His Family Settled in New Orleans in 1848. He Moved To Carrolton, Alabama in 1849. A Town That Was Named In Honor of Charles Carroll, A Signatory Of The Declaration Of Independence With Connections to Offaly.

He Fought With The 24th Alabama Infantry During The US Civil War. A Regiment known as “The Dixie Boys”.

He Later Became Owner Of An Alabama Newspaper & Also Served As Treasurer for Pickens County, Alabama.

West Alabamian at Newspapers.com

The baptism record for Andrew Mooney is available to access in the parish register for the Portarlington area of Offaly in 1832. The record shows that his Father was James Mooney and his Mother was Mary Ann Henry. Later in life, as we shall see, he would take his Mother’s maiden name as his own surname and would always been know as Andrew Henry. The reason for this is not very clear but not that unusual for the period. In 1848, at the height of the Irish Famine, the Mooney Family left Ireland for the United States of America and settled in New Orleans, Louisiana.

https://registers.nli.ie//registers – Baptism Record (Portarlington Area) 1832

1850 US Census Image | findmypast.ie – Mooney Family, New Orleans

The 1850 Census records show us that, while the Mooney family are then based in New Orleans, Andrew had relocated to work as an apprentice printer in a newspaper at a town called Carrollton which is in Pickens County, Alabama. Andrew Henry probably wasn’t wasn’t aware that he was not the first connection that this Alabama town had to County Offaly in Ireland. Interestingly the town’s founder was a man named Charles Carroll who was the only Catholic signatory of the US Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Carroll Family were originally wealthy landowners from the Birr area in Offaly before resettling in the new colony of America in the late 1600’s.

By the time of the Census in June 1860 Andrew Henry was still living and working in Carrollton, Alabama. He had made his home there for 10 years at this stage and was obviously very settled in the area. He continued to work for a local Newspaper called The West Alabamian and in fact, only a short few years later, he would eventually become a part owner in the business. But the year of 1860 is about to bring major upheaval and change for Andrew and for every citizen then living in the Southern States of America. The election of Abraham Lincoln as President will finally bring to a head the differences that had been simmering for well over half a century between the political interests in America. Civil War would begin in April of 1861 and Andrew Henry would align himself with the Confederate cause.

1860 US Census Image | findmypast.ie – Andrew Henry (Printer) Carrollton, Alabama

Andrew Henry enlisted in August 1861 and was assigned to Company C of the 24th Alabama Infantry, a regiment that would gain the nickname “The Dixie Boys”. He would be initially appointed an Orderly Sergeant and a little later as a 2nd Lieutenant in his company and over the next few months of 1861 would be stationed at Fort Morgan, Alabama. In the Spring of 1862 the 24th Alabama transferred to the Corinth area of Mississippi eventually seeing their first action in a small skirmish at Blackland and later more seriously in October of 1862 at The Battle Of Farmington. In early November of 1862 Andrew would be admitted to hospital with head injury referred to as “concussion of the brain” and would not return to duty until the 30th November 1862. He would not have long to wait for the next major engagement for his regiment. The Battle of Stones River, also known as the 2nd Battle of Murfreesboro, would take place over the last few days of 1862 and the first days of 1863. It would prove to be a disaster for the Confederacy and also see the highest % of casualties of any battle in the Civil War. Andrew’s regiment would be among the units that suffered severe casualties but he would, as throughout the entire war, survive this intense engagement.

24th Alabama Infantry Regiment – Alabama Department of Archives and History

The Battle of Stone River or Murfreesboro’ – Wikipedia

The following year of 1863 would also be a year of conflict for Andrew and his regiment, most notably, at The Battle of Chicamauga in September and The Battle of Missionary Ridge in November. We know from our research, and a previous article on this site, that another Offaly soldier was present at this battle and he sadly lost his life assaulting that same Missionary Ridge that Andrew Henry was defending.

Lieutenant James Conway from Birr in County Offaly was fighting for the Union Army on that day in November 1863. James was shot twice and died with his gun and sword still in his hand fighting to the end. He was only 21 years of age. Its strange to think of these two Offaly born men, fighting for their lives, on opposite sides of a bitter battle fought on a small hill in Tennessee.

Lieutenant James Conway From Birr – Killed on the Slopes At Missionary Ridge Fighting in “The Irish Legion”. – Americasoffalyheroes

Battle of Missionary Ridge – Wikipedia

1864 would see the 24th Alabama involved in more famous engagements. As the Union General William Tecumseh Sherman began to get the upper hand on the Confederate forces in the western theatre of the conflict, Andrew and his regiment, would be involved in the struggle to keep his forces at bay. They would be present at The Battle of Atlanta and the resulting siege that would see Sherman eventually take that vital city in September of 1864. This was a massive turning point in the war and its effects were felt, not only militarily, but also in the political sphere. It turned the tide of public opinion in the North and would ensure that Abraham Lincoln was reelected as President in November of 1864.

The 24th Alabama would be next at The Battle of Nashville in December of 1864 and then on to the Carolinas where they were once again tasked with trying to stop the relentless Sherman and his army. It would be again to no avail as Sherman’s men cut a ruthless path through South Carolina just as they had done previously in Georgia on his famous “March To The Sea“.

Harper’s weekly (1865) (14577710099) – Battle of Nashville – Wikipedia

The final large scale battle of the Civil War would take place at Bentonville, North Carolina in March of 1865 and it would also be the last engagement for Andrew and the 24th Alabama Regiment. The eventual defeat, and retreat, for the Confederates effectively meant the end of the Civil War. Yet again, as with many earlier engagements where Andrew had been present, there were fellow Offaly born men on the field of battle. Our earlier research tells us that two brothers from Edenderry, Dan & Edward Behan, were also fighting for the Confederacy at Bentonville while Owen Bracken, also from Offaly, was engaged on the Union side of the fight.

The Battle Of Bentonville – The Final Major Battle Of The US Civil War

Battle at Bentonville (9093488984) – Battle of Bentonville – Wikipedia

Andrew Henry returned to his life in Carrollton, Alabama after the war. As mentioned earlier he would become a part owner of The West Alabamian newspaper where he had worked since 1849. He would also become involved in the local politics of Pickens County and serve 4 terms as that county’s Treasurer. In 1867 he married Helenia Stinson, the daughter of a large landowner, and they would have 8 children together. He would always be a respected and well know member of the Carrollton community. Towards the later years of his life Andrew sold his stake in The West Alabamian and relocated to Mobile, Alabama and it was here on September 28th 1900 that he passed away. His obituary, ironically in his former newspaper, gives his age at the time of his death at 65 but we now know from his baptism record that he was in fact 68 years old. Andrew Mooney Henry is buried in the Catholic Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama alongside his wife Helenia who died in 1918. His grave stone may only have the name “Henry” as his surname but we can now, if only virtually, add the surname “Mooney” to that marker.

As to what happened to the rest of the Mooney family that left Ireland in 1848 it is unclear as to all of them. The years that they had lived in New Orleans was during a period when that city was prone to outbreaks of Cholera. Between 1848 and 1855 many poorer residents of the city died as a result of, what was then, a deadly disease. It is possible that several members of the family also succumbed to that disease during this time.

We can however track his youngest sister, Sarah Mooney. She had married Charles Irving and they lived for many years in Mobile, Alabama. Pointedly she is the only family member that is mentioned in the obituary of Andrew in 1900. We can only speculate but maybe this was part of the reason that Andrew relocated to Mobile in his later years. He wanted to once again be close to the last connection he had to his family from the “old country” and to his birthplace in County Offaly.

By Kevin Guing

23rd May 2025

For more on this soldier visit his page. Andrew Henry – Americasoffalyheroes