Reuben Patterson, Confederate veteran

These are newspaper accounts of Reuben Patterson, who joined his owner, Josiah, in the Confederate Army. According to Florence historian Lee Freeman: "The severely bow-legged Reuben Patterson (1836-1928), was the former slave and body servant during the Civil War of Morgan County AL native Col....

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Bibliographic Details
Format:	Electronic
Published:	Project Say Something: The Shoals Black History Collection
Subjects:	Photographs, documents, and clippings
Online Access:	https://shoalsblackhistory.omeka.net/items/show/497

format	Electronic
collection	Community Collection
building	Project Say Something: The Shoals Black History Collection
publisher	Project Say Something: The Shoals Black History Collection
topic	Photographs, documents, and clippings
spellingShingle	Photographs, documents, and clippings Reuben Patterson, Confederate veteran
fulltopic	Photographs, documents, and clippings Community; Civil War
description	These are newspaper accounts of Reuben Patterson, who joined his owner, Josiah, in the Confederate Army. According to Florence historian Lee Freeman: "The severely bow-legged Reuben Patterson (1836-1928), was the former slave and body servant during the Civil War of Morgan County AL native Col. Josiah Patterson (1836-1904). Reuben was born a slave of Josiah’s father Malcolm; Reuben’s mother’s name was Julia—his father’s name is unknown. Julia Patterson had at least three children but we don’t know the names of any but Reuben. Josiah Patterson was Col. of the 5th AL Cavalry, CSA and his fiercely loyal slave Reuben was given a large amount of freedom and was also allowed to carry arms. According to the Colonel's son Malcolm, Reuben and Col. Patterson were more like brothers than master and slave. Patterson was a lawyer who moved to Memphis in 1874 and served in the TN Legislature; a son Malcolm served in the US House of Representatives from 1901-1906 then as governor of TN from 1907-1911. Interviewed by Trotwood's Monthly in May of 1906, Reuben stated that the war suited him fine as he was bow-legged, hence preferred riding to walking. He proudly referred to himself as the 5th AL's bugler, forager, and its unofficial "horse-swapper," meaning he'd routinely steal horses from the Union Army, esp. officers, riding them for a day or two before turning them over to Col. Patterson. Reuben told Trotwood's that if the war had gone on any longer 'I b'lieve I'd swapped Uncle Sam afoot." When Col. Patterson relocated to Florence around 1869 Reuben accompanied him, marrying Franklin/Colbert County native Abbeville “Abbie” Thornton in 1870. Reuben quickly became one of Florence’s “landmarks,” and religiously attended local and national United Confederate Veterans’ (UCV) reunions—Abbie’s 1926 obituary called Reuben “perhaps the most unreconstructed ‘rebel’ in this section of the South.” By 1873 Reuben worked as a cook at the Presbyterian Female Synodical College, then by 1898 as a cook on the Muscle Shoals Canal, and by 1905 was working as a cook at the Commercial Hotel. In 1915 the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy presented him with a bootblack stand on the corner of Mobile and Court, which he had moved indoors into his own building by 1916, and later moved to Tennessee and Seminary by 1922. Reuben and Abbie had no children, and were members of St. Paul AME Church. They are buried in the black section of the City Cemetery, with no markers. In February of 1999, members of Camp O'Neal Sons of Confederate Veterans, in an impressive ceremony, dedicated tombstones to Reuben and his wife Abbie on the hill beneath St. Joseph Catholic Church in the Florence City Cemetery."
title	Reuben Patterson, Confederate veteran
titleStr	Reuben Patterson, Confederate veteran
id	PSScommunity497
url	https://shoalsblackhistory.omeka.net/items/show/497
_version_	1790442684902539264
spelling	Reuben Patterson, Confederate veteranCommunity; Civil WarThese are newspaper accounts of Reuben Patterson, who joined his owner, Josiah, in the Confederate Army. According to Florence historian Lee Freeman: "The severely bow-legged Reuben Patterson (1836-1928), was the former slave and body servant during the Civil War of Morgan County AL native Col. Josiah Patterson (1836-1904). Reuben was born a slave of Josiah’s father Malcolm; Reuben’s mother’s name was Julia—his father’s name is unknown. Julia Patterson had at least three children but we don’t know the names of any but Reuben. Josiah Patterson was Col. of the 5th AL Cavalry, CSA and his fiercely loyal slave Reuben was given a large amount of freedom and was also allowed to carry arms. According to the Colonel's son Malcolm, Reuben and Col. Patterson were more like brothers than master and slave. Patterson was a lawyer who moved to Memphis in 1874 and served in the TN Legislature; a son Malcolm served in the US House of Representatives from 1901-1906 then as governor of TN from 1907-1911. Interviewed by Trotwood's Monthly in May of 1906, Reuben stated that the war suited him fine as he was bow-legged, hence preferred riding to walking. He proudly referred to himself as the 5th AL's bugler, forager, and its unofficial "horse-swapper," meaning he'd routinely steal horses from the Union Army, esp. officers, riding them for a day or two before turning them over to Col. Patterson. Reuben told Trotwood's that if the war had gone on any longer 'I b'lieve I'd swapped Uncle Sam afoot." When Col. Patterson relocated to Florence around 1869 Reuben accompanied him, marrying Franklin/Colbert County native Abbeville “Abbie” Thornton in 1870. Reuben quickly became one of Florence’s “landmarks,” and religiously attended local and national United Confederate Veterans’ (UCV) reunions—Abbie’s 1926 obituary called Reuben “perhaps the most unreconstructed ‘rebel’ in this section of the South.” By 1873 Reuben worked as a cook at the Presbyterian Female Synodical College, then by 1898 as a cook on the Muscle Shoals Canal, and by 1905 was working as a cook at the Commercial Hotel. In 1915 the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy presented him with a bootblack stand on the corner of Mobile and Court, which he had moved indoors into his own building by 1916, and later moved to Tennessee and Seminary by 1922. Reuben and Abbie had no children, and were members of St. Paul AME Church. They are buried in the black section of the City Cemetery, with no markers. In February of 1999, members of Camp O'Neal Sons of Confederate Veterans, in an impressive ceremony, dedicated tombstones to Reuben and his wife Abbie on the hill beneath St. Joseph Catholic Church in the Florence City Cemetery."Florence Herald (1, 2, 9) Florence Times (3,4, 5, 6, 7) Birmingham News (8)Lee Freeman1898-05-05 (1) 1903-05-22 (2) 1905-06-23 (3) 1907-05-31 (4) 1909-06-18 (5) 1910-05-06 (6) 1931-05-15 (7) 1920-10-21 (8) 1920-10-21 (9)Still Image JPGA_Colored_Veteran.jpg (1) reuben2.jpg (2) reuben3.jpg (3) Off_For_Richmond.jpg (4) Reuben_at_the_Memphis_Reunion.jpg (5) Reuben_Patterson_returns_from_reunion_with_badges.jpg (6) Reuben_Patterson_Enjoying_the_Bham_Reunion.jpg (7) Reuben_Patterson,_Veteran.jpg (8) Reuben_Patterson_at_the_Houston,_TX_Reunion.jpg 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Reuben Patterson, Confederate veteran

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