A Short Passage

Martha Dandridge and her husband, Joseph Benajah Bibb, were fighters--Martha for the "Lost Cause" and her mother's dreams, Joseph for southern rights during the War Between the States. His passion for the cause will remain unknown, but his duty is documented.

"After the death of Mrs. Sophie Bibb, her youngest daughter, Mrs. Martha Dandridge Bibb, widow of Colonel Joseph B. Bibb of the 23rd Alabama Regiment C. S. A. who died from wounds received during the war, was made President of the Ladies’ Memorial Association, and through the work of the patriotic band of women, the beautiful Confederate Monument on Capital Hill was completed, unveiled, and presented to the State of Alabama on December, 7, 1898."

Joseph's father, Reverend Peyton Bibb of Augusta County, VA, was a Methodist minister and a large planter who established a steamboat line from Montgomery to Mobile. Joseph was a lawyer in Montgomery before the war, but his career ended as a result of the shot to his lung at the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, and subsequent complications. He went back to his command in three weeks after the injury and continued to fight until the end of the war. He died soon after from tuberculosis induced by the wound and exposure.

Joseph was only forty-eight when he died. His wife 's fight continued for years to follow.