Lieutenant Albert Hansford (Lt. A.H.) Cowart was born on December 30th, 1891 in Troy, Alabama. He was the youngest son of Professor F.J. Cowart, the Chair of Science at the State Normal School in Troy, AL, and the brother of F.J. Cowart, Jr. and Bernice “Reb” Cowart. A.H. studied at both Auburn and the New York Military Academy before traveling to the Philippines to serve as an officer in the constabulary for three years. Following that, Cowart went to India in the service of the Standard Oil Company and was there when America joined World War I. Upon hearing about the declaration of war on Germany, A.H. enlisted and traveled to France via a British ship. While in the Mediterranean Sea, the ship was torpedoed by a submarine and sank. Cowart was among the number of survivors that were picked up and taken to a port in the south of France. Upon arriving in France, A.H. was assigned to the Lafayette Escadrille and served as a lieutenant in the aviation training branch in the French service, though he very much desired to go to the front. Beginning in August of 1917, Lt. Cowart documented his flights and training maneuvers with his last entry being on May 31st, 1918 when taking a plane to have it overhauled at the 2nd Aviation Instruction Center in Tours. Unfortunately, he arrived at the Center after dark and was unable to successfully land his plane, crashing to the ground and dying immediately upon impact. He was 26 years old. Notice of A.H.’s death was sent to his brother, F.J. Cowart, Jr. due to their father’s ill health. Lt. A.H. Cowart was buried with full military honors in an American cemetery outside of Tours, France and following the war, his remains were brought back to be buried in the Cowart family plot in Troy Cemetery (later Green Hill Cemetery).