Source: Brant & Fuller (1893)
from "Memorial Record of Alabama"
S. H. DENT is a descendant of an old English family of the same name, whose
loyalty to the cause of the Stuarts brought down upon them the displeasure of
Cromwell. The result was the emigration of two brothers of the family to
America, where they settled in what is now Maryland, between the Potomac and
Patuxent rivers, Va. Upon the restoration of the Stuarts, they received a large
grant of land in Charles county, Md., in the vicinity of which the family have
continued to reside, taking an honorable part in the upbuilding of the free
institutions of our country. Capt. S. H. Dent is the son of Dr. S. W. and Mary
C. Dent. He was born in Charles county, Md., on the 30th of October, in 1835.
His father was a prominent physician of that county and held for many years the
responsible position of judge of the orphans' court. He was a man of decided
opinions on questions of government, and suffered much during the Civil war on
account of the vigor with which he supported the cause-of the south. He was
outspoken and fearless, though his home was within the union lines. After
securing a fair education, the captain began life in that "stepping stone to
future greatness," the school room. After two years' swaying of the ferule in
his native state, he came to Eufaula, where for a year he engaged in the same
profession. The following year, 1856, found him a student in the law office of
Pugh & Bullock, the present junior senator of the state being the senior member
of the firm. He was admitted to practice after three months' study and he
immediately formed a partnership with that distinguished lawyer, Judge John
Cochran. This firm continued but a little more than a year, when Mr. Dent
practiced alone until the breaking out of the war between the states. The
principles instilled into the mind of the son by the father caused his early
adherence to the fortunes of the confederacy, and in February of 1861 we find
him a first lieutenant in the Eufaula Rifles, afterward a part of the Eigteenth
Alabama regiment. The first ten months of service he passed at Pensacola, during
which time he participated in the bombardment in November, 1861, and January,
1862. Not enjoying the inactive life at that point he assisted in the
organization of an artillery company, of which he was elected first lieutenant,
enlisted for "three years or the war," and joined the western army. In the
battle of Shiloh he received a slight wound, but he did not leave the field, and
on the evening of the second day was ordered to report to Gen. Breckenridge as a
part of the rear guard of Bragg's army. He was with his command in the siege of
Corinth, and his battery was particularly distinguished in the fight at
Farmington, in May, 1862. He was with his command in the retreat from Corinth,
and on the march into Kentucky. On the clay of the battle of Perryville, his
command was engaged in a skirmish with Gen. Sill's division of the United States
troops, and therefore did not participate in that battle. He was not present at
the battle of Murfreesboro, being absent on furlough. He was made captain of his
battery in 1863 and participated in the battle of Chickamauga. He and his
command were specially mentioned for faithful service and gallantry in that
battle. In the battle of Mission Ridge his command suffered very severely. They
lost nearly all their guns and a large part of the command itself. His battery
was re-equipped at Dalton and participated in the constant, and, in fact, almost
daily, fighting from that point thence to Atlanta. Capt. Dent was severely
wounded in the battle of July 22, 1863, near Atlanta. He was in the battle of
Jonesborough and went with Hood in his march into Tennessee. He was in a
skirmish at Shoal Creek and was in the battle of Franklin and the battles around
Nashville. In the battle of December 16, 1864, near Nashville, he was again
wounded but not severely. When he came out of Tennessee he was sent with his
command to Mobile and was surrended at Meridian, Miss., under Gen. Richard
Taylor. Capt. Dent's battery was, well known in the army of Tennessee and
wherever hard service and stubborn fighting were necessary his command was
always called on. He and his command were always commended for faithful service,
and in many instances were specially commended for conspicuous gallantry. It was
chaos come again after the war. Capt. Dent returned home, and there being no
courts for a year he was engaged in operating a dray line, at first actually
driving a dray himself. But in 1866 he resumed the practice of his profession,
doing a lucrative and extensive business until his retirement in 1879 to accept
his present responsible position as president of the Eufaula National bank. As a
lawyer Capt. Dent established an enviable reputation in the general practice,
and nothing but his firm determination not to engage in the work has kept his
friends from placing him in the judicial chair of the circuit. Capt. Dent has
always evinced the liveliest interest in public affairs, though it has thus far
been manifested in a good-natured turning of the grindstone for his friends. He
has been frequently importuned to accept public honors, but he has been
contented to play an humble part. His superior qualifications as a presiding
officer have given him a reputation in his party second to none. As chairman of
the county convention of 1892, when a false move would have precipitated a bolt,
his cool and firm demeanor prevented it. In its report of the convention the
Eufaula Times says: "Almost any chairman in the world would have provoked and
assisted a bolt, but Capt. Dent's wise and temperate words, delivered in a low
tone with much feeling, quieted the waters as if by magic." Capt. Dent was made
temporary chairman of the democratic state convention of 1892 and is at present
a member of the state executive committee. He is a master Mason and a life long
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, south, in which he has been a steward
for thirty-five years. He has twice filled the highest position to which a
layman can attain, that of delegate to the general conference of his church.
There he was always conspicuous for his practical good sense and prudent
counsels. In the last general conference, that of 1890, he was chairman of one
of the most important committees of the conference. Capt. Dent was prominent in
the politics of his own county during the period of reconstruction, and was, at
the earnest call of his people, a candidate for the legislature in 1872. The
election was close, and on account of irregularities at some of the boxes he was
given a certificate of election. This was the memorable campaign which resulted
in a dual legislature. In the compromise which followed the seats from Barbour
were given to the republicans. But the result of the election in 1872 gave such
confidence to the party in Barbour that the radicals were routed in 1874, and
the entire state was redeemed. After 1876, Capt. Dent, seeing his state in the
hands of its people, took no active part in politics until 1890. He went into
that campaign very heartily, and helped to carry his county for organized
democracy. Capt. Dent was most happily married June 5th, 1860, to Miss Annie B.
Young, the eldest daughter of the late E. B. Young of Eufaula, Ala. Six children
are the fruit of their marriage, three boys and three girls. His eldest son,
Edward Y. Dent, is assistant cashier and teller of the Eufaula National bank.
His second son, S. H. Dent, Jr., is a promising young attorney, and his third
son, Henry A., is taking a course in civil engineering. His eldest daughter,
Nannie B. Dent, married Jackson E. Long. Their married life was brief and his
widowed daughter, with her three children, form a part of Capt. Dent's
household. His second daughter, Louise, is just budding into womanhood, and his
third daughter, a young girl just entering her teens, is still at school. Capt.
Dent is president of the Eufaula National bank-a bank which, although not one of
the largest, is second to none as to credit and standing in the state. Capt.
Dent is a fine specimen of southern manhood. He occupies one of the loveliest
and most substantial homes in Eufaula, where he and his wife, assisted by his
children, dispense a generous hospitality, typical of what is sometimes called
the hospitality of the old south. Few men possess more completely the
confidence, and esteem of his neighbors and fellow-countrymen than Capt. Dent.
Capt. S. H. Dent Died Sunday At Eufaula; Aged 84
Eufaula, Ala. - Capt. S.H. Dent, father of Congressman Dent, died at his home here on Sunday. He was 84 years old and death came shortly after 4 o'clock. He had been seriously ill for two weeks.
While his health had been feeble for several months, he was able to address the First Methodist Sunday school two weeks ago. His son, Congressman Dent, was with his father when the end came. The funeral service was held Wednesday.
Survivors include:
Three sons: S.H. Dent, Jr of Montgomery; Henry A. Dent, paymaster in the United States Nancy stations at Norfolk, Virginia; Edward Young Dent of Eufaula
Three daughters: Mrs. W.W. Magnum of Rome Georgia; Mrs. George N. Hurt of Eufaula; Mrs. Charles S. McDowell of Eufaula
Two brothers: Warren F. Dent of Montgomery; George H. Dent of Eufaula.
Two sisters: the Misses Dent of Washington, D.C.
"Capt. S.H. Dent Died Sunday At Eufaula; Aged 84," The Clayton Record, Mar 1917; http://www.newspapers.com; accessed 6f Apr 2022.
Captain, Dent's Artillery/Robertson's Artillery (Alabama Light Artillery) and Co B, First Alabama (Infantry) Regiment. Verified by NARA: M818/ROLL 07 (Confederate State Army)
from "Memorial Record of Alabama"
S. H. DENT is a descendant of an old English family of the same name, whose
loyalty to the cause of the Stuarts brought down upon them the displeasure of
Cromwell. The result was the emigration of two brothers of the family to
America, where they settled in what is now Maryland, between the Potomac and
Patuxent rivers, Va. Upon the restoration of the Stuarts, they received a large
grant of land in Charles county, Md., in the vicinity of which the family have
continued to reside, taking an honorable part in the upbuilding of the free
institutions of our country. Capt. S. H. Dent is the son of Dr. S. W. and Mary
C. Dent. He was born in Charles county, Md., on the 30th of October, in 1835.
His father was a prominent physician of that county and held for many years the
responsible position of judge of the orphans' court. He was a man of decided
opinions on questions of government, and suffered much during the Civil war on
account of the vigor with which he supported the cause-of the south. He was
outspoken and fearless, though his home was within the union lines. After
securing a fair education, the captain began life in that "stepping stone to
future greatness," the school room. After two years' swaying of the ferule in
his native state, he came to Eufaula, where for a year he engaged in the same
profession. The following year, 1856, found him a student in the law office of
Pugh & Bullock, the present junior senator of the state being the senior member
of the firm. He was admitted to practice after three months' study and he
immediately formed a partnership with that distinguished lawyer, Judge John
Cochran. This firm continued but a little more than a year, when Mr. Dent
practiced alone until the breaking out of the war between the states. The
principles instilled into the mind of the son by the father caused his early
adherence to the fortunes of the confederacy, and in February of 1861 we find
him a first lieutenant in the Eufaula Rifles, afterward a part of the Eigteenth
Alabama regiment. The first ten months of service he passed at Pensacola, during
which time he participated in the bombardment in November, 1861, and January,
1862. Not enjoying the inactive life at that point he assisted in the
organization of an artillery company, of which he was elected first lieutenant,
enlisted for "three years or the war," and joined the western army. In the
battle of Shiloh he received a slight wound, but he did not leave the field, and
on the evening of the second day was ordered to report to Gen. Breckenridge as a
part of the rear guard of Bragg's army. He was with his command in the siege of
Corinth, and his battery was particularly distinguished in the fight at
Farmington, in May, 1862. He was with his command in the retreat from Corinth,
and on the march into Kentucky. On the clay of the battle of Perryville, his
command was engaged in a skirmish with Gen. Sill's division of the United States
troops, and therefore did not participate in that battle. He was not present at
the battle of Murfreesboro, being absent on furlough. He was made captain of his
battery in 1863 and participated in the battle of Chickamauga. He and his
command were specially mentioned for faithful service and gallantry in that
battle. In the battle of Mission Ridge his command suffered very severely. They
lost nearly all their guns and a large part of the command itself. His battery
was re-equipped at Dalton and participated in the constant, and, in fact, almost
daily, fighting from that point thence to Atlanta. Capt. Dent was severely
wounded in the battle of July 22, 1863, near Atlanta. He was in the battle of
Jonesborough and went with Hood in his march into Tennessee. He was in a
skirmish at Shoal Creek and was in the battle of Franklin and the battles around
Nashville. In the battle of December 16, 1864, near Nashville, he was again
wounded but not severely. When he came out of Tennessee he was sent with his
command to Mobile and was surrended at Meridian, Miss., under Gen. Richard
Taylor. Capt. Dent's battery was, well known in the army of Tennessee and
wherever hard service and stubborn fighting were necessary his command was
always called on. He and his command were always commended for faithful service,
and in many instances were specially commended for conspicuous gallantry. It was
chaos come again after the war. Capt. Dent returned home, and there being no
courts for a year he was engaged in operating a dray line, at first actually
driving a dray himself. But in 1866 he resumed the practice of his profession,
doing a lucrative and extensive business until his retirement in 1879 to accept
his present responsible position as president of the Eufaula National bank. As a
lawyer Capt. Dent established an enviable reputation in the general practice,
and nothing but his firm determination not to engage in the work has kept his
friends from placing him in the judicial chair of the circuit. Capt. Dent has
always evinced the liveliest interest in public affairs, though it has thus far
been manifested in a good-natured turning of the grindstone for his friends. He
has been frequently importuned to accept public honors, but he has been
contented to play an humble part. His superior qualifications as a presiding
officer have given him a reputation in his party second to none. As chairman of
the county convention of 1892, when a false move would have precipitated a bolt,
his cool and firm demeanor prevented it. In its report of the convention the
Eufaula Times says: "Almost any chairman in the world would have provoked and
assisted a bolt, but Capt. Dent's wise and temperate words, delivered in a low
tone with much feeling, quieted the waters as if by magic." Capt. Dent was made
temporary chairman of the democratic state convention of 1892 and is at present
a member of the state executive committee. He is a master Mason and a life long
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, south, in which he has been a steward
for thirty-five years. He has twice filled the highest position to which a
layman can attain, that of delegate to the general conference of his church.
There he was always conspicuous for his practical good sense and prudent
counsels. In the last general conference, that of 1890, he was chairman of one
of the most important committees of the conference. Capt. Dent was prominent in
the politics of his own county during the period of reconstruction, and was, at
the earnest call of his people, a candidate for the legislature in 1872. The
election was close, and on account of irregularities at some of the boxes he was
given a certificate of election. This was the memorable campaign which resulted
in a dual legislature. In the compromise which followed the seats from Barbour
were given to the republicans. But the result of the election in 1872 gave such
confidence to the party in Barbour that the radicals were routed in 1874, and
the entire state was redeemed. After 1876, Capt. Dent, seeing his state in the
hands of its people, took no active part in politics until 1890. He went into
that campaign very heartily, and helped to carry his county for organized
democracy. Capt. Dent was most happily married June 5th, 1860, to Miss Annie B.
Young, the eldest daughter of the late E. B. Young of Eufaula, Ala. Six children
are the fruit of their marriage, three boys and three girls. His eldest son,
Edward Y. Dent, is assistant cashier and teller of the Eufaula National bank.
His second son, S. H. Dent, Jr., is a promising young attorney, and his third
son, Henry A., is taking a course in civil engineering. His eldest daughter,
Nannie B. Dent, married Jackson E. Long. Their married life was brief and his
widowed daughter, with her three children, form a part of Capt. Dent's
household. His second daughter, Louise, is just budding into womanhood, and his
third daughter, a young girl just entering her teens, is still at school. Capt.
Dent is president of the Eufaula National bank-a bank which, although not one of
the largest, is second to none as to credit and standing in the state. Capt.
Dent is a fine specimen of southern manhood. He occupies one of the loveliest
and most substantial homes in Eufaula, where he and his wife, assisted by his
children, dispense a generous hospitality, typical of what is sometimes called
the hospitality of the old south. Few men possess more completely the
confidence, and esteem of his neighbors and fellow-countrymen than Capt. Dent.
Capt. S. H. Dent Died Sunday At Eufaula; Aged 84
Eufaula, Ala. - Capt. S.H. Dent, father of Congressman Dent, died at his home here on Sunday. He was 84 years old and death came shortly after 4 o'clock. He had been seriously ill for two weeks.
While his health had been feeble for several months, he was able to address the First Methodist Sunday school two weeks ago. His son, Congressman Dent, was with his father when the end came. The funeral service was held Wednesday.
Survivors include:
Three sons: S.H. Dent, Jr of Montgomery; Henry A. Dent, paymaster in the United States Nancy stations at Norfolk, Virginia; Edward Young Dent of Eufaula
Three daughters: Mrs. W.W. Magnum of Rome Georgia; Mrs. George N. Hurt of Eufaula; Mrs. Charles S. McDowell of Eufaula
Two brothers: Warren F. Dent of Montgomery; George H. Dent of Eufaula.
Two sisters: the Misses Dent of Washington, D.C.
"Capt. S.H. Dent Died Sunday At Eufaula; Aged 84," The Clayton Record, Mar 1917; http://www.newspapers.com; accessed 6f Apr 2022.
Captain, Dent's Artillery/Robertson's Artillery (Alabama Light Artillery) and Co B, First Alabama (Infantry) Regiment. Verified by NARA: M818/ROLL 07 (Confederate State Army)
Source: Brant & Fuller (1893)
from "Memorial Record of Alabama"
S. H. DENT is a descendant of an old English family of the same name, whose
loyalty to the cause of the Stuarts brought down upon them the displeasure of
Cromwell. The result was the emigration of two brothers of the family to
America, where they settled in what is now Maryland, between the Potomac and
Patuxent rivers, Va. Upon the restoration of the Stuarts, they received a large
grant of land in Charles county, Md., in the vicinity of which the family have
continued to reside, taking an honorable part in the upbuilding of the free
institutions of our country. Capt. S. H. Dent is the son of Dr. S. W. and Mary
C. Dent. He was born in Charles county, Md., on the 30th of October, in 1835.
His father was a prominent physician of that county and held for many years the
responsible position of judge of the orphans' court. He was a man of decided
opinions on questions of government, and suffered much during the Civil war on
account of the vigor with which he supported the cause-of the south. He was
outspoken and fearless, though his home was within the union lines. After
securing a fair education, the captain began life in that "stepping stone to
future greatness," the school room. After two years' swaying of the ferule in
his native state, he came to Eufaula, where for a year he engaged in the same
profession. The following year, 1856, found him a student in the law office of
Pugh & Bullock, the present junior senator of the state being the senior member
of the firm. He was admitted to practice after three months' study and he
immediately formed a partnership with that distinguished lawyer, Judge John
Cochran. This firm continued but a little more than a year, when Mr. Dent
practiced alone until the breaking out of the war between the states. The
principles instilled into the mind of the son by the father caused his early
adherence to the fortunes of the confederacy, and in February of 1861 we find
him a first lieutenant in the Eufaula Rifles, afterward a part of the Eigteenth
Alabama regiment. The first ten months of service he passed at Pensacola, during
which time he participated in the bombardment in November, 1861, and January,
1862. Not enjoying the inactive life at that point he assisted in the
organization of an artillery company, of which he was elected first lieutenant,
enlisted for "three years or the war," and joined the western army. In the
battle of Shiloh he received a slight wound, but he did not leave the field, and
on the evening of the second day was ordered to report to Gen. Breckenridge as a
part of the rear guard of Bragg's army. He was with his command in the siege of
Corinth, and his battery was particularly distinguished in the fight at
Farmington, in May, 1862. He was with his command in the retreat from Corinth,
and on the march into Kentucky. On the clay of the battle of Perryville, his
command was engaged in a skirmish with Gen. Sill's division of the United States
troops, and therefore did not participate in that battle. He was not present at
the battle of Murfreesboro, being absent on furlough. He was made captain of his
battery in 1863 and participated in the battle of Chickamauga. He and his
command were specially mentioned for faithful service and gallantry in that
battle. In the battle of Mission Ridge his command suffered very severely. They
lost nearly all their guns and a large part of the command itself. His battery
was re-equipped at Dalton and participated in the constant, and, in fact, almost
daily, fighting from that point thence to Atlanta. Capt. Dent was severely
wounded in the battle of July 22, 1863, near Atlanta. He was in the battle of
Jonesborough and went with Hood in his march into Tennessee. He was in a
skirmish at Shoal Creek and was in the battle of Franklin and the battles around
Nashville. In the battle of December 16, 1864, near Nashville, he was again
wounded but not severely. When he came out of Tennessee he was sent with his
command to Mobile and was surrended at Meridian, Miss., under Gen. Richard
Taylor. Capt. Dent's battery was, well known in the army of Tennessee and
wherever hard service and stubborn fighting were necessary his command was
always called on. He and his command were always commended for faithful service,
and in many instances were specially commended for conspicuous gallantry. It was
chaos come again after the war. Capt. Dent returned home, and there being no
courts for a year he was engaged in operating a dray line, at first actually
driving a dray himself. But in 1866 he resumed the practice of his profession,
doing a lucrative and extensive business until his retirement in 1879 to accept
his present responsible position as president of the Eufaula National bank. As a
lawyer Capt. Dent established an enviable reputation in the general practice,
and nothing but his firm determination not to engage in the work has kept his
friends from placing him in the judicial chair of the circuit. Capt. Dent has
always evinced the liveliest interest in public affairs, though it has thus far
been manifested in a good-natured turning of the grindstone for his friends. He
has been frequently importuned to accept public honors, but he has been
contented to play an humble part. His superior qualifications as a presiding
officer have given him a reputation in his party second to none. As chairman of
the county convention of 1892, when a false move would have precipitated a bolt,
his cool and firm demeanor prevented it. In its report of the convention the
Eufaula Times says: "Almost any chairman in the world would have provoked and
assisted a bolt, but Capt. Dent's wise and temperate words, delivered in a low
tone with much feeling, quieted the waters as if by magic." Capt. Dent was made
temporary chairman of the democratic state convention of 1892 and is at present
a member of the state executive committee. He is a master Mason and a life long
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, south, in which he has been a steward
for thirty-five years. He has twice filled the highest position to which a
layman can attain, that of delegate to the general conference of his church.
There he was always conspicuous for his practical good sense and prudent
counsels. In the last general conference, that of 1890, he was chairman of one
of the most important committees of the conference. Capt. Dent was prominent in
the politics of his own county during the period of reconstruction, and was, at
the earnest call of his people, a candidate for the legislature in 1872. The
election was close, and on account of irregularities at some of the boxes he was
given a certificate of election. This was the memorable campaign which resulted
in a dual legislature. In the compromise which followed the seats from Barbour
were given to the republicans. But the result of the election in 1872 gave such
confidence to the party in Barbour that the radicals were routed in 1874, and
the entire state was redeemed. After 1876, Capt. Dent, seeing his state in the
hands of its people, took no active part in politics until 1890. He went into
that campaign very heartily, and helped to carry his county for organized
democracy. Capt. Dent was most happily married June 5th, 1860, to Miss Annie B.
Young, the eldest daughter of the late E. B. Young of Eufaula, Ala. Six children
are the fruit of their marriage, three boys and three girls. His eldest son,
Edward Y. Dent, is assistant cashier and teller of the Eufaula National bank.
His second son, S. H. Dent, Jr., is a promising young attorney, and his third
son, Henry A., is taking a course in civil engineering. His eldest daughter,
Nannie B. Dent, married Jackson E. Long. Their married life was brief and his
widowed daughter, with her three children, form a part of Capt. Dent's
household. His second daughter, Louise, is just budding into womanhood, and his
third daughter, a young girl just entering her teens, is still at school. Capt.
Dent is president of the Eufaula National bank-a bank which, although not one of
the largest, is second to none as to credit and standing in the state. Capt.
Dent is a fine specimen of southern manhood. He occupies one of the loveliest
and most substantial homes in Eufaula, where he and his wife, assisted by his
children, dispense a generous hospitality, typical of what is sometimes called
the hospitality of the old south. Few men possess more completely the
confidence, and esteem of his neighbors and fellow-countrymen than Capt. Dent.
Capt. S. H. Dent Died Sunday At Eufaula; Aged 84
Eufaula, Ala. - Capt. S.H. Dent, father of Congressman Dent, died at his home here on Sunday. He was 84 years old and death came shortly after 4 o'clock. He had been seriously ill for two weeks.
While his health had been feeble for several months, he was able to address the First Methodist Sunday school two weeks ago. His son, Congressman Dent, was with his father when the end came. The funeral service was held Wednesday.
Survivors include:
Three sons: S.H. Dent, Jr of Montgomery; Henry A. Dent, paymaster in the United States Nancy stations at Norfolk, Virginia; Edward Young Dent of Eufaula
Three daughters: Mrs. W.W. Magnum of Rome Georgia; Mrs. George N. Hurt of Eufaula; Mrs. Charles S. McDowell of Eufaula
Two brothers: Warren F. Dent of Montgomery; George H. Dent of Eufaula.
Two sisters: the Misses Dent of Washington, D.C.
"Capt. S.H. Dent Died Sunday At Eufaula; Aged 84," The Clayton Record, Mar 1917; http://www.newspapers.com; accessed 6f Apr 2022.
Captain, Dent's Artillery/Robertson's Artillery (Alabama Light Artillery) and Co B, First Alabama (Infantry) Regiment. Verified by NARA: M818/ROLL 07 (Confederate State Army)
from "Memorial Record of Alabama"
S. H. DENT is a descendant of an old English family of the same name, whose
loyalty to the cause of the Stuarts brought down upon them the displeasure of
Cromwell. The result was the emigration of two brothers of the family to
America, where they settled in what is now Maryland, between the Potomac and
Patuxent rivers, Va. Upon the restoration of the Stuarts, they received a large
grant of land in Charles county, Md., in the vicinity of which the family have
continued to reside, taking an honorable part in the upbuilding of the free
institutions of our country. Capt. S. H. Dent is the son of Dr. S. W. and Mary
C. Dent. He was born in Charles county, Md., on the 30th of October, in 1835.
His father was a prominent physician of that county and held for many years the
responsible position of judge of the orphans' court. He was a man of decided
opinions on questions of government, and suffered much during the Civil war on
account of the vigor with which he supported the cause-of the south. He was
outspoken and fearless, though his home was within the union lines. After
securing a fair education, the captain began life in that "stepping stone to
future greatness," the school room. After two years' swaying of the ferule in
his native state, he came to Eufaula, where for a year he engaged in the same
profession. The following year, 1856, found him a student in the law office of
Pugh & Bullock, the present junior senator of the state being the senior member
of the firm. He was admitted to practice after three months' study and he
immediately formed a partnership with that distinguished lawyer, Judge John
Cochran. This firm continued but a little more than a year, when Mr. Dent
practiced alone until the breaking out of the war between the states. The
principles instilled into the mind of the son by the father caused his early
adherence to the fortunes of the confederacy, and in February of 1861 we find
him a first lieutenant in the Eufaula Rifles, afterward a part of the Eigteenth
Alabama regiment. The first ten months of service he passed at Pensacola, during
which time he participated in the bombardment in November, 1861, and January,
1862. Not enjoying the inactive life at that point he assisted in the
organization of an artillery company, of which he was elected first lieutenant,
enlisted for "three years or the war," and joined the western army. In the
battle of Shiloh he received a slight wound, but he did not leave the field, and
on the evening of the second day was ordered to report to Gen. Breckenridge as a
part of the rear guard of Bragg's army. He was with his command in the siege of
Corinth, and his battery was particularly distinguished in the fight at
Farmington, in May, 1862. He was with his command in the retreat from Corinth,
and on the march into Kentucky. On the clay of the battle of Perryville, his
command was engaged in a skirmish with Gen. Sill's division of the United States
troops, and therefore did not participate in that battle. He was not present at
the battle of Murfreesboro, being absent on furlough. He was made captain of his
battery in 1863 and participated in the battle of Chickamauga. He and his
command were specially mentioned for faithful service and gallantry in that
battle. In the battle of Mission Ridge his command suffered very severely. They
lost nearly all their guns and a large part of the command itself. His battery
was re-equipped at Dalton and participated in the constant, and, in fact, almost
daily, fighting from that point thence to Atlanta. Capt. Dent was severely
wounded in the battle of July 22, 1863, near Atlanta. He was in the battle of
Jonesborough and went with Hood in his march into Tennessee. He was in a
skirmish at Shoal Creek and was in the battle of Franklin and the battles around
Nashville. In the battle of December 16, 1864, near Nashville, he was again
wounded but not severely. When he came out of Tennessee he was sent with his
command to Mobile and was surrended at Meridian, Miss., under Gen. Richard
Taylor. Capt. Dent's battery was, well known in the army of Tennessee and
wherever hard service and stubborn fighting were necessary his command was
always called on. He and his command were always commended for faithful service,
and in many instances were specially commended for conspicuous gallantry. It was
chaos come again after the war. Capt. Dent returned home, and there being no
courts for a year he was engaged in operating a dray line, at first actually
driving a dray himself. But in 1866 he resumed the practice of his profession,
doing a lucrative and extensive business until his retirement in 1879 to accept
his present responsible position as president of the Eufaula National bank. As a
lawyer Capt. Dent established an enviable reputation in the general practice,
and nothing but his firm determination not to engage in the work has kept his
friends from placing him in the judicial chair of the circuit. Capt. Dent has
always evinced the liveliest interest in public affairs, though it has thus far
been manifested in a good-natured turning of the grindstone for his friends. He
has been frequently importuned to accept public honors, but he has been
contented to play an humble part. His superior qualifications as a presiding
officer have given him a reputation in his party second to none. As chairman of
the county convention of 1892, when a false move would have precipitated a bolt,
his cool and firm demeanor prevented it. In its report of the convention the
Eufaula Times says: "Almost any chairman in the world would have provoked and
assisted a bolt, but Capt. Dent's wise and temperate words, delivered in a low
tone with much feeling, quieted the waters as if by magic." Capt. Dent was made
temporary chairman of the democratic state convention of 1892 and is at present
a member of the state executive committee. He is a master Mason and a life long
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, south, in which he has been a steward
for thirty-five years. He has twice filled the highest position to which a
layman can attain, that of delegate to the general conference of his church.
There he was always conspicuous for his practical good sense and prudent
counsels. In the last general conference, that of 1890, he was chairman of one
of the most important committees of the conference. Capt. Dent was prominent in
the politics of his own county during the period of reconstruction, and was, at
the earnest call of his people, a candidate for the legislature in 1872. The
election was close, and on account of irregularities at some of the boxes he was
given a certificate of election. This was the memorable campaign which resulted
in a dual legislature. In the compromise which followed the seats from Barbour
were given to the republicans. But the result of the election in 1872 gave such
confidence to the party in Barbour that the radicals were routed in 1874, and
the entire state was redeemed. After 1876, Capt. Dent, seeing his state in the
hands of its people, took no active part in politics until 1890. He went into
that campaign very heartily, and helped to carry his county for organized
democracy. Capt. Dent was most happily married June 5th, 1860, to Miss Annie B.
Young, the eldest daughter of the late E. B. Young of Eufaula, Ala. Six children
are the fruit of their marriage, three boys and three girls. His eldest son,
Edward Y. Dent, is assistant cashier and teller of the Eufaula National bank.
His second son, S. H. Dent, Jr., is a promising young attorney, and his third
son, Henry A., is taking a course in civil engineering. His eldest daughter,
Nannie B. Dent, married Jackson E. Long. Their married life was brief and his
widowed daughter, with her three children, form a part of Capt. Dent's
household. His second daughter, Louise, is just budding into womanhood, and his
third daughter, a young girl just entering her teens, is still at school. Capt.
Dent is president of the Eufaula National bank-a bank which, although not one of
the largest, is second to none as to credit and standing in the state. Capt.
Dent is a fine specimen of southern manhood. He occupies one of the loveliest
and most substantial homes in Eufaula, where he and his wife, assisted by his
children, dispense a generous hospitality, typical of what is sometimes called
the hospitality of the old south. Few men possess more completely the
confidence, and esteem of his neighbors and fellow-countrymen than Capt. Dent.
Capt. S. H. Dent Died Sunday At Eufaula; Aged 84
Eufaula, Ala. - Capt. S.H. Dent, father of Congressman Dent, died at his home here on Sunday. He was 84 years old and death came shortly after 4 o'clock. He had been seriously ill for two weeks.
While his health had been feeble for several months, he was able to address the First Methodist Sunday school two weeks ago. His son, Congressman Dent, was with his father when the end came. The funeral service was held Wednesday.
Survivors include:
Three sons: S.H. Dent, Jr of Montgomery; Henry A. Dent, paymaster in the United States Nancy stations at Norfolk, Virginia; Edward Young Dent of Eufaula
Three daughters: Mrs. W.W. Magnum of Rome Georgia; Mrs. George N. Hurt of Eufaula; Mrs. Charles S. McDowell of Eufaula
Two brothers: Warren F. Dent of Montgomery; George H. Dent of Eufaula.
Two sisters: the Misses Dent of Washington, D.C.
"Capt. S.H. Dent Died Sunday At Eufaula; Aged 84," The Clayton Record, Mar 1917; http://www.newspapers.com; accessed 6f Apr 2022.
Captain, Dent's Artillery/Robertson's Artillery (Alabama Light Artillery) and Co B, First Alabama (Infantry) Regiment. Verified by NARA: M818/ROLL 07 (Confederate State Army)
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