(Fort Morgan, AL)  A humble historical marker on the white sands just outside Fort Morgan, AL is a pilgrimage for many members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon national social fraternity.   It is here, in the waters of Mobile Bay, that this national social  fraternity’s founding father became the first Alabama soldier to die in the Civil War.

Noble Leslie DeVotie, a C.S.A. chaplain with the Independent Blues and the Governor’s Guard of Selma, was with his men aboard a steamer crossing to Fort Morgan from Mobile when he missed a step, fell overboard and drowned on February 12, 1861.

DeVotie was valedictorian of the University of Alabama Class of 1856 and an 1859 graduate of  the Presbyterian Theological Seminary at Princeton, N.J.   DeVotie was pastor of Selma Baptist Church at the time he enlisted in the Confederate Army.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon was the first national fraternity founded in the deep South on March 9, 1856 at the University of Alabama.  DeVotie is well-known to Sigma Alpha Epsilon members worldwide as the fraternity’s chief founder.  There is even an Sigma Alpha Epsilon tribute video to DeVotie on YouTube.

The Alabama Gulf Coast has many historical suprises!  It’s a lovely drive from either Orange Beach or Gulf Shores, AL  to Fort Morgan.  When you’re planning your trip to the Alabama Gulf Coast area, be sure and check out  condo and beach home specials and other Hot Deals from Kaiser Realty, Inc..