During the Civil War, U.S. Army brigadier general Grenville M. Dodge (1831-1916) organized the First Alabama Cavalry comprised of Alabama Unionists. Among its members were future senator George E. Spencer, who served during the period of Reconstruction. Dodge entered the railroad business immediately following his military service and was a key figure in the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad, and he also served in the U.S. Congress.
