Gravelly Springs – The Search for Darthula Ross pt. 5

To read more on the Darthula Ross case study, click here.

The William B. Langford family migrated from Newberry County, South Carolina to Lauderdale County, Alabama about 1835 and settled in Gravelly Springs, Alabama. William inherited property from his father and Drucilla Waits inherited property from her father. It is believed that Drucilla sold her property first and that provided the financial means to relocate to Lauderdale County, Alabama. William later sold his property to his brother James for $600 in 1848, after he had settled in Alabama.1

Today Gravelly Springs is a sparsely populated area northwest of Florence just north of the Tennessee River. This area was an enumerated district for the US Census and there were many families that lived there.

Gravelly Springs area in Alabama
Gravelly Springs, Alabama

William B. Langford

It is hard to place William B. Langford’s property exactly, but a plat map exists of the property location. The map also shows how many people lived in this area.

William Langford property
U.S., Indexed Early Land Ownership and Township Plats, 1785-18982

The Langford family seemed to be doing well in 1850 and 1860. The property was declared with a value of $900 in 18503 and $1100 in 1860.4 Unfortunately, the Civil War greatly impacted the family. William and his oldest son Joseph likely died during the war. Drucilla still has the property in 1866 because she is listed in the Alabama 1866 census. The property had no listed value by 18705. The decline in value gives a clue about what had happened during the war. Drucilla either sold off some of the property to survive and/or the land had been destroyed and was no longer fit for farming.

Gravelly Springs in the Civil War

Military action in Lauderdale County began after the battle at Shiloh, 9 April 1862, with raids by the Union army. It is estimated these raids left at least 750 families destitute. By June 1862 Florence is under occupation by the Union Army’s 10th Kentucky Regiment under the command of Col. John Marshall Harlan, though it did change hands several times. Lauderdale County was an industrial center producing cotton, wool, leather, and food. It was essential for the North to break the industrial back of the Confederacy. Col. Florence M. Cornyn and a force of 1,380 men from the Union Army were tasked with destroying the infrastructure in Lauderdale County. On 26 May 1863, the attack on Florence and surrounding communities began. Cotton mills, tanyards, etc., were destroyed along with food supplies for the area. Additional battles occurred until the end of the war in Florence and surrounding areas further devastating the area. The area was so devastated that it did not recover until 1933 with the Tennessee Valley Authority.6

By 1865, the Union Army was on the brink of victory. In order to secure the victory, Ulysses S. Grant proposed a raid into central Alabama to further break the industrial capacity of the Confederacy. Gen. James H. Wilson was assigned to lead the battle to Selma, Alabama. This military action was known as Wilson’s Raid. Preparation for this battle began with assembling men and supplies in January 1865. This assembly occurred at Gravelly Springs, Alabama.

James H. Wilson
James H. Wilson

Gen. James H. Wilson assembled about 22,000 men at Gravelly Springs, setting up camp between Waterloo and Gravelly Springs. This gathering was one of the largest military encampments in American history. Wilson is known for not destroying plantations and looting, but the encampment itself would have destroyed the land. Historical accounts claim that trees were cut down and tents could be seen for miles. The soldiers were stationed at Gravelly Springs until April 1865 when the men began to move out.7,8

Further Research

Because William Langford owned property, there should be additional land records and a will or probate. William’s death occurred during the Civil War, so records may be a bit sketchy. Hopefully there is a record that mentions his children. Unfortunately Lauderdale County court records have limited accessibility. It is easy to assume the land the Langford’s owned was likely destroyed. Drucilla and her daughters would have had to find a way to survive, so what did they do after the war?

Sources

  1. Deeds and conveyances, 1839-1916 ; indexes to deeds and conveyances, 1839-1948, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSR8-6XFH.
  2. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Township Plats of Selected States; Series #: T1234; Roll: 1.
  3. “United States Census, 1850,” database with images, <i>FamilySearch</i> (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH59-VJL : 19 December 2020), William Langford, Lauderdale, Alabama, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
  4. “United States Census, 1860”, database with images, <i>FamilySearch</i> (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHDG-BG2 : 18 February 2021), Welliam Langford, 1860.
  5. “United States Census, 1870”, database with images, <i>FamilySearch</i> (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHK6-LZW : 28 May 2021), D B Lankford, 1870.
  6. Wallace, Harry E. History of the Shoals. Times Daily, Thursday, February 25, 1999. https://sites.rootsweb.com/~allauder/historyshoals4.htm
  7. https://digitalalabama.com/alabama-battlefield-sites/alabama-civil-war-battle-sites/alabama-civil-war-site-22000-union-troops-depart-gravelly-springs-alabama-to-attack-alabama/15713
  8. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1375
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