The horse calvary of my heritage. Even during the late 1885 era, the need for local militia after the Civil War was required to protect those who had moved here from Germany and those who had resisted the war since this area was a part of the "Free State". Desperate men having lost everthing sometime lose focus of the standards they once cherished as free men. the militia keep injustices from continuing in our area. Resentments from areas within Alabama about the Free State's position in the Civil War was rather great....after all the Union occupation forces tended to not be so harsh to those within that Count as they were to slave holding counties. From the end of the War to about the 1960s,the portion of Winston county, that remain still Winston county after other counties had been formed from the original area, had very little financial support from the State Legislature. Luckily, these men were military men who had left Germany when Wilhelm I took power for the Empire of Germany and knew how to deal with thugs and those who caused trouble.