Thomas T. Phillips was born in Georgia in 1834. Little is known of his early life until his marriage to Helen Callisto Bowen on August 18, 1859 in Randolph County, Alabama. Helen, born July 30, 1838 in either Wilkes or Coweta Counties, Georgia, was the daughter of Samuel H. Bowen and Marcia V. Dearing. Thomas and Helen had four children, all born in Randolph County: Sarah Caldonia, born June 25, 1860; Elizabeth K. Delphia, born November 2, 1861; William F., born April 16, 1863; and Samuel H., born May 1, 1865.

Thomas T. Phillips remained at the side of his wife and family through the early years of the Civil War as the birthdates of his children and the later testimony of a neighbor suggest. On September 1, 1864, he enlisted in Company E of the First Regiment of the First Alabama Cavalry, USA, in Rome, Georgia. Although the record is a little confused, Thomas apparently was sent to Stevenson, Alabama sometime in the fall of 1864. He contracted chronic diarrhea in March of 1865 and died in Stevenson on or about April 1, 1865.

Although Thomas T. Phillips’ service to the Union cause was brief, his widow did not allow him to be forgotten. Pregnant with his last child when he died, she spent the next several years dealing with Washington bureaucracy to obtain the widow’s and orphans’ benefits due to her and her children.

The earliest dated item in Helen’s pension file is a transcript of her marriage license, dated April 11, 1866. This transcript must be one of the earliest records available for a Randolph County marriage, since the courthouse in that county burned in the late 1800s. Next comes an official application for a “Widow’s Army Pension” dated December 2, 1868, describing Thomas’ service and death and appointing John O. Goodrich of Washington D.C. as her attorney.

After making this application Helen waited over a year before contacting the Honorable E.B. French, Auditor, on May 3, 1870. Writing in a smooth, educated hand, Helen complained that she had been among the first from Randolph County to apply, but she had thus far “been neglected.” She asked French to contact her “without delay” with the status of her application. With commendable promptness, the Auditor’s office replied on May 12, 1870 to report that her application had been suspended in February 1869 for lack of proof of her husband’s death.

Upon receiving this news Helen began to work to supply the necessary documentation. On August 23, 1870 Alfred B. Camp and John M. McKleroy of Randolph County made depositions stating that they had enlisted in Company E of the First Regiment of the First Alabama Cavalry at the same time as Thomas T. Phillips. They also stated that they, along with Thomas, were sent with “Major Shirtliff’s detachment” to Stevenson, Alabama. There Thomas became ill, was put in hospital, and died. Camp and McKleroy, along with six other US soldiers, were detailed by Major Shirtliff to bury Thomas in the military cemetery in Stevenson.

On May 18, 1871, Helen made a new Widow’s Application for Pension. She now identified her husband’s commanding officer as “Lieut. John P. Moore or Capt. Hunt.” Helen also submitted proof of the birth of her children on August 30, 1871, when her mother, the now widowed Marcia V. Dearing Bowen; Lucinda Darden, a midwife and neighbor of the Phillips family; and another neighbor, Mrs. Mary Reeves; all testified to the births of Thomas and Helen’s four children. Mrs. Darden was specific that Thomas had remained in the neighborhood from 1860 until his enlistment in 1864. Marcia V. Bowen was forthright in declaring that Helen had not abandoned her children but “had been to them a mother,” and explained that she went on at some length because “no one knows as much about this matter as she does.”

Alfred B. Camp repeated his testimony about the death of Thomas T. Phillips on October 28, 1872. His testimony was corroborated by R.M. Griffin, another veteran and friend of Thomas’ who testified on the same day. An Officer’s Certificate of Disability was signed on October 24, 1873 by John W. Stewart, assistant surgeon, certifying that Thomas T. Phillips appeared on the roll of his regiment. Thomas had been “a sound healthy recruit, for I examined him” when he enlisted on September 1, 1864, according to Stewart.

Assistant Adjutant General J.P. Martin signed a form on August 19, 1874 verifying Thomas’ service and death. This led to a formal Widow’s Pension of $8.00 per month starting April 2, 1865, with two dollars per month for each child under 16 starting July 25, 1866. The application was admitted September 9, 1874 and finally approved February 9, 1875.

Helen is listed with her children and mother in the 1880 census of Randolph County. At some point in the 1880s she married John Watwood. She died August 31, 1891 and is buried in Union Baptist Church Cemetery near Morrison’s Crossroads in Randolph County, near the grave of her daughter Elizabeth K. Delphia Phillips Stewart, who is my great-grandmother.

About the Author
John David Cofield is the great-great-grandson of Thomas T. Phillips.

Database created and maintained by Ryan Dupree.

Service records compiled by Glenda Todd and used with her permission. This and other information about the history of the First and the men who fought with the unit can be found in her book, First Alabama Cavalry, USA: Homage to Patriotism.

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