" . . . William Baker Beeson of Keener, Ala., was born near Scottsboro, Ala., October 2, 1829. His father, Alford Beeson died when he was twelve years old. His cousin, Locke Beeson, a wealthy merchant of Blountsville, Ala., took William to his home and put him in school. Two or three years later, his half uncle, Hiram Graves, had William bound to him until of age, took him to the Graves home in Wills Valley, DeKalb Co., Ala. Here he lived and learned to farm and clear land. When he was nearly twenty-one years old, he walked to Blountsville, Ala., about fifty miles, lived with his half-uncle, William Graves, and attended Blountsville College for one year. Then he returned to DeKalb Co., taught school and was a Justice of the Peace. On Dec. 2, 1857, he married Mary Ann Frances Sibert, who was a daughter of Rev. David and Elizabeth (Cook) Sibert, of DeKalb Co., Ala., and a grand-daughter of Rev. John David Sibert, founder of St. George's Lutheran Church, Abbeville Dist., S.C. He bought a farm near the Sibert farm and lived on it until he joined the Confederate army as Lieutenant in the 49th Alabama Regiment. His first fighting was in the Battle of Shiloh. Later he was commissioned Captain of this company and was in the siege of Port Hudson. Here the army was surrendered and he was taken as a prisoner of war to the war prison for officers on Johnson's Island in Lake Erie. He was exchanged, but the Colonel was not, so he was given command of the re-organized 49th Alabama Regiment just before the various battles around Atlanta, after which he commanded the Consolidated 27th Alabama Regiment until the surrender of Johnson's army at Greensboro, N.C., spring of 1865. After the war, he and his family moved to the home of his father-in-law, David Sibert, and he cultivated the farm. Later he bought this farm, ran a gin and thrasher, raised blooded stock, and kept his children in school. He gave each of his ten children, who reached maturity, a college education. He was a Mason, Steward in the Methodist Church, President of the Coosa Valley Exposition, and was Representative of Etowah County in the Alabama Legislature, 1894-5, and 1896-7. After the death of his wife, on July 16, 1905, he sold the farm and lived for a while at Meridian, Miss., with his son, Malcolm, President of the Meridian Male College. Later he went to Arcadia, La. and lived with his daughter, Mrs. S.A. Conger, at whose home he died without sickness, Dec. 5, 1924, at the ripe old age of ninety-five years, two months and three days. He was well and active in mind and body until the last. . . . "
Excerpt from BEESON GENEALOGY
by Jasper Luther Beeson, A.B., A.M., PhD.

Civil War Service
Lieutenant William Baker Beeson was commissioned in Hales 31st Alabama Infantry Regiment during December 1861. His regiment was heavily engaged at the Battle of Shiloh in the 1st Brigade of General John C. Breckinridge's Reserve Corps under the command of Colonel Robert T. Trabue and Lt. Colonel Montgomery Gilbreath.

After Shiloh, Hales 31st was administratively renamed the 49th Alabama Infantry Regiment and saw action at Vicksburg, Baton Rouge and Corinth. It spent the winter of 1862-63 near Port Hudson, LA. During this period, William Baker Beeson was promoted to Captain and Company G commander.

From May 21 until July 9, 1863, all members of the 49th Alabama Infantry were killed, wounded, captured or surrendered during the Siege of Port Hudson. Captain Beeson was wounded in the left arm and captured on July 7th and sent to the officer's prison at Johnson Island, Lake Erie, Ohio.

On March 10, 1864, William Baker Beeson was exchanged at City Point Virginia.

In early May 1864, the 49th Alabama was incorporated into Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk's Army of the Mississippi, Major General William W. Loring's Division, Brigadier General Thomas M. Scott's Brigade with the 12th Louisiana Infantry and the 27th, 35th, 55th, and 57th Alabama Infantry Regiments. By May 13th, Scott's Brigade had arrived at Resaca, GA to fight in the epic Atlanta Campaign.

The Organization of Confederate Forces listed in The Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, Volume 38, Part 3 shows three commanders for the 49th Alabama Infantry Regiment during the 1864 Atlanta Campaign. On June 10th, Lt. Colonel John D. Weeden was the 49th Alabama commander. Orders issued on June 30th, during the reorganization of the Army of Mississippi after General Polk's death, show that Captain William Baker Beeson assumed command and was the last commander of the 49th Alabama Infantry Regiment. Organizational changes on July 10th show the heavily depleted 27th, 35th and 49th Alabama Infantry Regiments combined to form the 27th Consolidated Regiment under the command of Colonel Samuel S. Ives.

Captain William Baker Beeson commanded Company E of the 27th Alabama Consolidated Infantry Regiment during the 1864 battles of Peachtree Creek, the siege of Atlanta, Ezra Church, Franklin and Nashville. Colonel Samuel S. Ives was wounded at the Battle of Franklin on November 30th and Lt. Colonel John D. Weeden assumed command of the 27th. Colonel Weeden was captured at the Battle of Nashville on December 16th and Captain William Baker Beeson again rose to regimental command on the retreat from Nashville and during the January 1865 deployment of the 27th Consolidated to General Joseph E. Johnston's North Carolina Army.