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In Distant Fields:
Union Soldiers at Mobile National Cemetery

ABOUT
THE
PROJECT

In Distant Fields: Union Soldiers at Mobile National Cemetery preserves the stories of Union veterans of the American Civil War interred at the Mobile National Cemetery. As with other national cemeteries located in former Confederate states, the Mobile National Cemetery has become the final resting place for men died as outsiders in a war far from home. Most were Northern-born, men who had enlisted to preserve the Union or, occasionally, to end slavery. Others were immigrants seeking employment and acceptance in their newly adopted American home. Even Southern-born Union troops intruded into Confederate space because of their continued allegiences to the United States or their status as contraband troops (formerly enslaved Black men serving in the Union army).​

The Mobile National Cemetery began with a seemingly conciliatory act by the city of Mobile in 1866. The city had fallen to Union occupation a year earlier, and the influx of Federal troops, emancipated slaves, and returning Confederate veterans led to outbreaks of diseases that killed hundreds of Union troops and untold numbers of Mobilians. At the same time, reinterment efforts by the United States Army sought formal resting places for the hastily buried battlefield casualties at nearby Fort Blakeley and Spanish Fort. Some of the deceased were reclaimed by family members and shipped home. Others were buried in post cemeteries that dotted the city and surrounding country, while others (usually Black troops) were relegated to paupers graves provided by the city sexton. Colonel Morris D. Wickersham, Chief Quartermaster of the Department of Alabama, desired a single cemetery where the Union dead could be buried more honorably, and local leaders responded with three acres of donated land at the city’s New Cemetery (now Magnolia Cemetery). On both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, newspapers hailed the gift as a sign of southern magnanimity, an early symbol of national reconciliation. ​ The gift’s meaning was more complex. Located in a rear corner of Magnola Cemetery, the donation was tucked far from the broad promenade that extended from the cemetery’s main entrance. Federal troops who had occupied the city in life would not be afforded a similar position in death. They would be interred to the southwest in grounds disturbed by the jagged lines of Confederate earthworks defending the city’s edge. Despite the political image of southern magnanimity, Mobile’s donation suggests the alternative image of southern retribution. The Union dead would lie in the shadow of Confederate defiance. ​ Even today, the Union troops buried in the distant fields of the Mobile National Cemetery remain overshadowed by the Confederacy. Mobile and the state of Alabama direct attention to Confederate Rest, the Confederate section of Magnolia Cemetery, located just 1,200 feet away. The goal of this website is draw much deserved and long-neglected attention to the military service these men provided in the service of their nation.

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STORY
MAPS

Soldier story maps are a type of story map, a digital storytelling tool, that use maps and multimedia content to tell the story of a soldier's life, often tracing their journey through different locations and events. These maps can include points of interest like the soldier's hometown, places where they served, and battlefields. They can also incorporate images, videos, and other media to enrich the narrative. 

Below, please find a link to an external website, 'STORYMAPS' for the current list of identified soldiers. 

REGIMENTS:

Co. E, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. F, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. A, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. A, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. B, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. H, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. E, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. F, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. D, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. I, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. F, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. I, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. B, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. H, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. D, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. D, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. G, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. F, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. K, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. D, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. I, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. B, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. K, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. B, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. I, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. G, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. A, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. I, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. K, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. K, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. K, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. I, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. I, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. F, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. B, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. H, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. B, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. I, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. H, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. E, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. F, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. G, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. K, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. D, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. G, 97th Regiment USCT

Co. I, 97th Regiment USCT

NAMES OF SOLDIERS:

Corp. Albert Johnson

Corp. Emmanuel Byron

Corp. Harry Aiken

Corp. Henry Dolphit (Delphit)

Corp. Mitchell (Michael) Hines

Pvt. Adam Taylor

Pvt. Alexis Proveaux (Preveaux)

Pvt. Alfred Menston (Mastin)

Pvt. Amos Brooks

Pvt. Anthony Sylvester

Pvt. Antonio Lindsey

Pvt. Carmele (Camille) Smith

Pvt. Charles Brown

Pvt. Charles Sheppard

Pvt. Dennis Blair (Isom)

Pvt. Edward Castle

Pvt. Eldridge Thomas

Pvt. Felix Washington

Pvt. George Washington

Pvt. Griffin Conway

Pvt. Henry Wright

Pvt. Jackson Camell (Campbell)

Pvt. James Armstrong

Pvt. James Brown

Pvt. James Peters

Pvt. James Redmond Sutton

Pvt. John Fay

Pvt. John Ogistand

Pvt. John Saster

Pvt. Lewis Sheppard

Pvt. Matthew B. Coursey

Pvt. Nelson Russell

Pvt. Nelson Stokes

Pvt. Robert McClern

Pvt. Robert Randolph

Pvt. Samuel Singleton

Pvt. Shadrick Clay

Pvt. Simon Robinson

Pvt. Smith Lincoln (Dinkins)

Pvt. Thomas Johnson

Pvt. William Dequane

Pvt. William Flemming

Pvt. William Taylor

QMSgt Sandy Bell

Sgt. Leaven Wallace

Sgt. Moses Haynes

STORY LINK: (EXTERNAL SITE)

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/506ccfd434a5487faa1403d0e6b1724b

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/22a5cec9503f44bd97b63a33fa18d41c

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fa1fef1ba3b4464a9b2bc2b265f15bf4

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/16ad5595aac743cea959f143699b5dd9

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a172fe47b5124729b3a4ec66328cce97

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ba0d7130641c470fa1fda848214f6561

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a6e9baa3257e44f78be8722a507c945e

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/566317c1da3d4026b3731cc3218e96fa

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/156bd07c166845809cd8c2c12ca94cad

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/61ff3e88acfd4aa6a915c172b03ce350

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7707c407af8d41f4b21bb2b5aec7d5f1

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2087ff36c477419d94e69d4b13c98833

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/bfb84fe0e50a4630a2a5416215ba4c34

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a62e277bede444b1b76e5f4614fe5339

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/77dc906214b84d81ab920ebce4b7984b

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e41bb86ba1a74e30aa417b2008e38601

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2cbda4a2933244039fe44aecbef5b935

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d12293874c604cfbbd4c3c8d7f9699ad

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1687cfb4045d4f0e85c129e13f21db12

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3dfb4d8592214095ab6d101817e7dae8

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2acaa35f62ee4411be16944e48d3f89e

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b4c3065dfb544f3a89fb97b9230119a7

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/be4cb8e781a84c1b96b3e8ad6582deee

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5fad21ca0b784a4e842199c59d6d68d4

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c2c97ad873c44bd6822b72fab2c5fc95

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5e9e78f3a57d4b1e97fa47479ed9290c

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b64c762bf04544c4941724e9393613ca

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fd324c2d7e0942d3be47ccfd40e14ce3

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/539a10d0fa6048ea8f9b41d1caf0bae9

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/53e0b476f6954a42aba170bfd9d51297

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a07f655d318c48e080f00866454dc89f

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6b963d45c3144ba7ba2786de53649ab0

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/28191f4c97e54670a8a922ea0f483fe4

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b21313f984324e09bf03b5a5175965dc

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/dc27d6ec0cbf4318ba3a9cd9f6cf26c9

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/dc021671ee244e4a89cefe1359b28b8d

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/47a6dfc27f2c464ba6b8d7fbc0c391ca

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1d4e11a9dee746a8a397b0e5f21949d0

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7fabf731ba374413af0c785b32174d58

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fd1f542a83b74e74ad091fd48f73ed42

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/4bac6be2b9fe4ef28f3a3d60d48bf875

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f95c44baa77e47f1a31b63fc12c0f6c0

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5e233032f3a448adb3e1c5e1f5bbeea3

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fb21490bd28048b99b2c9239da0474de

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b0456a785f504c449ffa17f8b620e8b3

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fd797334a60b423fb44b937027a02e23

 PROJECT TEAM

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GRANT FUNDED

This project was funded in whole by the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. 

VA awards more than $2.4M in grants to research and increase public engagement with Veteran stories

 

Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the National Cemetery Administration awarded nine grants totaling more than $2.4 million as part of the Veterans Legacy Program (VLP), a project that honors America’s Veterans and service members by uncovering and sharing their stories.

 

This year’s VLP grant announcement marks an increase from six to nine recipients and more than $260,000 over last year’s awards. These grants provide funding to conduct research into Veterans’ service, accomplishments, and their role in their communities. The educational tools generated by this research support the teaching of histories of those interred in VA national cemeteries and VA grant-funded state and Tribal Veterans’ cemeteries.

CONTACT

If you have any questions regarding this project, do not hesitate to reach out. All inquiries will be forwarded to Dr. David Carlson, Project Director. 

webmaster: Chris Stagl |  cstagl@troy.edu | 334-808-6480 | © 2025 by Troy University

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