AUTHOR: Edward S. Alexander, Emerging Civil War
SUBMITTED BY: Deborah England
I found this story about my GG grandfather on the blog, Emerging Civil War. It was written by Edward S. Alexander. As a descendant of the original settlers of Western NC, on both sides of my family, I have many relatives who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, but this story just broke my heart. When I discovered that my GG Grandfather had been shot for desertion, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. Then, as I looked closer at his family and the timeline, I realized my great grandmother had just been born when Confederate soldiers came by and conscripted him into the service. They were poor, uneducated people and I can just imagine what it would have meant to have him leave the family right when a new baby was born. I have no doubt that he turned around and left the first chance he could get to go home to take care of his family and his horses, something that has been passed down through the generations in our family.The hero of this story, in my opinion, is my GG Uncle Martin “Valentine” Stamey, who was so angry about his brother being murdered that he took off and joined the Union Army. I would like to think I would have done the same thing. The story is attached. I am so grateful that I happened to run across it and that Mr. Alexander wrote it.