Although now a ruin, the site known locally as "The Little Brick" and nestled at the base of the mountain behind Stevenson, Alabama, once bore intimate witness to history in the making.

     Stevenson was a major supply station and staging ground for decisive campaigns and battles of the Civil War.  This small house, called “The Little Brick,” was alive with activity when General William S. Rosecrans relocated his command here on August 18, 1863.  Over the next three weeks, an air of urgency surrounded Stevenson and this house as Rosecrans planned the Union attack on Confederate General Braxton Bragg at Chattanooga. While headquartered at The Little Brick, Rosecrans and his staff planned the  federal army’s pontoon bridge crossing of the Tennessee River, telegraphed requests for additional locomotives, dispatched reconnaissance missions, ordered shipments of food, mules, weapons and other supplies, and attended to many other plans for the attack.  Rosecrans was joined here by, among others, General James A. Garfield and General Ulysses S. Grant, both future Presidents of the United States.  General William T. Sherman is known to have been nearby and may have visited here, too.

sketch of  "The Little Brick"

 click to enlarge floor print

     After the war ended, The Little Brick returned to a quieter, more peaceful role in Stevenson’s life, becoming a favorite abode of newlyweds, even into the mid-20^th Century. 

     In 2003 an on-site archaeological investigation was performed  in which key architectural elements including outer walls and an interior wall, along with its associated chimney and fireplaces, were identified.   Several Stone footings for a full front porch were identified and notches, once supporting long-since-gone floor joists, were discovered in the remaining rear brick wall.  These limited excavations also produced a sample of artifacts, including period ceramics and commonly used personal items, and later twentieth century specimens such as marbles and glassware.

An array of personalities, including military leaders directly involved with the history of our nation and young members of local families, have left their mark here and given this unassuming brick rectangle a life of its own.