Some time back I met the descendant of "Ole Bill", the owner of Looney's Tavern in North Alabama. The tavern was the location of the meeting where 6 riders were sent in 6 directions to ride for 6 days to notify the people of a town meeting to secede from Alabama and form The Free State of Winston.
Thousands of people showed up and voted to remain neutral during the Civil War. They couldn't. Dr. Keiser owned the plantation down in Jasper and sent bands of marauders into Winston to conscript young boys into the Confederacy. They captured several one night and "Ole Bill" took out for Sherman's Army to run down Troop L, U.S. 1st Cav. of Alabama to help free the boys in the Jasper Jail.
Sherman said no, but Col. Thomas "The Rock" allowed 11 soldiers to go on furlough. They met with 11 Civilians at Rocky Flats and they had a line in the sand for everyone to cross to show a willingness to fight. Two were left with the horses and the remainder proceeded to Jasper where they freed the boys.
On the return trip one of the boys was told of his fathers hanging and was asked to join the Union Troops. He said he would if they stopped by Dr. Keiser's Plantation on the way back. They were waiting for him in the corn-crib when he went to feed his racehorses. They told his wife that if she didn't want to follow her husband into posterity that she better tell them who hung the boy's daddy and she told them of the six men. The story has it that he found the last man in his field in Oklahoma.
It is really a small world and the stars are moving very strangely. My Great -Great Grandfathers (2 of them) were with the U.S.1stCav.Ala. and one was the leader of the group that captured Jasper, burned down the Jail House and Court House and several other buildings, shot the sheriff and destroyed a cache of arms just allotted to the Home Guard.

I am sorry that it was this late in life that I discovered my roots. This knowledge has given me great strength and drive to honor what my family has long stood for.

Last edited by Panamaed; 05/04/10 10:29 AM.