275. Old Bagdad Confederate Dies 1931

Updated: Sep 21, 2021

William Henry Metcalf was born on June 22, 1844 in Alabama, the son of Henry J. Metcalf and Nancy Judah. By 1848, the family was entrenched in Dale County where according to Lydia Hughes Grimes his father was "powerfully converted and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Within a year of Henry's conversion, he felt called to preach but, like most clergy in his day, he continued to farm. After all, the family still had to eat and the pay for lay preachers was little or nonexistant. According to church policy, Henry indicated his desire to exhort." An "exhorter" is a lay person who is licensed by the Quarterly Conference to read scripture lessons and make a practical application of their truths to the public congregation. Their service is confined to singing, preaching, and public exhortation. Each license must be renewed annually. Ms. Grimes further stated that "on April 21, 1849, after a trial run, Henry was given a license to exhort, at Columbia, Henry County, AL. In 1853, Henry was licensed to preach and for the next few years he acted as "supply preacher" on several circuits." By 1872, he had become an ordained elder in Eufaula, Alabama, the highest lay preacher status there was.

But, in the meantime the clouds of civil war had gathered over our nation and finally burst at Fort Sumter in 1861. However, William did not enlist until June 1864 when he joined Captain Jeters' Company of the Alabama Home Guard in Skipperville, Dale County, Alabama. Skipperville's claim to fame was that it was used as a local Confederate recruiting during the war. As to the "Home Guard," this was a very loosely organized militia under the command of the Confederate Army. Among their many functions was to defend home front, apprehend deserters, and were considered the last defense against any Union forces. For the most part, the Guard was made up of those exempted from front line service due to health, age, infirmities, or skilled in a valued industry. In this capacity, William's duties were light compared to the Atlanta Campaign to the northeast where thousands of soldiers were meeting their fate. After losing Atlanta to Union General William T. Sherman, the Confederate Army headed for Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee and the disaster that awaited them there. William's own battle occurred in March 1865, a month before the war ended, in the town of Newton located seventeen miles from Skipperville. There, a pitched battle broke out between William's Home Guard unit and a large group pro-Union irregulars trying to burn the county courthouse. The Confederates were able to handily repulse the Union invaders. A historical marker stands today on the battles site. One month later, Private William Henry Metcalf surrendered Newton in April 1865.

With the hostilities ended, William returned to his parent's devastated farm to plant their crops and hope for the best. On November 24, 1870, he married Susannah "Susan" Adams in Antioch, in Stewart County, GA. Little changed by 1880 except for the birth of five children. But five years later they had relocated to the timber town of Bagdad, Florida. By 1890, he was in Pensacola as a clerk and by 1900 a "boom foreman" living at 120 Gregory Street. By 1910, they are back in Bagdad with William a laborer. Sadly, Susan would pass away in 1913 in Palestine, Texas from stomach cancer and was returned for burial in the Bagdad Cemetery (date of death on tombstone is incorrect on both Susan and William). William moved in with his grandson William T. Martin. Finally, he moved to 1018 N. Guillemard Street to live with his daughter Cora L. Mitchell and her husband Martin Mitchell, an engineer at the water plant. There, he would pass away on November 11, 1931 and was carried to Bagdad Cemetery to rest next to Susan. He left behind his daughter Minnie Lee Metcalf Martin Reeves (1871-1966 Bagdad Cemetery), twin sons William Butler Metcalf (1877-1938 Union Hill Cemetery) and Samuel Owen Metcalf (1877-1895 St. John's Cemetery), son Antley L. Metcalf (1881-1967 Milton Cemetery), Cora L. Metcalf Mitchell (1884-1958 St. Michael's), Holland Arrington Metcalf Cooper (1874-1956 Bagdad Cemetery), and George Fred Metcalf (1880-1930 Bagdad Cemetery).