Womack Hill

Choctaw County, AL

Posted May 2007 with permission of the submitter, Brenda Landry

According to the submitter, Brenda Landry, on the back of the photo, in very faint pencil, the word "Stafford" is written on the first line; and on the second line, "Womack Hill." There may be COOPERS in the photo. If anyone recognizes any of these folks, please contact the owner, Brenda Landry, or the Choctaw Co., AL USGenWeb county coordinator,Gail W Rolison.

The list of names includes two J.P. Thompsons. My guess they are Joel Phillip “Scrap” Thompson and Joel Phillip “Perk Eye” Thompson. They were cousins and both lived in Choctaw County. I was told that my great, great grandfather Scrap served in the Civil War and that when he shoot he did so from up in a tree. Family records indicate Scrap was buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery and Perk Eye in Brightwater Cemetery. A headstone at Brightwater indicates that J.P. Thompson (Perk Eye) served with "Tutt's Co 9 Alabama Cavalry CSA."

My research suggests that "Scrap" joined Company D of the 56th Regiment of Partisan Rangers (Alabama Cavalry). This was also known as the 15th Battalion Alabama Partisan Rangers. It was said that he ran away to join the Confederate Army. Census records indicate he was born in 1850 and so would have been 12 or 13 when he enlisted as a private on 1 September 1962 in Choctaw County to a Captain McGill. He was on detached service in March 1863 and absent sick in May and June 1863. His father died 27 April 1863. He was again present for duty in July. He was on detached service or "extra duty" as a teamster in 1 July- 30 September 1864. His tenure as a teamster in July puts him on the roll in Meridian, Mississippi. His pension records state that he was wounded at the battle of Jonesboro, Georgia [August 31-September 1, 1864] and service records show he was admitted to the Ocmulgee Hospital in Macon, Georgia on 23 October 1864 with "rheumatism act[ute]" and transferred on 27 October 1864. He was paid 21 November 1864. The 56th Regiment Alabama Cavalry fought in the Dalton-Atlanta campaign, in the trenches of Savannah, Georgia and surrendered in Greensboro, North Carolina on 26 April 1865. "Scrap" applied for a pension on 12 August 1903. The records show he had a PO address in Berrytown [sic probably Barrytown] and his age was 60.

Scrap's second wife applied for a Confederate pension and that record shows his death in 17 April 1940. That Scrap was discharged in 1865 having "served until close of war" but states his enlistment as 1 February 1863 in Demopolis, Alabama and having served with Company C, 9th Alabama Cavalry Regiment. It is my belief this is a confusion with Scrap's cousin - Joel Phillip "Perk Eye" Thompson - who probably served with Company C [Tutt's Company] the 8th Regiment Alabama Cavalry [a.k.a., the "Ball-Hatch" Regiment and there is some confusion on numbering between the 8th or 9th, but I believe Perk Eye was with the 8th]. That pension record shows his [Perk Eye's] birth as Pushamataha, Alabama and "served until paroled at close of war at Gainesville." The 8th surrendered at Gainesville, Alabama. Perk Eye's address is Route 1 Box 12 Toxey, Alabama. Family history states that Perk Eye was buried in Brightwater Cemetery and internet records of that grave show a “Joel P. Thompson, Tutt's Co. 9 Ala. Cav., C.S.A.” There is confusion then as to Scrap's age. The 1860 Census gives his age as 10 (born in 1850). The 1880 Census gives his age as 35 [born in 1845]. His pension application in 1903 implies a birth year of 1843. A local newspaper said he was 98 when he died in 1940 which would mean he was born in 1842. His gravestone is marked born 13 April 1843, died 18 April 1940. Perk Eye's pension application states his birth was 13 April 1844. Perk Eye died on 14 February 1927 in Bogueloosa, Alabama. Since both men has the same name and lived in the same county there is difficulty telling the differences [so far].

Scrap was the last living Confederate veteran living in Choctaw County. A clipping from the “Advocate News” said “He was nicknamed ‘Scrap’ because of his runty size as a child.” He might be the youngest man in the photograph

This photo appeared on May 3, 1984 in The Choctaw Advocate thanks to Tommy Campbell and Mrs. W. A. Lolley. There are 46 men in the photo, and a partial list of names from the late Judge Daniel T. McCall, Jr.of Mobile appeared in the May 17th issue, among them Charles Campbell McCall, James Epp Littlepage and Henry Thompson Lindsey.
In her book Choctaw, Sumter and Washington Counties’ CSA Companies, Ann H. Gay has a list of 53 names from the CSA Pension Book in the County Probate Office. Some of the handwriting was indecipherable as seen by the blanks following some initials. It is unknown why there are more names than men. Perhaps some arrived after the photo was taken. Also unknown is the order in which the veterans were standing in the above photo.

L. B. Wimberly, E. H. Braswell, J. C. Carlisle, J. W. Collins, J. W. Doggett, J. P. Moore, M. E. Wright, C. T. Ezell, G. W. Mosley, S. A. Wright, A. V. Carlisle, J. Wesley Johnston, J. M. Foushee, J. J. Kelley, E. McLaughlin, W. M. Meador, Ira Stafford, C. C. Cooke, A. J. Roberts, S. A. Odom, A. C. _____, F. Presslar, J. P. Thompson, A. Cook, J. R. Burns, J. R. Mosley, L. R. Nobles, M. D. Scanlin, A. J. _____, J. T. Mills, T. B. Ferrell, T. W. Musgrove (from a Florida unit), Steve D.____, J.Q.A. Johnson, J. P. Thompson, S. T. Newton, W. J. Downey, J. I. Stewart, H. Wilson, Moses Shirley, O. C. Ulmer, J. E. Littlepage, J. H. Atkinson, C. Ellett, S. Carroll, M. Carroll, W. W. Craft, T. C. Owens, Moses Savage, W. H. Phillips, J. H. Wilson, Allen Jenkins, Solomon Boykin and S. D. Oliver.