George Eliphaz Spencer enlisted as Captain, 14 Oct 1862, and was Assistant Adjutant to General Grenville M. Dodge. George was commissioned colonel, 11 Sept 1862, and detailed as Chief of Staff of the 1st Alabama Regiment Cavalry Volunteers, a U. S. regiment made up of citizens of northern Alabama. The 1st Alabama Cavalry filled the traditional role of scouting, raiding, reconnaissance, and flank guard, and was selected by General Sherman as the commander's escort in his march to the sea. He was eventually promoted to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General, March 1865 for "gallant and meritorious services during campaign through Georgia and the Carolinas." In military records he listed his occupation prior to military service as a lawyer. Spencer in a letter of resignation from the military 5 Jul 1865, was given an honorable discharge. After a brief time of practicing law in Decatur, Alabama following the war, he was elected a Republican Senator of Congress from Alabama for a term of six years, and won re-election in 1873 for another six years. There was considerably bitterness between the secessionists and the unionist in Alabama after the war, and this cause a great deal of controversy surrounding Spencer that remains until this day.
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