Robin Sterling
A.W. Arnold's Company; 26th Inf from Blount County, Alabama
Tue May 15 14:41:47 2001


For those interested in a Company of A.W. Arnold's 26th Ala Inf....a little background from a Civil War era newspaper..

The [Huntsville] Democrat, 28 Jan 1862; page 3, column 1

"A Patriotic Village-The village of Summit in Blount County, Ala., has probably given as strong evidence of patriotism as any other in the Confederacy, if, indeed, it does not surpass all others. At the beginning of the war, it had 18 resident males of 14 years and upwards-Of these, 14 were voters, 10 of whom and 4 boys under 21 (the youngest only 14 or 15) volunteered. Of the 4 left at home, 3 were over 50 years of age. Of the 14 volunteers, two were elected captains, one, a lieutenant, and one, orderly sergeant. It had a boys academy with 80 students, residents and boarders. The teacher and 22, out of 23 boys over 16 years of age, volunteered. The village contains 9 dwelling houses, 4 dry goods' stores, a doctors shop and a grocery. The stores, shop and grocery were all closed, and the keys of the stores left with one of the old gentlemen, who stayed at home, to sell goods to neighbors when specially needed. One of the resident boys, who volunteered, sealed his devotion to his country and her cause by dying a hero's death on the Plains of Manassas. His older brother displayed his valor on the same field of glory and has since raised a company and gone to the field as the captain; while a younger brother, of 14 or 15, is a private in his company. These three brave and patriotic boys are named Arnold. We understand that their noble father, Maj. A.W. Arnold, equipped the whole of his son's company with uniforms. What village or neighborhood in the Southern confederacy can boast so great evidence of pluck and patriotism, in proportion to population?"