WHERE IS JEREMIAH YOUNGBLOOD'S PLACE OF BURIAL?
In the history written by Doctor Franklin Youngblood shortly before his death in 1891, it is said that:
"...Jeremiah Youngblood, went into the army as a substitute rider under General Andrew Jackson. He continued in service until the battle of New Orleans, which was in the latter part of 1814. After this he was given a furlough and died on his way home in the Indian Nation, (now Madison County, Alabama), and was buried near where he died. My mother, on hearing of father's death, disposed of everything she had except what she could pack on a few horses and started to where (he) had died."
Well, we knew that the battle of New Orleans was not fought until January 1815, after Jeremiah had died, but the battle of Horseshoe Bend was in March 1814, so perhaps he was in that.
With "family traditions" being oftentimes not too factual and finding Jeremiah's widow, Susannah, in Lawrence Co., AL in 1820 ~ a couple of counties away from Madison, we have wondered and speculated on just where Jeremiah might be buried. I thought you would be interested to know what I have learned about this.
Regimental Histories of Tennessee Units During the War of 1812, prepared by Tom Kanon, of the Tennessee State Library and Archives, contains the following on Col. Philip Pipkin's 1st Regiment West Tennessee Militia, in which Jeremiah served.
"This regiment of about 960 men was ordered to man the various forts of the Mississippi Territory: Forts Jackson, Williams, Strother, Claiborne, and Pierce. Many of the men were stationed in the vicinity of Mobile, where disease put large numbers of them on sick lists. The unrest caused by such conditions led to a high desertion rate throughout the regiment.
The desertions, along with enlistment disputes, led to court martials in December 1814 at Mobile, resulting in the execution of six soldiers on 21 February 1815 -- on the next day, news of the peace treaty arrived. The court martial was reviewed by the House Committee on Military Affairs in Washington (1828), probably to embarrass Andrew Jackson, who was then running for the office of president."
Since Jeremiah received an honorable discharge and it was reported by his Captain, David Smyth, that he "served faithfully until the 6th December 1814, at which last time he died", we can rest assured that Jeremiah was not among the deserters mentioned.
I contacted Mr. Tom Kanon to see if he could tell me anything further about the activities of this regiment and whether or not they had participated in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. This was his reply:
"Colonel Philip Pipkin's regiment did not participate at Horseshoe Bend because that battle was fought in late March 1814 and Pipkin's regiment did not start serving until late June of that year.
I cannot recommend a more definitive source for the activities of this unit simply because there is none (other than the brief regimental history on our web site). The reason for this is simple: enlistment terms were brief and, unless a unit fought in a battle, their "activities" were relegated to manning the various posts in the southern regions of the war.
In Pipkin's case, what I can add is this: their line of march from Tennessee followed the trail of forts constructed by Jackson's army in their campaigns against the Creek Indians. Consult the map we have online that accompanies the "Brief Histories." This regiment would have gone through Forts Deposit, Strother, Williams, and then to Mobile. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where an individual might be at any given time because groups of soldiers from various companies might be left to man certain posts during the war.
What is interesting about Youngblood, according to what you said his service records indicate, is that he was furloughed the very day he died. This indicates to me that he was probably ill for some time and it was decided to let him return home. My problem with the family tradition is that he was "on his way home" when death occurred; yet, he died the day he was furloughed, indicating that he most likely died in camp BEFORE he got to go home. Of course, this is conjecture on my part. Where might he have been when he died? My guess would be in the vicinity of Fort Williams (near present-day Montgomery) OR in the vicinity of Mobile, where disease was rampant and many died in camp."
I had not realized the significance of Jeremiah's death being the same day he was discharged, until he pointed it out, but he was right, of course. My next question concerned possible records of burials at either Fort Williams or Mobile for this period, with this reply:
"While I do not know of any existing burial records of soldiers stationed in Mobile during the War of 1812, there is a "cemetery" located near the site of Fort Williams in Alabama. While the original site of the fort is under the Coosa River, this cemetery was erected as a monument to the soldiers who died at the fort. It contains about 78 marked gravestones. I have seen a list of the names and, unfortunately, none of them are "Youngblood.""
My conclusions ~ had Jeremiah died at Fort Williams, it would seem likely that he would have been listed among these 78 marked gravestones. Since he isn't, that leaves Mobile as his probable resting place and raises the question of whether "to be near the grave of her husband" was the actual reason Susannah moved to Alabama. Was it that, or did she maybe have other relatives in the area of Lawrence County???
Comments welcome!
Dorothy Q.
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