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Confederate Soldier: A. J. Bale and C.R. Bale
Cemetery: Sardis Presbyterian Cemetery
Location:
N 34º 15.940 W 085 º 22.707
Hwy 20
Coosa, Floyd County, Georgia
Date Visited: 10/27/2008
Inscriptions:
A.F. Bale, Maj. 6th Regt. Geo. Cav.
Born near Goshen, Ala. July 29, 1839
Killed near Dandridge, Tenn. Dec. 24, 1863
C.R. Bale, Lt. Co. H 6th Regt. Geo. Cav.
Born near Goshen, Ala. July 25, 1837
Killed near Resaca, Geo. May 13, 1864
Discussion:
Alfred and Charles Bale were the sons of John and Pheba Bale of Goshen, Alabama. This family was enumerated in Beat 4 of the 1850 Randolph County, Alabama Census. This family appears to have moved near Rome, Georgia. The records show that the brothers Alfred and Charles joined the Confederate Army. Alfred was soon elected First Lieutenant of Company G of Smith’s Calvary Legion on May 8, 1862. Later he would be named Captain of a company in this unit. In March of 1863 Company G became Company G of the 6th Georgia Calvary Regiment. At this time Alfred Bale was named Major of the Regiment.
In December of 1863 Major Bale and the 6th Georgia Calvary was brigaded with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Georgia Calvary Regiments under the command of Colonel C. C. Crews. The brigade, as a part of Longstreet’s Calvary, was in operations north of Knoxville, Tennessee. On Christmas Eve morning Col. A.P Campbell’s Union Calvary was in a sharp engagement with Longstreet’s Calvary at Hay’s Ferry near Dandridge Tennessee.
Crew’s Brigade found themselves in the rear of the Union Calvary. Two regiments, apparently one being the 6th Georgia Calvary, pushed out and captured battery. With no support they were soon compelled to retreat leaving Major Bale dead on the field. J. W. Minnich later described Bale’s death in The Confederate Veteran for February of 1925:
In attempting to swing around the left of the breastworks and within ten paces of it, our major, Alfred Bale, fell from his horse, shot through the head. We mourned his loss deeply. He was a man of deeply religious nature, quiet, and gentlemanly, and quite popular with all
Later Crew’s Brigade fighting dismounted forced the Union Calvary to retreat.
Charles R. Bale was a Lieutenant in Company H of the 6th Georgia Calvary. His death near Resaca occurred on May 13, 1864. There is no official recording of Lieutenant Bale’s death. The following was cobbled together from Official Reports of both Confederate and Union officers for May 13, 1864. This day was the eve of the Battle of Resaca. It is a day marked by skirmishes as the two armies reached out to test each other as Union forces maneuvered into position to crush the retreating Confederate Army. At some point in the day Colonel Hart, commander of the 6th Georgia Calvary, sent word to a Major West in Calhoun that the enemy had occupied the bridge on the opposite side of the river. General Iverson identified this point as being about two miles from Resaca. This is assumed to be the bridge on the road from Resaca to Calhoun that crosses the Oostanaula River. Colonel Hart is very direct in surmising that if the enemy is successful then his position along the river will become untenable. In response to Colonel Hart’s report General W.H. T. Walker is commanded to send a brigade of infantry and a battery to support Colonel Hart. As to the death of Lieutenant Bale it is speculated that the aforementioned position of the 6th Georgia probably resulted in some sort of skirmish in which he was killed.
Cemetery: Sardis Presbyterian Cemetery
Location:
N 34º 15.940 W 085 º 22.707
Hwy 20
Coosa, Floyd County, Georgia
Date Visited: 10/27/2008
Inscriptions:
A.F. Bale, Maj. 6th Regt. Geo. Cav.
Born near Goshen, Ala. July 29, 1839
Killed near Dandridge, Tenn. Dec. 24, 1863
C.R. Bale, Lt. Co. H 6th Regt. Geo. Cav.
Born near Goshen, Ala. July 25, 1837
Killed near Resaca, Geo. May 13, 1864
Discussion:
Alfred and Charles Bale were the sons of John and Pheba Bale of Goshen, Alabama. This family was enumerated in Beat 4 of the 1850 Randolph County, Alabama Census. This family appears to have moved near Rome, Georgia. The records show that the brothers Alfred and Charles joined the Confederate Army. Alfred was soon elected First Lieutenant of Company G of Smith’s Calvary Legion on May 8, 1862. Later he would be named Captain of a company in this unit. In March of 1863 Company G became Company G of the 6th Georgia Calvary Regiment. At this time Alfred Bale was named Major of the Regiment.
In December of 1863 Major Bale and the 6th Georgia Calvary was brigaded with the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Georgia Calvary Regiments under the command of Colonel C. C. Crews. The brigade, as a part of Longstreet’s Calvary, was in operations north of Knoxville, Tennessee. On Christmas Eve morning Col. A.P Campbell’s Union Calvary was in a sharp engagement with Longstreet’s Calvary at Hay’s Ferry near Dandridge Tennessee.
Crew’s Brigade found themselves in the rear of the Union Calvary. Two regiments, apparently one being the 6th Georgia Calvary, pushed out and captured battery. With no support they were soon compelled to retreat leaving Major Bale dead on the field. J. W. Minnich later described Bale’s death in The Confederate Veteran for February of 1925:
In attempting to swing around the left of the breastworks and within ten paces of it, our major, Alfred Bale, fell from his horse, shot through the head. We mourned his loss deeply. He was a man of deeply religious nature, quiet, and gentlemanly, and quite popular with all
Later Crew’s Brigade fighting dismounted forced the Union Calvary to retreat.
Charles R. Bale was a Lieutenant in Company H of the 6th Georgia Calvary. His death near Resaca occurred on May 13, 1864. There is no official recording of Lieutenant Bale’s death. The following was cobbled together from Official Reports of both Confederate and Union officers for May 13, 1864. This day was the eve of the Battle of Resaca. It is a day marked by skirmishes as the two armies reached out to test each other as Union forces maneuvered into position to crush the retreating Confederate Army. At some point in the day Colonel Hart, commander of the 6th Georgia Calvary, sent word to a Major West in Calhoun that the enemy had occupied the bridge on the opposite side of the river. General Iverson identified this point as being about two miles from Resaca. This is assumed to be the bridge on the road from Resaca to Calhoun that crosses the Oostanaula River. Colonel Hart is very direct in surmising that if the enemy is successful then his position along the river will become untenable. In response to Colonel Hart’s report General W.H. T. Walker is commanded to send a brigade of infantry and a battery to support Colonel Hart. As to the death of Lieutenant Bale it is speculated that the aforementioned position of the 6th Georgia probably resulted in some sort of skirmish in which he was killed.
Sources
Official Record of the War of the Rebellion, Vol. 31, p. 545
Official Record of the War of the Rebellion, Vol. 38, p. 706-708
Randolph County, Alabama 1850 Census, Beat 4
Roster of Confederate Soldiers of Georgia, 1861-1865, Volume 2
The Affair at Hay’s Ferry, J.W. Minnich, Confederate Veteran, Vol. XXXIII, Feb. 1925.
Official Record of the War of the Rebellion, Vol. 31, p. 545
Official Record of the War of the Rebellion, Vol. 38, p. 706-708
Randolph County, Alabama 1850 Census, Beat 4
Roster of Confederate Soldiers of Georgia, 1861-1865, Volume 2
The Affair at Hay’s Ferry, J.W. Minnich, Confederate Veteran, Vol. XXXIII, Feb. 1925.
2 comments:
Hi, Greg,
I was just yondering :-) over in the Sardis Presbyterian Church cemetery last weekend and took photos of these two graves, along with the Southern Crosses that accompany them.
On the grave on the left, it really looks like the boy's initials are "A.F." not A.J. Did you find his name listed somewhere as A.J.? It may just be the funky letters, as I also couldn't for the life of me make out the word "Dandridge", which looks like "Ganduige" on the stone.
Thanks!
Julie
I just looked at my photo again...Gandriuce, that's what I thought Dandridge was. Anyway, thanks again!
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