During the enthusiasm that followed the early months of the War Between the States, many young men committed their lives and fortunes to the Confederate. In December 1861, a seasoned warrior from Wilcox County, William Howell Hanks, joined the ranks of the Confederate Army as he enlisted in the 23rd Alabama Infantry Regiment. His decision would take him to some of the most gruesome battlefields of the war and have everlasting consequences on his life and family.
Hanks joined Capt. J.J. Longmire's company of the 23rd on December 19th and was officially enlisted on December 27th at Montgomery, A...