ZACH HIGGENBOTTOM IN THE CIVIL WAR - FINAL CHAPTER.

 SATURDAY STORY - ZACH HIGGENBOTTOM IN THE CIVIL WAR - EPISODE 10

General Sherman and the Union Forces cut a wide swath across Georgia and led to the demise of the Confederates States of America. It wasn’t over until the Confederate Army of Virginia surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. But the war had faded away in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Zachery Higgenbottom, now an experienced young man of 21 years, had been the Union Army’s administrator at Knoxville, Alabama. He strictly forbade any harassment of former slaves and fostered unity.  

He asked to stay on as the administrator of Knoxville. He had effectively knocked out a white supremacy group known as WOW and implemented harsh penalties for harassment.  

He did make a trip back to Litchfield, Connecticut, in June 1865 to celebrate the reuniting of the country, but he didn’t stay long. His former girlfriend had married another man, his family was doing well, and he wasn’t needed on the farm.

So, he took a train back to Birmingham, Alabama, and rode a horse back to Knoxville.  

He was excited to see black and white men working together to build a new school. Two black teachers were joining the white teachers at the school. First Methodist Church of Knoxville hired Rufus Smith as an assistant pastor.  

If he heard any white kid or adult say, “Nigger”, he threw them in jail - but made them do civil projects with black citizens about the same age. He proclaimed the statement from the Declaration of Independence widely that “All men are created equal.”  He openly dated a black girl but never married. Some white supremacists didn’t like Zach, but gradually, they either changed their minds or left town.  

*****

His friend and superior commander, Daniel Wheeler, returned to Connecticut and Yale College to finish his theology degree. Daniel was appointed a judge in Alabama, and Zach and Daniel kept in touch.

*****

Patrick Murphy helped free and clean up the vicious Andersonville Prison. He returned to Boston and became the Boston and Northern Railroad president.  

*****

Zach remembered Ecclesiastes 3:

There is a time for everything,
    And a season for every activity under the heavens:

 a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

    a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace

In particular, Zach remembers the last verse - a time for war and a time for peace. The war was over; this was a time for peace, love, rebuilding, and growth.

Tobacco and cotton were still grown in the Knoxville area, and there were still black laborers that helped with the crops - but there also were white laborers who helped with the crops. 

And all the laborers got paid the appropriate rate - depending on the work and position. 

*****

Daniel Wheeler became the Governor of Alabama for two terms, and Zach Higgenbottom succeeded him two times. Alabama had almost no race fights or altercations compared to other Southern states. “Freedom and Equality” became the slogans - and were more than just slogans but were the reality of the New Alabama.  

Zach lived for 75 years and was well-loved and respected.  

But unfortunately, after Zach and Daniel Wheeler’s deaths, the Klu Klux Klan slowly infiltrated Alabama. Knoxville, Alabama, never had a chapter of that hate group - because of the legacy of Zachery Higgenbottom. 

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End of Zach Higgenbottom and the Civil War. Yes, it was a “Pollyanna” ending. I wish it had happened that way.

LOVE WINS
LOVE IS COLOR-BLIND
LOVE TRANSFORMS
KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, AUGUST 12, 2023