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The Battle of Newton was a minor skirmish that took place in the small town of Newton, Alabama, on 14 March 1865, during the final days of the U.S. Civil War. It was fought between local Home Guard troops and elements of the 1st Florida Cavalry (US), who had invaded the Wiregrass region of Alabama in violation of a directive given by Brigadier General Alexander Asboth, commanding Union forces in Pensacola, Florida. Led by Second Lieutenant Joseph Sanders, a former captain in the Confederate Army who had switched sides and joined with the Federals,〔 the Floridians intended to burn the courthouse of Dale County—which was then located in Newton—as had been done in other nearby counties during this same period of time. However, their movement toward the town was detected by local citizens, and they were ambushed and routed on the town square by Newton's home guard before they could do any damage. Sanders reported three dead and five wounded, while no casualties were reported among the home guard troops.〔(Battle of Newton ).〕 ==Background== An area of relatively low population and economic importance in Antebellum Alabama, Dale County had been relegated to the status of a backwater during the Civil War era, largely neglected by the state government in Montgomery.〔David Williams, (''Rich Man's War: Caste, Class and Confederate Defeat in the Lower Chattahoochee Valley'' ) University of Georgia Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8203-2033-1. pg. 122.〕 Mostly covered by pine forest and with few big farms or plantations, the area proved an attractive gathering location for deserters from the Confederate Army, as well as Southern Unionists who had been harassed or worse by their "Secessh" neighbors. These "bushwackers", as they were called,〔 hid out in the forests of Dale and adjacent counties, seeking aid and supplies from Federal forces in Pensacola—or, more often than not, simply seizing them from the largely-defenseless locals.〔〔See (Letter to Alabama Governor T.H. Watts ), written by citizens of adjacent Henry County, concerning "the bands of deserters, tories and outlaws" working in Henry and Dale Counties. Retrieved on 2009-05-05.〕 One "bushwacker" leader was Joseph G. Sanders, a millwright and resident of Dale County who had first served as a private in the 31st Georgia Infantry before being elected captain of Company C in that regiment.〔〔(Official Confederate Records of Joseph G. Sanders ), 31st Georgia Infantry〕 In 1864 Sanders had resigned his commission; facing the possibility of being drafted to fight for the South as a private, he chose to go over to the Union side, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and assigned to Company F, 1st Regiment of Florida Cavalry (US).〔〔(Sanders, Joseph G. )〕 Sanders' unit attracted not just Confederate deserters and local Unionists, but also outright criminals and other less-than-desirable elements, as well.〔 In the late winter of 1865, Brigadier General Alexander Asboth, commanding Federal forces in the Florida Panhandle, ordered Sanders to make a raid into Washington County, Florida, to raise recruits and also to "confiscate" horses and cattle.〔〔(Official U.S. Military Records of Joseph G. Sanders ), original operational order issued to Sanders. Sanders' main mission was to raise recruits for the Federal Army at East Pass, Santa Rosa Island, as well as confiscate horses and cattle belonging to "Rebels" in that area of Florida.〕 However, instead of carrying out these orders, Sanders and his men made their way into the Forks of the Creek swamp near Campbellton, where they waited for a chance to attack Newton and burn the courthouse there, which contained records of Sanders' previous service with the Confederate Army. The courthouse at Elba in adjacent Coffee County had been torched by a "bushwacker" unit under the leadership of John Ward, and Sanders hoped to repeat their escapade in Newton. Accordingly, he set out for there on the night of 14 March 1865.〔 Newton was also the location of the local Confederate conscription office, staffed at the time by Captain Joseph Breare, a former officer with the 15th Alabama Infantry who had been wounded at Gettysburg〔(Co. "E", 15th Alabama Infantry ). Retrieved on 2009-05-01.〕 and returned home to lead efforts against local draft-dodgers and deserters.〔(Breare, Joseph R. ). Retrieved on 2009-05-02. See also (Deserter Hanging in Dale County ). Retrieved on 2009-05-05. See also (The Hole That Will Not Stay Filled ). Retrieved on 2009-05-05.〕 This made it an even more tempting target for Sanders, who was seen as a traitor by the citizens of Dale County.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Newton」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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