Henry Churchill Semple, Southern gentleman, family man, attorney and soldier, left three enduring legacies. The first is the history of his and his men’s service in the American Civil War, which makes up the bulk of this narrative. Second was the set of artifacts of his military service, the four bronze Napoleon guns that the men of his artillery battery served for three years. Extensive discussion of the origination and final disposition of the four cannon tubes runs throughout the text and the appendices to the volume. The third legacy was Semple’s progeny of achievers, the accomplishments of whom are set forth in a final appendix. The ultimate purpose of this volume is to expand the accessible knowledge about a dedicated and distinguished military unit and its commander, as well as to capture the unit’s connection to its legacy of modern-day artifacts. I want this book to be of value to general readers and military historians alike, but most of all, I want it to be a credit to the officers and men of Semple’s Alabama Battery. Dr. Russell K. Brown