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William Dickerson Did Time at Fort Delaware

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Confederate Civil War Service
Record for W. L. Dickerson
In 1863, as a private in Company F of Georgia's 52nd regiment. What landed him on Pea Patch Island was the fighting he did at The Battle of Champion Hill on the 16th of May, down in Mississippi. William Loren Dickerson was captured by the Union Army during that battle, and a few weeks later arrived at Fort Delaware.

According to an article at Wikipedia, citing the Philadelphia Inquirer, Fort Delaware "contained an average population of southern tourists, who came at the urgent invitation of Mr. Lincoln." At the time of Pvt. Dickerson's imprisonment, the camp population was about 11,000. By the end of the war, the number had jumped to 33,000. Though the conditions were classified as decent, one private described them as "bad, hopeless and gloomy enough without any exaggeration." I suppose I can say W. L. Dickerson was "lucky" enough to spend less than a month at the prison camp before being exchanged on 4 July 1863. What a nice way to celebrate Independence Day.

Photo © 2011-2013 S. Lincecum
The next year, Pvt. Dickerson was transferred to Company E of Georgia's 24th Infantry Regiment. According to his Civil War Soldier Profile at Ancestry, William Loring Dickerson survived the war and was mustered out 9 April 1865 at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

W. L. Dickerson was just 17 years old when he signed up to fight in 1862. After the war, his time was spent farming in Rabun County, Georgia. Online family trees and census records suggest William married a lady named Hindy and had several children.

W. L. Dickerson died on New Year's Eve, 1923. He was laid to rest at the graveyard of Blue Heights Baptist Church in Mountain City, Rabun County, Georgia.

W. L. Dickerson
Sept 4, 1844
Dec 31, 1923

Dearest Father thou has left us here,
Thy loss we deeply feel.
But tis God that hath bereft us,
He can all our sorrows heal.

Photo © 2011-2013 S. Lincecum

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The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."

Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!' Thus says the Lord God to these bones: 'Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live...'" (Ezekiel 37:1-5, NKJV)