Dublin Core
Title
Confederate Veterans Bicentennial Memorial, Hamilton, Alabama
Description
In 1977, Judge James F. Shotts senior erected a plaque on the wall of the Marion County Courthouse in Hamilton, Alabama. Shotts was also a Colonel in the United States Army Reserves and retired in 1952. As stated on the plaque, Shotts was present at a reunion of Confederate descendants and is the oldest grandson of Loyd and Shotts who are listed on the memorial. Judge Shotts dedicated the Confederate Veterans Bicentennial Memorial to the memory of the reunion of the Confederate veterans of Marion County, August 6-7, 1904. The plaque includes the name of the commandant of the Marion County Unit Confederate Veterans and a list of names of the Confederate Veterans who attended the 1904 reunion.
Among the names that are listed on the plaque, the name of the commandant is significant. Captain J.P. (Jem) Pearce, commandant of the Marion County Unit Confederate Veterans, was the orchestrator of the Confederate soldiers' reunion. Pearce was part of Company K of the 5th Regiment Alabama Cavalry, which fought in the Battle of Shiloh, an early battle of the Civil War. In the battle, the Confederate army attacked the Union army in Tennessee before being driven back and defeated in two days of fighting.
After the Civil War, Confederate soldiers reunited to commemorate their time in the war. During these reunions, veterans shared stories about their service during the war and remembered their comrades who had passed away. According to The Center for Civil War Research, “Attended by the hundreds and thousands, reunions of all kinds evoked powerful sentiments and became fertile ground for the construction of Civil War memory.”
The Confederate Veterans Bicentennial Memorial is still hung on the Marion County courthouse. The plaque represents the continuing efforts to remember the sacrifices of Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.
Among the names that are listed on the plaque, the name of the commandant is significant. Captain J.P. (Jem) Pearce, commandant of the Marion County Unit Confederate Veterans, was the orchestrator of the Confederate soldiers' reunion. Pearce was part of Company K of the 5th Regiment Alabama Cavalry, which fought in the Battle of Shiloh, an early battle of the Civil War. In the battle, the Confederate army attacked the Union army in Tennessee before being driven back and defeated in two days of fighting.
After the Civil War, Confederate soldiers reunited to commemorate their time in the war. During these reunions, veterans shared stories about their service during the war and remembered their comrades who had passed away. According to The Center for Civil War Research, “Attended by the hundreds and thousands, reunions of all kinds evoked powerful sentiments and became fertile ground for the construction of Civil War memory.”
The Confederate Veterans Bicentennial Memorial is still hung on the Marion County courthouse. The plaque represents the continuing efforts to remember the sacrifices of Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.
Creator
Judge James E. Shotts
Source
Alabama Genealogy Trails. "Marion County, Alabama: Civil War Reunions." http://genealogytrails.com/ala/marion/military_cvlwr_reunions.html.
History. "Battle of Shiloh." Updated May 1, 2020. https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-shiloh#section_4.
Journal Record. "Pearce's Mill: A fading monument to the past." June 4, 2019. https://myjrpaper.com/index.php/node/3263.
The Center for Civil War Research. "Reunions." https://www.civilwarcenter.olemiss.edu/reunions.html.
The Historical Marker Database. "Confederate Veterans Bicentennial Memorial: Hamilton- Marion County, Alabama." Last modified September 19, 2016. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=8088.
National Parks Service. “The Civil War: Soldier Details.” https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldierId=E35407C2-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A
Springfield News-Leader “A Census of Confederate symbols and monuments in the U.S.” https://data.news-leader.com/confederate-monuments/confederate-veterans-bicentennial-memorial/judge-james-f-shotts-senior-colonel-usar-retired-1952/103054/
History. "Battle of Shiloh." Updated May 1, 2020. https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-shiloh#section_4.
Journal Record. "Pearce's Mill: A fading monument to the past." June 4, 2019. https://myjrpaper.com/index.php/node/3263.
The Center for Civil War Research. "Reunions." https://www.civilwarcenter.olemiss.edu/reunions.html.
The Historical Marker Database. "Confederate Veterans Bicentennial Memorial: Hamilton- Marion County, Alabama." Last modified September 19, 2016. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=8088.
National Parks Service. “The Civil War: Soldier Details.” https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldierId=E35407C2-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A
Springfield News-Leader “A Census of Confederate symbols and monuments in the U.S.” https://data.news-leader.com/confederate-monuments/confederate-veterans-bicentennial-memorial/judge-james-f-shotts-senior-colonel-usar-retired-1952/103054/
Date
August 1977
Contributor
Andrea Rios, Sebastian Ebbert
Language
English
Type
Plaque
Identifier
HIST 402A FALL 2021
Coverage
Hamilton, Alabama