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{{Infobox person

'''Emma Sansom''' (2 June 1847 - 9 August 1900) was an [[Alabama]] farmgirl noted for her bravery during the [[US]] [[Civil War]].

| name = Emma Sansom

| image = Emma Sansom (Our State - Alabama, 1927).png

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1847|08|2|df=y}}

| birth_place = near [[Social Circle, Georgia]], U.S.A.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1900|08|9|1847|08|2|df=y}}

| death_place = [[Upshur County, Texas]], U.S.A.

}}

[[Image:Emma Sansom.jpg|thumb|250px|Monument to Emma Sansom]]

'''Emma Sansom''' (June 2, 1847 – August 9, 1900) was an [[Alabama]] teenager and farm worker noted for her actions during the [[American Civil War]] (1861-1865), during which she assisted the defensive campaign of the mounted cavalry in the [[Confederate Army]]'s then Brigadier General [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]] (1821-1877), during the [[Streight's Raid]] by [[Union Army]] cavalry under command of Col. [[Abel Streight]] in April-May 1863.

Activists 157 years later in the [[2020–2022 United States racial unrest|2020 racial protests]], including descendants of Sansom herself, called for the removal of a statue previously erected commemorating her in [[Gadsden, Alabama]].<ref name='Morris2020'>{{Cite web |last=Morris |first=Scott |date=2020-06-29 |title=Descendants Want to Remove Gadsden's Emma Sansom Monument |url=https://birminghamwatch.org/descendants-want-remove-gadsdens-emma-sansom-monument/ |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=BirminghamWatch |language=en-US}}</ref>

In April, 1863, [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[General]] [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]] was ordered into northern Alabama to pursue [[Union_Army | Union]] General [[Abel Streight]], who had orders to cut off the

Confederate railroad near [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]]. On May 2, 1863, General Streight arrived just outside of [[Gadsden, Alabama]] and prepared to cross Black Creek. Because the creek was swollen due to rain, Streight realized that if he destroyed the bridge he could get a few hours respite from the pursuit of Forrest. Seeing the nearby Sansom farmhouse, he rode upon it and demanded some smoldering coal which he could use to burn the bridge. When Forrest's men arrived at the site, they found the burned out bridge and came under fire from Streight's men. Forrest rode to the Sansom house and asked whether there was another bridge across the creek. Emma Sansom, then 15 years old, told him that the nearest bridge was in Gadsden, 2 miles away. Forrest then asked if there was a place where he could get across the creek. Emma told him that if one of his men would help saddle her horse, she would show him a place that she had seen cows cross the creek, and that he might be able to cross there. He replied that there was no time to saddle a horse and asked her to get on his horse behind him. As they started to leave, Emma's mother objected, but relented when Forrest assured her that he would bring the girl back safely. Emma then directed Forrest to the spot where he could cross the creek. Some accounts of the skirmish indicate that the two came under fire from Union soldiers, who subsequently ceased fire when they realized that a young girl was showing them the way. After taking Emma back to her home, Forrest continued his pursuit of Streight.

== Early life ==

Emma's heroism is noteworthy in that openly aiding Confederate forces could have subjected her and her family to persecution (or even death) from the Union Army.

Sansom was born on June 2, 1847, further east near [[Social Circle, Georgia]], to Micajah and Levina Vann Sansom, a niece of [[Cherokee]] tribe native leader [[James Vann]]. Around 1852, she and her family moved west to a farm just outside [[Gadsden, Alabama]]. Her father died in 1858, by which time there were twelve children in her family.<ref name=":0" />

==Streight's raid ==

Emma was a native of Social Circle, Georgia, and moved with her family to just outside Gadsden in about 1852. She married Christopher B. Johnson on October 29, 1864 and moved to Texas in late 1876 or early 1877. She died August 9, 1900 in Upshur County, TX and is buried in Little Mound Cemetery.

In April, 1863, [[Confederate States of America|ConfederateArmy]] [[Brigadier General|Brig. Gen.]] [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]] was ordered into northern [[Alabama]] to pursue [[Union_ArmyUnion |Army]] Union/ [[United States Army]] Generalcavalry units under Colonel [[Abel Streight]] (1828-1892), who had orders to cut off the Confederate railroad near [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]].

On May 2, 1863, Streight arrived just outside [[Gadsden, Alabama|Gadsden]] and prepared to cross nearby Black Creek. Because the creek was swollen and running high due to recent rains, Streight realized that if he destroyed the bridge he could get a few hours' respite from the pursuit of Forrest's Southerners. Seeing the nearby Sansom farmhouse, he rode upon it and demanded some smoldering burning coals from their fireplace / stove which he could use to burn the Black Creek bridge. When Forrest's men arrived later at the site, they found the burned out bridge and came under fire from Streight's men on the opposite bank.

In 1907, a monument was constructed in Gadsden at the western end of the Broad Street bridge across the Coosa River in honor of her heroism. When the residents of Alabama City, Alabama (later annexed into Gadsden) built a high school in 1929, they named it in her honor. With the consolidation of the three Gadsden city high schools at the end of the 2006 school year, General Forrest Middle School will be closed and Emma Sansom High School will become Emma Sansom Middle School.

Confederate railroad near [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]]. On May 2, 1863, General StreightForrest arrived just outside of [[Gadsden, Alabama]] and preparedrode to cross Black Creek. Because the creekSansom was swollen due to rain, Streight realized that if he destroyed the bridge he could gethouse a few hours respite from the pursuit of Forrest. Seeing the nearby Sansom farmhouse, he rode upon it and demanded some smoldering coal which he could use to burn the bridge. When Forrest's men arrived at the site, they found the burned out bridge and came under fire from Streight's men. Forrest rode to the Sansom houselater and asked whether there was another bridge further up or down across the creek. Emma Sansom, then 15only 16 years old, told him that the nearest bridge was in Gadsden, 2two miles away. Forrest then asked if there was a place where he could ford in a shallow spot to get across the creek. Emma told him that if one of his men would help saddle her horse, she would show him a place that she had seen cows cross the creek, and that he might be able to cross there. He replied that there was no time to saddle a horse and asked her to swing and get up on his horse behind him. As they started to leave, Emma's mother objected, but relented when Forrestthe general assured her that he would bring the girl back safely. Emma then directed Forrest to the spot where she saw cattle wading across where he too could cross the creekriver. Some accounts of the skirmish indicate that the two also came under fire from nearby Union soldiers, who subsequently ceased fire when they realized that athey younghad girlbeen wasfiring showingon thema theteenage waygirl. After taking Emma back to her home, Forrest continued his pursuit of Col. Streight, whom he was later able to capture and surrender his invading and larger cavalry detachment near [[Cedar Bluff, Alabama|Cedar Bluff]] the following day.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1360|title=Emma Sansom (Johnson)|last=Herbert|first=Keith S.|date=24 September 2007|website=Encyclopedia of Alabama|publisher=|access-date=26 December 2016}}</ref>

= References =

EmmaSansom's heroismactions isare noteworthy in that openly aiding Confederate forces could have subjected her and her family to persecutionprosecution (or even death) from the [[Union Army]] if they continued to be victorious and occupy the area as the war continued.

* http://www.tarleton.edu/~kjones/sansom.html

* http://www.alabamamoments.state.al.us/sec19.html

== Later life ==

Sansom married Christopher B. Johnson on October 29, 1864, 17 months after the incident with General Forrest, and moved further west to [[Texas]] in late 1876 or early 1877. She died August 9, 1900 at the age of 53 in [[Upshur County, Texas]], and is buried in Little Mound Cemetery there.<ref name=":0" />

==Honors==

InForty-four 1907years later after the celebrated Civil War incident and seven years after her death in Texas, a monument was constructed in 1907 in Gadsden at the western end of the Broad Street bridge across the [[Coosa River]] in honor of her heroismactions. When the residents of nearby Alabama City, Alabama (later annexed into Gadsden) built a high school for their town in 1929, they named it in her honor. With the consolidation of the three Gadsden city high schools at the end of the 2006 school year, the General Forrest Middle School will bewas closed and the [[Emma Sansom High School]] willbecame becomereorganized Emma Sansom Middle School.

/ renamed Emma Sansom Middle School.

== Controversy ==

{{see|George Floyd protests in Alabama}}

In 2020, the statue became a place of conflict between [[Black Lives Matter]] protestors and counter-protestors during the wave of racial justice protests triggered by the [[murder of George Floyd]] by [[Minneapolis Police Department]] officers. The Gadsden city council had debated moving the statue to a nearby cemetery where Confederate soldiers were buried, but voted against it.<ref name="Morris2020" />

Preston Rhea, a descendant of Sansom, wrote a letter signed by thirteen other descendants in support of removing the monument.<ref name="Morris2020" /> The [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] has identified this statue as one of hundreds of statues constructed by the [[Lost Cause of the Confederacy|Lost Cause]] movement to support [[white supremacy]] during the [[Jim Crow laws|Jim Crow era]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whose Heritage? Public Symbols of the Confederacy |url=https://www.splcenter.org/20190201/whose-heritage-public-symbols-confederacy |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en}}</ref>

= =References ==

{{Library resources box|onlinebooks=yes||lcheading= Sansom, Emma, 1847-1900 }}

<references />

===Sources===

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051030230042/http://www.alabamamoments.state.al.us/sec19.html Alabama Department of Archives and History]

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110716144746/http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/monuments/emmasansommonument.htm Emma Sansom Marker, Social Circle, GA]

* [http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1360 Emma Sansom article, Encyclopedia of Alabama]

* Wyeth, John Allan. [http://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5Qaf37rJQwhmRMbnmGNmv1kzk3fMmmdRfbyTsCwUFLTIv53QFP-lmhqh4xfNx86q8fapohXwENQeatsev4QoXEoZL87kI7f5OR1tzth3gxTq6Dh6ueJC7CcdabvHQg0IIgYWgaW_n3EHn-aaZYSJhC-CrHdu6HubyHD_MREw5D5gkh61UBsmgF_cSCTF-OMif-SoP0RfYBaOU5CB3tzGEGT99uemQbuwhyC99iHQ_EmUOFgATKT8irfwMRqdfX1SxYfw_C2vBvtSPfwxix8ac1NME9Vvp0ob71eBR1gFStG3Izg8276A Life of Lieutenant-General Nathan Bedford Forrest]. New York and London: Harper and Brothers, 1908. {{OCLC|14107191}}. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

==External links==

* [http://purl.lib.ua.edu/18382 Monroe F. Cockrell research notes, W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library, The University of Alabama.]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sansom, Emma}}

[[Category:1847 births]]

[[Category:1900 deaths]]

[[Category:People from Gadsden, Alabama]]

[[Category:1863 in Alabama]]

[[Category:Women in the American Civil War]]

[[Category:People of Alabama in the American Civil War]]

[[Category:The Lightning Mule Brigade]]

[[Category:Nathan Bedford Forrest]]

[[Category:People from Walton County, Georgia]]

[[Category:Confederate States of America monuments and memorials in Alabama]]

[[Category:Confederate States of America monuments and memorials]]