Emma Sansom
Emma was born at Social Circle, Walton county, Georgia, in August 1846. Her parents, Micajah Sansom and Levina Vance,
came from Georgia to what is now Etowah county in 1836 or '7. The family included twelve children and the Sansoms farmed
their land and established a respected name. The father died shortly before the war, leaving his large family in
comfortable circumstances.
Emma Sansom was only 13 years old when the Civil War began. She was living on her family’s farm near Gadsden, Alabama. In
April 1863, the Sansom household consisted of Emma’s widowed mother, her sister, Jennie, 24, and Emma, 15. Her brother
Rufus, 22, was at home recuperating from wounds he had received in battle. Emma was described as an attractive young
girl, tall and graceful, with clean cut features, large, deep blue eyes, dark red or auburn hair and of unusually fair
complexion.
Emma married Christopher Johnson, a private in Company L, 10th Alabama Infantry, on October 29, 1864, and moved to Texas in
1867 or 1868. She died in August 1900, in Upshur County Texas, leaving 5 boys and 2 girls.
At the age of 16, Emma became one of the most well-known heroines of the Confederacy. In 1907,
a monument was constructed in Gadsden in Emma’s honor. On its pedestal, in Italian marble, stands a full-sized statue of
Emma, with her arm outstretched to show General Forrest the way to the ford on Black Creek
A new school built there in 1929 was named Emma Sansom High School. Though she had moved away all those years ago, the
people of Gadsden never forgot her important contribution to the Lost Cause.
Story of How Emma Sansom Aided Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest
Current
Photo of Emma Sansom marker located on Georgia Hwy 11 in Social Circle, Georgia
Photo of Dedication of Emma Sansom marker in Social Circle, Georgia, 1928
(The young girl standing to the left of the marker in the photo is said to be Frances Grier Allen, (a member of the Children of the Confederacy) and the daughter of Willie Mae and Bruce Allen. The two ladies behind her are possibly her grandmother, Emma McDowell (past President of the James M. Gresham Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy) and Frances's mother) Other names are unknown, but are, among many others, members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy from Walton County and Newton County) If you recognize anyone in this photo, please contact me Suzanne Forte.
