21 comments

  1. University of Alabama is as old as the state | Alabama Pioneers

    […] infirmary at the University of Alabama. It was one of only four buildings on campus to survive the burning of the college in the Civil War. In 1879 it was given to the school’s president, Josiah Gorgas, and his […]

  2. fredrika bolling

    when I was at the Univ. of Ala.in 1959, I was in the building next to the library and it was raining and I was going to the library and someone showed me the hall that was underground and came out in the library on the right side of the building, amond some bookshelves., after climbing some steps from the hall. On the way I saw 2 confederate soldiers,and one asked me what happened to my dress[it was modern and short]. I didn’t answer…and realized later they were ghosts
    or the time had changed a few moments for the 2 soldiers.Perhaps later it let them know the place would be rebuilt someday, for at the time they were in, the place had not yet been burned.
    Also while there, the last ” panty raid” happened, and no one got into any of the dorms.We were told not to even look out the windows or if our photo was in a newspaper, we would be out of there.

  3. Roger Brothers

    This was not the first time the U of A corp of Cadets engaged in battle with the federals!

    In July of 1864 the corp was mustered to help repel Rousseau’s Raid in East Alabama. Only 54 cadets could be gathered in time (they were on summer break and were scattered all over the State. But those along with about 500 boys of Lockharts junior reserve (17 and younger as were the cadets) met 1500 veteran Yankee cavalry at a place called Chehaw station in Macon county. These boys succeeded in driving the Feds from the field that day. The fed commander wrote in his after action report that he had met a “superior force of 1500 infantry). Ironically the action of these boys may have saved what would become their future rival, Auburn U from suffering the same fate as the Tuscaloosa campus.

    BTW the fed gov years later in effect admitted their wrondoing in their arson of UA by giving 40,000 acres of federal land to the university as partial reparation

    1. Ken Berner

      Members of the Corps of Cadets were also involved in the defense of Mobile.

    2. Kevin

      Too bad Sherman and Grant didn’t get killed at Shiloh ….

  4. Jolene Edwards

    Dana Edwards Fennel Joe Hassell Karen Edwards

  5. Frank Brower

    Damn Yankees.

    1. Roger Brothers

      At least they didn’t poison any trees!!!

    2. Danny Farris

      Get some weeping willows

  6. Shane Higgins

    Good for General Croxton….

  7. Bruce Cole

    They didn’t do a good enough job! Jaaahaaaa…….just saying….

    1. James Storm

      You’re wrong for that.

  8. Emily Correll

    When I was a child and went to football games in Tuscaloosa, I was told that the president’s house was spared because the president’s wife begged for it. There is also another small building, like a turret, that supposedly wasn’t burned. I always wanted to go inside it because it reminded me of a fairy tale building. I think it may have been used as a clubhouse by some men’s group.

  9. Cary Atkinson

    This was part of “Croxton’s Raid” several furnaces were burned the same week. One of them that is still standing is tannehill…

  10. Johnny Ponder

    Croxton later march through my home town of Munford, AL where he encountered Hill’s Layouts. A small and fast skirmish ensued and there were 3 casualties. Two union soldiers were killed and taken back north for burial. This was on April 23rd which was 3 weeks after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. One confederate soldier was killed. His name was Andrew Jackson Buttram and he was from Douglasville, GA. He also was the great uncle of Pat Buttram of Green Acres and Gene Autry fame. This was the last battle of the war east of the Mississippi where casualties were recorded. AJ Buttram was 14 years old.

  11. Carroll White

    LaGrange Collage in northwest Alabama was burned. The West Point of the South.

  12. Regina Poole

    Emily Correll – behind the main library is the “old” campus. Woods Hall, and the other buildings there are all Civil War buildings. The President’s wife also held a gun in her hand when she confronted the union troops.

  13. TBT: Alabama News in 1858 included a fire, two murders, a convention and an election | Alabama Pioneers

    […] resident editor; and the following 12 gentlemen a Board of Editors; Dr. L. C. Garland of the University of Ala.; Dr. H. F. Talbird, of Howard College; Prof. H. Tutwiler, of Greene Springs; A. Goddard, of Coosa; […]

  14. Senseless Destruction – Mission IMP-Possible

    […] Donna R. “Alabama Pioneers.” Alabama Pioneers (blog), September 13, 2019. https://www.alabamapioneers.com/university-alabama-burned/ (Accessed September 26, […]

  15. Anne Adams

    Lee Peacock have you heard or read of this?

  16. Frank Porter

    And still burned it, the sobs

Leave a Reply