A Retreat of Friendship and Virtue Confederate Lodge No. 292, F&AM Ft. Morgan, Alabama A Thesis Proposal In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Masters of Arts Wayne E. Sirmon, M.A.Ed. University of South Alabama
Ft. Morgan
Ft. Gaines
A Retreat of Friendship and Virtue Confederate Lodge No. 292, F&AM Ft. Morgan, Alabama
Freemasonry: Army Lodges Civil War Military Lodges 244 “Traveling” Lodges (94 Federal, 150 Confederate) Texas50Virginia28 Indiana 37Alabama19
Confederate Lodge No. 292
Review of the Literature Steven Bullock, Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order (1996) Allen Roberts, House Undivided: The Story of Freemasonry and the Civil War (1961) Reid Mitchell, “Not the General but the Soldier,” Writing the Civil War: The Quest to Understand (1998)
Objectives
Army Lodges in Alabama 143 names in documents identified Highest army ranks: COL 8NCO 8 LTC 7PVT37 MAJ 6Other 7 (Surgeon, Chaplain, etc.) CPT23 1LT11 2LT14 Unknown 22
Confederate Lodge No names in documents identified Highest army ranks: COL 2NCO 4 LTC 2PVT12 MAJ Other 2 (Drummer) CPT 3 1LT 3 2LT 6 Unknown 3
Methodology Masonic Archives of Alabama Local Histories (Pickens Co. and Calhoun, Franklin, Jackson, Clarke and Mobile Counties) Regimental Histories (2 nd Alabama Infantry also 1 st, 3 rd, 5 th, 17 th, 23 rd, 38 th, 42 nd AL Infantry Regiments and 51 st AL Cavalry, 51 st Partisan Rangers, 1 st AL Artillery) Sons of Confederate Veterans Camps Confederate Lodge of Military Research Statistical Comparison with other soldiers in 2 nd AL (Promotion, assignment, length of service, injury and death)
Significance of the Study Greater insight into the “camp life” of soldiers Measure of Impact of Masonic Membership Template for future studies: Alabama Military Lodges Confederate Military Lodges Federal Military Lodges
QUESTIONS & COMMENTS