[In November of 2005 several descendents of William David Darwin gathered at the “Old Baptist Cemetery” in Hollywood, Alabama to install and dedicate a monument. The footstone commemorates his service to The Confederate States of America during the “War of Northern Aggression”.

After the stone was set in concrete, Dale Crawford made a brief speech, giving those in attendance a short glimpse into his life and service. Below is that information. Hopefully, others will benefit from this information.] 

Who was William David Darwin? He was my dad’s grandpa, which would make him my great grandpa. He would be a great, great grandpa to Sherry, Mike, Steve, Teresa and others of that generation. Make that 3 greats to Andrew, Jared, Josh, Ashley, Alyssa, Amanda, Kagin, Logan and others of that generation.

William David Darwin was born and lived in the Hollywood - Bellefonte area. He married Sarah Tubbs and had 11 kids. There are 5 small graves here. They lost them before they managed to raise one. Then came William Arthur, Margaret Matilda (my grandma), Charles, Mary Ann, John and James David.

Sarah died in 1902 and William David married Eula Sinclair in 1906. This marriage produced 3 more kids: George, Bedford and Paul. So, Daddy had 3 uncles younger than he was.

Our family names are like a lot of other families. They have been passed down from one generation to the next. I am proud to share part of Great Grandpa’s name. I am William Dale. My brother has the other part. He is David Newton. His name comes from two other grandpas: Oliver Newton Crawford and Silas Newton Yarbrough. He has passed the David down to his son Steven David Crawford.

Each of my brothers and sisters as well as my dad have names that were passed down from the Darwins as well as other related families.

Boy talk about being poor! We couldn’t even afford new names.

Mike, the James in your name comes from your dad who got it from William David’s son James David.

There are a number of other Williams and Davids in the family. Included in them is my third cousin, James David Darwin who is listed on the Viet Nam Wall in Washington, D.C. and on the Viet Nam Memorial on the Jackson County Courthouse Square.

William David Darwin served in the Confederate Army during the “War of Northern Aggression”, or what you have heard referred to as the Civil War. It wasn’t a civil war. In a civil war, two or more factions are fighting for control of the government. We had broken away, formed our own government and had no desire to have dominion over them.

You have heard that the war was fought over slavery. Not true! It was fought over states rights and an unequal tax base which shifted the burden heavily to the southern states.

Matter of fact, if you would check the Constitution of the Confederate States against the U.S. Constitution, you will find the Confederate Constitution takes a tougher stance against slavery than the other. Both documents were written by southerners, the backbone of the nation.

They were almost identical with 3 basic differences. Our Constitution gave the president a line item veto. It also limited him to one term of 6 years. It also prohibited international slave trading. If that surprised you, I suggest that you read the Constitution of Illinois or some of the other northern states at that time.

For the record, slavery was abolished by the 13^th amendment passed in 1865 after the war was over. Did you hear that? I said “after the war was over”. And if anyone doubts that, I only ask that you research before you refute.

Like their ancestors, they had broken away from an oppressive government. They derived that right from the Declaration of Independence.

Like the vast majority of southerners, William David never owned a slave. They fought because their homeland had been invaded. Their families and their way of life were endangered.

Again, true to their ancestry, they had pledged their lives, fortune and sacred honor to their cause. Some lost all three. I could spend hours on the politics and causes. However, let’s get on with William David.

He was 22 years old when the war started and 26 when it ended. He served in Company “I” of the 55^th Alabama Regiment, also known as the “Snodgrass Regiment”. He also served briefly in the 42^nd Tennessee Regiment. I assume he was there on loan or a temporary assignment. Pay was $12.00 per month.

He as well as my Great, Great Grandpa, Silas Newton Yarbrough drove an ammunition wagon with four horses. He saw considerable action including the campaign around Atlanta. He was captured and spent several months in notorious Camp Douglas in Chicago as a prisoner of war.

Northern historians have sought to disgrace the south with stories of Andersonville. But check the records and find that conditions were just as deplorable in Chicago and the weather was much colder. In Chicago, they died by the thousands from injuries and diseases, while some froze to death. Still others just lost the will to live. Some of the survivors were crippled for life because limbs were frozen during confinement.

Grandpa said he would have died in Chicago had it not been for the Nuns nursing him back to health from smallpox.

After the war, William David returned home to the farm and survived reconstruction. He raised his family and was highly respected by family, friends and community.

William David could not read nor write. Being deprived of that, he knew the value of an education. He built a schoolhouse where his children could attend. My grandma received a fine education, and instilled the value of an education in her children and grandchildren. William David was a man of faith and built a Primitive Baptist Church for family and community. Both school and church were located at Ship’s Chapel near here.

It is with honor and dignity that we place this footstone in recognition of your service to the Confederate States of America and to mankind.

And just as we salute the Confederate flag with palm upward, today, William David Darwin; we salute you.