me that his father (her father-in-law), John Tyler Croley, often told them about his own father, John Croley, going off into Confederate military service. John T. Croley said that when his father left for the Army, that he John T. was about age six (6) - which is about right if he was born in 1856 and his father, John Croley, went into service about 1862. John's departing words were something like "I will be back someday". John T. Croley said that he looked for his father's return until he himself was well up in age just because of the boyish faith he had in his departing father's words even though for sometime he actually knew that his father was dead.
John T. Croley, being the only male child, had the post-war responsibility of taking care of his mother, Mary Dykes - Croley, and his sisters since his father, John Croley, had died in the CSA Army. My grandfather, John A. Croley, also said that his father, John T. Croley, told him how hard his early life had been following the War. How he regularly had to work plowing all day with nothing to eat but a small piece of cold rough ground cornbread and drinking water from a hillside seepage spring from out of a cup made from a curled magnolia leaf. In short, from about age ten (10) until he was twenty (20) the burden of support fell on him for the family.

Now in light of what I have just shared and after having reviewed some notes I made long ago when my gradparents were alive, I can say with some degree of confidence that John Croley and Mary Dykes Croley were living in Conecuh County, Alabama when the Confederate War came. (Remember that Escambia County, AL was created from part of Conecuh County after the War.) Despite some confusion regarding which military unit John Croley served in as evidenced by the following:

"Confederate Pension application from Escambia County, AL filed 7/2/1887 says that John Croley was a member of Company "D" 23rd Alabama, but application from Coffee County filed 4/27/1895 says Company "D" 18th Alabama."

Alabama Confederate Soldiers Name Roster shows a "John Cronley" in 23rd AL Inf. Co. "H".

It seems clear that John was most likely in Company "D" or "H" 23rd Alabama. Reasons why are because:

1. John T. Croley said, according to my grandfather, John A. Croley, and his sister, Inez Croley - Cooley, that his father, John Croley, died of disease near Mobile, AL ;
2. The history of the 23rd Alabama says that it lost 87 men due to disease shortly after its formation and while it was stationed near Mobile, AL;
3. Company "D" & "H" 23rd Alabama came from Conecuh County AL, but Company "D" 18th Alabama did not - it came from Coosa County, AL;
4. Given that Company "D" is stated on both the Confederate Pension Applications, the company information is probably correct on both - while the regimental information was at given incorrectly in the second.
5. Adding further support to John Croley's living in Conecuh County, Al is the fact that a "John Croley" age 36 born in S.C. is shown in the 1860 Census for Conecuh County, AL along with Mary age 30 also born in S.C. In 1889, his son, John T. Croley, bought 161 acres in Escambia County, AL which was created from part of Conecuh County;
6. And, even though John T. Croley and his mother Mary Dykes Croley had moved to Coffee County, AL by 1895, other information shows that his sisters had all married men in the Escambia County, AL area - most along the FL/AL state-lines.

In closing on this posting, it would be helpful if I could find where the following people lived in Conecuh County and something about their own respective military service records since they were the officers of Company "D" & "H" 23rd AL. Where they lived and served may help identify just where in Conecuh County John & Mary Croley actually lived and where in the Mobile area the 87 men may be buried. See following:

Co. "D" (Conecuh County): D. K. Smith (r
  • Death of John Croley — Doug Croley, Mon Jun 18 18:35
  • 87 men of the 23d Ala — Homer Jones, Sat Apr 14 12:38