The Experiences of a Civil War Soldier: Dennis Welch, husband of
Rebecca I. Culpepper
Background
Rebecca I. Culpepper was born November 20, 1836 in Lauderdale County, MS
and her husband, Dennis Welch, was born August 27, 1827 in Wilcox County, AL. They were
married February 5, 1854. She was the daughter of Owen Culpepper, son of Joseph Culpepper,
son of Joseph Culpepper, son of Robert Culpepper.
When Dennis was 14 years old, his father died. This left Dennis trying to farm and take
care of his mother and siblings. At some point thereafter, his half-brother, Dr. Jacob
Welch, took over the running of his father's farm and brought the family to his large
plantation in Lauderdale Co., MS (Alamucha), which consisted of 3,000 acres and sixty
slaves.
Dr. Jacob stated that transportation was very primitive before the Civil War and for
many years thereafter. Several plantation owners would band together annually and make a
wagon caravan trip to Mobile to trade. As life was leisurely then, the round trip usually
took several weeks. The mule or ox teams would make twenty or thirty miles a day,
according to the condition of the roads. The travelers usually camped where ever night
overtook them and spent the night around a campfire. After the evening meal the jug of
"merry water" made on the plantation was bought out to key up the spirits of the
travelers and put them in a happy or fighting mood. Upon returning home, they were eagerly
greeted by their families and the slaves, for they usually brought back presents as well
as news. Summer trips were made in carriages or on horseback. The Welches had carriages
and a slave trained as a coachman, although the women of the family, as well as the men,
made journeys to neighboring plantations on horseback. As for the fields, fertilizer was
not much in use in those days. The fields were fertile and produced abundant crops without
it. Cotton seed was considered worthless and hauled out in the woods and dumped. The
cotton itself was ginned on the place by an old fashioned horse gin. It was operated by
two mules who were hitched to both ends of a long lever and made to go around in endless
circles.
Tomatoes were grown as decorative plants and not used for food, being called "love
apples" at that time. They were so tempting in appearance that the children had to be
watched to be kept from eating them. Finally, it was discovered that they were good to eat
and not poisonous.
The War, as told by Dr. Jacob Welch, the half-brother of Dennis:
"The war beginning in the early months of 1861, which with 1862, both years being
failures in crops, in consequence of unprecedented droughts throughout the southern
states, made the chances more unfavorable for success of the south. And a severe task for
the people to supply provisions to supply the needs of the army. It lasted four long years
with the loss of our slaves and nearly everything else that we formerly had in abundance
with ruinous taxes and heavy tithes - having myself to pay a tax during the war, in one
year of $1280.00 and 1200 bushels of corn, besides able servant hands to work on forts,
railroads and government works, besides others provisions such as food, clothing, mules,
horses, beeves, etc. Oh, it was an awful time! Indeed it was.
In 1864, General Sherman with an overwhelming army of the Union side, came from
Vicksburg to Meridian, where Gen. Polk was at the head and command of our Confederate army
of about 8,000 men, who, not being strong enough to contend with Sherman, retreated for
Demopolis, AL and halted a day and night here at Alamutcha, filling the whole neighborhood
with soldiers - who took nearly all the provisions of corn and meat - stock - oats
-potatoes - in fact everything they could find for supplies and it being quite cold
weather (February 14th, 1864) they burnt up all the rails of my fence around home, and
along the road reaching east across Alamutcha creek, nearly two miles in extent, amounting
to many thousand rails. They left us, out of a large crib of corn, only about forty
bushels to feed a large family, although I had already paid my tythe tax of several
hundred bushels. They also took nearly all of the pork we had and left us with almost
nothing to live on and therefore had to rush off a large portion of our family servants
with four wagons and teams to the old neighborhood in Georgia to be fed, in the care of
our young son, William T. Welch- going with him myself to help him on as far as Selma, and
see the safely across the Bigbee River, etc. This sending servants, wagons, mules, etc.
took place before the Confederate Army reached our neighborhood, else we would hardly have
had anything of stock or vehicles left us; for our army was nearly as bad in seizing upon
anything wanted, as was the enemy, with the exception of burning up houses. We had nearly
two hundred head of goats and an equal number of cattle and a large number of hogs--a
number yet in pens for pork that we had yet to slaughter. The most of the fattening hogs
they took and killed besides several thousand pounds of pork we had put up in the smoke
house to supply us the year. As it turned out, I never got back but very few of the stock
sent off. We sent off to GA twelve mules with wagons and most of the servants, for want of
supplies to support them here -keeping two yoke of oxen and a few cows for milk, and the
army took the steers for beef, despite of me. We had at least 100 bushels of potatoes. At
my request, a guard was put over them for protection, which we hoped were safe, but after
the army left we found the potatoes all gone. The soldiers stole them. Awful times.
The preceding information comes mostly from the Autobiography of Dr.
Jacob Welch of Lauderdale Co., MS and transcribed by his great grandson, A. Jarvis Welch.
This autobiography can be found in the Lauderdale County, MS Archives. Dr. Jacob Welch is
the half-brother of Dennis, who helped raise Dennis and his siblings after the death of
his father.
FROM THE NOTES OF ERIC AUSTIN WELCH (1893-1978), the grandson of Dennis and Rebecca. My
grandfather Dennis served three years and nine months and fought at the Battles of Shilo
and Vicksburg. He was taken prisoner and sent to Rock Island Prison in Illinois. After the
war was over, Dennis walked two-thirds of the way home. There he found his wife and
children sick, ragged and hungry. Federal troops under Co. Grierson had carried away
everything of value on the Welch plantation. The land was grown up in weeds, the cabins
abandoned and desolation everywhere. The time was in the fall of the year, too late to
plant crops. There were a few stray cows and a few mules that had been inadvertently left
behind. Dennis, Rebecca and their family somehow survived the winter and gained back some
of their health and strength. With the help of a few ex-slaves, they planted a crop in the
spring. Cotton was sixty cents a pound when it was gathered in the fall. This good fortune
gave Dennis a stake which enabled him to strike out on his own, which he later did. At
about the year of 1870, the production of cotton caught up with the demand and the price
on the Liverpool market declined to the pre-war level of eight cents a pound. Dennis
decided to move to between Newton and Hickory in Newton Co., MS in a community called
Poplar Springs. Dennis and Rebecca Welch and family left Lauderdale by wagon train bound
for Newton Co. The party consisted also of Dempsey (Dennis' brother) and his wife Tilitha,
Daniel, Priscilla and husband Druary Yarbrough, Rebeccas sister, Nancy Culpepper Harris,
wife of Michael Harris.
According to Eric's notes, Nancy's husband Michael Harris died while enroute. He also
states that four years after Rebecca's death, Dennis married his sister-in-law, Nancy
Culpepper Harris.
Letter written by Dennis, over thirty years after the
war, to his daughter Media Welch Sheppard, who is pictured at the right as a young girl.
Media (Almeda) was born a year or so after the war was over. Rebecca Culpepper, the wife
of Dennis and mother of Media, apparently had died prior to this letter being written
Selma Alabama
June 4, 1896
Mrs. Media Sheppard, Newton, Miss.
My dear and loving daughter and little ones...(unreadable line)
Was truly sorry to hear that you had been sick, but thank God that you
are up Media. Dr. Ross is one of the best Christians that you have got in that section.
God will surely bless him in all his laudable undertakins (sic).
Media I don't know when I will be at home. If any of you gets sick let
me know at once. I can say to you Media that I am in the best of health but I am not
satisfied & feel so lonely and meloncolly (sic). My all is gone. She was all my life
to me. But alas she is gone the way of all the earth. I will have to ly (sic) down in the
cold and icy arms of death, but I hope that I can be ready when the sommons (sic) comes.
Media if I was you I would go about among the children til you get harty
(sic). You want rest, and re..... up and don't sturdy (?) about your condition. You will
be cared for. You and your little ones I am as well satisfied help as I would be any where
(anyway?). Warren is a good boy to me and so is .... I feel my losses but I hope I will
get over all my troubels (sic) after a while. Tell Lem that I will write to him soon.
Warren's little family are well. Paris has been sick for a few days but he is better now.
Well Media take care of your self the best you can. If I was at home I
could not get any work to do so I had as well s.... our hear. See after Philip and take
care of him. Give him good advice and tell him to keep good company.
Give my love to all my children and gran children (sic) and write and
tell me all the news. Write where Jim(?) is. I want to write to him. I must close for want
of space & remain your affectionate Father.
Dennis Welch
The preceding material was provided to Culpepper Connections! by
a great-granddaughter of Dennis Welch, Sarah
Brooks of Gulfport, MS.
Last Revised:
30 Jan 2005
