This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: DonUmphrey46 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.alabama.counties.marion/2318.2/mb.ashx Message Board Post: There were many atrocities and many people died at the hands of partisans for both sides during the Civil War in NW Alabama. I have done considerable research and have not seen the names you mentioned as being victims. You said that you had read about this--do you recall where? Do you know for a fact that these people were strong supporters of the Confederacy? Do their grave stones contain death dates? If yes, did they all die on the same day? Most civilian casualties in neighbor-to-neighbor fighting were the male members of the household, and it would most likely be someone who was known to be strongly pro-Confederate who preyed on pro-Union families (such as Ham Carpenter). The lowest of the lowest pro-Union vigilante was John Stout and his followers, and I have never seen a mention of them killing women and children. (Although they would steal all the belongings of families who were pro-Confederate. This group was active in 1864 until the end of the war, and this was the period of greatest lawlessness in NW Alabama.) Possibilities? It is possible that this account is local folklore and/or that it is partially true. Another possibility is that an atrocity occurred that is lost to written history. I'm pretty sure that you'll not find any mention of this in any published books; if it is mentioned anywhere, it would be in testimony of the Southern Claims Commission. These claims continue to be a rich source of information of what occurred during the Civil War, but using them is not easy because you must look in the National Archives under the names of individual claims. Best wishes, Don Umphrey Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.