M.L. .74 V81p 52 REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01085 5507 1 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 http://archive.org/details/recordofeventsiOOport A REGQRD OF ETEXTS IX XORFOLE rnFXTY, VIRGINIA, FROM APRIL l!)ih, 1S0I- IV MAY Wih, ISCyJ, WITH A HISTORY OF THE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS OF NORFOLK COUNTY, NORFOLK CITY AND PORTSMOUTH WHO SERVED IN THE CONFEDERA TESTA TES ARMY OR NAYY, BY JOHN W. II. PORTER, a comrade of stonewall camp. confederate veteran^ of Portsmouth, va. PORTSMOUTH. VA.: vr. A. FISK 2, PRINTER AND BOOKBINDER, ism. r CONTENTS. 1632052 / I. The first .year of (he war in -Portsmouth, II. The Portsmouth Light Artillery. III. The Dismal Swamp Rangers, ('<>. A. 3d Va., IV. The Virginia Biflemcn, Co. B, 3d Va., V. The National Grays, Co. H, 3d Va VI. The Third Virginia Urgiinent, V.li. Caot. J nn. H. Myers' Company, Co. F. 6th Va., VIII. The Virginia Artillery, Co. I), 9th Va., IX. The Portsmouth ItihVs, Co. <}, Oth Va., X. The Craney Island Artillery, Co. I. Oth Va., Xi. The Old Dominion Guard, Co. K, Oth Va,, XII. The Ninth Virginia Regiment, XI H. The Virginia Defenders, Co. C, 16th Va., XIV. The St. Bride's Artillery, Co. 1, 38th Va,. XV. The Norfolk County Rifle Patriots, Co. F, 41st XVI. The Jackson Grays, Co. A, 61st V., XVII. The Wilson Guard, Co. B, 61 si Va.. XVIII. The Blanehard Grays. Co. C. 61st Va.. XIX. The Jackson Light Infantry, Co. D, 61st Va., XX. Tbe Border Rifles. Co. F. 01st Va.. XXI. The Virginia Rangers, Co. H. 61st Va., XXN. The Bilisoly Blues, Co. I, 61st Va.. XXIII. Company K, 61st Va,, Co. K. 6ist Va.. XXIV. The Sixty-First Virginia liegiment, XIX V. In Outside Commands, .... XXV:. The St. Bride's Cavalry, Co. F. 15tb Va. Cavab XXVII. Field aad Staff, ..'...,' XXVIII. The Wise Light Dragoons, . . . . - XXIV, iiUhe Navy— IV>rtsinouth, XXX. Operations Around Xorfolk, 1861-2, XXXL Norfolk Light Artiliei-y Blues, XXXII. Norfolk Light Artillery, (Hugers Battery). XXXIII. Company A. Gth Virginia Regiment. XXXIV. Woodis Riflemen, Co! C\ 6th Va., XXXV. The Norfolk Light fnuuitrji Co. D, Gth Va.. XXXVL Company F, Co. G, 6th Va., . . . . XXX VII. The [TiiJppendiii't Grays, Co. II, 6th Va., XXXVIII. The Sixth Virginia Liegiment, XXXIX. The Norfolk Juniors, Co. K, 12th Va.. X;L. The Atlantic Artillery, .... XLf, The United Artillery, ..... XLII. Young's Harbor Guard, XLIII. The Signal Corps, XLiV. Field and Staff XLV, In the Xayy— Norfolk, .... XL VI. In Other Commands XLV1I. The First Ivun-cU ! the Virginia, XLVIIL The Battle in Hampton Roads, Page, 9 38 17 52 57 63 7<) 73 7 s oO 93 101 126 1 32 1 36 141 147 151 101 157 161 164: 160 173 200 200 210 220 221 22S 217 255 251) 262 206 269 276 270 294 206 301 304 300 313 324 35S ERRATA Page 42, line 20, for July 14th read July 1st. " 55, " 5, for 1SS4-5 read- 1864-5. " 55, " 49, for Five Forks read Appomattox. M 74, " 37, for June. 1862, read June, 1863. 44 S3, " ' 1. for Barton read Barton. c; 127, " 20, f<>r Company G read Company C. i; 120, " 47. for September 30th read September 14th. " 139, head line, for Gist Virginia read list. 175. line 38., for 1892 read 1862. k* 190, " 24. for Mai. J. T. Woodhouse, read Lieut Col. It. O. Whitehead. " 207. " 47. for Israel Eason read Isaac. 240, ** 12. for Petersburg read Fredericksburg. a 2S9, 4i 46, for May 19th-21st, ?62, read J61. k* 348, "« 8, for 1861 read 1862. In Thos, Scott's Advertisement add Undertaking; TO LIEUTENaNT-COLONEL WM. G. STEWART, FORMERLY OF NORFOLK COUNTY, BUT NOW a CITIZEN OF PORTSMOUTH, WHO SERVED FAITHFULLY THROUGH THE WAR PROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END. AS LIEUTENANT, CAPTATN, MAJOR AND LIECTENANT- COLONKL, AND TO WHOSE ASSISTANCE I* DUE THE COLLECTION OF MANY INTERES- TING FACTS CONT AINKD IN TH IS VOLUME; TO STONEWALL CAMP. CONFEDER- ATE VETERANS. OF PORTSMOUTH, AT WHO-E SUGGESTION THIS WORK WAS BEGUN; TO PICKETT-BUCHANAN CAMP. OF NORFOLK, WHICH 1^ PER- FORMING A GOOD TASK IN RELIEVING THE NECESSITIES OF MANY OLD t'OMRA DE3 IN THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, A\T) TO THE THIRTY-FOUR HUNDRED MEN OF NORFOLK. COUNTY, NORFOLK CITY AND PORTSMOUTH, WHO BID ADIEU TO THEIR HOMES AND KINDRED ON THE l'GSTIt OF MAY, 1863, AND MARCHED FORTH UNDER THE BAN- NERS OF THE SOUTH, THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY The Author. pp "' PREFACE. Stonewall Camp, Confederate Veteran?, of Portsmouth, being desirous of preserving the names of the Confederate soldiers and sailors of this county, appointed various historical committees; but slow progress was made, and each succeeding year rendered the task more difficult of accomplishment. Having been an eye-witness of some of the scene? herein related, and having become pos- sessed of many authentic records and' persona] reminiscences, I have, by request, undertaken the work. I have collected the names of more than thirty-three hundred men who marched under the Southern flag, from their homes in Xorfolk county on that memorable 10th of May, 1802, and have followed them through the smoke of battle, in the hospitals, and sometimes through prison walls, recording when and where they were wounded, or when and where they died. In a work of this char- acter, the first which ever sought to tell the history of the private soldier iii t lie ranks as well as the doing? of the officer in com- mand, and which must depend largely upon recollection, much of necessity, will be left out which should be made to appear; for I memory, after a lapse of more than a quarter of a century, will sometimes fail to recall events just as they happened, and com- rades who were associated with us then have passed out of mind, out much has been rescued from oblivion. The mistakes are mure those of omission than of commission. I have not succeeded in getting the names of the Port-mouth men in tie- Navy Vanl in Liiehmond who, like the Jis\v^ at the rebniidiim of King Solo- nam's Temple, worked with their tools while their swords were I men were in the trenches around Richmond almo.-t as much as • they were employed in their workshops, and their name? should nppear in this book, but nearly all of the Confederate Navy De- partment records appear to have been destroyed. Most of the men were advanced in years and have "passed beyond the rivet*/' 1 have ascertained and published the names of 1,018 men from Norfolk county, of whom 280 were killed or died during the war, 1,119 who enlisted in Norfolk city companies, of whom .170 were killed or died, and 1,242 from Portsmouth, of whom 199 were killed or died, making a total of 3,879 men, of whom 655 gave up their lives for the cause in which they enlisted, and hundreds of others were disabled from wounds. A iminlierpf Norfolk county men were in the Erineess Anne Cavalry and in Company F, 3d Virginia Regiment, which was recruited principally in Nanse- mond county, and these will more than offset the Xansemondmen in Company I, 9th Virginia Infantry. Tracing up these facts has required months of patient research and inquiry. If I have not given each man as extended a record as he deserves I hope he will consider t]\e number of names in the book and the limitless bounds it would occupy if not condensed. J. W. IT. P. CHAPTER I. THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR IX PORTSMOUTH. Thirty-one years have gone by since the beginning of the strug- gle between the States which, raging for four years, reached nearly every portion of the South, from the Potomac to the Rio Grande, and left in its devastating track blazing homes and wasted fields. In no previous war in the history of the world's battles was there a greater display of bravery and fortitude than the people of the Southern States put forth in defence of those prin- ciples of self government which had been instilled in them from the foundation of the American Union, and no braver men served under the banners of the Southern Confederacy than those whom the City of Norfolk, the City of Portsmouth and County of Xorfol-k sent to the front when the Governor of \ irgiiiia issued his call for volunteers. 1 hey were brave men and courageous soldiers, fightikg most of the time in defence of the homes and . families of others, while their own homes and families were in the possession of the enemy, but, in the many struggles of that long and weary war, in the heroic charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg, in the determined rush of Mahone's Brigade at the '''Crater/' proving their devotion to Virginia ami the metal that I was in them. Many of them tell upon the* field of battle, or died from dis- eases contracted from exposure in the line of duty, and many re- turned home with a leg or an arm gone or with bones broken, and disabled, while those who survived the ordeal of battle and exposure are rapidly passing away, | The., twenty-seven years since the last gun was fired and the last soldier of the South laid down his arms, have witnessed the funeral of many a survivor of "the Lost Cause," and while there are still enough left to tell the tale, and before memory becomes dimmed by age, it is proper that the names and deeds of those who, had success crowned their bravery and devotion, would have lived in history and in song as heroes and patriots should he collected and preserved. The record of the men who marched from this county is one to which future generations of their children may recur with pride. From the Keniral at the head of his brigade to the humblest sol- dier m the ranks, '* Fame crowned their brews with an amaranthine wreath that will never fade,'' and the object of this modest volume is to collect and preserve this record. The city of Port-month sent more nam to the Confederate came than there were voters in the city, and it has been said by I ■• 2 9 10 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. one who has given the subject sufficient study to speak advisedly, that there was not an important lmttle^fought east of the Missis- sippi river during the entire vvar in which there was not present a soldier from Portsmouth. At this late day memory cannot recall t\iv names of all those brave men who, upon distant battle fields, so gallantly upheld the name and fame of the little city which gave them birch and sent them forth at the call of duty, hence many of them will necessarily be omitted from its pages; passed "from memory as the years roll by! i leave to the general historian the task of tracing out the progress of campaigns and describing the manoeuvres, the charges and the struggles when armies met in deadly combat, and will endeavor to tell, as well as F can. the parr which Norfolk, Ports- mouth and t\i^ county of Norfolk took in that great war. The history of one is the history of the other, for their companies stood shoulder to shoulder in the same regiments, marched to the tap of the saute druiiH, sat by the same camp fires and fell upon the same battle fields. In the year i;S61 Portsmouth, the county seat of Norfolk county, was a city of about nine thousand inhabitants, of whom less than six thousand were white persons. Norfolk county, ex- clusive of the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, contained a pop- illation of about twelve thousand, of whom about seven, thousand were white persons. The Gosport navy yard, the most important of the United States Naval Stations, was located at. the southern extremity of the city, and. on account of the large amount of work done there by the Government, usually gave employment to from twelve hundred to fifteen hundred mechanics and laborers. Tiie city was prosperous and contented, and when the question of seceding from the Federal Union came before the people on the 4th of February, 1861, in the form of an election for delegates to the State Convention, Portsmouth and Norfolk county, which together Were entitled to two delegates, elected Dr. William "White and Mr. James G. Iloiiaday upon what was known as the Union ticket, by a large majority over Messrs. James Murdaugh and Samuel M. Wilson, who ran upon what was known as the Secession ticket. The Union sentiment predominated largely in the State Convention also, hut, unfortunately, the sentiment of the men who controlled the North was in favor of forcing rather than persuading back into the Union the States which had already seceded, and, in obedience to that sentiment. President Lincoln issued Iris call for 75,000 troops, as^ignin^- to Virginia her pro- portionate share. Then it became evident that Virginia would not be permitted to hold a neutral position but would be com- pelled to light with or against the other Southern States, and the convention underwent a change of opinion. It was held that it would be better to stand or lad with, those States than to take up Tift; FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR IN PORTSMOUTH. 11 i ■ ■ arms against them, and meat who were elected as Union delegates voted to siilwnit to the people, for ratification or rejection, the Ordinance of Secession. This resolution was passed April 17th, LSfM, and was to he submitted to a vote of the people <>n the fourth Thursday in May following, hut the State was virtually out of the Union from the day the convention adopted the ordinance. It wii] not avail anything to discuss Vne light of a, State to se- cede from the Federal Union, for, whether the right existed or not, under the Constitution, it has been stamped out under the feet of more than a million of soldiers, but six years after that date the Congress of the United States, which denied the right of the States to go out of the Union of their own accord, claimed for itself the right and authority to put them out, and the South- ern States became territories, under military governors, and. after I going through a course of reconstruction prescribed by act of Congress, were readmitted into the Union as States, with their constitutions radically altered to suit the views of the majority in Congress. As a prerequisite to their readmission into the Union, they 'were required to vote to ratify certain amendments to the Constitution of the United States; hence those amendments were adopted and becatfte the law of the land by the aid of the votes of States which were out of the Union, by act of Congress, and under military government. But this discussion i> foreign to the object for which tin.- work i> being written. Virginia, by virtue of a reservation in the resolution by which her Legislature ratified the Constitution of the United States anil consented to become a State in the Federal Union, always claimed the right to withdraw therefrom. In that resolution she said: "The powers granted under t\\e Constitution, being derived from the people of the United States, may be resumed by them whensoever the same may be perverted to their injury or oppres- sion.,? And the State Convention, believing the time had arrived when the powers conferred upon the General Government were being perverted to the injury of the people of Virginia, and that the State had the legal and constitutional right to do so, decided to withdraw from that compact. The State Convention passed the ordinance of secession on the 17th of April, 1861, lent it was not made public immediately. On the night of the 18th General William B. Taliaferro arrived in Norfolk with authority from Governor Letcher to take command of the Virginia forces in that city, and on the same day Lieuten- ants Robert B. Pegram and Catesby Ap. R.Jones, who had re- signed from the United States Navy, were appointed by the Governor captains in the Virginia S-dvy. with orders to take command of the naval station and organize naval defences. General Taliaferro was accompanied by Major Nathaniel Tyler I 12 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. and Captain Henry Ileth as his staff, and the Virginia military forces in the vicinity consisted of the Norfolk juniors. Indepen- dent Grays, Wood-is Rifles, Company F, and rite Liglit Artillery Blues of "Norfolk City; the Portsmouth Rifles, Old Dominion Guard, National Grays, Marion Rifles and Portsmouth Light Artillery, of Portsmouth, and the Dismal Swamp Rangers, 'of Deep Creek, and the Rifle Patriots, of Great Bridge, Norfolk county, the twelve companies numbering probably eight hundred and fifty men. but without any ammunition. The two artillery companies had each four Light guns. The naval forces at the disposal of Captain Pegram consisted of absolutely nothing. There was also in Norfolk count}- a small cavalry company, the Wise Light Dragoons, The Navy Yard was under the command of Commodore Mc- Cauley, who, under the very peculiar circumstances which sur- rounded him, was uncertain how to act, and the Navy Depart- ment at Washington left him without instructions, lie had re- ceived orders on the 16th from 'the Department to immediately ik out the Merrimae. to put her guns on her without loss of time (they had been taken ashore), and to send her, with the other vessels capable of being moved, together with the ordnance, stores, &Qn beyond the reach of seizure. Commodore McCauley construed the order to mean. a desire on the part of the Navy Department to abandon the station, and did not feel authorized to disobey the order to the extent of bringing on hostilities by maintaining possession of the Navy Yard and firing upon the City of Portsmouth, more especially as the United States Government had made no hostile demonstration against the State of Virginia. There were at the Navy Yard at that time, the sloop-of-war Cumberland, 22 guns, in commission, with a full complement of officers and men on board; the sloops-of-war Plymouth, 22 guns, and Germaiitown, 22 guns, and the brig Dolphin, o guns, almost ivady for sea: the steam frigate Merrimae, 40 guns, almost ready for sea and undergoing repairs; the line of battle ship Pennsyl- vania. 120 guns, in commission as a receiving ship, with a-eonsider- able crew on board, arid the 74-gun ships Delaware and Columbus, and rlie frigates Raritan, Columbia and I nited State-, dismantled and in ordinary, The force of sailors and marines on the various vessels ate] at the Navy Yard was probably about 600, well armed and abundantly supplied with ammunition. The Plymouth, Ger- rromtow n. Dolphin and .Merrimae Were living alongside the wharves and men were working on them. The Delaware ami Columbus were at a wharf at the southern end of the yard, and might have been considered" as in " Rotten Row," a term applied to vessels for which the fTovernment no longer has any use. Commodore McCaulev might have held the Navy Yard for a THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR IN PORTSMOUTH. 13 considerable time against any forces at the disposal of the State of Virginia, The Cumberland and Pennsylvania eonld have swept it with their guns, and he has been considerably censured for not doing so, but there was another side to the question. The Penn- sylvania might have been considered as stationary. Site was sup- posed to have been fast in the mud, and could easily have been mtiiaded by batteries on shore, in such a position that her broad- side could not be brought to bear on them, and furthermore, it would have been possible, shut up in a close harbor as those two vessels were, to have captured then- by a determined attack by hoarders at night, just as General Magrnder, later in the war. captured the steamer Harriet Lane in Galveston harbor. By the erection of batteries on the St. Helena side of the river, opposite the Navy Yard, the Cumberland could have been driven away or destroyed. She would have been compelled to have relied upon her sails for motive power, it is true the State of Virginia had nothing heavier than twelv expounder howitzers with which to man those batteries, but Commodore MeCauley was not familiar with the resources oi the State, and therefore, in the light of the last orders he had received from Washington, determined to leave with what he could take with him and destroy the remainder. His determination was quickened by reports winch reached him that xli^j Virginia forces wl-ix^ sinkiug obstructions in the river below Fort Norfolk and erecting batteries. He was deceived also by the continued moving of trains on the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad within hearing of the Navy Yard, and thought they were bringing troops to Norfolk:. 'This was done by General Afahone, who was then president of the railroad company, for the purpose of creating just such an impression. The work of destruction began a little before noon on the 20th, and the frigate Merrimae was the first object of the destroyers. Carpenters and machinists were at work on her at the time. The carpenter of the Cumberland, with a small s. that the vessels and stor.es in the Navy Yard were being destroyed ami a rumor became prevalent that it was the intention of Com- modore MeC 'auley to set the buildings on tire. This, it was feared, would cause serious damage in the eity, as it was separated from the yard only by the width of Lincoln street, which was but sixty feet wide, and a meeting of citizens was held, at which Messrs. Samuel Watts, James Murdaiigh and William II. Peters were appointed a committee to wait upon Commodore AlcOauley to endeavor to persuade him To reconsider that purpose, if he really entertained it. but the Commodore refused to see them and they were denied admission into the yard. About dusk the sloop-of-war Pawnee, under Captain Paulding, steamed up to the Navy Yard, and her crew were added to the wrecking force. It is said the torch was applied by the orders of Captam'Pauldmg. The long building on the north front of the yard, facing Lincoln street, and in which was the main entrance. was set on lire and totally destroyed. This building, among other things, contained the armory of the yard, and its hundreds of rifles, carbines, pistols, cutlasses, and other ordnance stores, besides ropes* canvas, Are. The two large ship houses, A and B, were also fired. Ship house A bad in it, on the stocks, the 7 4- gun ship New York, completely framed, with her deck beams, carliues and knees completed, and partially planked, inside and out, and her decks partially laid. The tire from the ship houses communicated to the Merrimae, Plymouth, Germantown and Dolphin, and all of them that was ab«»ve the water was consumed. The Pennsylvania, Raritan and Columbia, which were anchored our in the stream, shared the fate of the ship, houses. They were set on tire and burned almost down to their keels. Several buildings, containing stores of va- rious kinds, were tired and, together with their valuable contents, totally destroyed. An effort was made to destroy the usefulness of the heavy cannon, hundreds of which were in the yard, by breaking- off their trunions with mauls, but this was successful in only a few in- stances. There was a large quantity of Liquor in the spirit room ill the naval store house, ami the sailor-, getting possession of this liquor, tilled themselves so full of it that they were unable to keep up. the work of destruction, They spiked a number of thecannon with nails, hut these were easilv ootten out" subsequently bv the Confederates. History says an attempt was made to blow up the large stone dry doek but that it was discovered by the Confederates in time to prevent its successful accomplishment, but history is at fault in this instance, as in many others.. The true reason why r])C dock was not blown no lias never befon been published, and the proof _ of it seems conclusive. On the morning oi the 21st, about day- THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR IN PORTSMOUTH; 15 breaks detachments from the Portsmouth military companies which had been under arms all night, marched iut<> the Navv Yard and took possession of it. and Privates David A. Williams, of the Old Dominion Guard, and Joseph F. Weaver, of the Portsmouth Ritie Company, attracted by curiosity, strolled down to the ilvy dock, arid, looking down into it, noticed a train of loose powder, leading down to the culvert at the northeast corner. Mr. Williams immediately ran down into the dock and broke the connection by kicking one of the planks down. They then hunted for the fuse or slow match, but did not succeed in finding it. and concluded that after the train was laid the orders to blow it up had been countermanded, or that there had bean -some other hitch in the proceedings. Soon afterwards the wicket gate was opened by the Confederates and the water turned into the dock. This caused about thirty barrels of powder to float out of the culvert. The cause of the failure to ignite the train of powder remained a mystery until the- following February, when it was discovered by a singular coincidence. Mr. Weaver had, in the meantime, been appointed a carpenter in the Confederate Strifes Navy, and. was attached to the steamer Seabird in the light at Roanoke Island February 7th, 1862, between the small fleet of small steam- ers under Commodore Lynch, and the greatly superior force of United States vessels. The Island fei! into the hands of the Fed- erals on the Sth, and Commodore Lyneh\s fleet, having fired away ■•dl of its ammunition, fell back to Elizabeth City for a new sup- ply, bur did not succeed in obtaining any. On the (.n\i the Fed- eral fleet arrived before Elizabeth City, and the tugs Raleigh and Beaufort escaped though the Dismal. Swamp Canal, but the Sea- bird and Fanny were too wide to j*et through the locks. The Seahird was sunk by a SMneh Columbiad and her crew were cap- tured, While a prisoner on board a Federal gunboat Mr, Weaver formed t\\t; acquaintance of a master's mate, with whose mess he obtained his meals, and the mate, finding out that he was from Portsmouth, told him about the attempt to blow up the dry dock at the Navy Yard, lie said he had charge of a party of sailors. with orders to destroy ir ; that he put the powder in. and he de- scribed to Mr: Weaver the arrangement of the planks to hold the train, just as Mr. Weaver had seen it on t\ie morning of the 21st of April; that after the powder had been placed in the culvert and the train was laid to it, he sent the sailors to their boat, lighted the fuse, ami then, instead of placing it where it would. ignite the powder, threw it overboard, ilv gave as a reason for doing so. that he had a number of friends living in Portsmouth near the Xavy Yard, who had been very kind to him: that the quantity of powder with which ila: dock was mined, was sufficient to have blown some of the stone beyond the Jsawlard wall, 16 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. and, in falling- it might have crashed in some of the houses and killed some oi the women and children in the city, and lie did not eare to be the instrument to take their lives. He said he lighted the niateh so that he would he able to report that he had done so, and he had no apprehension that any of the officers or men would * go back to the dock to see if it was burning. His account tallies exactly with what Mr. Williams and Mr. Weaver saw when they went to the dock that morning, and as they were the first to go there, there is no reason to doubt its cor- rectness, lie could nor have so accurately described the situation unless he had seen it. One plank extended from the gate chain to the side of the dock, and from the middle of this plank another plank extended into the culvert, thus forming the letter T, and the train was laid along those two planks. It will be remembered that Messrs. Weaver and Williams searched carefully for the fuse, but did not succeed" in finding it, nor was it subsequently found. Had it been lighted and gone out of it.- own accord, the remains would have been found there. The failure to destroy the dock was due, therefore, to the humanity of the man who was ordered to do the work, and not to the sagacity of the Confeder- ate officials. At this writing. May 27th, lS92^ Messrs. Williams and Weaver are both living in Portsmouth. Mr. Williams is in the employment of the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad Company as section master, and Mr. Weaver is keeping a drug store on South street. But, to return to the Navy Yard and it? destruction. The old frigate United States, around which clustered s>» many memories of brave deeds and gallant victories, was the only vessel which was spared in the general devastation, and that night of the ifi'th of April was a night of anxiety in Portsmouth The immense ship house-, with their millions of feet of timber, were scathing volcauos of flames, and. the huge ship Pennsylvania was a pyra- mid of lire, while the burning Merrimac, Dolphin, Germantown, Plymouth/ liaritan and Columbia and the large store houses added to the conflagration and lighted up the heavens with a lurid glare that was seen for thirty miles. To add to the dangers of the nisjht the dwelling houses on the north side of Lincoln street in Portsmouth caught tire, and the whole city was threatened with destruction, winch was only averted by a change of the direction of the wind. Occasionally onevof the guns of the Pennsylvania, which had been left loaded by her crew, would be discharged as it became hot enough from the tire t-» ignite tliv powder, but. f<. fVgram assumed Command. He was re- lieved on the 2*2d by Commodore French Forrest, who arrived ji ader unlets from Governor Letcher. Captain Fegram was sub- 18 NORFOLK COUXTY, 1861-5. sequently ordered to the command of the post at Pig Point, at i\iv mouth of the Nansemond river, and had eomnumd of the battery there on the Oth of June, when the United States steamer Harriett Lane was driven off by the Portsmouth Rifle Company. Later in the day of the 21st the military, with the exception of the .National Grays, were marched from the Navy Yard to the Naval Hospital Point, and the Regiment became re-united. A. very strong earthwork was thrown up there and manned with guns from the Navy Yard. Obstructions were placed in the harbor so as to narrow the channel, and guns were mounted at Fort Norfolk, so that it would have been difficult if not impos- sible for the Pawnee and Cumberland to have returned, had they desired to do so. On the 21st the Norfolk County Rifle Patriots took possession of the Government ordnance depot at St. Helena, opposite t];e Navy Yard. The officers of the Third Regiment had hardly gotten warmed in their quarters when Governor Letcher, in pursuance of the policy of placing in command of the volunteer troops, lie!.1, officers with whom they had not been fa- miliarly associated before they were mustered into service, re- moved Colonel Hodges, Lieutenant Colonel Godwin and Major Wingiiek] from their commands and appointed in their stead Colonel Roger A. Pryor, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Mayo, Jr., a-nd Major Joseph V. Scott, whereupon the staff officers of the Regiment tendered their resignations and entered the service in other positions. Colonel Pledges and Lieutenant Colonel Godwin were assigned to the Fourteenth Virginia Regiment, Major Wingfleld became Major and Commissary of Mahone's Brigade and afterwards of the Division, Doctors Butt and BMisoly were appointed Surgeons, and Messrs. Mnrdaugh and Hobday were elected Lieutenants in the Bilisoly Lines, afterwards Company L Sixty-first Virginia, a company which was shortly afterwards organized. Adjutant Wreun was elected Captain of the Virginia Rifles of Portsmouth. After remaining at the Hospital Point about a week or ten days the Portsmouth Rifle Company was detached from the Third Regiment and ordered to Pig Point ami the Old Dominion Guard was detached and ordered to Pinner's Point to take charge of fortiflcations, and in dune were organized with the Ninth Virginia Regiment as Companies G and K. respectively. After the State seceded from the Union and hostilities had actually commenced the military fewer ran high in the city and county, notwithstanding their strong Union sentiments. Their love for Virginia wag stronger than their Love for the Union. Thev believed in the opinions which were held by the men who founded the Ame 'icari Government, the fathers of the Revolu- tion, that their allegiance was dw<^ first to their State and after- wards to the General Government, and that it was due to the I THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR TN PORTSMOUTH. 10 - General Government only so long ns the State was a part of it. New companies were organized rapidly. In the city these wort': lite Virginia Defenders, Captain hklward Blamire, afterwards (vO. C. L6th A' a. Regiment, infantry. The Virginia Artillery, Captain .James i\. Richardson, after- wards (V D, 9th Va. Infantry. Captain John II. Myers' Company, attached as Co. E to the firh Vra. Regiment. The Bilisoly Pines, afterwards changed to the Rebel Grays, Captain Charles R. McAlpine. Co. I, 01st Va. Infantry. The Jackson Artillery, Captain V. ( ). Cassell, which was at- tached to the (ilst Va. Infantry as Co. D. The Bilisoly Blues contained a number of men from the Bow- ers' II ill section of Norfolk county. Thus there were mustered into the Confederate service from the city of Portsmouth one company of light artillery and nine companies of infantry, distributed as follows: Two in the 3d Regiment, three in the i»th Regiment, one in the ICtli Regiment, one in the Oth Regiment, two in the 01st Regi- I ment. The Virginia Rangers, Company If, 61st Regiment, was re- cruited partly from Portsmouth, though credited here to Norfolk county. All of its officers in active service were from the city. All of those companies were large, and five of them, viz., the Portsmouth Rifle Company, Old Dominion Guard, National Grays, Jacksou Artillery and Portsmouth Light Artillery, num- bered over one hundred men each. In addition to those companies there were two or three hundred Portsmouth men scattered among other commands. One com- manded a North Carolina Brigade, four were field officers in North Carolina Regiments, one commanded an Alabama Regi- ment, ten wl'V^ Surgeons in the Army, between forty and fifty were officers in the Navy, they were in full numbers in the Nor- folk Light Artillery Bines, the Signal Corps and in the Navy, and every man who entered the service from this city was a vol- unteer. The city was evacuated by the Confederates before the conscript law was put into operation, and after it fell into the hands of the Federals, boys arriving at a sufficient age to do mili- tary duty made their escape through the Federal lines and joined their fathers and older brothers in the Confederate Army. At the beginning of the war there were only two organized volunteer infantry com panics in Norfolk county, one of which, the Dismal Swamp Rangers, Captain James (J. Choat command- ing, was raised in the vicinity of Deep Creek and was attached to the Third Regiment, and the Norfolk County Rilie Patriots. Captain William LI. Etheredge, Was raised in tin- Great Bridge Jieetion, it afterwards became Company F, Forty-first Regiment. 20 NORFOLK COUNTY, 18G1-T,. In the shifting of the companies, composing the Third Regiment the Dismal Swamp Rangers became Company A. Like the men of Portsmouth, those of Norfolk county were none the less Vir- ginians, though they had opposed the secession of the State, and when the tocsin of war was sounded, and the Governor called for volunteers to light the battles of the Commonwealth, there was a general rush to arms, and young men am] old ones responded to the call. The following companies were speedily organized and mustered into service and assigned to regiments in due course of time: The Cranev Island Artillery, Captain John T. Kilby, Co. I, 9th Ya. Reg/ The St. .Bride's Artillery, Captain George A. Martin, Co. I. 38th Ya. Reg. The St. Bride's Cavalry, Captain John Doyle, Co. F, 15th Ya. Cavalry. The Jackson Grays, Captain William II. Stewart, Co. A, 61st Ya. Keir. The Wilson Guard, Captain John W. M. Hopkins, Co. B, 61st Ya. Keg. The Bianehard Grays, Captain John G. Wallace, Co. C, 61st Ya. Res:. The Border Rifles, Captain Jetson Jett, Co. E, 6 1st Ya. Reg. The' Virginia Rangers, Captain James C. Cheat, Co. II, 61st Ya. Reg. s" , Captain Max llerl ert, Co. K, 61st Ya. Reg. Quite a number of Norfolk county men living near the Princess A rme county line joined the Princess Anne cavalry. Captain Bur- roughs, Co, I, 15th Ya. Cavalry, while many in the Western Branch section joined the Nfafisemond cavalry, which was attached to the 13 ch Regiment. The Tanner's Creek section contributed a large number of men to the various companies which were raised in Norfolk city. Thus it will be seen that Norfolk county con- tributed fully eleven companies to the Confederate Army. Co. 11, 61st Regiment, was recruited partly in Portsmouth, and Co. 1), 9th Ya., was recruited partly in Norfolk county, in the vicinity >th, &th, 12th, 41st and 61st Virginia Regiments. The 3d, 4th and 22d Georgia .Regiments and the 2d Georgia -* Battalion. 9 0 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. The 1st Louisiana Regiment and 3d Louisiana Battalion. The 3d Alabama Raiment. The 24 North Carolina Battalion, afterwards the 32d Regiment. The Portsmouth Light Artillery; the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues, the United Artillery, the Atlantic Artillery and the linger Battery, of Norfolk, the Salem Artillery, and the Louisiana- Guard Artillery. Burroughs' and Cooper's Calvary Companies L5th Virginia Cav- alry, and two companies of cavalry from Nansemond eountv and one from Southampton enmity, in the 13tli Virginia Cavalry Regiment. There was also a North Carolina battalion stationed near Suf- folk. Captain Martin's Company, of Norfolk county, and Cap- tain Voting's, of Norfolk city, were also on duty near here. General Taliaferro was superseded in command by General \V. Gwynn on the 23d of April and he was relieved by General 11 mrer on t]ie 24th of May, with headquarters in Norfolk. Gen- eral Blanchard commanded the troops on the Portsmouth side of the river. The Navy ^ ard was under the command of Commo- dore French Forrest, who had under him Captain and Executive Officer S. S. Lee; Captain A. B. Fairfax, ordnance officer; Naval Constructor John L. Porter: arid Chief Engineer William P. Williamson, all of whom had resigned from the United States Navy. Two days after the Navy Yard was burned by the United States forces Mr, William II. Peters, of Portsmouth, was ap- pointed by Governor Letcher Paymaster in the Virginia Navy and assigned to duty there. Mr. Peters took an inventory of the stock and material left in the yard, which he reported to the Governor, who transmitted it to the State Convention then in session, Mr. Peters' report states that there were in the yard when it fell into the hands of the Confederates 1,085 heavy can- non of six, eight, nine and ten-inch bore. These were ready for service, with carriages, breeching, blocks and tackle complete, and their possession enabled the Confederates to prepare for defence against the attacks of their enemies. There were also on hand in the yard, as per said report. 250,- 000 pounds of powder, a large number of shells, stands of grape shot, and various other ordnance, equipment stores, valued at $341,000, Also bread, beef, pork, rlour, and other provisions, valued at $38,763. Also clothing. flannel, shirting, round jackets. Arc, valued at §56,269, Also general naval supplies, such as timber, anchors, chains, copper, &c, valued at £1,448.223. In a paper read before Stonewall Camp, Confederate Veterans, of Portsmouth, by Mr, Peters the latter part of 1891, lie gave tin. localities to which cannon were shipped from the Xavy \ ard from April 21st to July Lst, I8SI, the date Virginia formally- turned • the Xayv Yard over to the Confederate States Government. The^e \v(:ix> as follows. The six-inch guns were 32-poiinders, and the seven-inch were 42s : To battery at Naval Hospital, 1'3 six-inch and 2 eight-inch guns. u " Graney Island, 12 six-inch, 10 eight-inch, T nine- iueh and 1 ten-inch. To battery at Fort Norfolk, 8 nine-inch guns. i Polish's Bluff, 5 six-inch guns. " Pinner's Point, 7 " " " Pig Point; 12 six-inch and 2 eight-inch guns. •• Richmond, 90 six-inch. 12 seven-inch, in eight inch and 24 nine-inch. T<» Charleston, 43 six-inch, 12 seven-inch and 3 old English cannon. To Fredericksburg. 4 six-inch. "'■ Fort Powhatan, o' six-inch. "' Kempsville, 1 twelve-pounder and 2 nine-pounder brass guns. *' Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad Co., 1 twenty-seven pounder, " Savannah, 1<> six-inch guns. 44 Pensaeola, - Ji Captain Thomas, at Baltimore, 20 .twenty-four pounders and 20 six-inch guns. To Memphis, 5 six-inch guns. " New Orleans. 13 six-inch, >s eight-inch and 2 nine-inch guns. ■ " Tennessee. 32 six-inch guns. " Lieutenant George T. Sinclair, for army South. 16 six-inch, 4J seven-inch. 8 eight-inch and 1 nine-inch. To Norfolk city, 3 six-inch. " battery at Seawell's Point, 8 six-inch and 6 nine-inch guns. " " " " Lambert's Point, 6 " i; " i; BurwelFs Bay, 5 i; " " " Pagan Creek; ' 4 " I 4i '' " Powell's Point, ■ 4 i; ;* 4i " City Point, 6 "' " General Gwynn ami taken to North Carolina, 197 six-inch, 1 >even-in«'h. 11 eight-inch, and 4 twenty-four pounders. All of those guns which were sent to General Gwynn shortly afterward were captured by the enemy, owing to the want of wis- dom which prevailed in the management of affairs in Eastern North Carolina by the Confederate Government, coupled with the inefficiency and inexperience of some of tlie officers in imme- diate Command. The Federal forces had scarcely evacuated the Navy 1 ard be- fore the active Virginia troops began erecting batteries at every available point in the harbor which would command the ap- proaches hv river to the eitv. Guns were sent over to Fort Nor- bak froiii the Navv Yard and mounted there, and three heavy 24 NORFOLK CQUMTY, isai-o. guns were placed in position at the Hospital Point on the morn- ing of the 21st behind a temporary breastwork of cotton hales to keep the Pawnee and Cumberland hack while a substantial breastwork was being built. This was so far completed by the end of the week as to have twelve heavy guns in position, and the experience of the naval officers, was brought into requisition in drilling the men at the guns. While the battery at the Naval Hospital was being constructed formidable works were going up at Pinner's Point under the su- pervision of Major F. W. Jett, of the engineers. Fort Norfolk, Boush's Bluff, Lambert's Point, Craney Island and Seawell's Point, >o that, in less than ten days, the Confederates were able to bring about seventy-live or eighty guns to bear upon a vessel attempting tv enter the harbor, and a fleet of wooden vessels could scarcely have run the gauntlet. These batteries were sub- sequently strengthened by the addition of ritled cannon, the heaviest fortifications heing on Craney island and SeawelTs Point. The fortifications at Pinner's Point contained 1:. six and eight- inch guns and four six-inch rifle guns, banded at the breech. One of the batteries was also roofed over and supposed to lie bomb proof. Pig Point, at the month of the xSansemond river, was also for- tified. The battery there was manned by the Portsmouth Ritie Company, Captain John C. Owen*, and the post was under com- mand of Captain R. R, Pegram of the Navy. This battery had a small engagement with the United States cutter Harriett Fane on the 5th of June, which hauled off after an exchange of shots for about twenty minutes. Xq one was hurt in the battery, nor was the earthwork injured, though one of its guns, a.-AS-pounder, was disabled by a shot from the Fane, The batteries at Pinners Point were under command of Captain George Harrison of the Xavy. arid the men at Craney Fland were drilled at the guns hy several Naval officers, chief of whom was Lieutenant S.harpe of Norfolk. Captain A. F>. Fairfax of the Navy was ordered to the Xayv Yard in charge of the Ordnance Department, and was a man of practical ideas. Under his orders, with the approbation of Com- modore Forrest, an experiment was made of rilling one of the 32-pounder Dahlgren gun.- which was left by the Federals when they marie their hasty exit. An experienced mechanic was di- rected to supervise the work, and in order to strengthen the gun strong wrought iron hands were shrunk; around it at the breech. The work was finished that summer and the gun was mounted on a. -mull steam tug called the Harmony belonging to Captain James Browji of Portsmouth, and used for carrying freight between Portsmouth and Norfolk, Captain Fairfax took command of this little vessel of one gun, and, taking on hoard twenty-five THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR IN PORTSMOUTH. 25 -.'■'■. - shells, steamed down into Hampton Roads to engage the United star*1- vessels which were anchored tluvre. It was a repetition of Hie combat between David and Goliath. The frigate Savannah was the (irst object of the Harmony's attack. She was lying at rite mail til of the James river, and the rifle gun from tlie little craft threw its shells ever and into the big frigate, but the shots wbieh were aimed at her in return fell far short of their mark, < "aptain Fairfax continued the engagement until he had fired away all of his ammunition. This gun was a great advancement in the science of the manu- facture of ordnance, and the inventor has not received 'the credit u Inch is justly due him. It was the work of Mr. Thomas Carr <>f Portsmouth, who. at the time, was a foreman or quarternian in tire Steam Engineering Department of the G-osport Navy Yard. Mr. J amies Flemmiiig was Master Machinist and Chief Engineer William P. Williamson was in charge of the Department. Mr. Carr says he saw two Parrott guns in possession of the 3d Georgia Regiment, winch was camped near the Navy Yard, and noticed the manner in winch they were fitted and banded, and the thought occurred to him that it would be practicable to rifle and band the six-inch Dahlgren. guns, and he got up a machine which could be attached to a lathe and with which the grooves might be cut in the guns. lie made a small pencil sketch of it and submitted it to Chief Engineer Williamson, who at once saw its utility and M'nt for Captain Fairfax, to whom the machine and its objects were explained. Captain Fairfax approved of the idea and di- rected .Mr. Carr to go ahead with it. to make his machine and ex- periment on one of the guns. Mr. George Maxwell of Ports- mouth, an experienced machinist, operated the machine and did the mechanical part of the work, and its successful test was made in tiie engagement between the Harmony and Savannah. Mr. Carr pm an humble mechanic, interested only in the success of the Southern cause, and not seeking to make either fame or for- tune for himself out of the war, and has therefore not been. men- tioned in connection with this great experiment, but he claims that he is none the less entitled to all the credit which should at- tach to it. Hundreds of heavy cannon were rifled in the South after ."Mr. CarFs idea. Mr. Carr is alive at this writing and is rtiljba citizen of Portsmouth. Notwithstanding the fact that the Navy Yard was evacuated by die Federals on the 20th of April and the Confederates had fortified the harbor to prevent the return of the United States m'-n of war, communication was kept up with Baltimore by the «'^v Line steamers until the 30th, when the United States Gov- ernjitent declared the port in a state of blockade. That day the steamer William Selden was permitted to come through with her mails, and passengers but the Confederates seized her and refused 1 » 2b NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. to allow Iter to return. She brought down a large number of Baltimorcans who had taken part: in the riot in that city on the 19th of April, when the Massachusetts troops were passing through. ['p«>ii their arrival here they organized themselves into a military company, were joined by a number of recruits from Soxithampton and Norfolk counties, ami were assigned to the Otli Yirginia Regiment as Company B, and were on duty on Craney Island until May lOth, 1862., when they marched off with the regiment at the evacuation of this section by the Confederates. Idie following were the officers of the conipany at Craney Island: Captain, John I). Myriek of Norfolk; First Lieutenant, John 0'I>onnell of Baltimore, Second Lieutenant, Parker ox Southampton county, Ya. Third Lieutenant, Benjamin F. Cason of Princess Anne county. Among the defences of the harbor was the old frigate United States. ' This was the only vessel spared by Commodore MeCauley when he bunted the Xavy Yard. The Confederates subsequently changed her name t<> the Confederate States, lifted her up with a battery, manned her. and anchored her near the bend in the channel just above Craney Island. The sunken vessels Merrimac, Plymouth. Germantowu and .Dolphin, which were lying alongside the wharves at the Navy Yard, were gotten up by the Baker Wrecking Company, under direction of the Confederate authori- ties, to get them out of the way, and some work was commenced on the last three with a view to fitting them out. The Merrimac was burned down to her water line, and it was not thought any use could he made of her beyond taking her machinery out of her, but subsequent events proved the fallacy of human predic- tions, for "the stone which the builders rejected became the key- stone of the temple." But the Merrimac will he made the sub- ject of another chapter, and many matters of local interest will be found in the short historical sketches of the various companies from Portsmouth and the county, which will follow later fec§>in this work. On the 7th of June. 1861, the companies of the 3d Regiment, under Colonel Roger A. Pryor, which had been on duty at the Naval Hospital batteries, were ordered to Burwelhs Bay in Isle of Wight county, and the Hospital batteries were left in the care of the Elliott Grays, Captain Louis Bossieux, of Manchester, at- tached to the 12th Yirginia Regiment, and the Jackson Grays, Captain William If. Stewart, of Norfolk county, afterwards Co. A, 61st Yirginia Regiment. About the same time the Old !><>- the Craney Island Artillery of Norfolk county. Captain J. T. Kilby, and the Portsmouth Rifle Company at Pig Point was rein- forced by Company II. 5Uth Yirginia Regiment, Captain Niblett, of Lunenburg count w THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR IN PORTSMOUTH. 27 . Quite an active trade in sugar and fruit was carried mi between Norfolk and the West India'lslands, by way of llatteras Inlet, through the agency of light draft schooners^ and the steamer J. K. Cutler was converted into a gunboat, armed with one gun, and with her name changed to the Window, captured a number of prizes nit Cape llatteras, which she brought into the Carolina sounds. She was finally lost by running upon an obstruction or sunken wreck while going to the assistance of a French vessel which had gotten ashore on the coast near Ocracoke Inlet. Ihid Secretary Mallory, of the Confederate States Navy, been possessed of a little foresight about this time, the affairs of the Southern Confederacy might not have turned out so disastrously. Naval Constructor John JL Porter, of Portsmouth, in June. 1861, while in Richmond on business connected with the conversion of the Merrimac into an iron-clad, urged upon Secretary Mallory the importance of importing at once from England steam engines and armor plates for. gunboats to defend the Southern ports. Mr. Porter had been a Naval Constructor in the Unite.'] States Navy, and upon the secession of Virginia resigned his commission and tendered his services to her. lie was opposed to the war and to the secession of the State, but when she had. decided to go out of the Union he cast his fortunes with her. He knew the resources of the United States arid its ability to speedily tit out a large naval force, and called Secretary Malldry's attention to the fact that, while the South was rich in material out of which to build gun- coats, it was deficient in means of building machinery for them and preparing armor plating to protect them. He further told the Secretary that it would not be long before the United States would have atioat a sufficient force to blockade the ports of the South and shut them up from the outside world, and urged that steps be taken at once to import engines and armor iron before it would be too late. Secretary Mallory replied that it was useless to go to all of that expense;' that the war would be over in six months, and Mr. Porter could not convince him otherwise. Soon matters turned out just as Mr. Porter had predicted. On the 29th of August a powerful Federal fleet attacked the torts at Hatteras Inlet" and they surrendered after a short hut de- structive bombardment. Lieutenant William II. Murdaugh, of the Navy, of Portsmouth, was severely wounded during the bom- bardmeiit. The Confederates abandoned the fort at Oregon Inlet shortly afterwards, and on the 8th of February, 1S62, Roanoke Island was captured, and the United States vessels held undis- puted possession of the North Carolina sounds. ' The fleet of shells, which t)\^ Confederates gathered in t\\e sounds and called gunboats, could alibi 1 no material resistance to the overwhelming force which w-a^ sent against diem. Some were sunk at Roanoke rslan^ and the rest retreated to Elizabeth City, leaving the troops 28 XOIU'OLK COUNTY, 1861-5. on Roanoke Island, to the number of 2,500, to their fate, which was not tang doubtful. Newbei'n was captured on the 4th of March, and fifty-eight heavy guns and three hundred prisoners fell into the hands of x\\a enemy. On the 12th of April Fort Pulaski, at the entrance to the Savannah river, surrendered after a short bombardment, ami Fort Macon, at the entrance to the harbor of Beaufort, yielded on the 25th, so that on the whole Southern Atlantic coast only two ports, Wilmington and Charles- ton, were left to the Confederacy, and these were closely block- aded. Then, when it was too late. Secretary Mallory's d'YQ^ were opened, and he made contracts everywhere, and with every one. to build iron-clad gunboats. Old saw mills were robbed of their machinery to furnish motive power for them, while armor iron with which to cover them could not he obtained at any price. There was only one establishment in the South, the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, where it could be manufactured, and the capacity of that was very limited. While the Merrimac was being changed into an iron-clad at the -Navy Yard here a half- dozen smaller and lighter draft vessels could have been built like the Richmond; had there been machinery and armor iron on hand for them. As it was, tlie work on the Merri mac was greatly delayed because the Tredegar Works could not furnish the iron fast enough* and others were whollv neglected. oped an energy which, had it manifested itself earlier, might have saved the Southern Confederacy from destruction, and in May, 1363, according to an official repeat of Chief Constructor John L. Porter, there were fourteen vessels completed, as to their wood work, waiting for iron to cover them. The amount needed was 4,230 tons, "Oilier- were in course of construction, but the ma- chinery with which to propel them was of the crudest kind. So scarce was iron in the Confederacy that, when Captain Cooke was superintending the building of the Albemarle on the Roanoke river, lie went through the country blN.t\. smith shops and gathered up every scrap and old bolt he could iind. How different would matters have been had Secretary Mallory taken Mr. Porter's ad- vice in 1361, Considerable money was expended in efforts- to secure vessels abroad to cripple the enemy's commerce, but the defence of the home ports of the South was neglected. Matters moved along smoothly in this vicinity after the Federal forces left until the attack upon Fort Hatteras, already alluded to. This, and the fall of Roanoke Island and the loss of its gar- rison of 2,500 men, who could have been saved had there been a vessel present to 1 ave taken them off, were severe blows to the Confederacy, as tley opened the whole of Eastern jSorth Caro- lina to the incursions of the enemy's gunb >ats and infantry sup- ports, and forced the Confederates to guard hundreds ot miles of After all of the ports had been closed Secretary Mallory devel- r THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR IN PORTSMOUTH. 29 territory in their uncertainty as to where the next blow would be struck. Hatter&s and Oregon Inlets should have been better pro- tected-* The fail of lioanoke Island liad an influence on rlie Con- federate affairs about Portsmouth also, as it exposed the lines there to an attack from the rear, while the Federal force at Fur- tress Monroe was a constant menace from the front, and. in order to meet demonstrations from the enemy in that direction, the 3d Ceorgia, 1st Louisiana, 32d North Carolina, the Portsmouth Rifle Company and Griiyies' Battery were sent to the vicinity of South Mills. The 3d G-eorgia had two engagements with the enemy before the arrival of the other troops, one at Chieamieomico, Oc- tober 5th. 1861, and the other near South Mills, April 19th. ±862, and it was daily apprehended that the force which captured Xew- herii would make an attempt in the direction of Portsmouth. The hulk of this force, however, was subsequently sent to the Penin- sula tb reinforce General MeClellan. In the ISTavy yard everything was activity. Hundreds of skilled mechanics who had enlisted in the army were detailed to work there. Work was commenced on the Merrimae on the 12th of July, 1861, and several other vessels were being built. The Richmond, an iron-clad, to carry four guns, built with slanting roof like the shield of the Merrimae, but with ends above the water line and protected like the shield, was launched, as were the Hampton and Xansemond, two two-gun gunboat-, and the Escambia and Elizabeth, two light draft, iron-protected gunboats, t<> carry two guns each, were also commenced, and later another of the same character, called the Yadkin. Some work was done on the Germantown and Plymouth also, towards fitting them out. The machine shops and foundries were being rail to their utmost capacity, .Numerous thirty-two pound Dahlgren guns were rifled and bunded, like the one with which Captain Fairfax s._» success- fully contended against the frigate Savannah, and were sent to the different batteries around the harbor and to other localities. Some were sent to SeawelFs Point, and a masked battery .,f them was constructed at the' point nearest the Hip Haps, but was never unmasked. It was left there for the Federals when Norfolk was evacuated. Two were placed on the outer battery at Seawe county. Several were sent to Craney Island, four to Pinners Point, and four to Naval Hospital Point, all of which were sub- sequently donated to the enemy. During all these trying times the ladies of Portsmouth were not idle. The newly organized companies of Portsmouth and Norfolk county* were mustered into serriee without uniforms, and many of the companies which came from further South were similarly conditioned, but the ladies organized sewing circles and uiade up hundreds of uniforms for them. They also made organ- 30 NORFOLK COUNTY, 7S61-r>. I " ized efforts to care for the sick soldiers in the camps and in the hospital, so that many a poor follow who was stricken clown by disease, in consequence of the exposure of earn]) life, had his fevered pulses cooled and his couch softened by the tender hands of the ladies of Portsmouth. Nor did their good works stop here, but they were untiring in their efforts to provide the soldiers with shoes, blankets, overcoats and everything else which would make them comfortable, while the families of those who were in the service were tenderly eared for. Nor was the City Council back- ward in aiding the cause in which the State of Virginia was en- gaged, as will he seen by glancing over the records of its proceed- i 1 1 gs from April. 1801, t o ^\ I ay , 1 8 6. 2 . On the 18th of April. 1861, §1,500 was appropriated to pur- chase arms and ammunition for the defense of the city, and on the 3d of May the Council passed a resolution authorizing; the Mayor to make provision for quartering and feeding the troops arriving in the city, from the South. On the 15th of June the suin of $1,000, was appropriated for the relief of the families of ill Portsmouth soldier.- who were in the field, and an appropriation of $500 was made to purchase sabre bayonets for the Portsmouth IMtle ( 'omnauy. On the 17th of July $500 was appropriated to the Portsmouth Artillery Company to procure side arms and sl.ooo to the relief of the families of Portsmouth soldiers, and on the 14th of August §1,000 additional was appropriated for this purpose. That night a committee composed of Messrs. Arthur Emmerson. John S. Sttibbs and David Griffith was appointed to consider the question of relief of the families of the military, and made their report on the 26th. The committee stated that they had ascertained that four hundred families were in need of assist- ance, and recommended that the sum of $6. per month be appro- priated to each. The report of the committee was concurred in and the sum of $10,000 was appropriated to carry the recommen- dation into effect. The reports of the Relief Committee show that there was expended of tins sum for August and September S'iJ'.OO, ami similar amounts thereafter. For April, ist^, the amount expended was $1,450, distributed among two hundred and ninety families. On the 4th of .May it became rumored that the Confederates intended evacuating the city ami that it was the purpose of the authorities to burn the Navy Yard, and, at a meeting of the C-ouncil held that night a committee was appointed to wait upon Captain S. S. Lee, who laid been Commandant of the Navy Yard since March 24th. to protest against setting the buildings on tire, a.- it would endanger the city, besides, if left standing, they would i»e servicahie to the Confederate (Tovernment after the close of the war. The Mavor was authorized to employ the watchmen in the Navy Yard after the evacuation to protect the property from 777/7 FIRST YEAR OF THE WMi IN PORTSMOUTH. 31 incendiaries. The protest of the Council, however, did not avail anything, and the bniMings were all burned. On .the 17th of March General MeClellan beg^n transferring Ids army from Manassas to Fortress Monroe for the purpose of trying to reach ".Richmond by the Peninsula route, instead of the overland route, upon which the Federal armies had been operat- ing- for the preceding year, and General Joseph E. Johnston, com- mander of the Confederate forces which had been operating in front of him at Manassas, followed him. and the opposing armies con- fronted each other near Yorktown. General John-ton was per- haps t}ie most skillful general in conducting a retreat the world ever saw, and having decided some time in April that he would fall back near Richmond, communicated his plans to the Confed- erate authorities in that city, who -approved of them. MeClellan was getting ready to open a number of heavy batteries upon Gen- eral Johnston's lines, ami the Confederate commander felt appre- hensive of the result of the bombardment, though subsequent events later in the war demonstrated the fact that earthworks could stand an unlimited amount of pounding without being ma- terially injured. There does not seem to have been much ground for his apprehensi-.n, for the works at Yorktown prevented an expedition up York river to turn his left thank, and Swinton, in his "Army of- the Potomac/' says ■•* the iron-plated Merrimac reigned mistressof Hampton Roads and prevented a turning expedi- tion up James river/' But General Johnston had determined to fall back, and did not desire to do it by piecemeal, therefore his plan included the evacuation of Norfolk and Portsmouth. Per- haps he wanted the 15,000 troops there to reinforce his army before Richmond, but, be that as it may, it was decided to evac- uate Norfolk and Port-mouth, and. to abandon trie Navy Yard, with its valuable machinery and its facilities for building ships and casting cannon. It was the principal workshop in the South, ami its loss was irreparable. The latter part of April or the first of May, 1£6% Secretary Mallory, of the Confederate States Navy, arrived in Portsmouth and informed Captain S. S. Lee, commanding the Navy lard, that it was the intention of the Government to evacuate the city; He directed Captain Lee to remove such naval supplies as could be moved to Charlotte. North Carolina, and other points. Ac- cordingly the work of evacuating commenced. Several train loads were sent off by rail, and a convoy of vessels started up James river for Richmond. Among them was the new iron-clad Richmond, then ready to receive her armor. These were loaded with such stores as were available, and taking advantage of the darkness of night, the vessels steamed. or were towed past New- port News. Hie terror of the Mi rrimac's name kept that por- tion of Hampton Roads free from Federal vessels, then-fore the 32 NORFOLK COUNTY, JMl^-5. expedition was not interfered with in its passage; Two new gun- boats, the Nansemond and Ifaxtipton, built at the Navy lard, also steamed up to Richmond. Early in the morning of/the loth of May Captain James Byers commanding the tug J. E, White, of Norfolk, deserted with* his tug to Old Point, and Genera] Huger became very apprehensive that he would report the condition of affairs in Norfolk to the Federal authorities at Fortress Monroe, and that they would send an expedition to capture the two cities before the Confederates could get away, lie therefore determined to leave at once, and hurried away with his splendid division of twelve or fifteen thous- and troops, when no one pursued and thousands of dollars worth of valuable stores were burned in the haste with which the place was abandoned. The buildings in the Navy Yard were burned, as was also what was left of the Germantown and Plymouth. The Escambia and Elizabeth, which might have been towed to Richmond, had the attempt been made in time, were set on tire and destroyed, as was also the Yadkin, which was on the stocks. The dry • clock, also, was somewhat injured. As the day ad- vanced General Wool, commanding the forces at Fortress Mon- roe, noticcl that the Confederate flag had been hauled down from the batteries at Seawell's Point, landed 6,000 men near the base of Willoughby's Spit and advanced towards Norfolk. lie was met in the afternoon about half-past four o'clock near the en- trenched camp by Mayor W. W. Lamb, of Norfolk, who in- formed him that the Confederate forces had left the city, and, as the representative of the civil authorities, lie was ready to sur- render it. The next day a force of Federals 'crossed, over the river to Portsmouth and occupied that city. Later an expedi- tionary force was pushed out towards Suffolk. The scenes at the evacuation of Portsmouth by the Confeder- ates were peculiarly distressing. The soldiers bid adieu to their wives, mothers and little children with the full knowledge that, as the Southern Confederate authorities found themselves unable to hold the city w-lj:]e they had possession of it. they would never be able to recover possession until the close of the war, and in every man's mind was the natural dread and uncertainty as to what would become of t heir wives and helpless little one.-, in the hands of the enemy, with no means of sustenance and no one to take care of them. Under these circumstances it required the highest amount of moral courage and the sublimest degree of pa- triotism for a man to turn his back upon his family and to march forth and encounter the dangers and uncertainties of the future which lay before him. On the 10th of Mav, 1802, the tast'Corifedferate soldier marched out of Portsmouth, the Portsmouth Rftie Company bringing up the rear, and, lookingback through thethirtyyears which have passed THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR IN PORTSMOUTH. 33 since then, the anxious countenances of the women and children who were left behind, as they thought of what the morrow- would bring them, can be seen as vividly to-day as then. It was an im- pression which can never be erased from memory "while the mind holds sway in the seat of thought;" and of the twenty-two hundred men of Portsmouth and Norfolk county who marched away from their homes on that day nearly one-fourth fell upon the field of battle or died from disease contracted in the service, and three years after they bid adieu to their homes and families the remnant came back, broken in health, disabled from wounds, or their bodies enfeebled from seeds of diseases contracted in the loathsome prison camps of the enemy. The batteries which had been erected around the harbor with so much care and labor, and the scores of heavy guns which had Been placed in positions where, it was fondly hoped, they would keep the foe at bay forever, were abandoned without a struggle and in such haste that no effort was made to remove the guns. Nearly all of the workmen who were employed in the Navy Yard followed the army to Richmond and took their families with them. These men were employed in the navy yard which was improvised in that city or sent to Charlotte to work ^u ord- nance stores. Those who were retained in Richmond were or- ganized into a battalion for local defence, and elected Martin Curliri, of Portsmouth, major. The battalion was frequently called into service defending the city against raiding1 parries of the enemy, and thus enabled the regular armv to remain in front pi the enemy s mam army. The names which follow in the histories of each company em- brace those who marched away from the cities and county with their commands on the 10£h of May, 1S<]2, as far as they could be obtained. There may possibly have been a few others, but there Were not many. Those lists have been very carefully. prepared, and while possibly not absolutely correct, are very nearly so. Those who are marked as having been detailed in 1301 are be- lieved to have followed the army to Richmond upon the evacua- tion. Some of them worked in the N'ary Yard there or at other points in the SSftth, but most of them rejoined the companies to which they were originally attached. The lists of those who were killed or died in the service is be- lieved to be correct, though, as the places at which they died were made up partially from memory by the survivors, it is possible that there may be a few errors in "that particular feature. It is very certain, too, that quite a number of men were wounded but whose wounds were forgotten by those now living, and while the record i> reliable as far as it goes, it is possible that some were Wonuded who are not so recorded. The work of gathering to- gether these facts was postponed so Long after the close of the 34 NORFOLK COUNTY, IS0 1-5. scenes herein recorded, and so many of those who took part in them have died since they laid down their arms, that the wonder is, not that rand* has been omitted but that so much has been col- lected and preserved. The author has given it careful study, and no accessible source of information has been neglected, lie hopes, therefore. Ids readers will approve what lie has succeeded in rescuing from oblivion and not criticise him for nut having done better, "While the Federal forces occupied the city of Portsmouth the citizens, whose sympathies were with the Southern Cause, expe- rienced all of the rigors and oppressions of a concpiered people. Not only were their personal liberties taken from them, but their religious privileges were abridged. The Northern Methodist Church sent "missionaries" to the city, and. by order of the Federal Commander of the post the old Dinwiddie Street Methodist Church was taken from its congregation and turned over to one of these imported preachers, for the purpose of conducting ser- vices therein. The order was issued one Saturday, and that night fires were made in the furnaces for the purpose of hearing the building for the next day's services, but, on account of a defective Hue, the building caught on lire and was burned to the ground. Then another order from the Military Commander gave St. John's Episcopal. Church to the disappointed preacher, and that church was used by the Northern Methodists until after the close of the war, when its owners again obtained possession of it. Rev. John 11. D. Vfingileld, pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church was arrested and put to work on the streets with a ball and chain fastened to his Ivy; and the church was taken possession of and converted into a hospital for negro troops. Portsmouth had the honor of being represented in the very closing scene- of "the drama of the Lost Cause." A number of mechanics from the Gosport Navy Yard were taken to Charlotte, North Carolina, upon the evacuation of Portsmouth by the Con- federates and were employed there by t}{e Government in the manufacture of ordnance stores. These men were organized into a military battalion and were frequently called away from their work benclie.r-;o repel raiding parties of the enemy. After the fall of Richmond President Davis started southward, and upon the arrival at Charlotte of the train bearing the specie which was in the Confederate Treasury volunteers were called for to escort it to the army of General Kir by Smith in the Trans-Mississippi Department, and sixty of these men volunteered for that service. The Corp.- of midshipmen from the Confederate Naval Academy, under Captain W. II. Parker of the Navy, was with the train. At Chester, South Carolina, the party was joined by Mrs. Davis, wife of President Davis. She had with her her infant daughter, now Miss Winnie, and at that point the specie was transferred to 1692052 THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR IN PORTSMOUTH. 35 wagons. On the march from Chester to Newberry Mrs. Davis Uvame. tired of riding in the \vagpn and got out to walk, Carrying the baby in her arms, but Messrs. Charles T. Myers, C. W. Walker and Henry A. Tabb volunteered to relieve her of the burden, and rook turns at carrying the little traveler. The company again n»ok the ears at Newberry and proceeded as far as Abbeville, where the specie was again loaded in wagons and the escort pushed on t<> Augusta, Georgia, when news came that the Federal forces had taken possession of Macon and thus interposed between them and the Mississippi. The specie belonging to the Richmond banks was deposited in a bank in Augusta and the expedition then turned hack and moved on to Abbeville, South Carolina, where they met President Davis and a part of his Cabinet, and the specie belong- ing to the Confederate Treasury was turned over to him. A bag of pennies was very generously given to the company. The men counted them and found there would he just 38^ cents apiece and put them hack in the bag and returned them with thanks. The corps of cadets Mere disbanded at Abbeville on the 2d of May. General Johnston's army had surrendered then, ami the company of volunteers was ordered back to Charlotte. President Davis left them at Abbeville and pushed on until he was captured. The Captain of this company had a roll of its members, hut. not appreciating the importance it might become as a matter of his- tory, permitted it t<» become lost. This was, perhaps, the last organized body of Confederate troops east of the Mississippi river. It was composed of about forty-five Portsmouth men, live Wash- ingtonians and ten Xorth Carolinians from Charlotte. The follow- ing are all of the Portsmouth men whom memory can recall: John Archer, ' George Daougherty, John O wins, •h.hn Anderson, J. W. Davis/ William Peed, Times Brown, Alphons Dunham, C. C. Peed. Bartlett Brown, Thomas II. Deans. James Peed, iienry C. Brown, Itichard ( mines, Benj. Presson, Thomas linker, - Edward Lewis, James Potter, Wa>h. Bright, Walter Mnhoiiey, Hugh Smith. Samuel Butt, Charles T. Myers. Joshua Sykes, lieu ben CuTpepper, Cornelius Myers, Win. 11. Turner, William Culpepper, Joseph .Merchant. Henry A. Tabb, K"l>ert Culpepper, George Maxwell, . C. W. Walker, •f"hfi E. Deans, Robert Myers, Wm. Whitehurst, < Taries Davis, Merritt Moore, William J. Wood, rhomas Dwyer, Jerry Nichols, Total. 41. Lieutenant Thomas Gleason of Co, D, 9th \hi. Regiment, and Privates William T. Edwards, Co. G, 9th \Tt., and Edward Grant f»fCo. C, Bah Va. ile^iment, all <>i Portsmouth, were also with ?he party. Thev had been captured previously and paroled, but I i 36 NORFOLK COUNTY, 2861-5. had not been exchanged, and had not, therefore, rejoined their companies. The five men from Washington were: William Clements, William Thompson, William Tucker, George Thompson, John Tucker. After the war Major F. W. Jett, formerly of Hampton, re- moved to Portsmouth. He was a Civil Engineer in the Confed- erate army and superintended the construction of the earthworks at the Kaval Hospital and at Pinner's Point in April, 1861. lie also built a military road from the Western Branch to Nansemond river and a bridge across the Western Branch. Upon the evacu- ation of Portsmouth by the Confederates he became Chief of Engineers of Anderson's Division, afterwards Mahone's, and ren- dered very efficient service. He was specially complimented in General Anderson's official report of the part taken by his Division in the battle of Fredericksburg. It occurred to Major Jett that the Portsmouth and Xorfolk county soldiers, who had wmi fame's immortal wreath in such battles as Gettysburg and the Crater. should leave a moirument erected to commemorate their courage and fortitude, and by his efforts a Monument Association was or- ganized in 1ST5, with the following officers: President — Adjutant James F. Crocker. Vice Presidents — Major William JI. Etheredge and Colonel William White. Treasurer — Major George W. Grace. Secretary — Corporal O. V. Smith. Directors — Sergeant B. A Armistead, Captain John T, Griffin, Major W. C. Wingtield, E. G. Ghio, Esq., Captain James PL Toomer, Colonel D. J. Godwin, Captain John If. Grayle, Captain C. W. Murdaugh, L. R. Watts, Esq., Sergeant Major Charles T. Phillips, Lieutenant Colonel William H. Stewart, Private Alonzo Pes, Captain Thomas M. Hodges and Captain Jetson Jett. A design by Charles E. Cassell, Esq., architect, of Portsmouth. was selected for the monument, and the corner stone was laid December 14th. 1876, with Masonic ceremonies. The stone for the monument was presented to the Association by the Seaboard and Roanoke and Raleigh and (Gaston railroad companies, and came fronts granite quarry in North. Carolina belonging to the Raleigh and Gaston company. The Monument Association paid the c<>.>r of quarrying it, and the two railroad companies hauled it to the city free of charge. Major Jett was untiring in his efforts to raise money to carry on the work, and but for his energy and determination it would undoubtedly have fallen through, but. after several delays and interruptions, Major Jett announced on the 12th of June, 1881, that the next day he would be prepared to swing the copes one in position and complete the monument proper. On the morning of the 13th the ladies of the Confed- erate Memorial Association of Portsmouth "manned** the arms THE FIRST YEAR OF TUB WAR IN PORTSMOUTH. 3' of she capstan and raised the copestone in position. The site, on i 'll call. The following officers were elected: Captain- -Cary F. Grimes. First Lieutenant — John II. Thompson. Second Lieutenant — William T. Fentress. Third Lieutenant — Thomas J. Oakham. The next month Francis Buss was elected Fourth Lieutenant, ius the size of the company and the number of guns in the battery entitled it to four Lieutenants. In the early portion of 1862 the United States forces captured Uoanoke Island and held undisputed possession of the waters of Albemarle Sound, and in April a brigade of troops under General Hem advanced from Elizabeth City towards South Mills, threat- - imhig the Dismal Swamp canal. Genera! linger ordered the 3d Georgia Regiment, one of the finest regiments in the Confederate army, and numbering fully a thousand men, under Colonel A. R. Wright, to check their advance, and on the 23d of April Grimes' [lattery was ordered from llotrler's creek to reinforce the Geor- gians. The 1st Louisiana and the Portsmouth Lille Company. Co, G, 9th Virginia, were also sent with them, but the reinforce- ments arrived tooTate to take part in the action. Colonel Wright fought the enemy at Sawyers lane, about three miles from South Mills, and drove. them back to Camden Court House. < >n the 2d of May. however, Grimes' Battery had a brush with tire enemy on its own hook. One section, under Lieutenant Thompson, opened tire upon two United States gunboats in Pas- quotank river, and, after a spirited engagement, forced them to drop down t\m stream, considerably damaged. The next day a countryman brought news into camp that otic of them sank shortly after the engagement from the effects of the shot. The other section «>f the battery, under Captain Grimes' immediate com- "■ tnd, was on the opposite side of the river from Lieutenant ' hornpson, but not being aide to tiud an eligible position in whicH* bis pieces could be brought to bear upon the gunboats, it took no i ■•'!•? in the action. 1 Mi the 5th of May the battery returned under orders to Ports- mouth and was given two additional guns, making six in all with which it was equipped. It moved off with the Division of ' k*rieral linger on the 10th, when Portsmouth was evacuated, and wived in Petersburg on the 14th. On the 24th the battery was ordered to Drewry's Bluff, and on the 28th was marched to Kich- UH?nd and became a part of the Army of Northern Virginia, which wm, then barring MeCIellaus way to Richmond. Grimes' Lattery never shirked a duty or shrunk from obeying an order because the execution thereof was attended with danger, ;:d it soon became known throughout the army as a lighting bat- r-"ry. Captain Grimes' courage was proverbial, bordering even 40 NORFOLK COC STY, 1801-5. upon rashness, and on several occasions the battery received the commendation of General Anderson, to whose Division it. was attached. On the 25th of June, at the beginning of the seven days' battles around Richmond, during which General McClellan's army was driven from Mechanicsville to Harrison's Landing on James river, the battery had two guns engaged, shelling the enemy at rather long range, from 400 to 800 yards, and silenced two Federal guns. and at Malvern Hill on the 1st of duly it behaved with distin- guished gallantry, maintaining a tight at close range and unsup- ported against about eighty or one hundred Federal guns, which were sheltered by breastworks. Captain Grimes held his position for about two hours, until ordered to retire. He lost here three men killed, Walter A. Creekmore, John W. Matthews and Wil- liam Swain, besides eight wounded, of whom. E. T. W". Simmers and John Weymouth died. .James H. Gaskihs lost a leg here. Fifteen horses belonging to the battery were killed while getting into position. On the 27th of July the battery was ordered to City Point for the purpose of firing upon the Federal transports in James river, and returned in time to join the army in its march to attack General Pope. It engaged in an artillery fight at Warrenton Springs on the 26th of August and had three men wounded there, one of whom died, and on the 30th reached the battle ground at Second Manassas. In this battle it added largely to the reputa- tion it had already made in its previous encounters with the enemy, and charged in line with Mahone's Brigade in the final rush upon and defeat of the left wing of Pope's army. It was with the army on its march to Maryland, took part in the battle at Crampton Gap September 14th, and, at Sharpsburg September 17th, 1862, lost its gallant commander, who was shot from his horse while directing' the lire of his guns. Captain Grimes was in command of a battalion, composed of three com- panies. Grimes' Battery of Portsmouth, 1 guns, Finger's Battery of Norfolk, 1 guns, and Moorman's Battery of Lynchburg. 4 guns. The battalion was under command of Major Saunders, but that officer was absent at the time and Captain Grimes, as senior officer. v> as ir: charge. Lieutenant ' Thompson had immediate command of Grimes' Battery. The battle had wavered backward and for- ward on the left and center, where Jackson, after driving back Hooker's corps of the Federal army, had in turn been pushed back by the attack of Mansfield's corps. This in turn had been defeated by the assistance of fresh troops which arrived on the Held from Harper's Ferry, and Simmers corps of 20,000 men, coming to the assistance of their beaten comrades, was once more turning the tide of battle against the Confederates. At this crit- ical moment Grimes' battalion arrived upon the battle field with PORTSMOUTH lAHIl'L ' ARTILLERY—GRIMES1 BATTERY. 41 Anderson's Division and took post upon the Confederate left center, where the Federal attack had been most suecess£«l. The enemy were driven hack, but the toll paid for the victory was heavy. Captain Grimes was struck from his horse bv a wound in the thigh from a rifle ball, and as his men were bearing him oft the held a second ball struck him in the groin and ended a mili- tary career which had given promise of a brilliant maturity* The men of the battery buried him with heavy hearts, and marked his grave, so that after the war his remains were disin- terred and brought hack to the home and family, from which lie parted just four months before lie received his death wound. This brave soldier ami kind friend was long lamented by the men in his command. His remains are interred in Oakwood Ceme- tery, near Portsmouth. Upon the death of Captain Grimes Lieutenant John II. Thomp- son was promoted to captain, but was nut destined to long wear his well-earned honors. Prior to the battle of Sharpsburg General Lee had decided upon a reorganization of the artillery arm of the service. .Horses were becoming scarce, and there was too great a proportion of artillery in the army as compared with the infantry. Captain Grimes, a-- commander of the battalion, had received order.- to recommend one of his companies to be disbanded and to divide tlie men among the other two, but as the order was not to be executed immediately, and lie had facilities for keeping all three in the field, he decided to wait until after the close of the campaign to make the changes. Had he done so at once the Huger Battery would have been disbanded, as Captain linger was the junior captain, but Captain Grimes' death made Captain Thompson the junior, hence, when, upon the return of the army to \ irginia, and when near Winchester, General Lee's order was carried into effect, Grimes' Batten was disbanded and its men, about eighty in number, were divided between the two other companies in the battalion. This was part of General Order < October 4th, 1862, and embraced twenty other batteries. Captain 1 hompsun says he had perhaps as many men present for duty as the other two companies combined, ami protested earnestly to General Lee against his company being disbanded, but General Lee explained to him the necessity for the movement in so kindly a manner that all of the sting was taken out of it. The detachment which went with Moorman's battery subso quently became horse artillery and were attached to the cavalry arm of tie service. Fitzhugh Lee's Division. They kept up, as far hs i possible, a separate organization in that battery under Sergeant ^ illiam 11. Hughes, and maintained their reputation until tiie ">'^e of the wan On the 11th of June, ISo'L Sergeant Hughes was promoted to a lieutenancy in the Lee Battery of Light Artillery »»d Thomas J. D. White became sergeant The detachment •12 NORFOLK COUNTY, 186 1-5. which was assigned to the linger Battery also proved the metal that was in them, hut, having passed outof existence as a separate organization, the brave deeds of the men in the battery brought credit to other places than their own beloved city, Portsmouth. Upon the disbanding of the battery the officers were assigned to other fields of duty, and General Lee, in recognition of their great disappointment in being deprived of their battery, very kindly assigned them to positions which were agreeable to them. The section- which was assigned to Moorman's Battery distin- guished itself in an engagement Deeenibei' -iris, 1862, on the Rap- pahannock river, near Port Royal, with four Federal gunboats, the Anacostia, the Coeur de Leon. Currituck and Jacob Bell. Sergeant Hughes had charge of a three-inch rifle gun, and George W. II. McBonell was gunner. The gunboats were driven down the river by Moorman s Battery with heavy loss. The battery had one man killed. Private Compton of Lynchburg. MALVERX HILL. Below will be found Captain Grimes' report of the work of the batter v during the seven days1 battles, ending at Malvern Hill July Hth, 1S02 : Camp neab Falling Cjjekk, Va,, July 21st, 1862. Sir. — Below please find a report of the movements of my bat- tery from June 20th last, when I was ordered to report to Briga- dier General Mahone, on the advanced lines, for the purpose of relieving Captain Moorman's battery. After reporting to General Mahoue we were expecting an en- gagement with the enemy every day. but had none until the 25th, on which day we discovered the enemy on the opposite side of French's farm, between the -Charles City and Williamsburg roads, at which place I engaged, them with one section of my battery at 850 yards distance, driving the enemy from his position. I after- wards moved one piece up to French's house, within -1-50 yards of his position, and opened on him, which was quickly replied to by him with a 12-ponnder Parrott rifle gun; but I had the pleasure \ of driving him from ids position, leaving his horses and guns be- hind ; which fact I was not aware of until informed the next morn- ing by Colonel Smith of the VJtn Virginia and others. The enemy was then attacked by a portion of three regiments of General Mahoiie's Brigade, ilie 12th, 6tli and 49th Virginia. The 4-th Georgia and 28th X*>rth Carolina Regiments were also on the held. The enemy was driven from the tield, making a complete stampede. I had toe good luck on that day to lose neither man nor horse. [Nothing of importance recurred with my battery after the 25th PORTSMOUTH LIGHT ARTILLERY—GRIMES' BATTERY. 43 until July 1st On that day I was an the Charles City road with General Mahone's Brigade and was ordered back to Darbeytown road to report to Brigadier General Armistead, which I immedi- ately did. When I arrived at that position and reported, General Arniistead told me that a captain had just reported his battery to hint for duty and directed me to report to the first general 1 saw, and, General Wright being the first, I reported to him, and while talking to General Wright General Armistead's aide came up, stating that General Armistead had become disgusted with the captain who had reported his battery to him and had driven him with his battery from the field and that he wished to see General Wright. General Wright asked me to ride with him, which I did. When we found General Armistead he told General Wright that the captain alluded to above had formed so many excuses about getting his battery on the field that lie had driven him from die field, and that he wanted General Wright to send a battery that was willing to go in and engage the enemy. General Wright told him he had one, naming mine. General Armistead asked me it" I could carry my battery on the hill. I told him if an}' battery in the world could go. mine could, lie directed General Wright t<> >h<>w me the position to take, which lie did. I found the enemy with their batteries planted and their infantry drawn up in line of battle at about L,200 yards distant. 1 then went to the rear for my battery and carried it on the field. As soon as trie I. 'artery entered the field the enemy opened fire on if, killing one man and wounding three, and killing one horse and wounding two before I fired a gun. I unlimbered and commenced firing as soon as possible, and with telling effect on the enemy. I remained on the field about two hours. Lost three men killed outright and eight wounded, of whom two have since died. I tost ten public horses killed and n the next' day, the 2d, Colonel DeLagnel, chief of artillery, ordered me back to the old camp, near ^Richmond, to refit my ; -fiery. As soon as I completed it 1 was ordered by yourself to r;mip near Falling creek, on the Richmond and Petersburg turn- [*ike, where I now am, with my battery complete and in good '■'•ndition, ready and willing to meet the invaders of our soil at any time and anywhere. I have, General, the honor to be, Verv respeetfullv vour obedient servant, " " ■ C. F. GIMMES, Captain Field Battery, Virginia Volunteers. Major General B. linger. 44 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861*5. General Armistead said: "No men could have behaved better than Captains Pegram and Grimes; they worked their guns after their men were cut down, and only retired when entirely disabled. What I wanted never arrived; that is, more guns and heavier ones." The roster of the company, at the close of this chapter, is from the date of its being mustered into service. It was made up from memory, for the author, by some of the survivors, and it is pos- sible some names may have escaped them during the lapse of twenty-seven years, since the close of the war. For many of the dates hi this chapter the author is indebted to Mr. Thomas II. \rirnelson, who kept a diary of the movements of the company until the second battle of Manassas. Captain Gary F. Grimes. killed September 17th, 1862, at Sharpsburg. Captain John H. Thompson, promoted captain. Lieutenant Bernard Fauth, joined signalcorps and killed 1864. Lieutenant Richard Webb, transferred to cavalry, Thirteenth Virginia. Lieutenant William T. Fentress. Lieutenant. Thomas J. Oakham* Lieutenant Francis Russ. PRIVATES. Allen, M. W., severely wounded Julv 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill, and on the Petersburg lines 1864. Ash, John W. (sergeant), surrendered at Appomattox. Boyee, David, wounded at Chancellors ville May 3d, 1863, and at Warren- ton August 28th, 1»62. Bohanuon. Churchill. Buchanan, W. H., wounded at Brandy Station. Beaton, Edward E.. wounded April 1st, L865, on Hatcher's Ran and died in hands of enemy. Brownlev, A. M. Bell, W. IE, died at Culpepper Court House 1S62. Bland, Thomas. Brent, George W., wounded August 30th, 1862, Second Manassas, and transferred to Navy, Backus, William T., Jr., died at hospital May, 1862. Batten, William A. Bright, William Jordan. Boutwell. Richard M., killed April 1st, 186:5, on HaK-her's Run. Crismond, John W. Crismond, George E. Cuinmings. South all. Cuthernl!, William 11. Cjierry, W. EL, wounded September 17th, 1862. Sharpsburg. Cherry, James. Creekmore, Walter A., killed July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill. Culver. George !>., died at Jefferson from wounds rereived August 28th, 1862, at Warren ton Springs. Dillion, James A. Dilsburg. John H. Ewell, John, wounded August 30th, 1862, Second Manassas. Fitz Simmons, Thomas. Forbes, V. Griffin, J. B. Gaskins, J:imps H., lost leg at Malvern Hid July 1st, 1802. Goodson, Henry P., died from wounds September 16th, 1861, in hospital. PORTSMOUTH LIGHT ARTILLERY— GRIMES' BATTERY. 45 Hughes, William FT. (sergeant), promoted to lieutenant in Le6's Battery. Hopkins, Joshua H. L. Hopkins, Hillerv, died in Shenandoah Valley 18G2. Hansford, W. R., died on Rappahannock 1808. Ironmonger, C. E. Ironmonger, A. C. Ives, Francis M. Jones, William H., died in Charlottesville 1862. Jones, George T., died in hospital June 1862. Johnson, Ed. 11. King, George W. Lewis, Robert. Lewis. William A., wounded July 1st. 1802, Malvern Hill. Lynch, Wilson B., wounded September 17th, 1862, Sharpsburg. . Lash, George V\r. Linn, Charles B. Li.verman, II. Morris, James E., died 1805. Mooiv, W. A., wounded slightly at Spotsylvania C. If. Ma\ 12th, 1801. . Mahoney, William B. • - Moreland, Edward. Montgomery, Richard. MeHorney, Stephen. Matthews, Aionzo. Miller, P. H. Morgan. A. Miles, Henry, died in field hospital September 10th, 1861. Matthews, Edward. Matthews. John W., killed July 1st. 1802, Malvern Hill. Murphy, John. MeDonell, Alex. II. March, Edward G., discharged 1802, over age and disability. Myers, William T. M inter, A. M. Murray. Dennis. Miller, Thomas E. Miller, John. MeDonell, George W-. II., wounded Malvern Hill 1802, Brandy Station 1863, Wilderness 18€4, Petersburg ISM, Nicholson, P. J. New by, S. W. Overman, Quinten, killed September 17th, 1802, Sharpsburg. Parker, A. K. Parker, Ephriam. Peed, Robert. Phillips, William, discharged 1802, overage. Parker, Thomas. Russ, Samuel P., captured April 2d, 1865, on Hatcher's Run, and died at Point Lookout 180.",. Reynolds, Joseph S., wounded on Petersburg lines 1801. Rogers, E. I). Reunion, Michael E., died in Richmond 1801. Rieger, Joseph. Ream, Fred. Swain, William, killed July 1st, 1802, Malvern Hill. Stoakes. Joseph M., kilted September I 7th, 1862, Sharpsburg. Stoakes, H. (J. ghephard, Edward J. Stores, Richard. Kprngg, Aaron, ^c.unders, Robert, wounded at Brandy Station, 4G NORFOLK COUNTY, ISCJ-t. Sheppard, William E. Suow, John W. Stores, James. Summers, E. T. W., died in hospital from wounds received July 1st, 1862, at Malvern Hill. Straiib, E, G., captured wounded in Pennsylvania in July, 1863, and died at Point Lookout. Tyler, John B. Virnelsou. Thomas H. Williams. Charles C, died from wounds received August 30th. 1862, at Second Manassas. Williams, Charles L. Warren, Gary }'., discharged 1862, under age. Whitehead, William. Wing, Thos. P., promoted first sergeant, wounded near Petersburg 186.4. Wilson, Willis. ' Webb, James, Jr. Weymouth, John, died in hospital from wounds received July 1st, 1802, • 'at Malvern Hill. Widgeon. Jacob. Whitehead. Severn, Waller, .lames T. Whitehead, Virginias. White, Thomas J. 1)., wounded at Wiliiamsport July 1863, Wrench, John. Warren, John J. Wilson, .John. Webb, Thomas C. died at Churchland 1864. Killed and died,— 26. CHAPTER III. DISMAL SWAMP RANGEBSj COMPANY A, THIRD VIRGINIA REGIMENT. This company was organized in 1856 at Deep Creek, in Nor- folk comity, on the edge of the Dismal Swamp. Deep Creek was a small village and the neighborhood thinly populated, the peo- ple, therefore, deserve commendation for their zeal and spirit in organizing and maintaining such a large and efficient company. At the breaking out of the war in 1SG1 the officers of the com- pany were : Captain — James C. Cheat First Lieutenant — John R. White. Second Lieutenant — John F. Stewart. First Sergeant — Thomas M. Hodges. . And the company was attached to the 3d Virginia Volunteer Regiment. In anticipation of trouble in Portsmouth with the Federal au- thorities in possession of the Gosport Navy Yard, and appre- hending that orders would be issued by the Governor calling the regiment to amis, Captain Cheat mustered his company on the lvfth of April and marched with them to town. This was the day before the Navy Yard was burned. The next day the Governor's orders came and found the Dismal Swamp Rangers already under arms. The company was with the Portsmouth companies that night, and the next morning was sent to the Naval Hospital and assisted in building the batteries there. Ju the shifting of the original companies composing the 3d Regiment the Lungers were retained on it and became Company A. Shortly after being mustered into service Sergeant Thomas M. Wedges was elected 3d Lieutenant. Captain Cheat resigned in the fall of 1861. ' Lieutenant White became captain. The other Lieutenants were promoted one grade, and Sergeant Littleton II. White was elected 3d Lieutenant, and these officers continued on duty until the reorganization of the company in April, when sec- oral changes were made. Captain Whitewag appointed Commis- sary of the regiment, and was, later in the war, sent to the Black- water river as commissary in charge of the purchase of provisions. Lieutenant Stewart was appointed Adjutant of the regiment and the following were elected officers: Captain — Thoinas M. Hodges. First lieutenant- -Fred Martin. Second Lieutenai t — Win. James Williams. Third Lieuteiam;— Littleton II. White, The company left the Hospital buttery on the 7th of June. 47 48 NORFOLK COUNTY, t8M-5. 1SG1, with the regiment and went to Burwell's Bay, where it re- mained until the' middle of March., 1802, when it was ferried over the James river to reinforce General Magruder on the lines at Ybrktown. It took part in a skirmish at Dam No. 2, and assisted in -repulsing MeOlellaus attempt to cross; was in the battle of Williamsburg and fell back with the army towards Richmond. It took part in the battle of Seven Pines May 3 1st and June 1st, and all of the battles of the seven days' fighting except Malvern Hill, where it was held in reserve The company suffered very severely at Frazier's farm July 30th. It carried sixty-eight men into the battle and live of them, including Lieutenants Martin and Williams, were hilled and seventeen others were wounded, of whom live subsequently died from their wounds. Shortly after the seven days' battles Lieutenant L. JL White was retired on account of physical disability and John 11. Ed- wards was elected 1st Lieutenant, S. AY. Gary *2 so that I can tire one more shot and kill one more Yankee before 1 die. to get even with them for my own death. " His 1 comrades complied with Ins request. The following members of the company were in the charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg. The company was detailed as skirmishers for the 3d Regiment : Captain Thomas M. Hodges, wounded. Second Lieutenant S. W. Gary, captured. Third Lieutenant Osceola White, wounded. First Sergeant Nathan Hodges, captured. Sergeant P. II. Miller, wounded and captured. « John Nash. ' u John II. Cherry. PRIVATES. - Barnes, Edward, Hodges, James, captured; Benton, Joseph J., Hodges, Patrick li., captured; I Britton, James J.. Hodges, Josiali, Cherry, James E., Halstead, William, Duke, Gideon, Herbert, William, captured; ^Fentress, Batson, Ihnhurv, Samuel W., Friedlin, John. Jollitt. John W., Forward, John W.. Kilgore, Malloiy, Gallop, John. .Jr., Liverman, Hardv, captured; (rndfrey. JJark, Xash, William U. Below will be found a roll of the company: Captain, J&mes C. Choat, resigned ISOl. First Lieutenant Jolm H, White, promoted Captain, appointed A. C. S. \mt Second Lieutenant John F. Stewart, appointed Adjutant 3d Regiment, wounded Any. 30th, 1862, '2d Manassas, and July 3d, 1803, Gettys- burg-, captured at Five Fori s. I Third Lieutenant Thomas M. Hodges, promoted Captain, wounded July 3. 18G3,- Gettysburg, and Frazier's Farm June 30,1862, surrendered I _ at Ajijm.mattox. First Sergeant Littleton H. White, promoted Lieutenant,, discharged for disability 18G2. Swoud Sergeant S. W. Gary, promoted Lieu tenant, captured at Gettysburg and hoc exchanged. Third Sergeant Fred Martin, promoted Isi Lieutenant, killed June 30th, 1802,, Frazier's Farm. First Corporal John H, Cherry, wounded Gaines' Mill June 27th, 1802. and Dec. 13th. 1862, Fredericksburg. Ktioiid Corporal. Nathan Hodges, captured at Gettysburg and died at Point Lookout. rhinl Corporal John C, Xash, wounded June 27th, 13G2, Gaines' Mill. Fourth ('orpotal Thomas B. Bartee, wounded slightly June 30th, 1862, Fra- zier's Farm, and ca| hired at Five Forks April 1, lso5. &f»sitfaji Half )li Cherry ( olored). George Blamire " 1 1 50 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1862^5. PR I VAT KS. Brown, Bartlett, detailed to work in Charlotte, 1862. Barnes, Edward. Bateman, Rayuor, discharged 1862, disability. Benton, Joseph J., wounded September 17th, 1862, Sharpsburg. Brit ton, James J., captured at Five Forks. Bright, Thomas J., died in hospital 186 'J, Staunton. Cherry, James C, killed June 30th, 1862, Frazier's Farm. Cheiry, James E., wounded September 17th, 1862, Sharpsburg. Casey, Raynor, die«l in hospital March, 1862, Camp Pemberton. Culpepper, Maurice, severely wounded June 30th, 1862, Frazier's Farm, and appointed Provost Marshal at Waverly, Culpepper. Mil^s. Culpepper, Marshall, wounded June 30th, 1862, Frazier's Farm, disabled and discharged. Coflield, J. A., transferred to Maryland cavalry. Crcekmore, Malachi, wounded April 1st. 1865, Five Forks. Duke, Gideon, died in hospital August, 1.863, at Gordons vide. Eason, George W,, wounded slightly April 1st, 1865, Five Forks, cap- tured and died from disease contracted at Point Lookout. Edwards, LeRoy B. Edwards, John K., -.promoted to Lieutenant, wounded September 17, 1862, Sharpsburg. Etheredge, Evan D., died in hospital 1862. FUheredge. James M., died in hospital 1S62, 'Fentress, Batson. "■Fentress, Joshua, died in hospital December, 1862. Priedlin, -John. Fisher, William C, killed January, 1865, Dutch Gap. Forward, John \V\, captured Five Forks. Gallop, Samuel, discharged 1862, overage. Gallop-, John, Si'., " " '* Gallop, John, Jr., wounded slightly at Cold Harbor, 1864. Godfrey, Stephen, died in hospital 1862. Godfrey, Mark, surrendered at Appomattox". Gordon, BenjatniiuF..-, died in hospital December, 1862. Hodges, James, captured at Gettysburg au d and wounded at Piuwiddie Courthouse '-tar. h 3 1st, L805, and captured at Fanuviile oh retreat. Morse, Luke, discharged 1802, disability. DISMAL SWAMP RANGERS, CO. A, THIRD VA. REGT. 51 M.iluire, Dudley P., transferred to Kentucky regiment and promoted to Assistant Surgeon. Mi Counell, G. B., transferred to Kentucky regiment. N'aJili, James B. Sjw -ft. William H., detailed in hospital. iV.ik.-i, John D., detailed in hospital, Richmond. \U%h\, Thomas P., wounded 1865 on picket, Dutch Gap. Simmons, W. A., discharged 1861, disability, and died. Sawyer, ICader. killed June -30th, 1S<>2, FrazieFs Farm. I'tSitker, James A., died in hospital in Richmond July, 1802. Tiif^er, Willis, discharged 1861, disability, T t\ lor, John. White, Edward P., transferred to 14th Virginia Regiment. Whitehead, John [>., died in hospital January. 1863. Williams-. Win. J., promoted 2d Lieutenant, killed June 30th, 1862, at Frazier's Farm. White* Osceola T., promoted 3d Lieutenant, wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg, killed March 31st, 1,860, at Dinwiddle Courthouse. \V...t'.n,\v. W'.. captured at Five Forks. Killed and died, — 20. ' v '. CHAPTER IV. THE VIRGINIA RIFLEMEN", COMPANY B, THIRD VIRGINIA REGIMENT. This company was originally the Marion Pities, which was or- ganized in Portsmouth about the year 1856, and was one of the original companies in the Third Virginia Regiment. At the breaking out of tlie war it responded to the call of Governor Letcher and turned out with about eighty men on the 20th of April, 1861. The officers were: Captain — J ohannis Watson. First Lieutenant— William C. Taylor. Second Lieutenant — George W.' Ilutchings. Third Lieutenant — Alex. 0. Mathieson. The company was mustered into service with the rest of the Portsmouth companies, and, on the :21st of April, was sent to the Naval il ospital point, doing there its full share of duty and re- sponding willingly to every call made upon it. On the 17th of April the Virginia Convention passed the Ordinance of Secession, hut directed that it he submitted to a, vote of the people on the 23d of May for ratification or rejection. On that day the Marion Rifles were >till on dvdy at the Hospital batteries, and the tirst fifteen men, as their names came on the roll, were allowed to go to the Court House to vote. Those men were opposed to the State seceding from the Union, ami fourteen of the fifteen voted against the ratification of the Ordinance of Secession. Before their return to camp the news had. arrived there as to how they had voted, and Colonel -Peger A. Pryor, who was then commander of the 3d Regiinent and of the post, became furiously angry, refused to allow any inore men from the company to go to town to vote, and, upon the return of those who had voted, had them put in confinement in the lower rooms in the hospital building. An election was being held, but Colonel Pryor did not seem will- ing that any one in the command should vote who entertained different views from his own. He telegraphed that night to Gov- ernor Letcher that he had put the men in confinement for voting against the Ordinance of Secession and asked what lie should do with them. Governor Letcher telegraphed hack to release them immediately; that the election was intended to he a free one, and every citizen had a right to vote as he chose. Colonel Pryor re- leased the men and the [text day disbanded the company upon the charge of "disloyal conduct, " and turned its guns over to a Petersburg company which had \iwii armed with boarding pikes. Many conservative men disapproved of this proceeding, and re- garded it as an attempt on the part of Colonel Pryor, at the very 52 V1RG1MA RIFLEMEN, CO, B, THIJiD YA. REGT. 53 oufset.of the Southern Confederacy, to suppress the right of suf- frage, and perhaps that officer himself subsequently regretted his ill considered action. It lost to the Confederacy and Virginia the piorvTcesof more than fifty men, who would doubtless have proved themselves good soldiers. They had followed the lead of Gov- ernor heteher, though opposed to leaving the Union, and in so doing had acknowledged that their allegiance was due first, to the State. They voiced their sentiments by their votes, hut would have yielded their support to the sovereign authority of the State, as thousands of others did, who felt that she was doing wrong in ^ceding. On the 6th of June about thirty of the old members of the company, with a few additional recruits, reorganized the company under the name of the Virginia Riflemen, and elected the follow- ing officers: Captain, Alonzo B. Jordan. First Lieutenant, William C. Taylor: Second Lieutenant. George W» Flutchings; Third Lieutenant, Vernon G. Grant. First Sergeant, Alex. C. Mafhieson; Second Sergeant, Robert Guv; Third Sergeant. Thomas Gleason : Fourth Sergeant. Daniel T. Brownley. First Corporal, Robert A. Hutchings; Second Corporal, "Wil- liam Oiitfen: Third. Corporal, Robert Walton ; Fourth Corporal. William II. Lumber. The next day. June 7th, 1861, the company left the Hospital point with the regiment i<>r FurwelTs Bay," in Isle of Wight county. The following September Lieutenant Taylor resigned on account of a difficulty with Colonel Pryor, and on the 13th of September Captain Jordan resigned to take a position in the corps of engineers. Lieutenant Grant's appointment as quartermaster of the regiment created another vacancy, and Captain John W. It Wrenn was elected Captain. Second lieutenant Hutchings was promoted to First Lieutenant, and Sergeants Mathieson and Guy were elected Second and Third Lieutenants. Captain Wrenn re- signed early in 1S62. Lieutenant Hutchings was promoted to < 'aptain. Lieutenants Mathieson and Guy were advanced one grade each, Sergeant Thomas Gleason was elected Third Lieutenant and Sergeant Daniel T. Brownley became First Sergeant. The above were the officers of the company at the beginning of the campaign around Richmond in 1862. Captain Hutchings was wounded at Frazier's Farm June 30th, i^f>2, hut subsequently rejoined the company. Lie was with it at Gettysburg July 3d/lS63, while under the shelling from the Federal batteries on Cemetery and Round Top. lulls. The 3d Begtment was in Kemper s Brigade, Pickett's Division, and was kept lying down in line of battle from 10 A. M. in 3 P. M. under a seorching July sun, with scarcely a breath of air to temper the K i NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. heat, ami Captain Hatchings and Sergeant Brownley were gun struck. A number of the men, too, were overcome by the heat and were unable to advance when the charge was ordered. Lieu tenant Guy was killed by a shell while the company was in the line before the advance was ordered. The shell cut oil his arm and he died shortly afterwards from the wound. The same shell killed Private Joshua Murden and wounded Private Walter Leg- ^ett. Lieutenant Gleason was wounded at Gains' Mill June 27th, 1 SH2, but recovered and rejoined the company in time to go on the Gettysbrirg campaign. He commanded the company in the charge ami was captured at the stone wall. lie was not exchanged. Lieutenant Mathie'son was with the company whenever it was possible for him to do so, \ah his health was delicate and he finally died in a hospital in Petersburg early in 1865. The company was a small one originally, numbering only fifty- seven, rank and tile, as appeared from the muster roll for Sep- tember, 1861, and it whs still further reduced by details, eve. Some of the men were excellent mechanics, whose services were needed to work upon the vessels being built for the navy, and eleven of them were detailed for that purpose, three were dis- charged, three were promoted to positions out of the company, four were transferred to the navy and three (officers) resigned. This brought the effective strength down to thirty-three, and of ttiese nine were killed or died., besides one of those transferred to the navy, eight are recorded with having received wounds, and live were captured at Gettysburg and not exchanged. Only thirteen of those who remained with the company escaped. At the battle of Gettysburg July 3d, 1863, the company had three commissioned officers and twelve non-commissioned officers and privates present for duty. It will be remembered that Pickett's Division arrived on the battle held about 10 A. M. and was drawn up in line of battle until 3 P. M. before it was ordered to charge, and all that time the men in the 3d Virginia Regiment were exposed to the sun and to the enemy's artillery lire." The two together disabled nine of the fifteen men in Company B. Lieutenant Guy was killed, as was also Private Joshua Murden, Private Walter Leggett was wounded, six of the others were overcome by heat, so that only six were iri condition to advance when the order was given. Those six were Lieutenant Gleason, Sergeant Robert A. Hatchings, Corporal William II. Lumber and. Privates William A. Fiske, William E. Herbert and William Morau, all of whom, except Private Fiske, were captured. Providentially none were struck in the advance. Company B was next to the colors, and when Hearing the stone wall rise color sergeant was killed and the colors fell with him, but Sergeant Robert A. Hatchings picked them up and carried them to the stone" wall from behind which" the enemy VIRGINIA RIFLEMW. CO, B, TUIK1> VA. REGT. 5£ were driven. A full account of this charge will be found in the l>i>torv of the Otli Virginia Rcuinient. chapter XI], further on in rhis work. The Virginia liitleinen, Gompairy B, participated in all the battles and skirmishes in which the 3d Regiment was en- pi«*ed up to the winter of 1SS-A-5, and in proportion to the num- ber of men actively on its roll suffered as heavily as any company which left the city. Its death rate was about one out of every three, The company had a second difficulty with Colonel Prvor at the reorganization near York town. The men re-enlisted for the war, and when doing so re-enlisted with the understanding that the company would be assigned to a regiment which Colonel I). J. Godwin was raising. Colonel Pryor put Captain Hutchings and several of the men under arrest upon the charge of mutiny, hut the matter blew over and the company remained in the 3d Regi- ment. - • - -■ - The company became very much disorganized and reduced on the lines in front of Bermuda Hundreds in the winter of 1864-5, and being left without a commissioned officer Lieutenant John Edwards of Company A, the Dismal Swamp Rangers, was as- signed to the command. There were only live men present for duty at the battle of Five Forks. These were James Archer, W. A. Piste, William ALorrissett, Peter Morrksett and William Wil- kins, all of whom, except Archer, fell into the hands of the enemy. Private Fiske was wounded. Archer surrendered at Appomattox. Below will be found the names of the members of the company as per the muster roll for September, 1S61 : Captain Alonzo B. Jordan, resigned September 13th, 1861, appointed in Engineer Carps. Captain John W. B. Wrenn, elected Sept. 13th, 1861, resigned 1802. First Lieutenant William C. Taylor, resigned 1861, September. Second Lieutenant G^ora-e W. Hutchings, elected Captain, wounded June 30th, 1862. Frazier's Farm. Third Lieutenant Vernon C. Grant, appointed Quartermaster of regiment. _ First Sergeant' Alex. C. Mathieson, elected Lieutenant, died in hospital 1865, Peters burg. Second Sergeant Robert Guy, elected Lieutenant, killed July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg. I bird Sergeant Thomas Gleason, elected Lieutenant, wounded July 27th. 1862, Gains' Mill, captured July 5th, 1863, Gettysburg and not ex- changed. Fourth Sergeant Daniel T. Brownley, promoted to First Sergeant. First Corporal Robert A. Hutchings, promoted Second Sergeant, captured July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg, with colors of the 3d Regiment. v-^'ond Corporal William Outten, promoted Third Sergeant. third Corporal Robert Walton, detailed 1862 to work in Navy Yard. fourth Corporal Wm, IL Lumber, captured at Gettysburg July 3d, 1863. Musician James Archer, captured April 1st, 1865, Five Forks. Musician Abraham Choat, discharged 1861, being a slave, PRIVATES. Anderson, Charles. Uorum, Edward C, detailed 1862 to work in Navy Yard. 56 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Borum, John, detailed 1863 to work in Navy Yard. Bush. Joseph M., detailed 1862 to work in Navy Yard. Bowen, Hine, wounded June 30th, 1802, brazier's Farm. Broughton, Joseph. Butler, John. Butters, Francis 11., detailed ISO! to work in Navy Yard. Bright, John 1% captured in Mary. laud September, 1862, and not heard from. Butler, Thomas, discharged 186.2, under age. Davis, John W.. detailed 1863 to work in Navy Yard. Dunn, Edward'-, appointed Regimental Drum Major June 2 2d, 1861. Ktheredge, Cornelius, transferred to Navy. Fiske, William A., wounded April 1st. 1865, Five Forks, and captured. Fitcbett. George, detailed 186:} to work in Navy Yard. Grimes, Bart left, wounded September 17th, 1862, Sharpsburg, and enlisted in Navy. Herbert, Win. E., captured;- July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg, and not exchanged. Host. George.-. Hawkins, Win., transferred to Navv and killed at Little Washington, N. C. Hall, Henry C, died in hospital. Heath, William, killed August 30th, 1.862, Second Manassas. Jarvfs, Benjamin, detailed 1862 to work in Navy Yard. King, Charles A., detailed 1861 to work in Navv Yard. Jordan, James, killed .fane 30th, 1862, Frazier's Farm. Leggett, Walter, wounded July 3d, 1863. Gettysburg; Loudoun, James T., killed June 29th, 1862, Cold Harbor. Moran, William, captured July 3d, 1863. Gettysburg, not exchanged. Morrisett, William, captured at Five Forks April 1st, I860. Morrisett, Peter, captured at. Five Forks April 1st, i860. Mufden, Joshua, killed July .'id, 1863, Gettysburg. Norsworthy, Fra ncis. . Parker, William, wounded June 30th, 1862, Frazier's Farm, transferred to Signal Corps. Parsons, William EL, transferred to Navy. Powell. Benjamin F., wounded slightly twice. Read, Charles, wounded June 30th, 1862, Frazier's Farm, and died in hospital from wound. Simmons, Thomas, died in hospital 1862. Smith, George A., transferred to Navy. Thomas, William', detailed 1861 to work in Navy Yard. Wilkins, William, promoted to Commissary Sergeant, captured at Five Forks April 1st, 1865. Wilkins. Andrew, discharged June 20th, 1861, disability. White, Charles. Killed and died,— 10. CHAPTER V. TIIK NATIONAL GRAYS, COMPANY H, THIRD VIRGINIA REGIMENT. This company was organized in Portsmouth in May, 1S56, and at once a friendly rivalry sprang up between it and the Old Dominion Guard as to which company should attain the largest mriiiher of members and the greatest proficiency" in drilling. Cap- tain P. II. Daugherty was the first captain of the oompan-y., and .was succeeded by Captain John E. Deans who continued in com- mand until the reorganization in 1S62, when lie was not re- . elected. It was handsomely uniformed in gray, and its soldierly appearance on parade was marked At the time of the John Brown war, in lSot>, the Grays volunteered their services and were sent to Harper's Ferry, taking with them on the trip five commissioned officers, ten non-commissioned officers, forty-three privates, two non-commissioned stall, commissary and ordnance sergeants, and two musicians, a total of sixty-two men. They were on duty at Charlestown from November 27th until Decem- ber 20thj and returned home after John Brown was hung. When Governor Letcher issued hi- orders on die 20th of April. (.861, for the troops in this city to take up arms the National Grays were as ready to serve their State as they were in 1359, arid the company turned out with full ranks under the following officers: Captain — John E. Deans. First Lieutenant — James Dongan . Second Lieutenant — William F. Whitehurst. Third Lieutenant — George W. Mitchell. Fourth Lieutenant — William F. White. There was no authority in military law for the position of 4th Lieutenant, but as the company numbered about a hundred members before the war ami wanted an officer to command the fourth section. Lieutenant White was given that honorary title, but with the be- ginning of actual war the fictitious had to give way to the real, and the honorary position of 4th Lieutenant passed out of exist- ence. Lieutenant White joined Company E, 61st Virginia, and was subsequently promoted to Captain of one of the companies in the 6th Virginia Regiment. The company was ordered to the Co-port Navy Yard on the 21st of Ajpril, 1801, and remained there doing guard duty until August, when orders were received to rejoin "the regiment, the 3d Virginia, at Burwell's Bay, in Lie of Wight county. The 3d Eegiment left the Naval Hospital batteries on the 7th of June, but the Grays, Company H, were continued in the Navy Yard. While thus engaged on guard duty 5 57 58 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. I . ■ _ news arrived of tlic battle of Manassas on the 17th of July, and fancying that the war would end before they would have an op- portunity to do any fighting, tlic Grays asked to he ordered to their regiment. Their first application was denied, but their second attempt was more successful, and General Huger ordered tive.ro to report to Colonel Pryor. They left the JNTavy Yard and inarched to the ferry wharf under an escort of the 3d Georgia Regiment, crossed to Xorfolk and took the Norfolk and Peters- burg cars for Zuni, from which, station they marched to Camp Cooke, near Harwell's Pay. and from there they moved to Camp iVmberton. near Smithiield. Death made its first appearance in the ranks of the company while at Camp Pemberton. Julian. Peed, one of the youngest members of the company, died there in the hospital in 1861, and Corporal Robert A. Sherwood died in I8f>2. Nothing of special note j occurred there until the middle of March, when, upon the lauding of Genera! MeClellan's army at Fortress Monroe, March 17th, 1802, the 3d Regiment was carried across James river in canal barges to reinforce General Magruder, who was holding the Confederate lines from Irorktown to War- wick river. While getting on t)iQ barges Captain Deans fell overboard from the wharf, lie was dressed in full uniform and was weighed down by his sword and pistol, and hail a narrow escape from drowning. The regiment remained on the north side of the river only one day, when it was taken back to Camp Cooke, but was ferried over again to General Magruder's assist- ance on the day following. This proves that the Confederate counsels at that, time were attended with much doubt and uncer- tainty. However, upon the second trip the regiment was re- tained on the north side and was attached to General Colston's Brigade of Long-street's Division. The company was on duty at Dam No. 2 when General Mo- del'an made his first attempt to advance upon General Magru- der's lines, and assisted in repulsing his attempt to cross the stream, and upon the strength of this repulse General McClellan halted his troops and proceeded to dislodge General Magruder by regular approaches and a series of earthworks. The regiment was ordered into the battle of Williamsburg April 5th. 1862, late in the afternoon and held its position until the battle ended and General Johnston-had made all of his arrangements to fall back towards Richmond, when it was ordered to retire. While the Grays were in the lines at Yorktown an incident happened which, in the lapse of time that has intervened since then, becomes laughable and proves how unreasonable men can become when they are clothed with authority over other men. While the regiment was at Camp Pemberton Major Bradford, who was* mustering officer for finger's Division, visited the camp for the purpose of ascertaining how many of the men were will- NATIONAL GRAYS, CO. II, THIRD VA. REGT. 59 [rig tore-enlist, as, they were Hearing the expiration of the year for which they had been originally mustered into service, and in- formed them that they could re-enlist in any command they might desire. Colonel Pryor was very unpopular with the (frays and they were very anxious to be removed from under his command, consequently, though all of the them . re- enlisted, most of them expressed a desire to re-enlist in some of the Portsmouth companies which were in other regiments. They tlw>ught Colonel Pryor was too overbearing. On the 19th of April. 1862, the company was on picket duty and was relieved on the 2t>th, marched to their quarters and .-tacked arms. This was just one year after the original muster of (he company into service, and, as has been observed before, most of the men had re-enlisted into other organizations. Colonel Pryor had the company mustered and said to them: " I understand some of you men want to go home." < me of them answered: " 2> o, sir, we do not want to go home. out we want to go to the companies in which we re-enlisted. *' Colonel Piyor became very angry at this reply, told the com- pany a battle was about to be fought and accused the men of wanting to get away to avoid that battle, and asked how many were willing to remain until after the battle. This taunting speech aroused the anger of the mem and Lieu- tenant Lingo, speaking for the others, said: "Colonel Pryor, we are not leaving on account of the enemy or the approaching battle, but we do not desire to serve any longer under your command, but if we are put under the imme- diate command of -'Major Scott (the Major of the 3cl Regiment) every man will cheerfully remain here until the battle is over.'' Colonel Pryor then said: "All who desire to be placed under t\ie orders of Major Scott will step three paces to the front/' The whole company, with the exception of four men, inarched promptly the three steps, whereupon Colonel Pryor ordered Major Scott to march them to Yorktown and put them in jail upon the charge of mutiny. They remained in jail three hours, when they were marched to the headquarters of General D. II. Hill, placed in a pen with a rope stretched around it, and put under the guard of a company of Xortb Carolina troops. Shortly afterwards the men were sent to work upon the breastworks as a punishment. Lieu- tenant Dongan ventured to protest against this treatment of his !ii<*n, but was placed under arrest for it. The officers of the regi- ment took the matter in. hand and brought about a settlement. A law was read to the men which the Confederate Congress had pwwed, and of which they had been ignorant, requiring men who re-eniisted to re-enlisf in their original commands, so the Grays remained in the 3d Regiment and Colonel Pryor apologized to the company tor the harsh language and treatment he had used to- 1 wards the men. 60 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. At the reorganization of the company on the Yorktown Penin- sula, the following officers were, elected: Captain— -John I). Whitehead. First Lieutenant — George W . Mitchell. Second Lieutenant— William S. Cooke. Third Lieutenant — J elm W. Lingo. After the battle of Fredericksburg Lieutenant Cooke was dis- charged under a surgeon's certificate of disability and Lieutenant Mitchell was killed at Gettysburg under the shelling immediately before the ejiarge of Pickett's- Division July 3d, 1803. Orderly Sergeant John C. Fulford was elected Lieutenant, and Lieutenant Lingo also having been discharged upon a surgeon's certificate of disability, Lieutenant Fulford became First Lieutenant. Captain Whitehead \vs< among those who reached the stone wall at Get- tysburg alive, but was captured there. He was exchanged in March. 1865. The company had six Orderly Sergeants during the war, viz.: William P. Sturteva-nt, who was discharged for over age the first year of the war: William S. Cooke, promoted to Lieutenant 1862; Richard Mahone, killed at FrazieFs Farm June 30th, 1862; Ben- jamin Mitel) ell, died in Itospital 1863.; John C. Fulford, promoted to Lieutenant, and Frank T. Tyran, who held the position when the war ended. Captain Whitehead lived through the war and escaped without a wound, notwithstanding the many battles in which he led his company. After the war he moved to Richmond, and when the 1st Virginia Regiment of that city was re-organized he was elected its Lieutenant Colonel, lie was a gallant soldier and a good man, and was well worthy to lead the Grays. M. i>. Montserrate of the Grays was acting Sergeant Major of the regiment, ami just before the battle of Five Forks was ap- pointed color bearer, lie carried the colors in that fight and was wounded twice, once in the shoulder and once in the forearm, but continued carrying the colors until lie was surrounded and cap- tured. John Yost carried the colors of the 3d Regiment at the battle of second Manassas, and was the first man in the regiment to reach a Federal battery which it was charging.. The following men were present with the company at Gettys- burg and participated in the charge of Pickett's .Division: Captain John D. Whitehead, captured. Lieutenant George W. Mitchell, killed under the shelling. PRIVATES. Ashton, Edgar, Keeling, William, wounded and Arrington, .lames E., captured, Barrett, Solomon FL, . Lash, James, Barrett, George, captured, Loomis, James W.. Leeks, William LL, Mahone, Harrison, wounded and Barroin, Osceqia, wounded, captured, NATIONAL GRAYS, CO. If, THIRD VA. EMIT, 61 Goodson, Calvin, wounded arid McH-orney3 William IT., captured, G'Donireil, Patrick, (tav Henry B., Smith, James, wounded, [lanrahaii, George, Stoakes, Edward, wounded, (Toward, James T. P>., captured, Tee, John C, captured, ilirkmun, Joseph, Weddon, John R., Jenkins. Miles, West, William, Kirov, Johnson, Yost, Jolm, Kislow will be found a copy of the names of the members of the company as per the muster roll- fur July and August, 1861: Captain John E. Deans, dropped at reorganization. 18.02. John L>. Whitehead', elected Captain at reorganization, i-'irst Lieutenant James W.. Dongan, dropped at reorganization, 1802. George W. Mitchell, killed July 3d, 1863, at Gettsburg. iJ Jolm C. Fulford, surrendered at Appomattox. Second " William F. Whitehurst, dropped at reorganization, 1862.' " . " William 8. Cooke, discharged for disability, 1863. Third " John \V. Lingo, discharged for disability, 186-4. Fourth " William F. White, promoted Captain Co. B, 6th Virginia. First Sergeant William P. Sturtevant, discharged fo-r over age, 1862. "•' Richard Mahone, killed .June 30th, 1862, at Frazier's Farm. " <; F. T. Tynan, promoted hirst Sergeant. " i( Benjamin Mitchell, died in hospital, 1862. Sergeant William H. Bloxom, promoted to Ordnance Sergeant of Regiment. Corporal William K. Hanrahan, transferred to Signal Corps, 1862. Robert A. Sherwood, died at Camp Peinberton, 1862. -M am -inn Henry Foils. " Johnson Tabb. " William Brown. PRIVATES. Ashton, Edgar, wounded at Gettysburg 'July 3d, 1863. A*hkm, J, V. B.. detached April. 1861, in employment of railroad company. Arlington, James E. Atkinson, George W.. discharged 1861, under age. Barrett, George, captured July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. ftunvtt, Solomon 11. . wounded August 30th, 1862, Second Manassas. Hv^ks, William H. > IWwi,-k. William, discharged 1861. Baman, Osceola, wounded July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg. Fi.oid. Thomas, detached 1861 to work in Navy Yard. Calpepp«r, p lv'j,j( Ur01im]ed September 17th, T862, at Sharpsburg. Culpepper, Joshua, died lirom wounds received at Calms' Mill June 27th, 1*62. ■"' --M-«'pper, Joseph, wounded June 27th, 1862, Gaines' Mill, r"-m;i, Thomas. Cntherel, Arthur,- transferred to Company B. F'-.-ins. Robert K., promoted Sergeant, . wounded and disabled June 27th, L862, Gaines' Mill. Mtffuis, Joseph, discharged 1861, disability. fH*augj Thomas H., discharged August 23, 1361, disability. *Mlv, William. M her^dge, John E. , --' " " I ■d--tr. George, detached 1862. 1 'anklin, Thomas, killed rune, f862, at Frazier's Farm, I '"'iiin. Adolph, killed J am. 1862, at Frazier's Farm. ' '-mm, »g, Thomas, discharged for disability F86T. '• emiaing, Caleb, discharged for disability 1861. U in.iHs. James [■:'., killed June 30th, 1862*, at Frazier's Farm. Gwodsou, Calvin, wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. 6^ NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5 Gay, Henry B., wounded and disabled June, 1864, at Turkey Ridge. Gleason, George W., severely wounded 1802 and detached. Graham. Thomas. Harley, Thomas D., discharged August 19th, 1801, disability. Hanrahan, George. Hunley, .John, discharged 1862, over age. Howard. James T. B.. captured at Gettysburg. Hawkins, William, transferred to Compauy B. Hickman, Joseph, captured at Five Forks April 1st, 1865. Hoops, John, detached 1862 to work oa ordnance. Host. George, transferred to Company B. Hoffler, Elii.uk Herbert, William E., transferred to Company B, 3d Virginia Joyner, Cordy J., detached 1861 to work in Navy Yard. Jenkins, Miles. Kirby, Johnson, wounded July 3d, 1808. at Gettysburg, and wounded and disabled April, 1865, at hive Forks Keeling. William, wounded and disabled July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Lee, Charles 1\, detached 1801, engineer on Seaboard railroad. Lash, Joseph. Linseott, David, detached 1.861 to work in Nnvv Yard. Lash, James. Loomis, James W. Loudon. J. T., transferred to Co. B, killed June 30, 1802, at Frazier'sFarm. Merkie, George. Mohserrate, M D., promoted Color Bearer of Regiment, wounded April 1st, 1805. at Five Forks. Maboney, James II.. discharged for disability. Mahone, Harrison, wounded, disabled and captured July 3d at Gettysburg and die<] in 1865 from disease contracted at Point Lookout. Mahone, YYilmer. died in hospital in Richmond 1862. MuHoruey, William H., severely wounded June 30th, 1S62, Frazier's Farm. MeFlwee, Andrew, transferred to Maryland line 1863. McFarland, William. Melntyre, George, killed September 17th, 1862, at Sharpsburg. Nichols, Thomas J., discharged 1801 for disability. Nichols, Jerry, detached 1861 to work in Navy Yard. Nottingham, Jacob, detached 1801 to work in Navy Yard. O'Doanell, Patrick, wounded December i3th, 1802, at Fredericksburg, and -wounded and disabled March 3 1st, 1805, at Dinwiddie Court House. Peed, Julian, died at Camp Pembertou 18(51. Rowan, William H., severely wounded June, 1862, Seven Days battlee. Roud, Charles, detailed 1801 To'work in Navy Yard. Roberts, Thomas, detailed 1801 to work in Navy Yard. Rowell, William, died in hospital in Richmond 1862. Scott, Robert G., discharged 1801, over age. Smith. James, Third Sergeant, wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Stoakes. Ismail, Second Sergeant, discharged 1861, over age. Savage, Thomas. Stoakes, Edwd., wounded July 3d, 18(53, Gettysburg, died in hospital 1864. Tee, John C, severely wounded June 27th, 1862, Gaines' Mill. Tabb, Thomas, detached 1801 to work in Navy Yard. Tabb, Henry A., detached 1861 to vvorK in Navy Yard. Thomas, Samuel, detached 1861 to work in Navy Yard. Veal. James. Volkmau, C. VV., detailed 1862. White, John S.. discharged 1-802, over age. Wed.i.m. John R. West, Wilham E. Welslager, George, discharged 1861, disability. Yost, John, wounded and disabled March 3lsr, 1865. at, Dinwiddie C. H. Killed and died— 15 CHAPTER VI THIkD VIRGINIA REGIMENT COLSTON'S, PBYOR's, KEEPER'S BRIGADES. LONGSTREE'rS, ANDERSON'^, PICKETT'S DIVISIONS. i'!i)' 3d Virginia Regiment, previous to tlie breaking out of the bite war, was composed of seven companies, five from the city of Portsmouth and two from Norfolk county, but with the com- mencement of hostilities some of the companies were transferred to other regiments, and only three of the original companies were retained in it. These were the Dismal Swamp Rangers of Nor- folk county, which became Company A ; the Marion Rities of Portsmouth, Company B, and the National Grays of Portsmouth, Company H. The remaining companies of the regiment wt-ve from neighboring counties. Company C was from Petersburg, Company I) from Dinwiddle, Companies E and G from South- ampton, Company F from Nansemond, Company I from Isle of Wight and Company K from Halifax. The old field officers of the regiment were removed by Governor Letcher and assigned to other commands, and Colonel Roger A. Pryor was assigned to it as Colonel, with Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Mayo and Major J. Y. Scott. The regiment was stationed at various batteries in the vicinity of Portsmouth, with headquarters at the Naval Hospital, until the 7th of June. IS01, when it moved to Burwell's Bay, and shortly afterwards to Camp Peuiberton, near Smithiield. Company II remained behind doing guard duty in the Navy Yard until August, ivheii it joined the regiment at Camp Pembertom About the middle of March, 1802, the regiment was ferried across James River to rein.'oree General Magrnder at Yorktown. Ceneral McClelian had transported his army from the vicinity of Washington to Fortress Monroe .with a view to reaching Rich- mond by the wav of the Peninsula between the James and York rivers. Shortly after reaching Yorktown the 3d Regiment was assigned to Colston's Brigade, Longstreetfs Division, its first ^atg;.tgeinent \virli the enemy was on die 5th of April, 18(12. The regiment was on duty at Dam No. 2, and the advance of McClel- laifs army attempted to cross Warwick river at that point but w<> driven back. It was in consequence of this repulse that McClelian decided to assail the Confederate lines by regular ap- S^oaches. lie therefore halted his troops and began building ''arfliworks, tnmera] Johnston, who relieved General Magrnder in command '• the C< at federate forces, decided to withdraw from Yorktown ; nil tall back, toward.- Richmond, ami in consequence oft his de- 63 64 NORFOLK COUNTY, 18G1-5. termination the troops moved out of their works on the 4th of May and began their retrograde movement. MeClellan followed after, and pressing so closely upon the retiring Confederates as to endanger their wagon train, General Johnston halted a portion of his army under Longstreet to cheek the pursuit. Longstreet made his dispositions for battle near Williamsburg, and the Federal ad- vance was so roughly handled that it was driven back upon the main army with the loss of twelve hundred prisoners, besides killed and wounded. The affair took place on the 5th, and was a com- plete victory for the Confederates. The 3d Kegiment participated in trie battle. After the army reached the vicinity of Riehmond Colonel Pryor was promoted to Brigadier General and given command of the Brigade, and Lieutenant Colonel Mayo became Colonel. The Brigade was composed of the 3rd Virginia, the 14th Alabama. the 14th Louisiana and '2d Florida Regiments and 1st Louisiana Battalion. It participated in the battle of Seven Pines May 31st, 1862, in which, had General linger acted with more promptness in moving his troops and beginning the attack, Casey vs Division of the Federal army might have been destroyed instead of simply defeated. The regiment, as a part of Longstreet's Division, was engaged in the battles of Mechaniesville, Gaines' Mill, (.'old Harbor and FrazieFs Farm. In this last battle its losses were very heavy. At the battle of Malvern Hill Lougstreet's Division was held in reserve on account of its active participation in the previous lighting. The next encounter with the enemy was at Thoroughfare Gap August 29th, where Longstreet brushed aside a force of Federals who sought to hold the Gap and thereby prevent him from uniting with Jackson's ( 'orps at Manassas. Lee was chasing General Pope towards Washington. Jackson had gotten in his rear at Manassas and was holding his ground, waiting far the arrival of General Lee with Longstreet's Corps to give Pope a decisive blow. The gade was a part of the right wing under Longstreet. and was in the front line. The brigade advanced across an open Held and through a piece of woods, beyond which was another field, and on the farther side of this held was a battery of Federal field artillery and a double line of infantry. In marching through the woods the brigade became very much broken and a halt was called to rectify the alignment. While this was being done the 3d Regi- ment became separated from tin.' rest of the brigade. While the allignment was being perfected General Pryor rode up to Colonel Mayo, commanding the 3d Regiment, and requested him to take command of the brigade, as he was too much exhausted to go any further. THE THIRD VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 05 During the confusion the Sd Regiment became separated from the rest of the brigade, and Major Urquhart, upon whom the eofum-and devolved, seeing General Ponders Brigade coming np on bis left, reported to that officer and asked permission to -charge with" Mm and be accounted for in his report. General Pender aweded to the req-uest and the 3d Regiment, joining on to the rig-hf wf Pender's Brigade, charged with it. As soon as it passed (.at ' ami Ransom's Divisions, Kemper's and Jenkins' Bri- g;ule-s, of Pickett's Division, were sent- to reinforce Ransom's Di- •• i>t*»n, should he need their assistance, and just before the last charge of Hooker'- Corp.- the 3d Regiinent was sent by General liunsoin to relieve the 2.4th North Carolina Regiment of Ransom's brigade, which had been n the trenches for forty-eight hours, d Regiment left the vicinity of Fredericksburg in Feb- 'ii:ii'v. 1>»*K*, with Pickett's .Division, for tlaj neighborhood of ***ttulk. The detachment, euinposed of Pickett's and Hood's 60 NORFOLK COUNTY, 186 1-5. Divisions, under Long;street, and numbering some twelve or thir- teen thousand men, were on a huge foraging expedition, but their presence at. Suffolk great! j alarmed Major General John Peck, commander of the Federal forces in that locality. On the 12th of April at 3 o'clock P. M. he telegraphed General Hooker, near Fredericksburg, to send a corps to reinforce him. that Longstreet had thirty thousand men with him. At 9 P. M. he telegraphed that Longstreet had thirty-live thousand men, and at 11 P. M. telegraphed that he had thirty-eight thousand men and one hun- dred and fifty guns. There was considerable skirmishing going on around Suffolk until the 1th of May, when, having accom- plished the object for which he was sent there, Longstreet broke camp and returned to the Rappahannock and rejoined General Lee. After the defeat of Hooker at the battle of Chancellorsville, which was fought while Hood's and Pickett's Divisions were de- tached at Suffolk, General Lee moved his army into Pennsylvania and Hooker's army was withdrawn from Virginia to protect Washington. As is told in history, the two armies met at Gettys- burg. The 3d Regiment was in Pickett's Division, and reached the battle held about 10 o'clock on the morning of July 3d, and was placed inline of battle in an open field, where it remained under the broiling sun for five hours before it was ordered to charge. The sun proved a valuable ally for the enemy, for scarcely half of the men in the regiment were able to move when the ad- vance was ordered, (This charge is fully described in Chapter XI L, the 9th Virginia Regiment, post.) Returning from "Gettysburg the 3d Regiment participated in the cavalry fights at Williamsport, while the army was waiting there for the Potomac river to subside so as to become fordable, and, upon the return of the army to Virginia, w;ts sent with Pickett's Division to North Carolina. It took part in the storm- ing and capture of Plymouth and the capture of Little Washing- ton, and was ordered back to Virginia to unite with the forces under Beauregard, which were being concentrated to check But- ler's ad vanee from Bermuda Hundreds towards Richmond. When the train carrying the brigade from Weklon to Petersburg readied Belfield, information had been received that a raiding party of Federal cavalry was approaching that locality. The 3d Regiment was left behind to protect the railroad bridge and the rest of the brigade kept on to Petersburg, arriving in time to assist in the defeat of Butler at Drurvs Bluff on the 16th of May, 18&L llie regiment rejoined the brigade later in May and was present in line of battle at Cold Harbor and Turkey Ridge from the latter part of May to the 13th id* June, when Grant again moved *>tl to the left and crossed James river below City Point. It crossed James river on pontoons near Drury's Bluff on the LOth and par- THE THIRD YlRGfXfA REGIMENT, 67 tieipated in the battle of Chester Station between Pickett's Divi- -n>!i and Butler's troops, Butler was driven back over three Hues ut' field works, behind each of which he endeavored to make a -!aruj, and finally retired behind his fortifications at Bermuda If ami reds. On the 26th of March, 1865, Pickett's Division was moved out <*i the lines in front of Bermuda Hundreds and sent to the ex- inane right of the army, defeated Sherman's cavalry at Dinwiddle Cuiirt House on the 31st, and the next day was caught in the trap at Five Forks and almost annihilated. The 3d "Regiment was Cuinmanded that day by Captain Thomas M. Hodges of Company A, and enough of them escaped to keep up their organization. I; was at Savior's Creek on. ...the 6th of April and participated in tlte defeat of Humphrey's Division at Farmviile on the Tin, the ! tsl triumph of the Army of Northern Virginia. And ail that was i. -if of it surrendered on the 9th at Appomattox Court House. The 3d Reghnent took part in the following battles: Dam No. 2, April 7>, 1862. Suffolk, April, 1863. Williamsburg, May 5, 1862. Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. Seven PinestaSiay"315 1862. Williamsport, July, 1863. Mechaniesville, dune 26, 1862. Plymouth, 1864. Gaines' Mill, June 27. 1862. Little Washington. 1864 Sa\ age's Station, June 29, 1862. 2d Cold Harbor, June 1-3, 1864. brazier's. Farm, June 3o, 1862. Turkey Ridge, June 3-1 3, 1864. Thoroughfare Gap, August 29, Chester Station, June 16. 1864. is62. . Dinwiddie C. 1L, Mar. 31, 1865. Second Manassas, Aug. 30, 1862. Five Forks, April 1, 1865. Harper's Ferry, Sept. 14, 1862, Savior's Creek, April 6, 1865. Slmrpsburg, Sept. 17. T862. Farmviile, April 7. 1865. Frt*derieksburg, Dec 13. 1862, AppomattoxXJ. EL, Apr. 9, 1S65. Tht battle of Gaines' Mill, fought on the 27th of June, 1862, hi which the 3d Regiment took quite an active part, was one of trie most hriliiant victories achieved by the Confederates during the war. The day "before McCiellan had been dislodged from his advanced position at Meehaiuesville, and, falling back to Gaines* Mill, withdrew troops from las left wing and heavily reinforced is* position there. Strong works were built to protect his men, und during the larger portion of the battle the Confederates were engaged storming those entrenchment-. There were in reality two battles that day. The first is designated the battle of Ellison's Mill, and General Pryor, in his official report of it, says: " In this affair at Ellison's Mill my command sustained a consid- erable io-s. The battalion of Lieutenant Colonel Coppins and r\ie •d ivcginient Virginia Volunteers were especially distinguished/1 1 lie oia-my tell b&ec about a mile and a half and assumed a ;;i v position on the farm of Dr. Gaines, where, receiving heavy *v, agreements, a new stand was made. Frvor's brigade arrived 68 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. in front of tliis position at 11 o'clock A. M. and advanced to at- tack, but finding the enemy too strongly posted, retired. A second attempt was likewise unsuccessful, and General Pryor waited for reinforcements. Being joined later by the brigades of Wilcox, Featherstone and Pickett, another charge was ordered and the victory was won. The enemy was driven in confusion from their works and his artillery fell into the hands of the vic- torious Confederates. General Pryor's report says: "In this brilliant fight my brigade bore a not unworthy part. Although they had been engaged with the enemy from the earliest dawn, and had already suffered serious losses, they were not behind the foremost in the final victorious charge." At Frazier's Farm, also, the 3d Regiment played an important part. Pryors brigade was ordered into the tight about L o'clock P. M., and was actively engaged until the enemy retreated, leav- ing prisoners and cannon in the hands of the Confederates, and leaving his wounded behind. The losses of the brigade during these engagements were heavy. The 3d Regiment had nineteen killed and seventy-eight wounded; The regiment surrendered at Appomattox Court House April 9th, 1S65, with three commissioned officers and sixty-two enlisted men. The following is a copy of the official roll : COMPANY A. COMPANY I). Captain Thos. M. Hodges, Private Geo. W. Williams, Private John AW Forward, " II. K. Williams, ;< Mark Godfrey. " R.X.Williams. COMPANY B. COMPANY E. Private James II. Archer. Sergeant T. Lifsy, r >rri ..,„ ,, Wk T. Blankenshin, COMPANY e. ,. . r , , , T> • ! T. . , T 7 T. r. Private John G. bnstoe. Private John K Can-, «« Charles E. Wells. Robert Lewis, " IL A. Liverman, - company f. " Wra. Crowder, Captain P. E. Wilson, ™>r«w^ ,, Sergeant James M. Emmerson, COMPANY I>. ,-. .» . TT TI , , r< , T *_. T, , Private llenrv llumplilet. Corporal Leroy \\ . I »eal, " L k- Benj. Cleary, company g. Private Waverly Barham, Sergeant D. C. Eeid, L. Barrett, Corporal Lewis Marks, Thos. L. Clearv, Private John A. Critehlow, t; M. R. Edwartfc " Wm. T. Critehlow, "; James C. Lane, 4i Thomas 11. Gray, 6r Robert A. Hood, '; Andrew J. Harrison, '• George F. Pawles, " Jesse Johnson, '; Ben O. Simons. " E.G. Joiner, " T. R. Wells. " J. R. Xiles3 THE THIRD URGINIA REGIMENT. 69 COMPANY G. COMPANY I. Private Thomas E. Fate, Private W. A. Durham, - George A. Powell, * P. T). Mitchell. George W. Simons, ,„,..,- ,- T *> rt> ' COMPANli k. Joseph Jhirner, e T . . .,. - John Turner, Sergeant John A. Allen. « Josenh A. Worrell. P^yate Alex. Bray, Z. J nmnawav, company h. « E. T. Elliott* Lieutenant John C. Fulford, " "\Vr. J. Fletcher, Private II. V. Foils, " Charles F. Guthrie, W. K. (xatilrnev, ,k John I). Peck, M. -Jenkins, " James A. Seanister, « W. II. Keeling, " P. U. T. Tuck, " W. H. Rowan, « John P. Wilhurn, <> W. W. Wilson; iC Nat J. Williams, " E. E. James. CHAPTER VIL CAPTAIN JOHN H. MYERS* COMPANY, CO. E, SIXTH VA. REGIMENT. This company had a short life and was the victim of too strict discipline. It was organized in Portsmouth immediately after the burning of the Navy Yard by Captain Myers, who was an Orderly Sergeant in the battalion of marines stationed in the Navy lard, but being a Virginian and unwilling to light against his State, he managed to make his escape when Commodore M.c- Cauley moved off with the Pawnee and Cumberland, and re- mained behind, fie was an excellent drill master and had no difficulty in raising a company of which lie was elected Captain. It was regularly mustered into the Confederate service and was assigned to the 6th Virginia Regiment as Company E. The regi- ment was then under command of Colonel William Mahone. The •officers were: Captain — John 1L Myers. First Lieutenant, Vir^inius C. Cooke; Second Lieutenant. V. O. Cassell. First Sergeant, B. J. Accjnelly ; Second Sergeantt, Enos Mur- phy; Third Sergeant, Richard L>. Brown; Fourth Sergeant. Chas. Syer. The company was on duty with the regiment in the entrenched camp between Norfolk and SeawelTs Point, but Captain Myers undertook to carry out with the volunteers the same methods which he had been accustomed to put into operation in the ma- rine corps in the Navy, and every infraction of t\ie rules, how- ever slight, or any inattention to dress or parade or drill was vis- ited by the severest punishment in his power to inflict. If a man was absent from a roll call Captain Myers would report him as a desertej and wanted to offer a reward for his arrest and return to camp, said reward to be deducted from his pay. Matters in the company became so unbearable that nearly every man in it ap- plied for transfers to other commands, and as the best solution of the dilemma the Colonel recommended that the company be dis- banded. Both of the Lieutenants had resigned and the men were trying to get out. The last report of the company is a curiosity iii irs way. It was dated September 1st, 1861, and twenty-two men who were merely absent' from roll call were reported as de- serters, with a recommendation that all of their pay be taken from them. Others were reported for other offences, with the recommendation that one month's pay be deducted from them, and scarcely a man in the whole list had met the entire approval of the Captain. This report was made up after the receipt of 70 CAPT. JOHN II. MYERS' CO., CO. E, SIXTH VA. REGT. 71 the order disbanding the company, and the summary was as fol- lows: Transferred to Company 1) 11 men. " ' C. 1 - Appointed hospital steward 1 " Mustered out, 1 officer and 20 men 20 i4 Resigned, 2 officers. Mustered out, unwilling to remain in service.. 6 " Died. 1 ; discharged fur disability, 7 . 8 " Deserted ■ V 22 " Total — 3 officers and 69 men. Nearly all of the men enlisted in other companies and made good soldiers, it was unfortunate that the Captain could not appreciate the difference between a company newly organized of men who had been used to the widest liberty in all of their move- ments and who needed to be brought under a state of discipline by patient and persistent efforts, and a company of regulars on shipboard. There was abundant material for a good company. but it was badly managed. Below will be found a complete roll I of the company from the date of its organization, in April, 1861, to its disbandment, September 1st, 1861. One private, Elijah Creekmore, died. Captain — John If. Myers. First Lieutenant — Yirginius S. Cooke. Second Lieutenant — Y. O. Casseli. First Sergeant — B. J. Aceinelly. Second. Sergeant— Enos Murphy. Third Sergeant — Richard 1). Brown. Fourth Sergeant-— 01 Varies Syer. First Corporal — William AY hi te. Second Corporal — James Thornton. Third Corporal — William Parsons. Fourth Corporal — John W. Howard. PRIVATES. Allen, Wm. A., Cotton, John, Hall, Henry, Bullock, Joseph, Creekmore, Elijah, Harrison, Chas. IT., Barrett, Joseph, Doyle, Nathaniel, Halstead, Richard, Brit-ton, Wm., Dewberry, James, Hozier, Joseph, Btllance, John, Elliott, Charles, Hndgins, Edward, Badger, M., Eason, Augustus, Hopkins, Hillary, Baefcus, Wm. T.. Jr., Elliott, John W., Halstead, Alex., Barrett, Matthew, Frestine, John, Jordan, James, Cherry, Germain, Graham, James, Jordan, Wm. E., Curtain, Michael, Godwin, A. D. B., Jordan, Joseph, Collins, Wm. B., Gwynn, Isaac, Johnston, Geo. W., i'l NORFOLK COUNT K 1861-5. Knight, John M., Kent, Michael, Lewi,-, Thomas, Lingston, George, Lee. Lewis, Murphy, Patrick, Mathews, Jacob, Milter, Phliip, Newbv, Samuel, Parker, George, Tennis, Win., Parker, Robert W., Walker, George, Parker, E. K., Wagner, Fred, Peel, John, Whitelmrt, Kobt. P., Reynolds, 11. C, White, Charles, Poiirkr. Poniard, Wallace, -lames, Scheill, Mitchell, Walsh, Michael, ^paulding, John E., ~\\ alsh, James, Tennis, T. S.. Will ;er nomas. CHAPTER ¥111. THi; VIRGINIA ARTILLERY, COMPANY D, NINTH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. This company was organized about the 12th of April, LS61, for the purpose of offering its services to South Carolina, and elected the following officers: Captain^ William J. Richardson. First Lieutenant — Charles It. McAlpine. Second lieutenant— -Samuel V. Weaver. Third Lieutenant- -George Linn. First Sergeant — John I). Skellin. Virginia had not then passed the Ordinance of Secession, nor was the company uniformed or commissioned. It was unarmed also, and had not applied to. Virginia for arms when the State seeeded. "When Governor Letcher issued his call for troops on the 20th <>f April. 1S61, t\\e Virginia Artillery gave up the idea of going to South Carolina and responded to Governor Letcher's call. The company was organized a- an artillery company, hut was not furnished with, a battery and became fin infantry com- pany and was attached to the 3d Virginia Regiment a*" the Xaval Hospital Point. When the Xavy Yard fell into the hands of the Virginia troops this company got a brass howitzer from oil" the old frigate United States, took it to the Independent Fire Company's engine house, put it in order and carried it to the Xaval Hospital; but under orders from General linger it was subsequently turned over to Grimes' Battery by Colonel Pryor. It was not given up willingly. The company took with them to the Xaval Hospital Point about one hundred and twenty-five men, but most of them were .-killed mechanics, and as their services were needed to work on vessels hi the Xavy Yard, quite a number of them were detached by or- ders from headquarters. So many were thus detached that when the company was ordered to Craney Island about a month later til uv ware only eighty in the ranks. Until the company was or dered to Craney Island the men were armed with long boarding • •■ikes which were obtained in the Navy Yard. Shortly after their transfer to Craney Islam] the ladies of Portsmouth organized a sewing circle and made uniforms for them and their hoarding pikes were exchanged for flint lock muskets. Some months later, when Lieutenant Colonel De Lagriel was in command of the post [it Craney Island, these guns were sent to Norfolk and changed into pereussion gun . While the company wa^ at the Naval Hospital battery the men, hy a verv <>lmht accidental circumstance, obtained the name ot 6 73 74 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. "Wild Cats." which stuck to them to the close of the war. Being near home -.arid if© enemy nearer than Qlcl Pointy the men were very desirous of spending as much time at borne with their fami- lies as possible, while Colonel PryoFs whole energies seemed to be bent on contriving means to keep them in cam]), lie placed sentinels very close together around the ground.-, but in rear of the Hospital there was a very high brick wall which Colonel Pryor thought could not be scaled without a ladder, and as there were no ladders available he neglected to guard that part of the camp. The men in Company D soon found means of getting over, and one day a party of young ladies who were walking through the grove hi rear of the flospital saw three or four of them climbing over, and one of the young ladies remarked that they could climb equally as well as wild cats. Even to this day, thirty-one years afterwards, the men of Company I) are spoken of as "Richardson's wild cats." On May 20th. 1861, the company was detached from the 3d Regiment and ordered to Craney Island, then under command of Colonel George Richardson, and was placed in charge of a water battery of six 32-pound guns, bearing upon the main channel of the river from SeawelFs Point. - Lieutenant McAlpine resigned on the 4th of May, 1861, to take command of a new company winch was being organized under the name of Bilisoly Blues. This caused a vacancy in the position of First Lieutenant, and Orderly Sergeant Skellin was elected to till it. Second Sergeant Richard Vermillion was promoted to 1st Sergeant. These were the officers of the company until the re- organization on the 2()th of April, 18'62, when the following were elected : Captain -William J. Richardson. First Lieutenant— Samuel W. Weaver. Second Lieutenant — George Linn. Third Lieutenant — Richard Vermillion. First Sergeant— -William .V. Culpepper. Second Sergeant — Thomas II. Myers. Captain Richardson was promoted to Major of the Oth Regi- ment in dune. 186.2, and Lieutenant Weaver became Captain. Lieutenant Linn died in a hospital in Winchester in 1862, and Lieutenant Vermillion became 1st Lieutenant. Sergeant William A. Culpepper was wounded at Gettysburg and disabled tvom fur- ther service, and 'J.d Sergeant Thomas IL Myers was promoted to Orderly Sergeant. A\ hen the Dth Virginia Regiment was organized in June, 1861, this company was attached to it as Company D. The boys were very .ranch amusec ,it the requirements o£ the Adjutant of the post at ( raney Island, Lieutenant Thomas Smith, son of Colonel F. it. Smith.' President of the Virginia Military Institute, who VA. ARTILLERY, CO. Ik NINTH VA. INFANTRY. io insisted upon tlicir coming, upon parades and drill- with their faco- cleanly shaved and shoes vhighly polished. . li Lieutenant Smith followed the army after it got into active warfare he pos- sibly omitted the. .polished shoes from the "army regulations." His connection with the Oth Regiment as Adjutant ceased when Craney Island was evacuated by the Confederates. There were on Craney Island in May, 1802, eight companies, of which one was from Portsmouth, two from Norfolk eitv, two from Peters- burg, one from Chesterfield, one from Salem, one from Baltimore and Norfolk county, and when orders were received to abandon tile island the troops forded the narrow channel between the island and the main land and marched to Suffolk, where they took the cars for Petersburg. ( )n the 2-xtli of May, 1S62, Company I) was detached tempo- rarily from the regiment and ordered to Battery No. 5 in the fortifications around Richmond; rejoined the regiment on the 2d of June, and about the Tib of June was sent to a battery on the York River railroad and placed in charge of two long 2-i-pounder rifle guns. The 4-th Georgia Regiment was with the company as a support. While here an incident occurred which came near wiping out of existence the whole company. The magazine was close in rear of the earthworks, and was heavily stocked with powder, eve, and a shell from one of the enemy's gens fell right into it, but, fortunately, did not explode. There was powder enough in the magazine to have blown every man in the company to atoms. The company opened the battle of Mechanicsville on the 2Gth of June by shelling at long range a piece of woods in which the enemy had obtained a lodgment, and from which the Confederate infantry afterwards drove them. On the 27th the company was moved to Tree Hill battery, in front of Richmond, between the York River railroad and the river, and was there until after the battle of Malvern Hill, when it was ordered hack to the regiment. After that it was constantly with the regiment and participated in all of its battles. Sickness, wounds and trans- fers of its members to other commands reduced its ranks. Many of its men were transferred to Grimes1 Battery in April, 1862. The following men were in the charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg July Sd, 18#3.: Captain Samuel W. Weaver, captured. First Lieutenant Richard Virmillion. First Sergeant William A. Culpepper, wounded and captured. Second Sergeant Thomas II. Myers. PRIVATES. bailey, Thomas; i naud, ( reorge, ^vrd, Daniel killed. Cutherell, Leonard,, Cross, John, killed, Cowper, Walter G., 76 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S61-5. Panien, Joseph, raptured. Skinner, Abraham, captured, Hansford, das., wounded slightly. Urqnhart, William, wounded, McCoy, Riifus K,, wounded, Williams, Samuel, captured, Miltier, Daiiieh wounded, Walton, George W.. captured. Ivceu, Robert E., killed, Yates, Josiah W., wounded. Thus, of the twenty men who went in the charge fourteen were either killed, wounded or captured. Below will be found the roster of the company for June, 1S6L Conscripts from other portions of the State who were added to the company in 1864 and 1865, are omitted because they were not Portsmouth men. Captain William J. Richardson, promoted to Major 9th Yirgiuia. First Lieutenant Charles K. MeAlpin, promoted Captain Co. I. 6tst Virginia. " " John C. Skelliug, dropped at roorgaiiizatioii. Captain Samuel W. Weaver, captured at Gettysburg July 3d., 1863, and not exchanged. Lieutenant Richard Vermillion. " George Linn, died in hospital in -Winchester 1862. Orderly Sergeant Thomas H. Myers, wounded August 26th, 1862, at War- i en ton Springs. PRIVATES. Anderson, John, detached 1861. Bright, Johnathan, discharged July, 1862, over age. Bright, W. J-ordan, transferred to Grimes1 Battery 1862. Brentj John. Bailey, Thomas A. Bland, George. Brown. James, drummer. Boutwell, Richard, transferred to Grimes' Battery 1862. Bateman, Robert, died in hospital 1863. Byrd, Daniel,. killed July 3d. 1863, at Gettysburg. Brownley, A. M , transferred to Grimes' Battery. Culpepper, William A., promoted First Sergeant, wounded, disabled and captured at Gettysburg. Cutherell, Leonard, wounded Drury's Bluff May 16, 1861, died in hospital. Cross, John, killed July 3d, 1863. at Gettysburg. Co.wper, Walter G..; severely wounded at Suffolk 1863. DeGraw, William, furnished substitute 1861. Deakin, George. Darden, Richard. Day, William, transferred to Governor's Guard. Darden, Samuel. Darden, Joseph L.. captured at Gettysburg. Eastman, Lewis, transferred to Navy. Futtett, George. Grant, George W. Goodson, Henry, transferred to Grimes' Battery. Greenwood, James, transferred to the Navv. Gray, William. Hansford, James, wounded May 16th, 1.864, Drury's Bluff. Hansford, Ricliard, transferred to Grimes Battery. Houston, John, detached 1861. Hall, Samuel, killed 18 i2 by falling tree. Hail. Carv J., transferred to Navv 1>G2. Hampton, Augustus. Happer, Richard W. B., discharged 1861, underage. VA. ARTILLERY, CO. D, NINTH VA. INFANTRY.' 77 i • Howell, Fletcher, died in hospital 1863. Hand. Samuel T., Jr., discharged 1801, disability. Harvey, Walter, accidentally drowned 1861. ironmonger, C. E., transferred ro Grimes' Battery 1802. Jarvis, John E. Jollett, W. EL, surrendered at Appomattox. Linn, Charles B.. transferred to Grimes' Battery 1802. Long, h. <\, discharged August 28th, 1802, over age. MeDonell, George W. H.. transferred to Grimes' Battery 1802. McCoy, lv. K., wounded and disabled at Gettysburg and appointed Commis- sary Sergeant, surrendered at Appomattox. Moore, Fred E., died in hospital 1808. M inter, Andrew, transferred to Grimes' Battery 1862. Morris, William T., detached 18(51. Matthews, John W., transferred to Grimes' Battery 1862. I Nicholson, CM., diet) in Chimborazo hospital February 20th. 1802. Newman, John B., discharged July. 1802, over age. Peed, Lerov 8., detailed 1803. Pitt., L. }>.. transferred to Navy 1802. Quill an, John. Reed, Robert E., kilied July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Sale, Henry G.« discharged for disability 1803 and entered the Navy. Sheppard, William E., transferred to Grimes' Battery 1862. Skinner, Abraham, died at Point Lookout 1864. Seaerist, Barclay, died at Point Lookout 1864. \ Stublin, William C. (Sergeant), discharged 1802, overage. Thompson, John W.. killed .May 10th, 1804. at Drury's Bluff. Hrq-uhart, William, wounded July 3d, 180:1, at Gettysburg. Webster, , discharged July, 1802, over age. Williams, Samuel. Walton, George W. Walton, John W., transferred to Navy 1802. Wilkerson. William. Watson, Joseph W. White, Joseph, discharged for disability 1861. White. Richard W. B., Sergeant. Walsh, Joseph., detached 1861. | Wrem h, John, transferred to Grimes' Battery 1802. Wrenn, Edward, killed May 16th, 1864, at Drury's Bluff. Yates, Samuel, died 18(55. I'ates, Josiah D.. wounded severely July 3d, 1803, at Gettysburg, and slightly in three other battles. Killed and died— 16. CHAPTER IX. THE PORTSMOUTH RIFfifi COMPANY, CO. G, NINTH VA. REGIMENT. Tin's company was organized in Portsmouth in 1792, conse- quently it had passed through an existence of sixty-nine years and witnessed two wars, when ©-.overnor Letcher issued his order <>n the 20th of April, IS&l, calling itsrnembers to arms. The company was armed with old style Mississippi rifles, without hav- eners, hut subsequently the City Council of Portsmouth made an appropriation to tit them with sabre bayonets, which were manu- factured in the city at the Union Car Works. For much of the information concerning this company and also concerning the 9th Virginia Regiment, to which it was attached, the author is indebted to Orderly Sergeant John W . Wood, who kept a diary from the evacuation of Portsmouth by the Confed- erates on the 10th of May, 1862, until the close of the war. ( >u the 20 th of April, L8bT, when the company was ordered into service, the following were the officers: Captain — John C. Owens. First Lieutenant — Lemuel T. Cleaves, Second Lieutenant — William F. Tonkin. Shortly afterwards Orderly Sergeant William J. Wood was elected -)d Lieutenant. The [titles, like the other Portsmouth companies, was in the -»d Regiment, it responded promptly to the Governor's order, mustered under arms on the afternoon of the if ' > 1 1 1 of April, and on the morning of' the 2 1st was ordered, one-half to the Navy Yard and tin' other half to the Naval Hos- pital Point. The following week the whole company was or- dered to Pig Point, at the mouth of the Nanseiriond river, to fortify that point. They built, there a strong earthwork and manned it with guns from the Navy Yard. Captain Robert B. LVgr im of the navy was assigned to the battery as commander of the post, and also for the purp >se of instructing the men in the use of the heavy guns, for which service his previous experience in the United States Navy eminently qualitied him. The earth- work had not been completed and only four guns had been mounted before tiiv Cnited States cutter Harriet Lane, mounting eight guns, made an attack upon it. The Lane took a position where only two -of the guns of t'hi' battery could he brought to he;ir npi'ii her and succeeded in disabling one of the guns b\ a well directed shot, which entered the embrasure and .-truck the gun on it- muzzle. The right, however, was kept up with the other gum and after a spirited engagement of a-hmtt twenty min- utes the Lane lauded oil, considerably damaged and having a 78 PORTSMOUTH RIFLE CO., CO. G, NINTH T'.i. BEGT. 70 number of men injured. She was sent to Washington for re- pairs. No one was hurt in the battery. The members of the eorhpany acted with the coolness of veterans, though it was the first time they were under .tire. This battle was fought June 5th, L861. After the fall of Roanoke Island, which took place on the 8th of February, 1863, the Federals landed a force of troops at Eliza- beth City, X. C, and in April passe\e, on the South street road about a quarter of a mile from the city, and -was the last body of troops to leave, After til) the other commands had moved oil the Portsmouth Rifles re- ceived orders to march into the city and destroy* all" of the cotton and tobacco which was stored there, to prevent it from falling into the hands of the enemy, and were eye-witnesses to all of the dread and distress which, was manifested and felt by the women of Portsmouth, who were thus being abandoned to the uncertain treatment of their foes, while the men were inarching oil to bat- tle and possible death. Having accomplished the object for which they had been sent back, they started at 6 o'clock P. M. May Kith and marched to Bowers Hill, where they arrived about 9 o'clock and were camped in the quarters which had been built there by the 3d h«»ui>uma Battalion, and from which they had moved only a few ! loan? before. The next day, the 11th, the march was resumed, but orders were received Ivy Captain Owens to return a couple of miles back toward Portsmouth as arearguard for the division, and they kept that distance behind the rest of the troops until 80 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. they rear-lied Suffolk. The Rifles were then ordered up, placed ou the Seaboard and Roanoke railroad ears and taken to Weldon. from which point they v:evti carried by rail to Petersburg; arriv- ing there on the 12th, and were quartered oh Dunn's II ill. The 9th Virginia Regiment was here united and organized hv the election of field officers, ail account which will appear further on. The Portsmouth RiHes became known in the regiment as Company G, and. as in the reorganization of the regiment Cap- tain Owens was elected Major, a new election of officers was held in the company. Lieutenant Cleaves was elected Captain, which position lie held until the close of the war; Lieutenants Tonkin and Wood were each advanced one grade, and Orderly Sergeant Nathaniel C. Gayle was elected 3d Lieutenant. William II. White was elected Orderly Sergeant. He was subsequently killed at the battle of Malvern Hill July 1st, 1.802. Lieutenant Wood resigned in the winter of L 86:2-3, and Orderly Sergeant John EI. Lewis, who had succeeded to that position on the death of Ser- geant White, was elected 3d Lieutenant, There were no other changes among the commissioned officers during the war except that toward the close of the war Lieutenant Gayle received an appointment as carpenter in the Navy and was transferred to that branch of the service. Lieutenants Tonkin and Gayle were Wounded at Gettysburg daily 3, 1863, and Lieutenant Lewis was captured at the stone fence. The company lost two Orderly Sergeants during the war, Ser- geant William H. White, who was killed at Malvern Hill, and Sergeant John Iv. Beaton, who was killed at Drury's Blutf May Itfth, I8f4. Upon the death of Sergeant Beaton, John W. Wood was promoted to the position audi held it until the close of the war. which ended with the surrender at Appomattox. In L$t>2, while the company was in i\i^ vicinity of Elizabeth Citv. iV. G., a number of the men went bathing about sundownin the Pasquotank river, Km soon had ;* hornet's nest about them in th.e form of hundreds of moccasin snakes which, having had un- disputed possession of the stream for years, entered a vigorous protest against the intruders upon their vested rights. The boys lost no time in getting to the shore and left the snakes in posses- ion of the river. On one occasion while on picket duty about live miles from Elizabeth Citv near a farm house on tli 3 banks of the Pasquotank river the coinpanv formed the ae<''--ond Manassas the 9th Regiment was in the advance, and Com- pany G was the advance picket. That day the company captured three federal cavalrymen, and on the loth of May, 1804, when the bold front made bv Armistead's Brigade and Grade's Ala- Uuny Brigade near Drurv's Bluff checked Butler's advance U|h»ii Richmond and saved the city from capture, Company G >A-^ detailed as skirmishers in front of the <5vUm\ George W., captured, Owens, Thomas C, killed, Kicndlv, James W., Phillips, Henry (>., wounded 1-VivUv, Joseph K.. captured, and captured, (inirit:, Jordan W , captured, Phillips, Michael, captured, Gas-klns, Thomas S.; ca{>tured, Peed, Samuel S., captured, Harvey, Arthur W., captured, Eevili, George A., captured, Hargrove?;, John P., wounded Revill, Pandall, wounded, ami captured. Sale, John E., wounded and Harding, Milton P., captured, captured, Kelsicki John It, Stewart, James T., Land, James W. T., wounded, Williams, Millard ('., woimded. The following were present for duty hut were detailed upon other service and did not go into the charge: [Jrownlev, Charles, Murphv, Enos, White, George A., i'.aiiey, James M„ < hveiis," A. B„ Whitehurst, M. P., I't-iry, George T., Roane, Alonzo !>., Wilkerson, Geo. P., Johnston, Theophdus, Thompkins, Thos. G. Below will he found the list ^i names on tlie roll of the com- pany for August. 1801: Captain Jobs C. Owens, promoted Colonel ^ili Virginia, killed at Gettys- burg. Captain Lemuel T. Cleaves. hivqleiiaiit William F. Tonkin, wounded July 3d, ltSG3, Gettysburg. liUMitfiiant William,]. Wood, resigued l;sr>:j-:j. Lieutenant Nathaniel G. Gayle, woimded at Gettysburg, transferred to Navy is*;.-,. ! i'HiP'uant John II. Lewis, captured at Gettysburg Julv 3d, 1S&3. i'i>i Savant William II. White killed July 1st, lNtt2, Malvern Bill. John K. Beaton, killed May IGth, lMf>4, Drury's Bluff. " .John It. Diniii, killed Julv ad, LSG3. Gettysburg John W. Wood. ^'•rp';uit. L. Christopher Gayie. captured at Gettysburg July 3d, 1803; David W. Balleiitine, captured July 3d, ls(j:i, at Gettysburg. Corporal Thomas George, transferred to Navy LSG3. Theophiius F. Ash. Lemuel H. Williams', killed July 3d, LSG3, Gettysburg. " William H. Brittrngham. PRIVATES. .yidwtoft, William T., captured July 3d, 18G3, Gettysburg. [irowwhw, William K., captured at Gettysburg, died at Fort Delaware. j;">d,Ilrnry C. ;' Ul!', John TV, eaptured a: Gettysburg, died at Point Lookout. * ny< Ghqi-ith ;pm transferred to Navy 18(»3. buurke, Joseph 11, captured Juiy 3d, 1803, Gettysburg. 84 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Bennett, William B.. killed Julv 3d, 1863, Gettysburg. Barrett, W. H. Burton, Robert P., captured July 3d, 1803, Gettysburg. Brownley, Charles. Bailey, James M., killed May 16th, 1864, Drury's Bluff. Bailey, Ephriam, diet! in hospital at Richmond May nth, 1SG2. Boushell, John, detached 1861 to work in Navy Yard and promoted Cap- tain iu Naval battalion, Richmond. Culpepper, Roland 11. Creeey, George A., wounded July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg. Collins, George W. F. D., detailed 1862 to work in Navy. Culpepper, Reuben, detached September, 1862. Denson . V i rid n his S. Etheredge. Samuel R. Emmerson, George VV. Edwards, William T,, captured May 10th, 1864, Drury's Bluff. Edwards, Oney H. Edwards, Amos W., detached 1861 to work on machinery. Ferebee, George W., captured at Gettysburg July 3d, 1863. Ferebee, Joseph K., captured at Gettysburg, died at Point Lookout. Fiendly, James W. Gleasou. James, promoted Lieutenant Company H, Gist Virginia Regiment, Grant. Jordan W., captured at Gettysburg, died at Point Lookout. Grant, Benjamin F., wounded and died. Gaskins, Thomas S.. captured July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Harding, Milton L., captured July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Hennicke, Henry 0. Harvey, Arthur W., captured July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Hargroves, John P., wounded Julv 3d, 1863, Gettysburg, and captured. Holt, Edwin W. Hundley, James EL, discharged 1861, disability. Herbert, John D. Hotfier, Samuel, promoted Ordnance Sergeant Mahone's Brigade. Hennicke. Fred. Johnston, Theophiius. Johnson, Columbus, wounded at Warrenton Springs and died. Johnson, Augustus, killed at Warrenton Springs August 28th, 1862. Jobson, J. Tyler. Kelsu-k. John R. Land, James W. T., wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Lattimer, John W., killed July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Lewis, George W., wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Mathews. \V. EL, discharged 1861, disability. Morris, Frank, transferred to Company 1, 13th Virginia Cavalry, wounded at William-sport 1863 and Five Forks A mil 1st. 1865. Monte, William G., killed July 3d. 1863, at Gettysburg. Murphy, Enus, t\u-d in hospital May 4th. 1865. Morelaud, J. B., captured July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Myers, Stephen H. * Morgan, James W.? died August, 1861, at Pig Point. Mathews, H'., discharged 1862, over age. Nash, Richard James, killed July 3d, 1863. at Gettysburg. Neville, William S., cantured Julv 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Owens, Thomas C, killed July 3d. 1863, at Gettysburg. Owens. A. B., detailed as courier at brigade headquarters. Owens, Edward M., captured at. Saylers Creek April 6th, 18fV5. Oliver, William J., detached at Longstreetfa headquarters 1862, rejoined the -company in 1864 ami surrender) d at Appomattox. Phillips, Mieha*4, captured July 3d. 1863, Gettysburg, and died of pneu- monia-u Point Lookout. Phillips, William K. PORTSMOUTH RIFLE CO., CO. G, NINTH VA. REGT. 85 Phillips, Henry 0., wounded .July 3d., 1863, Gettysburg, and captured,. p.-.i, Samuel S., captured July .'lis, 1863, in JVnusx Ivania. i'i-:Ii, Lindsay, detnehed LS61 to work in Navy Yard. rhdlips, Charles I\, promoted Sergeant Major 9th Regiment. Ufvell, George A., captured July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. KeveM, Randall, wounded .July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg. Robertson, William L>., discharged 1861 for disability. Koau«\ Alonzo B. savage, rr. A. Sherwood, 0. B., discharged 1862, over age. Sale, John E.j wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Stewart , James 'J'. Smith, William F., discharged 1861 for disability. T\ son, Luther. ! "ompkins, Thomas G. ! nomas, William James, killed June 1st, 1862, at Seven Pines. White, George A. Watts. George W. H. Wmtehurst, Marshall P. Williams, Millard (.'.. wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. VVilkerson, George P. Woodhouse, Thomas 0. Weaver, Joseph F., appointed carpenter in Navy. Williams, Thomas H., transferred to Company K, 9th Virginia. Williams, J. Herbert. Whit field, Lewis, killed August 30th, 1862, Second Manassas. Virne.lson, William B., detached 1862 to work in arsenal. V'irnelsori, Joseph \\.. detached 1862 to work in Navy Yard and appointed engineer in the Xavv. Killed and died— 24. " CHAPTER X. THE CRANEY ISLAND AK1TLLEKY, Co. T, NINTH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. This company was organized immediately after the Governor issued his call for volunteers in April, LSbT, and the members came from Norfolk county, in the vicinity of Churehland, and from the upper portion of Nansemond county, the larger portion, however, being from Norfolk county. The officers of the com- pany under whom it was originally musk-red into service were: ( 'ap-tain, John T. Rilby. First Lieutenant, J. O. B. Crocker; Second Lieutenant, "William S. Wright. ' ' First Sergeant, John II. Wright; Second Sergeant, James C. Pidtmod; Third Sergeant, Keely Harrison: Fourth Sergeant. Henry i>. Fewer, Upon being mustered into service the company was ordered to the battery at Pinner's Point and was attached to the 9th Va. "Regiment as Company I, remaining on duty there until the evacuation by the Confederates on the loth of May, 180:2, when it marched to Suffolk, At Pinner's Point the company occupied comfortable quarters which the men built for themselves with lumber furnished by the Quartermasters Department, but the health of the men was not good in camp, and four of them died in hospital during the year they were there. The battery at Pinner's Point con- tained twelve 32 and 6$-pounder Dahlgren guns, and, nearer the end of the point, there was another battery of four 6-inch rifle guns. These were originally 32-pounder Dahlgren guns, and were rifled and banded in the Navy Yard. These two batteries were manned by Company I and Company K. In rear of the batteries there were erected two furnaces for heating shot red hot, and also a bomb-proof magazine, but no opportunity presented itself of testing their efficiency as the enemy never appeared be- fore the battery. , . In May, 1S62, there was a reorganization of the company, and the men re-enlisted for the war. There was also a slight change in the officers. On account of a disagreement or misunderstand- ing Lieutenant Wright declined a re-election and enlisted as a private in Company K. First Sergeant .John II. Wright was discharged, at his own request, for the purpose! of organizing an- other com pan v. In this lie succeeded, and became its Captain. .* It was attached fee the 61st Virginia Regiment as Company 11. Lieutenant Wrigl t was with Company K in the battle oi Seven Pines, and was wounded through the fleshy portion of the arm After recovering from ids wound he was appointed Adjutant of 86 CRANEY ISLAND ARTILLERY, CO. I, NINTH VA. INFANTRY. 87 the H 1st Virginia Regiment and died in camp in tlie fall of 1863 of congestive chill. At the reorganization of Company .1 Captain Kilfoy and First Lieutenant Crocker were re-elected and Cornelins M. Dozier was elected Second Lieutenant. John Arthur was elected Third Lieutenant, but failed to qualify or to connect himself with the company. Private MeKemmey Lewis was elected First Sergeant. After the evacuation of Pinner's Point the company went to Pe- tersburg and was in camp on Dunn's Mill with the rest of the regiment, "hut remained there only a few days when it was de- tached and sent to Battery No. 5 in the fortifications around Richmond. On the i.^t of June it was ordered to rejoin the regi- ment at Seven Pines ami marched to that place, hut did not reach there until after the battle was over. It missed one other battle, that of Drury's Bluff, which was fought on the 10th of May, 1864, while the company was absent from the regiment on de- tached duty, but, with those two exceptions, it participated in all of the battles in which the regiment was engaged. During the month of June the regiment took part in several skirmishes and picket fights, which accustomed the men to tire, and when the battle of Malvern Hill was fought, the first general engagement in which Company I took part, the men acted with the coolness and steadiness of old veterans and were conspicuous for their gallantry. Color Sergeant John T. Bain of Company I had the colors of the regiment, and when the regiment was charg- ing up the hill was shot down, receiving a wound from which he subsequently died. Captain Kilby picked up the Hag. stood with it in front of the line, waved it to the men and held mem to their position. ' While thus waving the colors the staff was shot in two jiist above his hand, but he caught it up again, and handing it to Joshua Grimes pf his .company told him to hold on to it under all circumstances and contingencies. Lieutenant Colonel Gilliam in his official report of the battle [see Chapter XII., the 9th Virginia Regiment, post] alludes to this incident, but speaks of it as the Hag of -another regiment. The 9th Virginia ami 4th Georgia were somewhat mixed together at the time, which was pos.-ibly the cause of Colonel Gilliam's mistake. Company I lost very heavily in this battle. Four men were killed outright on the battle field and two others died from wounds received there, while eleven others were wounded more or less severely. The killed were Lieutenant Cornelius M. Dozier, Ser- geant Joseph Prentis, Corporal Lucillieus W. Jones and Private Thomas Parker. Sergeant.1 Henry B. Lewer and Color Sergeant John T. Bain were mortally wounded, were taken to Richmond and died shortly afterwards' in the hospital. The day before the hattlc Corporal Jones had been elected by the company to the [Hwition of Third, Lieutenant, but was killed before/he obtained 88 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. tain! I have blown the tube out of ray gun." "Well, blow if back again," replied the Captain, A little later another of his men sang out, "Captain, they are cross tiring at us." "Well. cross fire .back at tliem,', came back his reply. At the battle of Gettysburg the company was in the charge of Pickett's Division, and paid a heavy toll for the gallantry it dis- played and the fame it won on 'that occasion. It carried thirty- eight men in the charge, of whom three were killed, thirteen wounuod and eleven captured. Some of those captured were wounded also. Lieutenant Neimeyer and Privates Mills Brinkley and .}t\^ without any commissioned officer, and Orderly Sergeant McKemmy Lewis was in command, but in the spring of 18<»4 Lietitenant W. T. R. Bell of Aceornae county was sent from Camp Lee to take charge of it,., and remained until the return of Lieu- i tenant Arthur from prison-. Captain Crocker and Lieutenant Vermillion were not exchanged but were kept in prison until the close of the war. . Captain Crocker was one of the Confederate officers who were sent to 1 Morris Island in Charleston harbor by the United States authori- ties and placed under the tire of the Confederate batteries. The reason they assigned for this proceeding was that there we re some Federal officers confined in the city of Charleston who were ex- posed to the lire of their guns which were aimed at that city." Just before the battle of Gettysburg Private Mills Brinkley had one of .those mysterious presentments or premonitions of approach- ing death. While. the regiment, was. passing up Cemetery Hill, in the charge of Pickett's Division, lie turned to Lieutenant Xie- meyer. who, with Lieutenant Yermillion, was at his post in rear of the line, and told him lie felt as if lie were going to be killed. j and asked permission to leave the ranks. Lieutenant Xiemeyer refused his request and ordered him to take hi- place in the line. Lieutenant Vermillion joined in his request. He reminded Lieu- tenant Xiein ever that Brinkley had always proved himself a bravo and good soldier, but Lieutenant Xiemeyer again refused and Brinkley resumed his position in the ranks. .He had hardly taken twenty steps further in advance when a piece of shell struck him in the forehead, killing him instantly, in a very few minutes afterwards Lieutenant Xiemeyer was himself killed. The following members of the company participated in the charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg. Several who received slight wounds did not report to the hospital and are not recorded I as fiaying been wounded. | Captain J. O. Crocker, captured. First Lieutenant John C. Xiemeyer, killed. Second Lieutenant John Yermillion, wounded and captured. Sergeant McKemmie Lewis, wounded. Color Sergeant Joshua Grimes, wounded* PKIVATJ2S. Arthur, Prank M., captured, Capps, Josiah, wounded and eap- Pirnes. Belson, wounded. tured, Lidgood, "\\ . D., captured, Gomer, John I)., Lrinkley, Mills, killed, Gwynn, George W., wounded, Brinkley, Granville, captured, Ilarrell, Reuben, captured. Brinkley, Daniel, Herring, R. 11... ( amev," Richard, wounded, Hnmphlet, J. T., wounded. 7 ; 90 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S61-5, Jones, Nathan E. K., wounded Skeeter, William »L, and captured, Small, Benjamin, woiiiided, Jordan, Joliii L, wounded. SUillings, J. Van, Lassrter, Richard, Taylor, Benjaniin, captured, Korlect, Jesse, killed, Taylor, Williamson 1L Parker, William JL, Vann, William li., wounded, liichardson, George Clay, Wilkins, Henry, Rahy, Thomas, captured, Walton. Henry, wounded, Ividdiek, Amos, captured, Wilkins, George, Stringer, Jolrii K., Below will he found the roster of the company. Those marked with a star were from Nansemoud county. Captain John T. Kil'by, appointed Surgeon C. S. Army October 2d, 1862. Captaiu J. 0. B. Crocker* promoted Captain October 2d, 1862, captured 1 July 3d, 1st;:;. ;>t Gettysburg and not exchanged. *Secoud Lieutenant William S. Wright, resigned 1862, enlisted in Company K, wounded .June lut, 1862, at Seven Pines, promoted Adjutant 61st Virgiuia, died in fall of 1 s<5:;. Second Lieutenant Cornelius M. Dozier, killed J-ulv 1st, 1862, at Malvern Hill. ' " First Lieutenant John C. Niemeyer, killed July 3d, 1803, at Gettysburg. First Lieutenant John Vermillion, wounded and captured July 3d, 1#63, Gettysburg", and not exchanged *Second Lieutenant Frank M Arthur, captured at Gettysburg., exchanged and captured April 1st, 18*>5, at Five Forks. *First Sergeant John II. Wright, promoted Captain. Company II, Gist Vir- ginia Regiment. First Sergeant McKemmy Lewis, promoted First Sergeant April, 1862, wounded July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg, and captured April 1st, 1865, at Five Forks. *Sergeant Charles Badger, died in hospital October 4th, 1862, Richmond. Sergeant K<-o\y Harrison, transferred March 27th, 1 >S f i i_» , to Company C, 1 31 h Virginia Cavalry. Sergeant Henrv B. Levver, wounded Julv 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill, died Jul.v 22d, Richmond. Sergeant Joseph Prehtis, killed July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill. Sergeant Joshua M. Grimes. promoted Ensign, wounded July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hilt, July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg, May 1.6th, 1864, Drury's -Bluff. •Sergeant William H. Vann, captured at lave Forks April 1st, 1865. Sergeant T. J. Grimes, wounded. Corpora! Henry Walton, wounded July 1st. 1862, Malvern Hill, and July 3d, I860, at Gettysburg, promoted Color Corporal . Corporal Willis D. Bidgood, captured Jul.v 3d, 1863, Gettysburg, and April 1st, I860, at Five Forks. Corporal Lucillicus D. Jones, killed July 1st. 1862, at Malvern Hill. Corporal Belsori Barnes, -wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg, and cap- tured at Five Forks April 1st, 1865, PRIVATES. Barnes. George. Barnes, J. E., detailed in Division Provost Guard. Bklgood, Nathaniel, furnished substitute 1862 and discharged. *bidgood, J. C, furnished substitute 1862 and discharged. Bidgood, J. H., discharged September 13th, 1862, for disability. Btdgood, 'fully W., abseflt, sick in hospital. * Bain, John. T., wounded July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill, died August 6th in hospital Richmond. I' ORKNEY ISLAND ARTILLERY, CO. I, NINTH VA. INFANTRY. 91 njrlukley, Mills, killed July .'hi, 1803, at Gettysburg, *-Rrinkley, Granville, captured July 3d, 1803, at Gettysburg. *}irink.ley, Daniel. *llmikley, Maliory, died in hospital April 1st, 1802, Pinner's Point. Iluutiug, Willi nn IF, transferred to Navy January 11th, 1862. Cunt in;;-. Lloycl, transferred to Company C, 13th Virginia Cavalry. Bunting, Francis H.. died in hospital March 27th, 1802, Pinner's Point. Ruriey, William, killed 1864, Howlett House. Busby, William A., wounded April 13th. 18(58, at Suffolk. ^Crocker, W. 11., captured September, 1802, died in Fort Delaware. Carney, Richard, wounded August 28th, 1862, Warren ton Spring.-, and I Julv 3d, 1803. at Gettvsburg. *Cox, William, died in hospital July 5th. 1802, Richmond. Capps, A. J., transferred to Company C, 18th Virginia Cavalry. I Capps, Josiah. captured July 3d, 1803, Gettysburg, died at Point Lookout. Dennis, Samuel, transferred March 27th, 1802, to Company C, Kith Virginia Cavalry. Duncan, Blanch,. surrenders 1 at Appomattox. Duncan, John, captured at Five rorks. Duncan, RtVhard. captured at Five Forks. -Dean, Edward G„ discharge*! 1803ibr disability. Daughtrey, William, died March 27th, 1.8 02, in camp. Pinner's Point. I Duke, Henry, transferred March 27th, L862, to Comp.any C, 1.3th Virginia Cavalry. *Duke, Nathaniel, wounded July 1st, 1862, at Malvern Hi!!, and disabled. Duke, Lewis. Evans. Charles, died in hospital 1861. | Field, Kichard. Gwynn, George W.. wounded July 3d, 180,'!, at Gettysburg. *Gomer, John P. . died in hospital 180-1. Richmond. *Greene; .Jn>~i\ died in hospital November 28th, 1862, Richmond. George, J. W.. supposed to have been killed 1865. Gurley, J., died in hospital 1864, Richmond. >: Harrell, Elkana. *Harrell, Abram, discharged in 1863 for disability. Harrell, Frlward. *Harreil, Josiah, died in hospital in 1.802, Richmond. *llarrell, Reuben, captured July 3d, 1803, at Gettysburg and died m prison. *Harrell, Henry, died in hospital -in camp J runs 1802, York River railroad. *Herring, R. I.I., captured April 1st. 1805, at Five Forks. I Henry, William C, transferred to Navy January 18th. 18(52. *Humphlet, Jno. T., promoted- Color 8ergeant, wounded July 3d, 1803, at S Gettysburg. Johnson, Thos.., died in hospital in 1863, Richmond. Jones, Nathan E. K., wounded and captured July 3d. 1863, at Gettysburg. *J.ones, -h\*. G., died in hospital November 28th, 1802, Charlottesville. Jordan, John L., wounded July 3d, 1803. at Gettysburg, and captured April 1st. 1805, at Five Forks. Johnigan, Richard. Keeter, W. \V., die*! in hospital November 20th, 1802, Staunton. King. James. King, Thomas, Lewis, William, detailed cook. I Litchfield, Jacob, detailed cook. Lewis, Ambrose, died in hospital June 22d, 1802, Richmond. Lassiter, John, wounded August 28th, 1862, at Warren ton Springs, and died November 25th at Richmond. *Lassiter. Richard, worn ded Julv 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill, wounded at Suf- folk, April 13th. Itt63. and captured at Five Forks. *\"orneet, Jesse, killed J i\\ 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. I arker, Thomas, killed July 1st, 1803., at Malvern Hill. 92 NORFOLK COUNTY, IS&1-5. Parker, \V. J., captured April 1st, 18.05, at Five Forks. *Parker, Jesse, captured April 1st, 1805, at Five Forks. Riithledge, Anthony, died in hospital ISO.", Richmond. Richardson, Vivo. Clay, captured April 1st, ISO"), at Five Forks. *Rudd, Augustus S., died in hospital June 18th, 1802. *Kiddiek, Mills, wounded April l-'Jth, 1809, at Suffolk, disabled and detailed in passport office, Petersburg;. *Riddiek. Amos, captured July 3d, 1803, at Gettysburg. *Raby, Ihos., captured July 3d. 1803; at Gettysburg:, ^tailings, .1. Van, captured April "1st. 1805, at Five Forks. Savage, William, captured April 1st, 1.805, at Five Forks. Bpivey, JetJieb, transferred March 27th, 1802. to Company C, 13th Virginia Cavalry. Sawyer, Albert. Skeeter, \V. J., surrendered April 0th. ISO."), at Appomattox. Small.. Benjamin. Savage, Mike P.. died in hospital 1862, Pinner's Point. Spanhling, John A.. '"Stringer, John E., Taylor, Benj., captured July .'hi, 1803, at Gettysburg*. Taylor. Williamson P., captured April 1st. 1805, fit Five Forks. *Vann, Alfred, wounded April 13th, 1:803, at Suffolk, and died in hospital. Wagner, James, detailed n> Ord n an ee Sergeant. *Wilkins, Henry. *Wilkins, George. Wilson. A. J . transferred February 1st, 1802, to Company C, 13th Virginia Cavalry. *Wiight, Jos. S., transferred April 30th. 1862, to Signal Corps. *Wright, J. Edwin, transferred April 30th, 1802, to Signal Corps. Killed aud died— 34. I CHAPTER XT. THE OLD DOMINION GUARD. COMPANY K, NINTH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. This company was organized in Portsmouth June 2f>th, 1S56, and soon became one of the largest and most popular companies in Virginia. Even before the war it was nothing unusual for it to parade with from eighty to ninety men, and at the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown, which took place' on that historic island in 1S57, and which drew together the military companies of the entire State, the Old Dominion Guard was the largest company on the grounds. The first Captain of the company was Captain John W. Voting., who was succeeded by Captain Edward Kearns. At the beginning of the late war the Old Dominion Guard was one of the companies in the 3d Virginia Regiment, and on the 20th of April, 1801, it was ordered into active service by Governor Letcher, and remained in the Held until the else of the war. On the night of the 20th the men were quartered in the Court House, and at daybreak on the 21st part of them were marched to the Xavy Yard, with other troops, to take possession and guard property there, and the remainder wore marched to t\iv Naval Hospital point to build an earthwork to prevent the return of the [Tinted States vessels Pawner' and Cumberland, which had left t\i(' Xavy Yard about 1 o'clock that morning. Subsequently the whole company went on duty at the Hospital point and remained there about a week, when it was detached from the 3d Regiment and ordered to Pinner's Point, -just below the Hospital point, where they were shortly afterwards joined by the Craney Island Artillery under Captain John T. Kilby, one of the companies or- ganized in Norfolk county and subsequently attached to the 9th Virginia Regiment as Company I. Here a strong earthwork con- taining twelve guns, six and eight-inch Dab lgrens, was built under the supervision of Major F. W. Jett of the Engineer Corps, and later .another earthwork, containing four six-inch rifle guns, was thrown up nearer the point. In June, 1.861, the. 9th Virginia rteghnent was organized and the Old Dominion Guard was at- tached to it as Company K. The post at Pinners Point was under command of Lieutenant George Harrison of the Xavy, who held the brevet rank of Major, and who was assigned to that duty on account of Ins previous experience m the use oi ueav younger members oi the company soon learned Major tiarrisous wt tk points, and. he was the victim of many a practical joke. 94 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. When the company was mustered into service oil the 20th of April the following were the officers: Captain — Edward Kearns. First Lieutenant — Dennis Vermillion. Second Lieutenant — L. A. Bilisoly. And shortly afterwards, while in ramp at the Hospital point. Sergeant Henry .V. Allen was elected Third Lieutenant. Gamp life at Pinner'.- Point Was not very exciting, and the main drawback- were extra guard duty or temporary confinement in the guard house forgoing to town without leave of absence, re- strictions which the young soldiers regarded as extrenielv onerous and unnecessary. While there the company lost one of its mem- bers; Young Jacob "W. Keeling died from pneumonia, lie came from Suffolk, originally, and his remains were taken there for in- terment. .V detachrnent from the company escorted the body to the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad- depot in Norfolk. During the summer and fall the company occupied tents, but when cold weather set in, timber was sent to the camp and the company built very comfortable quarters. They were the best military quarters in .the harbor, and, considering the fact that very few of the men had ever had any previous experience in that kind of work, they were marvels of comfort and conven- ience. While there the company enjoyed excellent health, and, 071 one occasion of inspection, while occupvinjj; the tents, there were one •hundred and live men in line for duty. During the fall of the year, the season of chills and fevers, it was noticed that, while very few of the members id' the Old Dominion Guard, a company raised exclusively in the city, were affected, Company 1, which was on duty with them, and which was composed of men who were raised in the country, and nearly all of whom were used to hard work, had so many men on the sick list that Company* K had to perform a part of their guard duty. This fact seems to bear nut the theory that men raised in the cities can stand expo-are better than those raised in the country. While at Pinner's Point the gallant Captain Kearns made his first great and only attempt at oratory. The ladies of Ports- mouth-made a verv handsome silk flag for the < J Id Dominion Guard and selected toss Virginia Handy, daughter of Rev. 1. Wi K. Handy, of the Presbyterian Church, to make the presentation. The company was drawn up in line in a shady grove near the camp and a larire number of ladies and other friends ox the com- pany were present. Miss" Handy, in veiw appropriate and touch- ing language, placed the handsome banner in the hands of Cap- tain [vearns, ■*wh >se modestv was only excelled by his bravery." Captain Kearns hesran his response, and it was his Mrst effort. lie said: "Miss Hand v and Ladiesof Portsmouth 1— Oil behalf of OLD DOMINION GUARD, CO, K, NINTH VA. INFANTRY. 95 \}iv Old Dominion Guard, I accept this magnificent flag, which ] will be our guide in the front of battle, and, if I falter!** Here lie forgot the rest of bis carefully prepared speech, but he re- peated, "If I falter!!" but memory would not come to his aid, and, after a Lengthened pause, drawing his sword hastily from its scabbard and flashing it iti the air, he exclaimed: "If I falter! I hope Clirist may kill me!!" A roar of applause and laughter greeted tins abrubt and unex- pected termination of the o rations When the company left Portsmouth with the regiment and the Confederate battle nags were substituted for the State nags, this llag was \vit in Petersburg for safe keeping and disappeared in some way or other. The company never knew what became of [t .'Nearly half of the members of the Old Dominion Guard were young men under the age of twenty-one years and were full of life and enjoyment. On one occasion the Hospital steward, who was not averse to an occasional dip into •'something-strong," re- turned to camp from the city with a demijohn of sherry wine in Ins wagon, and stopping in front of the guard house, left it, in the wagon and went into the building occupied by the officers as (jnarteivs and in which he kept his drugs. The sentry at the guard house reported the condition of affairs to the company's quarters, and in a very feW minutes three of the boys appeared upon the scene with two buckets, one empty and the otlier full of water, and in less time than it would take to tell it the wine was transferred to the empty bucket aid the demijohn was tilled with water. Shortly after the embryo doctor came out for his "jug," carried it in the house and the officers were invited to partake. Their smiles were "childlike and bland'' when (Jii'x saw the pro- portions of the demijohn, but upon tasting its contents they classed the luckless apothecary as a ^heathen Chinee." lie pro- tested, however, that it was wine when ha left town. That night -No. 6 and No. 9 messes, with their invited guests, enjoyed a wine supper with hardtack accompaniment. One night in the winter of 1 S() 1-2, a little after dark, the sen- tinel on duty at the battery heard cries of distress and for help corning from down the river. A gale of wind was blowing from t\it' north, which brought the sound directly to the battery. Tito officer of the guard was called and the cam]) was aroused, and 1 notwithstanding the heavy gale which was blowing, two frail skill's were speedily manned by strong and brave men from both Company 1 and Company K and pushed forth in the teeth of the storm 'to rescue the drowning men. It was a severe strug- gle, but t}\L' brave hearts and strong arms of the oarsmen pre- vailed and two men who were found clinging to the piles which had been driven across the river near Lambert's Point by the 9G NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861^5. Confederates to obstruct the channel', were brought hack nearly dead from cold and exposure. They were members of Company I), $th Virginia Infantry (the Jackson Artillery of Portsmouth \, and were stationed on Crauey Island. They were returning* from Portsmouth in a sailboat to their camp, but the boat was upset by the storm, near the obstructions. They managed to catch hold of the piles, but a third man who was with them in the boat, Walter Harvey, of Portsmouth, of the same company, was drowned. The rescue of those drowning men was as daring an act as was per- formed during the war. A terrible storm was raging;, the waves were high and the cold spray was frozen upon \\iv oarsmen as it was dashed over them in their frail skiffs. Unfortunately no re- cord was kept of the names of the brave rescuers, and they are therefore Lost to histbrv. The men who were saved were Leonard Cutherell and William Day. In April j 1^0^, one year after the original enlistment of the men. they re-enlisted in a body for the war and held an election of officers, with the following result: Captain- -Dennis Vermillion, First Lieutenant — Edward I\ earns. Second Lieutenant — Henry A. Allen. Third Lieutenant — L. A. Bilisoly. Captain Lvearns declined to accept the 1st Lieutenantcy and re- signed, at the same time severing his connection with the com- pany of which lie had been Captain almost frotn its organization in 1*850, On the 10th of May the company received orders to burn their quarters and march with the rest of lingers Division to the de- fence of Richmond, and of the one hundred and sixteen men who had been with the eompauv during its stay at Pinner's Point, though they w^w leaving behind them their homes, mothers, sis- ters and sweethearts, soon to fall into the hands of the enemy, not one remained behind. T ie refusal of Captain lvearns to accept the 1st Lientenantcy occasioned the promotion of 2d Lieutenant .Alien to 1st Lieutenant} 3d Lieutenant .Bilisoly to 2d, and Orderly Sergeant .Robert M. Butler was elected yd Lieutenant. The com- pany was united with the rest of the 9-th Regiment at Dunn's 11 ill, near Petersburg, on the 12th of May, and its identity as a separate organization was lost in that of the regiment. Its history then became the history of the regiment. It participated in all the battles in which the regiment was* engaged except the battle of Drurys Bluff, May LUth, LS0.-A, which took [dace while Com- pany K and also Company 1 were temporarily detached from the regiment on other duty, and while so detached was moved to the north side of Ilichn ond to resist the advance of Sheridan's cav- alry raiders. Lieutenant Butler resigned after the battle of Seven Pines. OLD DOMINION GUARD, CO. k\ NINTH Fit. INFANTRY. 97 June 1st, 1862 ; Captain Vermillion was killed at the battle of Malvern Mill July 1st, 1S02; Lieutenant Bilisoly was wounded at Seven Pines June 1st, 3 8(>2, and again wounded and disabled from further service at Second Manassas August 3'Utli, 1802, and retired. Lieutenant Allen was promoted to Captain upon the death of Captain Vermillion, and was captured at the stone wall in the charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg July 3d, 1S03, and was kept a prisoner until the close of the war. lie was one of the Confederate officers who were taken to Morris' Island, South Carolina, by the United States authorities and placed under the tire of the Confederate batteries defending Charleston harbor, lie wits not wounded during the war. While the regiment was on the inarch with Longstreet's Corps towards Suffolk in the spring of 1S(>3 Henry C. Hudgins was elected 1st Lieutenant and James II. Robinson 2d Lieutenant. ■Lieutenant lliidgins was wounded early in the charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg, bur recovered from his wound and coin- led the company till the close of the Lieutenant Rob- inson was severely wounded and captured at Gettysburg, wassub- sequently exchanged, recovered from his wound, and was with the conipanv in the closing scenes of the drama, which culminated at Appomattox Court House. The following members of the com- pany were in the charge at Gettysburg': Captain Henry A. Allen, captured. First Lieutenant Henry C. Hudgins, wounded. Second Lieutenant dames IL Robinson, wounded and captured. First Sergeant James II. Walker, captured. Second Sergeant Adolph Bilisoly, wounded. Third Sergeant Thomas J. Dashiell, captured. Fourth Sergeant William Wallace Williams, captured. Third Corporal IL IL James, wounded. PRIVATES. E. IL Bilisoly, wounded. Robt. T. Daughtrey, captured, L. K. Brooks, captured, Wm. Walter Dyson, Thus. R. Borland, wounded, Andrew C. Host, wounded, Geo. W. Lames, wounded, Joseph W.Jordan, wounded and J. C. A. Davis, wounded. captured, John A. F. Dunderdale, killed, Edward l>. Williams, wounded. Thus of the nineteen men who went into the fight eighteen were either killed, wounded or captured. The company lost heavily in the battles of Seven Pines, Malvern Hill and Five Forks! in this last battle the 9th Regiment bore the brunt of the thud-: attack of Warren's corps of General Grant's army. George W. Barnes, of Company lv, carried. the colors of the regi- ment in that engagement. Below will he found a roll of the company to May, 1S02, em- bracing the Portsmouth men. Later in the war a number of 98 NORFOLK COUNTY, lSGt-5, conscripts were sent to "it, but as they were from other portions of the State, their names are omitted. Captain Edward Rearms, resigned 1862. Captain Dennis Vermillion, killed Malvern 1115! July 1st, 1862. First Lieutenant [..Augustus Biiisoly, wounded at Seven Pines Juno 1st and Second Manassas August 30th, 1862, and retired. Captain Henry A. Allen, captured at .■Gettysburg July 3d, 1863, and not exchanged. Third Lieutenant Robert XI. Butler, resigned 1862. First Lieutenant Henry C. Hudgins, wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Second Lieuteuant James U. Robinson, wounded Jnlv 3<1, 1863, at Gettvs- burg. Biiisoly, A. L., promoted 1st Lieutenant P. A. C. S. Brown, Samuel Y.. Sergeant, appointed hospital steward. Benson, F. It., transferred to Signal Corps April, 1862. Benson, F. L.. Commissary Sergeant, appointed hospital steward. Bilisolv, Adolphus. promoted Sergeant, wounded Juh 3d, 1S63, at Gettys- burg. Biiisoly. P. B., wounded April 1st. 1805, Five Forks. Biiisoly, Joseph P., detailed as Sergeant Major July, 1863, appointed hos- pital steward February, 1864. Biiisoly, .1. .1.. promoted Lieutenant Company D, 61st Virginia. Brown, '.James W., transferred to Norfolk Lighi Artillery Blues May, 1862. Bilisolv. F. P.. wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Brown, Joe Sam, transferred to Norfolk Light Artillery Blues May, 1862. Brooks, P. K. Brooks. Tudor F., discharged physical disability 1862, and employed in Commissarv Department. Biamire, P. B. Borland, Thomas R., wounded slightly July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Bennett, John C , killed at Malvern Hill July 1st. LS62. Barnes, George W.. wounded July 3d, 1863, at. Gettysburg.. Beeks, G. W., discharged 18(52, underage. Butter, George W. Butt, Josiah. discharged 1861, physical disability. Bennett, Wiiiiam M. Cutherell, George A., wounded at Suffolk April 13th, 1863, and discharged. Collins, A. P. ('rocker. James P., promoted Adjutant 9 fill Virginia Regiment, wounded July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hi! . Cocke, John A'. Cocke, William IP. appointed Assistant Surgeon 14th Virginia and mortally wounded A pril, 1 *65. Cussell, Charles P., promoted 1st Lieutenant Topographical Pmgiueers. Crisniond, James P.. detached for naval service 1861. Collins, William Ik. promoted Ordnance Sergeant. Creekmur, Charles J., appointed Paymaster's Clerk in Navy. 1862. < 'berry, Eugene. Dyson, W. Walter. Pent, William, detached 1861. Pashieli, Thomas -P. slightlv wounded at Five Forks, promoted Sergeant. Daughtrey. Robert T. Davis, J. C. A., wounded July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Dunderdale, J. A. P.. killed at Gettysburg July 3d, 1863. Foreman, William A., wotmdedat Five Forks April 1st, 1865. Foster, Frank S., transfr rrvd to Signal l^>v;<* April, LIS62. Foster, A. P., transferrer to Signal Corps April, 1.862, and died in hospital LS6-L 1 >tbes, Thomas X., died 1862, wounded Seven Pines June 1st, 1862. OLD DOMINION GUARD; CO. K, NINTH YA. INFANTRY. 90 Fiske, MelzarG., killed at Malvern Hill July 1st. 1862. Gray, J. N. (Sergeant), discharged June, 1861, physical disability. Godwin, Leroy C, transferred to Signal Corps April, 1802. Grunt, L. II., drummer. Guthrie. Benjamin \\'., appointed Master in Navy. Critliu, Cornelius. Hambieton. William II., killed at Warren ton Springs August 28th, 1862. [landy, S. 0., died June 10th, 1862, in hospital, Richmond. Hargroves, VV . W., transferred to a North Carolina regiment, [lost, Andrew ('., wounded Julv 3d, 1S6-*!. at Gettysburg. llu.l-ias. J. Madison, promoted to Captain and A. C. S. Hume, K. G., transferred to Norfolk Light Artillery Blues .May, 18(52. Hobday, A. T., transferred to Commissary Department. James, R. B., wounded July 3d, 186H, at Gettysburg. Jordan, 0, !>., discharged July 1st, 1861, disability, .rack, E. A.., appointed Engineer in Navy. -Jordan, Joseph VV., died of wounds received at Gettysburg, 1863. Kilbv, VV. T /transferred to Norfolk Liulit Artillery Blues. Mav, 1862. Keeling, Joseph VV., died in hospital 1861. King, Leslie It., appointed Engineer in Navy. Lewis. Jacob, detailed for hospital duty, over age. Laughorne, John C.., appointed Captain's Clerk in Navy. Laughorne, William S., discharged, under age. September, 1862, and en- listed in Signal Corps. Moore. Joseph P., transferred to Norfolk Light Artillery Blues May, 1862. Myers, Robert W., discharged, physical disability, and died. Morris, Charles S., slight wound at Five forks April 1st, i860. NVaville, William A., wounded and disabled al Seven Pines June 1st, 186-2. Nieiiieyer, John C., promoted 1st Lieutenant Company I, 0th Virginia, and killed at Gettysburg July 3d, 1S6H. Niemeyer, Henry V., discharged, under age, September, 1862, and enlisted in Signal < 'orps. Owens, Charles. Parrish, James II., promoted Surgeon C. S. V., Cham-bliss' Brigade. Parker, Willis M. Pierce, Thomas VV., appointed Majoi and Quar ten 11 aster. Pierce, William 11., killed on picket June, 1862, near Richmond, Porter, John W. II , transferred to Signal Corps April, 1862. Richardson, John II., transferred to Signal Corps April, 1862. Rodman, Robert C. Uiehardson, N. P.. -transferred to Signal Corps April, 1862. Richardson, Charles E., transferred to North Carolina regiment. R« 'id, Charles, transferred to Signal Corps April, 1862. Itiddiek, J anies VV., promoted Captain and Adjutant General Scales' North Carolina Brigade and severely wounded. Rudd, Benjamin F., transferred to Signal Corps April, 1862. Smith, William A., died 1862. Smith, William Alfred, transferred to Signal Corps April, 1862. Smith, John, discharged 1862, over age. Smith, Herbert L., transferred to Company 1, I. ">rh Virginia Cavalry. Smith, Arthur, transferred to Company I, 15th Virginia Cavalry. Savage, T. J., transferred to Signal Corps April, 18(32. Turner. G. M., discharged June, 1861, disability. Tabb, William EL, promoted Sergeant Major 3d Regiment and detailed 1862 to work in Navy Yard. Vermillion, John, promoted 2d Lieutenant Company I; 9th Virginia, wounded at Gettysburg, Vermillion, Alex. P. Vermillion, G. S., discharged September, 1862, under age, and enlisted in signal (.'orps. White, Thomas J., transferred to Signal Corps April, 1862. 100 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. \ White, Frank J., promoted Surgeon C. S. A. Walker, James II. . promoted to 1st Sergeant. - Wing-field, II. C. M., transferred to Norfolk Light Artillery Blues May, 1862/ Williams, David A., wounded and disabled at Seven Pines June 1st, 180:2. Williams, David E.. captured at Five Forks April 1st, IS ('Jo. •Wood-ley, Joseph K., promoted Lieutenant in Signal Corps April, 1862. Williams, Luther, wounded and disabled at Seven Fines June 1st. 186:2. Williams, W. Wallace, promoted to Sergeant. Williams, Ed. B., wounded July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg. Williams, A. J., appointed hospital steward. Williams, Thomas H. Wilson. William IL Wright, William S., wounded at Seven Pines, promoted Adjutant 61st Vir- ginia and died 1 863. Williamson, Lewis W., appointed hospital steward. Young. M. P., appointed Lngim-er iii Xa,vy. Young, U. \\\, transferred to Signal Corps April, 1862. Killed and died— 16. CHAPTER XII. ARTS BRIGADE — IIUGEK S, AXDKKSOSS, PICKETT 8 DIVISIONS. We liave traced the histories of Companies I). G and K, of Portsmouth, and Company I, of Norfolk comity, from the be- ginning of the war until they lost their identify in the organiza- tion of the 9th Virginia Ivegiinent of Infantry, and as their sul> sequent record is embraced in that of the regiment, it can he told best by recording tlie movements and battles in which the regiment was engaged. The actual date of the formation of the regiment has been lost for the reason that the field officers were not originally elected by the company officers, but were assigned to it by Governor Letcher while the companies were stationed in different localities, but the companies were assigned to it some time in June, 1801, and were as follows: Company A, the McRea Rides, of Petersburg, Captain James Gilliam. Company B, the Baltimore Artillery, of Baltimore, Capt. John I). }r wrick Company C, tlie Chesterfield Yellow Jackets, of Chesterfield comity, Capt. John Mason. ! Company D, the Virginia Artillery, of Portsmouth, Captain Win. J. Richardson. Company E, tlie Isle of Wight Blues, . of Isle of Wight county, Capt. John Shevers. Company F, Chuekatuek Light Artillery, of .Xansemond county, Capt. James J. Phillips. Company G, the Portsmouth Pities, of Portsmouth, Captain John C. Owens. Company 1L the Salem Artillery., of Salem, Captain Happ. Company I, the Crane v Island Artillery, of ^Norfolk count v, Capt. J. X. Kilby. . Company K. the Old Dominion Guard, of Portsmouth, Capt; Edward K earns. At the time of the formation of the regiment in June, 1.861, the companies composing it were distributed among the various fortifications around the harbor of Portsmouth and ^Norfolk, doing duty as heavy artillerists as well as infantry. Companies A, Ij, C, I) and ]\ were on Craney island, where the regimental headquarters were located. Companies E and F were at Day's Point, Company (t was at Pig Point and Companies I and K Mere at Pinners Point. The,ofrieers pf the regiment who were assigned to it by Governor Letcher, were Colonel Francis H. 101 io: NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-& Smith, Lieutenant-Colonel John T. L. Prestou, Major Staple-ton Crutchfield, Adjutant Thomas Smith. All of these officers were attached to the faculty of the Virginia Military Institute, and before the evacuation of Purtsmouth.by the Confederates, Colonel Smith and Lieutenant-Colonel Prest6n \v<>iv returned to their duties at that institution, and Major Crutch field was elected Major of the 5$th Virginia Regiment. After their departure, Lieuten- ant-Colonel DeLagnel, of the regular army, commanded the post at Crane v island until the LOth of May, 18t?2, when it was evac- uated, and Major Harden seems to have been in immediate com- mand of the ilth Regiment until it assembled at Petersburg on the 12th. Upon the receipt of orders to evacuate their batteries, the scat- tered companies of the regiment marched by different reads to Suffolk, and fioin there were carried by rail to Petersburg and quartered on Dunn's hill to the north of that city, across the Appomattox river, and. on the 2 1st,-. orders were received for the company officers to elect field officers. The election was held the following day, and the officers elected were: Colonel, Johnston ■DeLagnel; Lieutenant-Colonel, D. J. Godwin; Major, James Gilliam. Colonel DeLagnel having been appointed to a. position which was more satisfactory to him, declined to accept the command of the 9th, and Lieutenant-Colonel Godwin was promoted to Colo- nel, Major Gilliam to Lieutenant Colonel, and Captain John C. Owens, of the Portsmouth Rifles, was elected Major; Private J. F. Crocker, of Company K, was appointed Adjutant, and Pri- vate C. T. Phillips, of Company G. Sergeant Major; hence all of the field and stall officers, except the Lieutenant Colonel, were from Portsmouth. On the 24th of 'May, Companies A, D and I! were detached from the regiment and sent to man batteries in the fortifications of Richmond. Company D was ordered hack after the battle of Malvern Hill. Company A rejoined in the fall of 1804 on the line- in front of Bermuda Hundreds, but Company II was not with the regiment again. It was given a battery of field guns and thus was turned from an Infantry to a Light Artillery Com- pany. Company I, also, was absent on other duty at the battle of Seven Pines. The •-other companies of the regiment remained in cam]* on Dunn's hill until the. iM.)t!i, when, with three days1 rations, t)iv command was marched M 7 a. m. to the depot m Pe- tersburg to take the cars for Richmond, hut remained at the depot until *i p. m. before the cars were ready for them; and after get- ting mi the cars Vn'y were four hours making the twenty-two miies to that city. That night the men made their beds om the grass in .lie eapitol square, and the next morning at 7 o'clock marched to Blakely's farm in Henrico eountv. The regiment jjpw - THE NINTH VIHGLXIA REGIMENT. 103 was there assigned to Armistjead's Brigade, lingers Division, com- posed of tlic l)th, 14th and 5od Virginia Regiments, and the 5tli Virginia Battalion, and began in reality the life of a soldier. Up to that time the men laid been sheltered in tents or eonifort- able cprarters, and their first niuht in the field was passed amid a terrible down-pour of rain, without shelter of any kind. On the 31st of May the regiment received orders to march to Seven Pines with the brigade, and at night slept in a camp of the enemy from which they had been driven during the battle of that day. The Federal dead arid wounded lay thick all around them, and the boys enjoyed the lemons, sugar and other delica- cies whieh they found in the deserted camp. The next day, June 1st, proved the unfitness of the com- mander of that part of the Confederate army for the position he occupied. At 7 a. m. the Oth Regiment moved forward, under orders, about three hundred yards in advance of their camp of the night before, without pickets or skirmishers- in front, and I were told not to tire, that Fryer's Brigade was in front of them. The line was halted in a thick, swampy ; -woods and the order was given to stack arms. The men were in fancied security, their guns not loaded, and, while obeying the order to stack, a line of battle of the enemy, occupying a position in their front, poured a volley of musketry into them at close range. The surprise was complete, but the men fell down upon the ground and began to load and fire in return. The left of the line, however, did the most sensible thing they could do, namely, fell back out of range of the fire, and as this exposed the flank of the 9th Regimentj that fell back also. It was evident that the Confederate com- mander in that part of the field did not know either the positions of his own troops or of the enemy, though there had been fight- ing all the day before, and that the lives of the men would be sacrificed without any special object in view or plan to be earned out. General Armistead afterwards did what he could to repair the mishap. He seized a Virginia state n*ag, and, having rallied the men in his brigade, led them forward again to the position from which they had retired, better preparad to do battle. While they were thus engaging the enemy, the 3d Alabama Regiment passed through them and charged the enemy's work-, but the po- sition was too strong to be carried by a direct assault and the Aia- bamians were repulsed with heavy loss, among the killed being their commander. Colonel Lomax, who was left dead upon the held. The 9th Virginia then fell, back about a hundred yards out of range of the fire, and the enemy made no attempt to fol- low. Later in the afternoon the 9th was ordered to rejoin the brigade, and thus ended its connection with this unfortunate affair m which many brave men lest their lives without accomplishing anything thereby, and from which vvt'W picket Hght with the enemy in it.- front and on the 25th had another skirmish, in which it captured a number of prisoners; The engagement of the 25th was an extensive affair but the 9th regiment was not heavily engaged in it. On the 2 1st Armistead's Brigade was reinforced by the addition of the 38th Regiment, which from that time became permanently attached to it, and. on the 28th the 57th Virginia also was attached to ir.' On the 20th was fought the battle of Mechaniesville, the first of the seven days battles. MeClelbm's advanced position, his ex- treme right, was attacked and carried, those of the enemy who escaped fob back upon Gaines5 Mill, where General Lee made an attack on the 27th. MeClellan had reinforced. his troops in that locality. The battle was a complete victory for the Confederates and McCleilan began his return to Harrison's landing on the •lames river, his sole 'object heinsr to save as much of hi- army as possible. Leing a part i\kTld Dominion Guard-, and Augustus Johnson, drummer of the Portsmouth Rilies, and Ordinance Sergeant Giot, of Norfolk eountv, were among the killed, and Lieutenant-Colonel THE NINTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 10' Gilliam and Major < Kvens werowounded; On the 29th the march was resumed at 3:30 p. m. The brigade passed through Thorough- fare (lap and halted until 11 p. m., when the march was again res-iimed and continued all night Passing through El ay market and 1 nainsville, the brigade arrived on the battle field at Manassas ah. ait daybreak on the morning of the 30th. By an unexplained mistake the brigade was marched inside the Federal lines but withdrew quiety without being discovered and. marching back about a mile, the men lay down to rest and sleep, while waiting for orders. Anderson's Division was the rear division of the army and Armistead's Brigade was the rear of the division, so that, with their arrival, General Lee had his whole army at hand. History lias described the second battle of Manassas. It has told how JacksOn, by his grand flank march, placed himself in rear of General Popes army and intercepted his retreat upon Washington; how Pope attacked him on the.2iuh of August but was repulsed with overwhelming loss; how Jackson maintained his position with his right resting on the W^arrenten. turnpike, along which General Tee was advancing with Longstreets corps to reinforce him ; how General Tee formed his army in the shape of a letter V, with Jackson's corps on the left and Tongstreet's on the right, and when Pone, on the morning of 30th, advanced to renew the attack -upon Jackson, Tongstreet's corps struck his tiank. it has recorded .also the important part which Andersons Division of Longstreet's corps played in that great battle. It held the enemp in check until the time had arrived for a general advance along the whole line, when it joined in the grand rush of infantry and artillery, and the Federal lines in its front were swept out of existence. Guns, flags, stores and innumerable prisoners fell into its possession. During the battle Arinistead's Brigade had orders to support Mahone's Brigade of the same division, which was in the front line, but Mahone's Brigade never faltered, it made a grand charge that day and covered itself with glory, and therefore Armistead's Brigade had no opportimity to get into the front line but followed it in reserve. The brigade was not an actual participant in the' battle to the extent of en- gaging the enemy, though it was continuously exposed to the fire oi the Federal artillery and lost a number of men, among them Private Lewis Whitfield, of the Portsmouth Rifles, Co, G, 9th Va. lie was from .North Carolina, and was attending school at the \ irginia Collegiate Institute in Portsmouth when the war broke our, and as several of his school friends joined t.}\Q Rifles he joined that company also. He was killed by a shell, which tore away one of Ids hips. Armistead's Brigade and the 0th Regiment with it. moved on w*th the army into Maryland, took part in the investment and capture of Harper's Ferry, which surrendered September 14th, 108 NOMFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. with 12,000 prisoners ami 73 guns, and at 4 p. in. on the 15th started to rejoin General Lee. who was concentrating Ms army at Sharp-burg. The regiment crossed the Potomac into \ irginia. made a detour through JeJIersou coiOuVy, reero^sed the Rotoniac at Shepherdtown and reached the hat tie Held at Sharpsbu.rg at 9 a. in. on the 17th, in time Id take part in the repulse of Sumner's corps, which was pressing heavily upon the Confederate left and left centre. General Lee in this battle, with 35,0<>i) men, held hi- ground all day ami repulsed General McClellairs assaults, with §0,000 men. and held possession of the battle held. General MeOlellan made u<> attempt to renew the battle the next day and as General Lee had nearly exhausted his supply of ammunition and was far from his base of supplies, he decided to fallback into Virginia. The 0th Virginia remained mi the held until 3 p. in. on the 18th, when it fell hack to the Potomac, reerossed ar Shep- Iierdtowii and was retained on picket duty on the banks of the river en the Virginia side. The army marched by easy stages to Fredericksburg, the 9th Virginia arriving there on the 20th of November and remained in the lines until the 13th of December in momentary expectation of an attack by the Federal army, then under General Buriiside, who had succeeded General MeOlellan. On that day was fought the battle of Fredericksburg. Buriiside crossed his army over -the Rappahannock river on the 12th. and early on the morning of the 13th advanced to turn the Confeder- ate right under Jackson, hut was driven back. Latin- assaults by ConcE's and /"Wilcox's corps and one division of Hooker's corps upon the Confederate centre under Lmigstreet. were easily re- pulsed witii heavy slaughter among the attacking columns. The 9th Virginia was in the Confederate line of battle but as the battle was fought mi the defensive by General Lee and the enemy did not assail that part of the lines, they were more spectators than actual participants in the battle. A little to the right of the po- sition held, by the 9th Virginia, a brigade of Federals had secured a position ina railroad cut or an excavation of a similar character, but the 57th North Carolina Regiment, commanded by Colonel Archibald C. (rod win. of Portsmouth, (afterward promoted to Brigadier-General and killed in Early's campaign in the Valley) made a gallant charge upon them and drove them out. The Regiment remained in the vicinity of Fredericksburg until tliki 10th of February, 1S63, when the movement of Pickett's and Hood's Divisions, under Longstreet, towards Suffolk was begun. Shortly before then Arinistead's Brigade had been taken from Anderson's Division and put in the Division of Virginia troops. under General Pickett. The Regiment broke camp near Freder- icksburgmou the Ixth and on the evening of the loth reached ETa never Junction, that night snow fell to the depth of about mn inches and the men were marched ten miles fchroiurh it. On THE NINTH VIRGINIA UEGIMMNT. 109 the night of the 18th a deluge of rain came down, and the 19th witnessed them wading through slush and nlud about knee dee}), through Richmond and Manchester, into Chesterneld county". On tile. 20th they reached Chester Station and went into camp, remaining there until the 1st of March, as the ground was cov- ered with show all the time. On the 1st of March the regiment moved on through Petersburg, where it remained until the 26th, and then pushed ahead to the vicinity of Suffolk. Here an at- tack was made on the enemy, who were driven hack to the/town, and the Portsmouth and Norfolk county boys in Pickett's Divi- sion were in high spirits, hoping that the army would keep on to Portsmouth and they aoukt once more meet their families and friends, hut the object of General Longstreet's movement there was to collect provisions, and after accomplishing that object, he returned with his army, Flood's and Pickett's Divisions, to; the Smain army of General Lee. - lie reached Manchester May 16th. Armisteads Brigade was in camp near Hanover Junction from May 18th to June 8-dj when it was sent to King William county to meet a raiding party of Federal cavalry which was reported to be advancing in that direction, returning to Hanover Junction on the 7th. On the Sth the brigade started on the march for Penn- sylvania. The 0th Regiment marched through the counties of Caroline. Spottsylvania. Orange, Culpepper, Faiumier, Loudoun, Clarke, Jefferson and Berkley, crossed the Potomac river at AYil- liamsport on the 25th, ami at -1 o'clock p. m. on the 2d of July, went into camp within Jive miles of Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania. There had been heavy righting that day between the enemy and the corps of A. P. Hill and Ewe!! and part of Longstreet's and it was felt that the 3d would be decisive of great events. The division (Pickett's) moved forward from camp at 3 a. m. on the 3d, and after being halted twice on the road, reached the battle field at If) o'clock ami remained drawn \\\) in line, under the shelling of the Federal artillery until •'> p. m., when it was ordered t< » st< >rm the entrenched position held by the enemy, on the top of Cemetery II ill. Tins charge has become historic; Pickett's Division of three brigades- -Kemper's, Carnert's and Anui>tead's, and numbering 4..~>no men, rank and tile, after lying h>r live horn's under a burning July sun, exposed to the shelling df the Federal batteries, marched at ordinary fpiiok step more than three-quarters of a mile across an open held, up the hill to a stone wall, behind which lay more than ten thousand Federal Hoops and sixty pieces of artillery, which wor^ playing upon them as they ad\anced, drove the gunners from their cannon and the infantry from the wail, captured the position and hundreds of prisoners at an immense sacrifice of lire. ami. looking hack over nearly a mile of open Held for Hood's and MvLaws' Divisions .. which were expected to support them, found that neither had started. Somebody had blundered. 110 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1801-5, Colonel Walter II. Taylor, General Lee's Adjutant General, in brs admirable .work, "Four Years with General Lee,*5 lays tlie blame on General Longstreet for keeping back those two divis- ions, as it was General Lee's order that they should support Pickett's charge-. It is due to General Longstreet to say that he denies having received any order to that effect, and held the two divisions to repel an anticipated Federal attack on his right : but as General Meade was fiyrhtins a defensive battle entirely* there seems to have been no reasonable ground for sue!) an apprehen- sion. However, the fact remains that those of Pickett's men who escaped the showers of grape, canister and leaden hail, and reached the stone wall, found themselves nearly a mile from any reinforcements, while more than three-fourths of the army re- mained idle spectators of their devotion, with every general of brigade and nearly every held officer of lower grade killed or dis- abled from wounds and with no one left to assume direction of affairs, while the enemy was concentrating against them a force ten times their number. They held the captured works and a number of prisoners for about twenty minutes when, finding themselves about to be surrounded and knowing that to remain there meant death or captivity, for half of General Meade's army was moving against them, the men bewail to retire. Some got back safely to their own lines, but they wt've few. Only three brigades were in the charge. Generals Armistead and Garnett were killed and General Kemper severely wounded. Colonel duo. C. Owens, ot Portsmouth, commanding the y-tli Virginia, Mas mortally wounded and died in the held hospital about 2 o'clock that night; Colonel J. G. Hodges, of Ports- mouth, commanding the 14th Virginia, was killed. Lieutenant- Ooloin 1 Phillips, of the 9th, and Lieutenant-Colonel White, of the 14th. ot Norfolk' county, were wounded, and Major Richard- son, of Portsmouth, of the 9th Virginia, was captured. Adju- tant John S. jenkens. of Portsmouth, of the Pith, was killed, and, of the ofticers of the live Port>mourh and two Norfolk comity companies in the charge, Lieutenants Guy, Company P, and Mitchell, Company 11. 3d Virginia, and ^Niemeyer, Company I, yth Virginia, were killed, and Captain Hodges and Lieutenant White, of Company A, 3d Virginia, Lieutenants Vermillion, Company I, Tonkin and Gale. Company G, and Iludgins and Robinson, Company K, 9th Virginia were wounded, and Captains Whitehead. Company 1L 3d Virginia, Allen, Company lv, Crocker, Company L and Weaver, Comptny I ), '.'rh Virginia, and lieutenants Gary, Company A, Gleasuu, Company P, ->d Vir- ginia, and Lewis, Company G. Uth Virginia, were captured. Of eighteen commissioned nilieers who were in the charge with tlie seven Portsmouth, and Norfolk eount\ companies, only one - - Lieut. Itichard Vermilliou-^-escaped. Three were killed, seven TUB NINTH VIRGINIA MEGMkNT. Ill were wounded and seven were captured. Adjutant Crocker, of the I .. 9th, of Bortsinouthj was captured ; Lieutenants Guy mid Mitchell were killed by the shelMng, previous to the advance; Sergeant Robert A. Hutcbi&gs, of Company B, of Portsmouth; caught up the colors of tlie 3d Virginia, when Color Sergeant Gray, of Dinwiddie county was shot, and carried them to the stone wall, and Joshua Grimes, of Company I, of Norfolk county, was ensign of the 9th Virginia and carried the colors of that regi- ment to within twenty yards of the wall when he was severely wounded and fell, but Corporal Lemuel II. Williams, of the Portsmouth Kirle>, Company G. picked them lip and carried them to the stone wall where he was killed. General Armistead led the charge of kis brigade on foot, with his hat on the point of Ins sword, and had scaled the stone wall and stood beside a cap- tured cannon, with his hand resting on it. when he was killed by a musket balk Colonel Owens of the 9th Virginia, was shot through the groin with a musket ball before the line reached the stone wall, and was carried oil the field. Company A, the Dis- mal Swamp Rangers, under Captain Thomas AL Hodges, was in the skirmish line in front of the 3d. Virginia, and though two of its commissioned ollicers were wounded, none were kilted outright. Swinton, who is the fairest of all the Northern historians of the war, gives a very graphic account of the charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg in his "Army of the Potomac," though he falls into the error of all of the Northern writers in greatly exaggerating the strength of the Confederates, lie fixes the strength of the attacking force at 1-5,000, and yet say* -"its front was so narrow that it did not cover more than two of ■ the -incom- plete divisions of the 2d corps, numbering some 6,000 men. This inconsistency should have been apparent to the author. Pickett's .Division numbered 4,500 men and Hetlrs Division could net have been much larger, and 1.5,000 Confederates would have over-lapped 6*000 Federals. With this exception, his ac- count of the charge is very fair for an opponent, lie says: "As.; Pickett's Division of Longstreefs corps had reached the ground during the morning, it was appointed to lead the van. Pickett formed his division in double line of battle, with Kemp- er s and Garnett's Brigades in front and Armistead's Brigade supporting, while on the right of Pickett was one brigade of Hill's corps, under General Wilcox, formed in column by battal- ions; ami on his left, Heth's Division (also of I i ill's corps), under General Pettigrew. The attacking force numbered about fifteen thousand men, and it advanced over the intervening .-pace <>t near a mile in such compact and iihposing order that, whether friend or foe, none who saw it could refrain from admiration of it's magnificent arras. J : i« hostile iirre, as it advanced, covered a front of not more than two of the reduced and incomplete divis- 112 NORFOLK COUNTY, iffll+5. ions of the second corps, numbering, it may he, seme six thou- sand men. YVhile crossing the plain it received a severe fire of artillery which, however, did not delay for a moment its deter- mined advance, so that the column pressing on came within musketry range, the troops evincing a striking disposition to withhold their tire until it could be delivered with deadly effect. The first opposition it received was from two regiments of Stan- nard's Vermont Brigade of the first corps, which had been posted in a small grove to the left of the second corps in front of and at a considerable angle with the main line. These regiments opened upon the right flank of the enemy's advancing lines. which received also an oblique tire from eight batteries under Major IMcGilvray. This caused the Confederate troops on that fink to double in a little towards their left, but it did not stay their onward progress. As, during the tramp of the enemy across the intervening plain, the rifled guns had fired away all their canister, they were withdrawn or left on the ground inac- tive, to await tlie issue of the impending shock between the two masses of infantry — a shock momentarily expected — for the as- sailants approached steadily while the Union force held itself braced to receive the impact. When at length the hostile lines had approached to between two and three hundred yards, the di- visions of Hays and < ribbon of t\\ be now vain, abandoned the position : and the Confederates, detect- ing this wavering, rushed over the breastworks, Greueral Armis- tead leading, and crowned the stone wall with their standard. ■. THE XIXTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 11 The moment was as critical as can well be conceived ; but happily the regiments that had been holding this front line did not, on falling back, do so in panic; so that, by the personal bravery of General \^Tebb and his officers1, they were iniinediately rallied and reformed on the rear of the brigade, which held the second line behind the crest, and Hancock instantly drew to- gether troops to make a bulwark against any further advance of the now exultant enemy. ".'As tlie hostile front of attack was unite narrow, it* left Han- cock's left wing uiiasstirled. From there lie drew over the brigades ef Halfaild Harrow. * " " The 19th- Massachusetts Regiment * * * Gallon's 42d New Tork Be^inient. * * Wliile Colonel Stannard moved two regiments of his Vermont Brigade to strike the enemy on the rightnank. These movements were quickly executed. * * * The breach Was covered, and in such force that in regular formation, the line would have stood four ranks deep, "Whatever valor could do to wrest victory from the jaws of hell, that it must be conceded, the troops of Pickett had done, but n<>w, seeing themselves in a desperate straight, they flung themselves on the ground to escape the hot tire and th.rewup their hands in token of surrender, while the renin ant sought safety in flight. - ':':" The Confederate loss in killed and wounded was severe. Of the three brigade commanders of Pickett's Division, G-arnett was killed. Arniistead fell fatally wounded within the Union lines, and Kemper was borne olf, severely hint, in addi- tion it left behind fourteen of its field officers, and onlv a single «»ne of that rank escaped unhurt, while of the rank and tile, three- fourths were dead or captives. ■•" - But this illustrious victory was not purchased without severe price paid, and (bis was sadly attested in the thousands of dead and wounded that lay on the plain. The loss or' officers was again especially heavy, and among the wounded were Generals (-ribbon and Hancock.'' After their repulse, Pickett's Division retired t<» their camp of the night before and remained there until tln> army started on its return to Virginia. General Meade succeeded in resisting Gen- eral Lee's clients to dislodge him from his advantageous position; hut General Lee's army was not' beaten. Me remained in front "f Gettysburg all of the next day to give General Meade an op- portunity tv. attack him. but that officer was content with having si'ieceeded in repelling the assault upon himself, mid had no idea of leaving hi- Jbrtitied position to attack the Confederates, Gen- eral Lee, nmiing that Genera! Meade would not attack him, and having nearly exhausted id- supply of artillery ammunition, the armv fell back to tiie Potomac 'river at Wilh'anisport, Pickett's 1 M vision, being assigned ike uwiy of guarding ike thousands of j i'lMincrs who were captured in the brittle. 114 NORFOLK COUNTY, ISO 1-5. When the army reached Williamsport, the river was swollen so high from recent rain-, that it was not fordable, and the army re- mained there from the Sth to the 13th of duly, by which time a bridge had been constructed, and the army crossed over on it. All of this time General Meade kept his army at a respectful distance, sending forward occasionally a force of cavalry to try to gather up a wagon train or a few stragglers. \\ hile in Williams- port, the 9th Regiment was doing provost duty, and the boys had excellent sleeping accommodations. On the IStli of August the brigade, then commanded by Colonel Aylett, of the 53d regiment, camped at Gordonsvitie, and on the 7th of September was ordered to Richmond, arriving there at night on tlie 12th aitd immediately took the cars for Petersburg. That day the brigade marched twenty->dx miles and traveled twenty-two mile.- on the cars. From that time to the following June, it was hurried from place to place to head oft raiding parties of the enemy, which were making their appearance at different point- from Richmond to Goldsboro, On the 6th of October the brigade was sent by rail to Kinston, ;N. C, and on the 14th placed in very comfortable winter quarters near that town, but on the 1st of November it was moved hack to Petersburg. On the 7th it was sent back to WeMon, and from there' to G'arysbnrg, arriving at v' a. m. on the Sth. It remained there until the 11th, when it was carried back to Petersburg. On the 2Sth it started to rejoin the army of General Lee. then confronting General Meade at Mine Run, reached Hanover Junction the next day at S a. m. and went into camp. On the 10th of December it was again sent by rail to North Carolina and on tlie 13th went again into the camp of Oc- tober near Kinston. On the Smli of January, 1864, the brigade moved on towards Newberne and on tine 1st of February formed line of. battle and had a small engagement with the enemy, driving in tlie pickets, eve, which was merely intended to employ the force there to pre- vent it from interfering with the movement of a portion of t\\i' army which was operating elsewhere. On the afternoon of tlie *Jd the brigade broke camp for Kinston. and on tlie 13th took the cars for Petersburg, crossed James river on the loth on a .pontoon bridge above Drurv's Bluff and camped in Henrico county two miles to the east of Richmond; In February two raiding parties of Federal cavalry started towards Richmond, one from the di- rection of Fortress Monroe, under General Wister, which got no further than Bottom's bridge, ami the other under General Kil- patriek and Gokmel Dahlgreii, from General Meade's armyon the fcapidau. On the 1st of March the ■$ tli Regiment was marched to Bottom's bridge, thence to the Virginia Central railroad to head oil Kilpatrick, who was operating there, but escaped,, and at nieji'" to the Aleehaniovilie turnpike to try and head off iJahlgren, Who THE NINTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT 115 luul readied the vicinity of Iliclrmond that afternoon about sun- down and had been attacked and defeated by the 3d Battalion of Virginia Reserves, under command of Senior Captain John A. MeAneniy, and attached to the brigade of General Curtis Lee, on the Westham plank road about three miles froni the city. In this battalion was a. company of hoys from Richmond, whose ages ranged from sixteen to eighteen, under command of Captain Ed- ward Gay, and they displayed the courage of old veterans. The author saw one of them bringing in a Yankee prisoner, about twice hi> own size, whom he had captured, though himself sutier- ing from a wound in the arm. Though this aiiair ha- n<> direct connection with the history of the 9tlt Regiment, hut a.- it was of considerable importance in its results, though comparatively insignificant in itself, and for this reason has been overlooked, or merely touched upon in the histo- ries of the war, the aiithor asks the indulgence of the reader in giving his recollection of it as it appeared to him. lie was at the time, temporarily with Company A. commanded by Captain John Manico, a gallant fellow from Xew Orleans, who came to Vir- ginia with the Washington Artillery and was wounded at. Manas- sas, disabled and discharged. On the 28th of February General Kilpatriek left General Meade's army on the Rapidan with between three and four thou- sand cavalrymen, for Richmond, to capture the city and release the Federal prisoners who were confined in Libbv Prison and on Belle tsle. At Spotsylvania Court House the force divided, and Colonel Dahlgren with five hundred picked men, pushed on towards the James river above Richmond, while the main body, under Kil- patriek, headed directly 1;\>v the city, reaching the north side of it on the 1st of March. The interposition of Armistead's Brigade^ of which the l)th Regiment formed a part, stopped his further progress in that direction, aim he escaped down the peninsula to Fortress Monroe. Dahlgren pursued his Course towards James River, reached it near Goochland Court 1 louse, and then followed the course. -of the river towards Richmond, reaching x)iQ vicinity of the city, on the west, the same day. March 1st. that Kilpatriek had arrived, but later in the afternoon. A considerable force had by that time been collected around the city for it.- defence. Xews reached Richmond of the approach of Dahlgren's party and the 3d Bat- talion, CiiS'tis Lee's Brigade, was sent to meet it. The battalion left the city about 4 o'clock p. m. and marched rapidly out the Westham plank road. The battalion Was composed of seven or eighteompankts and Ti's 1 alxnit four hundred men present in its raider. The rain was pouring down in torrents, but die mew were ut la* hot of spirits, a.- if rhej Were going to a frolic instead of a 116 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S6 1-5. light. First .Lieutenant Morris, a brave young North Carolinian, 2nt the 3d battalion. Had that failed in its duty, the ten or twelve thi'UTsand prisoners might have been releaseo, though the subsequent: arrival of other troops Would have been in rime to have kept him out of the City. Captain A. E. Wilson, of Portsmouth, was on duty in King and Queen county at the rime of this affair and recovered from the prisoners about two bushels of silver plate which they had Stolen from Virginia farm houses while on their raid. The '.ith Regiment remained in the vicinity of Richmond a]] the month of March; On the ~S>\(\ there was a terrible storm and kkrhe beautiful -now ■' fell to the depth of eighteen inches. and in A[>rii the bottom seemed to have dropped out of the Confed- erate eommissarv department. The men in the 9th had nothing to eat on the StJi or 9th. The next day, however, brought relief and rations. On the 3d of ^fay the brigade starter] to join General Lee's army on the Rapidan. and on the 5th had readied Taylorsville, on the Richmond. -Frederkhsburg and Potomac Railroad, when it was recalled in haste to Richmond to meet Butler's advance from Bermuda Hundreds, where lie had landed with the corps of Gen- erals Gilraore and W. F. Smith, numbering some thirty thousand men. Arriving in Richmond by rail, the brigade was immedi- ately transported b\ steamer to Drury's Bluff and marched to the outer line of defences. On the Sth the brigade was drawn up in line of buttle, the men about live feet apart and covering a space of three miles. May 10th Armistead's Brigade and Grade's Alabama Brigade formed an attenuated line of battle reaching from the Petersburg railroad to the river ami actvanced against the enemy to develop his strength and position, Armistead's Brigade attacked two lines of battle of the enemy and pushed them back for nearly a mile, when Grade*- Brigade having obliqued to the left, a large interval was created on the left of Armistead's Brigade, and as it was about to be flanked there by the tncreasing masses of the enemy, General Barton, who commanded it. ordered it to retire. In this battle the 9th Regiment captured a gun on the turnpike, but when the brigade fell back it was? left behind, as there were no horses to bring it off; This affair served to keep General Butler qtiiet for a few day-, ami as Sheridan was then in the vi- cinity of Richmond ^-m Iris gigantic raid with three cavalry divis- ions, Armi>tead's B igade was moved from Druryes Bluff -by Reamer at 1 o'clock on The morning of the 12th m Richmond. ^aendan had repulsed Stuart' s attack at Yellow Tavern and killed 118 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. that great cavalry Leader on the 11th, and on the 12th reached the outer defences of the city. At 9 a. in., on the |2feh, Armi- stead's Brigade fbrined line of battle on the Mecbanicsville turn- pike, and during the day was moved, to the Meadow Bridge Road and hack to the kfeciianiesville turnpike and to the ^ ork River Railroad. Graeie's Aiahaiita Bri.ga.de made an advance early in the afternoon to fee1) Sheridan's position and retired to wait for re-enforcements. These arrived later in the day and an advance was made by Grade's, Armistead's and lluntoifs Brigades, hut Sherida.ii had moved off. While Sheridan was on the Meadow Bridge Road an incident occurred which made a deep impression on the memory oi the author. There was a farm house down the road about a quarter of a mile from the (Confederate works arid Sheridan had placed there a battery of field guns which was tiring at the Confederate works, and a battery in the works across the road was replying. While this artillery duel was going on, a tall, elderly gentleman, carrying in his arms a two or thr< e-year-old child and accompa- nied by two beautiful young ladies, one of whom was leading a little six or seven-year-old girl by the hand, came down the side of the road along a path inside the- bordering fence, walking quietly to the Confederate lines. Upon reaching the works the men helped them over. They lived in the house where Sheridan had placed his battery, and in coming along the sid,e of the road paid no more attention to the shells which were flying past them than if they had been sno&v balls. Sheridan effected his retreat in safety to the Pamunky river, where he rejoined General Grant, and. in the meantime. Butler having been encouraged to make another attempt to reach Rich- mond, advanced from Bermuda Hundreds. The brigade was moved to Drury's Bluff on the 15th, and the next day took part in what is known in history as the Battle of Drury's Bluff. It resulted in a victory for the Confederates, and would have been more decisive still but for the failure of General Whiting to ad- vance with ins division to attack the left ami rear of the enemy, as ordered by General Beauregard. This failure on his part to attack, left open the line of retreat for the enemy, of which he availed himself and fell back within the fortifications at Bermuda Hundreds. In this battle the brigade was commanded by Colonel B. D. Fry. of the loth Alabama Regiment, who was assigned to it by General Robert Ransom, under whose orders it was acting. General Ransom preferred charges against General Barton for some fault he found with him in the action of the 10th and re- I moved him from his command. A correspondence ensued in relation to the matter in which General Barton got the better oi it, and evQry officer of the brigade signed a petition re the Sec- retary of War asking that he be re-instated. A court of inquiry THE NINTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 119 was ordered, but its delays were so numerous that rite war ended befor the matter was settled, and in the nteauthne/GeneraJ George II. Stewart was ordered to command it August 27th, 1864. Gen- eral Barton had been assigned feu the brigade in 1863, after the death of General Armistead at Gettysburg* General Barton, m ImoMmkl report of the I. Oth of May, pays a hfc*h compliment to the 0th Regiment for their steadiness and j^ood conduct on that occasion. On the 16th the battle was begun while a heavy fog was on the ground and Barton's Brigade was ordered to support Hoke's Pforth Carolina Brigade, bur owing to the fog liokeV Brigade ohliqued to the right and Barton's obliqued to the left, which brought the 9th Regiment under a very heavy and destructive lire of the enemy, to which they did not reply, thinking Hoke's Brigade was in their front. They were ordered to lie down* which they did. until a flanking force from the bri- gades turned the enemy's right and captured those in front of the !*tii. The fog lifting at tins Time disclosed the fact that Hoke's Brigade had moved off to the right. The Oth Regiment pressed on to Bermuda Hundreds alter the retreating Federals, and on 10th the brigade was ordered to join the main army, then near Spotsylvania Court House. It. took steamer at Drnry's Blufi and reached Richmond at midnight, where the whole brigade slept on the streets <>n the pavement. The next day they took the ears for Milfdrd Station, where they debarked, pushed on, and -camped within five miles of Spotsylvania Court House. On the night .of the 20th Grant moved off from Spotsylvania Court House, and Armistead^s Brigade, now Stewart's, and again united with Pickett's Division, was marched towards Hanover .1 unction. The whole of the division had gotten together again. ( hi the '24th the brigade was in line of battle on the Xorth Anna river, and fronted the enemy in his unsuccessful effort to force a passage there, and remained ii position until the 27th. when the army moved off to (/old Harbor, in consequence of another move- ment of General Grant to the left. On the 30th it was again drawn up in line of battle and had a heavy engagement on the picket line, and on the l>t. 2d. 3d, 4th and .3th of June, was in line of battle at Cold Harbor waiting for an attack from the ene- my which never came. Ilv made heavy assaults on l>t and 3d. upon other portions of the hue and was repulsed easily, losing about thirteen thousand men in less than fifteen minutes. On the 6th. Company G. 9th Regiment, was sent forward to try to establish a new picket line, but finding-the ground occupied by a superior force of the enemy, fell back to the old line, and on »ie 1.0th the division crossed over dames river on pontoons at Orary's Blaf. and at 3 p. m., while on the Richmond and Peters- burg two-pike near Chester Station, the head of the column, — < Tart's Brigade, was tired upon by the enemy, who proved to 120 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861+5. be Bnfler^s forces, who had asrain started out from Bermuda Hundreds. Line of buttle was formed immediately and the^enemy were attacked and driven froin a line of earthworks, the (tivision spending the uight hi the. captured wVu'ks. On the 17th the at- tack was renewed and Butler was again driven back behind his eutreuclmi'-uN at kku-muda Hundreds, frutn which he did nut again emerge during the war. Pickett's Division remained on the lilies in front of Bernmda Hundreds until March 2-tlthj I §('».>, when it was moved off to the extreme right of the army to cheek the advance of Sheridan V Cavalry. Three -brigades of the divi- sion, Stewart's, Terry's and Worse's < Hun tons' was somewhere else) struck Sheridan's command at Dinwiddle Court House and drove it before them. This was the 81st of March, and the next morning while they were lighting Sheridan in front, Warren's and Humphrey's corps of Federal infantry, attacked them iiiflankand rear. The 0th Regiment was marched to the left and thrown in reverse to try to stop the flood and bore the brunt of Warrens charge. It stood its ground, however, until it was overwhelmed. The enemy came on faster than the men could load and fire, and most of the 9th Regiment being killed, wounded or surrounded. fell into tlic hands of the enemy. The colors of the 9th Regi- ment were bourne in this battle by George W. Barnes, of the Old Dominion Guard, Company IC, and the regiment was in the form of a letter L. with one side fronting out from the left of the Confederate line of battle and the oilier fronting to the rear. Very few of the men escaped front Five Forks, and those who did, were caught in a similar trap at Savior's Creek on the 6th. While the 9th Regiment, which was taken from the centre of the brigade in line of battle, was hurrying to the left to try to stay the progress of Warren's and Humphrey's Corps, it passed the 50th Korth Carolina Regiment; of Ransom's Brigade, com- manded by Lieutenant-Colonel G. G. Luke, an old Portsmouth boy, and the Portsmouth companies in the 9th recognizing him, gave him a cheer, and George Barnes, the color-bearer, knowing as every other man in the line did, that the regiment was being sent as a sacrifice to gwe time to the others to escape, sang out: "Here goes old Portsmouth, Colonel — good-bye!'5 Swinton, in his Army of the Potomac, speaking of this effort to stop the movement of Warren's Corps upon Pickett's left and rear, says : "Held as in a vice by the cavalry, which controlled their whole front and right, they now found a line of battle sweeping down on their rear. Thus placed, they did all that men may. Form- ing front both north and south, they met, with desperate valor. this double onset. ■* f - * Yet, vital in all of its part-. what remained still continued the eonrbat with Unyielding met.;!. Parrying the thrusts of the cavalry from the front, this poor THE NINTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 121 scratch of a force throw back its loft in a new and short crotchet, so as to meet the advance of Warren." Pickett's have of six thousand contended with twelve thousand cavalrymen under Sheridan and twenty^two thousand infantry in the two corns of Warren and Humphreys. Xearlv all of the men in the 9th who escaped at rive Forks were killed or captured at Savior's Creek, and very few wore left to surrender at Appomattox, except those who were with the wagons, or in the commissary or hospital departments, these being necessarily in the rear and not usually participating in the battles, escaped in the general destruction. The regiment was engaged in the following battles, besides numerous skirmishes and picket f lights: Seven Pines, June 1st, 1862, Suffolk, April, 1803, Malvern Hill, July 1st, 1802, Gettysburg, July :3d, 1803, VYarrenton Springs, Aug. 2Sthj Xewberne, Feb. 4th, 1861, 1862, Drurvs Bluff, May loth, 180-1, Second Manassas, Aug. 30th, Drury's Bluff, May 16th, 1864, (16.62, Chester Station, June 16th, .?6A, Harper's Ferry. Sept. 11th, Dinwiddie Court House, March 1862, » 31st, 1865, Sharpsburg, Sept. 17th, 1862, Five Fork-. April 1st, 1£T65, . Fredericksburg, Dec. 13th, '62, Savior's Creek, April 6jth> 1865. It was engaged also in the numerous skirmishes, which might almost be termed battles, at Hanover Court House, Cold Harbor and Turkey Ridge, from May 28th to June 13th; 1S64, while General Lee was holding General Grant at bay, and had a mtni- ; her of minor engagements with the enemy While Oil tUq line at Bermuda Hundreds. An amusing incident occurred while at this latter place. By a mutual understanding between the men on both sides, there had been an intermission of picket firing for several weeks, when, one day, a Federal soldier called out from his sale, "Johnnie, look out to-morrow:, there will be negro troops on jacket." The answer went back, *4 All right, we'll iix them." The next day, sure enough, the negroes were observed holding the advanced line, and with a yell, they were charged by the Confed- erates. They scattered and ran as if an avenging angel was after them. Later, white troops were sent to the front and the friendly feeling between the opposing pickets was restored. That was the last attempt to put negro pickets on that line. Lieutenant-Colonel Phillips recoveredfrom his wound receivedat Gettysburg, was promoted to Colonel, and commanded the regi- ment until the closing scenes on the retreat from Petersburg. Major Richardson, who was captured at Gettysburg, was not ex- change.!. He was p; ,roled just before t\\v close of the war, but not h;iviiig been ex-hanged, was not with the regiment in its Coding struggles. 122 NORFOLK. COUNTY, 1861-5. MALVERN HILL. The following is the official report of LieutenanfcColonel James Gilliam, who commanded the 9 tit Ilegimeiit at the battle of Malvern Hill. It will he remei.rihered that only seven compa- nies of the regiment were present in that affair. Companies A, I) and II hail been detached and placed in batteries in the forti- fications around Richmond : Frazikr's Farm, Xeak Richmond, Ya., July 2d, 1862. Sir. — I beg leave to submit the following report of the action of the Or h Virginia Regiment during the battle of July 1st: On the morning of July 1st we left the Charles City road in pursuit of the enemy and arrived about 10 a. m. at this farm. We were first left to guard the road to prevent a flank movement of the enemy, and for two hours were exposed to a most appall- ing and incessant artillery fire, and, notwithstanding the terror of its ras'e, my officers and men behaved with great coolness- and gallantry. About 5 o'clock we were ordered to change our position and take post in rear of and to support an artillery battery, and, in about Thirty minutes afterwards, were ordered to charge the ene- my's battery, supporting Cobb's Brigade, and it is but just to say that no regiment ever charged with more impetuosity. On they went with utmost speed amid the deadly lire of musketry and artillery. Having a force in our front interfering with our lire we, by an obliq-ue to the right, came within good musket range of the opposing lines of the enemy and poured in upon them volley after volley until night closed the scene. Where all behaved so well, the mention of individual acts might seem to be invidious, but justice demands that I should call your attention to the acts of Captain J. T. Ivilby, Company I, who. amid the fire of the enemy, seized a flag of some regi- ment that had been broken and tried to rally its scattered rem nants and bring them against the foe, and while thus acting the- flag staff was .-hot from his hand. Of Captain James J. Phillip-, who, after our color bearer was shot down and its guard scattered, preserved the colors of his regiment and saved it from the dishonor of leaving its colors on the held and restored them, still to wave in their proper place. Of lieutenant James F. Crocker, Adju- tant of the 9th Regiment, who received several severe if not mortal wounds iu bravely leading the regiment in front of it- colors, encouraging the men by his bold and gallant bravery. And I might, indeed, mention every officer in the field as having done their duty nobly, not only in this fight, hut in all the hard duty that we have had to undergo m the last thirty days. In closing my report, 't is with feelings of the deepest regret that we have to number among our fallen brave the names ol I THE NINTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 123 !•.'■■ - Captain Dennis TerjnillioTi, Company K, and Second Lieutenant C. M, Cozier of Company I. These brave and gallant officer^ fell bravely fighting for their homes and firesides, martyrs to vandal tyranny; but a gratef ill country wrii] cherish their sacrifice and preserve their memory. Below you will please find a duplicate report of the casualties in my regiment, which you will discover to be quite large, since it carried not exceeding one hundred and fifty effective fighting men on the field, Killed — Two officers and 7 enlisted men, wounded 1 officer and 33 enlisted men, missing 23 enlisted men. Recapitulation — Killed 9, wounded 34. missing 23 : total, 66. Believing that my regiment did its duty faithfully, I cherish the hope that we shall meet your kind approval. I have the lienor to be your obedient servant, J as. S. Gilliam, Lieutenant Colonel Commanding 9th Va. Regiment. Brigadier General A km; stead, Commanding Fourth Bi igade. During the night McClellan abandoned Malvern Hill and re treated to Harrison's Landing. General Wright, in his official report of the nattle, says his brigade' was ordered by General Armistead to follow his (Arinisteacrs) brigade in a charge upon the enemy's works ar Malvern Hill, and lie went because General Armistead ordered him to do so, though he felt it was an im- proper move to charge one hundred guns and twenty-five thousand men with two brigades not exceeding in numbers twenty-rive hundred men. General Magruder's management of affairs after his arrival upon the field does not seem to have been more judi- cious than that which preceeded. Charges were made by single brigades and sometime.- by separate regiments. The Confederate artillery was badly managed. Instead of massing there severity- five or eighty guns. Grimes" battery was sent in first and disa- bled, then Moorman's was put in with a like result, and then Legranrs. The official reports of the Brigadier Generals make no mention of General linger being on the field, and that officer disclaimed any responsibility for the way the battle was fought. In his official report he said : "As the different brigades of my division were sent forward into the battle of Malvern Hill, and I was directed to report them to another commander, though myself present, I was not in com- mand during this battle. A.- I was treated in the same manner at Seven Lines, I can only hope this course was accidental and I required by the necess ties of the service." The report of Bri radier Robert Ransom, who was attached to angers Division for that occasion, throws some light noon the I coudiiion of affairs which left that division without a head on the 124 NORFOLK WUNTY, ISO 1-5. field and led to the disaster at Malvern Hill. General Ransom says : "In this position we remained exposed to the bursting of an occasional shell until about 5 p. m., when a message reached me from General Magrader asking that I would go to his support. The snin-nions was not obeyed, but I sent word to General linger to get instructions. His reply sustained my action. In about half an hour another order from General Magruder arrived. General linger was present, and under his dictation I informed General Magruder that orders to me must come through General linger. The engagement was now very warm and extended along our whole front. At 7 p. m. I received word from General Ma- gruder that lie must have aid, if only one regiment. The mes- sage was so pressing that F at once directed Colonel Clarke to go with his regiment and report to General Magruder, and, at the same time sent my aide-de-camp. Lieutenant Broad- nax, to General linger for orders. Lieutenant Lroadnax brought me somewhat discretionary order-, to go or not, but not to place myself under General Magrader." Major-General D. II. Hill in his official report of the battle says : "The battle of Malvern Hill might have been a complete and glorious success had not our artillery and infantry been fought in detail. * * * Xot withstanding the tremendous odds against ns and the blundering management of the battle, we inflicted heavy loss npon the Yankees;" General Lpngstreet blames General Magruder for it. He says: "It was soon ascertained that the enemy was in position and great force at Malvern Hill. A little after 3 p. m. 1 understood that we would not be able to attack the enemy that day, inasmuch as his position was too strong to admit of it. About 5 o'clock, however, I heard t\ie noise of battle, and soon received a message from General Magnifier calling for reinforcements." The Confederates lost in this blundering affair, 685 killed, 3,444 wounded, and #$8 missing: total, -4,627. Captain John T. Kilby. of Company I. 9th Virginia Regiment, has furnished the author with the following personal recollection of this unfortunate affair* He says : " When we were lying down under the hill, in the ravine, be- fore going into that fatal charge. General Armistead ordered me to send two videttes to the brow of the lull to watch the pro- gress of the battle. The position 'was an exposed one, and I se- lected for the duty Joseph Prentis, a distant relative, and Mills Kiddick, my nephew. In a few minutes Milk Ividdiek re- ported to me that lie thought the enemy was about to advance, and form a new line, which I reported to General Armistead. who reported to General Magruder, who was very near me when he THE NINTH VIRGINIA UEGIMENT. 12o heard the report, and ordered our regiment to charge across the field. 1 was within a few feet of him and heard every worqi he said. lie was in a towering passion and used very profane lan- irnairn. His actions and his language on that occasion left a very decided impression on my mind that General Magrader was quite under the influence of liquor. General Armistead protested against his men being sent into the charge, saying it was down- right murder to have men ordered cut up as our regiment must necessarily be. From the time we entered that ravine, about 3 >. m., until the charge, I was with General Armistead and heard lis protest to General Magnuler in reference to that charge across ihv Held." I Only Forty members of the 9th Regiment remained to surren- der at Appomattox Court House. These were : Captain J. P. Wilson, Jr., Company A, commanding regiment. I Surgeon A. \i. Barry. Quarter Master Sergeant W. B. Butler. company a. company o. Sergeant Reuben Pullin. " John E. Sale. "' Jas. C. Brister, " D. White. Private Marcus A. Clarke, ;i W. J. Oliver, " Marion W. Stern. " A. Savage, " ^L £ Whitehurst. Private James W. Moore. company ii. COMPANY 0 Corporal E. Aiken, II. Chambers. Sergeant Ralph II. Stewart, pinVot« IT n^nnn^ T i ■ m -» r • -t itvute ii. uiemonts, John 1. Mornsett, it u on:PP„ . 1 nvate L. M. Lundie, « lo,.),',] \ Trn),(V1,,ro 1 -* r -ti>«n JtK'Uaio a. 1 1 ai a.\ a\ e. b. M. \v llkerson. « r£ r> yyills. COM i 'ANY D. COMPANY I. I nvate Rufus X. McCoy, Frivate j^ R B ' Jl^/o]hitt^ « Blanch Duncan, " (t- " ■ 3iHl'ri3L « Wash. L. Gwvnn, company f. m Win. J Skeeter. Private James Graham, company k. " James Ritchie.' privato R £ Bilisoh^ company g. « W. B. Collins. Sergeant J. W. Fiendlev, " • T. R. Borland. Private Chas. I). Brownlev, " Jas. Mi Williams. Albert B. Owens," " Ed. Watkins, The original roll is followed in the above list, though there maybe some errors in he initials. The names in this list which Hiv not on the rolls of the separate companies were consciptSj or tntn wiio joined after the evacuation of Portsmouth. CHAPTER XIII. VIRGINIA DEFENDERS, COMPANY C, SIXTEENTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. This company was organized in Portsmouth on the night of the 20th of April. 1861, immediately upon the receipt of Sovernor Letcher's proclamation calling for volunteers. In anticipation of trouble a paper Lad been in circulation for several days prior to that time seeking signatures for the organization of the company, and it culminated that ni -Hit. The following ofKeers were elected ; Captain— Edward T. Manure. First Lieutenant. A. T. Culpepper; 2d lieutenant, John II. Gayle : 3d Lieutenant, Thomas Barraud. First Sergeant. Joseph Sanner; 2d Sergeant, A. S. Watts; 3d Sergeant, J. Thompson Baird ; 4rth Sergeant, William W. Davis. The company was mustered into service at once, a-signedto the 10th Virginia Regiment as Company C and ordered with the reg- iment on duty in the entrenched camp back of Norfolk, leading there rather a quiet life, varied only by an occasional alarm, upon a report that the enemy were endeavoring to effect a landing at Seawell's Point or Wlllonghby's Spit. In April, 1S62, one year after the original muster of the com- pany into service, tho>e of the men who were in camp and had not been detached on other duties, re-enlisted for the war and elected officers. Camp life had produced some dissatisfaction. and all of U\e old officers were not re-elected. Fourth Sergeant Joseph Sanner had in the meantime been transferred to a Mary- land company, and was not with Company C. The following was the result of the new election. Sergeant A. S. Watts was also out of the company, having been elected Sheriff of Forts- mouth ; Captain — Thomas Barraud:. First Lieutenant. John II. Gayle; 2d Lieutenant, A. T. Cul- pepper:; 3d Lieutenant, J. Thompson Baird. First Sergeant, James II. Toomer; 2d Sergeant, William Bay- ton; 3d Sergeant, James II. Richardson..^ 4th Sergeant, Leonard J. King. Upon the evacuation of Portsmouth and Norfolk May 10th, 1862, by the Confederates, Company C moved off with the regi- ment to Petersburg and then to Richmond. While in front of Richmond just before the battle of Seven Pines, the regiment was ordered to the Shenandoah Valley to reinforce General Jackson, but before reaching there the orders were countermanded and it was ordered back to Richmond. Returning by rail by way of Lynchburg, it readied the vicinity of Richmond dune 3d, 1SG2, 126 VIRGINIA DEFENDERS, CO. C, SIXTEENTH VA. EEGT. 127 I two days after the battle of Seven Pines. It was then attached to Mali-one's Brigade and participated in all the battles in winch the brigade was engaged. Captain Thomas Barraud was killed in the battle of Bristpe Station October 14th, 1803, and Lieutenant John II. Gayle was promoted to Captain. Lieutenant A. T. Culpepper resigned in the winter of 1862-3 on account of ill health. Lieutenant J. Thompson Baird was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and lost a leg at Davis' Farm, near Petersburg, August 19th, 1864, and was incapacitated for further service and retired. Sergeant Leonard .1. King was elected 2d Lieutenant to till the vacancy caused by the resignation of Lieutenant Culpepper and the promotion of Lieutenant Laird, and was severely wounded at the battle of the 22(1 of June, 1864, at Wilcox's Farm. First Sergeant, James IL Toomer was appointed Captain in the Corps of Engineers in 1863, and Second Sergeant William Bayton was promoted to 1st Sergeant and held the position until the close of the war j and surrendered at Appomattox. Three of the privates of the company were promoted to the position of Adjutant.- of regiments. These were: John S. Jenkins, Adjutant 14th Virginia, hilled in the charge of Pickett*- Division at Gettysburg. Edward B. Ward, appointed Sergeant Major of the 16th Vir- ginia, promoted to Adjutant, and escaped without a wound. Levin Gayle, appointed Adjutant of the 12th Alabama Regi- ment of Bodes.' Brigade, and wounded Alay 12th, 1S643 at Spot- sylvania Court House. At the second battle of Manassas Martin McCoy of Company G led the charge of the regiment and was from ten to twenty feet in advance of it. It is not necessary to say anything further to establish the rep- utation of a company for galkntry and good conduct during the war than to say ic was in Xlahone's Brigade, for no brigade in the army, not even the famous organization winch Stonewall Jackson inspired with his own indomitable determination ranked higher in the Confederate Army, and among the many conflicts in which it took a prominent part none ranked, higher or deserved more credit than the battle at Crampton Gap, Maryland, September 14th, 186:2, in which four regiments of this brigade, the 0th, 12th, 16th and 41st Virginia < the 61st Virginia had not then joined the brigade:, with about eiedit hundred men, rank and file, held in check Franklin's Corps of 20,000 men and prevented them get- ting up in time to relieve ili^ garrison at Harper's Ferry. The Virginia Defenders, Company C, 16th Virginia Regiment, took an active part in that I); trie. The following account of this battle was prepared for the author by Captain James II. Tooiuer, of loitsmouth, who was, at the time., 1st Sergeant of the company. It contains his recollections of the affair as a participant therein ; ] 28 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. AT THE BATTLE OF CRAMPTON GAP RFCOLLFCTIOXS OF A PARTICIPANT. "On Saturday afternoon, September 13th, 1802, the company was ordered on picket duty and took position on a spur of South Mountain, keeping watch all Saturday night and Sunday morn- ing. About midday we received orders to leave, and after marching some miles were placed in position to defend Crampton Gap, Stallone's Brigade occupying a path at the foot of tiK> mountain, running at right angles to the road from Burkettsville over the mountain. Our company fortunately was placed behind a low stone wall, the two Suffolk companies on our right; and on the other ride of the main road, and the other companies of the regiment on our left. The battle commenced by the enemy placing two Parrott guns on a little eminence just this side of Burkettsville, in order to feel our strength and position. Pretty soon they advanced their skirmishers and followed this tip by a heavy attack of their infantry. Several attempts were made to reach our lines, but we succeeded each time in repulsing them. until, massing their forces, we were *• overwhelmed by superior numbers" and forced to retreat. It was a trying time for the Confederates engaged in that struggle. Our force was only about eight hundred men, while it was said the enemy had twenty thousand, and from our position we could see the immense dis- parity of numbers against us. One of the prettiest sights I ever saw was the charge of one of their regiments against the lines just on our left. It was a large regiment, with very full ranks, and was supposed by us to be the "Pennsylvania Bu-ektails." They came over the held grandly, the officers all in place and cheering the men onward, the men well aligned on i\\Q colors, with the Stars and Stripes floating proudly above them and borne aloft by a stalwart sergeant, who bore himself every inch a sol- dier. Halt way across the field the fire upon them was so deadly they halted and threw themselves upon the ground feo avoid, as much as possible, the destructive rain yl' Minie balls poured into their ranks. But reinforcements coming up behind them, they were pushed forward and finally carried the left of the line. Meanwhile, on our side, we had successfully beaten back ,everv effort against us. hi our front was an open held and distant about eighty or one hundred yards was a fence running parallel with the wall behind which we were placed. The enemy ranged themselves behind this fence and across the Held each side hurled its deadly missiles at the other. Twice the enemy left the fence and essayed a charge, but each time were driven back before they had gained half the distance between us, leaving the ground blue witli their dead and wounded. xVfter three hours hard fighting we were Hanked on both oar right and left and the order was given for the regiment to fall back. Three of us in our company VIRGINIA DEFENDERS, CO. €, SIXTEENTH 7 A. RFGT. 129 were cut off from the road and bad to make our retreat up the steep side of the mountain, the whole field by this time rilled I with the charging enemy, roaring' like bulls of Bashan and howl- ing like devils let loose from the infernal regions. Pulling our- selves up by laving hold of branches of trees and climbing from ledge to le< lire, with the music of SEieie balk continually in our ears, we succeeded in getting safely over the mountain. "\Yhen the brigade reformed in Pleasant Valley only four in our company and seventeen in the regiment answered to their names. Nearly the whole regiment was captured, but we had succeeded in holding the Gap against Franklin's Corps till it was too late for him to march through to the relief of Harper's Ferry, and the next morning the place was surrendered to our forces. "'We afterwards had the satisfaction of hearing from good authority that the Secretary of War had pronounced our defence of Cramp ton Gap to be one of the most gallant performances of the Avar. Certainly it was a glorious exploit for eight hundred men to hold at bay twenty thousand for three hours, and but for the rapid succession of important events occurring just at this time this achievement of Mahone's Brigade would occupy a larger space in men's memories than it has done heretofore." A section of Crimes* Battery was engaged in this battle and was withdrawn by order of Colonel Munford after tiring all of its ammunition. Colonel Parham was in command of Mahone's - Brigade, (General Mahone having been wounded in a previous battle. Colonel Munford in his report says: ''Colonel Parham did everything in his power to hold his position, and his little command fought splendidly." When the army was falling back into Virginia after the battle of Sharpsburg, rations became scarce and the men were ghenten ears of corn for a clay's feed. One day one of the men in the Virginia Defenders was noticed by the other men coming from ilif direction of General Mahone's headquarters with his ten ears of corn upon his arm, and upon being questioned said he laid been to the General to complain of the shortness of his rations, lie said General Mahone told him it was the best that could be done, that he had nothing else for himself, and that he had in- formed the General that ho did not object to the ton ears ofeorn, that was all right as far as it went, but that five bundles of fod- der should accompany it as "a feed.-" He did not repeat General Mahone's reply. The company took part in the following battles, besides nu- merous other engagements, some of which were of enough im- portance to be termed, battles : Charle- Citv Road, ji rae 30th, Second Manassas. August 30th, Malvern Kill. July 1st, 1802, *Cratnptoii Gap, Sept. 30th, -62, 130 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. . Sharpsburg, Sept. 1 7th, 1 $02, Turkey Kiclge, June 4th to 13, '64. .Fredericksburg, Dee. 13th, '62, Frazier's Farm, June 13th, ''04, Chaneollorsvil'!e, .May 1st, 2d Wilcox Farm, June 22d, 1804, and 3d, 1SC3, Gurlev House, June 23d. 1864. Salem Church. May 3d, 1863, Crater, July 30th, 1864, Gettysburg. July 2d & 3d. '03, Davis Farm, Aug. 19t!i-, 1S64, Bristoe Station, "Oct. 14th, '03. Reams' Station, Aug. 25th, '04. Mine Run, Dec. 2d, 1803, Burgess Mill, Aug.' 29th, iS64, Wildnerness, May Otli, 1864, Hatcher's Bun. Feb. 0th, 1S05, Spotsylvania C. II. , May 12th, Amelia C. II. , April 5th, '6a, Hanover C. II. , May 2$-9th, '64,Cumberland Church. April 7. '05. Cold Harbor, June 2d A' 3d, '64, Appomattox, April 9th, 1865, The following is a list of the names on the muster roll of the company in August, 1S61, with the grades they attained: Captain E. T. Blamire, thrown out at reorganization, 1862. Captain Thomas Barraiid, killed October 14,1863, Bristoe Station. Captain John H. Gayle, promoted Captain, captured at < ramptou Gap September 14th. 1862, exchanged and surrendered at Appomattox. Lieutenant A. T. Culpepper, resigned winter 1862-3, ill health. Lieutenant J. Thompson Bairn, lost leg August 19th, 1862, Davis1 Farm, and retired. Lieutenant Leonard J. King, severely wounded June 22d, 1864, Wilcox's Farm. First Sergeant Joseph Sanrier, transferred to Maryland line 1862. Firc-t Sergeant James H. Toomer, promoted Captain of Engineers. First Sergeant William 11. Bayton, wounded, surrendered at Appomattox. Sergeant A. S. Watts, elected Sheriff of Portsmouth November, 1861, and discharged. Sergeant W. W. Davis, died from wounds received July 1st, 1862, Malvern 'Hill. Sergeant James H. Richardson, Sergeant Charles A. Etheredge, transferred to Commissary Department, re- joined the company in July, 1864, surrendered at Appomattox. PRIVATES. Anderson, John W.. drummer, discharged August, 1862, under age. Bain, K. T. K.. Corporal, furnished substitute June, 1862. Bfittingham, James E., wounded. Browulev, Joseph F. Brown, Eugene EL, Corporal, appointed Engineer in Navy, wounded at Fort Fisher. Butt, Wilson X, killed May 12th, 1864, Spotsylvania. Buff, August, appointed hospital steward 1861. Collins, William W., wounded August 30tb, 1862, Second Manassas. Cherry, I. Jerome, promoted Assistant Surgeon C. S. Army. Cooper, John (>;, wounded July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg, surrendered at Ap- pomattox. Cooper, Clarence, wounded near Petersburg. Cutherell, Samuel, furnished substitute 18(51. Dann, Silas S., promoted Sergeant, surrendered at Appomattox. Darden, Edward. Deal. William, wounded August 19th, 1864, Davis' Farm, surrendered at Appomattox. Diggs, William W., wounded August 19th, 186 Jr, Davis' Farm, surrendered at Appomattox. Emmerson, William. / I ■ VIRGINIA DEFENDERS, CO. C, SIXTEENTH 1 .1. REGT. 131 Gayle, LeVin J . promoted Adjutant 12th Alabama Regiment, wounded at ' Spotsvivan'ia Court House Mav 12th, 1864. Gayle, John M:, killed October 29th, 186-1, Burgess' Mill. Grant, Robert S., detailed 1862, for service in Navy Yard. Grant, Edward. Godwin, Charles \V., detailed 1861, Godwin, William, severely wounded August 30th, 186% Second Manassas. Godwin, Kliison, surrendered at Appomattox. Gornto, William, severely wounded August 80th, 1862, Second Manassas. llenuieke, Albert V., appointed hospital steward Howard Grove, II ay iips. James K.. wounded August 30th. 1862, Second Manassas, died in hospital. • Herbert, John L... wounded July 1st, 1802, .Malvern Hill, discharged and enlisted in Ivngineer Corps. Hunter, Samuel W., severely wounded and detailed on hospital duty, re- joined cotnpynv and surrendered at Appomattox. Hubbard, Alonzo S., detailed 1861 to work in Navy Yard. I Ivy, I. 0., transferred to loth Virginia Cavalry. James, George V.'., captured on retreat from Petersburg. Jarvis, J. M.. discharged 1861, disability. Jack. John, detailed 1861 to work in Navy Yard. Jenfeiiis, John S.. promoted Adjutant 14th Virginia, killed July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg. Lush, John W., detached with sharpshooters of regiment. Lnnghorne, J ante.-. {£.., appointed Engineer in Navy. Latimer, Charles \\'.. transferred to Navy. Linn, John, Corporal, discharged 1862, over age. Lynch. Stephen, killed accidentally 1862. Manning*, James, discharged 1862, disability. Mercer* James. McCoy, Francis, discharged 1802, overage. - McCoy, Martin V. B., died in hospital 1863, U. S. Ford. Mcl'hersoii, Noah. Moreland, Robert, captured and not exchanged. Moreiand, W. H,, discharged August, 1862, over age. I M linden, Nathan, wounded July 30th, 1862, crater. Peters, Jas. H., transferred to naval stores. department. Proctor, Jas. C., wounded and disabled July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill. Poalson, George, discharged for disability and appointed hospital steward. Sp;idy, Tnos. V., detailed as courier and surrendered at Appomattox. Sma.w, Daniel G., captured, at O amp ton Gap September 1+th, 18(52, Shelton, Wm. Xaylor, Corpora^ detailed 1861 to work in Navy Yard. Sibley, Robert E. Scott; Albert v.. detailed as hospital steward. Tart, John Quiiiey, discharged 1862, disability". TornHnson, Ed it , drummer, discharged August, 1862, under age. Ward, Edward B., promoted Adjutant 16th Regiment. Matters, Jas. P., Wel-Iener, Joseph, detailed 1861 to work in Navy Yard. \Vhitehurst, N, L.. lost arm May 12th, 186-1; Spotsylvania; Whicehurst. John W. WitlH, John S., killed 1.861r, nea;r Petersburg. U'ills, Joseph 1'.. died in 1863 at C. S. Ford in hospital. White, X. K, discharged 1862, over age. enlisted in the Norfolk Light Ar- tillery Blue*. Wilson, Win. 8., discharged 1861, over age, Wilkins. Jas. E. WiMtams, W. W.. killed July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill. N illiams, Walter. V ii!i;t;ns. Joseph. Killed and died— 10. m ,- CHAPTER XIV. THE ST. BRIDE'S LIGHT ARTILLERY, COMPANY I, THIUTY-F.IGUTH VIRGI NIA REG DtENT. This company was raised in St. Bride's parish of Norfolk county, and contained among its membership quite a number of men from Norfolk city. As its name will indicate, it was origi nally intended for a light artillery company, but was never fur- nished with a Held battery, and. having served for some time as heavy artillerists, trie company was, finally, towards the close of the war, put into the o*t\i Virginia Infantry Regiment. It was mustered into the Confederate service by Major Bradford, mus- tering officer for finger's Division, en the 20th of June, 1SG1. On that 'lay officers were elected as follows: Captain— -George A. Martin. First Lieutenant, Wm. M. Chaplain; 2d Lieutenant, John J. Whitelmrst; 3d Lieutenant, Benj. F. Halstead, First Sergeant — Alfred I>. Williams. The company left this vicinity early in 1S02 and was ordered to take charge of a battery oil the Nansemond river, remaining there until May 10th, when the troops from here were moved to Itichmond for the defense of that city. The guns, which were in the battery, were removed and carried to Richmond, and it seems probable that they were carried to Dritry's Bluff, though the evidence on this point is net conclusive. At any rate Cap- tain Martin says they were saved to the Confederrcy. Upon reaching Richmond, the company being without a field battery, was given some old muskets and attached temporarily to the 14th Virginia Regiment of Armistead's Brigade, and took part with that regiment in the battle of Seven Pines, June 1st, 1S02, after which it was detached from the 11th Regiment and ordered to the fortifications around Richmond and attached to the 20th Bat- talion Heavy Artillery, commanded by Major Robertson. Lieutenant WhitehurSt was discharged for disability, though the exact date of his discharge is somewhat uncertain, but on the 25th of April, ISel, when the company was relieved from dun- in the fortifications of Richmond ■ and attached to the 38th Vir- ginia Regiment of Company I, 3d Lieutenant Benj. F. Halstead had been promoted to 2d Lieutenant, and 1st. Sergeant A. B. Williams had been promoted to 3d Lieutenant. The company participated in the two battles of May 10th and IGth, lSdl. near JDrury's Bluff, and in the battle of Chester Station on the 10th of June, following, between Pickett's Division and the forces of 132 ST. BMlDirSLT. ARTIVRYJ'n. I. TIIIRTY-EHniTll YAJIEGT. 133 General Butler, who had made an advance from Bermuda Iltiii- drt-ds towards the Richmond and Petersburg Kailroad. Butler was driven hark into his entrench merits and remained there until the close of the Avar. The company participated in the battles of Dinwiddle Court Flouse. March 31st 1805. and Five Forks, April 1st i ' On the 28th of March. 1 $65, Captain Martin was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the Regiment, his commission to date from December 2d, 18$ 4; Lieutenant Chaplain was wounded and dkahied at the hattle of Drury's Bluff, May 16th, 1864, and was retired on the 14th of December. Lieutenant Williams was discharged for disability in 1S64, and upon the retirement of Lieutenant Chaplain. 2d Lieutenant B. F. HaLtead was promoted to 1st Sergeant, Tims. A. McOlanen was elected 2d Lieutenant, nad Josiah W. Leath, 1st Sergeant. In comparison with the other companies which went from ^Norfolk county to the Confed- erate army its list of casualties was small. "Nq record or other information is obtainable oi the losses, if any, at Five Forks. Below will be found a list of the members of the company who left with it at the evacuation of Norfolk county by the Con- federates on the loth of May, IS62-, and were accounted for on the roll for December, 1864. In 1803 the company was strength- ened by the remaining men in a disbanded company from Lynch- burg, one of whom was killed, two wounded and three died in hospital. Captain Geo. A. Martin, promoted Lieutenant Colonel 38th Virginia Regiment March 28th, 1865, First Lieutenant Win. M. Chaplain, wounded May 10th, 1864, at Drury's Bluff, disabled and retired. First Lieutenant Benj. F. Halstead. Second lieutenant Jno.. J. Whitehurst, resigned 1863. Second Lieutenant Thos. A. McClanen. Third Lieutenant A. B. Williams, resigned 1864. First Sergeant Josiah W. Leath, promoted 1st Sergeant De- cember 1st, 1864, wounded May 16th, 1864. SERGEANTS. Chas. H. Melson, Jno. E. James, Robert M. Saddler. PRIVATES, ETC. Aydlott, John, Bo^gs, Win., Cofer, Robert E., Alien, John R., Bush, Wm., Cofer! Reuben F., Brown, duo. W., Blunt. Thos., - Davis, Fdxv. Bullock, Wm.. Cooper. M. V. lb, Dier. Edward F.. Lnmmieil, Richard, Cooper, James, Dozier, Jas. W., Jr., Lan-roft, Edward, Oapps, A. J., Downing Chas. W.. Beak John, CallW Henry, EyeretCChas., Mis, .!no. R., Constable, Ghas. W., Fitchett, Wm., 134 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Forrest. John, Lament©, Joslma, Sawyer, C. T., Yvn>t, W. W., Lauioiitej Henry, Smith, Jas. E., Flora, Henry G, Lambert, Jno. &, Stringer, Thos. J., Fergiison, Henry, Xanlbert, Henry J., Smith, ."W. S. (Corpd) Garrett, W, T.. Land, Henry, Shermadine, Wm., Qraham, .Joseph, Morris, A.: W., Sykes, Wm., Graham, Tinsley, Martin, Wm., Spenee. Abner, Graham, Jno. ]>., Mott, Lewis, Sykes, Jesse, Godfrey, Gervais K„ May, Joseph S.} Tucker, "SV. IL, Godfrey, Wm. T.. Morse, Henry, Tucker, Samuel, Guy, George, Minor, Wm. B., Tel>anlt, Daniel, iLiidgins, Win, II.. Xeedom, Wilson, Tripple, Chas., Hud^ins. Samuel X.. Omler. Joseph, Yandenhers:, James, Holland, John, ' Old, W. W., Wliitehmst, Jas. II., Harvey, John, Powell. Jno., Whitehurst, C. P., Harvey, Henry, Peyton, Jas. A.. Whitehurst, W. A., Howe, Win., Pusjh, Abraham, Whitehurst, George, Ironmonger, James, Peed, C has. W., Wilder, Jas. M.. Jordan, Miles IT., Peed. John, Wilder. Benjamin, James, Geo. T., Peed, David, West, Jno. James, Jno., (Sergt.) Ross, Edward, . Wood, Lorenzo, Jones. Jno. W., Rogers, Roderick, Watertield, Benj., Kulm. Thos. C. Robinson, Win., Waterman, Absolein. Lambert, Thos., Painey, Malachi, Walker, W. W., Lee, Thos. J., Revel, John,' Woodward. Samuel, CASUALTIES. Private, Balls, John R.. wounded May 16th, 1864, died July 16th. " Crews, Jos. B., (Lynchburg) di^d in hospital, Richmond, August 10th, 1864. Private, MeGraw, Wm., (Lvnehbur£) died in hospital, Richmond, July 29th. 1864, Private, Phelps, Robert S., (Lvnchburg) died in hospital, Richmond, July 6th, 1864. Private, Tinsley, Geo. W., (Lynchburg-) wounded May 16th, 1864, died August 15th. Lieutenant, Chaplain, Wm. M., wounded May 16th, 1864, disabled and dis- charged. Private, Driseal, Chas. E.. (Lynchburg) wounded May 16th, 1864. " Graham, John B., wounded Mav 16th, 1864. Leath, Josiah W., wounded May 16th, 1864. " Lee, Thos. J., wounded August 25th, 1864. lost a leg. " Old. W. W., wounded June 1st, 1862, Seven Pjnes. Phillips, Aldusten D., (Lynchburg) wounded May 10th, 1864, and disabled, discharged November 28th, 1864. Private, Reed, David, wounded August 25th, 1864. " West, John, wounded May 16th, 1864. Col. Geo. A. Martin, formerly Captain of the company, thinks the following were killed or died, though their names seem to have heen omitted from the olheiai reports: Corporal Wm. Harden, killed May 10th, 1864, at Drury's -fUuff. Private Mathias Wright, kill ri Slay Kith, 1864, at Drury's Bluff. " Joshua Lamonte, killed May 16th, 1^64, at Drury's Bluff. ST. BRIDE'S LT.ARTWUWCO. T. THTRTr-ETGBTH YA.SEGT. 135 Private Ffenry Lamonte, killed August 25th, 1804. at Bermuda Hundred. Tims. Khun, killed August 25th, 1864. at Bermuda Hundred. " Henry Morn, died in hospital, Rich-mond. '; ('has. Whitehurs-fc, died in hospital, Richmond, Win. Sykes, died in hospital, Richmond. " Jos. S. May. died in hospital, Petersburg. PROMOTIONS. Private \V. W. Old was promoted to Captain and A. A. G. on the staff of General Edward Johnson, and afterwards on the staff of General Kweii. Private Charles W. Downing was promoted to Captain in Cuhoon's Bat- talion. Private John Aydlott was promoted to Commissary Sergeant 20th Battal- ion Heavy Artillery. The follow ipg members of Company I surrendered at Appo- mattox : *Edward Barcroft, John W. Gimter, Jacob Connor, Win. LettrelT, *J. W. Dozier, P. D. Mitchell-, W. A. Dunham, *A. Pugh, C. Driskell, *J. F. Sykes. ^'Original members of the compauy. The others were transferred to the' company. CHAPTER XV. TIE NORFOLK COUNTY RIFLE PATRIOTS, COMPANY F, FORTY -FIRST VI KGLNIA REGIMENT. Thi^ was one of the largest and best companies which entered the service of the Confederate States, It was organized in 1800, the men being from that section of Norfolk county lying be- tween Washington Point, now Berkley, and Great Bridge, and was mustered into service on the 21st of April, 1S01, at Norfolk. The following were the officers of the company a! the breaking out Of the war and under whom it was mustered into service: Captain— William II. Etheredge. First lieutenant, Plulip Biddle; 2d Lieutenant, Jetson Jett; 3d Lieutenant, Arthur Portlock; 4th Lieutenant, John N. Ether- edge. Lieutenant Etheredge was physically unable, on account of ill health, to do military duty, but was mustered in with the com- pany and. served for the original term of enlistment of twelve mouths; when lie was retired. On the *21st of April the company was ordered to take posses- sion of the arsenal at St. Helena, opposite the Gosport Navy Yard, and remained there until the latter part of May, when it was transferred to the Navy Yard and did guard duty there while the iron clad Virginia (Merrimac) was being built. Captain Eth- eredge has related to the author the anxiety of Commodore For- rest, who had command of the Navy Yard and who seemed bur- dened with a fear that the Yankees would attempt to burn it up. On one occasion lie informed Captain Etheredge that he had re- ceived a letter telling him that the Yankees had offered a million dollars to any one who would set tire to the ship, ami urged re- doubled vigilance on the part of the guard. Captain Etheredge assured him that no Federal emissary should get near enough t>} set her on tire. Captain Etheredge says scarcely a day passed without some such incident as that happening between the Com- modore and himself. In March, 1S62,. the company left the Navy Yard, went to Seawelhs Point and joined its regiirent, the 4 1st Virginia, it being Company F. The officers of the 41st were Colonel John It. Ci lamhliss, Lieutenant Colonel William A. Parhain and Major Joseph Minetree. The company left Seaweihs Point May 10th, 1802, with the balince of linker's Division for Richmond. In March Lieutenant Jett resigned and organized a company called the Border Pviiles, of which he was elected Captain.1 Is Com- pany F had more than the regulation number of men for one 136 NORFOLK CO. PATRIOTS, CO. F, FORTY-FIRST VA, RFGT. 137 company about twenty five or thirty of them at their own request were assigned to Captain Jett's new company, and tlieir names will not appear on the roll of Company F. The first battle in which the 41st Kegiment was engaged was the battle of Seven Tines. The regiment was under command of Colonel Gliambjiss and had already been assigned to Mahone's Brigade. It was advancing in line of battle, not aware of the close proximity of t\w enemy. Company F was on the extreme right and next to it was a company from Petersburg. While the regiment was advancing the left marched faster than the right, and being in an oblique position, received a flanking lire from the enemy, which, being unexpected, threw the regiment into confu- sion and that portion of it nearest the enemy retired very hastily. Captain Etheredge sprang to the front of his company, spoke a few Words of encouragement to them, reminded them of their promise to follow wherever lie led, and they stood by him man- fully. A portion of the Petersburg company, on his left, under their captain, also stood their ground, and these two companies formed a nucleus upon winch the other companies rallied. Sin the midst of the confusion Colonel Chambliss rode in front of Company F and his horse was killed under him. Just as he fell Dr. James Parrish of Portsmouth, Surgeon of the regiment, rode tip and offered Ills horse to the Colonel, who declined it, saying, ,kl believe I will stay here on foot with the old man,'' . meaning Captain Etheredge. He reminded Dr. Parrish that his post was in the rear and ordered him to it. Colonel Chambliss assembled the captains of the various companies of the regiment at his tent the next day, and after complimenting Captain Ether- edge. told them that the stand made by Company E had saved the credit of the regiment. After the battle of Seven Pines Colonel Chambliss was trans- If erred to a cavalry regiment and Captain Etheredge was pro- moted to Majar of the -list. This also caused a change in the officers of Company F, and Lieutenant Piddle became captain. (Captain Piddle died in a hospital September 16th, 1862, and 1st Lieutenant Arthur E. Portlock succeeded him. lie was wounded at Chancellorsville May 3d, 1863, recovered from his wound and died from sickness in Richmond August Oth, 1861:, Lieutenant W. Scott Sykes became captain at the death of Captain Portlock and commanded it until t\\t- close of the war. He was wounded I 'Lily 3<>th, 1864, at the Crater, but recovered arid surrendered with the company at Appomattox April 0th, 1865, with seventeen members of the company. The company participated in twenty- one pitched battles and numerous smaller affairs and lost thirty- one men by death from wounds or sickness. First Lieutenant John T. Widgeon was killed May 1st, 1863, at Chancellors ville. 10 138 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S61-5. Captain Wm. IT. Etheredge, promoted Major 41st Regiment, surrendered at Appomattox. Captain Phillip W. Biddle, died September 16th, 1802. Winchester. Captain Arthur E, POrrlock, died August 9th, 1864, Richmond, wounded May 1st. 1808, Chaneellorsville. Captain W. Scott Sykes, wounded July 30tH, 1804, Crater, surrendered ;ii Appomattox. Lieutenant .John T. Widgeon, killed May 1st, 1863, Chaneellorsville. Lieutenant Robert C. Jones, surrendered at Appomattox. Lieutenant Wm. T. Grav, promoted 2d Lieutenant March 11th. 1804, re- signed. Lieutenant John X. Etheredge, not re-elected at reorganization in 1802. Sergeant -John 11. Kirby, .- ; < • k in hospital at. time of surrender. Sergeant David W. \\ hitehurst, surrendered at Appomattox. Sergeant John F. Murden, wounded July 30th, 1804. Crater, surrendered ai Appomattox. Sergeant James E. Armstrong, killed May 6th, 1801, Wilderness. Sergeant Robert W. Carson, died February, 1865. Sergeant George T. Tart, died in prison, captured August 19th, 1801. Corpora! John 1). Hudgins, died January... ISO-*!. Corporal Josephus Godfrey, killed August 30th, 1863, 2d Manassas. Corporal John Z. Lowe, captured August 19th, 1S01, not exchanged. Corporal IE T. Williamson, surrendered at Appomattox. Corporal Arthur II. Tatem, captured October 27th, 1804, not exchanged PRIVATES. Butt. Frederick, captured October 27th, 1804, on parole at surrender. Butt! Henry, wounded July 2d, 1863, and disabled. Gettysburg. Butt, Francis, wounded August 30th, 1862, ami disabled, Manassas. Barrett, Wm. 8., appointed musician for regiment. Banks, Edwin, mortally wounded July 1st, 1802, Malvern Hill Butler, James X.. detailed in <,)• M. Department. Bailey, Wm. H., (1) killed July 1st, 1802. Malvern Hill. Bailey, Wm. II., (2) captured on retreat from Petersburg. Ballentine, Thos. RV, wounded June 1st, 1802, Seven Pines and furnished substitute. Buck. David. 0uihri«-M!, Enos. detailed March 1st, 1802, by Secretary of War. Cuthriell, John W.. detailed March 1st, 1802, bv Secretary of War. Cuthriell. Joseph E., detailed March 1st, 1^02, by Se<>reta.iy of War. Cartel-, Wm. E., captured at evacuation of Petersburg. CreeKmore, Gregory, detailed 1801 to work in Navy Yard. Detriek, John, wounded July 1st, 1802, Malvern Hill, and furloughed. Dashiell, Leven IE, wounded Seven Fines, Malvern Hid and Manassas, ami was detailed in Q. M. Department at surrender. Dey, Apnlios 0., wounded June 1st, 1802, Seven Pines, furnished substi- tute. L^ey, David, detailed by order of Secretary of War. Dunn. J. Thos., captured August 19th, 1.S64. not exchanged. Davis. Wm. IE, captured on retreat from Petersburg. Davis, Wm. T. Deyser, Luke, killed on retreat from Petersburg. Edmonds, John J., detailed in hospital department. Edmonds, W. C, detailed in ordiiance departmentv. Edmunds, Henry. Edmunds, Abel,' captured October 20th, 1804, and not exchanged. Elliott, Kemp B., discharged 1862. Etheredge, Charles 0., wounded June 1st, 1862, Seven Pines. IMmondson. Gabriel, wounded September 17th, ES02, Sharpsburg, and t ransferrod to navy. Etheredge, Samuel A., surrendered at Appomattox. NORFOLK CO. PATRIOTS, CO. /<', FORTY-FIRST VA. RKGT. 139 Forbes, Elijah B., wounded May 1st, 1863, Chancellorsville, and transferred to navv. FoivniiiM, Jo*ephus, killed August 30th, 130:3, 2d Manassas. lusher, Caleb, surrendered at Appomattox. Forrest, John R., detailed in Q. M. department:! Foreman, Washington, wounded June 30th, 1862, Charles City Road, sur- rendered at Appomattox. Foreman, Thosv, in hospital during; the war. Fitehett, Wm. E.. wounded June 1st. 1862, Seven Fines. Fentress, John, wounded June 1st, 1862, Seven Pines, disabled July 1st, 1802, at Malvern Hill and discharged. Godfrey, Walton, died December, 1802. near Fredericksburg. Gibson, Peter H., sick in hospital at time of surrender. Gilbert, Robertson, derailed bv order of General Mahone. Gilbert, Richard B. Hodges, Riley W., kilted July 1st. 1802, Malvern Hill. Hodges, Wm. W.. killed June 1st, 1802, Seven Pines. Hodges, Josiah, died in hospital. Hodges, David, killed July 2d, 180.3. Gettysburg. Hanburv, Wm. T., discharged. Howell, Jesse B. Hughes, Isaac B., killed June 1st, 1862, Seven Pines. Harrison, Benjamin i*\, detailed in hospital, Richmond. I Halstead, Henry, captured. Hodges, John H., wounded Julv 1st, 1S02. Malvern Hill, furnished substi- | tute. Hodges, John K., wounded May Oth; 1804, Wilderness. Hall, Samuel, wounded June 1st, 1802, Seven Pines, and killed July 30th, 1801, crater. Hodges. Samuel, killed July 1st, 1802. Malvern Hill. Hall, Edward, wounded May 0th, 180)4, Wilderness, surrendered at Appo- | - niattox. I Hodges, Geo. A., discharged April 16th. 1862. Hudgins, Wm.. died in hospital April 16th, 1862. Hall, (too. W.. captured on retreat from Petersburg. Herbert. Melnotte, promoted 1st Lieutenant Company D. Jones, Walter <'.. killed May 6th, 1804, Wilderness. Kirby, Wm. H.. discharged March 25th, 1862, disability. I Knight. Wm. H. Lowe, "Wm. J., captured in Petersburg. Lockhart, Benj. H., wounded August 30th, 1802, Manassas, and detailed in passport office, Gordon sville; Lynch, Oresmus M. . wounded June 1st, 1802, Seven Pines, and captured. Merchant, Francis M.. promoted Lieutenat Company K, 01st Virginia. Miller, Wm. H., detailed to regimental drum eorps. McClanen. Wilson P., died in hospital. I Murphy, Wm. J. I Murphy, James T. Murden, SaniueU wounded June 22d, 1804, Wilcox Farm, and detailed in commissary department. Murden, Reuben, mortally wounded May 1st, 1803, Chancellorsville. Murden, Henry, died in hospital, 1862. Murden, Camillas, killed May 1st. 1803, Chancellorsville, Manning, Canning, captured and not exchanged. McPherson. Robert, discharged April 25th, 1802. Miller, W. H. Nash, James E., discharged for physical disability. Nicholson, Allen F., discharged April, 1*02, over age. Portloek, Wm. F., wounded August 30th, 1862, Manassas, surrendered at Appomattox. ■ ' Portlock, Pernpsy, surrendered at Appomattox. 140 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1SG1-5, Pherral, Isaac, killed August M)th, 18<>2, 2d Manassas. Randolph, James A., wounded and disabled Augtixt •''»<), 1S<52, 2d Mana.-s.-is. Ritter, James A., wounded July iiOth, 1861, Crater, Surrendered at Aj>}m>. mai-iox. Sykes, James \\'., wounded July 2d, 180$, Gettysburg, surrendered at Appo- mat tox. Sy.kes, Alex 1\, wounded June ?K).tli, 1802, Charles City Road. S|H.'i^hf, David, died hi hospital. Sent. John 1)., surrendered at Appomattox. Squires, Seth \V., died in hospitah 1861. Talent. Nathaniel C, detached with Hansom's Brigade, surrendered at Ap- pomattox. Totem, Elijah A., wounded and disabled July 1st, 1802, Malvern Hill, and discharged. Totem, John W„ Taylor, James F.., died in hospital. Whitehurst, (I'hristopher, discharged. Williamson, Virginias, captured on retreat from Petersburg*. Williamson, Samuel, captured. Williams, Samuel, killed June 2d, 1864, Cold Harbor. Woodhouse, Moses C. Wright, David L., discharged. Woodward. Oden, eaptiired in Pennsylvania and never heard from. Williamson, Erereu , appoin ted ( Jrdinance Sergeant of regiment, surrendered at Appomattox. Yellines, Watson 13.. discharged April 16th, 18(52. by General Huger. , Killed and died-31, This company participated in the battles of — Seven Fines, June 1st, 1802. Spotsylvania, C. II., May 12th, Charles City Road, June 30th, 1864. 1862. Tiirlcev -Ridge, skirmishing June Malvern 11*1], July 1st, 1862. 4th to 13tn, 1864. Manassas, Aug. 30th, 1862. Fraziers Farm June loth. 1801. Grampton Gap. Sep. 14th, 1802. Wilcox Farm, June 22d?i364. Sharpsbnrg, Sep. 17th, 1-862. Cold itarbor, June 2d and 3d, Fredericksburg, Dee. 13th, 186$. 1864. ChancellorsviHe, May 1st, 2d, Crater, July 30th, 1864. and 3d. 1863. Davis Farm. Aug. 19th, 1864. Salem Church, May 3d, 1863. Ream's Station, Aug. 25tli,l 8154. Gettysburg, Jul v " 1st and 2d, Jiui^ess Mill, Oct; -2Mb, 1864. 1863. Hicksford. Dec. Uth, 1864. Bristoe Station, Oct., 14th, 1863. Hatcher's Jiun, Feb. 6th, 1 s,;~>. Mine Run, Dee. I'd, 1863. Cumberland Church, April 7th, Wilderness, May 6th, 1864. 1865. Amelia C. II., April 5th, 1865. In all of the above battles the Confederates were victorious ex- cept Malvern Hill, Cramptoh Gap and Bristoe Station. In rti^ first and last of these three the Federals successfully resisted the Confederate attacks, but retreated after the battles. 1 > CHAPTER XVI. Ti!U JACKSON GRAYS, COMPANY A, SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. West ; 3d Sergeant, William A. Dudley ; 4th Sergeant, Henry S. Etheredge. First Corporal, . Peleg Pntchard : 2d Corporal, Geo. D. Old; 3d Corporal, Thos. II. Sykes: 4th Corporal, Laban Mansfield. The company was named after Mr. James P. Jackson, the pro- prietor of the Marshall House in Alexandria, who was killed in .that city oil the 24th of May for defending the flag he had hoisted over his hotel. That day. a large force of Federals, numbering eight or nine thousand men, was pushed across the Potomac river earl)7 in the morning, and occupied the town. Seeing the Con- federate flag living at the top of the stall' on the hotel. Colonel Ellsworth, of Chicago, commanding a regiment of Fire Zouaves of New York city, went up to the top of the building, with sev- eral men from his regiment, and took it down. As he was de- scending from the elevation, Mr. .Jackson, who had been aroused by the noise, came out from bis bed room with a double barrel gun, and upon his asking tlie cause of the commotion, Colonel Ellsworth pointed to t\io flag in his possession and said : "This is my trophy." Mr. Jackson replied, "And you are mine." and immediately fire], killing him dead. Colonel Ellsworth's com- panions returned the lire, shooting Mr. Jackson and afterwards running a bayonet in him. After remaining .at the Court House for a few days, the com- pany was ordered to the batteries at the Naval Hospital and re- mained on duty there testing the heavy rilled cannon which were being re-modeled in the G-osporfc Navy Yard, until December, when, at its own request, it was ^-,-nt to Sewell's Point and put in charge of a masked battery of six heavy rifled guns of six-inch caliber. This was the most advanced battery among the defences 141 This company was recruited in St. Bride's Parish of Norfolk county, in the section now known as Pleasant Grove Magisterial District^ and. was organized at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, July 1st, IS61. The company left Pleasant Grove on the 10th of July, and reached the Court House at Portsmouth on the 12th, and was mustered into service there. It was then officered as follows : Captain, Win. H. Stewart. hirst Lieutenant, Mm. C. Wallace; 2d Lieutenant, John T. I West ; 3d Lieutenant, Geo. T. Hodges. 142 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1SG1-X. of the harbor of Xorfolk and Portsmouth, and was within range of the Federal guns, at the Pip Haps or Fort Calhoun. When the Confederate iron-dad Virginia, better known, how- ever, as the Merrimac, went down to Hampton lioads and had Iter battles with the United States fleet, on the 8th and 9th of March, 1862, this battery took part, with two rifle six-inch grins, in the engagement, as the naval vessels, passing to and from Fort- ress Monroe, passed within range of its guns. Two men belong- ing to the company were wounded in this engagement. They were Lieutenant Win. C. "Wallace, who was slightly hurt, and Private A. B. Cooper, whose skull was fractured, and whose wound was so serious that he was incapacitated from further ser- vice and was discharged. They were wounded by a shell from the Sawyer gun at the Kip Raps. One of tiie rifle guns burst one of its bands from too rapid firing and becoming overheated. On the morning of May 10th, 18''>2, the company abandoned the battery by order of General linger and formed the rear guard of \}ic troops as they fell back upon Xorfolk, crossed the ferry to Portsmouth and was the last command which left that city by rail, being moved out on flat cars late in the afternoon. Only. one company remained after the departure of the Jackson Grays, namely, the Portsmouth Rifle Company, and that marched out of the city to Suffolk. Upon the arrival of the company at Petersburg, it was assigned to duty with the Gist Virginia Regiment as Company A. At that time the regiment was under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Wm. Fred. JNTiemeyer. and. in a few days, the company, with Company C, the Blanehard Grays, of Xorfolk county, was de- tached from the regiment;, and with a two gun battery of six- pounders, ordered to the neighborhood of Bermuda Hundreds, in Chesterfield county, to watch the movements of the Federal fleet in James river. While there, during the seven day's battles, the fleet made a demonstration up the Appomattox river towards Petersburg, and attempted to secure & large quantity of coal which was stored at Port Waithnh but this small force attacked them ami so annoyed them as to force thein to hug the opposite shore, where several of the vessels stuck in the mud. and after two days the enemy was forced to- set tire to and abandon one gunboat. This action took place on the 26th of June. 1362. From Ber- muda Hundreds, the company was ureered to guard the fords of the Rappahannock river, while General Lee, with his army. Was engaged in the Maryland campaign. While there, upon one oc- casion, while scouting near Bristoe Station, it met a Federal brig- age belonging to ^eigles' corps', accompanied by a battery of artil- lery and a compact of cavalry. Under cover of a forest, which concealed the sumllneBs of the Confederate force, an attack was made upon the Federals who were repelled. The company cap- m JACKSON GRAYS, CO, A, SIXTY-FIRST Li. REGT. 143 tared several prisoners and withdrew without Laving suJfered any loss. After the return of General Lee's army from Maryland m October, 1S62< the Jackson Grays, with the 01st Virginia Eegi- !i».ent. was assigned to Mahone's Brigade, and became a part of the army of Northern Virginia. From that time it followed closely the fortunes of that army, took part in all of its buttles and victories and marches, and when the final defeat attended its ban- ners, surrendered fifteen muskets at Appomattox Court House on the 9th of April. 1865. Of t)ie commissioned officers of the company, not one escaped the shots of the enemy. Captain Wm. H. Stewart, its first cap- tain, was promoted to major and then to lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, and was twice wounded. First Lieutenant William C. Wallace was promoted to captain in May, 18*62, upon the promo- tion of Captain Stewart to major. lie was wounded slightly at Sewell's Point in the engagement of the Stli.of March, 1862, be- I tween the ironclad Virginia (Merrimae) and Hie Federal fleet, in widen the shore battery at Sewell's Point took part, and was mor- tally wounded on the 19th of August, 1864, at the battle on the Petersburg and V\ eldon railroad, sometimes called the battle of Davis Farm. He fell into the hands of the enemy and died within their lines. He was a little more than twenty- two years (»id at the time of his death, having been bom at WaUaeeton, Norfolk county, on the 2 3d of March, 1842. lie was brave, gentle and polished, and loved by all who knew him. Upon the death of Captain Wallace, Lieutenant John T. West became captain of the company. From November, 1863, until August 19th, 1864, Lieutenant West was detailed from the com- pany by order of General Mahone, and placed in command of a select company of sharp shooters, which with four other compa- nies, one from each regiment in the brigade, constituted the corps of one hundred and fifty men known as Mahone's sharp shooters, more than three-fourths of whom were killed or wounded during the campaign of 1.864, but from that date, until the close of the war. commanded his own company. He was wounded twice, once by a bayonet thrust at tife ('rater, July '30th, 1864, and once by a piece of shell on the Plank Road in February. 1865. Third Lieutenant George T. Hodges, on account of the promotion of Captain Stewart and Lieutenant West, and the death of Captain Wallace, became First Lieutenant of the company and escaped with a slight wound, which he received May 3d, 1863, at the battle of Salem Church, a part took place between Sedg and a portion of General his advance from Freden* promoted to second lieut Crater. July 30th, 1S61, >f the b attie of C 'haueelio rs vi be, which viekV cc >rps Of G< meral 11 . o 1 1 k or' s army Lee's ar my, whiel t had bet '1! S( ;nt to stop cksbni •g, . First S,. ■rgeant C X ash was a i id was >1L Atly vyc »u tid .eel at the )ut ret in lined with the comi >a nv On the 144 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861^5. 19tli of August, 18.64, he received a very severe wound and si lurtlv afterwards resigned his commission and volunteered as a private in Mosbv's command. Lieutenant Nash is at tins writing, 1892, Colonel of the 4th Virginia Volunteers; The company lost l>y deaths from wounds and disease forty-three men, probably more than any other company which went into the service from Forts- mouth and Norfolk county and the roll which follows gives the names of seventeen others who were wounded. Some of them were wounded more than once. There were certainly others, though they have escaped from memory in t lie lapse of twenty- seven years. At the battle of the Crater, July Both, 1864, the company lost four men killed and six wounded, which was fully half of those present for duty. It lost men killed in the battles of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, "Wilcox Farm, the Crater, Davis Farm, Burgess Mill and Hatcher's linn, while in the other battles in which it was engaged its casualties embraced* the wounded only. Very few of its members fell into the hands of the enemy and some of those were wounded. Company A was a company of whose- war record Norfolk county may well feel proud, in fact, she may of allot' her companies. Below will be found a roster of the company, copied from the muster roll of May, 180-2': Captain Wm. 41. Stewart, promoted to Lieutenant Colonel Gist Virginia, wounded. Captain W. C. Wallace, wonnded Sewell's Point, killed August 19th, 1864. Captain John T. West, wounded by bayonet at Crater, wounded February 28th, 1865. Lieutenant Geo, T. Hodges, wounded May 3d, 1863, Salem Church, Lieutenant Camillas A. Nash, wounded Julv^Oth, 1864, Crater, and August 19th. 1864, Davis Farm. Sergeant Wm. A. West, appointed Commissary Sergeant in 1864. Sergeant Wm. R. Dudley, captured at Burgess Mill in 1864. Sergeant Henry S. Ftheridue, appointed hospital steward. Corporal Pelig Pritrhard, wounded October 20th 1864, Burgess Mill. Corporal Ceo. i>. Old, promoted Captain and Commissary 61st Virginia. Corporal Tbos. H, Sykes, captured at Gettysburg1. Corporal Laban Mansfield, killed October 20th, 1864, Burgess Mill. Musician James Toy. Musician Win. Mahoney. * PRIVATES. Butt, Henry .las., killed Julv JiOth, 1*64, at Crater. Bright, Geo. \\\, killed May 1st, 186-i, Ghaucellorsville. Curling, Ashwell, killed June 22d. 1864, at Wilcox Farm. Castine, Jeremiah, killed July 80th, 1864; at ( rater. Creekmore, Josiah, discharged in 1862 for disability. C;lMtii!0, J. T. Cooper, A. C wounded March 8th, 1862, Sewell's 1 *< »iii t5 and discharged. Cooper, J. A., wounded by bayonet -Inly 30th, 1864, at (rater. Cooper, C. (., wounded July HOth, 1864, at Crater. Creekmore, Marshal! ( ., killed by sharpshooter May 14th, 1864, Spotsyl- vania c. I [, Creekmore, John Wi, promoted to Sergeant, cap tuved October 20th, 1864, Burgess Mill. r JACKSON GRAYS, CO. A, SIXTY-FMST VA. REGT. 145 Creek more, AYilloughby W., died in hospital, 1864. Culpepper, Daniel R., died in hospital, 1863. Culpepper, John, died in hospital, 1863, I'. S. Ford. Deford, John W., promoted to corporal, died in hospital,. May, 1803. Dlggs, Beni. F., captured at Gettysburg. Duncan, Abner. wounded and disabled February 28th,1864,Geriuanna Ford. Fen;ell, John, died in hospital, April, 1802. Foreman, Acelius G.. killed May 0th, 1804, Wilderness. Foreman, Carey, wounded October 20th, 1804, Burgess Mil i. Foreman, W. A., detailed in hospital. Fulford, James E , killed February 0th. 1865, Hatcfier's Run. Fulford, Jaiues, died in hospital, U. S. Ford, 180-3. Grimes, J. A. Grimes, J. F. W. ! Guinn, Franklin. Harrison, Win. [I., wounded October 14th, 1803, Bristoe Station, placed on roll of honor, by order of General Lee, for gallantry at Crater. Hal stead, J. P., wounded July 30th. 1864, at Crater. Halstead,T. E. llalstead, J. E., died in hospital. ;.■ ■ - Hodges, Isaiah, killed by sharpshooter Ma v 14th, 1804, Spotsylvania. Hodges, Caleb. Hodges, Thomas IF, died in hospital March, 1S6B, IT. S. Ford. Jennings, Lemuel, killed May 1st. 1863, Chancellorsville. Jennings, Wickers P., promoted to corporal. Lewis, Aimer. Lynch, John, died in hospital March, 1803, F. S. Ford. Lynch, Leroy, died in hospital March, 1803, {]. S. Ford. Lee, Alexander < K Mathias, Simon. Morgan, \Y. P., died in hospital from wound. Morgan, A. ('.. wounded August 19th, 180 L and died. Miller, J. J., wounded Julv 30th, 1804, at Crater. Miller, J. II. Miller, Lovett. Mercer, Sam. M., died in hospital* Murphy, T. 0. C. Nash, Cineinnatie, promoted Sergeant. Nash, Henry. Only, Nahariah. Overton, C. N., wounded at Gett}'sburg. Overton, Grandy. Priehard, Wiley, died in hospital, 1802. Pritchard, Joseph, died in hospital January, 1802. Hied, William M., wounded May 12th, 1804, Spotsylvania. Scott, Wni. T.'j wounded and died in prison September, 1803, Scott, .Joseph. Si veils. D. T., killed May 2d, 1803, Chancellorsville. Si veils, Alexander. Speight, Ben}. 1'., died in hospital January, 1802, Sykes. W, ().. promoted to Corporal, killed August 19th, 1864, Davis Farm. Sykes, Joseph, killed July 2d, 1803, Gettysburg, Sykes, Josephus. Sykes, Henry, died in hospital, F. S. Ford. March, 1803. Sykes, .1. I\ ('., died in hospital. September, 1863. Thompson, Win., detailed in Ordnance Department. Warden, James. Warden, Richard H., died in hospital. . Waller, W. George, di-^l in prison. Wood, Joseph X.. promoted to Corporal. Wood, Keeling, died in hospital, March, 1804. 146 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1801-d. Woodward, Joseph T., died in hospital, January, 1802. Woodward, Leander, wounded at Gettysburg. Whitehurst, Robert. Whitehurst, Willoughbv, killed May 6th, 1864, Wilderness. Williams, I). A., killed July 3.0th, 1804, Crater. Williams, Marcellus W., killed July 30th, 1864, Crater. Wright, Peter, wounded May 6th, 1864, Wilderness and at Crater. West, Lerov MeC, promoted Corporal, wouudedMav 0th, 1864, Wilderness, October 20th, 1804, Burgess Mill. West, \V. W., transferred to navv. Whitehead, Martin V. * Williams Joseph, died in hospital December, 1861. Williams, M. I)., died in hospital January. 1863, Wordeii, Win, EL, died in hospital February y 1862. Killed and died— ig. CHAPTER XVII. THE WILSON GUARDS-, COMPANY B, SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. This. -company was organized in 1861 in that portion of Nor- folk county now known as Butt's Road and Pleasant Grove town- ships or magisterial districts, and contained a number of North Carolinians from Currituck county, near the Norfolk county line. The company was named after Colonel Samuel M. Wilson, who was then engaged in organizing a regiment of heavy artillery, and it was the intention of the Wilson Guards to form a part of that regiment. After being mustered into service the company was, at its own request, assigned to Colonel Wilson's command as Company B. The officers of the company at its organization were : Captain. J. W. M. Hopkins. First Lieutenant, Thomas F. Baxter; 2d Lieutenant, A. II. Lindsay ; 3d Lieutenant, James E. Fulford. First Sergeant, James A. Stott. Lieutenant Lindsay resigned January 20th, 1.862, and Lieuten- ant Fulford was promoted to 2d Lieutenant, and Sergeant Stott was elected 3d Lieutenant. This caused the promotion of Benj. F. Baxter to 1st Sergeant, hut on the 19th of May he was trans- ferred to the Petersburg Cavalry and A. B. C. Fisher became 1st Sergeant. Captain Hopkins resigned on the 3d of January, 1863, Lieutenant Baxter became Captain, Lieutenant Fulford was advanced to 1st, and Lieutenant Stott to 2d Lieutenant, and, on the 13th of January, Sergeant Fisher was elected 3d Lieuten- ant. Captain Baxter was wounded at the battle of Davis' Farm on the 19th of August, 1864, and Lieutenant Fulford was cap- tured at the battle of Burgess Mill on the 27th of October. I Lieutenant Stott was wounded at the battle of Burgess' Mill, but • I recovered sufficiently to rejoin the company, and surrendered with it at Appomattox Court House, He was acting Adjutant of the regiment at the time of the surrender. Lieutenant Fisher died in a hospital at Charlottesville on the 12 th of March, 1864; Upon the evacuation of Portsmouth, the Wilson Guards joined the 61st Begiment in Petersburg and assisted in the election of regimental officers, after which it did provost duty for a while in that city and was subsequently sent with Company A on picket duty on the Appomattox river in the vicinity of City Point. In August it rejoined the regiment and moved to Eiehmoiid, thence to the upper Rappahannock or Itapidan river. While there the company had two skirmishes with the enemy — one at Warrenton Junction on the 4th of November, 1862, and the other at Bappa- 147 148 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. hannock bridge cm the Ttli. It rejoined the regiment on the 24th and was with it when it began the march to Fredericks bnrg. The company had two other 1\v>t Sergeants in addition to those men- tioned above. John 11. Tucker succeeded Sergeant A. B. C, Fisher when the latter was promoted to 3d Lieutenant on the 13th of January, IS*}$} and held the position until August 17th, 1864, wheii he died in >ni wounds received at the battle of the Grater, July' 30th. Willoughil>T D. Barnard then succeeded to the first sergeancv and held, it until the close of the war. The company lost by death fully one-third of the members who left Norfolk county with it, and surrendered at Appomattox with one commissioned officer, four non-commissioned officers and eight privates. At the time of the evacuation of Portsmouth by the Confederates, it was on duty at Barrett's Neck. Below will he found the roll of the company embracing both the Norfolk county and Currituck county men : Captain J. W. M. Hopkins, resigned January 3d, 1863.. Firs! Lieutenant Thomas F. Baxter, promoted Captain January 3d, 18G3. wounded August 19th, 18G4. Davis' Farm. Second Lieutenant -lamps E. Fulford, promoted 1st Lieutenant, wounded July 30th, 1SU4-, and captured October 27th, 18G4, Burgess' Mill. Third Lieutenant James A. Stott, promoted 2d Lieutenant, wounded Aug. 19th, ls<;4, October 17th, 1861, rejoined company, surrendered at Ap- pouat tox. First Sergeant Benjamin F. Baxter, transferred to Petersburg eaval'rv Mav 19th, 1SG2. Second Sergeant A. B. C. Fisher, promoted 3d Lieutenant January 13th, 18G3, died in hospital March kith. 1#G4, in Charlottesville. Third Sergeant John IF Tucker, promoted to 1st Sergeant, wounded July 30th, 18G4, at the Crater and died August 17th. Fourth Sergeant, Wiitoughby B. Barnard, promoted 1st Sergeant April 17th. 1SG4. Fii'th Sergeant Francis II. Williams. Corpor.d Thomas Williams, promoted Ordnance Sergeant Gist Regiment, captured December 17th, 18G3, in Currituck county, North Carolina., and exchanged. Corporal fvv C. Brown, prbn oted Sergeant, killed June 30th, 18G4, Cold 1 1 arbor.' Corporal John II. Halstead, transferred to Signal Corps April 30tb, 1SG2, Corporal James F. Tucker, wounded August 19th, XS(>4, Davis1 Farm. PRIVATES. Ansel, Andrew J., captured October 27th, 1S64, Burgess' Mill. Asbol.l. Wm. Avdelott, Jacob. Balinnce. Stephen R., wounded August 10th, 1864, Davis' Farm. Bailnnee, Stephen LI. Jr., wounded and captured August 19th, 18G4, Davis' Farm. Bowien. John A., killed August 19th, 18 >4, Davis' Farm. Beasley, Jonchtn, promoted Corporal. Bunnell, Kenneth, ca] lured May 2Gth, \SVA sick in hospital Atlee Station. Balientine, Jumes M,7 lied in hospital April 11th, 1802. Bray, Tho.uas A., die< in hospital. June lsr. ls<;-L Richmond. Cotton. Benjamin t ., died in hospital December 3d, lss>0'2, Creekmore, Seth. WILSON GUARDS, CO. IS, SIXTY-FIRST VA. REGT. 149 Curling* Joseph II. Sr., wOunded*and captured August 19th, 1864, Davis' Farm. Curling, Joseph II. Jr.. died in hospital February 26th, 1801, Orange Court House, furling. £■ T., captured October 27th, 1864* Burgess' Mill. Cooper, William A., wounded Juno 22d, L864, Wilcox Farm. Davis, William G. P., discharged .inly 25th, 1868, disability. Davis, James, died in hospital 1862. Doxey, David W., killed August 19th, 1864, Davis1 Farm. Ihidlev, Willis W., died at Point Lookout April, 1865. E.-isoii, John T.. captured October 27th, 1864, Burgess' Mill. IVnvll, George. Fanshaw, Atpheus, detailed Teamster, June 17th, 1862. Fentress, Joseph, died in hospital January 24th, 1864, Petersburg; Foreman, John W., transferred to Company G, April 30th, 1863. (irandy, A. V¥., transferred from Company C November 23d, 1868. Gregorv, William 11.. wounded June 22d, 186-1. at Wilcox Farm, ilied June 25 th. Grimstead, Jonathan, died in hospital December 11th, 1862. Dal!, Thomas F. Hall, Samuel, wounded and captured August 19th, 1864, Davis' Farm. Halstead, William M., promoted Corporal, died in hospital Juue25th,1863. Dan is, Samuel. Harrison, John 8., captured October 27th. 186-1, JBurgess' Mill. Hodges, Celius, wounded Julv 30th, 1864, at Crater, died August 3d. Hodges, Thomas W. [lodges, Join) W., died in hospital June 18th, 1862. II an bury, John W. Jones, Coiius W., died in hospital March 29th, 1862. Keaton, Samuel, discharged December 22d, 1862, overage. Ki.nsey, James M., detailed in hospital. Ivhisey, William H.. detailed as nurse in hospital March 8th, 1863. Kinsey, Samuel, captured October 27 ch, 1864, at Burgess' Mill. Lee, Madison, wounded June 22d, 1864 at Wilcox Farm. Leo, John J., captured October 27th, 1864, at Burgess' Mill. Man-in. Charles, discharged August 14th, 1864, over age. Mathias, Hilliard W., wounded October 27th, 18r>4, burgess' Mill. Maund. David W., transferred to Signal Corps April 30th, 1*62. McClanan, Henry B., promoted Corporal, wounded July 30th, 1864, at Crater, died August 6th. M'd'hei-son. Ji^,, killed October 27th, 1864, at Burgess' Mill. Williams, Quinton T.. tram-fern -d June27th^ 186*2, to Petersburg Cavalry. Wicker, William T., died in hospital February 18th, 1803. Killed and died — 38. p ■ CHAPTER XYIIL TilK 15LAX0IIAKD GRAYS, COMPANY C, SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. This company was organized in the Great Bridge section of Norfolk county in 1861, and was named in honor of Colonel A. Or. Bianehard, commander of the 1st Louisiana Regiment. Upon bcitig mustered into service it was assigned to the battalion which Colonel Samuel M. Wilson was organizing for duty in the batteries around the harbor of Norfolk and Portsmouth. This battalion afterwards became the <>lst Virginia Regiment, and the Blanch- ard Grays became Company C. The following were the officers: Captain, John G. Wallace. First Lieutenant. Ashville Simmons; 2d Lieutenant, St. Julien Wilson; 3d Lieutenant, Benj. James. First Sergeant, John II . Bogart. The company remained on duty near Portsmouth until the evacuation of the city, May 10th, 1862, when it was carried by rail to Petersburg and participated in the organization and election of officers of the 61st Regiment. It did provost duty in Peters- burg for a while and wont from thereto the Appomattox river on picket duty, and about the 28th of August reported back to the regiment on Dunn's Hill and accompanied it to Richmond. Early in September it was ordered to the Rapidan with the regiment and did picket duty along the river guarding fords, and scouted as far as WalTenton Junction. Upon the return of General Lee's army from the Maryland campaign, the various companies of the 61st Regiment .which were scattered along the Rapidan, were concentrated, and the regiment moved down to Fredericksburg to observe the movements of Burnside's army, and delay him as long as possible in crossing the Rappahannock river. The company was present at the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Salem Church* Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, Mine Run, "Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and in fact in all of the battles in which Mahone's Brigade was engaged after October, 1S62. Lieutenant Simmons resigned iris commission as 1st lieutenant on the 30th of March, 1864, and Lieutenants St. Julien Wilson and Benjamin James were promoted to 1st and 2d lieutenants re- spectively. At the battle of the Crater, fought on the 30th of July, 1864, Captain Wallace was severely wounded and disabled, and Lieutenant Wilson was mortally wounded. Lieutenant James was promoted to l*t lieutenant upon the death of Lieutenant Wil- son and was captured on the 27th of October. following, at the battle of Burgess' Mill. This left the company without any commissioned officers. 151 152 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5, This company lost as many men during the war, in proportion to its numbers, as probably any other wliicli entered the Confed- erate army from Eastern Virginia. Of eighty-four names on its muster rolls six were transferred to other commands, and three were discharged from the army upon surgeon's certificates of dis- ability, thus leaving with the company only seventy-live men and of these, thirty-three never returned, Disease carried oil' more than were killed in battle. After the battle of Burgess Mill the company was commanded by Lieutenant V. A. llaynes, of Company D, and "surrendered at Appomattox with six privates. Below will be found the roll of the company : Captain John G. Wallace, wounded and disabled .July 30tft. 186-4, Crater. First Lieutenant- Ashville Simmons, resigned March 30th, i*64. Second Lieutenant St. Julien Wilson, promoted 1st Lieutenant April 1st, 1^G4, wounded July 30th, 1864, Crater, died July 31st. Third Lieutenant Benjamin James, promoted 1st Lieutenant July 30th, 1864, captured October 27th, 1864, Burgess Mill. First Sergeant J hon~ II. Bogarr, captured October 16th, 1863, -at War- rente)!!.. Sergeant Jas. E. Garret, captured October 271b, 1864, at Burgess' Mill. u Win. II. James. " John Shirley. Corporal Josiah Etheredge. " Win. If. Calhoun, transferred to Maryland line February 1 st, 1 $64. Ed. W. Forbes, wounded Julv 30th, 1804, at Crater. John Gallup. PRIVATES. Banks, Win., died in hospital May 6th, 1«62, Norfolk. Banks, James M. Beats; Benj. J., captured October 27th, 1864, at Burgess1 Mill. Bell, Enoch F., died in hospital March 30th, 1863, U. 8. Cord. Byrum. Win. E. Berry, Martin, discharged March 20th, 1862, for disability. Boushel!, M. A., died in hospital February 13th, 1864, Orange Court House. lierryiunn, Ed. F., appointed Sergeant Major 61st Regiment July 1st, Fs62. Bradley, Reuben. Butt. John. Burford, Samuel. Bynmi, James C, wounded May 1st, 1&03, Chancellorsyille, died May 7th. Byrum, Gideon F.. died in hospital January 23d, 1863, Richmond. Cartwright, James E. Cox, Sharp K. Creekmore, Theophilus, died in hospital April 14th, 186:}, at U. S. Ford. Cowell, Benj. B., promoted corporal, killed July 30th, 1864, at Crater. Curtis. Thomas, discharged January 30th, 1863, disability. Darn old, John VV, Deconier, John, discharged February 24th, 1864, disability. Doxey, Graudy i;., wounded August 19th, 1864, Davis' Farm, Eason, Geo. \\\ Forbes, Nathaniel, died in hospital April, 1863, U. S. Ford. Fulford, Thos. EL, ca >tured July 14th, 1863, in Maryland. Glenn, Samuel T., fcra osferred to Maryland line March 26th, 1862. Grandy, Abner X., tv nsferred to Company B November 21sr. 18(52. Gallop, John I ., died in hospital March 20th, 1863, Richmon i. Guilford, James, died in hospital May 16th, 1863, Charlottesville. Halstead, Miles W., wounded July 30th, 1863. at Crater, died August .st. BLANCHARD GRAYS, CO. C, SIXTY-FIRST VA. REGT, 153 Harris, Miles D., wounded July 30th, 1864, and captured October 27th, 1864, at Burgess' Mill. Hill, Solomon A.,' died in hospital October 10th, 1S62, Culpepper. Hughes, Charles. Kher, William, wounded May 1st, 3868, Chancellorsville, died May 7th. 1, upton. J. W. : |*e, Willis, died in hospital June 17th, 1862, Petersburg;. Marchant, Johnston, captured July 30th, 1864, at the Crater. Mansfield, Mathias, died in hospital October 10th, 1862, Petersburg. Mercer, Samuel, died in hospital June 8th, 1862, .Richmond. Miller. Frederick, Mathews, Fphriam, wounded August 19th, 1864, Wilcox Farm. Mercer, Jas. P. W., wounded May 1st, 1863, Chancellorsville, died May 7th. Miller, Peter F., transferred to Company I, 61st Virginia Regiment. Millar, Peteg, died in hospital April 18th, 1862, St. Helena. Melsou, IFeiry, died in hospital September 20th, 1863, U.S. Ford. MePherson, James M., killed July 30th. 1864, Crater. Northern, James, died in hospital June 24th, 1862, Richmond. Only, Win, H., Captured October 27th, 1864, at Burgess' Mill. Overton, Samuel S. Paul, William James, transferred to Maryland line April 24th, 1862. i Powers, Wesley, wounded July 30th, 1S04, Crater. Powers, John, died in hospital May, 1863, Roli»on, John, died in hospital February 7th, 1868, Richmond. Rhoner, John, died in hospital July 15th, 1864, Richmond. Stewart, Adrian D., wounded July 4th, 1863, at Gettysburg. Sawyer, Nelson, died in hospital January 20th, 1803, Richmond. Savilis, Marcus A., captured October 27th, 1864, at Burgess' Mill. Shirley, Joan, wounded aecidently June 21st, 1863. Sawyer, Joseph, died in hospital February 24th, 1863, near Fredericks- burg. Spaight, Raynor, captured October 27th, 1804, at Burgess' Mill. Sawyer, Gideon L., died in hospital January 19th, 1803, Richmond. Stewart, David H., died in hospital June 29th, 1862, on Appomattox river. Sawyer, William J. Suggs, George F., wounded August 10th, 1804, Davis' Farm. Turner, Thomas, wounded July 30th, 1804, at Crater, died July 31st. Waller, Josiah, died in hospital June 15th, 1802. Warren, James E., wounded June 22d, ISO!, Wilcox Farm. Waterfieid, Saunders, died in hospital December 81st, 1862, Lynchburg. Warren, John. Whateley. [.even, transferred to Maryland line February 1st, 1804. Whitehurst, David, killed by tailing tree in camp November 80th, 1802. Wright, William, captured October 27th, 18.64, at Burgess' Mill. Woodward, Litaness. Musician Charles Hughes, captured. July 5th, 1863. Killed and died— 33. a CHAPTER XIX. JACKSON LIGHT INFANTRY, COMPANY D, SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REG- IMENT. This company was organized in the City Hall, Portsmouth, on the 10th of March, 1862, and elected officers as follows: Captain, V. O. Cassell. First Lieutenant, John Powers; 2d Lieutenant, Virginius A Ilavnes; 3d Lieutenant, Alex B. Butt. first Sergeant, J. J. Bilisoly. The original idea when the company was organized was to make it a heavy artillery company for duty in a regiment which was being organized for special services in the fortifications around the harbor, but it was furnished with muskets, and the evacuation of Portsmouth by the Confederates before the Organ- ization of the regiment was completed did away with its useful- ness as heavy artillerists. Owing to the short period of time which elaspsed between the organization of the company and the evacuation of Portsmouth, it had a very uneventful history inde- pendent of the general history of the regiment of which it formed a part. It was on duty at the entrenched camp south of Ports- mouth known as the Forrest entrenchments, after Commodore Forrest, commanding the Xavy Yard, when the city was evac- uated. It was then moved to Petersburg, quartered for two or three days in that city, and then moved into camp on -Dunn's Hill. It was with the regiment (the 61st Virginia) as Company I) when it was ordered to the Eapidan, in the summer of 180*2, and participated in all of the battles in which the regiment was engaged, a full list of w lich we be men in the sketch of the reg- iment itself — Chap. XXIV. After the 61st regiment became a part of Mahone's Brigade. Lieutenant Alex E. Butt was appointed Adjutant of the 41st Virginia Regiment of the same brigade, and was mortally wounded at the battle of Chancellorsville and died in a hospital. Cap- tain V. 0. Cassell lest a leg in the same battle and was incapaci- tated for further service and retired. This promoted Lieutenant John Powers to Captain, and 2d Lieutenant ILaynes to 1st Lieu- tenant. Orderly Sergeant Julius J. Bilisoly was promoted to 2d Lieutenant. Those officers served throughout the war with '; ■■ command. The company, was in several small engagements or skirmishes with th 3 enemy in 1802, and was in line of battle at Fredericksburg Dt cemher 13th, 1802, and under a heavy artillery fire,. but was not actively engaged, as the enemy's attack vvsis made upon another portion of the Confederate lines to the right 154 I I JACKSON LIGHT INFANTRY, CO. D, SIXTY-FIRST YA. REGT. 1 55 of the position held by them. Ofcancellorsville was the tirst bat- tle nfanv magnitude in which it was engaged. In this battle Private J. Wiley Howard lost a leg and Private Joseph Barrett was wounded. It had two men killed at the Crater tight — John Sheppard and John Wood — and surrendered at Appomattox April 9th, 1S65,- with one lieutenant, one Ordnance Sergeant and six privates, all that was left for duty of upwards of sixty naii who left Portsmouth with the company on the 10th of May, 1802. More than one fourth were killed or died, and of the re- mainder some were wounded and some foil into the hands of the enemy and were not exchanged. The following is a list of the members <>f the company who left Portsmouth with it. The list of casualties opposite* the names of the men has been prepared from memory, and some may have been omitted who were recip- ients of wound.-, but it i- probable that ail who were killed or died have been reported properly: Captain V. 0. Cassell, lost leg at Chancellors ville, .May 3d, 1863, and retired. Captain John Powers, promoted to Captain in 1863. First Lieutenant V. A. Haynes. Third Lieutenant A. B. Butt, promoted Adjutant 41st Regiment, killed at Chancel lorsville. . - Second Lieutenant J. J. Bilisoly, promoted from 1st Sergeant. Sergeant Jesse Ives, wounded August 10th. 1 ^G t, Davis" Farm, and Febru- ary 6.th, 1865, Hatcher's Run. Sergeant Charles Syer. promoted Color Sergeant 61st Regiment, captured August 19th, 1*64. Sergeant David S. Robertson, discharged 1864, over age. Corporal- Joshua Denfoy, wounded July 2d, 1863, Gettysburg, near Peters- burg. 1864, and captured the day before the surrender at Appomattox. Corporal W. H. D'tmstan, died in hospital in 186'2, Petersburg. PRIVATES. AcciuelTy, I>. J., promoted Ordnance Sergeant 01st Virginia Regiment. A.sh ton, Gerdon C. - Ashby, William. 1'utt. Robert P., died in hospital, 1863. Barrett, Joseph, wounded May 3d. 1863. at C hancellorsville. I Hurt, Wesley G,, killed February 6th, 1865, Hatcher's Run. Barber, George W. Chanrberlaine, William, died in hospital, 1862. Petersburg. Chamberlaine, Thomas, wounded May 12th, 1864, Spotsvlvania, killed Au- gust 19ttb. 1864, Davis Farm. Coston, William C. Coston, Henry C. Coston, Thos* J. Cherry, Win; Alex, promoted Corporal, wounded August 19th, 1864, and I died from wound. i Cooke, Thos. J., wounded May 12th. 1864, and died. I Cotton, John. Orderly at Colonel's Headquarters. Dsiihy, James, wounded July 30th, 1864, at Crater. DavR John Harrison, with medical corps. Clarity; Thomas. f'lauagan, Edward, died in hospital, 1S62. ' Sennning, Malon R., wounded August LUth. 1864, Davis'- Farm. I Godwin, .\. I), P., wounded iiav 1st, 1803, Chancellors vilie. i ■.;.■..-.'. i i • 156 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1SG1-5. Hughes, Edward, wounded August 19tb, 1864, Davis' Farm. Howard, J. Wiley, promoted corporal, lost leg May 12th, 186*4, Spotsyl- vania. Hdgkg, John. Hodges, Josiah. discharged 1802, over age. Humphries, John. Jordan, Win. Thomas, killed February Otb, 1805, at Hatcher's Run. Jarvis, Thomas. Keeling, Joseph, wounded May 3d, 1803. Chanceliorsville. Lester, A. E., drummer. Moore, William, discharged 1802, disability. Mathews, Elbert, died in hospital. Petersburg, June 21st, 1802. Miller, Philip. Moore, Win, J., not heard of after the battle of Chanceliorsville. Marsh, Pen. Mayo, George Washington, died in prison, Fort Delaware. Murray, John T. Nelson, John, discharged 1802, disability. Only, John, died in hospital. Only, James, died in hospital. Outens, Johu. Only, Thos. E., wounded. Pate, Win,, wounded. Perry, E. A., detailed as sharpshooter, captured on retreat from Petersburg. Parker, George, wounded May 12th, 1804, Spotsylvania. Richardson. Benjamin. Rutter, 1'homas, wounded May Gth, Wilderness, and August 25th, 1804, Reams' Station, captured the day before the surrender at Appomattox', Reynolds, H. C, wounded Spotsylvania, 2d Cold Harbor, and August 19th, 1804. captured the day before the surrender at Appomattox. Rawsou, Charles. Singleton, John, wounded Hanover Junction, May 29th, 1804. Shepperd, John, killed July 30tb, 1804, Crater. White, John, died in hospital. White, Tim, died in hospital at Gordonsville. Ward, Baker. Walkor, Wm. M. Wood, John H., killed July 30th, 1804, Crater. Williams, Hillary G. Walker; Lewis Wilson, wounded May 8th, 1804, Shady Grove. Young, George W. Kiiled and died — 10. CHAPTER IX. THE UoRDER RIFLES, COMPANY E, SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. This company was organized early in 1862, and was composed of about twenty -live of the Norfolk County Ttilie Patriots, Com- pany F. 4 let Virginia, who left that company on the reorganization in April, and together with new recruits, formed this company. The member* were mostly from that portion of Norfolk county now knowr, as Washington and Pleasant Grove Magisterial Dis- tricts, but there were two men from Beep Creek and eight from the city of Portsmouth. The officers of the company at its or- ganization, were : Captain, Jetson Jett. First Lieutenant, L. W. Godfrey ; 2d Lieutenant, William T. Drcwry; -3d Lieutenant, Walter C. Ives. First Sergeant, Augustus W. PortJoek ; 2d Sergeant, Dennis M. Etheredge ; 3d Sergeant, Augustus E. Pitts; 4th Sergeant, Camillus E. Tatem. First Corporal, Alonzo Ives ; 2d Corporal, Thomas Williamson ; 3d Corporal, James M. Wilkins : 4th Coirporal, Curtis O. Ives. The company was mustered into the Confederate States service at Washington Point, now Berkley, and was quartered for a week or two at the Marine Hospital building, when it was assigned to the Gist Virginia Regiment as Company E, and ordered to Oak Grove, near Portsmouth, and remained there, doing provost duty in the city, until the evacuation. On the 10th of "May, 1862, it was taken by rail to Petersburg, where the whole of the 61st reg- iment was collected, and remained there for two or three weeks, when, with Companies B and G, it was ordered to City Point on picket duty and remained there until late in August, when the regiment was called together on Dunn's Hill, near Petersburg, and on the 28th of August started to the front to join the Army of Northern Virginia., under General Lee. Upon reaching the Rapidan river, Companies E and F were detached from the regi- ment for special duty and ordered to report to Staunton. Com- pany E was divided into small squads and stationed in the small towns on the Valley turnpike from Staunton to Strausburg. Company F was retained in Staunton. In June, 1863, the two companies were ordered to rejoin, the regiment, which was then stationed in the vicinity of Fredericksburg, and after that partici- | gated in all of the battles in which the regiment was engaged. riiey missed Chancellors vide, but got back in time to join the arniy on its march to Pennsylvania and to take part in the battle I of Gettysburg, July 2d and 3d, when Company E had its first ex- 157 158 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S61-5, periencc in a general engagement. In this battle Lieutenant Walter C. Ives was killed and Lieutenant L, W. Godfrey was wounded. Oil the 12th of May following, Lieutenant W. T. Drewry was killed at the battle of Spotsylvania Court House. After the death of Lieutenant Drewry, Sergeant Griffin F. Ed- wards was elected 2d lieutenant, but prefering the position of sergeant-major of the regiment, which he then held, he declined to accept the lieutenancy. lie was subsequently promoted to adjutant of the regiment* and held that position from early in 1865 until the close of tlw war. Private Win. F. White, of Portsmouth, who was a member of this company, was elected in 1S64 captain, of one of the Xorfolk city companies in the Sth Virginia liegimeut, in Mahone's Brigade. The company lost by death from wounds and from sickness, twenty-nine men, while thirteen others are reported below as having been severely woun- ded. Idie li.-^t of wounded was much larger than this, but as it was made up from memory, many were forgotten. While the roster is believed, to be correct and full as to those who were killed or died, it does not profess to include allot' those who were wounded. This company retained its organization intact until the closing scenes of the drama at Appomattox, where it surrendered one officer, Captain Lett, and seventeen men. The wounding of Adjutant Griffin F. Edwards at Cumberland Church on the 7th of April, 1865, was a singular exhibition of what some would term hard luck. The brigade (Afahone's) was lying down in line of battle, behind a slight breastwork about two feet high, which the men had thrown up hastily to protect them- selves from the lire of a force of Federal sharp shooters, who, from the top of a piece of rising ground about a half a mile oil', had perfect range of the position. They were armed with globe sight rifles and were expert in their use. Lieutenant-Colonel Wm. .II. Stewart had ei mmand of the division picket line and a portion of it had been attacked by a heavy force of Federals and pushed back. General Weisiger, who commanded Mahone's Brigade, and who was at the left of the line, sent for Col. Stewart for. the purpose of placing a force at his disposal to re-establish the line. Colonel Stewart moved over the front of the division for nearly a half mile, exposed all the while to the sharp shooters who took frequent shots at him, all of which missed. When he reached General Weisiger's position that officer ordered Colonel V. D. Groner, commanding the 01st Regiment, to make a detail of men, and Colonel Groner called Adjutant Edwards to him ami repeated the order. While standing up before Colonel Groner, and before he could execute the order, one of the sharp shooters lodged a hall in h s shoulder, which disabled him, and when the brigade fed back that night he was left behind. Two days aft* r- wards, namely, the 9th, the army surrendered at Appomattox. BORDER RIFLES, COM PAW E, SIXTY-FIRST VA. REGT. 159 Odltfnel Stewart was standing near Adjutant Edwards when he was shnt. and though the more and longer exposed of the two, escaped unharmed. Below will be found a roll of the company, which is as complete as it is possible to make it at this late day, but it is believed to ■contain the names of every man who left with the company at the evacuation of Portsmouth by the Confederates on the 10th of May, 1862, The names here following were on the muster roll of the com- pany May 31st, 1862: Captain, Jetson Jett. First Lieu-tenant, L. W. GMfrey, wounded July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg. Stvond Lieutenant. Wrri. Dre/wry, killed May 12th, 1864, Spotsylvania. Third Lieutenant. Walter C. Ives, killed July 2d, 1863, Gettysburg. First Sergeant, Gustavus W. Portlock, wounded August 19th, 1864, Weldon railroad, died in hands of enemy. First Sergeant, James M. Wilkin's.; Sergeant Dennis M. Etheredge, died in hospital, Staunton. October 17th, 1862. Sergeant Augustus R. Pitt, appointed musician. Sergeant Camillas E. Taterri, wounded July 30th', 1864, Crater. Sergeant Alonzo Ives, wounded May 6th, 1.861, Wilderness, and Julv 30th. 1864, Crater. Corpora! Thus. Williamson, wounded August 19th, 1864, Petersburg and Weldou railroad, Davis' Farm. Corporal Curtis 0. Ives, wounded August 19th, 1864, Petersburg and Wel- dou railroad, Davis* Farm. Corporal Joshua Charlton, wounded July 30th, Crater. Corporal L. W. Charlton. PRIVATES. Ballanee, Martin, wounded August 19th. 1864, Davis' Farm. Butt, Andrew, wounded July 3d, 1863, Gettysburg, died in hands of the enemy. Butt, Thomas, died in hospital 1862. Brinkley, A\ m. D„ died iu hospital 1864. Cart-wright, Dempsey, killed May 12th, 1864, Spotsylvania. Charlton, Samuel <>., died in hospital 1862, Staunton. Cherry, Absolem. Cherry, Richard. Corbit,, Richard, died in hospital October, 1863, Richmond. Creekmore, John W. * Creekffiore, Wesley P., died in hospital 1862, Petersburg. Curling, Bart'tetfc. Curling, Edmond, wounded May 12th, 1861. at Spotsvlvania, captured Aug. 19th. 1864, Davis' Farm. CiitJhwrell, George, Futherell. Milton.' wounded Julv 30th, 1864, Crater. Cnthereil, Wm. E., killed May 12th. 1864, Spotsvlvania, Dfford. Kichard 1L hewberry, Wm. T.. captured October 27th, Burgess' Mill. Ldrnonds. Luther, appointed musician. Ldwards, Ciiffm P., promoted Sergeaut-Major November 1863, Adjutant February, 1865, wounded April 7th, 1865, Cumberland Church, and left , ■ on field. Etheredge, Frederick, killed May 8th, 1864, Wilderness, ktheredge, Isaiah, captured October 27th, 1864, Burgess' Miil. 160 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861~o> Etheredge, John, captured October 27th, 1864, Burgees' Mill. Etheredge, Martin . Ferrebe, Grandy, wounded August 19th, 1864, and died in hospital. Foreman, John E. Foster, James S., captured July 3d, 1864, near Petersburg. Gammon, Joshua, B., killed August 19th, 1864, Davis' Farm. Gin'ord, Samuel, kilted August 1,9th, L864, Davis' Farm. Gammon, Alex., killed May 12th, 1864, Spotsylvania. Gibson, Win, M., discharged 1864. Grimes, John F. Gwynn, Asbury, captured August 19th, 1864, Davis' Farm. Gwynn; Frederick, died in hospital 1864, Richmond. Gilbert, Thos., died in hospital May, 1862, Petersburg. Hall, Cary W. Hall, James S. Howell. M. W., discharged October 27th, 1862, disability. Hanbury, Fred. Hanbury, Horatis B. Hanbury, James C. Hodges, Dan 'I, died in hospital October, 1863, Staunton. Hozier. Jeremiah E., wounded May 12th, 1861, at Spotsylvania and August, 19th, LS64, Davis' Farm. Ives, Felix G. Jarvis, Alex. A., killed July 30th, 1864, Crater. Lane, James E.. killed June 2d, 1861, Cold Harbor. McLeau. John A., detailed for service in Labratorv, Charlotte. N. C. MePherson, Peter, killed August 19th, 1864, Davis* Farm. Only, Absolem, discharged for disability. Only, Alexander, killed May 12th, L864j Spotsylvania. Osborne, Raison, wounded May 12th, 1864, Spotsylvania. Ottley, Win. X., captured October 27th, 1864, Burgess' Mili. Owens, Geo. Portlock, Thos. E., died in hospital 1863, Staunton. Kudd, Wni. D. Saunders. Wxn. D. B., killed May 12th, 1864, Spotsylvania. Stewart, Thos., killed May 12th, 1861, Spotsylvania. Stokes, James. Stokes, Robert. Stokes, Wilson F., killed June 22d, 1864, Wilcox's Farm. Tatem, Beni. i\, promoted (Quartermaster Sergeant, 1862. Wagner, Lewis. Williamson, ('has. C. Williamson, Elton, wounded August 19th. 1861, Davis' Farm. Williamson, Henry, wounded May 12th, 1862, Spotsylvania. Wilkins, W.*L S., promoted 2d Sergeant. White, Wm. F., promoted Ca]>tain 6th Virginia Regiment. Wilson, Joseph. Wilson, Joshua. T., eaptured August 19th, 1864, Davis' Farm, Wright, Benj., killed May 12th, Lvj64, Spotsylvania. Lin don, Mitch el. Killed and died— 29. •-■■'■ CHAPTER XXL THE VIRGINIA RANGERS, GOMPAWY H, SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT, In March. 1B62, Captain James C. Cheat, formerly captain of Company A, 3d Virginia Regiment, and Sergeant John II. "Wright, formerly of Company I, 9th Virginia Regiment, both of Norfolk county, were engaged trying to raise separate companies. and finding that the field had been, very thoroughly gleaned over and that there were few men in the city or county who were not already in tliv Confederate service, concluded to consolidate their work and make one company of it. The members of the company were part from the city and part from the county near the western suburbs and towards Deep Creek. The company organized and elected officers on the 26th of March. Those officers were : Captain. James C. Cheat. First Lieutenant, John II. Wright ; 2d Lieutenant, James F. Carr ; 3d Lieutenant, Henry E. Orr. Firs t Sergeant, James II. Gleason ; 2d Sergeant, W. W. Hew; 3d Sergeant. John Sory. The company was immediately mustered into service and as- signed to the 61st Virginia Regiment as Company H. A short time before the Confederates evacuated Portsmouth Captain Cheat aecidently shot himself in the aim and resigned the com- mand of the company to Lieutenant Wright, who was promoted to captain. The company left Portsmouth on the 10th of May, 1862, marched to Suffolk and there took the cars for Petersburg, and camped a short time on the heights to the south of that city, after which it was moved to Dunn's Hill with the rest of the reg- iment. While there Lieutenant Carr was appointed commissary of the regiment, but shortly afterwards resigned, and was dis- charged upon a surgeon's certificate of disability, and Sergeant James 11. Qleason was elected lieutenant. The company did provost duty in Petersburg until August 28th, when the regiment broke camp and marched to Richmond, and from there took the cars for Rapidan Station, and assisted in rebuilding the bridge over that river, which had been burned. From there the com- pany was ordered to Warrenton, and did provost duty until the latter part of October, when it was ordered to rejoin the regiment and marched to Fredericksburg. xVfter that time the regiment was attached to Mahone's Brigade. While the company was at Warrenton, Captain Wright received an appointment assigning him to other duty and he resigned the captaincy of the company. He subsequently enlisted as a private in the signal corps. Lieutenant Orr then became captain. Lieu- 161 162 NORFOLK rnuXT)\ tS€>l-5, tenant Gleason was promoted to 1st lieutenant and Sergeant \V. W, Rew was elected 2d lieutenant. Captain (Jit commanded the company until tlie close of the war. Lieutenant Gleason was severely wounded and disabled at the battle of Spotsylvania Court House, May 12-tli, 1S64, and was retired. At the battle of the Crater, July 30th, iS*»4. the company lost very heavily. One man was killed, and Lieutenant Rew and five privates were wounded. Lieutenant Rew's wound was very severe, hut lie re- covered in time to rejoin the company and surrendered with it at Appomattox Court [louse, when there were present two commis- sioned officers, one sergeant and six privates. The company lost very heavily in proportion to its numbers, and participated in all of the battles in which the regiment was engaged. Below will be found a roll of the company, together with the casualties as far as it lias been possible for them t<> be obtained. At this date none of the officers who were in actual service with the company are living, and the source of information concerning the killed and wounded has been narrowed down to very close limits, but the roll embraces all who left the county with ilia company on the 10th of Ma)', 186$, and the list of casualties is correct as far as it goes : Captain James 0. Choat, aceidently wounded "Sidy, 1802, and resigned. First Lieutenant John H. Wright, promoted Captain, resigned 1862, en- listed in Signal Corps. Second Lieutenant James F. Carr, appointed Commissary. discharged 1802. Third Lieutenant Henry E. Orr. appointed Captain 1862, surrendered at Appomattox. First Sergeant James A. Gleason. elected 1st Lieutenant, wounded and dis- abled May 12th, 1804, Spotsylvania, and retired. Third Sergeant Jonn R. Simmons, promoted 1st Sergeant. Fourth Sergeant Washington W. Rew, elected Lieutenant, wounded July 30th, 1864, Crater. Corpora! .John C. Sorey. Corporal Edward L. Mansfield. Corporal George Ross. Musician John W. Mitchell. PRITATES. Aydelott, Henry C, died in hospital 1863, U. S. Ford. Adkins, G. B., wounded July 30th, 1804, Crater. Brittingham, Francis O. Ballentine, John. Berryman, Ed. F., promoted Sergeant, wounded August 19th, 1804, Davis' Farm. Bowdeii, Win. Crurapler, Solomon B. Cherry, Richard J., promoted Sergeant, detached 1804. Cherry, Miles, died in hospital 1802, Petersburg. Cherry, John. Cherry, David. Cherry, Paul W., died in hospital 1802. at Petersburg. Cooke, Antonio M., wounded Crater, Wilderness and Hatcher's Run. Chamberlain'©, Willis. Culpepper, Franklin J. TIRGINU H iNGER^ CO. II, SIXTY-FIRST VA. HEGT. 103 puke, Francis, killed May 12th, 1864, Spotsylvania. Fddie, It., wounded July 80th, 1864, Crater. hnvmuii, Isaiah, transferred to Company 0. Fprewan, James R,, died in hospital. Friedliu, Auiile C. Gallup, John, Sr. Gliding', Geo. F. Gallagher, Carney. Gallagher, Edward, captured. Hodges; Thos., promoted Corporal. Hodges, William. Flozier, John W., made Corporal, wounded July 80th, 1864, Crater. Hodges, John T. Eialstead, Thos, Hayncs, John \V.. promoted Sergeant. Harrei, Alexander. Johnson, Alonzo. Johnson, James 11., made Corporal. Jo.hns.on, Joint B.. captured April 8th, 1865, on retreat. Johnson, Lender, made Corporal, detached for service at Danville, 1863. Jordan, Win. Lassiter, James, died in hospital, U. S.. Ford. Miller, Christopher, wounded Mav 6th, 1864, Wilderness. Miller, J. F. Mansfield, James, killed near Petersburg. McXider, Win. 11., killed July 30th, 1864. Crater. Mansfield, Wilfoughb.V, made Corporal, killed May 6th, 1864, Wilderness, Mears, Thos., lost leg June 224, 1804, Wilcox Farm. McTyre, Kobt. W.. made Corporal. McGlone, J. Only, ilollowell, died in Chimborazo Hospital of Pneumonia May, 1863. Only, Joseph. Robinson, K. Taylor, Thos. IL Tranham. A. S., wounded July 30th. 1864, Crater. Turner, Mills. Wilkih.s, Kiehard. White. Geo; T. Wyatt. II. T., wounded July 30th, 1864, Crater. Killed and died— 10. CHAPTER XXII. Tills company was organized in Portsmouth June 16th, 1861, and contained in its membership quite a number of men from the vicinity of -Bowers?' II ill, in Norfolk coup tj. The following were the officers under whom it was mustered into service : Captain, Charles 11. MeAlpine First Lieutenant, Frank W: Arniistead ; 2d Lieutenant, John Hobday ; 3d lieutenant, C. W. Murdaugh. The company was ordered to Seawell's Point and was attached to the 4:1 st Virginia Regiment as Company G, It was on duty there until the-20tli of April, 1862, when it was detached from the 41st Regiment and ordered to report to Lieutenant-Colonel Archer at Fort Boy kin, near Smithneld. On the 27th of May it was or- dered to report to the major commanding Battery "No. 3, in the fortifications around Richmond, and on the 10th of July was ordered on provost duty in Richmond city, but was continued on that service only four days, when, J nly 14th, it was assigned by order of the secretary of war, to the regiment of Colonel Samuel M. Wilson, afterwards the 61st Virginia. On the 20th of July orders were received from Lieutenant-Colonel AY no F. JN'iemeVer, com- manding the regiment, to report to him on Dunn's Hill, near Petersburg, and on the 21st Captain MeAlpine reported with his company. The battles around Richmond in June, 1862, took place while the company was in tlia batteries there, but it was not ordered in any of them. Upon reaching Dunn's Hill the com- pany was given the letter I, as it was the ninth company which had been assigned to ilia regiment. The tenth company was as- signed later. The strength of the company then was about fifty- nine men. At the reorganization of the company in June, 1862, all of the old. officers except Lieutenant Armistead were re-elected. Lieu- tenant Armisiead severed his connection with the company ami enlisted in one of the Svansemend companies in the 13th Virginia Cavalry. Lieutenants Hobday and Murdaugh became respect- ively &st and second lieutenants, and on the 20th of July, at a special election held by order of the Department Commander, General French, Frank SI. Marehant was elected 3d lieutenant. Captain MeAlpine was promoted to the position of Major of the Regiment May 12th, 1864, and on the same day Lieutenant John Hobday was appointed captain. Heiiitenants Murdaugh and Marehant; were each advanced one grade; Lieutenant Mxtrdtuigb was seriously wounded in the hip at the battle of Chancellorsvilie 104 m^r^" BILTSOLY BLUES, CO. J, SIXTY-FIRST VA. REGT. 165 or more properly speaking, Salem Church, on the afternoon of May 3d, 1863. General Lee Lad shaken General Hooker from } ik entrenched position near Chaueellors.vilie, and wa&aBoutto sweep down upon him with his whole army, when lie received news that Genera] Sedgwick, having crossed the Rappahannock river at Fredericksburg and eapteed Marye Heights, was advanc- ing in his rear. General Lee detached a number of brigades, among them Ma- hbne's, to cheek Sedgwick's further advance, and. the two forces met at Salem Church. Company I was deployed as skirmishers, and while engaging the enemy in front, was tired into from be- hind by Semmes' Georgia Brigade. Thus caught between two tires, one from the enemy and the other from friends; the position of the company was by no means an agreeable one. It was here that Lieutenant Murdangh was wounded. lie was complimented in General Order No. VJS3 from General Lee's headquarters, for gallantry on that occasion. The battle was a complete victory for the Confederates and only the darkness saved Sedgwick from destruction. He made his escape during the night across the I river. Captain Hobday was killed October the 27th, 186^ at the battle of Burgess' Milk and Lieutenant Murdangh was promoted to captain. Lieutenant Marehant became 1st lieutenant, and these two continued the officers of the company until the close of the war. The company was quartered on Dunn's I Jill, doing provost duty in the city of Petersburg from July 21st to August 29th, 1862, when the regiment moved to the Hapidan river, andwasen- gaged in guarding the fords of that river against the* scouting parties of the enemy. Major MeAlpine left behind at Ins death, some notes and memoranda relating to his company, and anions others, mentions private Albert Lowell, who was conspicuous for gallantry at the battle of Spotsylvania Court House May 12th, 1864, and W. F. Butt, who was mortally wounded there, lie speaks of Private Butt as " a good man and reliable soldier." In that battle Ala hone's Brigade charged and captured three lines of Held works. Speaking of Captain John Hobday at the battle of Wilcox Farm, near Petersburg, lie says : " The conspicuous gallantry of Captain John Hobday on the 22d of June, 186-1, will ever be re- membered. It was through his sagacity that the enemy were Hanked and defeated. With his small command of twenty-one men, he passed down the enemy's lines, a distance of two hundred yards, and demanded their surrender," Private Charles W. Col- lins is thus mentioned by him : " it was through the courage and gallantry of Charles AV/ Collins that Major Charles II MeAipiae's life was saved on this occasion. He shot and killed a Federal 166 NORFOLK COUNTS 1 SO 1-5, . officer who had a pistol levelled at Major McAlpine's breast, at a distance of not more than six feet, and was about to lire at him." Private Collins was reported to brigade headquarters for special mention for distinguished gallantry at the battle of Shady Grove May Stti, 1864, a continuation of the battle of the Wilderness, and was killed in the battle of August 10th, 1864-, on the Petersburg and Welclon railroad, sometimes called the battle of Davis' Farm. He was a very gallant boy, was not more than fifteen or sixteen years old when he joined the. company in Portsmouth in 1861, and was the son of Mr. William B. Collins, who lived at the south- east corner of Court and Glasgow streets, lie was never known to shirk duty or to shrink from danger, lie was always in the front when fighting was going on and passed unscathed through twenty-three battles before he received his death, wound. Cap- tain Hobday too, was as gallant a man as ever lived. The company was in twenty -live heavy battles, seven smaller engagements, and numerous skirmishes, and lost by death sixteen men, one out of every four, while scarcely a man escaped without a wound. In an order issued from the headquarters of the regi- ment in December, 1363, Colonel Groner said : ;* Company I, though composed of material difficult to control, is under the best discipline of any company in the regiment." Captain Murdaugh recovered from the wound he received at Chaneellorsville and rejoined the company in the lines around Petersburg, but at the time of the retreat from Petersburg he was attending an extra session of the Legislature, of which he had been elected a member, and which had been called to try to pro- vide means to meet the emergency which was then too apparent in the aflairs of the South and the State, and could not get back to his command in time for the surrender at Appomattox. Below will be found the- roster of the company, made up from the best information at hand. The list of names is correct, and em- braces all who went into service with the company at the evacua- tion of Portsmouth by the Confederates : Captain Charles R. Mc Alpine, promoted Major, wounded. First Lieutenant P. W\ Armistead, dropped at reorganization. May, 18G2, joined 13th Virginia Cavalry. Second Lieutenant John Hobday, Jr., promoted Captain May 12th, 18C4, wounded July 30th, 1864, ('rater, and killed October 27th, 1864, at Bur- gess' Mill. Third Lien ten ant C. W. Murdaugh. promoted Captain October 27th, 1864; wounded May 3d, 1863, at Salem Church (GhaneellorsYille). First Sergeant John M. Sherwood, surrendered at Appomattox. Second Sergeant Edward C. Shepherd, disabled, detailed for hospital duty. . Third Sergeant David W, Thornton, detailed to work in government shops. Corporal George Oglevi, discharged October, 1861, disability. Corporal Calvin L. Peek, promoted Sergeant, captured October 27th, 1864, and not exchanged. Corporal < har'les Evans, wounded May 3d, 186&— Chancellors ville, captured August 19th, 1664, and not exchanged. m*. ■ B1LJS0LY BLUES, CO. I, SIXTY-FIRST VA, KEGT. 167 Musician Joseph J. Smith, drummer* PRIVATES. Beaton, Joseph., surrendered at Appomattox. Batent&n, Jonathan. Hareroft, George W., left in hospital in Norfolk sick. May 10th, 1862, and never heard irom. Butt, William T., mortally wonnded May 12th. 1804:, Spotsylvania Court lloa.se, and died May 24-th in (.'amp Winder Hospital, Richmond. Berklev, Lvcurgus, furnished substitute May 6th, 1802, substitute deserted May ibth. Cooper, Arthur, died in hospital, Casey, Klvin Iv., lost an arm May 0th, 1804, Wilderness. < 'nsey, James A. I'ljierrv, Elias W., captured July 4th, 1803, Gettysburg, and died in prison. CuMins, ('has. W.. kiiied August 19th, 1864; Davis" Farm. Collins. Thomas, promoted Corporal. Curtis, Revel W., killed Julv 3d, 1863, Gettysburg. Dolh'tt, Wm. W. Duke, Bobert, | Duke, Parker, wounded July :30th, 1864, Crater. Pure, Hillarv. | Km iv, Henry. Pure. Augustus, over age, furnished substitute October 23d, 1801. Ferrill, John, died June, 1862, Battery No. 10. Richmond. Fowler, A.J. Godwin, Laban T., promoted Sergeant, captured August 19th, 1804, and not exchanged. Hyslpp, Denwood, captured August 19th, 1804, not exchanged. Hallo way, Joseph. Hewlett, Joseph F., captured Julv 4th, 1803, not exchanged. HeekrOtte, Oliver. Herbert, Joseph T., transferred to [5th Virginia Cavalry. Horton, Daniel W., sent to hospital September 20th. 1862, and supposed to have died. Jones, Walter J.. promoted Lieutenant in 41st Virginia Regiment, and killed May 0. 1864, Wilderness. Jackson, Wm. A., furnished substitute April 24th. 1862. King, Joseph. King, George, captured August 19th, 1804, and not exchanged. I . King, Fdward. Kilgore, M. P.. promoted Sergeant October 11th, 1862, killed Julv 30th, I . 1804, Crater. Mason, Wm., killed Cumberland Church. April 7th, 186o. Miller, John G. Manning, S, D., died in hospital September, 1862, Petersburg. Marchant, F. M.. promoted 3d Lieutenant July 20th, 1802, promoted 1st * ■ Lieutenant October 27th. 1804. I MeareSj James E., discharged for disability from wounds. I Meant, Thomas P., captured May 20th, 1864, not exchanged. Nottingham, . B. ¥., died in held hospital, October. 1803, Brandy Station. I Sorter. Thomas. PowHl, Uhert, name published for distinguished gallantry at Spotsylvania I C H.,May 12th, 1804. f'eel, Thomas, captured August IDth, 1804, not exchanged. Peek, Amnion, captured October 27th, 1X04, not exchanged. UibbSe, Joseph, furnished substitute May 0th, 1862, substitute deserted May LGth. iWmanv EMerce, discharged September, 1861, disability. •sil> ey, Wm., captured July. 1803, in Pensylvania and never heard from, 168 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. St. George, fm. E., captured Julv 2d, 1863, Gettysburg, not exchanged. Smith, W: J., died in Richmond May 20th, 1863. Tompkins, Joseph. - - " Toppin, Smith, promoted Sergeant, killed July 30th, 1804, Crater. White, John D., wounded July 30th, 1864, at the Crater, and discharged December 23d, 1864, disabled. White, Richard, wounded seriously July 30th, 1804, at the Crater, dis- charged January 9th, 1865, disabled. Ward, Julius, killed July 2d, 1863, Gettysburg, Whitson, William, discharged September, 1861, disability. Wise, Stephen, died in hospital, 1863. Youre, Stephen. Killed and died-20. ■ ■ CHAPTER XXIII. COMPANY K, SIXTY-FIRST VtROraiA REGIMENT. This company was organized in 1861 in that portion of Nor- folk county known as Ferry Point, now Berkley, and was gotten 11 [) through the efforts of Captain Herbert, It contained in its ranks a number of eld men and young boys, but these were soon sifted out as not being within the military age and were dis- charged. The officers of the company under whom it was mus- tered into the Confederate service were : Captai n . Maxii nil Han 1 lerbert First Lieutenant, Joseph T. Herbert; 2d Lieutenant, Reyel I. Taylor; 3d Lieutenant,- Maxiinillian Herbert, Jr. first Sergeant; Frank I\f. Marchant. The company was attached to a mixed battalion of four compa- nies, some of whom were from Virginia and some from JSTorth Carolina, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel John T. P. C. Cohoon, and known as Cohoon's battalion. The command does not appear to have been a very efficient one, however, fur on the 14th of J lily. 1862, it was ordered to report at Camp Lee, near Richmond, for the purpose of being disbanded. The com- mander at Camp Lee was directed to discharge such men in the battalion as were above or below the legal military age and to re- tain the others. The men in Captain Herbert's company were, at their own request, assigned in a body to Captain Chas. 11. McAl- pine's Company, Company I, filst Virginia .Regiment. The four commissioned officers were retired and forty-seven men were turned over to Captain Me Alpine, all of whom were subject to military duty. Captain .Herbert was not satisfied with the order disbanding bis company, and having obtained from Captain George A. Mar- tin, of the St. Bride's Artillery, of ^Norfolk county, whose com- pany exceeded the regulation number, a promise to turn over to him enough men to recruit his command up to the standard re- quired for a company. lie sought an interview with, the Secretary of War and obtained on order revoking the former order concern- ing Cohoon's battalion, so far as it atiected his company, and di- recting Lieutenant-Colonel Nlemeyer to turn the men over to mm. again. Lieu tenant-Colonel Nlemeyer hesitated in obeying the order, represented to the Secretary of War that he thought the men would be more efficient under Captain Mc Alpine, and recom- mended that they be >erinitted to remain with him. His recom- mendation was disapproved, however, and Captain I lerbert got » s men again. They were re-assigned to him on the &8th of Au- 12 169 170 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. gust, 1 80S, and, 'having ujotten about a dozen recruits froln Cap- tain Martin, die company was, that day, assigned to (lie 01 -a fieo'iijient as Company X, tlins completing the regiment. While the men were in Company 1. two of them were discharged for physical disability, and one. Sergeant Frank M. Marchant, was elected 3d Lie.iitei-a.nt of Company I, so that only forty-fonr men were re-assigned to Captain Herbert, and of these, Albert Powell and Jonathan Bateman were subserviently transferred to Com- pany I. Captain Herbert died in Petersburg the 30th of Septem- ber, LS6:2". "The three Lieutenants were "each advanced one grade, and Serjeant John S. Cason was elected 3d Lieutenant. Captain Joseph T. Herbert resigned un the 13th of August, 1864, and the eomoanv remained under Command of, 1st Lieutenant Taylor until the battle of Burgess1 Mill, October -7th. 1X31-. when he was captnred. Lientenants Max Herbert, Jr., and Cason were on the picket line in front of Bermuda Hundreds when the army fell Uu-k from Petersburg about the 1st of April, 1805, and feii into the hands of the enemy, and First Sergeant Jatnes Adams became commander of the company on the retreat. Adams was an ex- cellent soldier and richly deserved a commission, which, however, he never received, The company followed the fortunes of the regiment, partici- pated in ah of ir> battles, contributed its share of the regular toil of dead and wounded which Was paid for victory, and at the sur- render of the remnant of the army at Appomattox, had two pri- ates left for duty, First Sergeant Adams was captured on the thing to eat for two or three days, and managing to come across a little food, he and one of his men stopped to cook it. thinking they were far enough in advance of the enemy to do so with safety;, but in the midst of the operation they were surprised by a body of pursuing cavalry and gathered in. The company was a small one and its losses were proportionately heavy. < hie man out of every three who left their ironies on the 10th of May, 1862, at the evacuation of Norfolk and Portsmouth, paid with their lives the penalty of their devotion to their State. The following roll is believed to he complete and embraces all who were killed or died in hospital, or were so badly wounded as to require thorn to report to a hospital. Some who received slight wounds which did not incapacitate them from duty, are nor re- corded as having been wounded. The roll embraces the men who were transferred to the company by Captain Mar-tin, as well as Captain Herbert's original members. Captain Max A. Herbert, died in hospital, September 80th, 1802, Peters- burg. First Lieutenant Joseph T Herbert, promoted Captain S ptember 30th. 1862, wounded Mav 3d, LMtfcl, at Chanc-elloi'sville, resigned- Aiia-nst LJitU, 1864. COMPANY K\ SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENTT. 171 Second Lieutenant Revel T. Taylor, promoted First Lieutenant, captured October 27th. 1864. Burgess' Mill. Third Lieutenant Max A. il.-rb-'.-r. .Jr., promoted 2d Lieuteiiant. Firs* Sergeant John S. C'asou, promoted 3d Lieutenant. Second Sergeant, Littleton D. Heed, -captured September 23d, 18.63, never rejoined t he company. Third Sergeant Geo. \V. tatem, discharged August 80th. 1802, disability. Fourth Sergeant James Adams, promoted 1st Sergeant, captured on retreat Corporal Thomas 11. Edwards. Corpora] James Bradlev, died in hospital, 1863, Richmond. Absoiem Rnrfoot •;i i mireon, ue< n'ge, sick m n tox. Bateman, Martin, woum PRIVATES. n.l, 1864. Richmond. ]\. 1865; on retreat from Petersburg;. Lynchburg, at the surrender at Appomat- \.ugus1 19th, 1864, Davis' Farm, reported for duty August ::i-: are captured October 27th, 1864. at Burgess' Mill. Bradley. Charles M.. discharged for disability June 10th. 1863. Bailey, Chas. I... captured April, LSOo, on retreat from Petersburg. Bean, Frederick, wounded and captured July 3d. 1803, and never rejoined the com] any. Dillon, Lee \\\. captured S< ptember 22d, 1863. and never rejoined the com- pany. Franklin, Peter J., died in hosj.it ni March 20th, 1863. Fields. John, died in hospital June 14th, 1862. Petersburg. in hospital 1*64. Ri< fimond. viptui-ed April, 1865. on retreat from Petersburg. Forbes, Simeon, d?-< Flannauan, Andr l'.lVM 1 June 1 Lth, 1862, Petersburg. (iriggs. Ciuis. W.. killed Jul v 30th, 1864, Crater, flan-ess, Isaiah, captured October 27th, 1864, Burgess* Mill. Hozier, Jas. K. P., promoted Corporal, captured on retreat from Peters- burg. Hitchcock, Maluehi. womi led July 30th, I$04. Hunter, John [»., died in hospital April 10th. 1863, 1'. S. Ford. tlaistead, Wm. H., discharged 1.864; Harrison, Thomas, captured April lyth, 1863, and never rejoined the com- pany, , lIalstead,Chris., promoted Sergeant, wounded June 22d, 1804, at Wilcox Farm, and c-a ptiired. Jaekson, Aimer, died in hospital June 20th. 1.802, Petersburg. Jennings. Edward, died in hospital 1.864. Richmond. Lewton. Wm., killed Juh 30th. 1864, Crater. Morris. Wm. U killed August 19th, 1864. Dams' Farm. Melson. Levi. Mitchel, John. Roberts, Wingfield, wounded May 12th, 1864. at Spotsylvania C. H., uap- tured April, l.sGo, on retreat from Petersbi .:•■.' Sawyer, John 1.. wounded Mav 8th, 1864, Shadv Grove, captured October 27th, 1*64, Stafford, Richard, surrendered ar Appomattox. Sykes, .b,s. J., died in hospital 1864. Stephens, -b^. 1... discharge i June 22d, 1863. So rev, Fvan, mounded June Loth, 1864, -Turkey Ridge, surrendered at Ap- poma i tox. Staylop, Thos., wounded Ma,' 2d, 1863, Chaneeiiorsville. captured on retreat from Petersburg. u>t. Del; ware, died in hospiial, Richmond, 1.862-3. ^ ilsc a, Johu, captured October 27th, 1864, at Burgess' Mill. 172 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Wilson, Willis, captured October 27th, 18(54. at Burgess' Mill. Wilson, Benj. R. Willi. tin;-;, William, captured July 5th, 18®8«, and never rejoined tjfie com- pany. Williams, Jordan, died in hospital June 23d, 1864, Richmond, Wieking-s, Jas. J., died in hospital April 10th, 1863, U. S. Ford. Killed and died— 17. CHAPTER XXIV. i the sixty-first virginia regiment — mahone s, wetsiger s brigades — Anderson's, mahone's divisions. • The companies composing this regiment were organized and nmstered into the Confederate service early in the war, as will be seen from the short sketches of each of them which precede this chapter, and were on duty in different localities in the vicinity of Portsmouth and Norfolk. In the winter of 1861-2, Colonel Bamiiel M. Wilson obtained authority from Governor Letcher to raise a regiment of heavy artillery for service in the fortifications around the harbor, and at his request, several companies applied to be assigned to it, and others were assigned without having made application, so that, when Portsmouth was evacuated, May 10th, 1802, the regiment lacked only two companies of having a full complement Company 1 was afterwards assigned to it, July 11th. 1862, and Company K, August 28th, thus making ten com- panies. These were : Company A, Jackson Grays, of Norfolk county, Captain Wiii. II. Stewart. Company B, Wilson Guards, of Norfolk county, Captain John W. M. Hopkins. Company C, Blanchard Grays, of Norfolk county, Captain Jno. G. Wallace. • " ' 1 Company D, Jackson Light Infantry, of Portsmouth, Captain V. 0. Caswell. Company £. Border Pities, of Norfolk count v, Captain Jetson Jett. Company F, — , of Isle of Wight county, Captain — - Holland. Company G, , of Greenville county, Captain P. E. Moseley. Company II, Virginia Pangers. of Portsmouth and Norfolk county, Captain John II. Wright. Company I, Bilisoly Lines, of Portsmouth, Captain Chas. P. Me Alpine.' Company K, --, of Norfolk county, Captain Max. Herbert. Company F was partly from Southampton county, and Com- pany Q contained a few men from Sussex county and also some from .Northampton county, North Carolina, near the Greenville hue, and among these latter was Captain "Moseley. Companies B \ and C had a number of North Carolinians also, from Currituck cmuity, near the Norfolk count v line. 173 174 NORFOLK COUNTY, ISni-n. The officers of the first eight companies held a meeting in Jar- rett*a Hotel, in Petersburg/ ahont the middle of May^ t'Sfr2, and fleeted field officers. They were: Colonel. Samuel M. Wilson, Lieutenant-Colonel Wm. F. Niemeyer. Major., Wm. II. Stewart. Owing to the evacuation of Portsmouth and Norfolk by the Confederates, there was no longer need tot- the services of the regiment as heavy artillery, and it was changed into an infantry regiment and numbered the ''>i>t. Colonel Wilson tailed to join the regiment after it was organized and the command devolved on Lieutenant-Colonel Xieineyer. It remained on Dunn'.- Hill, near Petersburg, doing provost duty in that city and picket duty on the Appomattox river as far down as Bermuda; Hundreds and City Point, until August 2St.h, when it was ordered to Richmond and went into camp-on the Brook turnpike. It remained there a very short time and early in September it was ordered to the Uapid;:n to guard the fords of that river, while the army .of Gen- eral Lee was in Maryland. Companies E and V were sent to Staunton to do provost duty and. did not rejoin the regiment until after the battle of Fredericksburgi The other companies were distributed at Warrenton, Culpepper, Rappahannock and other places. Wm. S. Wright, who was then serving as a private in the Old Dominion Guard, of Portsmouth, Company K, Oth Yirginia •Reg- iment, was, in the summer of 1362, appointed Adjutant of tin' Gist, and shortly afterwards, while the regiment was at Warren- ton, Colonel Ylrginius I). Groner, of Xorfolk city, was elected colonel and took command. On the 17th of September, Major Stewart, with three compa- nies of the regiment and a squadron of cavalry belonging to tin/ 15th Virginia Cavalry Regiment, was at Bristoe Station on the Orange ami Alexandria railroad, where he had been ordered for the purpose of getting up several locomotives, which had been thrown from the track there, during the operations previous to the battle of Second Manassas. That day General Birney. who commanded: the Federal forces near Fairfax Court House, sent an officer with a flag of truce, ostensibly to obtain permission to bury or remove their dead, who had been killed in the battles of August 29th and 30th. out really to ascertain how much of a force was there. General Birney made report to _ the authorities at Washington that his "flag- of truce met a party of Confederates at Bristoe Station, under command of Major Wm. H. Stew;!'". who stated that ir would take three days to communicate within- general and declined to receive the flag." He further reported that " the force there was small ami might he surprised ami cap- tured it he had authority to send a cavalrv force against them. THE SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 175 The necessary authority- was given him and he made the attempt, but Major Stewart had succeeded by that time m getting fbe lo- Comotives on the track, and, steam having been gotten it-p, the whole tram moved oil to the i'apidan, carrying the three compa- nies of the 61st Iiegiment with it. In the fall of lb62 a Fedora] spy, acting under orders from General Seigel. went to Slatintoii. and in his report, dated No- vember loth, says : " Staunton, with its manufactories of boots, shoes and clothing for the enemy, its extensive hospital prepara- nions for thousands of sick, the general supply depot, the place of safe beeping of ail the captured Harper's Ferry plunder, is de- fended by one company of the oM&st "Virginia infantry, twenty- fotir field pieces, and a mixture of cavalry and artillery, though small in numbers." This was Company F. Company E was doing provost duty on the Valley turnpike. Early in November the Secretary of War seems to have become alarmed for the safety of Richmond, and on the 5th he sent orders to General Lee to send the filst Virginia Regiment and the Xor- folk Light Artillery Bine- to that city. General Lee replied on the loth that lie had not obeyed the order because he had not been able to supply their places on the upper Rappahannock. Oii the loth of November the throe Florida Regiments in Gen- eral Roger A. Piwor's Brigade wore organized into s separate brigade, aiid placed under command of General Ferry, of that State, and Gen 'rvor, by ore! 'Hi Lee, was relieve from duty with the army of Northern Virginia aiid ordered to report to the Secretary of War, in lvicli-mond, who, on ti e 15th, issued an order to General Lee to send the 1st and 61st Virginia Regiments to Richmond, to he forwarded to Petersburg, as the nucleus of a new brigade for General Pryor ; but, having need for them on the Bap pahan nock, General Lee did not comply with the order. Genera] Pryor became impatient at the delay in send- ing those two regiments to him and wrote to General Lee. jSo- vomher 23d, asking that they be sent at once to him, as he wished Them to operate in the vicinity of i\it Blaekwater river, General Lee sent him the following reply : HEAOQrAirrERs Aumv of Nortukrn' VrtnaMA, I .November 25th, L802. \ Brig. (nn. It: A. Prym\ Richmond. Vq.: General— Your letter of the .23d bust, has been received, i regret mv inability to detach from this army the two regiments you t'esire to constitute a brigade, to operate on the blackwater, under your command., As far as I am able to judge, tr more wanted here thai there, and it might be better to b tr< <»[»> which it i- contemplated to finite with those in question, to this army. 1 regretted, at the time, the breaking up Of your for- ts are o the 176 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5, mer brigade, but you are aware that the circumstances which pro- duced it were beyond my control. The 61st Virginia has, in ac- cordance with the desire of the colonel of the regiment, been attached to Mahone's brigade, which was organized from the sec- tion of country from which it came. I hope it will not be long before you will be again in the field, that the country may derive the benefit of your zeal and activity. I thought, and still think. that your services would be more valuable to the country south n\ James river, after your brigade was dismembered, and that troops could be organized in that region sufficient to form your com- mand. I have the honor to be, \evy respectfully, your obedient ser- vant. It. E. Lee, General. On i}^ 13th of November General Lurnside started with his army from Varrenton towards Fredericksburg, and General bee ordered the Gist Virginia and the Norfolk bight Artillery Blues to that town. The advance of Burnside's army, Sumner's corps, reached Falmouth on the afternoon of the 17th, and an attempt was made as if to cross the river. According to the official report of General Lee it was checked by the 15th Virginia Cavalry, lour companies of Mississippi infantry and Lewis' battery of light ar- tillery. General Sumner says he made no attempt to cross, that his batteries drove Lewis' men from their guns, and he was anx- ious to cross and take possession of them, but was prevented by positive orders from General Burhside. The 61st Regiment readied Fredericksburg on the morning of the lSth, and found a large force of the enemy on the opposite side of the river. Colo- nel Groner, in order to create the impression upon their minds that a large Confederate force was present, had large fires built all along the heights and burned up nearly every fence rail in the vicinity. The ruse was successful and the enemy waited for rein- forcements and to establish his communications before attempting to cross. In the meantime General Lee's army began to arrive from Culpepper and Orange Court House, and continued coming in, until he had collected an effective force of 72,564 men for duty, including infantry, artillery and cavalry. General Lee was apprehensive that Fredericksburg would be occupied by the enemy before the 61st Regiment could reach there, and gave Colonel Groner orders how to proceed in that event. The commander of that cavalry operating on the river was ordered to keep Colonel Groner advised as to the movements of the enemy so as to guard against surprise. Shortly after the army reached Fredericksburg, the 61st Regiment was attached to Mahone's .Brigade, which was then composed of tin 6th, 12th, 16th, -iist and 61st Virginia Ilogiraents, and was a part of Ander- son's Division. ^.-.T . •-■ THE SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 177 The battle of Fredericksburg took place on the 13th of De- cember,- lSG-->, and its details are a part of the history of the vvak On the 12th General Burnside crossed one hundred thou- sand mm over the river, and on the F;th attacked the right of General Lee's array, which was drawn up on the range of hills overlooking Fredericksburg, and about a mile or a mile and a half back from the town. Jackson's corps of three divisions, A. P. Hill's. I). II. Hill's and Ewell's — the last under command of Gen- eral Early — bold the right of the line, and Longstreet's corps held the left, arranged in the following order by divisions: Hood on the right and joining Jackson?s hit. next Pickett, next MeLaws, m-xt lom^ma ami next Anderson, with his left renting on the river. The 01st Regiment was with Anderson and was exposed t<> the fire of the Federal artillery, but was not actively engaged in the battle. The attack on Jackson was repulsed after heavy lighting, with loss to the Federals. Then an assault was made upon the position held by Ransom's and AIcLaw's Divisions, but it was easily repulsed. The enemy advanced, four times and were driven back with great slaughter* The attacking columns were composed of the 2d corps, General Couch, the 9th, General Wil- e-ox, and three divisions of Hooker's corps. Burnside's loss in the battle was 12,321, and that of the Confederates was 4/201, ac- cording to General Fee's official report. After the battle of Fredericksburg the Gist Regiment remained in camp near that town, enjoying rather a quiet time, until the latter part of April, 1863, when the Federal army again got into motion. General Hooker had been assigned to the command, re- lieving General Burnside, lie laid an army, according to United Slates official reports, present for- duty of one hundred and twenty thousand infantry and artillery, twelve thousand cavalry, and more, than four hundred guns. General Fee had previously detached Hood's and Pickett's Divisions under Long-street to Suf- folk, and Hansom's Division to ^North Carolina, in February, and had left to oppose Hooker's advance, only fifty -seven thousand effectives. General Hooker left about thirty thousand men under General Sedgwick in his lines opposite Fredericksburg. These consisted of Sedgwick's own corps, the 6th, of twenty-two thou- sand men, as per his official report, and Gibbon's Division, of Coiielrs corps, numbering between seven and eight thousand ad- ditional, ami were designed to mask the real purpose, which was to cross the Rappahannock Fiver higher up and turn General hoe's left. This movement was successfully accomplished, and General Hooker took up a position at Cbancellorsville and began to fortify it. Genenl Fee left Early's Division and Kershaw's Brig&de, in all, abou ; nine thousand men at Fredericksburg to appose Sedgwick, and with the remainder of his ai*my a-mouut- i ig to forty-ekdit thousand, including the artillerv and the eav- NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. airy' of Stewart, drew cut of:' his works and man-Led to attack Hooker's main army. This was on thejst. of May, fed the ad- vance of the two ani (if? met late in the afternoon near Ohaueel- lorsville. A eoii^iderahfe engagement followed^ during which Hooker withdrew to the position which he Lad fortified. The next morning General Lee retained McLaw's and Anderson's Di- vision.- to hold Hooker in check in front, and sent Jackson, with liis own corps, composed of the divisions of A. P. Hill. Trimble and Rodes, timbering twenty-two thousand men to make a de- tour and attack Lis right Hank and rear. While Jackson was making Lis liariking march, Lee drew Hooker's attention from- Lim L\ fcini> upon Lis front, witli MeL&w's and Andersons J >i- visions. About 6 O'clock in the afternoon Jackson got into a. po- sition to strike, and sending. forward Rodes' Division, overran the Eleventh corps which formed Hooker's right, capturing prisoners, guns and wagons. Xight terminated the battle for that day, ami •Jackson, riding through the Confederate lines with his stall to ascertain the position of the enemy, was, in the darkness, mis- taken by Ids own men on his way back, for Federal cavalry, and tired upon, lie received three wounds, one of which necessitated the amputation of his arm, and lie died about a week after the battle. The next day,Atay 3d, Stuart took command of Jack- son's corps, and extending Lis right formed a connection with the left of Anderson'.- Division, near the Chancellor House, whereupon General Lee ordered a general advance of the whole army and Hooker was driven out of Lis works into a second line, which lie Lad constructed across the. angle formed by the junction of the Rappahannock arid Rapidan Rivers. General Lee was about to assault this position when Li.- movements were arrested by news from Frederic ksburg. Sedgwick, had crossed the river at Fred- ericksburg, captured Marye Heights from General Earlv, who fell back before him, and wis advancing in General Lee's rear to- wards Chai irsville, to assist ■r. General Lee sent back Mahone~s Brigade, "Wilcox's Brigade, and three of the brigades of McLaws' Division, the whole under command of General MeLaws, to cheek him. They met near Balem Church and Sedg- wick was driven back with a loss of rive thousand men, including his loss in Lis attack upon Early. The next day Genera! Early joint;.! McLaws and General Lee sent Anderson with Lis three remaining brigades to assist. With these forces the attack was re- newed, and Sedgwick, overwhelmingly defeated,- was saved from total destruction only by the approach of night, under cover of which iie reerosse 1 the river at Banks1 Ford. This, attitek was mass was seventeen thousand one Hundred and nine ty-seveu. The Confederate loss was ten thousand two hundred and eighfy- nlle. The 61st Regiment, as a part of Anderson's Division, was ac- tively engaged in every day's fighting and lost heavily. Major Stewart, -..Captain Gassed and Lieutenant Murdaugh were wounded, a- was also Lieutenant Alex. Butt, of Portsmouth, adjutant of ??!,. 4 {.v Regiment, who died iron! his wound. This was the nV.-t battle of importance in which the 61st was actively engaged- it was ready at Fredericksburg, but was not called upon. At Chaneellorsville the men fouodit with tlie steadiness of veterans. \tter ( leitorsviIJe, ( xenci h the invasion of Penn sylvania and on the 1st, 2d and od of -iuiy f Ought the hattle of Gettysburg. The Gist Regiment too]; parr in the battle of the :M and was held in reserve on the 3d. It was, however, exposed to the tire of the enemy's artillery on that day and lost a number o£ men killed and wounded: It was heavily engaged on the 2d and its losses were proportionate. The Confederates were suc- cessful in their attacks on the 1st and 2d and the Federals were pushed back with heavy losses in killed, wounded and prisoners, but in fall-ins: hack, General Meade secured an advantageous posL tson on the night of tlie 24, from which General Lee failed to dislodge him. General Lee's losses in the Gettysburg campaign amounted to nineteen thousand men. killed, wounded and miss- ing. Geireral Meade's were somewhat larger. An account of ttie third day's fighting will be found in tlie history of the 9th \ irginia Regiment, earlier in this work — chapter Xil. General Lee had present for duty at Gettysburg sixty-eight thousand three hundred ana fifty-two men (of whom nfty-f our thousand three hundred arid fifty-six were infantry* including eavalrv and an.il- tillery and official reports place the Federal army at one hundred and five thousand effectives. Two days after the battle of Gettysburg, General Lee fell baek to the Potomac river. His march wasslow and deliberate. He was anxious for General Meade to attack him. He was not strong enough to drive Meade from his fortified position, but was very willing to be attacked; lie remained on the north bank of t\i^ t otoniac four or live days on account of tlie swollen condition of Hie river, hoping the enemy would attack him, but. finding he woiild not do so, and unable to remain any longer away from, his base, of -supplies, he crossed over into Virginia, followed at a re- spectful distance by his antagonist. During the fall of 18+>3 nothing of special Importance was done on the Kanidan. in October General Loo endeavored t<> bring 1 80 NORFOLK COUNTY, 18Q1-5. about an engagement, ana -chased Meade into Fairfax county. His advance overtook the rear of the retreating force at Bristoe Station October 14th, and an engagement ensued, in which the Confederates were badly handled by the officers in command an the field, and the Federals, Warren's corps, held their ground until night, when they retired into Fairfax county. The 61st Regiment was present in that affair. It had an opportunity at Mine Run the following month to repay the enemy two fold. General Fee had detached a portion of his army and General Meade thought himself strong enough to whip the remainder, hut he was cheeked at .Mine Fun with the loss of upwards of two thousand men, while the Confederate loss was scarcely as many hundred. After that the army remained in winter quarters near Culpep- per Court House un til the following May, 1864, when Genera! Grant began his overland campaign towards Richmond. With an army of one hundred and forty thousand men, of all arms, and a wagon train consisting of upwards of four thousand wagons, lie star-ted out to overwhelm General Lee, who had with hi m an army composed of titty-two thousand six hundred and twenty-six in- fantry, cavalry and artillery. Grant crossed the Rapidan May 5th, 1864, and launched his army forward into the region called the Wilderness, a thick, woody section of country in the northern part of Spotsylvania county, well grown up with underbrush and short pines, with a view of turning the right flank of Lee's army and compelling his retreat towards Richmond. Lee, however, had no idea of retreat- ing, but threw EwelFs and A. P. II ill's corps across his. front and ordered Longstreet, with las two divisions. Hood's and McLaw's, to join the army at once. They were camped near Gordonsville. Pickett's Division of Longstreet' s corps was near Richmond and Petersburg. Ewell and Mill attacked the oncoming masses of the enemy, drove in their advance brigades and took up positions for the battle which it was evident would be fought the next day. Anderson's Division, to which the 61st Regiment and Mahone's Brigade were attached, had not then come up, and did not reach tire held, until some time after the battle had been joined the next day. General Lee formed his line of battle with Hill -s corps on the right and Ewelt's on the left. Longstreet's corps, which was expected to arrive during the forenoon, was to form on Hill's right, but Grant began Ids attack on Hill's troops about daybreak, before either Anderson or Longstreet had gotten up, and by greatly superior numbers, forced Hill's line back. Itgaveground stubbornly and slowly until about seven o'clock, when the arrival of Anderson's Uh ision enabled Hill to successfully resist Ins as- sailants. Hancock commanded that wing of the Federal Army. and was reinforced to such an extent tliat he had under his cum- t THE SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 181 mand rilore than one half of Grant's forces, but he made no fur- ther headway. Hill held his ground, and soon Long-street's men began to arrive and take position. About noon Longstreet ordered an advance of his own and Hill's corps and the Federals were beaten back in confusion and completely disorganized. Longstreet turned their left and doubled it baek upon the center, and was preparing a grand movement by which he expected to destroy that entire wing of Grant's army. He had sent forward Ma^ hone's Brigade as a nanking party and advanced, himself at the head of Jenkins' South Carolina Brigade, to renew the attack in front. His own and Jenkins' staff were mounted, and had with them severn! captured United States flags, and, coming near Mar lione's Brigade, they were mistaken for Federal cavalrymen and tired upon. General Jenkins was killed and Longstreet was wounded and disabled, while a number of the members of their respective staffs were also killed or wounded. This put a stop to the, flanking movement and the Federals fell, back and began entrenching themselves, and. after some sharp lighting, the Con- federates also began building works. On the left of the Confed- erate line, the enemy made several unsuccessful attacks upon E well's corps, and, after repulsing these, Ewell turned, the right of the Federal army, broke completely two of its divisions, and captured a number of prisoners. Grant made several attempts on the 7th to carry the Confeder- ate lines by assault, but without success, and on the night of that day drew run of his works and moved off to the left for the pur- pose of turning General Lee's right, but upon arriving at Spotsyl- vania Court House the next morning, found a portion of General Lee's army again posted across his front. An attack on the Confederate lines was repulsed and during the day both armies were getting into position. L'.pon the wounding of General Longstreet, General Anderson was assigned to the command of his corps and General Mahone was promoted to the command of Anderson's Division, which, from that time, was known as M ahone's Division. On the 12th of May was fought the battle of Spotsylvania Court House, in which General Lee successfully repulsed every effort of General Grant to carry his lines and inflicted on him a {: very heavy punishment. Grant's losses in the two battles of the ^\ ilderness and Spotsylvania Court House, according to his official reports, exceeded forty thousand. The Hist Virginia Regiment was in the thickest of the light, and its less was severe. Colonel Groner was wounded, as was also Major Stewart, and Lieutenant-Colonel Niemeyer was killed. The lighting was nearly ever at the time he was killed. The regiment, with the brigade, had charged and carried a line of breast- works defended bv a thin Line of the enemy, and Captain Chas. * " ■■■■■-. 1SS NO U f t ) L K i V I A" TV, 1 86 1-5. II. MeAlpine, of Compan*' I, had captured a very fine horse, fully accoutre;]. Galling ueutenant-ColoiLel Niemeyer to him he pre- sented the horse to him, and as that officer accepted it. and was extending his hand to take it a mime ball from the enemy's skir- mish line pierced a vital >}>\>t in his body and his young life passed out to the great unknown, lie was just twenty-four years old and singularly, had a presentiment that morning that he would he killed during the day. lie informed Major Stewart of his belief that morning and before night his presentiment had become veri- fied. His remains were carried to Richmond and interred. The funeral ceremonies took place in the Broad Street Methodist Church. The death, of Lfentenant-Cofonel Niemeyer occasioned the pro- motion of Major Wm. IL Stewart to that position and Captain Charles R. McAlpine was promoted toMajor. Inthefallof iv,;;> Adjutant Wm. S. Wright died with a congestive chill, ami in March, ISOi, W. A. S. Taylor, of Norfolk, was appointed by Colonel Groner to fill the vacancy. Grant remained in position in front of Spotsylvania Court House until the night of the 20th, when, finding himself power- less to force Lee's position, he once more moved off to the left. bur Lee interposed again between him and Richmond, at Hanover Court House and'Cold EI arbor, and each time took henry toll; There was coiittanl righting from the 21th of May to the 13th of June, in ail of which the Gist Regiment and Mahone's Brigade took part. Tile principle assault on the Confederate line- at Cold Harbor was made on the Hi\ of dune, between daylight and sun- rise. Grant ordered an attack all along the lines. The battle lasted scarcely ten minutes, and- in those ten minutes more than thirteen thousand Federal soldiers were killed or wounded. The Confederate loss barely exceeded one hundred. On the loth Genera! Grant again moved off to the left. but. hud already made bis nearest approach to Richmond, and further movement- in that direction we citv. aiTYjn fir turn away trom tno e re ■hed the James river and erossi wer on the 15th and loth, at Wilcox's landing, below City Point. Official reports from his corps commanders made his losses from the Wilderness until he reached James river, mora than sixty thousand men. a number greater than General Lee's army. General Lee reported from Taylorsville on the 24th of May, to the Secretary of Vvar, that M&hone had driven three regiments oi the em my across the river and captured a Ktatid of colors and a number of prisoners, among them an aide of General Ledlie. Repeated assaults by the Federals upon the Confederate lines in front o*f Petersb irg, from the tofh to the 2Uth of Juno, were >U>\A'rr,'<}. and each time the assaulting eohmms >titfered severely. their total losses amounted to about twelve thousand. On the -■ THE SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT 183 :*otii Grant began regular seigfe operations. On the 22d lie un- dertook to extend his left, composed of the 2d and < > l i i corps, to envelop General Lee's right, but Mill's corps attacked them. Mn- liune's Brigade, with the 61st Regiment on the right, turned the iiaiik of the Federal forces and captured two thousand prisoners, fifteen hundred stand of am;-, four. Blakely guns and eight stand oi colore* T!:c entire Federal losses that day exceeded four thousand, of whom twenty-five hundred were captured. Ifc was in tliis battle that ]\lajor MeAlpiue complimented the skill and L- . j. >- 1 judgment of Captain John Hobday, of Portsmouth. [See ante. Chapter XX 1 1, Company I, Gist Virginia.] < >n the 23d the brigade had another smart brush with the en- emy, in which it carried otf a number of ' prisoners. On the 2'Stli Wilson's Division of eavalrvmen. returning from a. raid against boiithsi ^ailroau was headed oil it. on ttie Petersburg and Weldou Railroad, and scattered. The Confed- erates captured one thousand prisoners, thirteen guns and the wagon train of the enemy. The Bint [iegiment was at the battle of the Crater, July 30th. The Federals had excavated a culvert or mine from their lines to a point underneath the Confederate works, and placing therein two hundred barrels of gun powder, exploded it about day break. The works immediately at that point were blown into riie air and the guns and many of the artillerymen were buried beneath the tailing debris. An attack was made by three divisions of white troops, hedlie's, Potters and "W ileox's, and one division of col- ored troop&, composing the whole of Burhside's corps. These troops rushed info the breech, but were held in check by the < 'onfederate batteries on the right and left of the opening, which began playing upon them. MahoneV Division was the nearest available force which could be sent to repel the intruders, and three of its" brigades — Mahone's "Virginia, Wright's Georgia and. Saiuklers" Alabama-— were hurried there. Mahone's and Wright's arrived first, and, forming hue of battle, with Mahone's on the ■eft, advanced to the charge. Wright's men faltered in face of the withering volleys which met them and fell back. Later its place was taken by Saunders' Brigade, which made a charge and dis- •dged the enemy from that a of the field. The follow mg aci'ount of the charge of Mahone's Brigade, then under com- mand of General. Weisiger, was written by Lieutenant Colonel " m. II. Stewart, who commanded the 61st Regiment, Colonel (mmer being absent on account of his wound received at Spofc- ••;- ivania Court House : >;.\TTF,K on THE CRxiTER- — KKCOLLECTTtOXS OF T.tlJE KECAPTUEE OF THE EIXES — > SCESES AXB tXCIDEXTS. As tiie wild waves of time rush on, our thoughts now and then niii back over the rough billows to buried hopes and unfulfilled ; 184 NORFOLK COUNT)', 1861~o. anticipations, and oft we linger long and lovingly, as if standing beside the tomb of a cherished parent. Thus the faithful follower of the Southern Cross recalls the proud hopes that led him over long and weary marches and in bloody battles. These foot-sore journeys and hard, contested fields are now bright jewels in his life around which the tenderest cords of his heart are closely en- twined. They are moments of duty! They are sacred resting places for his baffled energies? They are rich mines from which the very humblest actor gather.-- the wealth of an approving con- science! He hears no piiens by a grateful country — no bounty rolls hear his name— yet these are sweet choristers ever chanting priceless praises to the zeal and manhood with which he faced his foe. The veteran of an hundred battles always points with greater pride- to one as the crowning glory of the man}' achieve- ments. So tlie soldiers of Mahone's Old Brigade look upon the great battle which I shall here attempt to describe. My little fly tent, scarcely large enough for two persons to he side by side, was stretched over a platform of rough boards, ele- vated about two ieez above the ground, in that little grave yard on tlie Wilcox farm, near Petersburg. I was quietly sleeping within it, dreaming, perhaps, of houie and all its- dear associations (for only a soldier can properly appreciate these), when a deep rum- bling sound, that seemed to rend the very earth in twain, startled me from my slumbers, and in an instant I beheld a mountain of curling smoke ascending towards the heavens. The whole camp had been aroused, and ail were wondering from whence came this mysterious explosion. It was the morning of Saturday, the 30th day of duly, 1SG4 The long-talked-of mine had been sprung, a battery blown up, and the enemy were already in possession of eurht nana vards ot our entrenchments. Two hundred cannon roared in one accord, as if every lanyard had been pulled by the SMiie hand. The grey fog was floating over the fields and darkness covered the face of the earth, but the first bright streak of dawn was gently lifting the curtain of night; Tlie fiery crest.- of the battlements shone out for miles to our left, and the nitrous vapors rose in huge billows from each line of battle, and sweeping together formed one vast range of gloom. The sun rose brilliantly, and the great artillery duel still raged in all its grandeur and fury. An occasional shell from a BlaJs'ely gun would swoop down in our camp and richochet down the line to our right, forcing as to hug closely the fortifications. Soon after, Captain Tom, Bernard, General Mahone's courier, came sweeping up lie lines on his white charger to the headquar- ters of Brigadier (reneral 1). AYei-ie'er. Then the drums e«»m- meneeil and hiir eu rol • It rite signals, winch were toiiowed m calls. We were required to drive bac THE SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 185 erals, who were then holdingf, and within the very gates of the city -of Petersburg. It was sfe.rtlihg news; but out soldiers-, fair tnvi! not, and moved off at qiii-ck step for the seat of war. Wright's. Georgia Brigade, comnmncted by Lieutenant-Colonel Hall, and our Virginia Brigade, the latter numbering .scarcely eight hundred maskers, constituted the force detailed to dislodge the enemy, who held the broken lines with more than fifteen thousand men, and these were closely supported by as many mere. I remember that our regiment, the Gist, did not exceed two hundred men. including officers and privates, which I am quite sure was the strongest in the two brigades. I suppose we had inarched the half of a mile when ordered to halt and strip off all baggage except ammunition and muskets. We then filed to the left a short distance to gain the banks of a small stream in oidcr to be protected from the shells of the Federal batteries by placing a range of hills between. These the enemy were already viewing within four hundred yards with covetous eves, and mak- ing dispositions to attempt their capture, for they were the very keys to the invested city. When nearly opposite the portion of . our works held by the Federal troops, we met several soldiers who were in the works at the time of the explosion. Our men began ridiculing them for going to the rear, when one of thorn re- marked : "Ah, boys, you have hot work ahead — tliev are negroes, and show no quarter." This was the first intimation that we had to light negro troops, and it seemed to infuse the little band with impetuous daring, as they pressed onward to the fray. I never felt more like fighting in my life. Our comrades had been slaughtered in a most inhuman and brutal manner, and slaves were trampling over their mangled and bleeding corpses. Re- venge must have fired every heart and strung every arm with nerves of steel for the herculean task of blood. We filed up a ditch, which had been dug for safe ingress and egress to and from the earthworks, until we reached the vale between the elevation on which the breastworks were located and the one on t\\e banks of the little stream just mentioned — within two hundred yards of the enemy. The ill-fated battery of six guns which had been de- molished by the explosion of eight tons of gun-powder, projected from the line of earthworks for the infantry at an acute angle. It overlooked the enemy's line of works which were on the northeastern slope of the same elevation, distant about one hun- dred yards. The "Crater," or excavation, caused by the explosion, was about twenty-five feet deep, one hundred and fifty feet long ami hfty feet wide. About seventy -five feet in rear of the support- ing earthworks there was a wide ditch with the batik thrown up ou tljo side next the fortification-. This was constructed to pro- tect parties carrying ammunitions and rations to the troops. Be- 13 ISO NORFOLK (VI STY, 1SGl-l>. I tween tills irregular and ungraded embankment and the main line the troops had constructed numerous caves, in which they slept at night to be protected from the mortar shells. The em- bankment from the bottom of the ditch was about ten feet high and commanded tlm order or main line. The space from tbe out- side of the fortifications to the inner edge of the ditch was more than one hundred feet wide. The "Crater," and the space on both sides for some distance, were literally crammed with the enemy's troops. They were Jive lines deep, and must have numbered between fifteen and twenty- five thousand men. Their historians admit that their charge was made by the whole of the ninth corps, commanded by General A. E. Burnsida, and that the fifth and a part of the second corps were massed in supporting distance. Mahone's old Brigade, after being deployed, covered their front from the centre of the Crater to their right. Their silken ban- ners proudly floating on the breezes, supported by countless bayo- nets glistening in the sunlight, might on an ordinary occasion have daunted our little band and made them forfeit a trial at arms ; but they were desperate and determined, and reckoned not the host that confronted them. I recollect counting seven stand- ards in front of our regiment alone. Our column was deployed in the valley before mentioned, in full view of these hostile thous- ands. As the soldiers filed into line, General Mahone walked from right to left, commanding the men to reserve their lire until they readied the brink of the ditch, and after delivering one vol- ley to use the bayonet. Our line was hardly adjusted, and the Georgians had not commenced to deploy, when the division of negroes, the advance line of the enemy, made an attempt to rise from the ditch and charge. Just at that instant General Mahone ordered a counter charge. The men rushed forward, officers in front, with uncovered heads and waving hats, and grandly and beautifully swept onward over the intervening space with muskets at trail. The enemy sent in the ranks a storm of bullets, and here and there a gallant fellow. would fall; but the Hies would close, still pressing onward, unwavering, into the jaws of death. The orders of Major-General Mahone were obeyed to the very letter, the brink of the ditch was gained before a musket was dis- charged, the erv " Xu quarter!" greeted us. the one volley re- sponded, and the bayonet plied with such irresistible vigor as in- sured success in the shortest space of time. Men fell dead in heaps, and human gore ran in streams that made the very earth mire beneath the tread of the victorious soldiers. The rear ditch being ours, the men mounted the rugged embankment and hurled their foes from tlie front line up to the very month of the Grater. In the meantime, tho Georgia Brigade had charged, but were re- pulsed; and soon after it was re-formed in column of regiments THE SLXTY-FIItST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 187 '■■, and again charged, but was met by such a withering fire that it again recoiled with heavy slaughter; Our bloody work was all done so quickly that I had scarcely an idea of the time if required to accomplish it, some say it was twenty minutes. It was over i am *uvc about noon, and then for the first time we realized the oppression of the scorching rays of that rhdy suil, and many almost sank from exhaustion. The bri- gade captured fifteen battle flags, and our own regiment owned five of the seven that I had counter] in its front. How many men rallied to each of these captured flags I have no means of ascertaining; but the 2Sinth Corp? had been recently recruited, and its regiments must have been, well up towards the thousands, and from these captured iiags alone the reader may form an idea of the numbers we had overcome. In that supreme moment, when exulting over a great victory, how great I shall leave for others to judge, as our eyes fell upon the bleeding comrades around us, our hearts sickened within, for more than half our members lay dead, dving, wounded and writhing in agonies around us. The wonderful triumph had been won at the price of the blood of the bravest and best and truest. Old Company F, of Norfolk, had carried, in twelve men. all of whom were killed or wounded. The .Sixth Regiment, to winch it was attached, carried in ninety- eight men, and mustered ten for duty at this time. The Sharp- shooters carried in eighty men, and sixteen remained for duty. Nearly halt of our own regiment had fallen, and the 12th, -list and itith Regiments suffered in like proportion. Up to this time only an inconsiderable number of prisoners had been captured: Mention of special act,-: of bravery would, perhaps, be out of place hero, for all who marched from that vale crowned, them- selves heroes, and need no encomiums from my feeble pen. During the charge, about fifty yards from 'the ditch, Captain John (t. Wallace, of Company C, Gist \ n-ginia Regiment, was stricken down with a broken thigh, lie lay" upon his ""back, refus- ing to allow his men to take him" from the field till the battle was over, waving his hat and urging his men to is go on ; go forward." Lieutenant St. Julien Wilson, of the same company, was mor- tally wounded, and died the next day. lie was a young officer, generally admired for his gallant conduct on the field and manly christian virtues in camp. Captain John T. West, of Company A, encountered two burly negroes at the brink of the ditch, and* while parrying their thrusts with his sword, was bayoneted in his shoulder by one of his own men, who was too eager to assist him. Privates llvury J. Butt, Jeremiah Casteen ami 1). A. Williams, three of the bravest of the brave, from the same company, were instantly killed. Private John Shepherd, a noble soldier of Company D, was slam just before reaching the main line of breastworks. 188 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Captain AY. Scott Sykes, of Company F, Forty -first Virginia B-egiment, was wounded in the shoulder while galla&#ly leading his in en. Colonel Harry Williamson, of the Sixth Virginia Regiment, lost an arm. Captain David Wright, Company II, Sixth Virginia Regiment, was instantly killed while leading his men. He had been pro- moted from the ranks to captaincy on account of his gallant and meritorious conduct. Our townsmen, Judge C. W. Hill and John T. Hill, members of the same regiment, the Sixth Virginia, were wounded almost at the same instant ; the former through the left arm, which was afterward? amputated, and the latter through the wrist. Major W. II. Etheredge, of the Forty-first Regiment, displayed great gallantry, as was always his custom on the field. As he jumped in the ditch, a brave Federal in the front line firedthrough the traverse and killed a soldier at his side. He immediately dropped his empty musket and snatched another from a cowering comrade to kill .Major Etheredge. At this juncture, the Major, with remarkable self-possession, caught up two Federals who were crouching in the ditch., and held their heads together between his - determined opponent, swinging them to and fro to cover the sight of the musket, the Federal doing his best to uncover it so as to unharai his friends by his bullet. Peter Gibbs, of the Forty-first Virginia Regiment, Company E, of Petersburg, rushed to tlie as- sistance of the Major, and killed Ids foe. Gibbs was a gallant soldier, and fought, with great desperation. -It was said at the time that he slew fourteen men that day. Captain W. W. Eroadbent, the brave commander of the Sharp- shooters, was mercilessly murdered, his skull was broken in ami almost every square inch of his body was perforated with a bayo- net- stab. Although our principal task was completed, yet more heavy work remained to be done to fully re-establish our lines. Briga- dier-General Eartlet, with about live hundred men, were coo]-,! up in the Crater, and their capture was the crowning event of the bloody drama. Our wounded was sent to the rear as fast as pos- sible, and after piling the enemy's dead on each side of the trenches,, to make a pass-way, our ranks were closed up) in proper order. We were then ordered to keep up a sharp tire on the enemy's works in front to keep them close, and on the Crater to our right to prevent Bartlet's escape, as our position commanded his rear, while Saunders5 Alabama Brigade formed in the valley and charged. The Alabamians made a grand charge under a ter- rible tire, reaching the crest of the Crater without faltering, and here a short struggle ensued. They tumbled muskets, clubs, <•'■• -- of earth and cannon bails into the excavation on the heads ol the THE SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 189 enemy with telling effect. This novel warfare, as before stated, lasted only a few minutes, when Bartlet ordered up the white flag? and about live hundred prisoners marched to our rear. The negroes among them were very much alarmed, and vociferously implored for their lives. One old cornfield chap exclaimed : " My God, massa, I nebber pinted a gun at a white man in all my life ; dem nasty, stinking Yankees fetch us here, and we didn't want to come fus !" The appearance of this rough, irregular hole beggars descrip- tion. It was estimated that it contained six hundred bodies. The importance of re-eonstruehig this broken line of earthworks at once, prevented the removal of these bodies — therefore, they were buried as they had fallen, in one indiscriminate heap. Spades were brought in, and the earth thrown from the side of the Crater until they were covered a -sufficient depth. By 8 ox-lock in the afternoon all was over, and we were enjoying a welcome truce. The extreme heat of the sun had already caused putrefaction to commence, and the bodies in our front and rear, and especially the blood-soaked earth under our feet in the trenches, exhaled such a nauseating smell that I was forced to abandon my supper, al- though I had not tasted a morsel of food since the previous night. There were thousands of captured arms around us. and during the night some of our men would shoot ramrods at the enemy just for the fun of hearing them whiz. One that was sent over drew from a Federal the exclamation, *% Great God! Johnnie, you are throwing turkev suits and stringing- us together over here. Stop it !" A correspondent of one of the Xew York dailies, writing a de- scription of this battle from accounts obtained from wounded officers, who arrived at Washington on thy 2d of August, 1864, uses the following language : " Often have the Confederates won encomiums for valor, but never before did they fight- with such uncontrollable desperation. It appeared as if our troops were at i their mercy, standing helpless or running in terror and shot down like dogs. NTo such scene has been witnessed in any battle of the war. The charge of the enemy against the negro troops was ter- rible. "With fearful yells they rushed down against them. The negroes at once ran back, breaking through the line of white troops in the rear. Again and again their officers tried to rally them. Words and blows were useless. They were victims of an uncontrollable terror, and human agency could not stop them." Xext morning was a bright and beautiful Sabbath, and nothing of moment occurred. At least three thousand of the Federal dead vvere still on the held putrifying under the scorching rays of the sun. I remember a negro between the lines, who had both legs blown oif', crawled up to the outside of our works, stuck three muskets in the ground, and threw a small pieee of tent 190 NORFOLK COUNTY, 18Gl~o. cloth over them to shelter his head from the hot sunshine; Some of oar men managed to shove a (rap of water to him, which he drank, and immediately commenced frothing at the month, and died in a very .short time afterwards. He had lived in this con- dition for nearly twenty-four hours. On Monday morning a truce was granted, and the Federals sent out details to bury their dead between the lines. They dug a long ditch, and placed the bodies crosswise, several layers up, and refilled the ditch. After the Federals had finished burying their dead and were moving off. General Mahone noticed that they had left the dirt piled high enough £or breastworks, midway between the two lines, lie quickly discerned the danger of this, as it would have af- forded shelter for another assaulting column. lie stopped the burial detail and made them level the ground as they found it. General Pendleton, commander of the artillery of General Lee's army, was standing near and paid a high compliment to General Mahone's foresight. The official reports of the various regiments give the losses in the brigade as follows, omitting a number of slightly wounded: Killed. Wounded. Missing. Sixth. Regiment, Col. Geo T. Rogers, commanding.. 13 50 12 Twelfth Keg., Major R. H. Jones, commanding: .12 26 Sixteenth Reg., Maj. J. T. Woodhou.se, commanding.. 21 18 Forty-first Reg., Mai. \Y. H. Etheredge, commanding.. 13 81 Sixty-first Reg., Lt. Col. W. H. Stewart, commanding. 19 48 78. 368 12 Total losses— 258. General Wei^er, commanding the brigade, was wounded. The next battle of importance in which the regiment took j)xvt% was fought on the 1 U c 1 1 of August, on the Petersburg and W el- don Railroad. This battle is sometimes called Davis' Farm and sometimes Johnson's Farm, as it took place on both. Warren's corps had been advanced to the left to occupy a position on the railroad, but was attacked by parts of Mahone's and 1 1 eth's Di- visions and his works handsomely carried. Twenty-five hundred prisoners belonging to Crawford's and Avers' Divisions were cap- tured, among them, Brigadier-General Hays. Mahone-s .Brigade suffered more severely in this battle than in any other in which it was engaged. While the main battle was being fought else- where, this brigade was detached to cheek the advance of rein- forcements and was placed by General Weisiger in a very disad- vantageous position in which it was unnecessarily exposed, and its losses were heavy. After it had boon badly cut up. Genera! Mahone, going to that part of the Held, ordered it to fall back to n better position. It accomplished the object, however, of pre renting the reinforcements getting up in time. The Gist liegi- m- THE SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 191 merit carried nineteen officers, fifteen ambulance corps and one hundred and fifty enlisted men to the fight, of whom seven were killed, fifty-live wounded and fourteen missiBg, Total, seVenty- six. I On the 25th the 61st Regiment took part in the defeat of Han- cock's corps at Reams' Station, in which brittle Hancock lost about three thousand men, of whom seventeen hundred were captured, with twelve guns and numerous standards. On the 17th of December Grant sent a large force of infantry, cavalry and artillery to destroy the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad south of Reams' Station: but upon reaching Ilicksford | December 9th. it was driven back by a Confederate force, among whom was the 01st Regiment. It participated in the battles of Burgess' Mill, October 27th, ISG4: ; Hatcher's linn, February 6th, 1865 ; Amelia Court House, April 5th; Cumberland Church, April 7th, and surrendered at Appomattox April 9th. One Colonel, one Lieutenant-Colonel, three non-commissioned staff, three Captains, two 1st and four 2d Lieutenants, thirteen Sergeants, ten Corporals, seventy-eight privates, two musicians and one teamster. Total, one hundred and eighteen. Below will be found their names. Colonel — Yirginius I). Groxier. Lieutenant-Colonel — Wm. II. Stewart. Captain — Alex. E. Etiieredge, Assistant Quarter Master. Hospital Steward — Henry S. Etheredge. Ordnance Sergeant — Bartholomew J. Aecinelly. Quarter Master Sergeant — Benjamin T. Tatem. COMPANY A — SERGEANTS. W. R. Dudley, Win. A. West, Thos. II. Sykes. CORPORALS. J. X. Wood, W. il. Harrison, Leroy M. West. PRIVATES. Columbus C.Cooper. Alex. O. Lee. Simon Mathias, J. 11. Miller, T. E. Halstead, L. Miller, J. J. Miller, Josephus Scott, E. Sivills. COMPANY B. Second Lieutenant — James A. Stott. SERGEANTS. W. 1). Barnard, E. II. Williams, T, Williams. First Corporal— J, Beasley. PRIVATES. Jacob A. Aydlott, W. A. Cooper, A. Eanshaw. K. V. Hall, T. W. Hodges, R. Smith, A. Stewart, C. W. Wicker. 192 NORFOLK COUNTY, ISGl-.j. COMPACT C — PRIVATES. J. ft Banks, S. K. Cox, R. Bradley, G. ^Y. Eason, J. W. Lupton, W. Powers. COMPANY L). Second Lieutenant, Julius J. Bilisoly. PRIVATES. J. IT. Davis. W. C. Costen, A. D. B..Godwin, Benj. March, Thos. Only, G. Parker. Teamster, Alex. E. Lester. COMPANY E. dJaptain, Jetson Jett. SERGEANTS. J. M. Wilkin-;, % L. S. Wilkin,, A. Ives. CORPORALS. Joshua Charlton, Littleton Charlton. Musician, L. R. Edmonds. PRIVATES. M. Ballance, Milton CuthereH M. Etheredge, J. E. Foreman. J. F. Grimes, C. W. Half J. S. Hull, P. G. Ives, Geo. Owens, W. D. Kudd, Chas. C. Williamson. COMPANY E. First Lieutenant, B. It. Owens. First. Serjeant, J. J. Anderson. CORPORALS. W. II. Beale, W. B. Holland. PRIVATES. J. Beale, S. Carr, I, Oarr. \V. W. Corbitt. B. D. Council, J. Eley, J. M. Eley, T. Hayes, W. Joyner, J. Johnson, J. II. Monndfield. COMPANY G. Captain, It. E. Moseley. i First Lieut., W. F. Bangh, Second Lieut., J. M. Perkins. First Sergeant, P. F. Howell. Corporal, G. "\\ T. Collins. ■ PRIVATES. K. Cobb, II IT. Cobb, A. Hawkins, W. A. Harrison, A. Ivev, P. Lee, J. Mulder. J. S. Sielxolsoii, E. Reese^ T. Tudor. r THE SIXTY-FIRST YUICISIA REGIMENT. 103 COMPANY IT. Captain, Henry E. Orr. Second Lieutenant, AY. W. Pew. First Sergeant. EL P. Rerrymaii. PRIYATES. A. Harrell, Thos. Hodges, . J. F. Miller, J. M. McGlone, E. Robinson, Milk Turner. company I. First Sergeant. J no. M. Sherwood. Corporal, Thomas Collins. Musician. Joseph J. Smith. PRIVATES. Jos. Beaton, Win. W. Dollett, RoM. Duke, A. J. Fowler. Joseph Ilolloway, Edward King, Albert Powell, Jos. Tompkins. COMPA NY KT-PEI VAXES. Richard Stafford, E. Sorey. At the battle of Cumberland Church, Mahone's Division and General G. T. Anderson's Brigade of Georgians, surrounded a Federal brigade in a ravine and captured the whole brigade, with their colors, and marched them to Appomattox Court House. where, upon learning that the army was about to be surrendered, they asked General' Mahone to give them their colors back again, as it was a matter of pride with the regiments to have them at the close of the war. General Mahone complied with their request, and after the surrender of General Lee they were released. Major Me Alpine, after being with the regiment in all of its toils and triumphs, resigned January 25th, 1S05, to raise, a battal- ion of Partizan Rangers. A misunderstanding with General Weisiger was the prime ?aiise of his leaving the regiment. Ad- jutant W. A. S. Taylor resigned in February, 1805, and Sergeaht- Major Griffin F. Edwards was promoted to that position. Jl^ was severely wounded at Cumberland Church, April 7th, and left. behind on the retreat to Appomattox Court House. The 61st Virginia was one of the best regiments in'the army of Northern Virginia, and made a record second to none other that fought beneath its banners. Lieutenant J. M. Perkins, of Company G, served faithfully with his company throughout t\i^ war without having received a wound, and surrendered at Appomattox. After the surrender he started for his home in Surry county, and in attempting to ford a stream near Hieksford, almost within sight of his home, was svveot under by the current '.an] drowned. The regiment > morons skirmishe; icinated in the following battles, besides 111- 194 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1SG1-5. Catlett Station, Sept. 29th, 'G&, Atlee Station, June 1st, 1S64, Fredericksburg, Dee. 11th, 12th, Cold Harbor, June 2d and 3d, and 13th, 1862, 1864, Zoatrs Clm.reh, April 30th, yG3, Turkey Ridge, (skirmisliing) McCarthy's Farm, May 1st, 68, June 4th 'to 13th, 1S64, Chancelloi-sville, May 2d and Frazier's Farm, June 13th, J64, 3d, 1863, Wilcox Farm, June 22d, 1S64, Salem Church, May 3d, 1S62, Gurley House. June 23d, 1864, Gettysburg, July "2d and 3d, Crater, July. 30th, 1864, - IS63, - Davis' Farm, Aug. 19th, 1*64, Bristoe Station, Oct. 14th, '63, Reams Station, Aug. 25th, '64, Mine Run, Dec. 2d, J:86B, Burgess' Mill, Oct. "27th, 1864, Wilderness, May 6th, W&fy Hicksford, Dec. 9 th. 1864. Shady Grove, May Sth, 1864, Hatcher's Run, Feb. 6th, 1865. SpotsylvaniaC.il., May 12th, Amelia C. II,, April oth, 1865, 1864, Cumberland Church, April 7th, Xorth Anna River, May 21st 1S65, to 23d, 1864, Appomattox C. JL. Aj)ri\ Oth. Hanover C. 11.. May 2-Sth and 1865. 29th, 1S64, The regiment was also engaged in the following battles with the Federal Cavalry : Rappahannock Bridge, Nov. 7th, 1862, Hagerstown, July Oth to 11th, 1863, Culpepper or Brandy Station, Aug. 1st, 1863, Reams' Station, June 27th, 1864. general mahoxe's report of chaxceleoksville battle. Headquarters Maiioxe's Brigade, xVxdersox's Division", ) May 27th, 1863. ) Major — I beg leave to report the operations of this brigade in the late battles of the Rappahannock. It is proper to premise that tlii,- brigade, with that of General Posey, had been stationed near the United braces ford for the purpose of defending that crossing of the Ripnahannock. On Wednesday, April 29th. it was reported to me that the enemy had made his appearance in force at the Germanna ant] Ely's crossings of the Rapidan. This appearance of the 'enemy -on our flank and rear, rendered our position at the United States ford no longer tenable, and,, with a view to cheeking his advance on the flank of our army, as was now clearly discovered to be his aim, the two brigades — General Posey's and mine — were immedi- .! ately placed in position near Chancellorsville, so as to cover the roads from Germanna and YJy's crossings of the Rapidan and that of the United States i-ovd, uniting at Chaneellorsyille. In the n eantime our cainps, stores, equipage, transportation and such, THE SIXTY-FIRST VIlffilNIA REGIMENT. 195 >8 -fill sortie e V ( U neral r lite Same were sent to the rear and without any material loss of. any of them. The brigades occupied their positions at Chaneellorsville as in- dicated, until next morning, (Thursday, the 30th Inst.) when, under the direction of the "Major-General commanding the divi- sion, (who had happily joined us during the night) they fell back to the United States Mine road, this brigade at and covering the crossing of that road by the old turnpike. Before leaving our position at Chaneellorsville, however, the enemy's cavalry advance on the Ely's ford road hud made its appearance, and after a pre- cipitate advance upon our pickets '(capturing several; he subse- I qiiently came upon Our rear guard — the 12th Virginia Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel E. if. Field commanding — was repulsed, and so effectually as to leave tis free from any further annoyance dur- ing the change of position to which I have already referred, and then in process of execution. • Shortly after we had taken up our new position at the intersection of the mine and turnpike roads, the enemy came down the turnpike in. considerable force of cav- alry and infantry, but nothing occurred at this point beyond a little skirmishing with the sharpshooters and recormoitering parties. The next day (Friday, May 1st,) this brigade led on the turn- pike road in the general advance of our forces, and very shortly engaged the enemy under General Sykes, when we had quite a brisk little engagement, infantry and artillery, Major-General McLaws commanding. The enemy (United States regulars, many of whom we captured) was promptly repulsed, and our line of battle, now formed, was moved rapidly forward to a point on the turnpike south of Chaneellorsville, about l.|- miles, known as MeGee's. This brigade continued here with Major-General McLaw's force, confronting the enemy's line of battle in that quarter until the next day, when it was transferred, arid occupied our front line, immediately on the left of the plank road. In this position we continued up to the fall of Chaneellorsville, engaging the enemy more or less warmly as the progress of General Jack- son'?: operations on his tlauk and rear seemed to call for, and as the range of his (General Jackson's) enfilading lire would allow. It was during tins service of the brigade that t\m advance line of skirmishers of the 0th Virginia Infantry (Colonel George T. Rog- ers) under the immediate command of Captain W. Carter Wil- liams, charged over the enemy's abatis, near the plank road, fired upon him in his rifle pits, captured there prisoners from four dif- ferent regiments, and the colors and color-bearer of the 107th Ohio, returning to his position with his handful of men, with the loss of an officer as prisoner. This gallant and sin was made a little after dark Satunlav, May "id, \ Jackson's tire was heavy, and it was in lighting over 196 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. ground the next morning that the valiiant Williams fell, mortally wounded. The standard, a most elegantly finished work, was duly delivered. Immediately following the fall of Chatieellorsville, this brigade was sent, with a brigade of Major-General McLaw's Division, to look after the enemy, then reported to be advancing up the plank road from Fredericksburg, under General Sedgwick, Meeting General Wilcox with his brigade, about the divergence of the plank and turnpike roads, and finding that the enemy was really and rapidly advancing, it was at once determined to meet him at Salem Church. At this point, possessing the advantage of ground, our line was formed. In the meantime. Major-General Mo Laws had joined us with the balance of his division. My brigade, in the spirited tight at this place, occupied the extreme left of the line, lying wholly in the woods, and participated in the successful resistance made to the enemy's very determined effort to break our line at that point. Upon the conclusion of this battle, (Tuesday, May 5th) the brigade joined its division. The conduct of the officers and men (in brav- ing the hardships and privations attending eight consecutive days of exposure and excitement, as well as in battles) deserve high commendation, and at least this acknowledgment at my hands. The 12th Virginia, Lieutenant-Colonel E. M. Field command- ing, for its rigid and efficient resistance of the superior force of • enemy while covering the formation of our line of battle on the turnpike, Friday, May 1st ; the 6th Virginia, Colonel George T. Rogers commanding, for its vigorous pressure and bold sorties upon the enemy and his works around Chanceliorsville Saturday and Sunday, May 2d and 3d, for its veteran-like behavior at Salem Church, receiving without disorder, the enemy's sudden fire, while moving by the flank, and the 61st Virginia, Colonel V. D. Gro- ner, for" its gallant and successful skirmish with the enemy during the formation of our lines at Salem Church, deserve special men- tion, while the part borne by the 16th Virginia, Lieutenant- Colonel Richard 0- Whitehead commanding, and the 41st Vir- ginia. Colonel William Allen Parham commanding, was every where, though less ardrous, well and bravely performed. In this connection it is but due that I should record here my high appre- ciation of the efficient and gallant conduct of the staff officers with me— Captain R. Taylor, Assistant Adjutant-General, and First Lieutenant Richard Walke, Ordnance Officer. Among the gallant spirits who were seriously wounded, Captain Robert R. Ranks, Company E, 12th Virginia infantry, must be mentioned, lie fell among the foremost hi the skirmish right of his regiment on the turnpike. May 1st, and was. at that time, commanding an advance guard. 11 is conduct on this occasion was beautifully heroic. The number of prisoners taken by the r THE SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 197 brigade was large, but cannot be accurately stated, owing to the hurried and detached manner in which they had to be bent to the rear. The casualties of the brigade in all of these battles were as fallows : Killed Wounded .Missing Total Sixth Virginia Infantry 8 33 6 47 Twelfth Virginia Infantry 5 31 50 8fi Sixteenth Virginia Infantry 1 17 18 Forty-vfirst Virginia Infantry 0 23 20 Sixty-first Virginia Infantry 1- 30 3 37 Detail bridge building, Gerroanna 38 38 i Total 21 181 07 255 I am. major, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Wm. Mahone. | Brigadier General. Major Thos. S. Mills, A. A. A. G., Anderson's Division, j 1st Corps, Army Northern Virginia. General R. IL Anderson, commanding the division, in his report says : " It would be doing an injustice to Brigadier General Ma- hone, to omit to mention his bold, skillful and successful manage- i . merit, so well seconded by his brave Virginians." He also says: "Major William C. Wingfield, chief commissary of the division, rendered valuable service by careful and unremitting attention to his duties/' THE WOUNDING OF GENERAL I.ONGSTREET. Colonel Yirginius D. Groner, colonel of the 61st Virginia Reg- iment, Mahone's Brigade, has furnished the writer with an ac- count of the wounding of General Longstreet in the battle of the Wilderness, which, as it differs somewhat from the usually ac- cepted theory of that unfortunate occurence, is here added. Colonel Groner says Mahone's Brigade was on the extreme right of Long-street's line when it advanced and drove the enemy from its front in utter confusion. That the brigade was formed with the Oth Regiment on the left, then the 16th, then the 61st,' then the list and the 12th on the light. That in order to turn the tlank of the enemy the brigade was ordered to make a left turn, the regiments following each other in eschelon. After moving some distance in this manner through the woods, which were on tire and strewn thickly with dead and wounded men, the 12th Regiment became separated from the rest of ilie brigade, so that the list, which was next to it, became uncovered on its right. This was communicated to Colonel Groner, who halted that regi- ment ami his own and reported to General Mahone that the 12th Regiment could not be found. General Mahone then approved of his halting the list and 61st Regiments, and ordered him to 'J? ■: •. ""■"" --- — »"-t>' 198 NORFOLK COUNTY, lsm-5 look for the 12th. When the 16th and 6th Regimeuts got tip on the line with the two other regiments, they halted also. Colonel Groner says the line, thus formed, was about seventy-five yards from the road in which General Longstreet was wounded, and that the smoke from the burning woods and the underbrush was so dense that it would have been impossible to have seen that dis- tance through them. He moved across the road and foiind the 12th Regiment coming back. That regiment had crossed the road, but finding that it had. advanced too fast and was alone there, had starred back to rejoin the brigade, and on its return it was mistaken by the -fist for the enemy and tired into, lie says as soon as the 4.1st Regiment began firing, the regiments to the left of it took it up. and there was a general fusilade from the whale brigade, and that General Long-street's party were in front of the position held by the 16th and 6th Regiments, and he was struck S>y the random tiring of one of those regiments. lie fur- ther says that when he crossed the road to rejoin Ids regiment, after finding the 12th Regimen!:, he noticed the party of horse- men coming up, but is satisfied that, on account of the thickness of the undergrowth in the woods and the dense smoke from the burning leaves, they were not visible from the position occupied by the brigade. ANOTHER AGCOTJXT. Captain John T. West, of Company A, 61st Virginia Regiment. has furnished tiie author with his recollections of the affair, which differ quite materially from Colonel Groner s. Captain Vv'e>t says : " On the morning of May 6th, 1864, I was in charge of a section of Mahone^'s Sharpshooters battalion, commanded by Lieutenant- Colonel Field, of the 12th Virginia. We were deployed in the dense forest of the Wilderness, considerably in advance of the brigade (Mahone's.) By order of Colonel Field. I had just examined, with a scout- ing party, the woods in our immediate front, and reported that a brigade of our men had just marched to the left, leading the front uncovered, with the enemy a short distance in advance. At tin's moment a shot from a single musket came crashing through the brain of the gallant and daring Aeelius G. Foreman, of Company A, 61st Virginia. Immediately the order forward ran along the line, and in a few minutes, the brigade coming up at a double quick, the battle was joined, the Feder? 1 line broken and driven from its position^ retreated in disorder. Then followed a running fight for a mile or more, when the Federals were driven into corral beyond die plane road. Just as the left of our brigade had reached, and in part ei >>^:d this road, it was ordered to halt and tiring eeased. At this moment the left of the 61st Virginia rested on or near ilia road which cut through our line, passing to the P* m THE SIXTY-FIRST VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 100 righl and front at an angle of 30 or 40 degrees, and thus so rc- eeedlng from our line of battle, that the regiments to the right of the ft.lst could not see, and in all probability did not know that a ruiici was in their front. In a very short time after the halt, General Longstreet and btaifj with General Jenkins and brigade, passed tothefrorit, along this road, obliquely to our right. The writer and all that portion of our brigade near theroad, saw the movement and understood it, but the regiments on the rigid further in the forest and in rear of the road, did not see it or know that fresh troops were being inarched to their front, hence, when some of i'nc men of one of these regiments saw indistinctly through the forest the waving of the colors of Jenkins' Brigade, and the gleaming of muskets, they very naturally supposed that the Federals, who had just retreated in that direction, had rallied and were returning to renew the { battle, and unfortunately, at once opened tire. The firing rapidly extended through several companies, and was only stopped by. Lieutenant-Colonel W. II. Stewart and Captain W. C. Wallace, who ran rapidly forward, calling out, i% Cease firing, you are shooting down your own men/' Only one volley was fired, but alas. Longstreet was disabled, Jenkins and many officers and men killed and an end put to a pursuit which possibly would have proved a route to Grant's Army.'* CO AFTER XXV. IN OUTSIDE COMMANDS. The following Port-mouth men were in companies from other localities, There were probably Others but they have passed out of memory, and there are no muster rolls by which it ean be refreshed. The list of wounded is correct as far as it goes, but probably many were wounded who are not so credited here : Adams. Charles S.. private, Signal Corps. A'sh tori. R. V. private, Company K. 5th Virginia, Cavalry. .Ashton. John C. private, Norfolk Light Artillery Blues. Allen, Wm, A., private, Harbor Guard, transferred to artillery and lost a ieg at Xewberue, X. C, Brown. -John B., private, X. L". A Blues, appointed engineer in Navy. Brown, Henry C., private. X. L. A. Blues, derailed to work for navy. Backus, Win. T., private, Company I, 13th Virginia Cavalry. Binford, James M., sergeant, Company C, 23d Virginia Cavalry. Barrett, T. S., Ordnance Department. Boutwell, L. Warrington, private, linger Battery. Brinkley, \V. D.. private, Company E, 61st Virginia Regiment, died in hos- pital. Rriggs, Wm.. C. S. Xavy. Broekett, Win., private, Company H, 12th Virginia Regiment, appointed engineer in navy. Busby, W. A., private, Company I, 9th Virginia Regiment, wounded at Suffolk. Bra-tt, Mark, private, 2d Xorth Carolina Battalion. Lieutenant-Colonel Wil- liams. Butt. Cim lining XL, private Signal Corps. Bingley, Win. IT., private. Signal Corps, died in hospital 1864. Bananee. John, private Companv D, 6th Va. Regt., died in hospital Sept. 1st, 1862, at Salem. Blamire. James A., hospital steward, 19ch street, Richmond. Belote, Smith, Company II, 16th Virginia Regiment. Cooke. Wm. G.. private, 4th Virginia Battalion. Crow. Charles, lieutenant, Purcell Battery, Richmond. Crow, BenJ. M., sergeant, 1st Virginia Regiment, wounded August, 1862. at Cedar Mountain. Clarke, W. If., pilot. C. S. Xavy, killed in fight between the Merrimac and Monitor. Curlin. Ashwell, private, Company A, 61st Virginia Regiment, killed Wilcox Farm. Cherry, Virginius, seaman, C. S. Xavy. ("one, Edward, seaman. C. S. Xavy. Culpepper, Joseph S., private, Signal Corps, Dilworth, John R.. private, Signal Corps. Benson. C. B.. captain. Company K. 10th X". C. Regiment. Dunn. Wm. II.. private, Norfolk Lhrfit ArtillerV Bluos. Biggs. C C, private. Companv A. M Georgia Regiment, wounded July 1-?. 1862, Malvern Hill. Dockerty. Wm., private, Company I. 1.3th. Tirginia Cavalry. Oensoh, Jos. E„ private, Company E., 10th X'. C. Regimeat, 200 IN OUTSIDE COMMANDS. 201 May. John FL, private; N. L. A. Blues, wounded May .'3d, 1863, Chancellors- ville. Deconian, John, private, Company C, 61st Va, Regiment; Dnnti, J. Thos., priva'toj Company F, 41st Va. Regjment. biggs-, Benf. !{.. private, Company A, 61st Va-. Regiment. Downing, Charles W., captain, Cohoon's Battalion. Doyle, Nathan, private, Company C, 6th Virginia, captured at Gettysburg. Elliott, Thos., private, Norfolk Light Artillery Blues. Kmhthm'sou, John, corporal, Signal Corps, promoted to captain and A. C. S. Elliott, John W.^ private Company 1), 6-th Virginia, captured at Gettys- f burg. " ' - Frestine, J. E., private Ludlow's Company, Norfolk, Company I), 6th \ ir- ginia. Eord, \\ m., private, Upshur's Cavalry Company, 13th Virginia. Godfrey. W. J., private, Company I, 38t.h Va. Regiment. t Grant, ErauR IT., private. Company B; Oth Va. Regiment. | firim-es, Geo. W., lieutenant, Company G, 17th, N. C. Regiment. (o-ay. James, seaman, C. S, Navy. Gallagher, Edward, private. Company H. 61st Va. Regiment. Gauney, Lawrence, private, Company C-. 1st Va. Regiment. Grtflin, Randolph, private. Company C, 3d Georgia Regiment. Godwin, E.G., private, Signal Corps. Holt, Why., private. Stuart's Cavalry, wounded in arm. Hope-, A. M., private. Company 11, 5th Va. Cavalry. Hudgins, It. K.. captain, Ordnance Department. Ifudgins, R. D., private, Company A, 3d Va. Battalion, Waynes, James, private, N. L. A. Blues. U\ vnes, Mich., private, Stuart's Cavalry. ila'rreli, Jos. H., private, L3th Va. Cavalry. Halstead, W. V\\. private. Company A, 3d Va. Regiment. Hester. Thos., private, W. H. Rogers' Company. Ilutehins, Edward, private. United Artillery, Norfolk. Hodges, EL H., private, Captain Chalmoutn's Company. Halstend. Chris., private, Company K, 61st Virginia Regiment, wounded June22d, 1864. Hatton, YVm. L., private, Signal Corps. Hull, Jacob B., private, Signal Corps. Handy, F. A. G., private; Signal Corps. Handy, Moses P., courier. Hume, John H., private. Signal Corps, detailed in "Tax in kind" Depart- ment, Tuscaloosa. Ala., and appointed to command Company C, Wood's Battalion, Alabama Reserves. Hnestis, B. H.. private, Company E, 32d Va. Regiment. Jordan, Jos. P., private, Company 11. Gth Va. Regiment. Jones. {',. G.. private. Company A, 16th Va. Regiment. Jarvis, Alex., private. Company E, 61st Va. Rsgiment, killed at the Crater. Jenkins, Chas. E.. private, Signal Corps. James, Stephen, private, Artillery Company, Richmond. Jarvis, \V. R., carpenters mate, 0. S. Navy. Knott, Elvington, private, Company C, 13th V a. Cavalry. Kreiger, Geo. A., sergeant, Company M, 2d Va. Reserves. King, Geo., private. Jackson's Division. '"■ K'yror. W. \V., private. Company L 0th Va. Regiment, died in hospital. Knight, Geo., private, United Artillery. Eat timer, C. C, corporal, Huger Battery. Rye shot out near Petersburg. Lane, James, private; Company E, 61st Virginia Regiment, killed at Cold Harbor. Eassib r. .John, private, Company I, 0th Va. Regiment, mortally wounded, V\ aiTonton Springs. 14 202 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Lilliston, Robt. W., private. Company C, 6th Va. Regiment, Drum Major Ma hone's Brigade. Liverman, H. H., private, Company A, 3d Va. Regiment, wounded Frazier'.s Farm and Gettysburg. Liv-esey, James E.. private. Signal Corps. Levy. Richard B.. private. Signal Corps. Lanier, Samuel, private, Graham's Battery, Petersburg. Minter, Wm. R., private. Naval Brigade, surrendered at Appomattox. Maapin, Geo. W. 0, Jr.. private. N. L. A. Blues. Mnhoufy, E. N., private. Richmond Howitzers. McMahion, Hugh, private, C. S. Navy. Moore, George T., private, C. S. Navy. McLane, J, A., private. Company E, .61st Va. Regiment. Moore, F. M., private, Signal Corps. Martin. .John, private, Harbor Guard (Young's). N'immo, John, tientenaiit; Richmond Howitzer's. Niemeyer, II. Wqodis, captain's clerk. C. S. Navy, killed at Island No. 10. Nash, V. W.. lieutenant. &2d Va. Regiment. Nasla Wm. C, private. Signal Corps. Owens, Joseph T., captain, Company I). 26th Va. Regiment, wounded June 16th, 1864, near Petersburg. Owens, B. H., private,- Signal Corps. Parker. Wm. I!., private. Signal Corps, Peters, Osmond, Captain of Artillery, C. S. Army, and assigned to ordnance duty. Porter, Robert, private, X, L. A. Blues. Peed. C. C. private. Company G, Naval Brigade. Parker, Jos. A., private. McNeil's Independent Cavalry. Palmer, Geo. 0. X., private, Company 1, 15th Va. Cavalry, discharged for disability. Parker. Stafford H., lieutenant, ordnance, lost an arm. Parker, Wm. S., private, commissary department, 61st Va. Regiment. Pierce. Elisha, private. Company 1. Gth va. Regiment. Peters, Wm. R., private, Signal Corps. Peters, Osmond. Jr., private, Signal Corps. Pedrick, C. W., hospital steward. Parker. Geo. P., captain battery Whitworth guns. Fort Ffsher. Rainier, John T., corporal, N. L. A. Blues. Roberts. John B., private, N. L. A. Blues. Rogers, Chas. E., private. Companv B., 61st Va., died in hospital April 12th, 1863. Riley, Otey, C. S. Navy. Ross, Joseph, private. 4th Georgia Regiment. Rieketts, Augustus, private, Letcher Rangers. Reynolds, Robert E., private, N. L. A. Blues, died iu prison. Point Lookout Reed, Washington, private. Signal Corps. Sullivan, Robert, petty officer. C. S. Navy. Smith, Jamps. private, N. L. A. Blues. Smith, R. W.j private, Company 1, loth Va. Cavalry. Smith, 0. V., corporal, Richmond Howitzers. Shannon, Thos., lieutenant, Company F, 8th N, C. Regiment. Sale, Geo, L., hospital steward. Smith. Williamson, private. Company A, 16th Va. Regiment. Saunders, VV. I). B., private, Company K, 61st Va. Regiment, killed Spotsyl- vania C. H. Stokes, Lemuel, private, 18th Va. Cavalry. Spaulding, John A , private. Company I. 0th Va. Regiment. Spooner, Alfred B.. private, Signal Corps. Scott, Thos., private, Signal Corps. Sullivan, Henry, sergeant, Company C, 1st Va. Regiment, wounded, 2d Ma nassas. IN OUTSIDE COMMANDS. 203 Sullivan, Anthony. C. S. No vy, killed 186-4, boarding the U. S. Str. Under- writer in North Carolina. Thompson, E. Jr., private. N. L, A. Blues. Tyler, Julius EL, Company B, 18th Virginia Reginaent, surrendered at Ap- pomattox. Tyler, Henry P., private, Company B, 16th Virginia Regiment, surrendered at Appomattox. Thomas, L. W., lieutenant, Company D. 26th Va. Regiment. Tatem, John F., private, Company F, list Va. Regiment. Toomer, Chasvll., lieutenant, 41st Adabama, Grade's Brigade, was in 30 battles, in which his company lost men killed, and 10 others in which it had men wounded. Toomer, Shelton. private, 3d Alabama Regiment, lost leg at Malvern Hill Jury 1st, LS 62, and name placed on roll of honor of the regirnent for Turner, 1). J. Jr., private. Signal Corps. Tabb, Chas., private. Signal Corps. Veale, Amos E., was probablv the vouugest soldier in the Confederate army. He enlistpd in Company il; 5^th Va. Regiment as a drummer, at the age of eleven years, and Captain Neblett, of the company, iu a comnm- nication to the Richmond Dispatch in the summer of 1891. said: When- ever the regiment went i) :o a fight, Veale laid aside his drum, got a musket and did as go ■ I shooting as anyone in it. He lived through the war without having received a wound. Vickers, J. K.. private. Huge.Fs Battery. Williamson. Claranee If., private, X. L. A. Blues. Wilkerson, Nathaniel, private, Companv — . 13th Va. Cavalry. Walker. C. W., courier, Gen. Blanchard, and in Naval Brigade. U'it-rsdorf. Edward, 6th Va. Regiment, musician. Web!., Richard, private. Companv B, 13th Ya. Cavalry. Williams, J. Q. A., C. S. Navy. Walton, D. S., engineer corps, C. S. Army. White, Wm. F.. captain, Company B, 6th Va. Regiment. Wootten, Peek, private, Wythe Rines. Wagner, Lewis, private. Company K, 61st Va. Regiment. Williamson, Chas, C. private, Company E, 61st Va. Regiment, surrendered . at Appomattox. Woodward, Jas. T.. private, Company — , 13th Va. Cavalry. Williams, Daniel A., sergeant. 17th X.'C. Regiment. Wright, Wm., private. Company C. 61st Va. Regiment. Wallace^ Solon, private. Company C, 61st Va. Regiment: Wilken>-on, Samuel, private. Company H. 12th Va. Regiment. Widgeon, John X, . lientenant, Company F, 41st Va~ Eegiment, killed at Chancellorsville'. VVhitehurst, D, W., sergeant, Company F. list Va. Regiment. White, Wm.. sergeant. Companv D, 6th Va. Regiment, transferred to navy January 22.1. 1861. Wright, Benj., private, Company E, 61st Va. Eegiment, killed, Spotsylvania Court House. Welsh, Patrick, private, North Carolina Regiment. Whitehurst, John, private, 2d X. C. Battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel Williams. W hire. Wm. A., private, Signal Corps. White, James P. Jr.. private, Signal Corps. V- ilsoTi, St. Julieu, lieutenant, Company C, 61st Va. Regiment, killed at the Orater. Young. John W., private. Signal Corps. Killed and died— 10. FROM NCR-FOLK COUNTY. The following Norfolk county men were in the Randolph Dra- 204 NORFOLK COUNTY, 18G1-5 goons, Company C, 13th Virginia Cavalry, which was raised principally in Nansemond county: Second Lieutenant. Wm. F. Wise, wotuided October 11th, 1S63, at Bran.dv Station, and April 6th, 1865, at Savior's Creek. First Sergeant, Keely Harrison. Sergeant, 1. 0. Ivy. PRIVATES. Bunting, Floyd, wounded at Slaughter's, Mountain. C?tpps,; Andrew J., captured atStoney Creek, 1864, and died in prison ;i! Point, Lookout. Dermis, Samuel. Dennis, M. \\\, discharged 1862, for sickness. Driver, Elliott J., wounded 1803, at Middk'burg, Loudoun county. Duke, Hardy. Duke', Henry. Dimford. Emanuel. Ford. V\'m. Knott, Llvinglon, wounded, 1865, at Five Forks and captured. Darker, Robert. Skeeter, Joseph. vSpivey, Jethro, wounded. 1863, at Dutch Gap. Spivey, Henry, died LS62. Stokes, Lemuel, wounded at Snicker's Gap. Wilson, Andrew J., wounded May, 1 8G-1, at Yellow Tavern. Killed and died— 2. Lieutenant Wise had a varied experience during the War. lie was elected a lieutenant in the Craney Island Artillery, Company I, 9th Yirginia Infantry, but declined, and joined a company of students from the University of Virginia, Company G, 59th Vir- ginia Regiment (3d Regiment Wise's Legion) and went through the West Virginia campaign witli it. The company was dis- banded by order of the Secretary of War on \}\e ground that "so much valuable material should be distributed for the good of the service/1 He was then temporarily with General Randolph at Suffolk as civil engineer, and upon the organization of Company C? 13th Virginia Cavalry, was elected 2d Lieutenant. He was wounded October 11th, 1S63, at Brandy Station, and while dis- abled from active service, was acting assistant commissary to Major W. A. Shepherd at Weldon. lie rejoined the regimen' May 1st, 1864, while still unable to dismount or walk without as- sistance, and was assigned to temporary duty as aid to Generai Qhambliss, but his wound breaking out afresh, he was examine ! by a medical board and retired as iinftt for service. He, however, again rejoined the company on the Petersburg lines, and was ac- tively engaged On the retreat from that city. He was wounded at Saylors Creek April nth. 1865, taken prisoner in the hospital by the enemy a day or two subsequently, and taken to a hospital in Washington, from which he was released May 21st, 1S65, and returned to his home in the Western Branch section of jS"orfoil county. I IN OUTSIDE COMMANDS. 205 . y In addition to the foregoing the author can recall the following Norfolk county men who were in the. Confederate service, but whose names do not appear elsewhere : Amiistrad, B. A., sergeant, Gosnpany I, 13th Va. Cavalry. Baxter, 0. P., private; Gompany 1, I-5-th Va. Cavalry. Dunnmond. H. P. P., private. Company I, 15th Va, Cavalry. Frummond. Thos. F.. private, Company F, 40th Va. Regiment. Griffin, Jo-lin T,, captain and civil engineer, Petersburg fortifications. Fisher, LabenJ., private, Company C, 1.5th Va. Cavabry. Halstead, W. F., private. Company J, 1:5th Va. Cavalry, [ [lodges, John M., private, N. L. A. Bines. I Happer, George 1). IV., private. Wise'. s Legion, cavalry. rves, LntherC., private, Cotiipany I, loth Va. Cavalry. Johnston, .James, mustering and inspecting officer, Elugjeir's Division. James, Cornelius, private, Company F, 3d Va. Infantry. Jones, John, seaman in the navy. .Tames, Edward, private, Company F, 3d Virginia Infantry. King-, James, private. Company F, 3d Virginia Infantry. Kilby, John, private, Cottipany F, 3d Virginia Infantry. King, Goodman, seaman in the navy, King, Moseoe, private, Company F. 3d Va. Infantry. Ivawrea.ee. Albert, Company F, 3d Virginia Infantry. Lynch; Samuel, private, 7th N. C. Regiment. Mortin, Eugene S., private. Signal Corps, killed on Appomattox river. Outten, K. A., private, Company I, loth Va. Cavalry. Maund, David W.3 private, Signal Corps. Richardson, Job a V.. drummer, Company F, 3d Va. Regiment. Smith, Samuel, private. Company I. 15th Va. Cavalry. Scott, Jas. E., private, Company I, 15th Va. Cavalry. Spaight, Henry, private, t>8th North Carolina Regiment. Taylor, Jas. E., private. Company F, 3d Va. Infantry. Wilson, Thos., private, Louisiana Guard Artillery. Wallace. Geo. W.. private, Signal Corps. White. Win, H., private, V. M. I. Cadets. Woodhoa.se, W. W., private, Mosby's Rangers. Waterfield, John, private, 7th N. C. Regiment. Willey. John M., private, G8th X. C. Regiment. White, Fred. A., private. Signal Corps. Williamson, Win.1 A., private, Signal Corps. Killed and died— 1. CHAPTER XXVI. THE ST. BRIDE'S CAVALRY, COMPANY F, FIFTEENTH VIRGINIA. This was one of the largest and best equipped cavalry compa- nies in the Confederate service. Tts members belonged princi- pally in St. Bride's Parish of Norfolk county, and from that it obtained its name. It was organized at tire beginning of the war and was mustered into service- under the following officers: Captain — John C. Doyle. First Lieutenant, Moses Myers; 2d Lieutenant, ¥m, Johnson; 3d Lieutenant, Charles Johnson. The company was attached to Burroughs' Cavalry Battalion and did picket duty on the beach from Sea well's Point to Ocean Mew from its organization until the evacuation of Norfolk by the Confederates, when it moved to Petersburg an*] from there to Richmond. Upon arriving at the latter city it was ordered to join Johnston's army, then in the vicinity of Seven Pines, and did picket duty there. Shortly after the battle of Seven Pines it was consolidated with ditcher's cavalry battalion into a regiment and Critcher was made Colonel. The regiment was numbered the 15th, and the St. Bride's company became Company F. It was well mounted, well equipped and composed of excellent material. Colonel Critcher did not remain long with the regiment but re- signed in the summer of 1S(>2 Lie was succeeded in command by Colonel William F. Ball, who was stationed with the regiment in the summer and fall of 1862 on the upper Rappahannock liver guarding the fords and watching the movements of the enemy. in November the regiment was assigned to the brigade of General W, H. F. Lee, and when General Lee was promoted to Major General the brigade was placed under the command of Brigadier General Lomax. It will be impossible in this short sketch to follow the company through the numerous battles and skirmishes in which it was tan gaged. It was in active service in front until the close of the war, doing picket and scouting duty while the army was station- ary, marching in front when it was on the advance and guarding the rear when it was falling back. It participated in all of riie battles in which the regiment- was engaged. The officers who were elected at the reorganization remained with it until the ck»e of the war and were fortunate in not being killed or disabled. ' While General Lee's army was in Maryland in September, LSM-. the line of the Rapidan river was held by inv loth Virginia Cav- alry, the Gist Virginia, and the Norfolk bight Artillery lUucs, and it* duties there were very arduous and its skirmishes with the 206 ST. BRIDE'S CA FALRY, CO. l\ FIFTEENTH VIRGINIA. 20' , enemy were frequent. It had an engagement of considerable magnitude at Falmouth with the advance of General Burnside's iiriiiy on its march to Fredericksburg in November, 1862, and General Lee in his official report gives it the credit of having prevented it from crossing the riser. In March, 1862, at the re- organization of the company all of the old officers were thrown out and left the company. The officers enumerated in the follow- ing list of names were elected. 1 Below will be found the roll of the company: I Captain John V. Cooper, captured at Louisa, Va. I First Lieu-tenant James L. Northern. Second Lieutenant William H. Wilkins, captured Culpepper C. H. 1 Third Lieutenant Lemuel J. Pritcbard, wounded at Louisa, Va. I First Sergeant Columbus V,'. Foreman, wounded near Culpepper C. EL June, 1804,' Recoup Sergeant William T. Smith. I Third Sergeant JUoseoe H. Brown. Fourth Sergeant John F. Old, wounded near Fredericksburg December 13th, I 1862. First Corpora] Edgar N. Out-ten; captured at Yellow Tavern May, 1864. Second Corporal John J. Wilson. I Third Corporal William F. Ashly, killed near Petersburg, 1865. Fourth Corporal William Pritchard, died in hospital 1863, Richmond. - PRIVATES. | Ansel, John H., died in hospital. Barnes, AYilliam H. Bunting, George S. Brown; William B. Berry, John, died in prison Point Lookout. Berry, Samuel, wounded Orange Court House. Briee, George J). Bullock. Joseph A. Cooper, Arthur. Cooper, Edward P.. dis< harged 18T52. over age. Culpepper, Daniel Yi., Jkiiled near Fredericksburg 186-3. Cox, Thomas, transferred to a North Carolina regiment. Coiebum, Wm. Creamer, James. Creekmore, John J., killed near Fredericksburg 1863, I Creekmore, Alex. 0., kllie 1 near Fredericksburg 1863. j Davis, Charles T., discharged 1862, disability. | Davis, Gideon V., discharged 1862, over age. Leahy, Andrew .)., discharged 1862, over age. Penby, Edward. Dixon, Ralph. Krheredge, Dennis, captured at Louisa, Va. Eason, Israel. • Fentress, Joshua. •Fentress, David, discharged 1863, disability. ' Fentress, Wm. 11. , died in 1862 in hospital." 'Featt>ess, James, wounded at Yellow Tavern May, 1864. Foreman, Claudius T. Foreman, Wm. EL Foreman, Alex. Cri^eU, Joseph. 1 nzzell, John. 208 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1SG1-5. Fulford, Arthur, captured at Culpepper C. H. Forbes, Peter S. Flora, John T., transferred to a North Carolina regiment. Fiske, James W. Fiske, Richard B., captured at Yellow Tavern May, 186-1. Gammon, John W. Gilbert, Timothy, captured at Yellow Tavern May, 1864. G randy, Thomas G., transferred to a North Carolina regiment, Gornto, David T., d i sc barged 18-52. disability. Guy, Benjamin F, Ha-ncoek, Wm, S., wounded at Yellow Tavern May, 1864. Hawkins, Wallace W. Hancock, Francis A., discharged 1863, disability. Harrison, Joseph M, Hardy, J. Henry Clay. Haubury, Miles A. Hanbury, Win. T. llearring, Edward L. Hewlet, Ambrose. Holmes, Wm. If., discharged 1862, over age. Holmes, Henrv, killed August 30th, 1862, .Second Manassas. Holland, Wm', killed. Humphries, Samuel: Ironmonger, Thomas Y\'., discharged 1862, over age. Jennings, Noah M., killed, iu Pasquotank county, North Carolina., by Buf- faloes. Jordan, Edward, discharged 1862, disability. Joliff, Josiah. Johnson, James V., transferred to Navy. Lee, James W. Larke. Robert W., discharged 1862, disability. Lockheart, John. Martin, James G., discharged 1802, disability. Martin. James E. MePherson, Thomas G. Mears, Elvington R., discharged 1862, over age. Miller, Augustas. Miller, James. Miinden, David T. Nicholas, Wiiloughby L., captured at Yellow Tavern May, 186-1. Old, James Y. Parsons, Napoleon B, Petty, Wm. Pitts, Andrew J. Peyton, Joseph A. Robinson, Lemuel D. Reid, Win. C, transferred to Navy 1862. \ Russell, Thomas R. Simpson. Wm. ] Stroud, Edward, discharged 1S62, overage, Sykes, Cornelius, furnished substitute 1862. Sanderlin, John, transferred to a North Carolina regiment. Sylvester, iOeling, killed in Camden county, North Carolina, by Buffaloes. Steward. Solomon. Sadler. Robert. • Slack,, Edward. j Tnbb, Robert B., wounded accidentally at Fredericksburg, disabled and discharged. Tyson, Win. G., died in hospital 1863, Richmond. Warden, Koseiuseo, captured at Yellow Tavern May. 1861. ,ST. BRIDE'S CA VALRY, CO. F, FIFTEENTH VIRGINIA. 209 \\ illiuJns, David, wounded accidentally and disabled. Wilson, Amsey W., killed Yellow Tavern May, 1864. V- biff. Thomas J. Whiteruore, Marchant, died from wounds. \\ iikins, Thomas B. WiiTianisoii, ,J"oshtra .J., died. Wallace. Solomon, killed near Fredericksburg 18(52. \\ ilson, (leorjre A., furnished substitute 1S&2. Killed ami died— 17. I CHAPTER XXYIL FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS. The following field and staff officers from Portsmouth and Norfolk county served in the Confederate army: FROM PORTSMOUTH. Brigadier General Archibald C. Godwin, killed August 18th, 1864, at the battle of Winchester, Early's Valley campaign. Colonel James Gregory Hodges, 14th Virginia Regiment, killed Julv 3d, 186a, at Gettysburg. Colond John C. Owens. 9th Virginia Regiment, kilied July 3d, 1863, at Get- tysburg, Colonel David J. Godwin, 9th Virginia Regiment, lived through the war. Colonel Bristor B. Gayle. 12th Alabama Regiment, killed September 14ih, 180:2, at. Boonsboro, or South .Mountain. Colonel James Giles, 20th Virginia Regiment, lived through the war. Lieutenant Colonel James C. Council, 20th Virginia Regiment. Lieutenant Colonel G. Q. Luke, Goth North Carolina Regiment, lived through the war. Lieutenant Colonel Win. F. Niemeyer, 61st Virginia Regiment, kilied May 12th, 1864, at Spotsylvania, Court House. Major Giles B. Cooke. Assistant Inspector General on the staff of General R. E. Lee. lived through the war. Major John Q. Richardson, 524 North Carolina Regiment, killed July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg, Major Charles R. MeAlpine, 61st Virginia Regiment, lived through the war. Major William James Richardson, 9th Virginia Regiment, lived through the war. Captain Stephen A. Cowley, Adjutant; General Quarles Division, killed at Franklin. Term.. 1864. Captain James VV. Riddick, Assistant Adjutant General Scales' North Caro- lina Brigade, severely wounded but lived through the war. Adjutant John W. H. Wrenn, 3d Virginia Regiment, lived through the war. Adjutant James F. Crocker, 9th Virginia Regiment, lived through the war. Adjutant Levin Gayle, 12th Alabama Regiment, lived through the war. Adjutant Edward R. Ward. 16th Virginia Regiment, lived through the war. Adjutant John S. Jenkins. 14th Virginia Regiment, killed July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. Adjutant Alexander E. Butt, 4 1st Virginia Regiment, killed May 3d, 1863, at Chancellors viile. from Norfolk county. Colonel William White, Fourteenth Virginia Regiment, lived through the war. Lieutenant Colonel Willinm II. Stewart, Sixy-rirst Virginia Regiment, lived through tie1 war. Lieutenant Colonel George A. Martin, Thirty-eighth Virginia Regiment, lived i t'n rough the war. Major William H. Etheredge, Forty-first Virginia Regiment, lived through I the war. J Adjutant John F. Stewart, Third Virginia Regiment, lived through the war: Adjutant Griffin F. Edwards, Sixty-first Virginia Regiment, lived through Adjutant William S. Wright, Sixty-first Virginia Regiment, died in i^iYo of congestive chili. 210 FIFJ.n AND STAFF OFFICERS. 211 I MEOICAE CORPS. Below will be found the names of the Portsmouth men who I were in the Medical Corps of the army : ? !>,-. if. F, Butt, Brigade Surgeon, Daniels' North Carolina Brigade. { \n. V. B, Bilisoiy, Surgeon o^ an Alabama regiment and at hospital. Selma. L)r. W. M. Cocke, Assistant Surgeon Fourteenth Virginia Regiment, mor- tally wounded in April. 1865, near Petersburg and died in Old Capitol prison. f)r. .1. M. Covert, Surgeon Louisiana Regiment, Hayes' Brigade. Dr. James Parrish, Brigade Surgeon Mahone's Brigade, and subsequently Brigade Surgeon of Chanihliss' Cavalry Brigade. Dr. It. H. Parker, Assistant Surgeon Thirty-second North Carolina Regi- ment and Surgeon Rhodes' Division hospital. {,.._ .fesse C. Shannon, Assistant Surgeon North Carolina regiment. Dr. Franklin J. White, Surgeon in hospital, Richmond, and subsequently in kirkland's North Carolina Brigade, Dr. Edwin M. Watts, Surgeon Simms' Brigade, Georgia. \)v. Thomas H. Wingfteld, Assistant Surgeon on staff of General R. K. Lee. FROM NORFOLK COUNTY. Dr. William E. Kemble, Surgeon North Carolina Brigade. . Dr. 1. J. Cherry. Assistant burgeon OMrafcorazo Hospital. QUAKT.EKM ASTERS AND COMMISSARIES'; The following Portsmouth men held commissions in the Quar- termaster and Commissary Departments : t. Robert M. Boykin, Captain and A. C. S. Young's Cavalry Brigade. .John K. Cooke. Major and Purchasing .Agent. A. E. Etheredge, Captain and A. Q. M. 61st Virginia Regiment. .John Emmerson, Captain and A. C. S. Southwest Virginia. George W. Griee, Major and Purchasing Commissary at Augusta. Ga. .i. Madison FTndgins. Captain and A. C. S. Army of Northern Virginia. Thomas \V. Pierce, Major and C. S. Army of Northern Virginia. Wm. 11. Peters, Navy Agent Charlotte, N. C. William Sherwood, Captain and A. Q. M. Mahone's Brigade. Arthur E. Wilson, Captain and Commissary 14th Virginia Regiment, Wm. C. Wingfield. Major and C. S. Mahone's Division. FR( >M N< ) K F< ) LK CO V N'T Y . John R. White, Captain and A. C. S. 3d Virginia Regiment and Purchasing Commissary on Blaekwater river. George "D. Qld, Captain and A. C. S. 61st Virginia Regiment. General Archibald C. Godwin was engaged in bu&iness in North Carolina at the beginning of the war and receive' 1 a stall appointment. He was afterwards appointed Colonel of the 57th North Carolina Begiuient of Law's Brigade, Hood's Division, and proved himself to be a gallant soldier. His regiment distin- guished itself at the battle of Fredericksburg December 13th, 1862. That was its first engagement and its ranks had not been depleted by sickness and battle. A brigade of the enemy, under cover of the hanks of a creek which empties into the Rappahan- nock about two miles below Fredericksburg, approached the Con- federate lines and took up a position in the railroad (ait. Colonel Godwin charged them with his regiment and drove them out. li^ was promoted to Brigadier General in 1>iH and was killed on the' 212 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S6 1-5. ISth of August in the battle near Winchester in Early's Valley campaign. Colonel James Gjregoky Hodges was born in Portsmouth on the 28th of December, 1820, and ^mbraeed the medical profes- sion. He located in Portsmouth, and at the breaking out of the war he had quite a lucrative practice. lie was popular with the people of that city and they testified their appreciation of his worth by electing him to the position of Mayor. When Governor Letcher issued his call for volunteers in April, ISB'l, at the com- mencement vi hostilities, Colonel Hodges was in command of the 3d Virginia Volunteers, composed of the military companies of Portsmouth and Xorfolk county, but was transferred by Gov- ernor Letcher to the 14th Regiment, which was on duty with General Magruder on the Peninsula near York-town". He was actively engaged in the battles u£ Williamsburg, Seven Pino. Malvern Hill, Sharpsburg, Suffolk and Gettysburg, and was pres- ent with his regiment, though not actively engaged, at the battles of Second Manassas and Fredericksburg. At Malvern Hill he was stunned by the explosion of a shell near him and part of his hair was learned by it. lie was complimented in the report of General Arinistead, his brigade commander, for gallantry and good conduct on this occasion. At the battle of Sharpsbure;. and tor some rime after, lie had command of Amiistead's Brigade in the absence of General Armistead, who was appointed to com- mand the provost guard of the army, and was killed July 3d, 1803:, while leading his regiment at the stone wall in the charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg. His remains were buried on the battle Held by the enemy and his grave was not marked. His family have, therefore, not been able to find them. Colonel John C. Owens was born in Mathews -county, Vir- ginia, March 19th, 1S30, and removed to Portsmouth with Lhis parents when quite a small boy. When the war broke out he was Captain of the Portsmouth Rifle Company, one of the I* -> equipped and most popular companies in the city, lie responded promptly to Governor Letcher's call and was mustered into ser- vice with his company, which numbered more than a hundred men, and was assigned to the 9th Regiment as Company G. He commanded the company at the battle of Pig Point, in which it drove off the IT. S. steamer Harriet Lane, dune 5th, 1861, and in May, 1.S62, at the reorganization of the 9th Virginia Regimeni was promoted to .Major of the regiment. He was with the regi- ment at Seven Pines and. during the Seven Days' battles when fingers Division was moving down u\q Charles City road with ' orders to eat oil McGlellan's retreat, Major Owens became impa- tient.at the slowness with which the division was being moved, and, fearing that MeCleilan would slip by before the divi ion reached the place at which it was expected to intercept him. ' FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS. 213 iir^ed upon General ITiiger the iftiportanee of r»io\" inp; faster and of making -fewer and shorter halts. lie offered ..to take the ad- vance with the 9th Regiment or any other force Genera] linger might place under Ids command a,iid proceed rapidly until lie met :i force of the enemy sufficient to stop him, hut General linger would not accede to his request, MeOiellan did slip by, escaped with his army, and the useless waste of life at Malvern Hill fol- lowed. Major Owens was wounded August 2Sth, 1862, at AVar- renton Spring- hut remained with the regiment through the 1 .Maryland campaign, en in- lvturn to Fredericksburg, on. its. march to Suffolk in the spring of IS 63, mid in Jnne,.lS()3 was promoted to. the position of Colonel of the regiment On the 3d of July^ 1SC3. he led the regiment in the charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg and was shot through the body with a shrapnel when a little more than half way across the field.. lie was taken to the held hospital in rear of the lines and died about two o'clock that night and was buried there. He was a epiiet, modest man, but determined in the discharge of his duty, lie died as he fought, bravely and without a murmur. After the war his remains were brought hack to Portsmouth and interred in Oakwood cemetery. Colonel David J. Godwin was born in Suffolk in 1829 and removed to Portsmouth in 1853 and began the practice of law. Before the war he was several times elected Commonweal tins At- torney of Portsmouth and at the breaking out of hostilities was Lieutenant Colonel of the old 3d Virginia Volunteer Regiment of Portsmouth and Norfolk county, but was relieved by Governor Letcher. At the time of the evacuation of Portsmouth by the Confederates he was engaged in raising a regiment of heavy ar- tillery, and after. Ilugor's Division was moved to Petersburg in May, 1862, he was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the 9th Virginia Ilegiment and was promoted to Colonel, lie commanded the regiment at the battle of Seven Pines, June 1st, 1863, and the horse which he was riding was wounded by a mime ball. This caused him to rear anal plunge and lie struck Colonel Godwin's leg against a trvc, bruising it quite painfully. This disabled him temporarily and he was assigned to other duty and did not rejoin the regiment. lie Commanded a cavalry detachment in 1803 which was operating in the neighborhood of Gloucester Point. Colonel Bristor B. Gayle was born in Portsmouth April 10th, 1830, and was educated at the Virginia Military and Colle- giate Institute in Portsmouth. At the breaking out of the war he was teaching school in Alabama and raised a company of in- fantry at Sumuierville, which was organized with the l*2th Ala- bama Regiment. At the reorganization of the regiment in May, 18f>2 Captain Gayle was elected Lieutenant Colonel, and at tiic death of the Coionek who was killed at Seven Pines, was pro- moted to Colonel. The regiment came to Virginia in 1861 and 214 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. was attached to Rocks' Brigade. It followed the fortun.es of that gallant organization through the campaigns of 1SC»*2 and marched with it into Maryland; Pedes' Brigade, with other commaiuls, w>is stationed at B0onsb6ro, or South Mountain, to Isold in check McClellan's army until Jackson could succeed in the capture of Harper's Ferry and the army could he concentrated. '" at Sharpsburg. The enemy attacked Redes' Brigade at Boons- boro on the 14th of September, and after a stubborn fight, in which the enemy was checked until it was too late for them to relieve Harper's Ferry, the brigade was withdraw]) under the cover of night. Colonel Gayle was killed in the battle and his body was left on the field when the regiment' fell. hack. He was just a little more than twenty-three years old. General D. 11:. Hill, to whose command lie was attached, spoke of him as "a most gallant and accomplished officer.'' Captain "R. E. Park, who commanded the skirmish line of the 1 2th Alabama, thus de- scribes his death: "The enemy pushed forward and soon came upon Colonel Gayle and the rear support. He was ordered to surrender, but drawing his pistol and tiring into their faces, he exclaimed: 'We are flanked, boys, but let's die in our tracks/ and continued to fire until he was literally riddled with bullets, and surrendered up his pure, brave young spirit to tlie God who gave it." [Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. I, No. r>. page 437.] LiEUTENANT-CoLoxEL G. G. Luke was born in Portsmouth Oc- tober 1.9th, 1833, and was a grandson of Isaac Luke, who more than a hundred years ago was one of the best known and most prominent citizens of Portsmouth, and whose remains are in- terred in the burying ground attached to Trinity Episcopal Church. He was educated at t\ie public schools in Portsmouth and in Partridge's Military Academy, and at the beginning ot the'war was teaching school in Camden county, North Carolina, and preparing for the practice of law. He raised a company of twelve months troops in Camden county, the North Carolina De- fenders, Company 11, 3 2d North Carolina "Regiment, but his com- pany was ordered to Fort Hatteras and attached to the 17th North Carolina, it was captured with that fort. Upon being ex changed he raised another company for the war and was assigned to the 56th North Carolina Regiment, Ransom's Brigade, and promoted to lieutenant-Colonel. He led the charge of the bii- gade at the capture of Plymouth, was in the fighting around New- berne, was severely wounded at the battle of Drury's Bluff ^1 ■'.'•' 16th, 1864, was with the brigade in its battles around Petersburg, j and was captured at Five Forks. L]HrTKXA.XT-CoLOVEL WltXIAM . F, NlE'MEYER WaS bol'M US Portsmouth May 12th, 1S-10, of a family which had long resided there, and was appointed a cadet in. the Military Academy at | . FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS. 215 West Point in June, 1S57, which position lie resigned in May, ISOl, and tendered his services to Governor Letcher. The first year of the war he was assigned to the duty of drilling and su- perintending the equipping of the new companies which were being organized in the counties adjacent to ISTorfolk and Perts: month, and in May, 186.2^ was elected by the officers of the 6.1st Virginia Regiment to the position of Bieiiienant-Colonel, and in that capacity commanded the regiment from that time until the fall of 1862, when Colonel V. I). Groner was assigned to it as Colonel. lieutenant-Colonel Niemeyer was with: the regiment at the battles of Fredericksburg, X<>ahV Church. McCarthy's Farm, ChaneeI3orsvi31e, Salem Church, Gettysburg, Hagerstown, Bristoe Station, Mine Run, Wilderness, Shady Grove and Spotsylvania Courthouse, in which last battle he received his death wound. The battle was over for the day and the enemy had been driven back. It was late in the afternoon, and Captain McAlpine, of Company I. had captured a. line horse that belonged to a Federal officer, which he presented to Lieutenant-Colonel Memeyer, who, while in the act of extending his hand to take die horse, was shot through the heart by a sharpshooter on the enemy's picket line and died instantly. The battle was fought on his birthday, and he was just twenty-four years' old at the date of his death, lie was cue of the youngest held officers in the army. His remains were taken to Richmond and there interred. Major Giles B. Cooke was born in Portsmouth and belonged to a family which had a fondness for military life, his father, Major John K. Cooke having been an officer in the .Mexican war. He entered the Confederate service as Adjutant of a regiment commanded by Colonel Philip St. George Cocke, and when Col- onel Cocke was promoted to the command of a brigade he became Adjutant General of the brigade, and in that capacity took part in the first battle of Manassas. In the winter of 1862-3 he was Adjutant and Inspector General on the stall' of Major General Sam Jones, commanding the department of Western Virginia, and from there was transferred to the staff of General Beaure- gard. Following that officer into Virginia in the spring of 1864 he was, after the battle of Drury's Bluff, transferred to the staff of General Robert E. Lee as Major and Assistant Inspector Gen- eral. He followed the fortunes of the Army of Northern Vir- ginia from then until the close of the war and surrendered with the remnant of the army at Appomattox. Major John Q. Richardson was born in Portsmouth about the year 1837 and received a collegiate education. Happening to be in North Carolina when the war began he enlisted in one of the regiments from that Male. Subsequently appointment and was afterwards appoin North Carolina Regiment, lie was kilie © - hi 3 re •eh :ed a staff Mi tjor i >f ti ie 5 -2d i ti le c hai ge _ X' Ol his 216 NORFOLK COUNTY, 18G1-5. brigade at the battle of Gettysburg July 3d, 1868, while gallantly cheering his men on. lie was a courageous soldier and one of the handsomest men in the army. Major Charles R. McAlpine was born in Princess Anne county, Virginia in April. 1827, and removed to Portsmouth in 1-855 and began the practice of his profession, medicine. He was extremelv popular in the community and had a very large prac- tice at the breaking out of the war. He was an ardent Seeession- est, and before Virginia seeded assisted in raising a company in Portsmouth to go to South Carolina to oiler their services to the Governor of that State, lie. was elected First Lieutenant of this company, but before it could obtain uniforms Virginia followed the lead of South Carolina and left the Union, and the company was mustered into service in Virginia as Company D, 9th Vir- ginia Regiment. Lieutenant McAlpine resigned his commission Slay 14th, 1861, in Company I) to accept the captaincy of a new company then being organized and afterwards assigned to the 61st Virginia Regiment as Company I. He was commissioned Captain of this company June 16th, 1861, and was promoted to Major of the 61st Regiment May 12th, 1864, which position he resigned March 25th, 1865, for the purpose of organizing a bat- talion of partisan rangers to operate in the Black water section of Virginia, but the close of the war put an end to his plan-. He was a fearless and dashing soldier, was always in the front of the battle, and though several times wounded did not miss a battle in which the regiment was engaged up to the date of his resigna- tion. Major William J. Richarbsqn was born in Portsmouth Feb- ruary 29th. 1828, and fur a number of years before the war was Captain of the Portsmouth Ritle Company. When the troubles between the North "and South were about to ripen into a crisis lie organized a new company called the Virginia Artillery, after- wards assigned to the 9th Regiment as Company D, and was elected its Captain. The company was on duty on Craney Island the first year of the war, and at the reorganization in April, LS62, Captain Richardson was re-elected Captain of the company, winch position he held until June, 1863, when he was promoted to Ma- jor of the regiment, lie was in the charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg and was captured there and not exchanged. He was paroled just before the close of the war and sent through the lines to Richmond but, not having been exchanged, he did not re- join his regiment. Colonel Willlam White was a broad-shouldered old soldier and was as brave as he was big. Jle was born January 7th, 182n, near Great Bridge, in Norfolk county, studied medicine at the Medical College in Richmond and in New York, and at the breaking out of the war was practicing medicine and lived at the r F ■ VI El A) A NIJ STAFF OFFICERS. 217 village of Deep Creek, in Xorfolk county, about eight miles from Portsmouth. He was one of the Lieutenants of the Dismal Swamp Rangers at its organization in 1856, but resigned shortly afterwards. In l.N>l he was elected 'from Norfolk county and Portsmouth as a Union delegate t<> the Virginia State Convention which passed, the ordinance of secession, and voted against its passage in that body, but after the. State had decided to secede lie yielded to her sovereign authority and tendered her his ser- vices, lie was appointed by Governor Letcher Major of the 1-ith Virginia Regiment, rhen under General Magruder at Yorktown, and while there was placed in command of tiie detachment which General Magrnder sent to burn Hampton. At the battle of Mal- vOrii Hill Lieuttmaut-Cnlonel Evans of the .11th Regiment was disabled by a wound, and Major White was promoted to Lieuten- ant-Colonel, which, position he held until the battle of Gettys- burg, where Colonel Hodges was killed, and he was promoted to Colonel of the regiment, He was severely wounded in the neck in i\i>l, was elected its captain. It afterwards became Company A, I filst \ irginia Regiment. At the organization of the regiment in Petersburg. in 1802 Captain Stewart was elected Major, and on the J 2th of May, 18*v-l, was elected Lieutenant-Colonel, which position ho hold until the surrender of the army at Appomattox. lh- was wounded at the battle of Chancellorsviile and again at ^potsybania Court -House. He commanded the regiment at the I 15 218 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S61-5. battles of North Anna River*, Hanover Court House, Alice's Sta- tion, Cold Harbor, Turkey Ridge, Second Frazier's Farm, Wil- cox Farm. Gurley House, Crater, Reams? Station, June 27th and August 25th, ISOrt, Burgess' Mill and Hatcher's Run, the colonel of the regiment being absent on account of wounds. He was with the regiment in 'the following battles also: Fredericksburg, Rappahannock Bridge, Zoalrs Church, McCarthy's Farm, Clian- cellorsville. Gettysburg, Hagerstbwn, commanding brigade picket line, Culpepper, Mine Run, Wilderness, Shady Grove, Spotsylva- nia Court House, Davis' Farm, Hicksford, Amelia Court House, Cumberland Church and Appomattox, and was present with his company in the engagements at SeawclTs Point March sth and May Sth, I'm;-, with the Federal fleet. He missed only two bat- tles in which it was engaged, namely, Bristoe Station, which took place when he was absent on leave, and Salem Church, which was fought while he was in the field hospital suffering from a wound received that morning at Chaucellorsville. Lieutenant-Colonel George A. Martin was born at Mount Pleasant, Norfolk county, September 3d, 1833, and studied law at the University of Virginia. At the breaking out of the war he enlisted in the St. Bride's Artillery, a company organized in Norfolk county, and was elected its Captain. In May, 1862, his company was attached temporarily to the 14th Virginia Regiment and participated in the second day's engagement at Seven Pines June 1st, after which it was retained in the fortifications around Richmond until April 25th, 1864, when it was assigned to t))e 38th Virginia Regiment as Company I. Captain Martin subse- quently participated in the battles of May 10th and May 16th, 1864, near Drury's Bluff and June 16th near Chester Station. In the battle of May 10th Colonel Cabell, commander of the regi- ment, was killed, and Captain Griggs, senior captain, was pro- moted to Colonel, and on the 28th of March, 1865, Captain Mar- tin, the next in rank, was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, his commission to date from December 2d, 1864. For some days previous to his promotion Lieutenant-Colonel Martin was sick in a hospital in Hiehmond, and upon the evacuation of that city went to. Lychburg by rail and was assigned by General Colston to the command of the Home Guard for the defence of the city, but when General Colston surrendered it he pushed on into Carolina, following the fortunes of President Davis, and surrendered at Augusta, Georgia, after the surrender of General Johnston's army. Major William II. Ethereoge was born near Great Bridge in Norfolk county on the 27th of July, 1S20, and was raised a farmer, at which occupation he was engaged at the beginning of the war. Shortly before the war the men in that portion of the county organized the Norfolk County Khie Patriots, one of the FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS. 210 largest and best companies which entered the Confederate service, and lie was elected Captain of it It was subsequently assigned to the 41st Virginia Regiment, as Company F. Captain Ether- c;c on the 21>t of April, 18.61, took possession of the naval ord- nance stores at St. Helena, opposite the Navy Yard, and for nearly a year did. guard duty in the Navy Yard. lie was very highly complimented by Colonel Cham bliss, Colonel of the 41st Regiment, for gallantly at the battle of Seven Pines, and shortly after that battle. Colonel Chanibliss having boon transferred to the command of a cavalry reginient. Captain Etheredge was pro- moted to t\\^ position of Major of the 41st, which position he held until the surremU-r at Appomattox, when he laid asida the sword which he had carried so worthily. He was present in every bat- tle in which Mahone's Brigade took part, and though he always fought in front of his men, was never wounded, lie had a nar- row escape at the Crater, an account of which is told in Lieuten- ant-Colonel Wm. IT. Stewart's account of that battle, ante, chapter XXIV. Xo soldier in the Army of Northern Virginia has a better war record than Major Etheredge. In probably more than half of the battles in which the regiment was engaged he was its commander, his superior officers being disabled either from sick- ness or wounds. Captain Stephen A. Cowley was about 10 years old at the beginning of the war ami was attending a military school in iSTorth Carolina, and was employed Uy the Governor of that State as drill master for new troops at Raleigh. In December, IS 61, he went to General Beauregard's army in Kentucky and Was ap- pointed a Lieutenant in the regular army, He was at Fort Henry when it fell, but escaped and Went to Fort Donelson, where he was captured at the surrender of the fort, was exchanged in October, 1S62, and was appointed by Colonel Quarles Adjutant of ids reg- iment, the — ill Tennessee. Colonel Quarles was promoted to ■ Major General ami Captain Cowley became Inspector General on his stair.' He was with General Quarles in the campaign between Sherman and Johnston, and when Hood superceded Johnston lie was with the army in its advance into Tennessee, and was killed on the enemv?s breastworks at Franklin. CHAPTER XXYITI. THE WISH LIGHT DJSAGOOSfS, During the John Brown rebellion in 1859, a cavalry company was organized in Xorfolk county under the name of the Wise Light Dragoons, of which. Captain Aldustin Wilson was comman- der. The company retained its organization, but Captain Wilson resigned as its commander, and at the breaking out of the war its officers were: Captain, .John W. Young. First Lieutenant, Columbus W. Foreman. Second Lieutenant, Win. I! . Stewart. The company turned out on the 20th of April, and was sent to SeawelPs Point by the commanding officer in Norfolk to do picket duty on the beach between that point and Ocean View. It re- mained there for nearly two months, but not having the requisite number of men to be mastered into the Confederate service, it was disbanded. While it was engaged on picket duty there the United States steamer Monticello was in the habit of shelling the woods, and one of the shells exploded near Private Sykes, wounding him in the leg. This was the first casualty of war in the vicinit/} of Norfolk, and Private Sykes was quite a lion for a short while. It is to be regretted that a roll of the company cannot be obtained but as the men entered the- Confederate service in other com- mands, their names are recorded with those organizations. The company was not mustered into the service of the Confederate States, but a history of the part Xorfolk county took in the war would not be complete .vithout a reference to it. 2:20 CHAPTER XXIX. IN THE NAVY PORTSMOUTH. Iii addition to a large number of seamen, Portsmouth was rep- resented in the Confederate States Navy by the following officers : Captain, James W. Cooke. LIEU TEN A NTS. John J. Guthrie, Dular.ev A. Forrest. A. S. Worth, John H.Parker; Walter "'It. Butt, Chas. J. Hasker, Wm. II. Murdangh, Wm. E. lludgins, Jno. W. Murdaugh. SURGEONS. Chas. Jl. Williamson, ; Win. E. Wysham. MASTERS. Benj. W. Guthrie, D. W. Xash. CHIEF ENGINEERS. Michael Quinn, James H. Warner, John W. Tynan, Chas. Schroeder, Edward W. Manning. A S S i ST A N T E N G I N E E RS . Eugene H. Brown, E. Alex. Jack, Joseph E. Virnelson, John B. Brown, Leslie G. King, Jos. S. West, Win. B. Broekett, Chas. H. Levy, Thos. J. White, Geo. W. City, Jas. K. Langhorue, Moses P. Young. NAVAL CONSTRUCTORS. J. L. Porter. Chief, Joseph Pierce, Win. M. Hope. GUNNERS. John A. Lovitt, Julm Owens, Thos. Baker. CARPENTERS. Robert M. Bain, Hugh Lindsay, Joseph F. Weaver, John T. Rustic, P. J. Pleads, "' Nathaniel C. Gayle, Edward Williams. SAILMAKERS. Wm. Bennett, E. A. Mahoney. Boatswain, L. J. Nelson. Norfolk county was represented in the Navy by : Lieutenant, C. B. Poindexter. Assistant Surgeon. Geo. X. Ifalstead. Captain James W. Cooke, who heads tins list, was born in North Carolina, and entered the United States Navy from that State, April 1st, 1828, and reargued May 1st, 1861, a- lieutenant. lie married Miss Mary Watts, of Portsmouth, which city from 221 222 NORFOLK COUNTY] 1861-5. that time became his home, and upon resigning from the United States Xavy. he rendered his services to Governor Letcher, and received aii appointnient on the 4th of May as lieutenant in the Virginia Navy. On the 11th of June he was transferred to the Confederate States Navy. His first duty in the Virginia Navy was in connection with the erection of a battery at Fort Powhatan on James river, and from there he was transferred to the Potomac and assisted in blockading that river in the summer of 186.1. In the fall of 1861 he was ordered to the Gosport Navy Yard to take command of a small steam tug, the Ellis, formerly a canal boat, which was manned with one 32-pounder Dahlgren gun, and with this lie was ordered to North Carolina as a part of Commo- dore Lvneh's mosquito fleet. He took part in tlia engagement at Roanoke Island, February 7th, 1862, with the Federal fleet, and his was the last of the Confederate vessels to withdraw. lie held his ground until he had fired "away his last round of ammunition, when he followed Commodore Lynch to Elizabeth City. On the 10th, when the attack was renewed at that town, the Ellis was boarded by the Crews of two Federal vessels, and though Lieuten- ant Cooke received a musket wound in the arm and a bayonet thrust in the leg, he refused to surrender. He and his crew were surrounded by overwhelming numbers and taken by main force. He was paroled on the 12th of February and retvirned to his home in Portsmouth. He was subsequently exchanged, and on the 17th of September was promoted to commander. In 1863 he was or- dered to the Roanoke river to superintend the building of the ironclad gunboat Albemarle, which was being constructed at Ed- ward's Ferry, by Captain Gilbert Elliott, under contract wirh the Navy Department, and was indefatigable in his efforts to procure material with which to complete her. No stone was left unturned in his zeal and when he started down the river with her to engage the enemy, workmen were still hammering on her. The Albe- marle mounted two gams, and on the Ifrtl.i of April, lS'&i, arrived in front of Plymouth, which was being invested on t\w. land side by the troops of General Hoke. History has told how Captain Cooke fought and defeated the Federal vessels. EIow lie ran his prow into the Southrleld, sinking her in ten minutes, and then drove the .Miami out of the river into the sound, and was only prevented from destroying her by the inferiority of the -machinery in his vessel, which was not of sufficient power to give her speed to overtake her. The result of this victory on the water was the capture of Plymouth with fifteen hundred prisoners and twenty- eight pieces of artillery. Relieved from the presence of the gun- boats. General Hoke's men stormed the enemy's works on theland side .and carried the town by assault. Lieut. Col. G. G. Luke, ot Portsmouth, at the head of the ~)in\i ~X>>\:t\i Carolina Regiment, led the assaulting column and was the first man to enter the town. IX THE NA VY—POMTSMOUTB. 22 ~ o thus Portsmouth was represented by the captain of the Albe- marle, on the water, and by the loader of the storming party on the land. As personal reminiscences are alwayfe interesting, and frequently contain minutue which are not found in the matter of fact kt official reports/*1 the following account of tins engagement, which was written by Captain Gilbert Elliott, her builder, and published in the St. Louis Republican of April 16th, 1SST, will not be out of place here. Captain Elliott was, at the time lie commenced building the Albemarle, adjutant of the 1 7th JSTorth Carolina Reg- iment, stationed near Drury's Bluff, on James river, and was given leave of absence from his regiment, by order of the Secretary of "War, for that purpose. The leave of absence was "for two years on full pay," probably the longest leave of absence granted during the war. Captain Elliott says: " Much to my gratification Captain Cooke was the officer as- signed by the Navy Department to supervise the construction of, and afterwards command the ironclad rani Albemarle, which I succeeded in building, under my contract with the government, at a point on the Roanoke river known as Edward"* Ferry, about twenty miles below the town of Halifax. Of course I had the warm sympathy of the citizens of that neighborhood, who ren- dered me all possible assistance, Together with the support and aid of the government, and yvt the difficulties with which 1 laid to contend were so great as to seem almost insurmountable. How- ever, after twelve months' unceasing labor, with a force averag- ing two hundred men, but few of whom, however, were skilled mechanics, but all working with an eye single to the end in view, 1 had, the pleasure of delivering the ship into Captain Cooke's hands, and she wont into commission just in time to take a lead- ing part in the expedition organized by command of General Lee for the recapture of the town of Plymouth and surrounding country. u The Albemarle was 15:2 feet long, and 45 feet wide over all. She drew about eight feet of water. Her armament consisted of two rilled Brooke guns, mounted on pivot carriages, the shield or house, was octagonal in shape, with three port holes at' each end. The shield was built of timber about fourteen inches in thickness and covered with two courses of fiat iron, two inches thick and eight inches wide, making eighteen inches of wood and iron as a protection against shot and shell. She carried a crew of seventy- five or eighty men. The plans and specifications were drawn and prepared by Naval Constructor John L. Porter, who also planned the conversion of the man-of-war 3 Eerrimac into the ironclad Vir- ginia, at the Gosport Xavvyard, and, as the Virginia was the first vessel ever covered with an ironclad shield, it may truly be said that .to .Jo-im L. Porter largely belongs the credit for the revolu- tion, in the naval architecture of the world, exemplified in the I 224 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. construction of that ship. The Albemarle was built on the same general idea., but she was intended for an ironclad, and hnilt, front her keel up, for that purpose, while the "Virginia was a frigate, with her upper works cut down or razeed. " On April ISth, 1S04, the Albemarle dropped clowJu the river stern foremost, with a long chain paved out at the bow, by means of whieli she was steered, it being impracticable to proceed down the stream with the bow to the front, owing to the rapidity of the current, the freshet at that time being the heaviest in the memory of tlie oldest inhabitants. Captain Cooke kindly allowed me to accompany him as a volunteer aid. Indeed I took with me u force of men and some portable blacksmith forges and we put the finishing touches on her armor only a tew hours before she went into action. There was a Federal battery at Warren/s Neck, on a considerable elevation, some throe miles above the town of Fly- mouth, commanding Thoroughfare Gap. where the river divides into two streams, and piles, sunken vessels, and other obstructions with a plentiful supply of torpedoes, had beeir placed here to prevent our further descent, or to accelerate our possible descent to the bottom of the river, but, thanks to the high water, wo floated safely over the obstructions and passed on down the river, paying ih) attention to the Warren's Xeck fort, although a well directed tire was kept up against us as long as we were in range. We were much comforted to find, however, that the shot and shell did us no harm, and this was the case in all the engagements with the ram. Her shield: was built at an angle of forty-live de- grees, and. in time of action, was well covered with a greasy sub- stance we called slush., to facilitate the outward course of the shot and shell striking against the roof. As a rule, the shot would scoup out a litrle place in the iron roof about as large as a table spoon and then ricochet over the ship and go on its way harmless. The Albemarle Was struck hundreds and hundreds of times, and yet no one was hurt on her except a. young sailor who had the curiosity to put his head out of a port hole to see what was going on outside, and was at once shot with a pistol from the steamer Miami, lying along side and engaged with us at the time. Ywy early on the morning of the 19th of April, ISoi, the Miami and Southileld. lashed together with spars and with chains festooned from their sides, hove in sight, and so approached us, coming up the stream. The design undoubtedly, was to run the Albemarle down, but the pilot was equal to the occasion, ami at Cooke's com- mand, signalled to the engineer to open the throttle- valves, and with all the steam the engines would hear, and the immense force of the current with which) we were sailing, he put his helm hard down and dashed the -prow "(or ram") of the Albemarle into the side of the Sou'thfield, sou-ding her to the bottom of the Roauok< river with a suddenness that seems awful to contemplate. The IN THE NA VY-PORTSMOUTH. 225 Miami was a fast side wheel steamer. There was a brief engage- ment wirh her, in w-liieli her commander, Lieutenant Flusser, lost his lite. A sheli tired by his own hand struck our ship, exploded I and a fragment rebounding, killed that gallant officer. The Al- bemarle was then making ready to rani the Miami, if possible, but discretion was considered die better 'part of valor by the com- manding officer of the Miami, and he backed his vessel down the I stream for a- mile or two, then turned, and kept on his way. The Albemarle followed in pursuit, but the race was to the swift that day and the chase was soon abandoned. Plymouth fell as the re- sult of next day1*; battle, the Albemarle holding the river front (and rendering invaluable assistance in the bombardment of the strongly fortified town. ** Later on. May 5th, ISfrL, a most memorable engagement took place in the waters of Albemarle Sound, where, for the greater >art of a day, the Albemarle contended with eight heavily armed federal war vessels, some of them carrying lOU-pounder Parrott guns. Her assailants, moved around her in a circle, discharging broadsides as they passed. Shot and shell rained down upon her like hail on the roof of a house. Her smoke stack was riddled with holes and almost shot away. In consequence, the flues would not draw, and no steam could be made, propellers could not turn over and she lay like a log on the water* The Sassacus, a large double ender, ran into her, and jumped on her forward deck, ■ hoping to sink the ram by this additional weight, out our gunner [tut a shot through one of the boilers of the Sassacus and she was glad to haul otf with the -team made by the other. Two of the ships endeavored, by towing a large seine, to entangle the propel- lers, " but in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird," and Captain Cooke was able to raise a little steam, and so manoeuvred his ship as to escape this iugeniouscontrivan.ee for her destruction. A bold effort was made to tl row kegs of gunpowder down her smoke stack, but that scheme baled also. One of her two guns was disabled early in the action, the muzzle being shot away. Night put an end to the conflict, and. with the aid of a quantity of lard and bacon, which was u'h Lieutenant V \r. II. Murdaugh was horn in Portsmouth, en- . tered the United States Navy September 9th, 1841, and was ap- pointed in the Confederate States .Navy June 20th,' 1861. A\ hen the secession movement began at the South he was executive officer of the F. S. Frigate Sabine, then stationed in Pensacoln harbor, and upon the secession of Virginia, resigned Ins commis- sion and entered the service of that State, and afterwards the Confederate States. He was severely wounded at theattaek upon Fort Hatteras by the Federal fleet on the 29th of August, 1S&1. Fie had command of a gun and was directing its lire when a piece of shell shattered his arm. He was taken from the fort to one of the Confederate gunboats, and thus escaped capture when the fort fell. After recovering from his wound he was placed in com- mand of the steamer Beaufort, in James river, and in 1863, was sent to Europe on special service for the -Navy Department, and was there when the war ended. Lieutenant Waltee R. Butt was horn in Portsmouth, and served on the Virginia in her battle. with the Federal fleet in Hampton Roads, March Sth and 9th, 1802, and subsequently commanded the Nansemond in James river. lie entered the "Naval Academy in 1855. Lieutenant AVm. F. IIudoins was Ivoi'ii in Portsmouth, and fit the beginning of the war was a lieutenant in the F. S. Revenue Serviqe. and entered the Confederate Navy as a lieutenant May 26th, 1S63. lie was with Captain John Taylor "Wood in August, 18&3, iti his boat expedition against the Federal Gunboats Satellite and Reliance, off the mouth of the Rappahannock river and after their capture, was placed in command of the Reliance. Captain Wood subsequently carried them up the Kappahannock, took from them ewerything movable;, and then burned. them. Lieuten- ant lludgins served on various vessels after that and was on duty with the navy in J'attcry Buchanan, near Fort Fisher, at the entrance t<> Wilmington bailor, on the 15th of Janiuiry, ls>;~<. when it was captured, lie was slightly wounded on that occa- sion. Lieutenant Ghakles J. IIasker was a taoatswainin the United States Navy and received a similar appointment in the Confeder- ate ETavTi IF; served in that capacity on the Virginia (Merrimae • and was promoted t>> a lieutenancy for gallantry on that and sii >- sequent occasions. Lieutenant Forrest was in delicate health at the beginning oi the war and weni to Western North Carolina to try to recuperate but died there or the loth of April, 18(-J;i Engineers John W. Tynan and E. A. Jack, and Carpenter IN THE NA VY— PORTSMOUTH 22 7 \ _ . . . Hugh Lindsay were on the Virginia in her battle in Hampton Roiids, and (runner Jolm A. Lovitt served on the Patrick Henry in the same engagement. lie and Engineer Tynan were on the gunboat Chattahoochee in Florida, on the 1st of June. 1S63, when her boiler exploded, killing fifteen of her officers and crew. The Vessel was under command of Lieutenant Jolm J. Guthrie at the time, and Midshipman Charles K, Mallory, of Norfolk, was among the number killed. The magazine was within about three feet of • the l>oiler and the coolness of Gunner Lovitt it: quelling the panic which ensued in consequence of this proximity and an apprehen- ded explosion, was very highly commended. He was in Battery riiichanan (hiring the two attacks on that fort and Port Fisher. Carpenter Joseph F. Weaver was on the Seabird, Commodore Lvneh's flagship, at the battle near Roanoke Island, February 7th. 186*2, and was captured when >}ie was sunk at fclizabeth City, on the 10th, by a 9-inch Columbiad shell from one of the pursuing Fed- eral gunboats. He was paroled with Captain Cooke and subse- l fpiently exchanged. Engineers Sehroeder, Warner and Manning; as well as all of the others mentioned in the foregoing list rendered efficient ser- vices to the Southern Confederacy, and lived to see the termina- tion of the war. Engineer Sehroeder made a cruise on the Tallahassee with-Cap- taiii Wilkerson, was one of the officers sent to Canada on the expedition to release the Confederate prisoners confined on John- sou's island, and was afterwards sent to Europe to assist in pro- curing and fitting out cruisers for the navy. On the SOth of April, 18(13, Congress passed a special act " to authorize the appointment of one Chief Constructor in the Navy." It was passed as a recognition of the services of Naval Constructor •John L. Porter, and he was appointed to it by President Davis. Constructor Porter designed several sea-going ironclads, which: the Navy Department endeavored to have built in Europe. The principal one was a powerful vessel, with a center turret contain- ing ten guns, and sheathed with iron ten inches thick. The Navy Department made a contract with G\ N. Saunders, Esq., to build her in England, but the war ended before she was completed. Her bow projected forward under water, and was built solid for about fifteen or twenty feet back from t\-.e stem, so as to serve for <'f ram. lie designed another, with lunged gunwales, which could be raised or lowered at pleasure. CHAPTER XXX. OPERATIONS AROUND NORFOLK CITY, APRIL, ISGl, TO MAY 10, 1S62. When tin's work was commenced and it was thought by the author that he would be compelled to rely solely upon the mem- ory of the survivors of the war for what he might write, he feared it would be impossible for him to obtain from that source a sufficient amount of data pertaining to the troops who entered the Confederate service from ' Norfolk city, to do them justice, hence, his original attention was to leave them out entirely, for the reason that faint praise would be worse than none at all, but since then lie has had an opportunity to inspect the muster rolls and official records of the various companies from their original muster into service until the 1st of January.; 1865, and lues, there- fore, found himself in a position to record as accurately as an official report tells it. the story of those who marched away with their commands on the 10th of May, 1.S02, at the evacuation of the city, and did service in the. field. After January 1st, 1805, the official records cease, and what appears upon the rolls of the different companies after that rims' has been supplied from mem- ory. Before the war the sentiment of a majority of the people of Norfolk city wac* opposed to the secession of the State, and at the election to .-end a delegate to the State Convention, which had been called to consider the situation, held February itli, 1S01, General George Blow was elected as a union delegate, over Mr. James 11. Hubard, secessionist, by a majority of T80, out of 1,-b'M votes cast. After President Lincoln's proclamation, calling for 7-5,000 troops to coerce the States which laid seceded. General Blow voted with the majority in favor of the passage of the ordi- nance of secession, under instructions from a mass meeting held April 1-th. Before the State had seceded the war fever was gathering force in Norfolk, and the news of the attack upon Fort Smnpter, April 11th, augmented it to a still greater degree of fervor, so that un the 19th of April, when General Taliaferro arrived in tire city t<» take command of the $tate troops an 1 it was evident that there was going to ho war, the citizens, vita singular unanimity, acqui- esced in the inevitable and girded theniseUes for the content. Before the beginning of hostilities there were in Norfolk city the following military companies, fully equipped with everything except ammunirh n : The Norfolk Light Artillery Blues, Captain Jacob Vkkery- The Woodis ttitiemen, Captain Win. Lamb. 223 01 'ER, 1 TEC >XS A RO I rND Nl ) I? h X ? L K CI TY. 229 The Norfolk Juniors, Captain F. F. Ferguson, The independent Grays, Captain Richard C. Taylor. Company F, Captain tl. W. Williamson. All of these companies had full ranks, and in order to accom- modate the hundreds who were ■ desirous of responding to the call of the Governor, new companies were" organized rapid Iv, as fol- lows : The United Artillery Company, Captain Thomas Ilevill. The Norfolk Light Artillery, Captain Francis llncrer. The Atlantic Artillery, Captain J. Hardy Hendren. The Norfolk Light Infantry, Captain John li Ludlow. Company A, 6th Regiment, Captain Wm. N. MeKenny. The Norfolk Harbor Guard, Captain John J. Young, xVmong these companies were quite a number of Nearfolk county men from the Tanner's Creek section, but as they enlisted in the city, they cannot, at thus late dayrbe fully identified. On the nig] it of tlie 19th of April, l>o'l, the Norfolk military companies took possession of Fort Norfolk, which was then used as a powder magazine, and the powder therein stored, amounting to five hundred barrels, or fifty thousand pounds, was placed on board the revenue schooner dames Fuehanan, and sent to Rich- mond, under guard, for safe keeping. "On the afternoon of the 20th all was hustle and excitement in Norfolk, and the " Pawnee war " raged there that night as well as in Portsmouth. That afternoon some unauthorized persons began sinking obstructions in the river below Fort Norfolk for the purpose of shutting in the Federal authorities at the navyyard and thus preventing them from removing the vessels and the vast amount of valuable war material which was on hand. This fact, coming to the knowledge of Commodore McOauly, commanding the navyyard, hastened his departure and the destruction of the navyyard. General Taliaferro, who was sent to Norfolk at the beginning of hostilities to command and organize the State troops, was trans- ferred to Gloucester Point, and. on the '25th of April, General Walter Gwynn, an old army officer, assumed command, and in turn was relieved by General linger. May '2o<\. In the meantime troops from all portions of the South were pouring into t]\e city, and batteries were erected at Seaweil's Point,- Bonsh's Bluff and Fort Norfolk, and a line of entrenchments, with embrasures for heavy artillery, was thrown up back of the city to resist an attack from the direction of Fortress Monroe, should one be made. The Norfolk companies were assigned to regiments as follows: Captain W. N. MeKenny's Company to the 6th Virginia Regi- ment as Company A. The Woodis Rifles to the 6th Virginia Regiment as Com- I pauv C. 230 NOimMK ojrxrr. v«n-5. The Norfolk tight Infantry to the 6tli Virginia Regiment a: Company D. Company F to the 6th Virginia Regiment a- Company G. The Independent Grays to the 6th Virginia Regiment as Com- pany II. The Juniors to the \'J.\\\ Vii-ginia Regiment as Company II. The Norfolk Light Artillery Blues, to the 16th Virginia Regi- ment as Company II. The [Tinted Artillery to the 41 st Virginia Regiment as Com- pany E. Norfolk Light Artillery — unattached. Ine Norfolk i'larhor Qimrd—un attached. The Atlantic A rtirlefy— Unattached. In tliis connection it would not he out of place to give a brief history of the military movements in the vicinity of Norfolk prior to and which led to its evacuation by the Confederates. On the 19th of Slay, while detachments from the Blues, Ju- niors and the Woodis Elites, of Norfolk, and the Columbus Light Guard, of Georgia, were at work upon the battery at Seawell's Point, and before it was completed, only three guns having been mounted and the sand blocking no tlie embrasures, the united States Steamer Monticello opened tire upon it. The fire was briskly returned by the fort and after a short engagement the Monticello hauled off. No one in the fort was injured. Captain Colquit, of the Columbus Light Guard, commanded the Confed- erates, and for want of a Confederate States flag, the battle was fought under the Georgia State flag, belonging to the Lighi Guard. During the firing the men had to work in front of tlie embrasures shoveiing away the sand so that the guns could have play. Captain Win. Lamb commanded the Woodis Rifles and the detachments from the Blues and Juniors were under Lieuten- ants W. T. Beet and John Holmes respectively. The bombard- ment was resumed by the Monticello on the 21st, but with like result. This was tlie second engagement in Virginia between tin- shore batteries and the Federal vessels, and the Norfolk hoys, as well as the Georgians, were not alarmed at the bursting of the big shells, but stood their ground manfully. - During tlie winter of 18fi-l-2, the soldiers from the far South, who were quartered near Norfolk, would have suffered severely from. the cold, but for the patriotism and benevolence of tlie ladies of the city, who organized themso ves into sewing circles, and by these and other means, raised funds to provide them with shoes. overcoats and blankets, necessaries which the Confederate author- ities had not the n cans of supplying. Two companies were started in Norfolk but failed of organiza- tion for want of sufKdkmt numb..]--.. These were the Qkl Domin- ion State Guard, of which Captain Charles U. Laugiey waseiecicd OVER Alloys AROUND NORFOLK CI TV. 231 commander, and the Lee Artillery, Captain James Y. Leigh. The name of the first company was afterwards changed to the Harris Guards, hut neither was mustered into service. The men whose names were enrolled enlisted in oilier commands. it was the intention of the United States Government to fortify and iv(aiu possession of the navy yard, and on the 19th of April General Scott ordered Captain 11. E. Wright, of the engineers, to call at Fortress Monroe, get from Colonel Dimiek, its commander, a regiment of troops, reinforce Commodore MeCauley, and pre- pare for tile defence of the yard. Captain Wright, arrived at Fortress Monroe on the Pawnee, on the 2ot.h,:and Colonel Dimick placed at his command a regiment of 370 men under Colonel teirdrop. With this force he embarked on the Pawnee and reached the navy yard about dark that evening, lie found that most of the vessel- had already been scuttled and tlrat Commodore MeCauley "was disposed to defend the navy yard to the last ex- tremity. Accordingly the troops were landed and some prepara- tions made for defence, but Commodore- Paulding:, who came from Washington on the Pawnee, decided to finish the destruction of the yard and evacuate it. Captain Wright and Commander J no. Rogers were sent to blow up the dry dock, taking with them forty soldiers and a boat's crew from the Pawnee. From Captain Wright's report, winch is somewhat confused and conflicting, he seems to have been considerably demoralized by tl^j situation. His description of the arrangement.- for blowing up the dock does not tally with what the Virginia troops found there the next morning, but this may be accounted for by the supposition that he ordered such arrangements to be made and supposed his subor- dinates had carried out his orders, lie said, when everything was ready, he sent away all of the men except one seaman from tlie Pawnee, and then they lighted four slow matches,- the dock having been mined with 2,000 pounds of powder. Captain Wright and Commander Rogers, from Captain Wright's report, seem to have been left behind, among the bunting buildings, after everybody else had. gone, and made their way out of tlie main gateway, through the lire, seized a boat, imagined themselves tired upon from Portsmouth, saw in the darkness a large military force collecting against them "at a point below, where the river was narrow,'' ami therefore concluded to land in Norfolk and sur- render to General Taliaferro. They were kindly treated, for- warded to Richmond the next day and from there sent to Wash- ington. To quiet their fears that they would be assailed by the people of Richmond, (Joverner Letcher escorted them to the cars and sent a couple of officers with them to Washington. Evi- dently v" the man from the Pawnee ■" did not light the fuses, far the mine was not exploded, nor were the fuses found. Captain " right's report omits to state what became of this man. A very NORFOLK COUNTY, t861-5. well authenticated account of the dry-dock affair will he found in chapter I, ante. The last mail from Baltimore was received in Norfolk on the Oth of May, though the port had been declared in a state of block- ade earlier, The steamer arrived at Fortress Monroe from Lalti- more rhat morning, and the Norfolk mail was sent up on the William Selden, which was sent to Fortress Monroe for it. but the Confederates did not send her down again. They detained her in Norfolk and would not permit her to return, for fear that sin- would be seized by the United States authorities. The army arid navy officers in the department of Norfolk did not get on harmo- niously together at first, and there was a warm dispute between General Gwyim and Commodore Forrest as to the possession and control of the property in the navy yard. General Gwynn com- plained to the Governor that he had been unable to obtain an in- ventory of the stores, Oec, in the navy yard. General Lee. com- manding the State forces, advised mutual concessions, and the breech was smoothed over. General Gwynn was relieved by General Benjamin linger on the 28d of May. Shortly after the breaking out of the war, the Confederates be- gan fortifying the Nansemoiid river, but it was difficult to reach the batteries there from Norfolk, for the reason that the United States vessels controlled Hampton Koads. but on the night of the 5th of June Captain A. Sinclair, of the navy, commanding the small steamer Roanoke, eluded them and ran his boat into the river and established communications between the batteries and the railroad at Suffolk. On the loth of June, Saturday, the Federals opened fire upon the batteries at Seawelhs Point with a Sawyer gun, which they had mounted at the liip-Iiaps, and General linger sent down to that point a lot of railroad iron to shield the magazine and the face of the batteries. The distance from the Point to the Kip- j&aps, as measured by the engineers, was 3 o~$ miles. On the 23d of April Governor Letcher appointed General II E. Lee to command the State troops, and on the 10th of May the Secretary of War, Mr. L. P. Walker, placed all of the Confeder- ate troops in Virginia temporarily under his orders. Colonel Tateott, of the engineers, reported to General Lee on the 20th oi April that " seven guns had been mounted cm the battery at the ZSaval Hospital; that at 10:30 a. m. on the 22d he commenced. with one hundred and twenty laborers, to build a work onCra?n - Island to mount twenty guns. A battery to mount twelve guns, has been laid out on Pinner's Point. The work on this is under control of officers of the navy, [It was built under the supervi- sion of Major F. W.Jott, of the Confederate Engineers.] The works hi progress will mount sixty-one guns when eouiplero* . Of these, fourteen will be at the Naval Hospital, riftecu at Fort OPERA TIOXS AROUND NORFOLK CITY. 233 Norfolk, twelve at Pinner's Point, auet twenty at Oraney Island." On the 27th, two eight inch shell guns and eight 32-poiin^ers were ready for action at the Naval Hospital:, with furnaces and fuel for heating shot. The work on the Pinner's Point battery was commenced that day, On the 26th four 9-ineb Colurabiads, with fitly rounds of ammunition for each gun., were sent to Craney Island and mounted. Colonel Taleott did not think very highly of Sea well's Point, as a place for the erection of batteries. In his report he calls it Boilers Point. General Lee recommended to General Gwynn the advisability of employing the naval officers in the construction and service of water batteries, or such as were intended to act against shipping, and in consequence thereof naval officers were stationed at all of \\io batteries around the harbor to instruct the men in the use of heavy guns. General Gwynn was constantly under apprehension of an attack upon Norfolk by the Federal forces at Fortress Mon- roe, and in reply to urgent letters from him for reinforcements, General Lee authorized hint to recruit from the eountien of Prin- cess Anne, Norfolk, Nanseniond, Southampton and Gieensville, and the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, six regiment- of infan- try ami artillery and four companies of cavalry, and on the 1th of May, at the request of Governor Letcher, all of the Geoigia troops in and around Riehmonc] were ordered to Norfolk. T!iese were the 1th and 2M Regiments. The 3d Regiment and 2d Battalion had previously arrived direct from Georgia. General Gwynn wrote to Adjutant General Garnett in fvielimond for 100,090, rounds of ammunition. General Garnett sent him 25,000, and suggested, as there was an abundance of powder and lead in Nor- folk, that General Gwynn had better make arrangements to man- nlaeturc his own cartridges, as they -were doing in Richmond. On the 8th of May General Lee ordered the 1st Louisiana Reg- iment, Colonel A. G. Btanchard, from Richmond to Norfolk, and on the 1-tth General Gwynn reported that he had 6,000 troops and wanted L,000 more, and on the 21st he reported that the en- emy was reintVaving Fortress Monroe and asked for 4,000 more troops. Singularly, while General Gwynn was apprehending an attack from the garrison at Fortress Monroe the commander of that fort was writing to Washington for reinforcements to repel an apprehended attack by the Confederates. On the 27th of May General Linger, who had relieved General Gwynn in the command of Norfolk, reported to General Lee that seven transports had that day landed troops at Newport News, and the same day General Magruder reported a force va- nously estimated at from 3,500 to 5, tun) men had marched to that point from Fortress Monroe. Genera! Lee became apprehensive that the accumulation of such ■•■ large force there was for the pur- pose of operating against Suffolk^ either by way of the Nanse- 1G 234 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5 moiid river or by crossing at Bur-well's Bay, thus cutting oil com- munication between Norfolk and Bielimond, hence he directed General linger to look particularly to the defence of the battery at Pig Point, to guard it against surprise or from an attack in the rear, and at the same time endeavored to collect a force at Suf- folk. On the 27th General linger divided the department into two military districts. The Norfolk division, or east of the Eliz- abeth river, Ava< placed under command of Colonel Withers of the 3d Alabama Regiment, and the Portsmouth division, or west of the river, under Colonel Blanchard of the 1st Louisiana Regi- ment. Colonel Withers had under him the 3d Alabama Pedi- ment, -2d Georgia Battalion, and the 6th, 12th. 16th and 41st Vir- ginia Regiments. Colonel Blanchard's command embraced the 1st Louisiana. 3d. 4th and 22d Georgia, 3d and Oth Virginia Reg- iments. 2d Xorth Carolina Battalion and 3d Louisiana Battalion. General linger was a man of high character, of undaunted courage, and an excellent ordnance. officer, but lacked those pecu- liar qualifications which fit an officer to defend a post and com- mand troops in the field, and from this sprang an Iliad of woes to the Confederacy which brought down upon himself the censure of the Confederate Congress. On the Sth of June the Virginia troops which up to that time had been serving under orders from Governor Letcher, were turned over to the Confederate States Army. General finger's district extended over the eastern counties of North Carolina from Weldon to the ocean, but being unacquainted with the to- pography of his district, and on account of his age not possessing the necessary activity to familiarize himself with it from a per- sonal inspection, the Confederates suffered disaster after disaster, which possibly might have been avoided had proper precautions been taken. A perusal of the correspondence which passed be- tween the subordinate commanders in North Carolina and the headquarters in Xorfolk and Richmond indicates that there was a lamentable lack of judgment on the part of those in authority, if we may judge by results. A powerful fleet was being fitted out in the Xorth in August, 1861^ and was gathering at Fortress Monroe. It destination was known to be liatteras Inlet, yet no material effort was made to strengthen the little fort there, nor t<> reinforce it, but it was left to a small force of undisciplined Xorth Carolina troops, badly drilled, with no experience in the use of heavy guns and with only guns of short range and light caliber to resist almost the whole navy of the United States government and a heavy land force. There could be but one result, the fort surrendered after atwodavs' bombardment bv the tieet which, anchored beyond guns of' the fert, was unhurt. The fort wa> badly constructed that the men had no .•shelter from the shell.-, OPERA Tltim ABOUND NOIUVLK CITY. 235 which penetrated its walls or fell inside. This disaster occurred on the 20 tli of August, 1861. and opened to the Federal navy the waters of Farnlieo Sound; The next move of importance in that section was not made until the following February, so that t)\e Confederates had from Atigusito that date, nearly six months, to guard against further disaster. Had there been maehinery or armor plate in the Con- federacy with which to have equipped two iron-clad boats like the Albemarle, which was subsequently built, Hatteras could have been retaken and Norfolk.lield. lite disasters at Roanoke Island, Newberne and Fort Macon would have been avoided, and the troups which were sent to oppose Uurnsidein Carolina could have been retained in Virginia against McClellam After the for; at Hatteras had been captured General linger sent the 3d Georgia Regiment to reinforce it. There was a lamentable scarcity of transportation in that locality. Commo- dore lynch of the navy being impatient at the want of suitable vessels for gunboats, got possession of nearly all of the ttigs and .-mall steamers in the sound and mounted guns upon them. They were valueless as gunboats, but might have been serviceable as army transports, but transposing them into so-called men-of-war deprived the army of their use, without adding anything to the strength of the navy, as subsequent events fully developed. Colonel Wright of the Third Georgia Regiment, finding Fort Hatteras in possession of the enemy, stopped his regiment at Ro- anoke Island and began fortifying it to prevent the enemy from getting into Albemarle Sound, a' movement whieh they were prevented front making at the time on account of the shallow- ness of the water in Pamlico Sound and the depth of the vessels in their tieet. The importance of defending Roanoke Island, as the key to the defence of Norfolk, was urged upon General linger and Sec- retary of War Benjamin in the summer and fall of 1861 by Cen- tra! Gatlin and Governor Clarke of North Carolina, but their recommendations were almost wholly disregarded. In December, 1S01, by an order from the War Department the island was placed under the orders of General linger and General Wise was stmt there to command it. General Wise, time and time again urged upon General linger and Secretary Benjamin the necessity of putting it in a proper state of defence and of reinforcing it with additional troops, "out nothing seems to have been done by cither of them towards carrying out the recommendation. Gen- eral linger had 15,000 well drilled and well armed troops aroUnd Norfolk, but it doe- not seem to have occurred to him that they could best protect Norfolk by being sent where the enemy was ;ihout to attack. In December he ordered the 3d Georgia back to l'ortsniouth. leaving on the island about I'M.) men of Wise's 236 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Legion and 3,800 raw levies of Korth Carolina troop.-, badly drilled, undisciplined and badly armed. In reply fee General Wise's argent call for reinforcements he wrote: " You want sup- plies, Lard work and coolness and not men," and on the 13th of January, 1862, he wrote: "I do net consider large forces neces- sary for the defence of the island. If the batteries can keep off the gunboats and transports the infantry will have little opportu- nity to act." And in a letter of the 18th to the Secretary of War lie wrote that he "had no personal knowledge of the positions ou- Ihe island.75 In reply to a letter from General Wise to the Secretary of War for a supply of ammunition that officer wrote on the 12th of dan-, nary: "At the first indication of an attack upon Roanoke Island a supply will be sent yon/' General Wise replied if they were to wait to be attacked before receiving powder from Richmond, the attack would be their capture, and defeat would precede t)ic arrival of ammunition. This prediction was verified as to t\ie navy. A supply of ammunition for Commodore Lynch's fleet, sent to him from the Navy Yard, did not start until after the battle was over. Colonel Taleott of the Engineers reported to General linger that the island was in an indefensible condition and needed guns, ammunition and men, but no action was taken upon his re- port. Early in December Commodore Forrest was applied to for pile drivers to drive piles across the channel to obstruct the pas- sage of the Federal gunboats, and promised to send them, but Colonel Shaw, commanding tlieisland, reported to General Wise that they had not arrived by the 30th and that Commodore For- rest's reason for the delay was that the men wanted to spend their Christmas holidays at home. Owe pile driver arrived on the Oth of January, and on the 7th of February, when the attack was made, there were still 1,700 yards id' t\w sound open. All of the tugboats in the vicinity but one had been converted into gun- boats, and that one, with two large barges, which General Wise held for transportation, was ordered away from him by General linger just as the battle was about to commence, which left him no means of retreating from the island in case of defeat. Thus the garrison was shut up on the island and ordered to defend it. while they were denied the means with winch to make the de- fence or of escape in case of defeat. The batteries were built on the west or Croatan side of the island, near the north end of it. The Governor of North Carolina applied to Secretary Mallory ot the Xavy for four rilled cannon for the defence of the island, but failed to get them, ami, to arid to the blunders which led to the disaster. General linker's countermanding General Wise's order, lost the garrison the use of the sis field pieces belonging to the Wise Legion. They were in Norfolk under command of Colonel ¥■''■• ■ OPERATIONS AROUND NORFOLK CITY. 237 1 llenningsen, and General Wise ordered him to charter a steamer in Norfolk to bring the guns and ammunition to the island, and to march the horses down the Currituck beach directly to Sag's 1 Head, but General linger countermanded Genera] Wise's order, ordered Colonel llenningsen to hitch up his horses to his gams, march the battery t<> Powell's Point and transport them from t lie re to the island, but upon reaching Powell's Point Colonel llenningsen found himself fifteen or twenty miles from Roanoke Island, with Albemarle Sound between them and no means of getting across. The remit of this blunder was that t}\a battle was fought, the island lost, and this important force was powerless to render any assistance to their comrades. The enemy made their appearance before Roanoke Island on !the 7th of February, 1862, with about thirty gunboats and a force of transports, and opened tire on the shore batteries, taking up a position upon which t\ie batteries could bring only three guns to bear, one rifle and two smooth bore 32-pouuders. They also landed 10,000 men on ili^ island, below the batteries. The tire upon the batteries was kept tip all day, but no damage was done to them. During the engagement Commodore Lynch's fleet of tugboats, from a position near the main land, made a gallant fight with a portion of the enemy's fleet, and after tiring away all of their ammunition, and having two boats sunk, fell hack to Eliza- beth City. The next morning the bombardment of the battery was resumed, and the land forces, marching up from the south end of the island, met the troops which were there to defend it. and, as might have been expected, defeated them, and, getting in rear of the batteries, compelled their evacuation, as they had no rear protection. Colonel Shaw fell back to the north end of the island., and finding there was no boat by which his garrison could be taken otf, and knowing that ins small, undisciplined force, badly armed and without artillery, could not successfully contend against the overwhelming force which was following them, de- cided to surrender, and thus, was opened the gateway to the rear of Norfolk, which should have been kept closes.], and would have been had the island been properly garrisoned and fortified: Lieuten- ant William Seidell of Korfolk was in the engagement of the Sth and was very favorably mentioned in the official report. lie was in charge of a six-pounder boat howitzer and was shot in the fore- head by a minie ball just as he was firing his last- round of ammu- nition at the enemy, The Confederate loss in t\\e battle was 23 killed, 58 wounded and about 2,500 captured. The Federals lost oT killed, 214 wounded and 13 missing. The Confederate Congress appointed a committee to investi- gate the disaster, and heir report say- the cause of the disaster arid deieat was "the wan? of tiec#ss&ry defences on the inland, the w 'Ait oi necessary? field artillery, armament and ammunition, and 238 NORFOLK COUNTY- 1861-5. the great and unpardonable deficiency of men, together with the entire want of transportation by which the whole command might have been conveyed from the island after the clef eat at 'the bat- tery." After exonerating General wise from blame the report goes on to say: "But the committee cannot say the same in ref- erence to the efforts of the Secretary of War and the command- ing officer at Norfolk-, General linger. It is apparent that the island of Roanoke is necessary for the defence of Norfolk, and that General linger had under his command at that point up- wards of 15,'OW) men, a large supply of armament and ammuni- tion, and could have thrown in a few hours a large reinforcement upon Roanoke Inland, and that himself and the Secretary of War had timely notice of the entire inadequacy of the defences, the want of men and munitions of war, and the threatening attitude of the enemy. But General linger and the Secretary of War paid no practical attention to those urgent appeals of General Wise, sent forward none of his important requisitions, and per- mitted General Wise and his inconsiderable force to remain and •meet at least 15.000 men well armed and equipped. If the Sec- retary of War and the commanding; General at Norfolk had not the' means to reinforce General Wise why was he not ordered to abandon his position and save his command? But, on the con- trary, he was required to remain and sacrifice his command, with no means in his insulated position to make his escape in case ot defeat, The committee, from the testimony, are therefore con- strained to report that whatever of blame and responsibility is justly attributable to any one for i]\e. defeat of our troops at Roa- noke Island on February 8th, 1862, should attach to Major Gen- eral B. linger and the late Secretary of War, J. P. Benjamin/5 The fall of Roanoke Island has been treated of so extensively in this connection for the reason that to it was due the evacuation of Norfolk and Portsmouth by the Confederates the May follow- ing. It opened, up to the incursions of the enemy the whole of Eastern Morth Carolina and compelled the Confederates to main- tain a large army there to protect the Weldon and Wilmington railroad. This large detachment of troops from the army in Vir- ginia weakened it so that it was impossible, in the opinion of the Confederate authorities in Richmond to spare troops enough to protect Norfolk both in front from Fortress Monroe and in rear from the direction of Elizabeth City. Edenton and the Black water river, hence it was abandoned. It will be remembered that t\iu 3d Georgia Regiment was sent by General Huger to Ilatteras too late to be of service there, and that Colonel Wright stopped at Roanoke Island- On the 14th of Oc to ! >e r Colon el Wrigl 1 1 barked on three vessels i with 150 mo n from h is r< "*h nent. em mi Gomn tod< >re LyneJ ^s i ee . the Rn ka, under the c 'ommot iol *e, a i d starte< \ i - ■' OPKR. i TIQN8 A ROUND NORFOLK CITY. 230 ■• towards Chieamicomieo. The expedition captured . tlie tug Fanny ! and forty-seven prisoners. The Fanny was armed with two rille '■ guns, and Commodore Lynch added her to his fleer. On the 4th Colonel Wright started again with his regiment to capture the 30th Indiana Begiment, which had advanced from Hatteras to Chieamicomieo, and effected a lauding, but the Indianians ran so swiftly that by the utmost efforts of the Georgians they could not overtake them. A number of stragglers were picked up in the chase, and the Georgians lost one man, who died from exhaustion in his eHort to overtake the fleeing foe. General Wool reported to General Scott that the Indiana Regiment "completely de- feated" the Georgians, So much for oiticial reports. About the 1st of I>ecember the 3d Georgia Hegiment was or- dered back to Portsmouth and its place on Roanoke Island was taken by a newly organized regiment of . North Carolina troops. During the summer and fall of 1S61 no effort was made by the Confederates to recapture Fort Hatteras, though it was weakly garrisoned, and though Governor Clarke of Xorth Carolina was constantly urging it. On the 10th of September the Federal gar- rison consisted of only 946 men. General Wool, too, was expect- ing them to recapture it, and was constantly urging upon the Fed? era! government the importance of strengthening the garrison if it was intended to hold the place. But General linger had his eye fixed upon Fortress Monroe, and could see nothing but an ex- pected landing of Federals at Ocean View On the 5th of Sep- tember Adjutant General Cooper telegraphed to know if he could not spare the sailors at the Navy Yard to be sent to the Xorth Carolina Sounds, and he replied that he could not spare a single man, that he needed two more regiments. On the 30th of November his muster rolls showed an aggregate present of 18,- 451, and on the roils, absent and present, 15,143. January, 1S62, he had present 15,352. Presem and absent, lo,7o\l. lie had also 24 tield pieces and 102 heavy guns, of which 4b' were in the vicinity of Suffolk. On the 0th of December orders were received from Richmond to make all of the batteries around the harbor bomb proof, and I on the 7th of January, 1802, General linger reported to the Sec- I retary of War the following naval officers on duty in the batte- j ries, with their respective ranks under the act of Congress allow- ! ing army rank to naval officers on duty with the army. Commander R. F. Pinkney, commanding Fort Norfolk and i inspector of batteries, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Commander Charles F. Mcintosh, commanding Fort Nelson, Lieutenant-Colonel. Commander W. L. Mai ry, commanding Seawelrs Point bat- tery, Liouteuaut-Coionol. Lieutenant G. W. Harrison, commanding Pinner's Point Bat- tery, Major. 240 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. ! Lieutenant II. R. Carter, ecwrtra-andins; Fie; Point battery, Ma- j j or. Lieutenant B. V. Loyal], assigned to IloanoLe Island, Captain. Lieutenant J. S. Taylor, assigned to Roanoke Island, to rankas Major. The Monitor, iron clad, was expected to arrive at 'Fortress Mon- roe the latter part of February, and General MeClellan desired Genera] Wool to make use of her to capture Norfolk. General Wool informed the Secretary that with 20,n00 men and tour bat- teries in addition to the force he then had at Fortress Monroe, of ll,oo!> meli and two batteries, with the co-operation of the navy and of General l^irnsMe's forces from North Carolina op- erating on it's rear, he thought he could capture it. MeClellan urged upon him specially to capture the batteries at Seawell's Point and spike the guns. On the loth of February, 1862, General Burnside >ent an ex- pedition up the Chowan river for the purpose of burning the Sea- board and Roanoke railroad bridges across the Black water and Nottoway rivers. It reached Winton on the 17th and had an en- gagement with the 1st North Carolina Battalion, under Lieuten- ant-Colonel Williams, and a battery of artillery, and fell back. During the night Lieutenant-Colonel Williams also fell back, and the next day the gunboats returned and burned "\\ inton. The Richmond authorities then became very apprehensive for the safety of Norfolk and Portsmouth, and on the 27th General lin- ger was ordered to put the two cities under martial law, to enroll all tlie militia capable of doing military ditty, --and to make ar- rangements to remove the women and children and all other persons who would embarrass their defence in case of a siege. General Burnside continued active in his demonstrations in North Carolina, and General Lee continued apprehensive of a joint movement from Edetiton and Newport News upon Suffolk, and about the 1st of March the 14th and 53d Virginia, 2d Louis- iana, 15th North Carolina, and 10th Georgia Regiments and Cobb's Georgia Legion, with Moseley?s battery of artillery, were conveyed to that town from General Magruder's army onthe Pe- ninsula. They took steamers from King's Mill for .City 'Point, and were conveyed thence by rail to Suffolk, reaching there on the 4th. The detachment numbered about 5,000 men. and on the Stli General linger crossed the 3d Alabama from Norfolk to Portsmouth, near the Seaboard railroad, to be accessible in case there should be need at Suffolk, On the stli and 9th of March the iron-clad Virginia ; (Merrimac) had her battles in Hampton Road-, and the result of the second day's battle, the battle between the Virginia and Monitor, alarmed both General Huger and the Federal an thorities. General linger recommended that the narrow passage left in the channel below OPERATIONS ABOUND NORFOLK CITY. 241 [ I Lambert's Point bo closed with obstructions, so as to prevent the \ Monitor from corning up to Norfolk, and Secretary Wells of the 1'nitcd States Navy, wanted General Wool to tow some vessels . I loaded with stone to Seawell's Point and sink them in the ehan- I ncl there to prevent the Virginia from coming out again. Gen- j era! Iluger's recommendation was disapproved by the Secretary of "War at. Richmond, who told him that the Federals were so alarmed about the Virginia that they would not venture to enter the harbor. The Secretary of War was correct, aid the Federals abandoned t\iv idea of attacking the harbor from that side. As- sistant Secretary of the Navy G. Y. Fox wrote to General \[c- I Ciellau on the loth as fodows: " The Monitor is more than a match for the Merrimae, but she might he disabled in the next encounter. I cannot advise so u'reat dependence on her. Burnside and Goldshoro are very strong for the Chowan river route to Norfolk, and I brought up maps, &c.-, to show you. It turn- everything, and is only twenty- seven miles to Norfolk by two good roads. The Monitor may, and I think will, destroy the Merrimae in the next tight, but tin's is hope, not certainty. " See what a train of events followed the failure of Secretary Mallory to take the advice of Naval Constructor John L Porter in dune, 1861, to import armor iron and steam engines for iron* clad gunboats. Two of them in Albemarle arid Pamlico Sounds Would have been worth more than 30,000 men. On the b'th of February, two days after the fail of Roanoke Is- land, the 6th Virginia Regiment, under Colonel Thos. J, Cor- jU'ew, was sent to Currituck Bridge, the eastern entrance to the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, and the 3d Georgia Regiment was sent back to South Mills, the Carolina end of the Dismal Swamp Canal. A day or two afterwards, General Wise, falling hack from Nag's Head with the remnant of his brigade, met the Ocli Virginia Regiment at Currituck Bridge, took command and tell hack to Great Ikiclge. taking the Cth Regiment with him. General linger found him there, and requested the Secretary of War t<> detach him and his brigade from the division. Accord- ingly, on the ISth, General Wise was ordered to report with his infantry to General Joseph E. Johnston, at Manassas, and on the -*>rh turned over the post at Great Bridge and his artillery to : General Mahoiie. Colonel Wright pushed on towards Elizabeth City, and formed (• a. junction with McCoimis' .Battery of the Wise Legion, the South- ampton Cavalry, Captain Giliett, and two companies of North Carolina militia; and on the 19th of April fought the battle of Smith Millsv of Sawyer's Lane; or Camden. General Reno, with live regtFtK? trfes, the iMst Massachusetts, ~>U-t Pennsylvania, t;th Aew Hampshire, and. 9th and b$th New iork, ami a detachment 242 NORFOLK COUNTY, 7m;Z-o. of the 1st xvew York Marine Artillery, with six boat howitzers, the whole numbering about 4,000 men, landed at Elisabeth City and started towards South Mills to destroy the canal locks to pre- vent the passage of iron elads, which, it was reported to them, were nearly ready at the navy yard at Portsmouth, for service in the Xorth Carolina sounds. Colonel Wright formed six compa- nies of liis regiment in an advantageous position across the main road, with his flanks protected by a thick wood and swamp, plac< «' two of MeConias' guns in the road, and awaited the approach of the enemy. Titer© was a krge open held in front, and in this the battle was fought Colonel Wright sent the rest of his command to the rear as a reserve and to guard a bridge across the Pasquo- tank river, in case there should be any attempt to cross from that direction to his rear. The enemy began the attack about \'J. o'clock, and continued it, with occasional intermissions, as their assaults were repulsed, for about four hours. Several attempts to turn the flanks, as well as to attack in front, were defeated by the tiring of artillery and infantry, and after the final repulse of the enemy. Colonel Wright fell back to his entrenchments, about two miles in the rear, and the enemy retreated to Elizabeth City and embarked immediately. Three of their regiments reached Poa- noke Island the next inorning, and the two others were conveyed to Xewberne. The next day Colonel Wright was reinforced by the 1st Louisiana and the 32d North Carolina Regiments, and later by the Portsmouth Rifle Company and primes' Battery, under command of General Blanehard, who assumed command of the brigade. Colonel Wright's loss in the engagement was six killed, nineteen wounded ami three missing. Among the killed vras Captain McC.omas, of the artillery. The Federal loss, as per their official report, was thirteen killed, 101 wounded, and thirteen captured. The uncertainty of the point of attack in Xorth Carolina ami the many exposed points required the withdrawal from Virginia of a large portion of General Johnston's army, and so great was this drain that in April, 1So2, the muster rolls of General Holmes' command in Xorth Carolina showed a force of nearly 25,000 ef- fective men, and the only troops who could be taken to till their place.- were those under command of General linger, hi the vicin- ity of Norfolk and Portsmouth, • General Johnston announced his decision on the 2Sth of April to fall back from Yorktown and recommended the evacuation of Xorfolk and Portsmouth, and General Lee, who had for soiiie time apprehended a- movement o! the Federals upon Suffolk, and doubted the ability of the Confed- erates to detach troops enough to resist it, concurred in the move- ment, and orders were issued to General linger to remove every- thing moveable, preparatory to marching away the troops, whom lie was ordered to concentrate on Petersburg. The evacuation ol OPERA TJONS AROUND NORFOLK' CITY. 243 Norfolk was hastened by a much earlier retreat on the part; of f General Johnston than was anticipated. There were no military movements of interest in the vicinity of Norfolk, after the battle of South Mills, until the 8th of "May, when the Federal fleet from Fortress Monroe, ineludihg theMon- !iior, moved up towards SeawelFs Point, and about noon opened lire upon the batteries. The Virginia moved down from the navy yard to take part in the engagement, but as she whs turning Lambert's Point the Federal vessels saw her and retired towards Fortress Monroe. That morning the Galena and two other gun (boats started up James river, shelling the Confederate batteries as they moved along. The Confederate steamers Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson retired before them a.- they advanced. Early I in April, before it was anticipated that the evacuation of Norfolk and Portsmouth would be necessary, the Secretary of War di- rected that additional obstructions be put in the harbor, and after I consulting with Secretary Mailory, of the navy, Captain S. S. Lee, who had relieved Commodore Forrest as commandant of the navy yard, was directed to have the old 74-gim ships Delaware . and Columbus raised and taken to the narrow part of the channel near SeawelFs Point and there scuttled. The sloop of war Ger- niantown and the old frigate United States, which had been re- christened "the Confederate States," were to be used for the same purpose, while the Plymouth was directed to be fitted up as a re- I ceiving ship. A space was to be left open for the Virginia to pass in and out, but was to be closed with, an arrangement of booms when not Used for the passage of vessels. This was decided upon because the old obstructions near Lambert's Point were so close to the city that it could be -reached from there by the eue- riiy's shells, should they succeed in passing the batteries at Sea- well's Point and Craney Island. Before anything could be done towards carrying out the proposed plan, the Confederates evacu- ated the place. In the meantime the wholesome fear the enemy had of the Virginia kept them from making any attempt to enter the harbor. The Confederates left on the 10th of May, and knowing that they were moving off, < reneral Wool landed a force of 6,000 troops ••n Willoughby's Spit, and about 9 a. m. started for the city. lie inarched very slowly, so as to give the Confederates time to get on without any hindrance on his part, and arrived within about a nine of the Norfolk at 5 o'clock p. m., having moved at the rate or about one mile an hour. Here he was met by Mayor W. W. Lamb, who surrendered the city, in the absence of military authority, and, though fh 3 city was in possession of the United states army and the guns which frowned from the humorous bat- teries were sii-ent, with no soldiers near them to wake them rnto aefioi , the Virginia still held a position inside of Craney Island, 244 Norfolk couyrr, isei-5. and the Federal fleet lield back from entering the harbor. That night the old ironclad was set on lire by -order of her own comman- der, and just before daylight on the morning of the lltli, the lire reached her magazine and she was blown up. Then her late an- tagonists came boldly up to the city. General Wool, in his official report of the landing of the Fed- eral troops, and their occupation of the city, forwarded to the Secretary of War on the 12th of May, says: • Headquarters Department of Virginia, i Fortress Monroe, Va., May 12th, LS62. \ Sir — On the $th ol May (Friday afternoon") I organize'] a force to march against Norfolk. ()n Saturday morning, May 10th, the troops were landed, under the direction of Colonel Cram, at Ocean View, and commenced the march towards Norfolk, under the di- rection of Brigadier Generals Mansfield and, Weber, who proceeded on the direct route by the way of Tanner's (.'reek bridge, hut finding it on fire, they returned to the cross-roads, where I joined them and took the direction of the column. I arrived by the old road and entered the entrenchments in front of the city at twenty minutes before 5 p. m. I immediately proceeded towards Nor- folk, accompanied by lion. Secretary Chase, and met the mayor and a select committee of the Common Council of Norfolk at the limits of the city, when they surrendered the city, agreeably to the terms set forth in the resolutions of the Common Council, presented by the Mayor, W. W. Land), which were accepted by me so far as related to the civil rights of the citizens. I immediately took possession of the city and appointed Briga- dier General Egbert L. Viele Military Governor of Norfolk, with directions to see that the citizens were protected in all their civil rights. Soon after I took possession of Gosport and Portsmouth. idie taking of Norfolk caused the destruction of the ironclad Merriinae, which was blown up by the rebels about 5 o'clock on the morning of tliL' 11th of May, winch was soon after communi cated to you and the President of the Invited States. On the I i lis 1 visited the navy yard and found all the work si tops, store houses, and other buildings in ruins, having been set on lire by the rebels who at the sanie time partially blew up the dry-dock. 1 also visited Craney island, where 1 found thirty-nine guns <•' large caliber, most of which were spiked ; also a large number oi shot and shells, with about 5,00U pounds of powder, all of which with the buildings, were in good order. So far as I have been able to ascertain, we have taken about two hundred cannon, in- cluding those at SeawelPs Point batteries, with a large number o i shot and shells, as well as many other articles of value to the go' eminent. Troops have been stationed at the navy yard, Craney Fro... Sea web's Point and other places. OPERATIONS AROUND NORFOLK CITY. 215 I Secretary of War Staunton issued a congratulatory order to } General Wbol* claiming that his movement of 6,000 troops catlscd I the evacuation of Norfolk. The secretary knew that the evacu- i iition was due to orders received from Richmond two weeks pre- \ vious thereto, and that the stores which could be moved had pre- ! viously been sent to Eichmond and Charlotte. What, chance ^ would General Wool's 6,000 men have had of capturing JSortolk \ or even escaping, in a contest with the 15.000 well drilled troops I who were under General Hu^er's command. General Wool knew before he landed at Ocean View that the 1 Confederates had evacuated their batteries, and he took particular I care not to approach ZSorfolk until lie was certain that the last Confederate troops had left the city: Is any better evidence wanted than the fact that it took him" from 9 o'clock a. m. to 5 p. in. to march from Ocean View to the intrench in euts back of INor- fol'kj a distance of about seven miles. The Confederate troops under General linger were added to the army of General Johnston for the defence of Richmond, General "ituo-er commanded the division until after the battle of Malvern Hill when he was relieved from his command in the field and appointed inspector of artillery and ordnance, with in- structions to report to the War Department, for orders. His man- agement of the division at the battle of Seven Pines and during the Seven Day's battles, terminating at Malvern 1 1 ill, _ did not meet the approbation of the Confederate war authorities. His troops were assigned to other commanders, and made records for themselves, as soldiers, second to none in the army of Northern Virginia. The council of war which decided that Norfolk was untenable, was held before General .Johnston went to the Peninsula. There were present Generals Longstreet, Smith and Lee, President Davis and Secretary of War Randolph. It was agreed then that if the Peninsula was evacuated. McClellan c Napoleons, it had then between ninety and a hundred men. In the summer of 1862 Sergeant Henry V. Moore was elected dth Lieutenant am' 2d Sergeant B. F. Vaughan became Orderly Sergeant. These officers continued with the eo&ip&ny uuti] the dose of the war. Lieutenant Peet was wounded twice, rheiirst THE NORFOLK LIGHT ARTILLLUY BLUES. 249 wound was received at the battle of Chancellor ville on the 1st of May, 1863, and the other on the 1st of April 1865, when the Con- federate hues in front of Petersburg were brdken. Lieutenant Gilmer received a slight wound, in the forehead in front of Pe- tersburg in 1864:, from a piece of shell which stnn-k the ground and spent nearly all of its force before it struck him. The other officers escaped without a wound. The company remained on duty around Richmond and Peters- burg until the fall of 1862, when it was ordered to the upper Rappahannock to assist the 61st Virginia Regiment in guarding the fords of that river and the Rapidan, and on the 16th of No- vember was ordered, with the Gist Regiment, to Petersburg, ar- riving there on the 18th. On the loth of December was fought the battle of Fredericksburg. The Blues occupied, a piece of high ground on the left of the Confederate line, with Anderson's Di- vision, and rendered material assistance in repulsing the assaults of the enemy, but was fortunate in not losing any men. This was the first battle with infantry in which tlie company was en- gaged. The winter of 1S62-3 was spent on the Rappahannock river in the presence of the enemy, and when (General Hooker commenced his turning movement in Apia!, 1S.63, the Blues were on guard at Inited States Ford. This position was turned by Hooker's pas- sage of the river higher up, and on the night of the 29th the nines retired towards Chaneellorsvilie, where, on the 1st day of May, they opened the three days' battle which is known by that name. One t, Chancellorsville, Mav 1st, 1663. 1861, Gettysburg, July 2cl-3d, 1803. SeawelFs Point. March 8th, '62. Bristoe Station,' October 14th, Seawell's Point, May 8th, '62. 1S63. Rappahannock Bridge. Wilderness, May 6th, 1804-. Fredericksburg, December 13th, Spotsvlsrania C. II., Mav 12th, 186a ISol. Cold Harbor, Turkey Ridge, Petersburg lines from June 16th, 1864, to April 1st, 1865. ; The Norfolk Light Artillery Bines was one of the companies sent to Coggins' Point, on the James river, in July, 1862, to bom- bard MeCleilah's camp at Harrison*? Landing, on which occasion the enemy were considerably surprised and alarmed, even it no greatly damaged. THE NORFOLK LIGHT ARTILLERY BLUES. 251 The folio wing rolls show, first, those who were discharged from the company or assigned to other iields of duty, arid second, those who left .Norfolk in its ranks at the evacuation or joined the com- pany subsequently. Those marked with a star were from Ports- month, and, of all these names, every man remained faithful to the Confederacy until the close of the war: TRANSFERRED AND DISCHARGED. All vn, Joseph T., appointed 2d Lieutenant OdnanceC. S. Army, May 25th' 18G& Bag-nail, Richard D., appointed Assistant Surgeon C. S. Army October 18th, 1801, Blow, W. W.. transferred to Orctnarici) TJepartmerit. JMirnm, CiiariHs, appomted Lieutenant in rhe Navy. Branham, John B., detailed as Department Clerk, Riclmiond. *Brown, John B., appointed Engineer in the Navy March 20th. 1803. Bradford, 0.. appointed Lieutenant in the Navy. Cor nick, Henry, appointed Master in the Navy April 1st, 1803. Freeman, J. M., Jr., appointed Engineer in the Navy May 12th, 1863. Gatcli, J. A., appointed Lieutenant Company H. 6th Virginia Regiment, April 7th, 1863. Johnson, Ames ('..appointed Engineer in the Navy. *Kilby. W. T.. transferred to Provost Marshal's office. Richmond. Toy, Crawford H., appointed Chaplain 53 Virginia Regiment. Whiting, John S... appointed Hospital Steward October 8th, 1861 . Walker, it. P., discharged on account of disability. 4 Wright, Miuron A., appointed Lieutenant 57th North Carolina Regiment and killed. *West, Joseph S.. appointed Engineer in the Navy. Webb,' Win, T., discharged July 3d, X863. Captain, Chas. R. G-rancly. First Lieutenant, Wm, T. Feet. Second Lieutenant, B. B. Banks. Third Lieutenant, Jas. W. Gilmer. Fourth Lieutenant, Henry Y. Moore. SERGEANTS. 1st, E. F. VauoLan, 3d. \Vm. E. Tavloi 2d, Geo. C. Hueteins, 4tl i, J. E. Wright, COIiPt >RALS. J. E. Keeling, C. S. Rogers, M. C. Keeling, T. J. Wilkins^ J. W. Elliott.' Quartermaster Sergeant, B. I). Thomas. Commissary Sergeant, John L.- Keeling. Ordnance Sergeant, John II. Xasm C. IT. Bnskv, *J, T. Rainier, R. M. Butler, E. S. Broughton Wm. Bootlie 5th, J. H. Watters, 6th, W. T. Clarke.' W. D. Montague, S. X. Brickhouse, F. L, Wright, J. M. Zills. *Ashton, John C locale, H. Bell, A. S. . PRIVATES. Benson, O. S. Bishop, W. I. E, Bell, X. Brock, L. Brickhouse, B. I). Brooks, E. W. 252 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Brown, Y. II. *Browne, Joe S. *Biwn, j. w: Brown, E. P. Cooke. John S. Cooke, M. T. Collins, W. W. Capps, L. 0. Cornick. II. Carroll, Win. S, ( namberkviiie, A. E. Cocke, W.R.G. Cox, Wm. E. Cutherell, ta S. Cocke, P. St. Geo. *Bay, John H. Benson, A. J. Doughtie^ II. S. Doyle, W. II. Drninmond, R. J. Drin nm oiid. C. II. "Dunn, Win. II. Dunn, J. R. Evans, R. -Elliott, Thos. II. Elliott. T. E. Elliott, J. A. Fitzgerald, W. Fitzgerald, D. Fitzgerald, E. Fletcher, E. Floyd, John W. Gamage, J. 0. Gaskins, G. Q. Ghiselin, II. Ghiselin, R. Goodrich, A. J. Gordon, J. P. Gordon, Geo. W. Graves, C. M. Gwatlmey, R. II. Gordon, M. Hodges, John M. •Haines, J. M. D. Hill, A. Ilaistead, R. L. Hallett, Wm. R. Hatton. John F. Haughton, A. Jr. Higgins, I. Biggins, A. Hodges Samuel. "•Mliime, R. G. Hunter, J. F. Holmes, W. II. James, II. Johnson, J. W. Jones, George. J "lies, R. ii. Joy ues, S. II. Jovnes, W. 0. Joynes, C T. Johnson, A. W. King, W. C. LeeC-L. M. Jr. Land, W. A. LeCompte, J. W. Lee, F. D. Luvitt, R, C. Lovitt, II. C. MeKown, C. K. -Moore. Jos. P. MeGuire, J. B. Morris, J.J. Morse, B. K *Maupin,G.W.O.Jr. Malhorn, O. L. Morris, D. P. Masi, F. J. Moore, J. E. McCarrick. D. Hash, W. ' Xewton, C. A. ISTimmo, P. E. Xorvell. C. R. Petty, J. C. Peet", J. D. -Porter, Robt. T. Reid, John S. -Reynolds, Robt. E ^Roberts, John B. Rogers, John C. i; sees, W. II. R. Rogers, T. F. Tio^r^ C, S. Saunders, S. S. Sebrell, X. GIL Smiley, C. I). Sterrett, J. S. Segar, T. F. Smith, E, C. -Smith, Jas. W. Smythe, Wm. Stewer, Edwin. Swank,' W. A, Smith, C. A. Jr. Smith, J. E. Simmons, J. -Thompson, E. Jr. Taylor, W. J. Taylor, J. Theodore. Thomas. J. D. Yaughan, E S. Yeale, Samuel. W alters, John. Watters, A. M. West, Wm. M. Whiting, T. B. Whiting, J. R- Wilkins, C. L. Wilkins, John E. AYilkinson, James. *Wingheld, R. C, M. Whitehurst, L. 11. Whitelmrst; S. T. Woodhouse, P. D. Worrell, J. R. Wright, W. S. Wilkins, W. A. Ward, J. T. Wilson, D. C. B. Woodhouse, John Woodward, W. W. -White, K E. Wilkins, G. W. White, C. E. ^Williamson, C. H. Whitmcre, C. Zills, J. A. Zills, A. C. THE NORFOLK LIGHT ARTILLERY BLUES. 253 CASUALTIES — KILLED AND DIED. Booth, Wm.j killed 1.865, Petersburg lines. Butler, R. M, killed July 30th, 1864, Crater. Dunn, J. P., died in. hospital September 4th, 1868, Petersburg-. GaskiDS, (J. 0., died in hospital, 1864, Petersburg. llattou, J. F.:, died in hospital, 1863. Petersburg;. Biggins, [., killed June. 1804, Tin-key Ridge. Laud, W. Cv kilied ^ay 1st, 1868, Chaucellorsville. McCarriek, 1)., died in hospital, 1864, Petersburg. Niintno, W. T., died in hospital September 21, 1801, Norfolk. Reynolds, It. E., captured July 14th. 1863, Maryland, died at Point Look- " out. - Rogers, W. H. R., died in hospital September 24th, 1862, Richmond. Sterrett, J. >.. died in hospital, 1862, Petersburg. Tavlor, J. Theodore, killed Plank Road. 1865, Petersburg Watters, A, M., killed Plank Road, 1865; Petersburg^; Wilkins, W. A., died in hospital, 1862, Petersburg. Wright, Mint-on A., appointed Lieutenant 57th North Carolina Regiment and killed in battle. Killed and died— 16. CASUALTIES — WOUNDED. Broughton, Robert S., April 1st, 1865, Petersburg lines. Cooke, M. T., on the lines near Petersburg. Cutherell, Win. 8.. Chancel! arsville May 1st, 1863, Drummond, R. J., Chaucellorsville May 1st, 1863. Day, John EL, Chaneellorsville Mav 1st, 1863, and Petersburg July 30th, " 1864. Floyd, John Y\\. Chaneellorsville May 1st, 1863, lost an arm. Oilmer, James W. (Lieutenant), on the lines near Petersburg. Carnage. John 0., July 30th. 1865, at the Crater. Johnson, John. April 1st, 1865, Petersburg. * Johnson. Augustus W., April 1st, 1865, Petersburg. Keeling, M. C.. May 1st, 1863. Chaneellorsville, sent to Richmond wounded. captured by Stoneman's Raiders, paroled, and wounded July 30th, 1861, Crater. Lee, F. D., Petersburg lines, 1-864, wounded, again 1865. and disabled. Lovitt, II. C. , Petersburg lines, 1865. McKowii; C. K., May 1st, 1863, Chaneellorsville. Montague, W. I)., May 1st, 1863, Chaneellorsville. Moore, Joseph P„ July 30th, 1864, it the Crater. Newton, C. E.. Plank Road near Petersburg, 1864, lost a leg. Peet, W, T. (Lieutenant). Maiy 1st, 1863, Chaucellorsville, and April 1st, 1st, 1865. Petersburg. Rogers. T. F., Mav 12th. 1804 Spotsvlvania C. II. tteid, J. 8., Petersburg lines, 1864. Taylor, Wm. E., 1864, near Fredericksburg, on EL. F. & P. R. It. Taylor, Wm. J., near the Plank Road, Petersburg. 1*64, lost a foot. Wilkius, T. J., Mav 1st, 1863, at Chaneellorsville. Watters, J. R., May 1st, 1863, at Chaneellorsville. Walters, John, April 1st. 1865, Petersburg. Worrell, J. R.. May 1st, 1863. Chaneellorsville. Wilson, I). C. P., 1865, Petersburg lines. The following; names of members of the Blues were on the of- ficial muster roll as having been paroled at Appomattox: Sergeant W.T. Clarke, Hospital Steward Jesse J. Mor- ^ergeant VT. II. Doyle, " ris. Ordi ance Sergt. J no. J. .Morris, Q. M. Sergeant J. 0. Petty, 254 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Private C. II. Busky, special Private John Hodges, duty, Private J. II. Nash, special dutv Private W. W. Collins, special Private Robert Porter, duty, Private C D. Smiley, Private Norman Bell, special Private John B. Roberts, dutv. Private W. W: Woodward, Private W. Fitzgerald, Private X. E. White, Private Ed, Fitzgerald, Private 11. Tv hiting. Private M. Gordon, Private John Walters. Private R G. M. WingfiehL CHAPTER XXXII. THE NORFOLK LIGHT ARTILLERY — THE HUGER BATTERY. In May, 1861, there were on tbe rolls of the Norfolk Light Ar- tillery Biites more members than were permitted to one company and on the 21st, by mutual consent^ the company was divided and a portion, splitting off from-the others, organized a new company under the name of the Norfolk Light Artillery? and requested Frank linger, Esq., sun of General Benj. linger, then command- ing the department of Norfolk, to l»ecome its captain. The invi- tation was accepted and the company was mustered into service about tlie. 8th of June under the following officers : Captain, Frank linger. First Lieutenant, Thus. Nash, Jr.; 2d Lieutenant, Joseph D. Moore ; 3d Lieutenant, Win. J. Parrish. First Sergeant, AY. J. Butt ; M Sergeant, Jas. D, Gale ; 3d Sergeant, Win. K. Ferguson ; itli Sergeant, W. II. Caldwell. First Corporal, John W. Stephens'; 2d Corporal, Benj. F. Bal- som ; 4th Corporal, Biehard 1). Christian. The company was given the guns belonging to tlie Blues, con- sisting of two brass six-pounder howitzers, one ride gun and one boat howitzer, Later in the war it was armed with two ritie guns and two Napoleans. Upon being mustered into service the company was sent into camp in the entrenchments back of Norfolk and placed in a bat- talion with Moorman's Battery, of Lynchburg, and Nicholson's Battery, of Petersburg, and remained there until the evacuation of Norfolk in May, 18t>2, when it was ordered to Petersburg and thence to the army in front of Bichmond. At the reorganization of the company in May, 1SG2, Captain linger and Second Lieutenant Moore v.'^re re-elected, but Lieu- ft>?i;tnts Na.-h and Parrish were dropped. Lieutenant Nash re- ceived an appointment as Lieutenant in the Provisional army and was assigned to duty at various posts. For a long time he was on duty in the Provost Marshal's office in Staunton, and Lieutenant Parrish obtained a position in the navy. Private J. L. Tilghman was elected 1st Lieutenant and Sergeant Jas. D. Gale, 3d Lieu- tenant. Lieutenant Tilghniau died in hospital in Bichmond in October, lN'-i. Tins caused the promotion of Lieutenants Moore and Gale, and Sergeant F. M. Peed was elected 3d Lieutenant. In IS63 Captain linger was promoted to Major of. Artillery, Leutenant Moore became Captain, Lieutenants Gale and Peed were advanced to 1st and 2d Lieutenants respectively, and 1st Sergeant Win. J. Butt was elected 3d Lieutenant, and John W. 255 256 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S61-5. Stephens was promoted to 1st Sergeant. Sergeant Stephens be- eame disabled in 1863, from the loss of a leg and John AY. Ash, who was transferred to the company from Grimes1 Battery, of Portsmouth, became 1st Sergeant. There were no oilier changes among the officers during the war. hi October, 1S€2, Grimes' Battery, of Portsmouth, was dis- banded and about eighty men of that company were transferred to the linger Battery. The names of these men do not appear on the roll which follows, for the reason that they already appear on the roll of their original company.' The linger Battery was slightly engaged in the battle of Seven Pines, but suiiVrecl no loss, and daring the Seven Days' battles had an artillery duel with a Federal battery at the battle of Oak Grove on the 25th of June, in which Captain linger reported no casualties, except the loss of one horse, which was killed. The Federal battery was forced to retire. On the "2Sth of August \\w battery engaged a Federal battery at Warrenton Springs, and had one man wounded. It wars present at Second Manassas, August 30th, 1862, but was again fortunate in not meeting with any losses. At Sharpsburg, September 17th, the battery was under command of Lieutenant Gale, and was quite heavily engaged. Here it lost one man killed and two wounded. Its next engage- ment was at Fredericksburg, December 13th, 1802, when it occu- pied a position with Anderson's Division on the left of the Con- federate line of 'oattle, but suffered no loss. It was again fortu- nate at Chancellorsville. It was posted with Wilcox's Brigade at Banks" Ford, and thus escaped the heavy fighting around Chan- eellorsviile on the list, 2d and 3d of May. On the 3d the battery was moved from Banks' Ford to the breastworks on Taylor's 11111, opposite Falmoutb,and with two rifled guns opened on the enemy's batteries across the river, and also upon a force of infantry, which was in sight, then, upon Sedgwick's advance from Fredericks- burg, the battery fell back, following Wilcox's Brigade in the di- rection of the Plank Road. The battery retired beyond the brick church (Salem Church), when, meeting Mahone's brigade it returned with that command to the church, but, not finding an eligible position, General Wilcox ordered it to retire down the road. In this affair only one man was hurt. Private David Boyee, who was assigned to the company from Grimes' Batter}'. was slightly wounded in the shoulder. The battery was with the army in its advance into Pennsylva- nia, and at the battle of Gettysburg had one man wounded, and one wounded in a cavalry attack while failing back from Gettys- burg. During this campaign Lieutenant (rale had command ot Penick's Battery from Halifax county. After the Gettysburg campaign the company enjoyed a seasor of rest until the beginning of Grant's overland campaign in May. O O -I. o NORFOLK LIGHT MlTlUAUlY-lUiiEIl BATTERY. 257 f lso-l, when it was engaged almost constantly from the battle of the Wilderness until the enemy settled around Petersburg. Here, too, there was a constant round of firing, and the company did duty at various positions between the Jerusalem Plank Road and ITieves' Salient, and here it suffered its heaviest losses. When i Grant broke through the Confederated ines at Petersburg on the 1st of April, l.S65j the linger Battery was in position on Hatch- er's Run, and the whole company was surrounded and captured. It held its ground until further lighting became both useless and impossible, and then, yieldiiigto the inevitable, became prisoners of war. First Sergeant John W. Ash managed to escape capture at Hatchers Run and surrendered with the remnant of the army at Appomattox with Private I^athaniel Ct. Reid, the sole repres J seutatives of the battery. The company had three men killed at Hatcher's Kim when the lines were broken, namely, Richard Boutwell and Edward Beaton, who were assigned to it from Grimes' Battery, and James 0. Whitehurst, one of its original members. The following is the roll of the company after the reorganiza- tion in May, 186*2, and embraces only the original members. The I men who were transferred to it from Grimes* Battery are not on it, as has been previously stated : Captain, Frank Huger, promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel of Artillery. First Lieutenant, John L. Tilghman, died in hospital October, 1862. Second Lieutenant, Joseph D. if o 6're, promoted to Captain. Third Lieutenant. James D. Gale, promoted 1st Lieutenant. First Sergeant, W- •'• Burr, promoted 3d Lieutenant. Second Sergeant. Fred. L. Bedout. in charge of stables. Third Sergeant, Fred. M. Peed, promoted 2d Lieutenant. Fourth Sergeant, Benj. F. Balsom, appointed Commissary Sergeant. First Corporal, (has. Rogers. Seoond Corporal, Jos. A. Jordan. Third Corporal, John W. Stephens, promoted 1st Sergeant, wounded Sept. 17th, 1862, at Sharpsburg, disabled in 1863, and discharged. Fourth Corporal. Carlton C. Lattimer, lost an eye at Spotsylvania Court House. PRIVATES. Abdell, James. Addison, James, wounded near Gettysbui'g. July 6th, 186*1. Anderson., ('has. \\\, wounded September 17th. 1802, at Sharpsburg. Barnes, Jno. C, died in hospital. Kichmond. Barnes, Samuel A. Billups, Andrew J., killed by sharpshooters, 1864, Petersburg lines. Bo bee, Louis, in charge oi Ambulance Corps. Boole, John J. Burford, Martin. Boutwell, L. \V. Butt, Geo. W. | Butt, C. X. C, detailed clerk in Treasury Department. Brown, Richard. Browning, Henry C. Carter, Richard \V\, assistant to Commissary Sergeant. Conner, Christopher D„ wounctad on Petersburg lines. i Curran, Albert G. 258 NORFOLK COUNTY, 18G1-5. Currier, R-obt. A., died in hospital, 1863, Charlottesville. Davis, Alex. Douglas, Thos, H. Edwards, John A. Ewel'l, Jesse. Ferguson, Wan. K. Ferguson, Geo. S., transferred to cavalry. Ferrat, John P., detailed in hospital, 18G3, Richmond. Fonl en. "Win. B. Forrest. Wrn. S., Jr. Fugitt, Win. Gale, Jos. A., detailed December, 1862, Hospital Steward. George, Jos. D. Gale, A. C. Gibbs. Wm. Gnyor, Th,os., died. in prison, 186-5, Point Lookout. (joriiiley; J. J., detailed 1802 in hospital, Charlottesville. Hall, John P.. wounded July 3d, 1863", ar Gettysburg. H&romett, Israel J., killed by sharpshooters on Petersburg lines. Herbert. Henry W. James, Robert T. Lipscomb, Ghas. R. liegett, Robert. Merwin, W. F. Mitchell, T. G. Moreland, Richard R. Morris, G. W., died in hospital June 7th. 1862, Petersburg. Morris, Joseph. O'Niel, Chas. Parrott, Augustus. Feed. Geo: \V\, killed at Spotsylvania Court House. Phillips, Thos. P., wounded at Spotsylvania Court House and died in hos- pital, Charlottesville. Ransome, Alex. Reed, Nathaniel G. Robbins, Jas. W. Robinson, Edward C, absent sick. Roe, Louis. Rye, Richard, wounded on Hatcher's Run, lost an eye. Smiley, Walter F. Smiley, Thomas S. Stephens, Richard II. Jr. Summers, Win. R. Sullivan. John T., transferred to company from a Georgia Regiment and killed September 17th, 186*2, at Sharpsbttrg. Taylor. John. White, W ni. ()., wounded on Hatcher's Pan. 1865. Whitehurst. Jas. 0., killed on Hatcher's Run, April 1st, 1865. Whitfield, Richard W. Wickers, John. Wright, Junius. Killed and died— 11. CHAPTER XXXI II. COMPANY A, SIXTH VIRGINIA KEGIMEXT. This company was organized in Norfolk immediately upon the beginning of hostilities, and numbered in its ranks a few* Norfolk county men from the Tanner's Creek section. It was mustered into service -on the 22d of April, 16*01, under the following offi- cers : Captain — Win. X. Mclvenney. First Lieutenant. Robert B; Taylor; 2d Lieutenant, Chas. W, Perkinson; 3d Lieutenant, Cbas. W. Wilson. First Sergeant. Thos. D. Wallace; 2d Sergeant, Wm. E. Broth- erton ; 3d Sergeant, John Lee Hopper ; -1th Sergeant, Arthur Jakeiuau. First Corporal, Wm. T. Bailey; 2d Corporal, Wm. II. Hall; 3d Corporal. John Forsytlie ; 4th Corporal, Thomas Stringer. On the 22d of August, 1S61, Lieutenant Robert B. Taylor was elected Captain of the Woodis Rifles, Company H, 0th Virginia Regiment, and resigned his commission in Company A. First Ser- geant Thomas I). Wallace was elected 3d Lieutenant October 3d, . 1861. The other Lieutenants, Perkinson and Wilson, wt-ve each promoted, one grade. The company was assigned to the 0th Vir- ginia Regiment, Colonel Wm. Mahone commanding, as Company A, and ordered to report at what was afterwards known as the E n tr en cl i e d C a i n p . In April, 18G2, the company re-enlisted and re-elected officers, with the following result: Captain — Charles W Perkinson. First Lieutenant, Charles W. Wilson ; 2d Lieutenant, George IL Steward-; 3d Lieutenant, - oLn Lee Hopper. Lieutenant Steward was killed July 1st, 1802, at Malvern Hill and Captain Perkinson resigned on the 17th of November, l'80f.. First Lieutenant Wilson was promoted to Captain an the 18th and continued in command until the battle of Turkey Ridge, on the 8.th oi June, ls>4, when he fell into the hand- of the enemy. Lieutenant Hopper became 1st Lieutenant and was wounded at the battle of the Crater, July Sdth, 186L. Sergeant Arthur Jakeman was promoted to 2d Lieutenant. In 1863 Captain Wil- son was assigned to the command of the company of sharpshoot- ers belonging to the 0th Regiment, and was on that duty when he was captured. Just before the evacuation of Norfolk this company was jortfed by a nuvnhe;' of recruits from the counties of Patrick, franklin and Henry,, who were in the camp oi instruction near N* rfolk. Their names are designated by an * in the following 259 2G0 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S01-5. roll. Tliis roll embraces all of those members of the company who marched away with it at the evacuation of Norfolk by tin: Confederates, or who died or were honorably discharged before that date : Captain, Wm. N. MeKenney. not re-elected, discharged May 1st, 1862. First Lieutenant, Robert B. Baylor, promoted Captain Company II, 6th Va. Regiment-, 1861. Second Lieutenant, ('has. W. Perkinson, elected Captain May 1st, 1862, re- signed Nov. 1 7th. Third Lieutenant, ('has. W. Wilson, elected 1st Lieutenant May 1st. 1862. promoted Captain Nov. 18th, 1862, captured .lime 8th, 1864, at Turkey Ridge. First Sergeant, Thos. I). Wallace', promoted Lieutenant, not re-elected, dis- charge.] May 1st, 1862. Second Sergeant, Wm. K. Brother-ton, discharged Xov. 20th, 1861, for dis- ability. Third Sergeant, John "Lee Hopper, promoted 1st Lieutenant, wounded July 30th, 1864. at the Crater.. Fourth Sergeant, Arther Jakeman, promoted 2d Lieutenant. First Corporal, Wm. T. Bailey, promoted Sergeant. Second Corporal, Wm. IT. Hall, promoted Sergeant, wounded June 22d, 1864, at Wilcox's Farm. Third Corporal, John Forsyth, promoted Color Sergeant, wounded July 1st. * 1862, at Malvern Hi hY transferred to Navy Nov. 11th. 1862. Fourth Corporal, Thos. D. Stringer, committed suicide Oct. 18th, 1861, in Norfolk. Musician, Geo. T). Cain, discharged January 17th, 1868, under conscript act. PRIVATES. Anderson, John R. Anderson, Edward P., captured October 27th. 186-1, at Burgess' Mill. -Acker.-,. Wm. N. "Arthur, Wm. G. * Angel, Marshall J., wounded August 30th, 1862, Second Manassas. *Altice, Samuel EL. captured September 11th, 1862, Crampton Gap. and not heard from. Buchanan, James, wounded, lost arm, June 21st, 1862, Charles City Road. Baker, Isaiah 0., captured May 22.1. 1801. *Byrd. Ben|. E., died in hospital, Lexington, March 10th, 1863. Banks. Wm. T., promoted Sergeant, wounded July 3d. 1.863, at Gettysburg, killed July 30th, 1864, aft 'rater. -Boone. Daniel, sick in hospital after August, 1862. Beasley, James W., wounded May 3d, 1803, Chancellors vitle, and June 22d, 18:64 ;tt Wilcox's Farm. Bowman. Abraham. *Boone, Jacob R., captured September 11th, 1862, and never rejoined the company. Butt, John L. detailed hospital cook August 16th. 1861. Bell, Jos. S.. discharged Nov. 29th, 1861'; disability. Coffin, Thos. W., appointed Hospital Steward Sept, 8th, 1861. Cooper, Flemming, died in hospital, 1862, Cooke, Ezekiei. captured Sept. 1 4th, 1862, at Crampton Gap, exchanged and captured Get. 27vh, 1864, at Burgess7 Mill. Custom James, promoted Corporal, lost arm August 30th, 1862, Second Manassas. ' Carter, Henry C, won ided June 22d, 1861, Wilcox's Farm, lost leg. *Coleman, Skelton. •■Fy * ,&1 keh*y, promoted Corporal April 27th, 1863. Deal, Wiiii.-, discharged August l^i, 1862, overage. COMPANY A, SIXTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 26] 1 I faster, George W. *Easter, Edward W. flora, Joel, furnished substitute and discharged June 24th, 1.80.2, and sub- s 1 i t u t o deserted J une 2.6 th . *Frith. Thomas D. Fit-Id, Robert, died in hospital from wounds received June 21st, 1802, ■MiiuTiaat. Stephen, furnished substitute. Gregory, Quhiton T., wounded and captured July 3d, 1863, at Gettysburg. GregoryvJohn W., left behind in Norfolk, sick. Hudgins, George McK., promoted Sergeant,.; killed July 30th, 1864, at Crater. FT'ozieT, Wrii. J., discharged October 15th, 3861, disability. Hudson, Philip, killed July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill. Hill. SeyerB J., discharged 1802, over a-sre. Hodges, Solomon, wouiuled July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill. *Iiaile, Creed; captured September 14th, 1802, at Grampton Gap and Octo- ber 27th. 1804, at Burgess' Mill. *Howell, Klkanab, wounded August 20th. 1862, at Thoroughfare (rap. *IIowell. Addison M., wounded August 29th, 1862, captured October 27th. 1804, at Burgess' Mill. *Ingrani, Isaac, detailed as teamster. 1802. { Jones, Robert £-, died iu hospital, 1862. Jn.lkins, Samuel, wounded July 1st, 1862, at Malvern Hill. Mones. Robert P. Mones, Aaron F,, killed July :30th, 1864, Crater, Kara. Joseph H. Lee, Ivy, wounded May 6th, 1804. at Wilderness. Lovitt, David, discharged February 6th, 1863, disability. * Marsh; Smith, killed August 30th, 1862, at Second Manassas. Moore, Henry L. *Mason, Win. * Moore. Owen L. Messh k. W'm. J., wounded June 21st, 1802, and transferred to navy 1863. Nottingham, Thomas J., detailed in Commissary Department on account of id health. Pitts, Marcellus, died in hospital from wounds received June 21st, 1802. Steward, Gedrge II., promoted Lieutenant}, killed July 1st, 1862, at Mal- vern Hill, Sfcott, Samuel, discharged 1802, under conscript act and subsequently re- en lis ted. Sheppard, .lames, H., discharged 1862, beiuo; an aiien. "*Shiveley, Jehu, wounded May 2orh, 1864, on pieketline. " ulane, AIouzo J , killed September 14th. 1862, Grampton Gap. Whiteh'urst, Wm. Ii., promoted 1st Sergeant, wounded September 14th, 1862, at Grampton Gap, and October 27fh, 1804, at Burgess' Mill, and rm July 30th, 1804, at the Grater. V> ilkins. Wm. p., captured February 0th. 1805, at Hatcher's Run. Warren, John M., captured April 29tb, 1.863, at Germanna Ford. W iliiams, Xewton J., discharged November 20th. 1»02, disability. Killed and died— 13. CHAPTER XXX1Y. THE WO0MS RIFLKMEN, COMPANY C, SIXTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. This company was one of Norfolk's crack organizations at tlie ben inning of the late war. It was organized oh the 3d of March, 1858, at a meeting hold for that purpose, and thirty-four names were enrolled. The meeting was presided over by Win. C. Tar- rant. Esq., and Thos. W. Colly acted secretary! It was held in the carpenter shop of Mr. Wm. F. Finnphrey, and a eonainitteo of the was appointed to select a name. The committee reported at an adjourned meeting, held on the 5th, and recommended that the company be named "the Woodis Riiieraen,'" after Mayor Hunter Woodis, who died during the prevalence of the yellow fever in Norfolk in 1855. The name was unanimously adopted, On the 18th of March tiie company elected the. following officers : Captain, Wm. Lamb. First Lieutenant. John Hayman ; 2d Lieutenant, Peter Dil- worth ; 3d Lieutenant, A. A. Grwaltney. On account of some informality in x\i(^ election, as not conform- ing strictly to the law, these were re-elected on the 15th of April, and again on the 20th of May, before thay could obtain their commissions and the company its arms. The uniform adopted by the company consisted of a dark green cloth single breasted frock coat, with black velvet trimmings, three rows of gold ball buttons on tliv coat and black velvetbreast front. Dark green pantaloons and black velvet stripe, the whole trimmed with gold cord, and with a shamrock, in gold, at each end of the collar. On the 11th of Mai the following non-commissioned officers were elected : Serjeants— I). C. Waters. John W. Elliott, W. F. Fumphrev, J. M. >S. YYiatt. Wm. C. Wickin-s. Corporals— Chas. S. Dashiel^Geo. W. Feed, S. W. Spratt. Thos. J. Henderson, John W. White, Wm. II. James. On the 5th of July, the 4th being Sunday, the company bor- rowed a tlag from the Juniors and muskets from the Blues, and made its first parade, turning out with 59 men. A handsome nag was presented to the company in the Odd Fellows building, on the L9tk of August. Onone side was a bust of ex^Mayor Iluntei Woodis .uid on the other tin1 coat of arms of Virginia and the in- scription " Pace Vioe^Bdlo Al'iUtes" which, being interpreted, meant. " In peace, citizens: in war. soldiers." On the 2£'d of February, 1859, the company made its first an- niversary parade, with ^ixty-seven men in line. The following 2m WOOBIS RIFLEMEN, CO. C, SIXTH VA. 11EGT, 263 winter it went to Harpers Ferry, on the occasion of the John Krown war, and remained in 'OharJestown until tlie last of the u'.-in^ was hung. Its first duty in connection with the war between i the North and South was on the 7th of March, 1861, when it did guard duty all night in tlie city of Norfolk. It was again or- dered out on tlie ISth of A] oil, and remained in service from that time continuously until tlie close of the war. On the night of the I Oth of April, it was present at the removal of the powder from Port Norfolk, and after that was accomplished was marched to the old Custom House at the ioni of Church street. On the 21st the company was sent to Ocean View and a detachment of it, midia* command of Captain Lamh, participated in the defence of SeawelFs Point battery against tlie attacks of the Monficello on tlie 10th and 2ist of May! Upon the formation of the Gtli Vir- ginia Regiment, Colonel Win. Mahone was assigned to it as com- mander, and the Woodis Riflemen were attached to it as Com- pany C. Captain Lamb resigned tlie captaincy of the company in August, and on the 22-d of the same month lieutenant Robert 1>. Taylor, of Company A, was elected to succeed him. The offi- cers of the company, when it was mustered into service on the 19th of April, 1 Sol; were: Captain. Wm, Lamb. First Lieutenant, John Hayman ; *2d Lieutenant, Wm. Sher- wood ; 3d Lieutenant. Almaine A. Gwaltnev. First Sergeant, David C. Walters ; 2d Sergeant, James M. F. Wiatt; 3d Sergeant, Alex. J. Deiison ; Mi Sergeant, Thos. J. Henderson.. Lieutenant Sherwood was appointed commissary of the regi- ment, and, in May, 1S6-S, at the reorganization of the field officers of the 6th Regiment, Captain Taylor was elected major, and at a meeting of the Woodis Riflemen, held during that month for the )urpose of reorganization and re-enlistment, 1st Lieutenant John layman was elected Captain, David C. Waters 1st Lieutenant, Alexander J. Benson 2d and James W. Dashiel 3d. Thos. J. Henderson was elected 1st Sergeant. Lieutenant Waters was hilled in the battle of Malvern Hill, July 1st, 1862. Captain Hayman resigned on tlie 11th of March, 1863, and Lieutenants Denson and Dashiel resigned on the 17th, thus leaving the com- pany without commissioned officers. On tlie 4th of April. 1863, 2d Lieutenant George JBY Crawley, of Company D, was elected Captain, 3d Sergeant Stewart Spratt was elected' 1st Lieutenant, and on the 9th,Trivate Thomas W. Phillips was elected 2d Lieu- tenant. Lieutenant Spratt was killed at the battle of the Crater, July 30tlr, 1864, and 1st. Sergeant Henderson was severely wounded there. Sergeant James fl. F. Wiatt was elected 3d Lieutenai tin Company L). Captain Crawley lived through the war and escaped i 264 NORFOLK COUNTY, IMl^o. without a wonnd. lie was captured at Chancellorsyille and ex- changed. At "tbe '."breaking. out of the war the Woodis Riflemen had a very fine drum corps attached to the company, which was subsequently transferred to the i*egitiieiit. The men composing it were John B. Bohlein, John Flalaek, John Foelman, Henry ITaggedborp, Henry Hastings, Robert Lilliston, .Anson Palmer, Geo. W. Skinner and Edward Wiersdorf. After his resignation in M&pe-h, 1803, Lieutenant Denson -en- listed in the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues as a private. Below will he found the names of the members of the company ■who served with it after the evacuation of Norfolk by the Con- federates : Captain Wm. Lamb, promoted to Colonel 36th Xorth Carolina Regiment August, 1861. Captain' Kobert B. Taylor, elected Captain August 18th. 1861, promoted Major 6th Virginia Regiment-, April. L862. Captain John Haym an. elected May 3d, L862, resigned March 11th, 1863, on account of defective eyesight; Captain George F. Crawley* promoted April 4th, 1863, from 2d Lieutenant Company L>. First Lieutenant David C. Waters, elected Mav 3d. 1862, killed July 1st, 1862, Malvern 11 ill. Second Lieutenant Alex. J. Denson*, promoted 1st Lieutenant July 1st. 1 sf52. resigned March 17th, 1.803. Third Lieutenant James VV. Dashiell, promoted 2d Lieutenant July 1st, 1862, resigned March 17th. 1863. First Sergeaut Thomas J. Henderson, wounded July 30th, 1864, Crater. Second Sergeant James V, . F. Wiatt, elected Lieutenant in Company D. Third Sergeant Stewart M. Spratt, promoted 1st Lieutenant April 1st. 1863, killed July 30th, 1864, CraWr. Third Sergeant Samuel Crane, wounded May 2d, 1803, at Chancellorsville, and May 6th, 1864, at the Wilderness. Fourth Sergeant Timothy D. Padgett, captured July 30th, 1864, at Crater. Fifth Sergeant Henry A. Tarrall, promoted Commissary Sergeant, captured on retreat from Petersburg, 1865. First Corporal Alex. Mason, captured on retreat from Petersburg. 1865. Second Corporal Win. H. F 'ost, captured October 27th, 1864, at Burgess' .Mill. Third Corporal John J. Wilbaxns, promoted Sergeant, killed May 6th, 1864, at Wilderness. Fourth Corporal Arrhur J. Balsom. privates. Angel, John R., discharged on account of disability. Aslibury. John, wounded May 2d, LSU3, at Chancellors ville. Bell, Washington. Batenian, Arrhur, captured July 2d, 1803, at Gettysburg. Brown, Edward. Buchanan, Robert, wounded July 30th. 1864, at the Crater. Balsom, Arthur J., captured Julv 2d. 1363, at Gettysburg* Bland. Samuel. Bourk. John, wounded July 1st, 1862, at Malvern Hill. Belote, John VV. Clarke, John J., pro noted Corporal, captured Mav 12th, 1*04, at Spotsyl- vania C. H. Corprew, Samuel S.. died m -hospital July 27th, 1862. Coleman, John M. rOODIS RIFLEMEN* CO. C, SIXTH VA. REGT. 205 |)oyle, N'athan C. captured -July 2d, 18(53. at Gettysburg. [Odiroiids, John T., captured October 27th', 186.4, at Burgess' Mill. Fredericks, Lewis, wounded and captured August 19th, 1864, at Davis' K.um. j aee. .lames I'?., discharged July 28th, 1862, over age. ilannagau, John T., wounded Sept. 17th, 1.862-, at Sharpsburg, and Juno 22d, 1864, at Wilcox Farm. ^Fentress, Hillary, wounded August 80th, 1862, Second Manassas, lost a leg. Gaulev. John R.' Garrett, Edward, captured October 27th, 1864. at Burgess' Mill. Gale. Peter M., detailed as brigade butcher. Hopkins, John, discharged July 28th'. 1862, over age. [.and, Thoinas F.. captured April, 1865, on retreat from Petersburg'. Xeinnns. Win. Owens, Amnion II.. killed May 2d. 186a. at ChaneellorsviTle. Peters, John, died iii hospital October 22d. 1862. Powell. Henrv. Feed. John \\\, discharged December 3d..l 862. disability. Phillips, Thomas W., elected 2d Lieutenant April 9th, 1863, promoted to 1st Lieutenant October 20th, 1864, captured October 27th, 1864, at Burgess* Mill. Pitt, Win. J., killed May 2d. 1868, at Chanceuorsville. Pumphrey, Lemuel, promoted Corporal July 1st. 1863. Ramsay, T., died in hospital, 1863. Roberts. John R., captured Julv 2d. 186:5, at Gettysburg. Shipp. Win. T. Small. Caleb, killed June 21st. 1862. < '-harles Cii v Road. Sh-dd. Joseph, wounded May 6th. 1864, at Wilderness-. Si-man. Jehu, Sr., eonseriptfrom Franklin county, wounded May 6th, 1864, at Wilderness, ami died June 24th. Sigman, Jehu. Jr.. captured Mav 12th. 1864, at Spotsylvania-. Sigman, Peter, wounded May 6th, 1864, at Wilderness, wounded and cap- tured Vpril 7th, 18f>o. on retreat from Petersburg*. Sigman. Joseph M., wounded Juiie 2f>th, 1864. Petersburg. Stanley, Robert J., captured Jane 6th. 1864. Cold Harbor. 8heppard, John H. Taylor. Richard, captured October 2; tli, 1864. Burgess' Mill. Tarrant, Eieazer, wounded. July 1st. 1S62, at .Malvern Hill. Talbot, John B.. wounded May 6th. 1.864,at Wilderness, a-ad died May 15th. Turner, George W. Wright, Joseph, Sr.. discharged July 28th, 1862, over age. Wright, Joseph A., wounded July 30th, 1*64. at Crater. Woodhouse, John J., promoted Corporal. died in hospital May 28th, 1863. Wynn, Benjamin "I1., wounded August 30th, 1862, at Second Manassas, July 2d, is63,'at Gettysburg, and October 27th. 1864, at Burgess' Mill. Whit>, Thomas K.. killed May 1st. 1863, at ClianceliorsvlMe. '■■■■ alters. Urred, wounded August 30th, 1862, at'^cond Manassas. Wray, John W.. detailed as wagon driver June 24th, 1862. Wnllaee, Wm , transferred to Maryland line July 12th, 1S62-; Webster, W. [>., died in hospital, 1862. Vonng, Martial, died in hospital, 1862, Voting, J. B., died in hospital, 1662. Killed and died— 16. IS CHAPTER XXXV. THE NORFOLK LIOHT IXFAXTKY, COMPANY D, SIXTH VA-. REGIMENT. This company was raised in Norfolk immediately upon the bo: ginning of "trouble between the sections, and was mustered into service before it was uniformed. The officers of the company ai its organization and who were mustered in with it. were: Captain. John Ik Ludlow. First Lieutenant. .Montford X. Stokes ; 2d Lieutenant, Jana- Malbon : 3d Lieutenant, Geo. F. Crawley. First Sergeant. Robert J. Cartv : 3d Sergeant, Geo. F. Clarke; 1-th Sergeant. Wm. F. Carty. The company was attached to the 6th Virginia Regiment as Company D, and. uniting with the regiment at once, lost its iden- tity as a separate organization. During the first year of the war the following members were honorably discharged for various rea- sons, which, however, were not specified in the muster rolls : Davis Ballentine, Edwin Craig. Geo. F. Clark, Dennis Harding. Wm. Harrison, Henry Messfield, Geo. Sturgeon, Franklin A. Sibley. Geo. Walther, Wm. Young. At the reorganization of the company. Captain John R. Lud- low was re-elected captain, 1st Sergeant Robt. J. Carty was re- elected, and Lieutenants Stokes and Crawley were elected 1st and 'id Lieutenants respectively, and James M. F Wiatt 3d Lieuten- ant. Sergeant Carty was killed at the battle of Sharpsburg Sep- tember 17th, 1862, and Robert Banks became 1st Sergeant of the company, and. Win. F. Carty was advanced to 2d Sergeant. On the 4th of April 1S63, Lieutenant Crawley was elected Captain of Company C, Otli Virginia Regiment, and resigned his commission in Company D. Lieutenant Wiatt resigned On the 14th of May, 1S(>3, and Lieutenant Stokes was mortally wound< u at the battle of Bristoe Station October 14-th, isG3. and died on the 14th of Xoveinber. Corporal C. C. Benson was elected 2d Lieu- tenant April 7th, 1863, and Private E. H. Flournoy was elected 1st Lieutenant on t\\2 ; I | ( 'nptaih. .Jrpr<>\v. Geo., killed Aug. 30th, l.s<;2. 2d Manassas. i * larke, Wm. H. \ Monald, Caleb J.^died in hospital. Sept. 27th. 1862. Ihxon, Geo. .W., wounded Julv 30th. 1804. at Crater. \ Evans, Pet>«r, woumMJulv 1st, 1862, ai Malvern Hill, [■;thKrc.l£e, Con. W., wounded Miv 6th, L864, al Wilderness. !;h!a»ti, Julm V\\, captured July 5th. 1863, in Pennsylvania. frrestino, j-«jlm VV., wounded Aug. 30th, 1862, at 2d Manassas, and June, i 1864. an. Hanover J unci ion. fruieher. Gabriel F., died in hospital, Oct.. 1864, Eiiehtnond. \ l)*hi'\; .Tax. j.;., .lied in hospital, April 7th, 1863, £?.»M»»r. -liobt.-, captured September 14th, 1862, Cramplou Gap, and ex- changed, 2GS NORFOLK COUNTY, IS61-& Flourrioy, E. II. promoted 1st Lieutenant, May 17th, 1804. Gills, Jos. P., killed Sept. 14th, 1862, at Crampton Gap. HoliiTJg-.swoTth, John J. Hogwood. John, Hopkins. Andrew. Harrell. John \Y .. wounded Sept. 14th, 1862, Cramp ton Gap. and died De- cember 26th, in Charlestown. James. Jos. P.. wounded July 30th, 1864, at Crater, and died Aug. 6th. James. Richard Y., captured Oct. 27th, 1864, at Burgess1 Mill. Johnson, Win. W. Jordan, Jos. P., died in hospital, April 20th, 1863* Jollie. Geo. F., conscript from Isle of Wight, killed Oct. '21th, 18(54, at Bur gess' Mill. Kelly. Wm. JVawrenee, Geo. W., wounded. ISO'S. Mittnis, Clinton C. Morris, Frank. McCoy, Joseph. Moreland, Robt.. promoted Sergeant. Martin, Samuel J. Mania, Joshua, wounded June 29th, 1862, Charles City Road, and died July 1st. conscript ironi Patrick coiihtv. Nottingham. Obed. Oakley, Thos. * Owens. John. Parr. Wm. Purdv, John J., .lied if! hospital, Oct. Hist, 1802, Richmond. Ruthledgv. .Vbsolem F.. captured Oct. 27th. 1864, at Burgess' Mill. Robinson. Ben]. Ralph. J«mn. captured Oct. 27th. 1S64; at Burgess' Mill. Swift, Win. II.. promoted Sergeant March. 1863. Scant, V> "m«. died in hospital, July 5th, 1863. Spencer, Levi. Triiford. Wm., wounded May 12th. 1864, at Spotsylvania C. R. Thoroughgood, Geo., wounded Aug. 30th, Fs the former Lieutenant, W. W. Chamberlaine, and accepted by liim, thus renewing his connec- tion with the company. The officers, therefore, when it entered upon the stage of actual warfare were: Captain— 'Edward M. Hardy. First Lieutenant, Duncan Robertson, Jr.: 2d Lieutenant, John T. Lester; 3d Lieutenant. Win. W. Chamberlaine. First Sergeant, John R. Catlett, Lieutenant Chamberlaine was wounded at Sharpsburg Septeim . 269 270 NORFOLK COUNTY, lMl-5. her 17th, 1802, was detached from the company in December, 1S6$j and was promoted to Captain and A. A. G. on rise staff of General Walker. Chief of Artillery of the 3d Corps, Annv of Northern Virginia. Lieutenant Lester was captured atCrampton Gap September 14th, 1-86^ was exchanged, rejoined the compan\ and was killed on tlic 12th of May, ISOi, at the battle of Spotsyl- vania Court House. Lieutenant Robertson was severely wounded at- Sharpsbnrg, but recovered, rejoined the company, and was captured October 27th, 186-1, at' the battle of Burgess' Mill Captain Hardy was wounded onthe22dof June, 1S(>4 'at Wilcox's Farm, but recovered and rejoined the company. The company remained on duty at Craney Island until tlie 1 ' ftn of May, 1S()2', when the island was evacuated by the (Jon feder- ates. It then marched to Suffolk with the rest of the troops and there took the cars for Petersburg*, where it joined its regiment. During the battle at Drury's Bluff between the shore batteries ami the Federal fleet composed of the Monitor, Galena and Naug- atuck. Company G was stationed on the bluffs below the battery as sharpshooters and did considerable injury among such of the crews of the three vessels as exposed themselves upon the decks. After that, the company returned to the regiment and did duty with it to the end of the war. The company lost very heavily at the battles of Malvern tl ill and Second Manassas. In the first, live of it.-> members w^v^ killed or mortally wounded, and at the last, four sacrificed their lives upon the altar of their country's liberty. Among these last were Win. G. Ridley, of Southamp- ton county, a gallant youth scarcely more than twenty years of age, who was attending school at the University of Virginia when the war broke out, and joined Company G in order to be with his friends. Another, about the same age, John lb Merritt, of. Brunswick county, a student at Randoiph-Maeoii College, and a stranger in Xorfolk, left college and joined this company on ac- count of the friends he had in it. lie was mortally wounded in the same battle in whieh Buck Ridley was killed. Mahone's Brigade suffered quite severely at Second Manassas and about half of the remainder were lost atCrampton Chip, where it was sacrificed to hold Franklin's Corps in check until tHe fall of Harper's Ferry. Those who escaped fell back into Pleasant Valley and made the forced march to join Genera' Lee at Sharpsbnrg. The brigade had been reduced so much by the casualties of battle and the fatigue of that extraordinary man I that when it arrived upon the field of Sharpsbnrg it was scarcely larger than a full company, and Company G consisted of Lien tenants Robertson and Chaniberlaine and Private's handier v\ . Hill. Private George M. Todd came up during the- progress >■■■■ the battle, in tin- battle Lieutenant Robertson received a - vere wound, which disabled him. At the battle of the Crat< . COMPANY F, COMPANY 0, SIXTH YA. REGIMENT '111 every man in the company who was present in the light was either killed or wounded. Chandler W.. Hill, then a Corporal, Lost l»is arm there. The few men in the company who reached the battle field at Sharpsburg did good service while there. The remnant of the brigade, about eighty men, halted in rear of the town of Sharpsburg and was conducted by General Pryor, to whose brigade it was temporarily attached, to a piece of ground near the Piper Mouse, in rear of the main line of battle. The Ilagerstown road rims due north from Sharpsburg, and Dr. Pi- per's house is located to the light of the road, with a lane leading to it at right angles from the road, and on the side of this lane was a stone fence. General 1). EL Hill's line of battle extended across the angle formed by the lines of the road and lane, about a quarter of a mile from the point of junction. As soon as the men reached that point the Federal artillery opened a terrific lire upon them. Some ran forward and reached the line of battle, hut the larger .portion sought shelter. It was here that Lieutenant Robertson was wounded, and LieutenanbColone] Par"} tain, oi the ilst Virginia, eominandihg-Dhe brigade, ordered Lieutenant Chain? herlaine to go to the rear and report to General Anderson the condition of affairs. Lieutenant Chamberlaine had not gone far in the execution of the order when he learned that General Ander- son had been wounded. Lie was then near the head of Piper's lane, and noticed a six-pounder brass field piece and limber chest on the Ilagerstown road which had been left there by the com- pany to which it belonged. Just then the line of battle began hilling back, and. getting a few men to help him, Lieutenant Chamberlaine dragged the gun into a commanding position, and, with the assistance of several other officers, rallied a number of the retreating infantry behind the stone fence. This force was continually increasing as stragglers would cane up, and pretty soon the enemy made his appearance in front, preceded by a line of skirmishers. Lieutenant Chamberlaine obtained permission from Major Fairfax, of General Longstreet's staff, to open fire with the gun. and after a few rounds the enemy retired, but their artillery opened on this solitary piece such a heavy fire that it was moved to another position near the head of Piper's lane, where it could command the ground in its front and yet be somewhat sheltered from the enemy's batteries. Subsequently the enemy made three attempts to advance, but the well directed tire of that gun repelled them each time before they came within range of tiie tire of the infantry behind the stone fence. Lieutenant Cham- berlaine sighted the gmt and served the vent, and his gun's crew was composed of Georgia infantrymen of Colonel G. T. Ander- son's Brigade. (General Jones, its commander, was wounded) with "Privates Chandler W". Lliil and George M. Todd, of Company Gj as infantry supports. 272 NORFOLK COUNTY, lSC>i~r>. After this third repulse there was a lull for about two hour?, and as it became desirable to ascertain wliat the enemy were en- gaged iiij Colonel Win, Gibson., of the i-Stli Georgia Regiment, threw forward a strong line of skirmishers and met a full line of battle beginning to advance. The determined stand made by these skirmishers induced the enemy to believe tliey were backed up by a heavy force and caused them to suspend their contem- plated attack. Thus ended the fighting en that part of the Held, except by the enemy's artillery, which disabled Lieutenant Cham- berlaine. The gun is said to hare belonged to the linger Buttery of Norfolk., and" was one of the guns which the Norfolk Bhies had before the war, mxl which was. turned over to Captain Hugei'. The hmtery had been eiigagetl at that point earlier in the day. but, being ordered t<> another part of the field, had t<» leave that gun behind, as the horses belonging to it had been killed. The company sent a detachment for it that night and carried it off. At the commencement of hostilities Colonel "Walter II. Taylor, who was so well known throughout the Army of Northern Tirgiuia as General Lee's Adjutant General, was a Lieutenant in Company Or, but served only a few days with it before receiving an ap- pointment in the Provisional Army, with the sulisetpient assign-" nient to the staff of General Robert E. Lee. Colonel Anderson, ki his report of the action of his brigade at Sharpsburg. mentions the incident of the gun and says: "At this point I found a G-pOunder gun. and getting a few men to assist in placing it in position, a Lieutenant of infantry, whose name or regiment I do not know, served it most beautifully until the am- munition was exhausted. " Colonel Anderson is mistaken about the ammunition being ex- hausted. The gun ceased firing only when the enemy retired be- yond its range. The fire of this gun is referred to. also in the Federal reports, of the battle, by Brigadier General J. C. Caldwell commanding the brigade which made the attack, and by Major General W. S. Hancock, both of whom thought there were two guns instead of one. They report that Colonel F. C. Barlow, commanding the 64th and 61st New York Regiments (consoli- dated), was wounded in the groin by a shrapnel from it. Below will he found the muster roll of the company for May, 1862, with one recruit added in 1804 : Captain Edward M. Hardy, wounded June 22d, 1864, "Wilcox's Farm. First Lieutenant Duiican Robertson, Jr.. wounded September 17th, 1S#2. Sharpsburg. captured < >etober 27th, 180 t, at Burgess' Mill. Second Lieu tenant John '!". Lester, captured September 1 4-th; 1802. Mi Crampton Gap. killed May 12th, 18(54, at Spotsylvania C II. , Third Lieu tenant Wm. \V. (.'! amberkine, promoted Captain and A. A. G.on staff of General Walker f'hiei of Artillery 3d Corps, .'December, 18G."S, wounded September IT.t .. LSt>2, ai Sliarpsburg. First Sergeant Joan R. Catlctt. COMPANY F, COMPANY G, SIXTH I'.l. VJ'XilMENT. 273 Second Sergeant Charles A. McCourt, wounded July 1st, 1802, at Malvern I Ii!i and disabled, discharged November 12th, 1802. Third Sergeant Albert i>. Simmons, wounded October 14tb;1863, at Rristoe Station, and died October L5th. Fourth Sergeant Howard S. \V right, wounded Aug. 30th ,"18(52, Second Ma- nassas, prompted Fnsign 0th Regiment, killed July 30th, 1804, Crater. First Corporal Wm. !!. Lauglcy, detailed in Commissury Department April 27th, 1.80:5, reioined company and captured October 27th, 1804, I'ur- gess' Mill. Second Corporal Oscar M. Styron. wounded August 510th, 1802, at Second Manassas and disabled, discharged March 1st. 1803. Third Corporal John T. Hill, promoted Sergeant April 25th, 1S63, wounded July 30th, 1804, at Crater. Fouijijj l-Qj.;px>rai James L. D. Butt, appointed Hospital Steward November 22d, 1802 Fifth, Sergeant Wm. Mfelea^ wounded July 1st. 1802, Malvern Hill; and died in hospital. PRIVATES. Archer, BobertL., detailed in Division Provost Guard, Sept. 25th, 1802'. Arlington, Peter, promoted Corporal March 24th, 1803, Sergeant Major 80th North Carolina Regiment. Biggs, Win. (}.. wounded August .:10th, 1802, at Second Manassas and died August 31st. BayloiS Robert B., captured October 27th, 1804, at Burgess' Mill. Bell, Douglas, wounded August 80th, 1802, Second Manassas,transferred to 1.8th Battalion Va. Heavy Artillery January 20th, 1804. Biggs, James H.. died in hospital October, 1802, Bell, Robt. S.. detailed in Commissary Department. 1862. and transferred to 18th Virginia Battalion Heavy Artillery November 13th, 1802- Bell, James X.. wounded June 21st, 1802, disabled and discharged, ap- pointed Sergeant Major 0th Virginia Regiment November 10th. 1863. Chi.-. nan. John R,. discharged 1804. Clark, Fred VY., discharged for disability, November. 1802. Cole, Cornelius M.. killed October 14th. 1863, Bristoe Station. Core, John II., discharged for disability November, 1862. Deiehes, W., detailed in hospital, 1802j discharged for disability, 1804. Dey, James B. Etlieredge, , captured September 14th. 1802, at Crampton Gap. 4. Gordon. John 1).. captured October 27th, 1804, Burgess' Mill. Gordon, Wm., R. appointed Hospital Steward, August 10th, 1802. Goodridge, F. E. detached May 1st, 1801, Goodridge. Geo. K., detached ( Ictober 2 < fch, 18(52. Hi!!. Chandler, W., promoted Corporal, lost arm July 3!.'ti, B. A., captured September 14th, 1862, at Crampton Gap, ex- changed and promoted to 2d ["-lieutenant P. A. C. S. Merritt, John B., mortally wounded August 30th, L862, Second Manassas, and died in li<>sj iltal at Warrentou. Moore, Walter S., promoted Sergeant Major Gist Virginia Regiment March w22d. 1863, promoted Pusign, 1863. McPhuil. Charles EL, killed July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill. McKenny. Win. X.. detailed in Army Intelligence Office, July 1st, 1862. Murrav, John, mrnished substitute and discharged. Mvriek. David, wounded July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill, and died in hospital. Pentz, George McK., transferred to Maryland line, 1862. Held. James T. 8.-, promoted 1st Lieutenant Ordnance on General Loring's staff. Reynolds. HenrrS., detailed in Gominissary Department, No vember 21st, 1862! discharged 1864, Robinson, Wm. C. killed October 14th, 1863, at Bristoo Station. Robinson. Wm., wounded A-ngUst 3>Oth. 1862, at Second Manassas, trans- ferred to 32d Xorth Carolina Liegiment. Robertson, Cary, promoted Sergeant Major, August 24th, 1864, killed at " Hotelier's Run, Pebruary 7th, 1805-. Robins, (!>•(>. 8., died in hospital, 1862, Richmond, Roseaburg, Mich., detailed in hospital, October 7th, 1862. Rowe, Stephen {).. transferred to Companv A. 5th Virginia Cavalry, August 17th, 1862. Rowland, John IT., captured September 14th, 1862, at Crampton Gap, ex- changed and transferred to Company l>, 20th Virginia Battalion Heavy Artilicrv, December *SFERR?:i) AND MSCBAROEI). The following men who enlisted in the company at the begin- ning of the war were transferred to other commands or honorably discharged while the company was stationed on Craney Island: Beale, Brooke, appointed sub-officer in the navv. Collier, Ja^s. M., assigned to Medical Department Aug. Wth, LStil. Cannon, Douglas C, transferred to Signal Corps March 31, 1861. Cason, Benj.F., promoted 2d Lieu-ten taut Company B, Oth Va, Regiment. Freeman, Jos. X., appointed Engineer in the navy. Foremani. Columbus W. transferred to Company B, otli A a. Cavalry, March 23d, 1862. J . Guyot, Robert S.. appointed Ordnance Sergeant 9th Va. Regimen tand killed Aug. 28th, 1862, at Warrenton Springs. Gwynu. T. P., appointed Lieutenant in the Marino Corps C. S. Xavy. Hunter, W. W., appointed Q.M:. Sergeant 8th Xorih Carolina Regiment, Dec. 2d. 1861. Hudgins. W. P., discharged for disability. 1802. Hymam V. M... transferred to Signal Corp- March 31st, 1862. .laeqmniOn, A. 1L, discharged 1862, overage. Keeling, Solomon S.. transferred to Medical Department, Oct. 12th. 1861. Mapp. Richard A., transferred to Signal Corps. March 3ls.t, 1862. Milhudo. A. G., transferred to Signal Corps, March 31st, 1862.. Marsden, James P., promoted Lieutenant in Bridgford's Provost -Guard and killed. Morris, Jesse S., promoted in Medical Department. October 9th, 1861. Mallorv, Chas. & C, promoted Sergeant Major ooth" Va. Regiment, Dec. 12th, 1801. Poriioek, Robert G., promoted Sergeant Major 9th Fa. Regiment, 1 >> -e. 1st, 1861. Saunders, Palmer, appointed Midshipman in the navy and killed at- the cap- ture of the Fndcrwriter by fie.1 Confederates. Stokes, Montford X., promoted Lieutenant Company D, and killed at Bristoe Station. Sharp, Jas. H., promoted 2d Lien tenant P. A. 0. S., Sept. 2d, 1861. Stone, Geo. F.. discharged for disability, 1862. Taylor. Walter II.. made 2d Lieutenant P. A. C. S., promoted Adju rant Gen- eral on staff of General R. E. Lee. Tunstail, Alex., promo-ted Sergeant Major 6th Va. Regiment, May 6th, 1861, and later promoted Adj-i.it-a.nt: Taylor, Robertson, appointed Qua 'termaster Sergeant 6th Va,. Regiment, promoted Adjutant 6th Regiment and Adjutant General Mahone's Di- vision and wounded at Wilderness Mav ^^U, 1864. Todd. if. S., elected Lieutenant Company P. 9th Va. Regiment. [Jrquhart, J. YVV, transferred to Company 11. 5th Va. Cavalry, Mmreh 17th, 1862. Frquhart, A. P.. transferred to Companv 11. 5th Va. Cavalry, March 17i:h, 1862. Wise. Win. B., promoted Lieutenant in a North Carolina Regiment. Walker, R. P., appointed 2d Lieutenant P. A C. S. Walker. Geo. P., transferred to Sussex . Cavalry Aug, 10th, 1861, and killed. Wilkerson, Henry [>., promoted 2d Lieutenant Company P, 9th Va. Regi- ment, andmortally wounded July 3d, 1-63, at Gettvsburg, -lied in prison on .Johnson's [sland. Williams, Thos. A.. appointed Sergeant Major 6th Regiment, promoted Lieutenant in < 'ornnanv lv. Walke, Isaac T., transferrer to X. L . A. Blues, March 26th, 1862, oromoted Lieutenant of Ordnance Fitz Leo's Cavalrv Division, and kill.-- J in tsij » at Woodstock. Will imsou, Captain flenry V'., promoted Lieutenant-Colonel 6th Va. Ri gi- ment, lost an arm at the Crater. Killed and died— 26. CHAPTER XXXVII At the beginning of hostilities in April, 1861, this company was well equipped, well drilled-, and in a \^vy efficient condition, so that it responded promptly to Hie call of the governor for volun- teers, and was mustered into service on the 19th of April, 1S61, under the following officers: Captain, Richard 0. Taylor. First Lienteiiaiit, Win. G. Wilburn ; 2d Lieutenant. Josiah II. Smith; 3d Lieutenant, David Wright First Sur^eaiit, Henry .1). Reynolds ; 2d Sergeant^ Geo. Hog- wood; 3d Sergeant, Wnx. F. Wood. First Corporal, Walter A. Edwards; 2d Corporal, Henry W. Hill ; 3d Corporal, Isaac Seldner ; Iris Corporal, Win. X. Beak. The Greys were among the first troops sent to Qraney Island to take charge of the batteries which were being erected there, and had charge of a section of heavy guns. Life on Craney Island was very monotonous. The Confederates built strong -.earth works there and manned them with heavy guns. They built bum!) proofs and furnaces for heating shot but the enemy's vessels kept at a respectful distance, and the Grays had no opportunity while there to test their efficiency. While on the Island, the company was attached Lo the Oth Virginia Regiment, as Company H, but remained on the island until its evacuation on the 10th of May-, 1S62, when it joined the regiment upon its arrival at Petersburg. Captain Taylor was promoted to Major, commanding an ar- tillery battalion in trie entrenched camp back of Xorfolk, and at the reorganization of the Gmys in April, 1862, Lieutenant David Wright was elected Captain, Josiah II. Smith 1st Lieutenant, Wm. G% Wilbern 2d Lieutenant and Henry S. Reynolds 3d Lieu- tenant. Lieutenant Smitu was mortally wounded at the battle of Manassas, August 30tb, lsh2. and died at Ald.ie on the Sth of October. Lieutenant IJeyiioMs was discharged on the 23d of January, ISoo. and Thos. A. Gat eh was elected. 1st Lieutenant in 1801. and remained with t\w company until the surrender at Ap- pomattox. Captain Wright was killed at the battle of the Crater on the 30'th of duly. 1S(>1. One of the most gallant events of tiro whole war was a charge made on the enemy's, entrenchments near Chancellorsville, May 2d, L802, by companies K C and II, of the 6th Regiment. Gen- eral Mahone, in his official report of the affair says : "It was during this service .r£ the brigade that the advance line of skirm- ishers of the nth V rginia Infautr W. Carter Williams, charged <■ Plank Road, tired upon them in their rifle pits, captured tliei 276 timer command oi vaptam THE INDEPENDENT GRAYS. CO. H, SIXTH VA. REGT. 277 prisoners from four different regiments, and the colors and color hearer of the lOith Ohio Regiment, returning to his position with his haiidfir] of men. with the loss of an p-ftic'er as prisoner. This gallant and successful sortie was made a little after dark Saturday, Mav 2d, when General Jackson's tire was heavy, and it was in fighting over the same ground the next morning that the radiant "Williams fell mortally wounded.--" The charge was made for the purpose of ascertaining the posi- tion of the enemy. The officer captured was ( 'aotain Crawley, of Company C, and the manner of hi- capture was somewhat amus- ingi lie had captured a Federal soldier, and when the company retired he thought hi: was following it. hut in the darkness of the night and the thickness of the woods, he mistookhis propercourse and went towards the enemy's lines instead of his own. The prisoner he had with him told, him he was taking thewmng direc- tion and. if he kept on, they would soon he inside the Federal lines, ami the condition of affairs would he reversed. He said la- did not wish to return to his own line- just then, hut would like to he captured, so that he could got a short holiday while waiting to he exchanged, and therefore he warned Captain Crawley that lie was taking Uiv wrong direction, hut Captain Crawley thought he knew best, and kept on until, sure enough, lie found himself in the hands of tin.' enemy. His former prisoner then took him a prisoner and turned him over to the provost guard. The company was a small one, hut its losses were heavy com- pared with it.- numbers, yearly one-third of those who left Nor- folk with it and -lid service in its ranks were either killed or wounded. First Sergeant Seldher was killed May 3d, 1S63, and Walter A. Edwards was promoted to rill the vacancy. He was present with the company in every battle in which it was engaged except two. and escaped without a Wound, lie was captured at Cumberland Church April 7th, 1S65, two days before the Surren- der at Appomattox Court House. Below will be found the roll of the company after it left Nor- folk, together with the list of casualties: Captain David Wright, promoted Captain May 1st, 1802, killed July 30'th, 1864, (.'rater. First Lieutenant Josiab H. Smith, wounded Aug, 30th., 1862, 2d Manassas, died Oct. 8 tli- First Lieutenant Tbos. A. Gateh, elected 1864., surrendered at Appomattox. Second Lieutenant Win; (J. VVilbern. Third Lieutenant [{enry s. Reynolds, di*charj?*id .Jan. 2.'M, 1868. First Sergeant Isaac SeJdner, captured Sept. l4th, 1862, exchanged and kilted May 3d, 18tt3, at ChanceHorsvilJe. Second Sergeant H. W. Hill, appointed Ordnance Sergeant June 29th, lS62r captured on retrial from Petersburg. Third Sergeant Walter A. Edwards, promoted 1st Sergeant May 8th, 1863, > armired at Cumber! md Chmv.h April 7th, L865. Fourth Serg. mt Geo. Hogwood, First Corporal Alex. M. Bmitn, promoted color bearer 6th Regiment, woun- ded Aug. soth, 1862; at 2d Manassas. 278 NORFOLK COUNTY, 18G1-5. >ml Corporal Ja*. A. Wirmington, promoted Sergeant M;iv 8th, 1803. unided Am-;-. 30th, 1862, at 2d Manas Mj Third Corporal Walter II. Welhan s.is and July 30th, 18(14, at the" Grater. Fourth Corporal John L. Simmons, wounded Aug'. 30th, 186: nassas, wounded May 2d. 1.803, at Chancellors viiie, and died May' 3d. PRIVATES. Anderson. John T.. wounded Mav 6th, 1804, at Wilderness, and disabled. Abdell, Wm. [J„, wounded May 3d, 1803, ac Chancellorsville, disabled and detailed in Richmond postolhee. Boush, John T., detailed as wagon driver Dee. 4th. 1802. Brown, Henry F.. wounded Sent. 14th. 1802, lost arm May 8th, 1804, Shady ( j rove. Barnes. James, killed March 23d, 18(53, by Provost Guard, Petersburg. Bonianti, John, promoted Corporal. I'e.i.ne. Wm. W., wounded May 12th, 1S04, at Spotsylvania. Crockett, Geo. wounded July 30th, 1*64, at Crater, died Aug. 0th. Dashields, Jas. J., killed May 12th, 1804, at Spotsylvania C. 11. Dunbar, John T., appointed Sergeant May Sfch, 1803. Dunn, Wm. F.. promoted Corporal, wounded June 22d, 1804, captured April 5th. 1805, at Cumberland Church, Dunn. Win. A., died in hos])ital, Dee. 8th. 1803. Ferris, James. . Grav, Wm. Gillerlain, Peter J., killed July 30th. 1864, at Crater. Biggins, Francis C, wounded July 30th, 1804, at Crater. Ironmonger, L. M., promoted Sergeant Mav 5th, 1.801. captured June 16th, 1804. Johnson, Wm. B, Johnson, Jacob T.. died in hospital Aug. 7th, 1804, Richmond. Jacobs, Julius, wounded May 12th, 1804, Spotsylvania C. H., and supposed to have died. Lavlor. Geo. Lewis, Geo. E, Mordecai, Phillip M. Maniiix, W. II.. died in hospital, Aug. 10th, 1802, Danville. Mitchell, Edward F., detailed and not with tire, company. Nottingham, W. W., wounded May 12th, 1804, Spotsylvania C. 11. Plummer, Joshua. Peek. Win. v., killed July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill. Ross, John R. Roberts, Wm. J., killed July 30th, 1.804, at Crater. Reynolds, Wm. C, transferred to navy Sept. 3d. 1803. Shirley, John, died in hospital. June, 1802. Smith. Andrew, Smith, John K., promoted Corporal, transferred to navy Sept. 3d. 1803. Smith, Wm. J., wounded and captured May 12th, 1804, Spotsylvania. Stubbs, Win. J., detailed in Army Provost Guard. Sfcryker, Martin, captured Oct. 27th, 1804, at Bargees* Mill. Sykes. Wm. A. Scott, Wm. T.j wounded May 12th, 1804, at Spotsylvania. C. II. Tomliuson. Geo., transferred to navy April 8th, 180-'!. Wise, II, A., wounded Juiv 30th, 1804, at Crater. Westbrook, l>. A. Wise. Geo. W.; wounded September 14th, 1802, lost arm Mav 0th, 1804, Wilderness. Winhall, Hiram, captured September 14th, 1802, and May 12th, 1804, Spotsylvania 0. EL Wyatt, John L. Wood,' Wm.. F., woiiTiiled Sept. 14th, 1802, at Crampton Gap, ami died in hospital July 1 4th, 1803. Killed and died— 10. CHAPTER A'XXVill. THE SIXTH VIRGINIA RE< il.MKNT— MAHi ' ».\ K*S, WKISIGER's BRIGADE HUGER's, ANDERSON'S, MAHONe's DIVISION. Ha\viiig given brief sketches of the five Norfolk companies which were in tins regiment, their history would not be complete without telling the part which the regiment played in that great drama which was marked by so many deeds of noble heroism. Of the fifty companies composing the five regiments in Ma- hone's" Brigade, Norfolk county, including the cities of Nor- folk and Portsmouth, contributed sixteen, or one-third of the whole. Of those sixteen, six were from Norfolk city, six from Norfolk county, three from Portsmouth, and one from Ports- mouth and the county jointly, while in another, Company B, 6th Regiment, Norfolk and Bortsniouth were both liberally repre- sented, though the bulk of the company was from Princess Anne county. The 6th Regiment was organized almost immediately upon the beginning of hostilities and was composed of the follow- ing companies: Company A. of Norfolk city, Captain W. N. Melvenney. Company B, of Princess Anne, Captain \\r. Carter Williams. Company C, of Norfolk city, Captain Win. Lamb. Company I), of Norfolk city, Captain John R. Ludlow. Company E. oi Portsmouth, Captain John II. Myers. Company F, of Princess Anne. Captain George T. Rogers, Company G. of Norfolk city. Captain Henry W. Williamson. Company II, of Norfolk city, Captain Richard C. Taylor. Company F, of Manchester, Captain Louis Bossieux, Company K, of Chesterfield, Captain David M, Goode. The officers of the regiment were: Colonel — Win, Malione. Lieutenairt-Colone] — Thos. J. Corprew. Major — Wm. T. Lund}'. These officers were assigned to the regiment by Governor Letcher. First Lieutenant Robert B. Taylor, of Company A, was detailed as Adjutant, and Alex, Timstall, of Company G, was appointed Sergeant Major. Subsequently Quartermaster Sergeant Robertson Taylor was appointed -Adjutant. Companies G and 11 were detached and placed on ditty on Craney [sland, and Company I was stationed at the Naval [lospital battery. The seven other companies -.cere together in the entrenchments near Norfolk, On the 1st of September, L861, Company E was dis- banded by orders from head<[uartersraMd the Nansemond Guards, Captain Williams, became Company E. Some time in the fall 279 280 XORFOJ.K COWNTW, t8Gl-5. of 1861 the '.'t!i. 1:2th, Kith and 41st Virginia Regiments were or- ganized into a brigade, and on the 1-Btli of November, 1861, Col- onel Mahone was promoted to Brigadier General. This occa- sioned the promotion of Lieutenant- Colonel C or pre wand Major Lundy, and Captain George T. Rogers, of Company F, was elected Major. On the lOtli of February, 1862, upon the fall of Roanoke Is- land, which Occurred on the Stb, the .-even companies winch were with the regiment were ordered to Coin, jock, or Currituck bridge, at the Xorth Carolina terminus of the Albemarle and Chesapeake Caiial, to protect that work should the enemy put in an appear- ance tliere, and also to cover the retreat of General Wise with such troops as he might have saved from the wreck at Roanoke Island. There was a battery of rhree 32-pounder guns at Curri- tuck bridge. General Wise readied Currituck bridge en hi- re- treat and, ranking Colonel Corprew, took command and ordered a retreat to. Great Bridge, where General linger found the regi- ment. General Wise was transferred to another department, and affairs at Great Bridge were turned over to General Mahone. The regiment remained in that section until General linger re- ceived orders to evacuate Norfolk, when it was marched to the city, reached there May ltlth, crossed the Eastern Branch on the draw-bridge and took the Norfolk and Petersburg railroad cars for Petersburg, where it was joined by Companies G, II and I. On the appearance of the Federal fleet, composed of the Monitor, Galena, jSaugatuck and Aroostook before the fort at Brury's Bluff on the loth of May, Companies G and I. were sent to the Bluff to act as sharpshooters, "and every man on the vessels who exposed himself became a mark lor their Are. ' They were \fry efficient aids to the fort. They were scattered along the Bluff lower down the liver titan the position at which the fort wa> lo- cated. The next day the regiment was ordered to Chaffirrs Bluff and remained there until after thebattleof Seven Pines, in which t\m other regiments of the brigade took- part. At the reorganization of the regiment in April, prior to the evacuation of Korfolk, the following officers were elected: Colonel — George T. Rogers. Lieutenant-Colonel — Henry W. Williamson. Major — Robert B. Taylor. Adjutant — Alexander Tunstali. Adjutant Robertson Taylor was appointed by General Mahone Adjutant General of the brigade when the latter received his ap- pointment as Brigadier General. The held officers of the regi- ment were peculiarly fortunate, for, though they did their duty well and fair h f nil v, only one of them received £t wound during the war. [ieutenant-C.ohmel Will iamsou lost an arm -al the bai tie of the (/rater, oil the 30th of July, 180T. Colonel Kogeroaud Major Taylor escaped unhurt. TEE SIXTH VIM0INM REGIMENT. 281 to camp, hut without bavin ft 19 nv m-isiia&a. iNo&u&£r ot in- After the battle of Seven Pines the regiment rejoined the bri- gade and remained with it until the close of the war. On the 2 1st of June a very unfortunate affair occurred with the? regiment. A report reached the lines that a regiment of Federals was ad- vancing up the Charles City Road, and the first battalion of the 6 th Regiment was ordered to advance and intercept them. It was understood also that the -list Regiment would take part in the movement. Two small private road.- ran parallel with the Charles City Road, one on each side, and the list Regiment took the right hand one and the detachment of the tfth the other. The detach- ment wasitnder Colonel Rogers, and the idea was that the expe- I . dition would proceed until they came up with the enemy and then close in on their rear and capture them. The bataliion of the Oth passed through the outer line of Confederate pickets and these mistook Company I. who were uniformed with light blue pan- taloons, for Federals, and tired on them, wounding one man. After proceeding about two miles down the road, a single musket shot was tired from the rear and wounded three men in the de- tachment, A halt was then made and the men were ordered to retire into the woods and lie down. After waiting a few minutes for the appearance of an enemy or a repetition of the shot, and there being no indication of either, xlie line was again formed in the road and xli^ march resumed. It was then getting' towards dusk, and some of the men of the first battalion, looking to the rear, noticed the second battalion of the regiment following them, and only about a hundred yards behind. The second battalion was under command of Major Taylor, and was ordered out after the first battalion had left coup, and just as it was noticed from the first battalion, the men in the second battalion began tiring upon the first, mistaking it for the enemy, Some of the men in me first battalion returned the fire until the voice of Major Taylor was heard and recognized, ordering his men to fix bayonets, and the tiring on both sides ceased. The regiment was united, and having passed the point at which the enemy was reported to have been seen, without seeing anything of them, it returned to camp. In this unfortunate affair twenty-eight men were killed or wounded , in the two detachments. It. was in this affair that Dr. Wise, now a practicing dentin in Norfolk, lost his leg, and James X. Bell, ; afterwards Sergeant Major or the regiment., lost a portion of his hand. Some of the men in the first battalion recognized their 1 comrades in the second before the tiring began, and it was through them that it was brought to a stop just about the time that Major Taylor's voice was recognized when he gave the order to fix bay- onets. The 4\>t Regiment, failing to find the 3nemv, likewise returned terest occurred in camp until the 25th of June. There 282 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1<561~5> the meantime, an occasional skirmish with the enemy, hut the 6th Regiment did not take part in any of them. They were confined principally to Wright's ami Armistead's Brigades, but the action of t\\e 25th seems to have been considered by General MeCkd'an as of some importance. This was the first battle with the enemy in which the 6th Regiment was engaged, and was known as the battle of Oak Grove. It was an initiatory move on the part of General McClellan to advance his left wing nearer towards Rich- mond. The attack was made upon lingers Division, and fell principally upon the brigades of Generals Wright and Mali-one, though a portion of Ransom's Brigade was engaged quite heavily, and a portion of Armistead's Brigade slightly.. All four brigades suffered some lo^s. The enemy was successfully repelled along the whole line of attack. On the 30th the 6th Regiment was exposed to a very heavy artillery tire and had three men killed and two wounded. In the action of the 25th the enemy was handsomely repulsed in front of Wright's Brigade, but one of the regiments, (Hill's) of Ransom's Brigade, had been forced to give way. Its place was occupied by the 12th Virginia and the 1st Battalion of the 6th, while the 49th and list Virginia Regiments and the 2d Battalion of the 6th attacked the enemy on his flank and rear, causing a precipitate retreat. At Malvern Hill, fought on the 1st of duly, 1S.02, the 6th Reg- iment was very heavily engaged, and lost ten men killed, thirty- three wounded ami eight missing. After Malvern Hill, General Lee pushed on towards Manassas after Pope, and came up with him upon the old battle ground ■ s the year before. The (5th Regiment was in the midst of themag- nificent charge which was made by Mahone's Brigade upon the enemy on the 30th of August, and contributed its share towards achieving that brilliant victory, one of the most important in its results of any during ;he entire war. Then foHowed the invasion of Man-land, the investment of Harper's Ferry and the battle oi Sharp>burg, Mahone's Brigade, as a part of Anderson's Division, was under Jackson's eomm and at II arper's Ferry and to it was assigned the duty of holding Crampton (*ap, to keep tire enemy in check until the consummation of Jackson's plans, and the sur- render of that town. An account of this engagement will ■'- found elsewhere in this work. fiSeeOhapter XIII. J On the 1 b •■ of September Franklin's Corps of 17,000 men attacked Mahone - Brigade of four regiments, tiumbering 800 men, and was held in check for four }\. The brigade did noble work there and pain a heavy penalty for it in the loss of onedialf of its numbers, bui its gallant stand gave time for Jackson to capture Harper's Fern Among the kill' d in this engagement was the venerable lb-. 1 n riewton, of Norfolk, who, though tong past the military age, * servhig as a private in Company F, 6th Regiment, the Seaboard THE SIXTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 283 Rifles of Princess Anne county. At Sharpsburg tlie brigade had been reduced by its lasses at Manassas and Crainpton Gap, and its fatiguing march after the full of Harper's Ferry, to a mere skele- ton, scarcely as large as one of its companies at the beginning of the war, bin this remnant made a brave stand and assisted in re- pelling the last attack of the enemy upon the left and left center }. of the Confederate lines. All fom- of the regiments in the brigade were present with their colors, but as the numbers in the ranks | were small, their general and most of the held officers wounded, I they were consolidated into one regiment, under Lieutenant-Col- | onel IVrham, of tire ±l>t, the senior officer, and attached to Fry- er's Brigade. Que set of colors was retained and the others were sent to the rear with a. detail to take care of them. In tins battle a portion of t}\v. 6th Regiment and a few Georgia troops, under command of Lieutenant W. W. Chamberlaine, of Company G, nth Virginia, got possession of a piece of artillery which had been abandoned by the battery to which it belonged for want of horses to haul it. and served it with effect upon the enemy. The battle of Sharpsburg was fought on the 17th of September and McClellan's repeated assaults were driven back along the whole line from right to left with terrible slaughter, and after waiting all day on the IStli, for a renewal of the attack, which never came. General Lee retired into Virginia to recuperate his tired troops, and in Xovember the (Ust Virginia Regiment was added to Mahone's Brigade. The battle of Fredericksburg took place on the loth of December, and the Confederates achieved another brilliant victory. The 6th Regiment was in line of battle and exposed to a heavy artillery tire, but was not actively engaged. The brigade was on the left of the line and the enemy made their attacks upon the right and centre. A season of rest followed after the battle y»f Fredericksburg until April. 1863, when General Hooker began his movement across the Rapidan river, which cul- minated in his crushing defeat at Chancellorsville. A detail of three officers and thirty-rive men from Mahone?s Brigade was at work building a bridge at Germanna Ford on the 29th, when they were surprised by the enemy's advance in force, and nearly all captured. Hooker then crossed at Germanna and Ely's Fords, which are higlier up the river than Fnited States Ford, where I Mahone's Brigade was stationed, and advanced down the river to- wards Fredericksburg, his route taking him in the rear of Mahone and that officer withdrew from United States Ford and formed line of battle, with his own and Posey's Brigades, near Chancel- lorsville, to check Hooker's advance until General Lee could he apprised of the condition of affairs and take steps to meet it. In the advance and battle of May ist,Mahone's Brigade was in front driving back the enemy opposed to it. and taking up a position which it held until the consummation of General Jackson's thank 284 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. movement against Hooker's right. On the night of the 2d Gen- eral Leu was yqvy anxious to ascertain the exact position of the enemy's lines in his front, so that lie could prepare an attack for the next day in connection with Jackson's corps, and three com- panies of the 6th Regiment, B, G and Jl, under command of Cap- tain "W. Carter Williams, of Company B, were ordered to advance for that purpose. The advance was gallantly made, the enemy's rifle pits were carried by storm, prisoners belonging tofourdiJler- ent regiments were captured, as were also the color hearer and colors of the 107th Ohio Regiment In this affair, though so much was accomplished, the three companies suffered no loss ex- cept tlie capture of Captain Crawley, of Company C, who became separated in tlie darkness from his men, and mistaking his direc- tion, walked, into the enemy's lines. On tlie 3d tlie regiment moved with the brigade to Salem Church to check tlie advance of Sedgwick, who was moving upon General Lee's rear from the direction of Fredericksburg, and while taking up a position on the left of the line, the 0th Regiment was tired upon vjvy unexpec- tedly by the enemy upon its Hank, but, with the coolness of vet- erans, it formed its line under fire without disorder, and then drove hack tlie attacking party. The regiment was under com- mand of Colonel Rbgers,andin the .lighting around Chan cell orsvilk? it lost eight men killed, thirty-three wounded and six missing. The success at Chaneellorsville induced General Lee to invade Pennsylvania, and the Gettysburg campaign followed. The 0th Regiment was present on the battle held on the 2d and 3d ot Jul}", exposed to the enemy's tire, but most of the time support- ing other troops which were in front, and therefore not very ac- tively engaged, though it lost a number of men. It returned to Virginia with the brigade, was actively engaged in tlie fall cam- paign of 1S63, the important features of which were the engage- ments at Bristoe Station, October 14th, and Mine Run, Decem- ber id, after which it went into winter quarters, and was undis- turbed by tlie enemy until 1S04, when General Grant began his overland campaign towards Richmond. Gee Lee thrust Limseo across Grant's front in the Wilderness and forced him to turn aside. Mahone's Brigade was on the extreme right of Longstreet Corps when he made his celebrated movement to turn Grant.- left, and had made a brilliant charge, sweeping the enemy before it. The 6th Regiment was ow the left of the' brigade, ami nex! to it came the loth. Tlie position of the brigade was nearly ai right angles with the line of battle, and in advance of tic; lint- Longstreet with his own and Jenkins' .-tall' at the head ot Jen- kins' Brigade, was riding down the turnpike which passed i front of the position held by Mahone's Brigade, and when '•!'!' site the left of Mahone> line was <>:v\\ through the thick woo and smoke and mistaken for the enemy. Firing began and Long- ! TRi: SIXTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 285 I | street was wounded, thus putting a stop to the flank movement which he was directing, and which had already yielded such im- portant results. Whether the shots which produced the disaster eame from the 6th or 10th Regiment will perhaps never he defi- nitely settled, hut the clearest accounts of the affair locate it as having occurred in front of the left of the brigade. This subject and the battle of the Wilderness are discussed more particularly in the history of the 61st ■Regiment, chapter XXIV. The 6th Regiment fought through the whole of the campaign of 1864, was ai Shady Grove, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, North Anna River, Hanover Court House, Cold Harbor, Turkey Ilidge and Second Fra&iers Farm, crossed over the James river and interposed between Grant's army and Petersburg, took part in the brilliant victories at Wilcox's Farm, June 2 2d, Gnrley House, June 23d. and the Crater, July Soth. Tins last will rank | with the world'? most famous battles and has been made the theme of the artist's brush.- The larger portion' of the 6th Regi- ment was on picket duty when the news was received that the enemy had, broken through the lines, and there was not time to call them in. Eighty-five men were in camp, and these fell in with the rest of the brigade, and hurrying to where the breech had been made, took pail in the charge upon the enemy, and of the eighty-five men with the regiment, thirteen were killed, fifty wounded and twelve were missing. Ten escaped uninjured but they inflicted a loss upon the enemy of ten for one. It was in this battle that Lieutenant-Colonel Williamson lost his arm. En- sign Howard S. Wright was mortally wounded : Captain Wright, of Company II, and Lieutenant Sprat t, of Company C, were killed, and Captain Coke, of Company F, Captain Goode, of Company K, Lieutenant Hopper, Company A, Lieutenant Cor- nick, of Company F, and Lieutenant, Flouruoy, of Company K, were wounded. After the Crater came the battles of Beams' Station, Burgess' -ALU and Hatchers Run, and when the final crash came and the army retreated from Petersburg, Mahone's Brigade preserved its organization ami courage to the last, and, on the retreat it fought two battles and repulsed the enemy in both. At Cumberland Church, only two days before the surrender at Appomattox, Ma- hone's men and G. T. Anderson's Brigade of Georgians, captured an entire brigade of Federal troops with their officers and colors. Virginia lias reason to be proud of Mahone's Brigade,, with its five regiments of Virginia soldiers, the 6th, 12th, 16th, 41st and hist. One-third of them eame from Norfolk county, inefuding the two cities, while Princess Anne, Nansemond, Southampton, Lie of Wight, Sussex, Greenville, Chesterfield and Petersburg furnished the rest. One company iron, Richmond, the Grays, was in the 12th Regiment. 286 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. The following members of the 6th Regiment were present with the command at the surrender at Appomattox, April 9th, ISOo : Colonel George T. Rogers. Major Robt. B. Taylor. Adjutant Alex. Tunstall, Jr. Surgeon T. P. Temple. Assistant Surgeon J. T. Wilkins. 'First Lieutenant and Ensign G. E. Ferebee. Ordnance Sergeant Henry W. Hill. Hospital Steward J as. L.Y). Butt, COMPANY A. 1st Sergt, Win, 11. Wliitehurst, Private Israel Ingram. Corporal Jas. Costen, Ivy Lee, Stokely Dyer, Jehu Shrivel \\ Private Wm. Gr. Arthur, Michael Snyder, A. F. Beekner, Benj. F. Wyatt. Thos. I). Frith, COMPANY B. Captain Wm. F. White, Private B. C. Davis, Sergeant John W. Moore, Wm. A. Ellison. Private John A. Bartiott, Wm. Warden. P. P. Dauglitrey, COMPANY O. Sergeant Lemuel Pumphrey, Private John H. Shepherd, Private Peter M. Gayle, Geo. W. Turner, Ed. A. Johnston, John YV. Wray. Jos. Sigman, company n. Captain John P. Ludlow, Private Thos. S. Adams, Lieutenant E. II. Flonrnoy, Francis Morris, Sergeant Wm* II. Swift, " Coo. T. Wiles. Eobt. Moreland, COMPANY E. Captain Euclid Borland, Private Win. Wvnn, Sergeant Henry Ashburn, Jas. Holland, Corporal John Smith, S. J. Xelms. COMPANY F. Lieutenant Jno. S. Cornick, Private John T. Dawes, Sergeant John C. Corn to, Geo. E. James, Corporal W. T. Brock, Southey Mills, Private John E. Absok-m. Elias A. Parsons, Jas. GL Braithwait, Wm. If. Seneca, Wu;. T. Brewer, Cary Williams, U. W. Capps, Henry E. Whitehursf, THE SIXTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 287 COMPANY G. Lieut. Duncan Robertson, Jr., Private Richard Hopkins, Corporal Chandler W. Hill, Edward Kerr, Kobt. A. Archer, E. II. Robinson,. Forage Master G. K. Goodrich, Geo. M. Todd, Private Daniel A. Beacli, J. J. Ward, Thos. A. Hardy,' Wm. X. White, COMPANY II. Captain Thos. A. Gateh, Private Jas. W. Phaiip, Corporal -John Bbiifanti, John R. Sampson, Private R. D. Bryant, Wm. S. Stubbs, Geo. E. Lewis. E. H. Willard, Benj. W. Martin, Jas. E. Warrington, liob't. Q. Metts, COKPANY I. Captain Jno. S. Whitworth, Private Tlios. W. Browder, Lieutenant K. J. Mann, B. II. Fuqua, Serjeant W, D. Craig, Parker Ilardgrave, Corporal Robt T. Conway, Abner Seymour, Tiros. Wormack, Dev'x Montgomery, Private J. D. Brockwell, Edward W. Perkinson, Win. E. Browder, Win. M. Walthall. COMPANY K. Captain David M. Goode, Private A. A, Ford, Lieutenant T. A. Williams M. W. Ford, Musician (Las. Fisher, Josbua Moseley, Courier Jas" B. Goode, E. T. Osborne, Win. 11. Pinchbeck, C. E. Dancette, Private Win. H. CruTehtiekl, J. B. Wilkinson. Total com missioned officers , 17 Non-commissioned stall" 2 Enlisted men 90 109 It will be seen from a comparison of the above list with the rolls of the Xorfolk companies in the regiment, that there are some names here which, are not on the company rolls, Those names are men who joined the regiment after it left Xorfolk, and not being Xorfolk mem were purposely omitted. Some of them were conscripts ami some volunteers. \ i . . . CHAPTER XXXIX. THE NORFOLK JUNIORS. COMPANY H, TWELFTH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. This company dates its organization back to tlie year 1802 and was therefore the oldest volunteer organization in Norfolk before the war. It took part in tile war of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain, and was on duty in the vicinity of Nor- folk. It was on duty with the other Norfolk companies on the night of the 19th of April, 1861:, when the powder in the maga- zine at Fort Norfolk was seized and a guard from the company was placed on the schooner James Buchanan with the powder, and accompanied it to Richmond. The officers of the company at that time were : Captain, F. F. Feign son. First Lieutenant, Alex. F. Santos; 2d Lieutenant, Jno. Holmes ; 3d Lieutenant, Joel C. "White. First Sergeant, Henry C. Woodhpnse ; Sergeant, ¥m. P. Ash- ley ; Sergeant, Robt. J. Barrett; Sergeant, Chas. L. Beale. "First Corporal John R. Robins; Corporal, John Baldry ; Cor- poral, Luther Walker; Corporal, James Gray. There were also ninety-rive privates mustered into service, mak- ing the total effective strength of the company one hundred and £vven. On the morning of the 21 st of April, Van day after the United States authorities set tire to the GospOrt Navy Yard, the company was sent there, and with two tire engines, assisted in subduing the ilames, and on the 29th was ordered to Bousles Bluff to assist in building a battery at that point. The company was at Bousirs Bluff on the 19th of May, when the Monticello made her attack upon the battery at Seawell's Point, and a de- tachment under command of Lieutenant Holmes was sent down to reinforce the garrison. The men fought with the deliberation of veterans, and were highly complimented in the official report of Captain Golquit, of the Columbus, G-eorgia, Light Guard, who commanded the post, A full account of this affair will be found in chapter XXXI, ante. Upon the organization of the 12th Virginia Regiment, the Ju- niors were assigned to it as Company II, but remained on detached service at Boush's Bluff until the evacuation of Norfolk, on the 10th of May, LS02-, when it joined the regiment in the entrenched camp near Xorfolk. and was carried by rail to Petersburg. The J ardors carried from Norfolk, in it.s ranks, more men than any other company from that city, and its losses were heavier than ai /■ other. One Company, the. Boa--, was recruited after the. evaeiw tion and became a larger company than the Juniors, but the men 28S NORFOLK JUNIORS, CO. II, TWELFTH VA. EEGT, 289 were not with it at the evacuation. In April, "18(12, there was a reelection of officers and a reorganization of the company, and an entire change was made in the roll of the eoinmissioned officers. All of the original officers were dropped and the following were elected : Captain, Thomas F. Owens. First Lieutenant, Henry 0. Woodhouse ; 2d Lieutenant, Clias. Uashiell ; 3d Lieutenant, Chas. L. Beaie. First Sergeant, Win. IL Ramsey. Captain Owen? was wounded at the second battle of Manassas, August 30th, 186% hut recovered, rejoined the company and was with it until the end. Lieutenant Woodhouse was captured at Germanna Ford on The 29th of April, 1803, was subsequently' ex- changed, rejoined the company and received a wound at Shady Grove, Slay *t\\, 1864, which so disabled him that he was notable to again be with the company. lie was still in hospital when the army surrendered at Appomattox. Lieutenant Dashiell was wounded and captured at Orampton (rap, September 14th, 1S#2, was exchanged, rejoined the company, but was unlit for duty and was discharged on the 5th of April, 186-4. Lieutenant Beaie was wounded at the battle of the Crater, July 30th, 1804, but re- mained with the company and was killed on the 19th of August, at the battle of Davis' Farm, on the Petersburg and Weldon rail- road. Orderly Sergeant Ramsey was wounded at the second bat- tle of Manassas and died from his wound in a hospital. After the death of Lieutenant Beaie, Sergeant John F. Sale was elected lieutenant, and was mortally wounded at Hatcher's Run, Febru- ary 6th, 1865, and died February l3t.h. The company was very unfortunate in its commissioned officers, for of the five whom it had after the evacuation of Norfolk, two were killed and the three others were wounded, two of these receiving wounds which inca- pacitated them from further service. Before the evacuation of Norfolk a number of the members of the company were transferred to other commands, and their names will appear with those organizations. .Privates Charles Reynolds and Jesse Knight got into a difficulty with some members of the 3d Alabama Regiment, in Norfolk, on the 12th of July, 1861, and were so badly wounded that they were discharged as unlit for further military duty, and Thaddeus S. Cray was detailed on spe- cial secret service for the government, and subsequently appointed master's 'mate in the navy. CM the ninety-two men who left Nor- folk with the company, thirty found graves on the battle fields of Virginia and never returned. The record of the company was good all through the war. Ft participated in the following en- gagements, or was present in hue of battle : Seaweirs Point, May .1 9-2 1. 'b5f. Oak Grove. J,mie 25th, js<;2. Seven Bines, June 1st, ls»;2, Malvern Hill, July 1st, 1804i3 290 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Second Manassas, August 30th, North Anne Eiver, May 21-23, 1802, 1804, Cramptoit Gap, September 14th, Hanover 0. II.-, May 28th and 1S62, 20th, 1864, Sharpsburg, September 17th, Atlee Station, June lsfc^ 1804, 1862, Cold Harbor, June 2d and 3d, Fredericksburg, December 13th, 1S<>4, 1 562, Turkey Ridge, June 4th to loth, Zoah's Church, April 30th, ?63, 1804, McCarthy's Farm, May 1st, '63, Frazier's Farm, June 13th, '04, Chaneellorsville, May 2d and Wilcox's Farm, June 22d, '04, 3d. 1863, Gurley House, June 23d, 1804, Salem Church, May 3d, 1803, Crater, July 30th, 1804, Gettysburg, July "2d and 3d, Davis' Fai*m, August 19tb, '04, 1803, Reams' Station, August 25th,'04, Bristoe Station, October 14th, BurgessrAIiIl, October 2Tth,'04, 1563, Bieksford, December 9th, 1804, Mine Fun, December 2d, 1803, Hatcher's Run, February 6th, Wilderness, May 6th, 1864, 18(55, Shady Grove, May 8th, 1804, Amelia C. IF, April 5th, 1805, Spotsylvania C. If., May 12th, Cumberland Church, April 7th, 1864, 1805, Appomattox Court House. April 9th, 1S65. The first battle of importance in which the company took part was Seven Pines, June 1st, 1S02, and from that time until and including the second battle of Manassas, fought August the 30th, it lust eleven, men killed. In addition to the thirty members of the company from Norfolk who lost their lives, two men who joined when the regiment was around Petersburg;, were killed. They were William Spencer', from near Richmond, and Christian. In addition to the battles enumerated above, in which the com- pany was engaged with the regiment, it had quite a serious affair of its own on the 19th and 20tb of June, 1802. The company was sent by itself on a scout down the Charles City road, near Fiehmond, for the purpose of ascertaining1 the position of the enemy, and while on that duty had a spirited engagement with the enemy, in which it had two men, T.lios, L. Connor and John Carlon, killed and a number wounded* General Mahoiie's report of the battle of Malvern Hill compliments the 12th Virginia -1 Reg- iment; very 'highly, and his report of the Chaneellorsville battle says : " The enemy's cavalry advance on the Fly's Ford road made its appearance, and after a precipitate advance upon our picket,-, (capturing several)' he subsequently came upon our rear guard, the }'2i}\ Virginia infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Field commanding - was repulsed so effectually a;, to leave us free from any further NORFOLK JUXIORS, CO. //. TWELFTH YA. REGT. 29] i annoyance during our cliaoge oi position,, and further on lie says " the 12th Virginia, LieuteTiairfc-OoIoiiel Field commanding, for its rigid and eiKeient resistance to the superior foree of the enemy white covering the formation of our line of battle on the turnpike Friday, May 1st, deserves high commendation." On many other occasions the conduct of the regiment was very highly compli- mented. At the battle of the Crater, July 30th" 1864, "in which Mahone's Brigade achieved one of the most hrilHant victories- oi the war, the 12th Regiment carried about one hundred and fifty men in the fight, of whom twelve were killed and twenty-six wounded. Of these two of the killed and three wounded were in Company H. The following men left Norfolk, May 10th, iS02, with the com- pany : Captain Thos. F. Owens, 'wounded August 30th, 1802, 2d Manassas, sur- rendered at Appomattox. First Lieutenant Henry C. WOodhonse, captured April 29th, 1863, exchang- ed, wounded May 8th, 1804, at Shady Grove, Second Lieutenant Chas. Dashiell, wounded Sept. 14th, 1862, Crampton Gap, discharged April 5th, 1864. Third Lieutenant Ch as. L. Beale, wounded July 30th, 1804, ('rater, killed Aug- 19th, Davis' Farm, First Sergeant Win. H. Ramsey, wounded Aug1. 30th. 1802, 2d Manasasand died in hospital. Second Sergeant Luther Walker, captured Sept. 14th, 1862, wounded May 2d, 1804, Spotsylvania C. E. Third Sergeant John R. Baldrv. wounded July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill, killed July tiUrh. 1864, at; Crater. Fourth Sergeant John F. Sale, promoted Lieutenant Oct., isr,4. wounded Feb. 0th, 1805, at Hateher's Hun, and died Feb. 12th.' First Corporal Geo. T. Keet'e, wounded June 2.1th. 1862, detailed Courier Aug. 25th, 1803. Second Corporal S. F. Jordan, promoted Sergeantv wounded Aug. 19th, 1864, Davis' Farm, surrendered at Appomattox. Third Corporal John M, Dashiell, d+ed in hospital, November 4th, 1802, Winchester. Fourth Corporal E. \V. Shelton, wounded June 25th, 1862, and Aug. 19th, 18G4, Davis' Farm. Musician Win. Gale, discharged Aug. 25th, 1804. PRIVATES. Atkinson, Junius A. Anderson, ChasV, transferred to linger Battery May 1st, 18G2. Be\V, Geo. TV., wounded An^. 80th, 18(52; 2d Manassas. Bunge. F.. wounded June 1st, 1862, Seven Pines, died June 2othin hospital, Richmond. Buis, John II . Braithwait, Thos., promoted Corporal. 'killed Julv 1st, 1862. at Malvern Hill. Bryan, Fred. P. Brockett, Win., appointed Engineer in Navy May 1st, 18G2. Brownley, Win. M., surrendered at. Appomattox. Bracey, Geo., wounded Aug. HOth, 1862, captured Sept. 14th, 1862, and never rejoined the company. Charlton. Jos., died hi hospital Dee, L-Itli. 1862, Lynchburg. Cusiek. Thos., killeil June Isfe, 1862, Seven Pines. 292 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1&G1-5. Charlton, Gary, killed Sept, 14th, 1862, f'rampton Gap, Connor, Thos. L,. killed June 10th, 1802, (diaries City Road. Carrol;, H. W., wounded May 8th, 1864, Shady Grove. Carlon, John, killed June 20th, 1802. Charles City Road. Connor, J antes. Carter. John B., captured Sept. 14th, 1802. Dozier, Thos L. Davis, Thos. II., wounded Aug. 30th, 18.62, 2d Manassas, and died Oct. 31st in Warrenton. Davis, Win. II.. surrendered at Appomattox. Diggs, James, discharged July 2yth, 1802, overage. Dobbs, Andrew J., surrendered at Appomattox. Dashiel, F. S., discharged July 20th. 1862, over age. Edmonds, Wm.; wounded April 29th, 1863, Germanna Ford. Fitzgerald, Win. PL, wounded July 1st, 1.862, Malvern Hill, appointed Mas- ter in the Navy Get. 7th, 1863. Gray, Jas. R., killed June 1st, 1862, Seven Pines. Grifiin, A. J., wounded July 30th. 1864, Crater. Griffin, John, died in hospital July 6th, 1862, foehmoncL Harris, Wm., surrendered at Appomattox. Hall, John 1'.. transferred to Huger Battery May 1st, 1862. Jaines, Wm. E., wounded Any;. 19th, 1864, Davis' Farm, died Aug. 25th. Johnson, J. Cave, transferred from Company I), May 1st. 1862, surrendered at Appomattox. Kelium, W. P. M.. wounded July 1st, 1802, Aug. 80th, 1862, and disabled and discharged. Lovett, Edward J., wounded and captured October 27th, 1804, at Burgess' Mill. Lewis, Thos. J. Lewis. Wm. killed Aug. 30th, 1802, 2d Manassas. Longworth, James, captured June 22. 1804, Wilcox Farm. Lufsey, Jas.. surrendered at Appomattox. Moore, John A. Marks, 11. A., died in hospital, June 27th, 1802. Richmond. Moreland, Jas., killed May 12th, 1804, Spotsylvania C.:H. Moreland, Thos., died in hospital, Sept., 1804, Richmond. Mayer, 'Lewis, killed July 1st, 1862, Malvern Hill, Murray, Jas. T., wounded July 30th, 1864, at Crater, and Aug. 30th, 1802, at 2d Manassas: Mayer, Wm., discharged July 17th. 1802. disability. McXamara, John R., detailed 1863 to work for Government. Norfleet, Nathaniel, discharged for disability. Norwood, John W., surrendered at Appomattox. Xuimaly, E. J., wounded August 30th, 1802, killed July 2d, 1803, Gettys- burg. Owens, Wot. T.. captured Sept. 14th, 1802, exchanged and detailed in Gen. Anderson's Pioneer Corps. Peed, YV. A., captured Sept, 14th. 1862, detailed on ordnance duty Mare!; 3d, 1863. I Randolph, N. B., captured Sept. 14th, 1802, exchanged and died in hospital 1863, in Fredericksburg. Randolph. R. G., captured Sept. 14th. 1802, exchanged and surrendered at [ Appomattox. Rogers, John M.. wounded July 2d, 1803, at Gettysburg*. Robinson. John R.. promoted Sergeant, killed Aug. 30th, 1802, Manassas. Rose, J. H., detailed as Teamster. Shepherd, John S., discharged for disability. Simons, ( reO. W. Stone, Wm., wounded Aug. 30th, 1 s02, Manassas, died Sept. ■16th'. Scribner, -las. P., killed Me;. i2t.h, 1864. Spotsylvania C. H. Shipp, Josiali P., transferred to Company G, 1802, wounded May 6th, 1801. NORFOLK JUNIOIlS, CO. If, TWELFTH VA. REGT. 293 Simeoe, Augustus, discharged Aug. 30th, LS62, overage, Taylor, Wiii. E.. appointed Hospital Steward Nov. 6th, 1862. Tompkins, E., killed Aug. 80th, 1862, 2d Manassas. Vadeii, W. L.. wounded aeeidentalh', 1862. White, Caleb D., promoted Corporal, wounded May Gth, 1861, at the Wil- derness; Williams, Thns. T.. died in hospital, 1862, Richmond. Walker. Win. H., wounded and captured Aug. 19th, 1864, Davis' Farm. Ward, Mathias, captured .sept, 14th, 1862, wounded Slav 12th, 1861, cap- tured Oct. 27th, 1864. Wilkinson, Samuel D., wounded Aug. 30th, 1862, Manasas. Wilkins, Henry II., wounded May 12th. 1864, Spotsylvania C. K. Woodhouse, W. Sv, wounded Julv 80th', 1864, at Crater, and died August loth. Williamson, John T.. captured Oct. 27th, 1864, Burgess' Mill". White, Win. .}.. raptured C>et. 27th-, 1864, Burgess' Mill, White, J. J. P.. captured Sept. 14th. 1862, surrendered at Appomattox. White, Ed. J., killed July 30th, 1864. at Crater. Whitehurst. Leveo. Killed and died— 30. The company surrendered one commissioned officer and eigh- teen enlisted men at Appomattox Court House. The following is the list : Captain Thus. F. Owens, Private E S. House, Sergeant S. F. Jordan, *Js>. Hough, Private *W". J. Branch, J. C. Johnson, Win. M. Brownley, J. W. Liifsey, ¥m. II. Davis. "J. W. Manning, *A. A. Delbridtrej J. W. Norwood, * Jos. Delhrid-re, K.J. Randolph, *-lRobt. Belbricfee, *T. W. Rawlins, A. J. Dobbs, J. J. P. White. Win. Harris, * Joined the company after it left Norfolk. CHAPTER XL. THE ATLANTIC ARTILLERY, EIGHTEENTH VIRGINIA BATTALION, HEAVY ARTILLERY. This company was organized and uniformed by Captain J. Hardy Hendren, and mustered into service on the 9th of March, lSb*2, in Norfolk, with the following officers : Captain, J, I lard y Hendren. First Lieutenant," Win. C. Marrow; 2d Lieutenant, W. Roy Bbberts; -Sd Lieutenant, John EL Sale, Jr. Fimt Sergeant, Beverly K. Taylor. Lieutenant Marrow was- promoted to Quartermaster in the Army of Northern Virginia and Lieutenant Roberts was assigned as A. A. G. to the stall of General Pemberton, commanding the batteries around Richmond. First Sergeant Taylor was promoted to Lieutenant. When the company was mustered into service, it was ordered to the entrenched camp near Norfolk, and was armed with muskets. It remained there until the 7th of May, when it was ordered to Petersburg and attached to the 18th Virginia Battalion Heavy Artillery. After a stay of three or four days the company was sent to Richmond, and assisted in building earthworks and mounting heavy guns. Is remained in the batteries around that city until the close of the war. with an occasional expedition to head off raiding parties of the enemy's cavalry. It was sent to Gordonsville with General Fit/.hugh Lee's Cavalry against Stone- man's raid ; was in the trenches in front of Richmond when Kil- patrick came there with his troopers on the 1st of March, 1804, and at the battle of Drury's Bluff, on the 16th of May, 1804,. par- ticipated as light artillerists, having charge of a battery of five field piece-. In the fall of 1804, the company was sent down to Chafh'ns' Farm, and remained there, facing the enemy in Fort Harrison until the evacuation of Richmond by the Confederates, in April, 1S05, when it fell back with the troops under General Ewell, and took part in the battle of Savior's Creek. It was ex- tremely fortunate, and, though always ready for service, escape*! the battles and dangers to which most of the other troops were exposed. It lost only one man killed in battle, and four died in hospital from sickness. The following were the casualties in the company : Charles Ptnkham, killed at Savior's Creek. W. A. Griffin, died in hospital, Richmond. Armistead Llaagiiton, died in hospital, Richmond. Nathaniel Wiikins, die* '.in hospital, Richmond. James Young, died in ' ospital, Richmond. havM M'athias, wounded at Savior's Greek. J. W. Buchanan, wounded at Savior's Creek. 294 i ATLANTIC ARTILLERY, EIGHTEENTH VA. BATTALION. 29o I ■ Below will be found a list of the men who left Norfolk with the I company: Captain J. Hardy Hendren. first Lieutenant V. in. G. Marrow;. Second Lieutenant W. Roy Roberts. I Third Lieutenant John II. Sale, Jr. First Sergeant Beverly K. Taylor. Second Sergeant Judson Hendren. Third Sergeant Henry Thompson. I Fourth Sergeant David Mathias. Fifth Sergeant Annistead Haughton. Sixth Sergeant TIjos. C. Joyuesv First Corporal Samuel Gordon. Second Corporal John M. 'Wells. Third Corporal Thos. R. White. Fourth Corporal Win. Leary. - PRIVATE?. Ashton, Win. Higgins, John II. Thompson j David S. Butt. Niemeyer. Kisk, Richard; Totten, Samuel. Buford, Jabez. Krouse, John II. Taylor, John G. Buchanan, J. W. Lambert, Henry. Timberlake, David. Callis, Wiu. LeDoyne, John II. Thaver, Stephen B. Dozier, Tully F. Mathias, Henry B. Vellmes, John A. Evans, Arthur. Patterson, John II. Winslow, Joseph. Flannigan, Fletcher. Piukham, Chas. Whiteburst, Nathan. Griggs, (reo. D. Richardson, Win. Williams, James M. Griffin, W. A. Scott. Robert. Wilkins, ^Nathaniel. Harris, Abrahani M. Sharpley, John J. Young, James. CHAPTER XLL THE UNITED AIITILLEKV, COMPANY A, NINETEENTH VIRGINIA BATTAL- This company was composed of most excellent fighting material and was commanded by as cool and determined a soldier as there was in General Lee's Army, and, though always ready to respond to the call of duty, and though the men were exposed to danger and death oii numerous occasions, an over-ruling Providence seemed to watch over them, and their casualties were insignificant. One man was killed in battle, one killed by accident; andonedied in hospital from sickness. Five were wounded. The company was organize] in Norfolk several days before the burning of the Xavy Yard by the Federal forces in April, 18.61, but at-'the beginning of hostilities was not uniformed or armed. It was called into ser vice on the 19th of April, to take part in the capture of the powder in Fort Norfolk. A detail was made to capture the gunner. Mr. Oliver, to prevent him from signaling to the Xavy Yard, what was being done. The detail sent to capture Mr. Oliver was under command -of Lieutenant \V. Carter Wil- liams, and the rest of the company landed at the wharf at the fort, in barges The officers of the company at that time were: Captain, Thomas Kevill. First Lieutenant, James E. Barry; 2d Lieutenant, Wm. Carter Williams ; 3d Lieutenant, Thaddeus E. Eisenbiess. The company took its name from the old United Fire Com- pany, of which most of its men were members. A long habit of contending with the flames had inured them to dangers, Y\>'>i\ being mustered into service the company was stationed at Fort Norfolk and was furnished with muskets, and also was placed in charge of four light gnus and drilled both as infantry and artil- lery. They also had charge of a battery of heavy guns, so that, during the year the company was at Fort Norfolk, the men be- came experts in all branches of the service except the cavalry. In July, 1861,' Lieutenant Williams was elected Captain of a company from Princess Anne county, which was attached to the Oth Regiment as Company B. Lieutenant Eisenbiess was pro- moted to 2d Lieutenant and Edward Lakin was elected 3d Lieu- tenant. Upon the organization of the 41st Virginia Regiment o infantry the United Artillery company was attached to it as Com pany L. When the iron- dad Virginia. (Merrimac) was ready for service it was found that lie lacked thirty-one men of having a Full crow, and Captain Kevill was applied to for volunteers to make up the 296 UNITED ART., CO. A, NINETEENTH VA. BATTALION. 297 deficiency, but the men were act grilling to serve under the com- mand of the naval officers and declined to volunteer unless one of their own officers was on board the ship to take charge of them. Tins was reported to the Secretary of War and by him commu- nicated to the Secretary of the Xavy. and the result was that the services of the company were accepted, with Captain Ivevili as their commander. The Captain then called for thirty-one volun- teers, and the whole company stepped to the front. Selecting thirty-one men whom he thought best qualified, by physical strength, to do the heavy work which was required of them, he reported to the Commandant of the Navy Yard on the 7th of March, 1862, and was assigned, with sixteen men, to one of the 9-inch broad- side guns, During the engagement the fifteen other men were distributed among guns which were short in their crews. During the second day's engagement, the 9th of March, a piece of metal was knocked off the muzzle of the gun, but the men continued to load and lire it until the close of the battle. The next time the ship went down to Hampton Roads Captain Keyill was again with ins men, but on the third trip. May Sth, Lieutenant Lakin hud command of the detachment. Two men belonging to the company, A. J. Dal ton and John Capps, were wounded by mus- ket halls coining through the port holes in the first day's battle, March 8th. On the 10th of May, 186S, before sunrise, the company was marched from Fort Norfolk to the entrenched camp and placed in charge of a battery of hoaw guns, and remained there until early in the afternoon, when it was marched to the Norfolk and Petersburg railroad depot in Norfolk and took the cars for Pe- tersburg. Ft remained eight or ten days on Dunn's Hill, near the city, when it was sent to Richmond and ordered to report to Col- onel Ehett, commanding defences of the city. While the United Artillery were in Petersburg and General Pee was making ar- rangements to defend Drurv's Bluif from the anticipated attack of the Federal iron-c-lacls, lie wrote to General linger, command- ing the Department of Petersburg, that the battery was a very important one. that it should be well defended, and jecommended that the United Artillery company be sent there, lie told Gen- eral linger that he understood this was one of the best companies in the service. Upon reporting to Colonel Rhett the company was assigned to two two-guh batteries or redouts, one on each ^i(\e of the Virginia Central railroad, ami in two days built plat forms for thai gains, mounted them and built a magazine. The guns were mounted on heavy army carriages. The company remained in this battery until after the battles around Richmond, when it was moved to battery No. S and attached to a battalion commanded by Major Atkinson. Shortly afterwards it was detached from. Major At- 20 . 298 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. kinson's command, ordered to Drary's Bluff, and still attached to the 10th Battalion of heavy artillery, reported to Captain S. S. Lee. Subsequently Major Frank Smith, of Norfolk, became commander of the battalion and was killed on the retreat from Kiehmond to Appomattox. His battalion was on both sides of a road, and each mistaking' the other for the enemy, began firing, and in endeavoring to stop it Major' Smith was killed. The com- pany remained in the battery at Drnry's Bluff until the IfVth of May, 1804, when as an infantry company it took part in the bat- tle iougl it there that day. InJune, 18(34, when. Butler's troops were driven back to the lines of Bermuda Hundreds by Pickett's Division the United Artillery Company was sent to the Hewlett. House and took charge of a fortification known as Battery Dantz- ler, after Colonel Dantzler, of the 22d South Carolina Regiment, and when Bu tier bewail. digging the l>!nvh Gap Canal the com- pany was moved to Battery Wink], in front of Dutch Gap, where it was constantly engaged shelling the enemy's working parties. Here it took it- place regularly with the other troops on the lines, taking its txwn at picket duty as an infantry com- pany, but still manning the heavy guns. During the interval between the battle of Seven Pines and the Seven Days' battles a detachment of the company, under com- mand of Lieutenant Barry, operated a heavy gun which was put upon a railroad flat car, protected with iron, on the York Paver railroad, but it did not prove very effective, On account of the dif- ficulty in moving it along the track towards and from the enemy, While at Drurv's Bluff the men frequently volunteered to take part in naval expeditions winch were gotten up by Captain John Taylor Wood and other officers to cut Out detached vessels of the enemy. Lieutenant Parry's health broke down in the winter of 1864-5, and he became unable to do duty. Therefore, by the advice ot the post surgeon, which was concurred in by Captain Kevill, he tendered hi.- resignation and was discharged from toe company. In September, 1864, Lieutenant Lakin received an appointneae in the Navy, and Daniel Knowles was elected Lieutenant. Lieu- tenant Eisenbie.--s was killed in l>n\'> by an accident upon tie Kiehmond and Petersburg railroad. Upon the evacuation ot Richmond the United Artillery formed part of the forces under General E well, and under the command of Captain Kevill par- ticipated in the battle of Savior's Creek, where it had one man hilled and three wounded. Thus it happened, xevy singularly. that the company met with casualties only in its iirst and last en- gagements with the enemy. The following is a list of its losses Lieutenant T. E. Kwenbiess, killed accident-ally, 1863. John Belote, died in hospital at Drury's I Huff. Emauuet Lacoste, killed at Savior's Creek, April otic 1865. UNITED ART., CO. A, NINETEENTH VA. BATTALION 290 i John T, IBulloek, wounded at Baylor's Creek. Feed. S. Clarke, wounded at Savior's Creek. John Capps, wounded on the Virginia, March 8th, 1862. A. .). Dalton, wounded on the Virginia, March 8th, 1852. fclezpMah Wells, wounded at Savior's Creek. A. C. GriswoM. captured August Oth, 1804-, at Hewlett's. George Smith;, captured August 6th, 1864, at Howlett's. Eugene Solomon, captured August Oth. 1864, at Howlett's. A. J. Dalton recovered from his wound received on the Virginia (Merrimac) ami was transferred to a cavalry company in Morgan's F>n^,'adL>, was wounded and captured at Dublin in 1864, in the tight with Crook's and t Averili's cavalry. Below will be found the roil of tlie company: Captain Thos. Ivevill, First J lieutenant J&ntfes E. Bany. Second Lieutenant Thaddeus E. Eisenbiess. Second Lieutenant VV. Carter Williams. Second Lieutenant Edward Lakin. Second Lieutenant Daniel Knowles. First Sergeant Adam Baum. Second Sergeant Fayette F. Porter. Third Sergeant W. F. Coston. Fourth Sergeant Richard Kelson. Fifth Sergeant XV. II. Cosby. Sixth Sergeant TT. II. Carr! Ordnance Sergeant John T. Bullock. First Corporal Alphonse M. Bullock. Second Corporal John Carstaphan. Third Corporal John Gillis. Fourth Corporal Geo. J. Allen. Musicians Eugene Solomon and JCmanuel Lacoste. PRIVATES. Applewhite, A. Cook, Edward.. [Etchings, Ed. T. Albright. Chas. W. Coloima, W. B. Hundley, Jas. Bell, Miles K. Chestnut, Nicholas. Hoggs, Geo. W. Burns, W. A. Cain, Richard C. Hogan, Eugene. Belote, John. Cornell. J. R. Jones, John W. Betts, W. M, r Duke, W. F. Kevill, John ?. . Bisby, Henry T. Duncan, Jas. Knight, Geo. Bowers, Geo. Dalton, A. J. Land, Geo. W. Baker, Wra, Diggs.; Wra. J, Lovely, Geo. Bisby, W. J. Deane, John. Lawrence, David. Bunting, John, Dudley, Wm. F. Murray, John T. Black, John T. Fisher, Chas, McCarty, Neal. Capps, John. Fowler, John. Planning, A. J. Croker, llufus K. Flvnn, John. Mars, John. Clarke, Alex. Gnswold, A. C. Murray, Geo. Clarke, Fred. S. G-lemmu, We Maloye, Jack. Cameron, Chas. Georgan, Michael. Morris, John. 300 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Miller, Redman. Rollins, "Win, Stokes, Jas. Parker, Geo. Reid, Chas. Snider, John, Pitt, W. P. Seultatus, Geo. Sharp, Chas. Robinson, F. J.. Solon, Thos. Scott, AYvait W. Richardson B. A. Smith, Geo. Thompson. Geo. Rhea, Geo.'W. Smith, John D. Wells, Ilezckiah. The official muster roll shows the following members of tli United Artillery Company who were surrendered and paroled a Appomattox Court House : Captain Thos. Kevili. Second Lieutenant Adam Banm. First Sergeant John T. Bullock. Sergeant Alphons© Bullock. Sergeant Wni. F. Coston. Sergeant John Gillis. Corporal George J. Allen. Corporal M. Georgan. PRIVATES. Arm. Colonna. Win. Morgan. Geo. Seultatns. Win. Dudley. Redman Miller. Jas. Stokes. J. IF. Dean-. John Morris. John Stare. Jas. Duncan. John P. Kevili. (too Thompson. John Fowler. Win. P. Pitt. John Thomas. Chas. Fisher. Geo. T. Parker. R. 0. Yaughan. John Flvnn. F. J. Robinson. Jas. B. Yarboronsrh. Geo. Land. Chas. Reid. At the surrender the company was classed as unattached. CHAPTER XLIL YOUNC^S HARBOR GUARD, THIRTEENTH VA. ARTUJ.KKY BATTALION. This company was raised in the latter part of April. 1861, by Gap- tain John J. Young, as a heavy artillery company, and was re- cruited principally in Norfolk, a few of the men being from Nor- folk county and Portsmouth. Captain Young uniformed the company at ins own expense, and also contributed* out »>r in & L> n- vate funds,towards the erection of an earthwork at Bouslfs Ululf. to which point the company was ordered immediately upon its organization, for the purpose of throwing up fortifications. The work was armed with 3*2 -pounder ship gnus from the navy yard, and Captain Young fired the first shot at the enemy which was fired in this vicinity. On the 18th of May, .1861, the steam U\z Kahukee landed a force of workmen at ^eawell's Point for the purpose of building fortifications there, and was chased back to Korfolk by tec steamer Monticello, which fired a shot at her. As soon as i\>c Monticello came within range of Captain Young's guns lie sent a thirty-two pound shot at her, which had the effect of stopping her course, and she turned about and steamed towards Hampton Roads. Complaint having been made to General linger that Union sympathizers in the vicinity of Norfolk were in the habit of com- municating with the enemy at Fortress Monroe, Captain Young's Company, being composed of seafaring men. was changed into a company of Harbor Guards, whose duty it was to patrol the lower harbor at night, and for that purpose was furnished with four large launches, each armed with a boat howitzer, and also a num- ber of small boats. The men were armed with muskets also. The officers of the company were : Captain, John J. Young. First Lieutenant, John K. Winder; 2d Lieutenant, Henry Rob- erts ; 3d Lieutenant. John Lewis. The company entered upon their new duties in July. 1801, and their work was performed very satisfactorily, and what had pre- viously been a source of information to the enemy was yery effec- tually stopped. Anoccasional " intelligent c ►ntraband " succeeded in making In- escape to the Federal lines, but those escapades be- came yery rare ami very risky. The company remained at Boush's Bhitf until the 10th of May, 1S62, when Norfolk was evacuated by the Confederate forces. Early tbat morning, the tug J Lb White, which was under orders of Captain ^ onng, and i mployed in hi- department, lauded so#ne stores at OotisITs Dluif lor the company, and instead of returning 301 302 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. to Norfolk, steamed past the Seawall's Point batteries and kept on to Fortress .Monroe. The captain and. owner of the tug was a Northern man. and the Confederate authorities very unwisely re- tained him in charge of it. The information which he conveyed to the enemy hastened the movements of the Confederates. That afternoon at '2 o'clock, the men in Captain Young's Company em harked in their barges and rowed past Craney Island to Fig Point and up die Nansemohd river to Suffolk, where they destroyed their boats, placed their howitzers on the ears and carried them U> Riehmond. The Virginia (Merrimae) was lying near Craney Is- land, and her presence there deterred the Federal vessels from making any effort to interfere with the boats while they were being rowed Up Hampton Roads towards Pig Point, Upon arriving at Richmond the company was sent to Chaffiirs Blufi, on James river, and attached to the 13th Virginia A rtillerv Battalion, under Major V\r. II. Gibbs, and remained there until the summer of 1S63, when it was sent to Harper's Ferry, and met the army returning from Pennsylvania. It returned to Richmond as guards fur the prisoners captured in Pennsylvania, and was again stationed in the fortifications near Port Harrison, on Chaf- iin's farm. When Butler advanced from Bermuda Hundreds in 1804, the company was moved over to the south side of James "river with its. four howitzers, and took parr in the battle of the lGth of May, It then returned to Chaffin's farm, and was there oil the 29th of September, 1861, when the enemy captured Fort Harrison, which was garrisoned by only one company. This com- pany, with a small handful of troops, made a very gallant stand against Butler's Corps, and held the rest of the lines until rein- forcements arrived. When the company was in the fortifications around Richmond. its name underwent a change, and it became known as Young's Howitzers, h did service also at Dutch Cap for a short while. and upon the evacuation of Richmond, was attached to the tn>. Ma- under General CustU Lee. and took part in the battle of Savior's Creek, just before the surrender at Appomattox. Captain Young's health failed in 1S63, and he was granted a sick leave. Lieutenant Roberts resigned August 25th, 1S&3, and was appointed a Lieutenant in the Navy, and Lieutenant Lewis resigned June 2Uth, Iso-L Sergeant John C.Murray was elected Lieutenant July 4th, 1804, and in 1865, Walter Young was pro- moted to First Sergeant. The following were the casualties of the company. Those re- ported prior to February 28th, iSf>5, are from the official reports of the commandinc officer, those since that date have been >u\> plied from the recollections of the survivors, but may be relied upon as correct : YOUNG'S HARBOR GUARD, THIfiTEENTFl VA, A XT. HAT. 303 Corporal Ezekiel Taylor, died in hospital Sept, 1.2th, 1^0-J, Richmond. Corporal Andrew Edmonds, died in hospital .April 1st, 1864, Richmond. I Private John Crockett, accidentally shot himself and died Oct. Gtli, 1862. Private Win, E. Etheredge, died in hospital Nov. 25th, 1HG2, Richmond, j Private James Gilbert, died in hospital April 5th, 1864, Richmond. Sergeant John F. Jtii.-hard.-oa. supposed killed at Sa.\ lor's Creek, April. 1865. Private Ed. E. Holt, died in hospital March 17th, 186;i, Richmond. Servant Walter Young, wounded at Savior's Creek. Corporal John Sadler, wounded Savior's Creek. Private Thos. Aydlott. wounded Sept, 29th, 1.864. Private John Griffin, wounded Sept. 29th., 1804. Private Jas. Hamilton, wounded Savior -s Creek. Private John Keid, wounded Savior's Creek. Private' lien]. Ward, wounded Savior's Creek. Killed and died—7. The following is the roil of the company for May 31st, 1 S C 2 : Captain. John J. Young. First Lieutenant, John E. Winder, Second Lieutenant, Henry Roberts. Third Lieutenant, John Lewis. First Sergeant, W. H. Pagaud. Second Sergeant, John F. Richardson. Third Sergeant. John C. Murray. Fourth Sergeant, Wm. T rower. Corporals, Ezekiel Taylor, Andrew Edmonds, Geo. Sadler, A mmstus Godfrey. PRIVATES. Ahdell, Jos. Crockett, J no. Kirsh, John II. Allen, Win. A. Davis, Jno. Martin, J no. Aydlott, Thos. Everett, Lemuel. Morrison, Jos. Baker, Geo. W. Etheredge, Win. E. Murphy, Tl m ;.- Benson, Geo. Gilbert, Jas. Robbins, Asher. Conoway, Ed. J. Griffin, Jno. Reid, Jno. Colorma, Geo. M. Hamilton, Jas. Ward, Benj. Colonna. Win. Hansel, Warren. White, Win. Corbett, Thos.II. Holt, Ed. E. „ Wynn, Wni. Curtis, Edward. Ilyller, Thos. Young, Walter. .Detachments from the company took part in several naval boat expeditions. Private Wm. A. Allen was transferred to a light artillery company and lost a leg in battle. Only six men in the Harbor Guard were left at Appomattox. Those were : T. I, Blanton, W. W. Mathews, J. Dorsett, J. T. Pollard. T. R. Gary, W. WMte. At that date the company was not attached to any regiment or battalion. All of the names above except Wm, White were as- signed to the company after it left Norfolk, CIIAPTEP XLIIL THE SIGNAL CORPS. This company was organized by Major James F. Milligan in Norfolk in March, 1862. It was composed originally of men de: tailed for tlje service from other commands, but not being able to supply the requisite number from that source, and the members beins* liable at any moment xc> be ordered back to the companies in which they were enlisted, it was determined to organize the Signal Corps as an independent command, to enlist men regu- larly in it, and to transfer to it permanently those who had been, detailed to it. As the service required men of considerable intel- ligence, its members were selected with care. There were men in the organization from every State from which troops were on duty around .Norfolk. The officers of the command were : Major James F. Milligan, of Norfolk, Chief Signal Officer. Captain — Nathaniel W. Small, of Norfolk. First Lieutenant — Simon C. Wells, of Salem. Second Lieutenant — Douglass C. Cannon, of Norfolk. Third Lieutenant — Joseph P. Woodley, of Portsmouth. First Sergeant — Francis R. Benson, of Portsmouth. Second Sergeant — C. W. Young, of Portsmouth. Third Sergeant— Richard A. Mapp, of Norfolk. Fourth Sergeant— A. G. Milhado, of Norfolk. Fifth Sergeant — Andrew J. Planner, of New Orleans. First Corporal — John Emmefsoii, of Portsmouth. Second Corporal — John C. Saunders, Jr., of .Norfolk. Third Corporal — Edward Pooney, of New Orleans. Fourth Corporal — F. M. flyman, of Norfolk. At the evacuation of Norfolk one hundred and twenty-seven men were on the muster rob, and of these forty-one were from Portsmouth. Their names will be found in the lists of the va- rious companies which entered the Confederate service from that city, and in chapter XXV. After leaving Norfolk the command was moved to Petersburg and there perfected in the code of sig- nals, after which two chains of posts were established, with their bases at Bermuda Hundreds and City Point. One extended up the Appomattox river to Petersburg, and the other up the James river to Drury's Bluff, where it connected with a telegraph sys- tem to Richmond. Later a chain of posts was established down James river to i)[t vicinity of Smitliiield, where a considerable force of the eornpa \y was located under command of Lieutenant Joseph P. Woodley. This detachment was aroimfced, and was also provided with a couple of swift row boats, with which they 304 THE SIGNAL CORPS. 305 j frequently crossed over to tlie north side of James river at nig] it, inside the lines of the enemy, and gathered information of the movements of troops and vessels. In fact, it was to this source mainly that the Confederate Government relied for its informa- tion concerning1 movements of the Federal fleet in James river and Hampton Roads, and of troops near Fortress Monroe. Sev- eral of the members of the corps were afterwards placed on blockade runners, which frequented Wilmington and Charleston for the purpose of signaling the forts, to prevent the vessels from being tired on by mistake. The following men enlisted , in tlie corps in Xorfolk, and, though tit tills late day it is not practicable to separate them, it is believed that ail, or nearly all, of them were residents of that city. All of them lived through the war: Captain, X. W. Small. . ... Second Lieutenant, D. C. Cannon, transferred from Company G, 0th Virginia Regiment. Second Sergeant. A. G. Milhado, transferred troni Company G, 6th Virginia Regi merit. Second Corporal, John C. Saunders, fir. Fourth Corporal F. M. flyman, tranferred from. Company G, 6th Virginia Regiment. PRIVATES. Adams, Win. D. Forbes, Robert A. Marable, Wm. IT. Averett. Thos. H. Greenwood, Fred. Norsworthy, Jos. C. Barnes, V. IL Hastings, Wm. T. Rieks, James R. Polish, Isaac F. James, Wm, A. Seabury, Win. J I. Beach, Win. F, James, "Rowland F. Walldren, Thos. Berwick, Wm. Lathrop, Wm. B. White, Alpheus A. Freer, Geo. II. Lvell, Geo. E. Wiles. Samuel. " Windsor, C. II. Of these the following were at the surrender at Appomattox: Lieutenant I). C. Cannon, Private Geo. H. Freer. Sergeant F. M. II vman. Private Fred. Greenwood. CllAI'TEli XLIV. FTKLD AND STAFF, &C., NORFOLK. Norfolk was represented in the Confederate Army by the fol- lowing field and stall officers: Brigadier General Richard I,. Page, Page's Alabama Brigade. Colonel Thus. J. Corprew, fitli Virginia Infantry. Colonel V. D. Grower:. Gist Virginia Ini'aiury. Colonel VVm. Lamb, 36th North Carolina Infantry. Colonel Edward E. Portloek, Jr., 21st Arkansas Infantry. Colonel A. W. Starke, commanding artillery. Colonel Francis Mallory, 55th Virginia Infantry, killed at Chaneellorsville. Lieutenant Colonel John S. Saunders, Battalion of Artillery. Lieu ten ant-Col one] Walter II. Tavlor, Adjutant General on staff of General Robert E. Lee. Lieutenant-Colonel Henry W Williamson, 6th Virginia Infantry. Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Sinclair Cunning-fum, 10th Alabama infantry. Major Edmond Bradford. Inspector; General and Mustering Officer Huger's Division. Major James F. Mill'igan, commanding Independent Signal Corps and * Snouts. Major Francis Smith, Heavy Artillery Battalion, killed April, 1865, on the retreat from Richmond. Major Wm. E. Taylor, Norfolk Infantry Battalion and General Gwynn"- staff. Major Robt. P>. Taylor, 0th Virginia Infantry. Major John Saunders Taylor, Provisional Army C. S., killed atSharpsburg. Major Richard C. Taylor, Artillery Battalion. Major Robertson Tavior, Adjutant General on General Mahone's staff. Major C'has. B. Duffield, Adjutant General on General Wise's sta.fi. Captain W, W. Chamberlaine, staff of General Walker. Chief of Ordnance 3d Corps A. X. Va. Captain John I). Myrick, A. A. G. Loring's staff. Adjutant YV. A. S. Taylor, 6 1st "Virginia Infantry. Adjutant Alexander Tuiistaii 6th Virginia Infantry. Adjutant W. T. Walk". 30th Virginia Cavalry Battalion. Captain Robert G. Portloek, A. A. General Pagan's Cavalry Brigade. Captain Richard Wallce, Ordnance Officer, General Mahone's staff. Lieutenant Isaac Walke, Ordnance Officer, Fiezhugh Lee's Cavalry Division, killed at Woodstock August, 1804:. Brigadier General Richard L. Page, was born in Norfolk and entered the United States Navy as a. Midshipman on the 1st of March, LS24, and passed through too intervening grades to that of commander, which position he occupied at the beginning of j the war, having been promoted on die 1 -kh of September, LS55. Ills last duties in the United States Navy were as commander of the sloop of war Gennantown, on the East India Station. Upon the secession of Virginia he resigned his commission in the United Stmes Navy and wis appointed in 'the Virginia Navy, and suhse- cptently transferred to the. < onfedenite Navy. He was tm.dutv at the Gosport Navy Yard the tirst year of the war, and after the 306 FIELD AND STAFF, NORFOLK. 307 evacuation of Norfolk, was assigned to the command of the naval depot at Charlotte, NV 0. From Charlotte he was transferred to Mobile, and on the 7th of March, 1$64, was appointed Brigadier General in the Confederate army, ami assigned to the command of Fort Morgan-, at the miter defences of Mobile Bay. liis bri- gade was composed of tire 21st Alabama Infantry, 1st Battalion Alabama Heavy Artillery, 1st Battalion Tennessee Heavy Artil- lery, five companies of the 7th Alabama ( 'avalry and a portion of the 1st Regiment Alabama regulars, He was in command of Fort Morgan on the 5th of August, 186H, when the Federal tleet, under Admiral Fanagnt ran by it, and succeeded in sinking one monitor, the Teenmseh, with a torpedo, and a wooden gun boat, the PhillipjSi, with Ids batteries. On. the Oth of August the Fed- erals landed a force of infantry and began a regular investment of Fort Morgan, arid after a very gallant defence, in which his guns were all dismounted and his ability to resist any longer had ceased, he surrendered the fort on the 23d. His garrison amounted 1<> about four hundred men, and they very bravely seconded his ef- forts to hold the fort, which was really untenable after the tieet had succeeded in passing it. Colonel Teos. J". Corprkw was in the volunteer service of the State before the war as captain of one of the Norfolk companies, and at the beginning of the war was appointed by Governor Letcher, Lieutenant-Colonel of the 6th Virginia Regiment. Upon the promotion of Colonel Win. Mahone to the command of the brigade, lie became Colonel of the regitnent. He was not re- elected at the reorganization of the regiment in May, i.S-62. Colonel V, D. (tronek, from early youth, evinced a fondness for a military life, and was an officer in one of the volunteer com- panies of .Norfolk before the war. At the beginning of hostilities lie received an appointment in the Adjutant General's office in the Confederate States War Department, but desiring to take a more active part in the straggle which was going on, accepted the position of Lieutenant-Colonel of tire 4th North Carolina Cavalry in the summer of 1802, and was actively engaged with the enemv in the Black-water River section. His command drove back several gunboat expeditions, and had a successful engagement with Spiers' Cavalry, driving them hack and capturing a number of prisoners. »- Regiment, by the officers of the regiment. He was severely wounded at the battle of Spotsylvania "Court House, May 12th, 1864, and did not rejoin the regiment until August, and, while still on crutches, commanded it at the battle of Davis' Farm, August 19th; His wound, however, corn peliedhkn to again retire and he was not able to rejoin his command until just before the retreat from Petersburg, Me commanded the regiment at the battles of Amelia Court House and Cumberland Church and sur- 308 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1SG1-5. rendered at Appomattox. He was in command of the regiment in the following battles also: Fredericksburg, Chaneellorsville, (May 1st. 2d and 8d) Salem Church, Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, Wilderness, Spotsylvania C. 11., Davis' Farm, and numerous other si ! uiller engagei n en ts. Colonel Wm. Lamb was quite prominent in polities, though young in years, before the breaking out of the war, and entered into that straggle at its beginning, as Captain of the Woodis Iiiile- men. lie took part in the engagements at SeawelFs Point, May 19th and 21st, 3 SGI, between the shore battery and the United States steamer MonticeUo, and Ins conduct was xvry highly com- plimented by Captain Colquit, commanding ttepost. Having re ceived authority from the Secretary of War to raise an indepen- dent battalion, of which the Woodis Riflemen was to be one of the companies, he went t«:> work in Princess Anne and Norfolk counties and raised two companies, but the Secretary assigned the Woodis Riflemen, to the 6th Regiment as Company C, and his Princess Anne Company to the same regiment as Company B. Not relishing this treatment. Captain Lamb resigned, and was ap- pointed by the Governor of North Carolina to the position of Colonel of State troops, and was assigned to duty on the staff of General Joseph R. Anderson, commanding in that State. When the 32d North Carolina Regiment was organized Colonel Lamb was elected its colonel, with headquarters at Fort Fisher, at the entrance to Wilmington harbor. His command extended for twenty miles north from Fort Fisher, and was really that of a Brigadier General. When Fort Fisher was captured, January 15th. 1S65, Colonel Lamb was severely wounded and fell into v.\l' hands of the enemy. He was appointed a Colonel in the C. S. Provisional Army, and his promotion to Brigadier General had been approved by General Lee before the end came, while Colo- nel Lamb was in prison. Colonel Alexander W. Starke was an office!" in the Marine Corps, IJ. S. Navy, at the beginning of the late war, and was at- tached to the sloop of war St. Marys, on the East India Station. The ship returned to the United States in March, l$C)% landing at San Francisco, whereupon he resigned his commission, came through tiie lines without being captured, received an appoint- ment as Captain in the Confederate army and was assigned to ordnance duty. He was subsequently promoted to Major, Lieu- tenant-Colonel and Colonel of volunteers, and assigned to the command of a battalion of artillery. His command varied frou five to eleven companies, and did general service. He wa* slightly wounded at Fort Harrison on the 29th of September, isn't." At the time of the evacuation of Richmond, April 1st, 186^ his command was stationed on the Nine Mm- Road ny.o Seven Pines, lie fell back with General Ewell's Division, vvii in the battle of Savior's Creek, foil back towards Appomattox, FIELD AND STAFF, NORFOLK. 309 * and surrendered with the remnant of the arniv en the 9th of j April. Colonel Francis Mallory was a Captain in the United States | army at the breaking out of the war. and received a similar ap- pointment in rise Confederate regular army. Upon i\\o organiza- tion of the 55th Yirginia Regiment he was assigned to it as Colo- nel. The regiment was attached to Hetlrs Brigade of A. I\ IlilPs Division. Colonel Mai lory served gallantly with his regi- ment in every engagement in which it participated until he met his death, on the 2d" of May. IS 63; at Chancellorsville. His regi- ment was a part of Jackson's corps, with which lie made his cele- brated movement to turn Hooker's right, and Colonel Mallory fell in the moment of victory, while leading his regiment in the charge. Colonel Edward E. Portlock, Jr.. was horn in Norfolk, re- ceived a military education at the Norfolk Military Academy, and at the breaking out of the war received an appointment in the War .Departri lent in Richmond, was appointed Lieutenant in the regular army, and at the request of General Roane was assigned to his staff in the tens-Mississippi Department, was elected Lieu- tenant-Colonel and then Colonel of the 24.th Arkansas Regiment, was captured at the fan of Arkansas Lost, but exchanged and recommended for. promotion to Brigadier General. His com- mission as such had been made out when Richmond fell, but did not reach him. He was in a number of engagements, frequently commanding his brigade, but escaped without a wound. Lieutenant- Colonel John S. Saunders was a Lieutenant in the United States array at the beginning of the war, resigned and enlisted in the Confederate army, and was promoted to Major of Artillery. He was appointed to command a battalion composed of Grimes' Battery of Portsmouth, lingers. Battery of Norfolk, and Moorman's Battery of Lynchburg, The battalion was disbanded shortly after the battle of Sharpsburg. Captain Grimes was killed, his men were divided between the two other companies, and Moorman's Battery was changed to horse artillery and trans- ferred to Fitzhugh Lee's Cavalry Division. Major Saunders was [■ assigned to ordnance duty in Richmond and, promoted to Lieuten- \ ant-Colonel. Lieutenant-Colonel Walter II. Taylor was one of the best I known officers in the army of Northern Virginia. At the begin- ■ ning of the war be was a Lieutenant in ''Company F," of Nor- \ folic, hut before the company was regularly mustered into service i received an appointment as Lieutenant in the Provisional Army ; of the Confederate States and was assigned to duty with General Robert E. Lee. He continued with General Lee as his Adjutant Genera] until the close of the war. Was prompt and efficient in th-e discharge of his duties, and enjoyed the eoniidenee of t\\u Com- mander-in-Chief, • After the war ( 'oionel Taylor published an ad- 310 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. mirable work, entitled ki Four Years with General Lee," in which he gave to the world for the first time, from official sources, the great difference in the numbers of the Northern and Southern ar- mies in the various Ixattles in Virginia. Likutcxaxt-Coi.oxki. 11 i:\uv W. Willi a mson was elected Cap- tain of Company ¥ at the beginning of the war and was stationed with itoti Craney Island until May, 18(52. 11 ewas re-elected Cap- tain at the reorganization of the company in April, 1862, and the following month, when tire election was hold for field officers of the 6th Virginia Regiment, to winch his company was attached, Captain Williamson was elected Lieutenant-Colonel, and held that position until the close of the war, 11^ was with the regiment in nearly all of the battles in which it was engaged, and at the battle of the Crater, fought <:»n tile 80th of July, 1804. lost an arm. Majok James V. afnu.n. \x was a First Lieutenant in the United States Revenue Service before the War, resigned on the 17th of April, 1861, and received an appointment in the Virginia navy. lie wa.-^ assigned to the command of the steamer Empire, which was subsequently changed into a gunboat, given a new name and sent to the North Carolina Sounds. Subsequently Captain Milli- gan was transferred to the army, and in March, 186£, under or- orders- from the Secretary o\ War. organized the "Independent Signal Corps and Scouts,'-' and originated a code of signals, in 1863 tire company was enlarged into a battalion of two companies and Captain Miiligan became Major. 1 [is corps was very usefu1 to the War Department in gathering information of the move- ments of the enemy and transmitting it rapidly to Richmond, They picketed James river from Drnry's Bluif to BnrwelLs Bay until Grant crossed over to Petersburg, and made frequent incur- sions into the enemy'- lines in the neighborhood of Newport News and Old Point in search of information. LiEUTENAXT-CoLOXEL A. S. 'Cunningham was a Lieutenant in the regular army, was appointed to a similar post in the Confed- erate army and assigned to ordnance duty, lie was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel of Volunteers, and during the Seven Days battles around Richmond was assigned temporarily to the com- mand of the L>th Alabama Regiment, receiving a severe wound while in the discharge of this duly. Upon recovering from hi wounds he returned to his duties as an officer of ordnance, and later in the war commanded the LOth Virginia Regiment tempo- rarily. Majojr Francis Smith was Commander of the 10th Battalion Virginia .Heavy Artillery, stationed at Usury's Bluff, and upon the retreat from Richmond fell back with. EwelLs Division. Dur ingthe might of April 5th liis ha ft a lion became separated into two parts, and each mistaking tic- other im tlte enemy, began firing. Major Smith endeavored to put a stop to it, hut received a wwunu from which he died. FIELD AND STAFF, NORFOLK. ' 311 Captain Robert (t. Poktlock enlisted in Company F at tlie begiiming of the war and was on duty with it at Craney Island wlien be was promoted to Sergeant Major of the 9tli Virginia j Regiment. After the evacuation of Norfolk he became Captain of the President's Guard and did provost duty in Richmond. Subsequently lie was tranferred to the trans-Mississippi Depart- ment and appointed to a position on the star!' of General Fagan, commanding cavalrv. He was wounded at the battle of Poison Spring and his promotion to Major was approved at the War De- partment, though the war ended before lie received his eommis- • sion. He surrendered with the army in Arkansas after the fail of the ( 'onfederaey. Major Wm. E. Taytjor, though not so commissioned in the Con- federate army, deserve- mention in this connection. Previous to the war the different volunteer companies of Norfolk composed a battalion, of which Major Taylor was commander, and when hos- tilities began and tin- battalion was enlarged into a regiment lie naturally expected to he made its Colonel, but Governor Letcher appointed Colonel Mahone to command it and. offered Major Tay- lor the position of Lieutenant-Coloneb This, however, he declined and withdrew from tlw regiment, lie served for a while on the staff of General Gwynn, commanding the defences of Norfolk, and in that capacity hoisted tlie State flag of the" Columbus Light Guard of Georgia over the battery at SeawellV Point on the 19th of May, 1861, when the Monticello made her attack upon it. Though well advanced in years ami having two grown sons in the army (one of them Major R. B. Taylor, of the 6th Regiment), he was not willing to remain an idle spectator of events, hat enlisted as a private in the Seaboard Pities of Princess Anne county. Com- pany F, 6th Virginia Regiment, and carried his musket until 1S63, when his health and strength broke down ami he was discharged on account'* of old age and physical disability. II is discharge was obtained for him by friends without Iris knowledge. Major Robert B. Taylor was a son of Major Wm. E. Taylor. Lie entered the service at the beginning of the war as 1st Lieu- tenant of Company A, 6th Virginia Regiment, and on the 22d of August was elected Captain of the Woodis Riflemen, Company C. At the reorganization of the regiment, in May, 1S62, he was elected Major, winch position lie held until the surrender at Ap- pomattox. The regiment was a part of Mahone's Brigade, and participated in about thirty-seven engagements, in most of which Major Taylor was present and yet fortunately escaped without a wound. Major John SArxnuRs Taylor was an officer in the United States navy when the wm;- began, but resigned upon the secession of Virginia and entered the Confederate army as a Captain. II*:' was present as an advisory ordnance officer at the battle of Roan- oke Island, and as commander of the heavy artillery in Fort llu- 312 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S61-5 gev distinguished himself in its defence. He was captured with the garrison. He was subsequently exchanged, promoted to Ma- jor commanding a battalion of light artillery, and killed at Sharps burg September 17th, l.Sb'2. Majos Richard C. T a ylok entered the service at the begin- ning of the war as Captain of the Independent Grays, Company II, 6th Virginia Regiment, and was ordered to Qraney Island with his company, but was shortly afterwards promoted to Major of Artillery and ordered to the entrenched camp near Norfolk to command the battalion of artillery which was on duty there, lie was there until the evacuation of Xorfolk, in May, 1>':J. when, after serving a short while on Genera] Mahone's staff, he was ordered to Chairm's Bluff. On the 29th of September, l>iU, General Butler appeared before Fort Harrison, near Chaffiivs 1) hi If, which was at the time without a garrison. Major Taylor hastened there with one company and directed others to follow, but before reinforcements could arrive the attack had been made and the fort carried by assault Major Taylor made a gallant tight with the one company and inflicted a heavy loss upon his assailants, but his numbers were too small for an effectual resist an.ee, He was severely wounded and fell into the hands of the enemy. THT-: MEDICAL COKI'S. Dr. John C. Baylor. Surgeon Camp Winder Hospital. Dr. Richard D. Baguail, Assistant Surgeon ->,l Georgia Regiment. Dr. James D. Gait. Surgeon Pig Point Battery and afterwards with 18th Virginia Infantry. Dr. W. .J. Moore, Surgeon in Charge hospitals at Liberty and Richmond. Dr. Herbert M. Nash, Surgeon 9th Virginia, Surgeon Gist Virginia, and Chief Surgeon Artillery, 3d Corps. Dr. Win. Selden, Surgeon hospitals at Richmond and Liberty. Dr. Robert Sou thgate, Inspector of Hospitals and Medical Examiner-Gen- eral Medical Staff. Dr. T. B. Ward, Surgeon Mahone's Brigade, Oth Va. Regiment. Dr. James 11. Southall. Surgeon Archer's Brigade. Dr. F. A. Walke, Surgeon 4-Gtii Virginia Regiment; QCAKL'EKMASTERS AND COMMISSARIES. A.B.Cooke. Major and Q. M. Southwest and trans. Mississippi Depart- ments. O. H. P. Corprew, Captain and A. Q. "M, Mahone's Brigade. George Chamberlains, Captain and A. C. S. 9th Virginia infantry. J. Wiley Grandy, Major ami Q. M. Army N'orthern Virginia. James Barron Hope, Captain and A. Q. M. Lawton's Brigade. J. Barry King. Captain and A. Q. M. Lighdoot's Battalion Artillery. Joseph Walters, Maj< rand A. Q. M. John W. Moore, Captain and A. O. M, W. C. Marrow, Major and A. Q. M. Army Northern Virginia. Tazewell Thompson Major and Commissary. George. C'. Retd, Car tain and A. Q. M. Colonel Griffin's Georgia Rpgiment (62d.) James V. Leigh Captain arid A. O. M. A* Meade Smith, Major and Commissary Roster's Cavalry Brigade. CHAPTER XLV IN THE NAVY— NORFOLK. Norfolk city was represented in the navy by the following of- ficers, whose residences were in the city at the beginning of tha war. They are arranged alphabetically and not by grade: CAPTAINS. Samuel Barron, John K. Tucker, Wm. C. Whittle. COMMANDERS. Jas. L. Henderson, Chas. F. Mclutosji, C. F. M. Spottswood, Chas. H. Kennedy, Robt. B. Pegrani, Geo. T. Sinclair. Beni. P. Lovall, ' . Arthur Sinclair. R. D. Thorborn, Wm. A. Webb. LIEUTENANTS. Sam'l Barron, Jr., Chas. K. King, Wm. Sharp, Otey Bradford, Patrick McCarrick, Thos. L. Skinner, Chas. Borum, Chas. B. Oliver, John Wilkinson, A. M. DeBree. Win. II. Parker, Wm. H. Ward, Thos. L. Dornin, Henry Roberts, Wm. C. Whittle, Jr., J. Pembrook Jones, Arthur Sinclair, Jr., W. L. Winder. SURGEONS. Geo. Black-nail, F. L. Gait, W. B. Sinclair, Jas. Corniek, Lewis I). Minor, Jno. DeBree, Jr. (asst.) Richard JeiiVy, W. F. MeClenahan, R, J. Freeman, (asst.) PAYMASTERS. John DeBree, Rieh'd Taylor (asst,), L. B. Reardon (assL) .MASTERS. Richard Evans, Jas. W. McCarrick, Wm. B, Whitehead, John R. Gibh.-, Wyndham R. Mayo, Henry Wilkinson, Lemuel Langley, Lewis Parrish, MIDSHIPMEN. II. S. Cook, Virginius Newton, Geo. T. Sinclair. F. B. Dornin, Jas.'W. Pegram, W. H. Sinclair, C. K. MaHory, L. M. Rootes, JoshuaC. Wright, P. II. McCarrick, Palmer Saunders, W. W. Wilkinson, W. B. Sinclair. CHIEF EXGINEEKS. Wm. P. Williamson, Virginius Freeman, 11. A. Ramsey, Engr. -in-Chief, Thos. A. Jackson, Henry X. Wright 21 313 314 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S01-5 A SBTSTAXT KN GIN K MRS. Jas. Carlon, James F. Green, Ghas. W. Jordan. J. T. Poland, E. G. Ilali, John R. Jei.dM.ii, J. M. Freeman, .Jr.. \\ ni. F. Harding John C. Johnson, W. J. Freeman, M. P. Jordan, John T. Tucker. GTT^NERS. Benj, A. Barrom, B. F. Hughes, Stephen Schisano, Crawford Gorniley, E. R. Johnson, BOATSWAINS. W. T. Smith, Peter Tarn MASTERS1 MATES. A. G. Corran, Arthur Freeman. Win. McBlair, Robt. Freeman, Win, IF Fitzgerald, Chas. R. HcBlair, T. S. Grav, " W. W. Skinner. MISCELLANEOUS. Marine Corps— First Lieutenant T. P. Gwinn. Acting Naval Constructor — Wm. A. Graves. Sailmaker — Samuel V. Turner. Total— 98: Killed and died— 5. Captain Sam rE£ Barron was appointed Midshipman in the United States Navy by special act of Congress on the Fst of Jan- uary, 1812, at the age of four years, and made his first cruise to the Mediterranean at the age of eight years, the youngest naval officer afloat. Fie was commissioned a Captain on the 14th M September, 1855, and at the secession of Virginia resigned and was appointed in the Virginia navy. He was subsequently com- missioned in the Confederate navy, and had command of Fort Hatteras in August. 1S61, when it was captured by the Federals. Subsequently he was sent abroad on duty for the Confederate Government. Captain John R. Tuckee made quite a name for himself as commander of the steamer Patrick Henry in the battles of ?i:' 8th and 9th of March, 1862, in Hampton Roads. Fie entered the United States navy on the 1st of June, 1826, was promoted Co mander September 14th, 18.55, and at that grade entered the Com federate navy. lie was promoted to Captain in the Confederate navy for gallant and meritorious services. History has not. done credit to The officers and men on the wooden vessels in that t :t mous engagement in Hampton Roads. The novelty of the iron elad Virginia has served to attract attention to her and away from her equally as gallant and much more exposed companion- Captain Tucker subsequently commanded the Charleston squat. ron and contributed materially towards keeping the Federal sq! •'■'• ron out of that harbor. in Tin: na r v-noufolk. 315 Captain Wm, C. Whittle was horn in 1805, and entered the United Suites navy May 10th, 1820. lie was piomoted to Com- mander August 4th. 1S50, and held that rank at the beginning of the war. lie entered the Virginia iiaw and was subsequently transferred to the Confederate navy. Mis first duty with the Con- federacy was in command of the defences of York river, where he superintended the erection of a- battery at Gloucester Point. He relieved Captain II oh ins in command of the naval station at New Orleans, and was filling that position in April , 1862, when tho Icily fell into the hands of rise enemy. Comm.yxdkk Bknjan!«n P. Loyall entered the United States navy March 5 th, l3-k% and was appointed Lieutenant on the 28th of January, lS5b\ His last duty in the United States navy was oil the sloop-of-w'ar Constellation on the African station. He re- turned home, resigned and entered the Confederate service on the 26th of November, 1861, and was assigned to duty at Roanoke Island with the rank of Captain in the army. He was present and participated in the battle there, and was very favorably men- tioned by Colonel Shaw in Ids official report, and also in the offi- cial report of Major G. H. Hill, who commanded Fort Bartow. Lieutenant Loyall fed into the hands of the enemy upon the sur- render of the island, but was subsequently exchanged. IK served the Confederacy in various capacities', in the line of his profes- sion, and was second in command of the boat expedition under Captain John Taylor Wood, which captured the United States steamer Underwriter at Newberne, X. C., at 2 o'clock a. m. on the 1st of February. 18GL. The Underwriter was manned with one 6-inch rifle gun, one 84nch, one 12-pounder riiie. and one 12- pouhder howitzer. Lieutenant Loyall commanded the second di- vision of boats and was the first to board the vessel. She was captured after a desperate defence on the part of her crew. Lieu- tenant Loyall was promoted to the grade of Commander for gal- lantry on this occasion and was assigned to the command of the iron-clad gunboat Xeuse, on the upper waters of the Neuse river. It was in the attack upon the Underwriter that Midshipman Pal- mer Saunders of Norfolk was killed by a blow on the head from a cutlass. Midshipman H. S. Cook of Norfolk also took part in this engagement and displayed marked courage. After the cap- ture of the vessel she was set on lire by the Confederates and de- stroyed. Commander Charles F. MoIntosh was born on the 24th of October, 1S13, entered the United States service November 1st. 1828, and was promoted to Commander March 2d, 1857. At the beginning of the war he was commanding the Naval Rendezvous at Norfolk, and immediately tenderer! his resignation and entered the Virginia navy. He was ordered to the Naval Hospital Point and superintended the erection of the batteries there. Lie re- 316 NORFOLK COUNTr, 1861-5. niained there, ,as. ■commander of the post, with tlieran.lv of Lieu- tenant-ColoneJ in the army, until April, 1862, when lie was or- dered to New Orleans and assigned to the command of tlie nnfin ished iron-clad Louisiana. While at the Hospital battery Com- mander Mcintosh was very popular with the officers and men of the garrison, his genial disposition, kind heart and thorough fa- miliarity with the working of heavy guns were qualifications which at once won their esteem, and they regretted his departure to another field of duty. The Secretary of the Xayv, Mr* Mai- lory, has been censured for the delay in the completion of tire Louisiana, and also' of the iron-clad Mississippi, hut as a Cougrcs- siona! investigatin>g committee exonerated him from blame, that report will be accepted by the general historians as conclusive, btt-1 there is no reason to question that, though Mr. Mafiory displayed great energy, lie also displayed a lack of judgment. This was fully illustrated in the testimony of Engineer-iri-.Chief William P. Williamson before the committee, page 285. lie says the contract to make the main shaft of the Mississippi was made with the Tredegar iron Works in Richmond, and it required two months for that establishment to make preparations to commence work. while at. the Gosport Navy Yard there were ample facilities for it without any additional preparations. The shafts of the steamer Glen Cove were used for the purpose. Tims, in this particular, two months of valuable time was lost and the vessel wasnot ready when the Federal fleet made the attack. On the 24th of April, 1862, Admiral Farragut ran past Forts Jackson and St. Philip. The Louisiana, with her machinery unfinished, was moored to the bank of the river above For| S.t. Philip. She was covered with railroad iron and mourned sixteen guns. She was under com- mand of Commander Mcintosh, and was also the flagship of Coin - modore Mitchell, commanding the squadron. Farragut ran past her also, arid a large Federal vessel becoming temporarily unman- ageable on account of the disarrangement of a portion of her m a- ehinery, was carried by the current alongside of the Louisiana. Captain Mcintosh, apprehending an attack by boarders, rushes upon the upper deck, followed by a portion of his crew, to repel the anticipated attack, and it was while there that he received I '• death wound. He lingered until the 2St.li, when he died, and on that day, by order of Commodore Mitchell, the Louisiana was sei on fire and abandoned. It looks now as if both of those vessel." would have keen finished and Earragut's Meet defeated had the efforts of the Xayv Department been concentrated upon them tic stead of being distributed where they were not so necessary. Had this been done Captain Mcintosh "might have lived to bav. rendered additional service to tliv Southern cause. In the uark part of i\^ war Secret vr\\ Mallory's efforts were directed maim towards having built in Europe one or more sea-going iron ci ■■ IN THE NA VY-NOR I 'OLK. 317 j to keep the Federals away from the Southern coast, but lie found himself unable to do so, and in a report to Congress, dated .No- vember SQ&h, ISbl. lie said lie w> lias found it impracticable to pur- | chase abroad such vessels as we require, and the Department lias commenced the construction of iron-clad vessels in our own coun- try, and lias stimulated the supplies of coal and iron for this pur- pose." Here is where Mr. Mallory made his mistake. AVhen he finally decided to build the iron-elads at home he found himself without engines fur them arid without iron to cover them, and the .Southern potts were blockaded. Had lie taken advice which was given him early in the war to import armor iron and steam engines before the Southern ports were closet], the results woukl have been very different, and many men whoso lives were lost in endeavoring to defend untenable positions might not have been sacrificed. Commander Robert B. Pegr.vm entered the United States navy February 2d, 1S29, and was appointed a Lieutenant Sep- tember S, 1S41. His last ^erviee in the United States navy was at the Gosport Navy Yard. At the beginning of the war he re- signed and was ordered by Governor Letcher on the 18th of April, 18-61, to take command of the naval station at Norfolk and organize a naval force. He was relieved on the 22d by Commo- dore Forrest and ordered tv superintend the building of a battery at Pig Point, at the mouth of the Nansemond river, and was in command of that post on the 5th of June, when the Harriet Lane made an attar]-: upon it. He was afterwards assigned to the com- mand of the Nashville, with which he ran the blockade and crossed over to Europe. This vessel was originally intended to carry Messrs. Mason and Slidell to Europe, but it was subse- quently decided that they should take another route. He re- turned from Europe on the Nashville, and was a member of the naval court to investigate the el arges against Commodore Tatnall of having destroyed the Virginia un necessarily; In ISO 4 he was in command of the iron-clad Virginia, one of the vessels in the James river squadron at Iviehuiond, armed with two 6 and two K- ineh rifle guns and plated with six inches of armor on \nn- sides and eight inches on her ends, but was never given an opportunity to engage the enemv. Commander \V. A. Webb resigned from the United Statesnavy as a Lieutenant and entered the Confederate service. His first duties with the Confederacy were at Fernandina, Florida, where lie superintended the erection of a number of batteries. He was subsequently assigned to the command of the gunboat Teazer, in James river, and eomm, nded her in the naval engagement in Hampton Roads on the Sth and &th oi March, 1862. On the Ivfth of February, L^lo, lie was ordered by Secretary Mall. ay to take charge of a boat expedition to board the monitors oil Charles- 318 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1SG1-5. ton harbor and capture them or sink them by torpedoes, but nothing came of it, and later he was ordered to command the iron-chid ram Atlanta, at Savannah, On the 17th of Jane, 1863, he proceeded to Warsaw Sound to attack the monitors Weehaw ken and Mohawk, but the Atlanta got immovably aground and was surrendered to the enemy. The Federals sent her to Phila- delphia, repaired damages, and the following February sent her to Fortress Monroe to operate against the Confederates in Vir- ginia. The eighteen Lieutenants whom Norfolk contributed to the Confederate navy rendered efficient service. Lieutenant Thomas L. I>c>.knln was wounded in Battery Bu- chanan, near Fort Fisher, during the attack on that work,in Jan- uary, 1805. He was a Lieutenant on the Chicamauga, but volun- teered to defend the fori and vyorkedlikea private soldier, spong- ing one of the two 7-inch rifle Brooke guns until it burst, lie then transferred his sponge to the other and served until that burst also. He was severely wounded by a piece of shell from the Federal fleet. Lieutenant J. Pembrook Jones served early in the war at Sa- vannah in command of the armed tug Resolute, and was after- wards promoted to command the iron-clad Georgia. In May, 1864, he was captain of the iron-clad gunboat Raleigh, at Wil- mington, and on the 6tfr of that month steamed outside the Cape Fear river and scattered the fleet of hloekaders, but on returning unfortunately ran aground on the liar and the back of the vessel was broken. She proved a total loss. Lieutenant Charles B. Oliver served as a warrant officer on the Virginia, and was promoted for gallant and meritorious ser- vices on that and other occasions. Lieutenant W. II. Parker was promoted to Commander for gallant services. He was in the battle of Roanoke Island in com- mand of the gunboat Beaufort, and also in the fight in Hampton Roads, March 8th and 9th, 1862, in command of the same vessel. His services in the navy were varied and valuable, and in 1804- he commanded the iron-clad steamer Richmond, at Richmond. Since the war he published a book, "Recollections of a Naval 01ficer,,, which lias been regarded as high authority upon the sub- jects of which it treats, it embraces his own personal obserya- j tions. Lieutenant Henri* Roberts was a Lieutenant in Captain John J. Young's harbor guard, and was appointed a Lieutenant in the navy in 1S6L. Lieutenant Wm. Sharp was a Lieutenant in the United States navy and was stationed at the G-osport Navy Yard at f]\e break- ing out of the war and entered t]v-> Virginia navy. He was on duty at the Naval Hospital batteries and also on Cranny island IN THE NA VI— NORFOLK. 3 1 9 in April and May, 1861. In Julyj 1861, he was ordered to INForth Carolina as aid to Commodore Barron, and was severely wounded at the fall of Fort llatteras, April 29th, and fell into the hand.- el . the enemy. He was exchanged later in 1802} and ordered to the Patrick Henry. He was on herd tiring the engagements of March 8th and yth, 1862, in Hampton Roads, and was shortly after- wards assigned to the command of the gunboat Beaufort, and was also on her on the 11th of June, when the Virginia and other Confederate vessels made their second visit to Hampton Roads. In 186^ he was en duty in North Carolina supervising the building of the gunboat j^euse., and when the war closed had charge o-i the nival ordnance steles at QharfestOM;. Li kit ex ant John Wilkinson was promoted, to Commander for meritorious services. His first duty in the Confederate service was rendered in April, 1861, when he supervised the erection of a battery at Fort Powhatan, on James river. In May he was sent to Auuia Creek on similar duty. He eoinnianded the steamer Jackson at New Orleans in 1862^ and was Executive Officer of the Louisiana when Captain Mcintosh was killed, after which he commanded the vessel, lie was captured upon the fall of Xew Orleans, and after being exchanged was sent to Europe to pur- chase a vessel, lie commanded the expedition to release Confed- erate prisoners on Johnson's Island. He commanded several blockade runners, among them the R. E. Lee. He also com- manded the cruisers Chicamauo*a and Tennessee. With this hist vessel he ran out of Wilmington on the 24th of December, 1864, while the Federal fleet was bombarding Fort Fisher, and was at sea when the war ended. Lii-xtenant YV. H. Ward was a Lieutenant in the United States navy, lie entered the service February 17th, 13-19, and was appointed Lieutenant September 9th, 1856, His services in the Confederate navy were va rmble to the Government, He eommanded the boat expedition which removed the troops from Morris1 island, Charleston harbor, in 1664, was second m com- mand of the cruiser Tallahassee when, under Captain John Tay- lor Wood, she made her successful cruise againstthe Federal com- merce, and afterwards was in command of the same vessel under the name of the Olustee, made a successful cruise on her and re- turned safely to Wilmington. He afterwards commanded the Chieamauga at Wilmington and took part in the defence of Fort Fisher, in iFamiary, i ^*>o. From there he was ordered to Rich- mond, was with the naval brigade on the retreat from Richmond, and took part in the battle of Savior's Creek, He was second in command of a boat expedition which left Drury's I half February 10th, 1865, to destroy, wit:i, torpedoes; the Federal iron-elads at City Point, and which failed on account of the treachery of oik; <>t the officers of the expedition. The circumstances of this affair 320 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861- are somewhat peculiar, and are detailed in an article by Master A\r. F. Shippey, of the 0, S. Navy, in Vol. XXL page -1L>. of the Southern Historical Society Papers, It seems that after the fail- ure of Commodore Mitchells squadron at Richmond to engage and destroy the Federal iron-clads at City Point a boat expedition left Drury's Bluff to accomplish that object by means of torpe- does. The expedition numbered one hundred and one officers and men, and was under command of Lieutenant C. W. Read of the navy, with Lieutenant W. II. Ward second in command. The expedition had several boats, mounted on wheels and drawn by mules. It was also supplied with long booms with arrangements at the ends for fastening torpedoes. The plan Was to move at a distance around the left of Grant's army, therein front of Peters- burg, and reach James river in Surry county or Prince George and remain concealed on \\\c shore until an opportunity might present itself of capturing one or more tugs passing up or down the river, then to tit the torpedo booms on them, ascend the river to City Point and sink the Federal iron-clads anchored there. The expedition left Drury's Bluff on the 10th of February, 18***5, and Lieutenant Lewis was sent ahead as a scout to reeonnoiter. He was to rejoin the party at a ford of the Blaekwater river and pilot them from there to the James river. Lewis is said to have been a Northern man, and was at Norfolk at the beginning of the war. He enlisted in the Confederate army and served faith- fully with his company until June 29th, 1S6L, when he was ap- pointed a Lieutenant in the volunteer navy and enjoyed the con lidenee of his brother officers. Everything went well with the expedition for the first three days. Grant's army was successfully turned without discovery, and on the afternoon of the third day, when near the ford of the Blaekwater -the party sought temporary shelter from a severe storm of rain and sleet. While engaged in drying their clothing a voting Confederate soldier made his ap- pearance and informed them that he had just escaped from the Federal lines, whore he had been as a prisoner of war, that Lewis had deserted to the enemy and betrayed the expedition, and was then at the Blaekwater ford with a regiment of infantry, tying in ambush, waiting for their approach*; and that just before he suc- ceeded in making his escape he overheard Lewis and the Federal commander talking the matter over. Lieutenant Read halted hi- command where it was and went forward alone to examine the river and rejoined his men the next day, having ascertained the correctness of the report of the young soldier. The party suc- ceeded in o-etting back to' Drury's Bluff with whole skins hut dis- appointed hopes. Several bodies of Federal cavalry were scour- ing the country in search of them, but Lieutenant Lead suc- ceeded in eluding them. Lieutenant Wm. 0. Whittle, Jr., was an officer in the U. b. m THE NAVY— NORFOLK. 321 Navy and entered the Confederate Navy as Lieutenant, June 11th, 1861. He was one of the Lieutenants on the iron-clad Louisiana under Captain. Melntosi^ at New Orleans, was 2d Lieutenant on the cruiser Nashville, when she sailed for Wilmington under Cap- tain R; 1>. Pegram, and was 1st Lieutenant of the cruiser Slienan- doahj under Captain Waddeli, which destroyed an amount of Federal commerce second only to that destroyed by the Ala- bama. Lieutenant Patrick MoCareigk was captain of the steamer Northampton, plying between Norfolk and the Eastern Shore of Virginia, when the war began, and brought to .Norfolk the first information that the -Pawnee was coming up the harbor to rein- force the Kavy Yard. He volunteered in the navy of the State of North Carolina, and was appointed 1st Lieutenant and after- wards commander of the steamboat J. E. Coffee, which was con- verted into a gunboat, and named the Win-low. While in com- mand of this- vessel he made frequent trips outside of Katteras In- let, and captured a number of prizes-, among them several West India schooners loaded with molassas and fruit. He lost his ves- sel by running on a sunken wreck in Ocracoke Inlet, November 4th, 1S61, just after gallantly rescuing the officers and crew of the French corvette Prony, which was ashore on tin- beach near that place. This was a brave rescue, and was successfully made after the United States fleet had left the Frenchmen to their fate. Captain McCarriek was the recipient of a very cordial letter of thanks from the French Vice-Consul at Norfolk, in Jane, 1861, he was transferred to the Confederate Navy as master, and on the 18th of March, 1862, was promoted to Lieutenant. After the loss of the Wim low he was assigned to the command of the gunboat Seabird, Commodore Lyneh's flag-ship, in the North Carolina sounds. lie was in the naval engagements at Roanoke Island, and Elizabeth City, and fought his vessel until she went to the bottom. lie was captured at Elizabeth City, but, was exchanged, and went out with Captain John Wilkinson from Wilmington as first officer of a blockade runner, and was also with him in the expedition to release the Confederate prisoners on Johnson's Is- land, which failed to accomplish anything through the thought- lessness of one of the Confederate agents, by whose inadvertence the affair became known. SuiiGFox George Blacks a i.i. resigned from the. United States Navy at the begin ning of the war, and was assigned to the charge of the Naval Hospital at Portsmouth, where he died on the 21st of January, 1862, Master Jamks \\ \ .McCa;:i-:!ck was appointed a Master's Mate in the Navy, subsequently promoted to Master, and was recom- mended for promotion to a Lieutenancy, but the close of the war prevented it. He was oil the gunboat Seabird in the battles of 322 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Roanoke Island and Elizabeth City in February, 1S02, and was captured at the latter place. A few days subsequently lie was re- leased on parole and returned to Norfolk. Quite an amusing in- cident occurred in connection with his exchange. Most of the officers captured at Elizabeth City had been exchanged, but Mr. McCarriek still remained on parole, for the reason that the Con- federates had not captured an officer of his grade, Master's Mate, to exchange for him, and when the Virginia (Merrimae) wen! down to Hampton Roads on the Stb of March to tight the Fed- eral fleet, she was accompanied by the gunboats Raleigh and Beau- fort. Attached to the i>eaufoit was Midshipman Chas. K. .Mai- lory, of Norfolk, and as she w®s about to move oil Mr. McCarriek called to/him : "Charley, bring a Yankee Master's Mate back with you so that I can be exchanged for him." When the Con- gress struck her colors, Midshipman Mallory was one of the first to jump on board of her. and seeing a man with the uniform of a Master's Mate on, took him prisoner and transferred him to the Beaufort. The next day, upon their return to the Navy Yard, Mr. McCarriek was on one of the lower wharves in Norfolktosec them pass by, and being noticed by Midshipman Mallory, ami being within hailing distance, that young tar called to him and informed him that 1;" bad brought back a Master's Mate for him. and it so happened that Mr. McCarriek was exchanged for that Y^vy man. Fie afterwards served on the Tuscaloosa, and was Master on the Tennessee, Admiral Buchanan's flag-ship, at Mo- bile. Master Wvndam U. Mayo entered the Confederate service as a Midshipman, oil the Sth of July, LS61. He was at the Naval Academy at Annapolis at the beginning of the war, having en- tered there on the 21st of September, 1800. He was promoted to Master and took part in the defence of Battery Buchanan in Jan- uary, ISOe, as one of the crew of the Chieamauga. Midshipman Chas. K. Mallory was attached to the Beaufort in the battles in Hampton Roads, March Sth and 9th, 1862, and was said to have been the first Confederate to board the Congress, lie lost his life on board the gunboat Chattahoochee in Florida, on the 1st of June, 1S63, when she exploded her boiler. Midshipman Ik U. McCarkick was a son of Lieutenant Patrick McCarriek. lie was attached to the gunboatsTvaleigh andTeazer and died from sickness. Midshipman Palmer Saunders enlisted in Company G, Oth Virginia Regiment, (old Company F,) and was subsequently ap- pointed a midshipman in the navy. He lost Ins life in the cap- ture of the Federal gunboat Underwriter at Xewhorne, on the 1st of February, 1864, from a cut over the bead with a cutlass. Chief Engineer Wit. i\ Williamson entered the United States service October 20th, 1842, and was made a chief engineer March IN THE XI VY— NORFOLK. 32o en- I 15th, 1,815. At the beginning of the war he was the senior . gineer in the navy, and- was appointed Engineer in Chief in the Confederate Navy, a position corresponding to that of Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering in the Tinted States Navy. Chief Exgigeer H. A. Ramsey was Chief Engineer on the Virginia when she had the engagements in Hampton Roads, and was attached to her in that capacity until her destruction by order of Commodore Tatnall. Master's Mate Arthur Freeman was a member of a company of youths in Norfolk, who did provost duty in the city the first year of the war, and upon the evacuation of Norfolk, the com- pany having di-banded. he went to North Carolina and became Orderly. Sergeant of a Company of Junior Reserves, and was on duty at Goldsboro. He was subsequently appointed a Master's Mate in the navy, was stationed at Savannah, and, was with the boarding party which captured the United States gunboat Water Witch in. Ossabaw Sound, on the 3d of June, 1B64. Chief Engineer Yirgtxtus Freemax resigned from the IT. S. Navy and joined the Confederate Navy, was Chief Engineer of the steamer McCrea at New Orleans, and afterwards superinten- ded the preparation of the machinery of the Mississippi and Louis- iana in that city. lie was Chief Engineer of the Palmetto State when Captain Ingraham attacked the blockading fleet off Charles- ton, and was attached to the expedition to release the Confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, which failed because information of it was com eyed to the enemy. CHAPTER XLYT. IN OTHER (!OMMAM»S. There were a largte number of Norfolk men attached to com- mands which were organized in other localities, and on account of the long lapse of time since tire close of the war many of them cannot be recalled to memory, but the author, after diligent search, has been able to rescue the following from oblivion. Me feels, however, that there is an unavoidable omission of many names which should be found here: Burgess, T. J., Sergeant Co. A, 7th Georgia Cavalry. Beiaii, Edward, private (Hey Battery of Lynchburg. Brown, George, private Fayette Artillery, Richmond. Baker. John C, Lieutenant North Carolina Junior Reserves. Broughton, Thos. B.. hospital steward- Bullock, W. H.. private Company F, loth Virginia Cavalry. Biuford, Geo, WV, private Co. 1>. 1st. Virginia Reserves. Canim, RobL J., private New Orleans I adets, killed at Shiloh, April, 1862. Gorprew, John B., private Co. F. 15th Virginia Cavalry. Fletcher, Hannibal, private Company I, 15th Virginia Cavalry. Fatherly, Matthew VV., Lieutenant 8th NTorth Carolina Regiment, Foster, W. E., Major and Ordnance Officer Custis Lee's Brigade, local de- fence troops. Grandy, P. EL, Major 1st North Carolina Regiment, killed at Gaines' Mill. Grandy, A. 11., Lieut. Co. 1!., 8th North Carolina Regiment* Glen nan, M., commissary sergeant of post at Fort Fisher. Ghiselin, Jas. \Y.S private, killed at Shiloh, April, 1862. Harris, Hunter, private Daring's Cavalry. Henderson, Thos. \\\, courier headquarters Army Northern Virginia. Johnston, ('bus. H., courier Gen. [Emberton's headquarters, Johnston, Geo. \\\, Go. 1, loth Virginia Cavalry. Johnston, James V., private Co. F, 15th Virginia Cavalry. Le;gii, Roscoe, private Co. 1, 15th Virginia Cavalry. Martin. Geo. G,, private Co. A, ?Vd Virginia Reserves. Mayer, John F., sergeant Co. A, 3d Virginia Reserves. Marsden, F. C, private Richmond Howitzers. McKenuey, Jas. M., private Richmond Howitzers. Moore, Waiter S., ensign 61st Virginia Regiment. Newton, Thos., private Co. F, 6th Virginia Regiment, killtHlSept.t4lh,lS62, at ( Iramptou Gap. Parks, Marshall, commissioner for Xorth Carolina and special service. Pearce. Frank, private 13th Virginia Cavalry. Reed, Win. (.'., private Co. F, 15th Virginia Cavalry. Rosson, John A., private Go. A, Mosby's Rangers. Rickhow, Wffl. H., purser's steward C. S.Navy, Rogers, V. ". F.. Captain Revenue Marine, detailed with the navy. Smith, Peter, private North Carolina Regtjnenfc. Selden, Wm.. Captain of Engineers C. S. Armv, killed at Roanoke Island. Feb. 8th, 1862. Sharp. John H. . private Otey Battery, Lynchburg. Saunders, Hunter, private Richmond Howitzers. Santos* Alex., private Richmond Howitzers. Todd, VVestwood A., private Co. E, I2t] Virginia Regiment, promoted on i- aaneeofhVer WA-ise-. r'- Brigade bounded Aug. :j'0fh, LS02, at Se< ond Manassas. 324 • IN OTHER COMMANDS. 325 - Turner, Roht. <«,. seaman 0. S. Navy. | Tucker, -iohn S., Captain, lost an arm at Corinth. Taylor, \Ya&hingtou, Adjutant Scott's Battalion, local defence troops, Rich- mond. Thomas, J. WV, Jr., Lieutenant Artillery Corps C. S. A. Walke, W. T., private Co. I. Loth Virginia Cavalry, promoted Adjutant 39th Virginia Cavalry Battalion. Webber, John S>, sergeant Co. A, 38th Battalion Virginia Artillery. Wyatt, .John, sergeant North Garplina Regiment. Williamson,, John G., sergeant Co. A. 3d Virginia Reserves, surrendered at Appomattox. Williams, Wm. Carter, Captain Co. B, 6th Virginia, killed at Chaneellors.- Ville. Worrell. Ed. W., sergeant Co. C. <*>th North Carolina Cavalry. Killed and died — .">. DETACHED ROLLS AT APPOMATTOX. 'The following men belonging to detached commands are recor- ded as haying been paroled at .Ippomattox. FROM NORFOLK COUNTY. B. A. Armistead, Sergeant Company I. 13th Virginia Cavalry. Lloyd Bunting, private Company C, 13th Virginia Cavalry. John T. Griffin, eaptain and assistant civil engineer. Geo. X. Halstead, Assistant Surgeon C. S. Navy. Geo. W. Wallace, private Signal Corps. Wm. rl. Halst'ViI private Signal Corps. FROM NORFOLK CITY. Lieutenant Jos. T. Allyu, attached to ordnance. Assistant Surgeon Richard I). Bagnall, 3d Georgia Regiment. Lieutenant V. E. Goodridge, ordnance duty, Pickett's Division. Captain and A. Q. M., 0. FT. P. Corprew, Mahone's Division. Surgeon F. i.. Gait, C. S. Navy. Chaplain Robt. Gatewood, Starke's Artillery Battalion. Lieutenant Chas. K. King, C. S. Navy. Quartermaster W:n. C, Marrow. Lieutenant B. A. Marsden, Co. D. 1st Ya. Battalion. Surgeon Herbert M. Nash, Artillery, -3d Corps. Private W. It untei'- Saunders,' Pvichni on d Howitzers, General Long's head- quarters. Lieutenant-Colonel John S. Saunders, attached to ordnance. Lieutenant-Colonel A. W. Starke, commanding artillery battalion. Courier John Ei. iSharp, headquarters artillery j 1st corps General K. P. Al- exander. Master's Mate Wm, Smith, C S. Navy. : Surgeon J. H. Southall, 55th Virginia Regiment. Lieutenant-Colonel Walter H. Taylor. Adjutant General, staff of General R. E. Lee. FROM PORTSMOUTH. Tudor F. Brooks, Commissary Department, Ma-hone's Brigade. \V. T. Fentress, Lieutenant Light Ai fcillery, on detached service. Frank T. Poster, private Signal Corps. Xat. C. Gay le, Carpenter G. S. Navy. Leroy C. Godwin, private Signal < 'orps. Wm. R. Hanrahnu, Sergeant ^Signal Corps. Samuel Hoffler, Oni nance Sergeant. Mahone's Brigade. Wm. L. Hatton, private SigTial Cn .■.•-." * J. M. Hudgius, Captain and A. « '. S. 326 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Wiii.'H. Hughes. Lieutenant Lee Battery. John A. Lovitt, Gunner C. S. Navy. Richard B. Levy, private Signal Corps. E. Newton Maboney, private Ih'ehmond Howitzers. Wm. R. Minter, private Naval Brigade. F. M. Moore, private Signal Corps. Jos. T. Owens. Captain "Go. D, 26th Va. Regiment. R. H. "Parker. Assistant Surgeon 32d N. C. Regiment. O. J. Peters, private Signal Corps. .las. Fairish, Surgeon Beale's Cavalry Brigade. Thos. Scott, private Signal Corps. T. J. Savage, private Signal Corps. 0. V. Smith, 4th CorpSral, H<3 Company, Richmond Howitzers. (f. S. Vermillion, private Signal Corps. Luther Williams, private Naval Brigade and Company K, 9th Virginia Reg- iaient. T. II. Win-fieM. Medical inspector Army of Northern Virginia. Jas. H. White, private Signal Corps, E. M. Watts, Surgeon Siinms' Brigade. C. M. Young. Sergeant Signal Corps. . The following anecdote of General Robert E. Lee, which has perhaps nor been in print before, shows how that great leader could preserve his cheerfulness even amid the confusion of disas- ter and defeat. It was the morning after the retreat began from Petersburg; Miss Jennie Riddick, of Xansemond county, Vir- ginia, accompanied by Captain J. T. Griffin, of Norfolk comity, and Rev. \Y. B. Wellwns, a chaplain in the army, were in a cov- ered wagon searching for Miss Riddick's brother, who had been wounded a short time before and sent to a hospital. He was Cap- tain of Company C, 13th Virginia Cavalry, and it was her inten- tion, if successful in finding him, to take him with her in the wagon to prevent him from falling into the hands of the enemy. Presently Generals Lee and Longstreet, accompanied by their re- spective staffs, rode up, and. being an acquaintance, General Lee spoke to Miss Riddick. She asked him the shortest route to North Carolina, and he told her that his intention was to try to get across the river and follow the line of the railroad, and ad- vised her to pursue the same route, then, happening to look into che wagon and noticing Captain Griffin and Rev. Mr. Wellon-. and remembering that North Carolina was U^c Gretna Green for runaway couples from Virginia, a sly twinkle came into his eve as he remarked : "You needn't go there: here are the preacher and the young man convenient, and you can get married rigid here," and calling to a member of his stall', lie said : "Come here, Major, we are about to have a marriage.'.' The marriage, how- ever, did rot corae off. Miss Riddick presented General Lee with a handsome boquet, but he requested her to keep it for him. Mo- mentous events were following each other very rapidly then, and he never had an opportunity to call for the flowers. CIIAPTKK XLYTI. THE FIRST JRoX CLAD THE " VIRGINIA " (mEKWMAG.) No subject of general bitterest connected with the late war has been mure discussed than the Confederate iron-clad Virginia, for- merly the United Start'.- Irrigate Merrimac. and no two descrip- tions of her are said to agree, The author was in a position to know many faets connected with the origin of the vessel as an iron-clad, and. in addition to his own knowledge, lias had access to the original drawings and specifications in the possession of her projector, and is therefore in a position to write advisedly, and. as the vessel svas the result of the inventive genius of Portsmouth and Norfolk marine architects and the mechanical skill of Portsmouth and Norfolk workmen, it is appropriate that her full history and de- scription, together with the circumstances which led to her build- ing as an iron-clad, should be recorded in this work and fully es- tablished in the interest of history, in 1*4^ the United States Government decided to build, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, an -iron steam sloop of war. the Alle- ghany, for the purpose of testing, qu. a I irge scale., a plan of sub- ■ merged propellers, invented by Lieutenant \Y\ \V. Hunter, of tlio navy, and Mr. John L. Porter, of Portsmouth, was ordered there, as Acting Constructor hi the navy, to superintend her building, and, while engaged upon this work, Mrr Porter conceived the idea of an iron-clad vessel which would be able to go to sea and still l»o shot-proof; His plan contemplated an iron vessel, to draw nineteen feet of water, and all of the vessel above the water line and to a depth of four feet below it. was to be of a sufficient thick- ness of metal to render her shot-proof. His idea was that, with the ordnance in use at that time, throe inches would be sufficiently thick for the armor if placed on an incline. Mr. Porter mad.:- copies of his plan and forwarded them to the Navy Department at Washington, with the view of having the Government adopt them, but the times were not far enough ad- vanced for iron-clads, and the Navy Department took no further notice of them than to acknowledge their receipt, but Mr. Porter transferred them to his book of naval designs, which he retained and still has in his possession. The sides were inclined at an an- gle of 15 degrees, and u^p vessel was to cave had a width, over all, of forty feet. The knuckle of the ship was to be two feet below the water line, and her gun deck three feet above that line. The gun deck extended the entire length of the ship, three feet above the water line, and the shield, in which her battery was located, was built in the middle of the ship. The ends beyond the shield 327 328 yon FOLIC COUNTY, 18G1S Were constructed upon the kuiic incline (as to their sides) as the shield, and the deck forward and alt of the shield, was protected with armor plate. The appearance of the vessel upon the water would have been similar to that of the Ericsson iron-eladsof 180:2, except that, instead of the sides of the vessel being perpendicular, they would have been inclined at an angle of 45 degrees, and in- stead of the upright turret amidship, there would have been the shield with inclined sides. The parts were to have been closed with wrought iron port shutters, and the resisting surface was to have been entirely of iron. Mr. Porter showed his plans to Lieu- tenant Hunter, who suggested as an improvement, an iron protec- tive deck, to be built below the pin deck, to prevent a plunging sh> Washington, and appears also in the drawings in his sketch book, it may be seen in the above plan, figure 1. Tins was ten years before England and France began thinking on the subject of iron-elads, and as far as Mr. Porter was concerned, was die result of his own ideas, without assistance from any one. The drawing in his sketch book is arranged with. Lieutenant Hun- ter's propellers attached. Below will he found a cross section of his vessel, token amidship : Wojte? Figure 1— Scale, 1-ineh 15 feet. But, as has already been said, the Xavy Department in 184 1>, was not impressed with the idea of an iron-clad vessel, and Mr. Porter retained his own copy of his plan.-, waiting an opportunity to put them into practical operation. That opportunity arrived at the breaking out of the war between the North and South, but the limited means of construction at the command of the South, compelled him to modify somewhat his original idea, and for want of rolling mills capable of rolling out broad iron plates, he was compelled to use narrow plates and fasten them on a backing oi wood. THE u VIRHI.XLV {MEMUMAC.) 329 Mr. Porter was a constructor in the United State- Navy at the begiiijumj of the war, and up to that time, had superintended for the Government the building of the Allesrhanv, Powhatan, Coii- iiiuole, Pensacoia and other II- stellation, \ utoraao, was stationed at the Gosport Navy Yard in April, 1S61, and wit- nessed its destruction by the Federal authorities, resigned hiscom- mission in the United State.- Navy, tendered his services to Gov- ernor Letcher, and was retained on duty at the Navy Yard. Be- lieving that war was inevitable, and knowing [hat the South was not able to cope with the United States upon the water, his mind reverted to the iron-clad which he had conceived in Pittsburg in 1840, ami he went to work, so modifying it, as to brirtg it within the power of the Southern Confederacy to build, and. at the -nine time, to adapt it to the defence of the harbors of the South. The result was a vessel, the hull of which could be built in a few months, lie prepared his plans and specifications, madedrawinga of the vessel and had a model made at the Navy. Yard. Virginia had not then transferred iter army and effect's to the Southern Confederacy. Below will be found a cross section of Air. Porter's model of 1801. Vl'Vatc, Z<'nne hundred and fifty feel Long on defik and one hundred and forty-four (pet ou the keel ; was forty feet beam at the knuckle and thirty-three feet across the. bottom amidships; She was to have been built sharp at the bow and with Hat bottom. Her draft of water was eleven feet, and she was fitted with a nine foot propeller. Her knuckle was nine feet perpendicular from the bottom of her keel and her water line was two feet above her knuckle, so that the eaves of the vessel were submerged two feet below trie water line. The shield cov- ered the entire length of the vessel, was arranged at an angle of forty degrees, and was made circular at each end. The shield was to have had a thickness of wood and iron, of two and a-half feet, and the ends of the iron, or in other words, the eaves Or knuckle of the ship, were to be two feet below the water line, just as he had planned in his Pittsburg ship. The armament was to consist of six 1 1-inch smooth bore p\v.it. four broadside and one a? each end. The end guns were to be pivot guns and have a range out of three port holes, and the broadside guns were on pivots also, and could tire out of each side. While the bow of the vessel was to be sharp, there- was sufficient llare in her nine feet of depth from keel to knuckle, to take, in the circular end of the shield. Mr. Porters Pittsburg model was built with sides inclined at an angle of forty-five degrees, but the angle of inclination of this vessel was forty degrees. Mr. Porter made this change because the ord- nance in use in 1861 was heavier than that of 1846, and the lower the angle of resistance the greater the ability to resist. With a good engine she would have made seven or eight miles an hour. Mr. Mallory, Secretary of the Confederate States Navy, called the attention of the House Committee on Naval Affairs to the subject of iron-clads before the seat of government was removed from Montgomery to Richmond. England and France were tins- experimenting on the subject, and Mr. Mallory thought it would be desirable for the Southern Confederacy to own one or more"! a sea-going character, but an effort to purchase two such vessels in Europe failed, and nothing of a practical character was done. On. the 22d of June, 1801, Naval « obstructor Porter received or ders to report to the Navy Department at Kichinond. The or- THE "VIRGINIA" (MERRIMAC.) 331 clers did not state the object for which -he was to report, but lie took advantage of the occasion to carry hi.- model to Richmond tor the purpose of submitting it to the Secretary. This was the model he had previously shown to Commodore Parks, and which has just been described. He went to Richmond June 23d (Sun- day), called at the Secretary's office the next day, and showed him his model. The Secretary immediately ordered a board consist- ing of Mr. Porter, Chief Engineer Williamson and Lieutenant Brooke to consider it. Messrs. Williamson and Brooke were at that time in Richmond. Thus far, in this account, the author has been writing of what passed within his own personal knowledge, hut was not at the, meeting of thehboard, and as to what took place there must rely upon the statements of the members of the board, for only those three gentlemen were present and no one bnt them could speak advisedly of its proceedings. The board met on the 25th of ^Juuq, the day after Secretary Mallory ordered it to assemble? ftT1d Mr, Porter's model, which had been in the Secretary's office since the preceding morning, was submitted to it, and, according to the statements of Messrs. Williamson and Porter, there was nothing before the board or considered by it except that model. The hoard decided to recommend the building of a vessel after that plan; and, preparatory to making their report, began discussing the length of time it would take to complete her. Mr. William- son remarked, "It will take at least twelve months to build her engines unless we can utilize some of the machinery in the Mer- rimac." Mr. Porter asked, "Why can't you use it all? I can adapt this model to the Merrimae and utilize her machinery in her." Mr. Williamson replied. "lean." It was therefore de- cided at once to recommend that the Merrimae be converted into an iron-clad. Neither of the members of the board seems to have had any idea of making an ircn-clad of that vessel previous to their assembling. Messrs* Williamson and Porter say the board was ordered to meet to consider Mr. Porter's model, and this statement is borne out by Mr. Brooke's testimony before the Con- gressional investigating committee in February, 1S63. Mr. Brooke says: "The Secretary directed Constructor Porter, Chief Engineer Williamson and myself to meet him in my office here, and this model was examined by us all and the form of the shield adopted." I. p to that time Mr. Porter was the only member of the board who knew t\n^ condition of trie Merrimae or how much of her was left. Mr. Brooke ha 1 no, ^een her since the destruction of the (iosport 2\-<\vy Yard, when she was }>}ir!\e<\ to the Water's edge. She had been raishd by the Baker Wrecking Company on the 30th of May, and Mr. Porter, us Constructor at the Navy \ ard, had her put in the dry -dock and made a thorough examina- 332 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861^5. tion of her. Mr. Williamsons duties were not such as to famil- iarize him with the conditio!) of the vessel, so there is every rea- son to believe their version is correct, and that it was Mr, Porter who suggested that his shield he placed on the Merrinnm. Mr. Brooke says Mr. Williamson first made the suggestion. But, having come to the conclusion to adapt Mr. Porters model to the Merrimac, the board prepared the following report, which they submitted to Secretary Mallory for his approval: Xavv Department, ) BrcipiONi}, Ya.. June 25th, 1S61> ) Sin -- ■ Tii obediruce to your order we hm& carefully examined and considered the various plans and propositions for constructing a shoot proof steam battery, arid respectfully report that, in ouv opinion, the steam frigate Merrimac, winch is in such condition from the effects of lire as to be useless for any other purpose without incurring a heavy expense in her rebuilding, can be made an efficient vessel of that character, mounting ten heavy guns; two pivot guns, and eight broadside guns of l^v original battery, and for the further consideration, that we cannot procure a suita- ble engine and boilers for any other vessel without buildingthem, which would occupy too much time, is would appear that this is our only chance to get a suitable vessel in a short time. The bot- tom of the hull, boilers and heavy and Costlyparts of the engine, being but little injured, reduce the cost of construction to about one-third the amount which would be required to construct such a vessel anew. We Cannot, without further examination, make an accurate estimate of the cost of the projected work, but think it will be about one hundred and ten thousand dollars, the most of which will he for labor, the materials being nearly all on hand in the yard, except the iron plating to cover the shield. The plan to be adopted in the arrangement of her shield for glancing shots; mounting guns, arranging the hull and plating, to be in accord- ance with the plans submitted for the approval of the depart- ment. >, [Signed] Wm. P. Williamson, Chief Erigm-eer. John M. Brooke, LimiUnani. Jo fin L. Porter, jSfaual ( '')c-//"' 7"/ • When it is considered that Mr. Brooke had not seen the Merri mac nor the Navy Yard since the beginuingof hostilities,. that the jSTaval C^onstnictor vas the only member of the board who knew that what was left of the vessel Would carry a shield birgeeuou.^ to cover ten guns, or how much it would cost to make the altera THE "VIJtGINM" {MmitlMAC.) O ») •> 0 o o tions in her hull, and that Chief Engineer Williamson was an ex- pert upon -'the cost of machinery, it would be reasonable to sup- pose that the constructor and engineer preparer] the report, and that the other member of the board signed it through confidence in their judgment, in fact Secretary Mallory took this view of it at the time. On the 18th of July, 1861, he submitted a report to the Confederate Congress, in which he said : *' The cost of this work is estimated by the constructor and engineer in charge at sl 72,. ">:?:', and as time is of the first consequence in this enter- prise, I have not hesitated to commence the work, and to ask Congress for the necessary appropriation." Mr. Mallory totally ignored vi the board,.'1 and took into consideration only the views of the constructor and engineer, tie seems, at that time, not to have considered Mr. Brooke at all, not even in connection with the cost of her ordnance. The report of the board speaks of having considered the vari- ous plans and propositions for constructing an iron-clad, eVc. Messrs. Williamson and Porter say this had reference to whether they would recommend the building of a new vessel after Mr. Porter's model or apply his plan to the Merrimac. "The plans to be adopted in the arrangement of her shield for glancing shots, mounting guns, arranging the hull and plating," were not submit- ted simultaneously with the report, as it was necessary tor Mr. Porter to return to the Gosport Navy Yard and make an accurate measurement of the vessel, so that he could calculate her displace- ment and prepare the plans. Engineer Williamson also went to the Navy Yard to superintend the preparation of the machinery, and Mr. Brooke remained in Richmond. Mr. Porter measured the vessel without assistance from any one, except a laborer to hold the end of the tape line. Having completed his measurements, and calculated for every- thing which was to go in her, he found that he would have suffi- cient displacement and about fifty tons to spare, upon a depth of twenty-one feet, of which nineteen feet would he of her original hull and tliK- remaining two feet would he the distance lie proposed submerging the eaves <>f her shield, but when he drew a line at the height of nineteen feet from the bottom of her keel, he found it cut one foot into her propeller, and this would have decreased the size of her propeller and diminished her speed, besides con- suming time in additional work, lie therefore raised the line one foot at the stern and cut her down on a straight line running from a height of nineteen feet forward to twenty feet aft. so that, when completed, she drew twenty-one feet forward and twenty-two feet aft. This additional displacement increased her buoyancy about two hundred tons and had to he overcome by pig iron, or kent- lege. which was placed on her deck ends and in her spirit room to brink her eaves to the proper depth below rhe water line. 334 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Mr. Porter drew the plans for converting her into an iron-clad, and put on her tlie identical shield which was on his model, and also on his Pittsburg iron clad of 1840* with the exception that he lengthened it out to nearly one hundred and eighty feet, so as to cover all of her deck where there was sufficient width for the shield, and, as he had a width of fifty-one feet on the Meramae, he lowered the angle of inclination of her shield to thirty- five de- grees, The great width of the ship enabled him to do this and still have room under the shield to work the guns. Tins width also made it necessary to have separate guns for each side. Find- ing too, that he had displacement enough to support a heavier armor, he recommended that site be plated with four inches of iron instead of three inches, as originally intended. This recom- mendation was approved by Secretary Mallory, and was carried out in Iter construction. The arraugment of her shield, inside and out, was identical with the plan proposed in the vessel the model of which he carried to Richmond, and which the board was called to consider. The original drawings of both vessels are in the pos- session of the author, and they are identical, except that one was arranged for six guns and the other for ten. The prut holes were about four feet high, with straight sides and circular at the top and bottom. She had no boat davits. Tier boats rested in. chocks on her side> and were hauled out of the water. Mr. Porter completed his drawings on the 10th of July, with- out having consulted any one, took them to Richmond the next morning, and submitted them to Secretary Mallory, who immedi- ately approved them, without re-convening the hoard or calling in the advice or opinion of anyone, and wrote with his own hand, the following order, which he handed to Mr. Porter for delivery to Commodore Forrest, commanding the Gosport Navy Yard : 'Navy Department, ) Richmond, Ya., July 11th, 1861* \ Flag Officer F. Forrest: Sir — You will proceed with all practicable dispatch to make the changes in the Merrimac, and to build, equip and lit her in all respects, areordi no to the [designs and plan* of the C>,>nd>'rn-?<: States Xae-y. Did Mr. Mallory. at tlie time he issued that order to begin work on the vessel, have my doubts as to whose plans he had approved and was ordering to be earned out' Mr, Porter returned imme- diately to the Gosport Navy Yard, appointed Mr. James Meads THE "VIRGINIA" (MERIiBlAC.) 660 Master Ship carpenter,aRd commenced work on the vessel in the dry-dock. The burned part was cut away, and a deck built from one end to the oilier. Inside the shield the deck was covered with plank, on beams, but outside the shield, at both ends, it was built of solid timber, and covered over with iron one-inch thick. Figure 3 represents the shape of a cross section amidship. Y\W> J^nx Figure 3 — Scale 1 inch 15 feet. The ship had only two decks, gun and berth decks, and her boilers and engine remained in their original positions. She was titled with four inch, hammered iron, port shutters on her four quarter ports, but had no shutters tv> her other ports. They were made in two pieces and closed like a pair of shears. She made her first tight, however, before they were put on her. Her rud- der chains were let into the outside i\t'U'i- deck flush under the iron, and passed lip through the shield in pines until they came above the water hue and were then conducted on rollers to the s tee rinse wheel. The shin was 202 feet and 9 inches long from her stem to the after side of the stern post, and from the stem to tin- forward part of th« shield was *2'J feet, 6 inches. From the tiller to tin- after part of the shield was 55 i'e^t, and the length oi the shield was ITS feet, V> inches. The neat length on the gun deck, under the shield, was lt>7 feet, 7 inches. The rafters of the shield were of yellow pine fourteen inches thick, and were bolted together and were placed at an inclination of thirty-five degrees. Outside of this j a course of four-inch pine planks was fastened, fore and aft, and outside of this there was a course of four-inch oak plank placed up and down. All three of these courses of timber were caulked. Upon the outside of tire oak planks was ug'ht inches wide id two placed a course of rolled iron oai inches thick, running fore and aft, and upon this was another course of similar iron, running up and down, the whole securely QQ NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5* bolted, through and through, and held with nuts oil tlie inside. The length of the sides was twenty-four ifvX, and the pefpendicu- lar thickness was twentv-two inc4ies, of wood and four inches of iron, but horizontally, it was about four feet. The deck, or top of the shield, was fourteen feet wide and. was proteetedby an iron grating made of two inch square iron with meshes two inches square. The pitch of the gun deck was seven feet. There were three hatchways in the top grating, with pivot shutters. In the original drawings of the ship ir was contemplated to build a pilot house at the forward part of the shield, to he covered like the shield, hnt Mr. Porter subsequently had two cast iron conical shaped pilot houses made and nut one at each end. These were cast ho] low in the middle and about twelve inches thick, with four loop holes for observations. They were not used by Commodore Buchanan during the engagement in Hampton Roads. lie stood in one of the hatchways above referred to and communicated his orders to the wheeisman from that position. As the Work pro- gressed, Secretary Mallory became very urgent for its speedy conclusion, and on the 19th of August, a little more than a month after it was begun, lie wrote the following order: Confederate States Xavy Department, / Rich mono, August 19th, 1861. \ Flag Officer F. Forrest, Ctnnmahdiny Navy Yard, Gosport: Sir. — -The great importance of the service expected of the Mer- rimac, and the urgent necessity of her speedy completion, in- duces me to call upon you to push forward the work with the ut- most dispatch. Chief Engineer Williamson and Constructor Porter, severally in charge of the two branches of this great work, midf or tvhirh tltey' v:>llbe held personally responsible, will receive therefore every possible facility at the expense and delay of every other work on hand if necessary. S. R. Mallory, Secretary ( 'onfederate States Navy. in order to protect her rudder and propeller from being rim into, Mr. Porter built a heavy, solid deck, or fan tad. extending over them, and it would have been neves^ry to have broken through this before either of thorn could have been reached by a colliding vessel, lie had a cast iron prow, or beak, made, which weighed about 1,.5Q0 pounds. This he fastened on her stem and bolted through it, but the ship struck the Cumberland a glancing blow ami it was broken off. When the beak was put on her Mr. Porter was apprehensive that,. as the ship was not built originally with a view to making a ram i^f her. it would m-* he safe to do so, but Captain Buchanan decided to take the risk, and in nk the Cumberland Without materially injuring his own THE '"VIRGINIA" (MERRIMAC.) vessel. As a safeguard to protect the hull, a course of iron one inch thick was fastened all around her, three feet down from the knuckle. Her armament .consisted of two 7-ineh rilie giths, on pivot, one at each end, with a range 6u-t of three port holes, and eight smooth bore 9-inch I>ahlgren guns of her original battery. The 7-ineh rifle guns were made at the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond under the supervision of Lieutenant Brooke. The ar- mor plate was rolled there also. The gun carriages were mad'.1 in the Navy Vard. In the engagements en the 8th and 9th of March two of Ui:i' broadside guns were injured by having pieces knocked out at their muzzles, and thev were replaced by two C>- inch Mt gmm vrnda at the- Tredegar Works, Bdnch smooth bore ii'\}n>-, but make no men- tion of any 0-iueh rities. Captain Tan Brunt of the Minnesota speaks of the mainmast of that vessel having been struck by a 0-incli riiie shell from the battery at Seawell's Point. The work on the Merriinac was hastened with all possible dis- patch, ana the workmen employed on herevineeda y^'i'y patriotic spirit. She was a novel kind of a vessel, and they felt a pride in her as the invention of a Portsmouth man. and a desire to see how she would perform the duty expected of her, and, in order to expedite the work, the blacksmiths, machinists and bolt drivers signed a voluntary proposition to work until S o'clock every night without extra pay. The following names were signed to the paper: Jas. A. Parmer, M. S.. Samuel Hodges, John Askew, Wiley Howard. Jos. Rickets, 11. Reynolds, Southey Kew. Wen KeynoMs, John J]. Rooke, Joj u Rhea, The,. L. Rooke, Harvey Barnes. Win. T. Putt, Thos. Bloxom, Anthony Putt. Thos. Bourke, Elias Bridges, • E. H. Brown, Wm. Grav, Thos. Guy. Smith laiv. Anderson Gwinn. I Fillerv Hopkins. Wm. Horner, John Currau, Geo, (.aulier, Bam'l. Davenport. rrectenclv bowei Geo. ir, Hen-, Jolm Cain, Michael Connor* John Davis, Alex. Davis, Joshua Dai ley, Thos. Dunn, Lewis Ewe 11. Lawson Trheredge. Miles Foreman, Thos. Franklin, Jas. Fleming Wilson Guy, John ( rreeu, 3o8 NORFOLK COUNTY, hSdl-5. Lawrence Herbert, James Moran, II. Tatem. Henry Hopkins, Patrick Parks, Walter Thornton, Opie Jordan, Jas. Pattison, John West, "Win. Jones, Wm. Perry, Jas. Wakefield, Thos. Kirby. Thos. Powell, E. Woodward, Jesse Kay, Win. Pebworfh, David 'Wiikins, Jas. Larkin, Chas. Snead, Jas. Wiibern, Lemuel Leary, Patrick Shanasy. Walter Wiikins, Wtil Leary, Win. Shepherd, Jas. Watson, Jr., Hugh Minter, John Stokes, Jos. West, Jas. Mitchell, ('has. Sturtevant, John Wilder, John Moody. Wm. Shipp, Edward Wate; Julius XjCoran, Calder Sherwood, Various were tlie comments by visitors and others at the Navy Yard while the ship was in process of construction, and the pre- vailing opinion seemed to he that she was top heavy and would turn bottom tip, ami many spoke of Mr. Porter as a visionary. He says that, among the officers stationed at the yard or ordered to the ship, only one, Captain Fairfax, gave him any encourage- ment, and when she was completed, and lie reported to Captain S. S. Lee, executive officer of the yard, that he would turn the water into the dock the next day and float her. Captain Lee asked him, Seriously: "Mr. Porter, do you really think she will float ?" and the next morning, when the water was actually turned into the dock, the officers present, who were ordered to her, stood upon the edge of the dock to see whether or not she was going to sink. Mr. Porter says Lieutenant Catesby Jones, who was or dered to her as executive Officer a short time before *\kj was com- pleted, was among those who expressed a want of faith in her ability to float, After her engagements on the Sth and 9th of March, 2862, she returned to the Navy Yard and Mr. Porter put her in the dry- dock and mad'.1 a thorough examination of her. There were about a hundred indentations in her armor where she was struck, and of these about, twenty were from t\ui guns of the Monitor. These could be told from the Others by their larger size. Six of the outer plates were cracked and were replaced bv new ones. None of the plates in the under course were broken, nor were any of her timbers injured. No repairs were necessary to be done to them. The broken plates were occasioned by shots from the Monitor. There were numerous shot holes through her smoke stack, which, however, was not carried away. Her iron beak, or prow, was broken off. Tin's was originally made Wedge shaped, projected about two feet from the -nip, and was slanting on top. A new beak was made to replace this. It was made of steel and wrought irom extended back about thirteen feet from the stern, and was securely bolted. The two damaged broadside guns were THE "TIR&INIA" (ME11RIMA&) 339 replaced by two 6-inch rifle guiiSj steel pointed solid shot were made for her guns, and her sides, for three feet below her knuckle, were covered with an additional course of two-inch iron plates placed iij) and down, and the top end clasped over the knuckle, to prevent the starting of the ends of the side armor on the shield from the effects of shot. This additional weight was neutralized by removing a portion of the pig iron which had been placed on her originally, so that her depth of water remained the same as when she made her trip to Hampton Roads on the Sth of .March. Various statements have been published, both from Confeder- ate and Federal sources, as to the injury done the vessel in her engagements in Hampton Roads, but the above embraces ad the injury she actually sustained. There was an almost imperceptible leak in her how where her prow was broken in ramming the Cum- berland, but it really amounted to nothing. Captain S. S; Lee, in his testimony before the Congressional committee appointed to investigate the Navy Department page 281, says: "She was not severely damaged at all. She was not materially injured." The repairs were made by Constructor Porter under Captain Let's su- pervision, and Mr. Porter's notes say that none of her wooden ■backing was broken, that noire of her second course of iron was broken or removed, that none of her first course of iron was knocked off, and only six of those plates were broken. A most inaccurate account of the Virginia was written by Lieutenant Catesby Jones and published in the Southern Histori- cal Society Papers, Xos. 2-?>, Vol. XL pp. f'-o -70. It is unfortu- nate that so many errors should go forth to the world as history. Among other mistakes, he says: First. — " Her rudder audi propeller were unprotected/' The facts are that the fan tail of solid timber which was built out over rhem made them safer than any other portion of the vessel, out- side her shield, and a blow vvh eh would have cut through to her propellar would have crushed in the side of the ship. Second.-— lie says "there were.nmny vexatious delays -attend- ing the fitting of the ship. Many of them arose from the want of skilled labor," eve. The mechanics of Ports month and Norfolk will hardly accept that as correct. Third. — lie says he, "by special order, selected her battery." How could he have done this when her rifle guns were made at the Tredegar Works in Richmond under the supervision of Lieu- tenant Brooke, and her broadside guns were at the Xavy Yard? Her battery had been selected by the board which recommended her conversion into an iron-clad, and was specified in their report of June 2'5'tit, 1861, whi ;U was approved by Secretary Mallory. Fourth.— He says "T le lower part of her shield jforward 'was immersed only a tew inches instead of two feet, as was into! p ie'L"' it was two leet under wafer, covered with ken tlege, which was also under water. : ! | 340 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. Fifth. — lie says "had the lire of the Minnesota, Cumberland and Congress been concentrated on the water line we would have been seriously hurt/' The vessel was as strong at the water line as she was anywhere else. iler shield ran down into the water a distance of three feet and a half below the water line. Sixth. — lie says " the loss of our prow and anchor, and con- sumption of coal, water, Arc. had lightened us so that the lower part of tiit- forward end of the shield was awash." Had he been correct in this the loiv of the ship would have been out of the water, and to have lightened her to that extent would have re- quired the removal of two hundred and seventy -five tons of ma- terial from her in the twenty-four hours she was in .Hampton .Roads. Every inch? hi depth, of displacement on her shield was equal to twenty-three tons, and every inch of her hull, below her shield, was equivalent to thirty ton-. Captain John Taylor "Wood, who served gallantly on her as a Lieutenant and afterwards made an enviable record for himself by hi- deeds of daring in the Confederate Navy, was the author of an equally inaccurate description of the ship. It was published in the Century Magazine of March. 1SS5. fie seems to have accepted Lieutenant .Jones' account as to tin- vulnerability of the vessel at the water line, and the "unpro- tected'" condition of her rudder and propel lor, adopts his mistake as to her drawing 23 feet of water, falls into an error about her pilot house, gives her one more dock than she had, carried away her smokestack in the action of March 9th, and says : "When the ship was in lighting trim both ends were awash." Had this been so her draft would have been only nineteen feet forward and twenty aft, and her eaves would have been even with the water., in reality, however, her ends and eaves were two ix-iji below the water line. The positions occupied by those two gentlemen, and their well known characters, add weight to their publications, hence it is unfortunate, for the correctness of history, that their articles were not given more careful study before publication. But the Virginia proved a success, and though, while her suc- cess or failure was a matter of doubt, no name was connected with her authorship except Messrs. Porter and Williamson ; though the Secretary in his order to Commodore Forrest, directed him to convert into an iron-clad after the plans of Messrs. Porter and Williamson, though in another order to Commodore Forrest he proposed to li old those two gentlemen personally responsible ha the success of their plans, though in an official report to Congress lie referred to then alone in connection with the estimated cost of tin- vessel, though up to that time no name but theirs had been mentioned in official orders from me Navy Depart mens, in public press or in private conversation, yet, when site had demon THE '• VIRGLMA ' ' ( MICE RIM. [<'.) M 1 strated her ability to float and to resist the shots of the enemy, a new claimant appeared for the credit of having projected her. The claim was made in an anonvmotis communication, signed " Justice,'' which appeared in the eolunwis of the Riclimond En- quirer and Richmond Whig of about the 25th of March, 1S6.2, claiming for Lieutenant Brooke fch&t credit. It was subsequently ascertained that the communications was sent to those papers by an employee in Mr. Brooke's office in the Navy .Department. On the 29th of March Mr, E^orter wrote a reply, which he .-nit- mitred to Chief Engineer Williamson for his approval, and then forwarded to tin; Richmond Examiner, in which paper it was pub- lished, lie said in concluding hi:- letter: ,v Of the great and skillful calulatiens of the displacement and weights of timber and iron involved in the planning and construc- tion of t:ii> great piece of naval architecture, and of her present weight, with everything on board^no other man than myself has, or ever had any knowledge. If he has, let him shoio it, for while public opinion said she never would float, no one save myself knew to the contrary, or what she was capable of hearing. After the Merrimae was in progress some time, Lieutenant Brooke was constantly proposing alterations In her to the Secretary of the Navy, and as constantly and firmly opposed by myself, which the Secretary knows. To Engineer Williamson, who had the exeiu- sve control of the machinery great credit is due for having so improved the propeller and engines as to improve the speed of the ship three knots per hour. 1 ne\ er thought for a moment that, after the many difficulties 1 had to encounter in making these new and intricate arrangements for the workihgof this novel kind of ship, that any one would try to rob me of my just merits, for, if there was any other man than myself who had any responsi- bility about her success or failure, I never knew it (except so far as the working of her machinery was concerned, for which Chief Engineer A^ iliiamson was alone responsible.) J<»n.\ L. Poster ( '. 8. N, Goniitruct&r. This letter was submitted to Chief Engineer Williamson and approved by him before it was sent to the Examiner for publica- tion, and Lieutenant Brooke failed to make any .reply to it or to accept the challenge contained in it, to prove his authorship. There seems to be some doubt as to what Mr, Brooke really cmims hi connection with the vessel, but ins testimony before too Congressional Investigating Committee, admitting that the board adopted Mr. Porter's shield and stating t\),i< Mr. Williamson pro- posed putting the shield on the ^ferruWe, would indicate that he had abandoned ail claim as the pn vessel and confined himself to the sul 342 NORFOLK COUNTY, 3861-5. ture, and, though the author has personal knowledge of the fact that the plan of the shield of Mr. John L Porter's froir-clad of 1846, and that of his niod el of 1801, which he carried to Rich- mond, and tlie shield of the Merriirfac were identical, and were submerged two feet at their eaves, and that he conceived the idea and developed it in the drawings and specifications of a vessel. ('which drawings are to this day in his possession), fifteen years before he ever saw Lieutenant Brooke, and, that lie was at the Gosport Navy Yard when he made the drawings applying that shield to the Merrimae, while Lieutenant "Brooke was in Rich- mond: that, in the conception and development of the plan, lie was not aided by any ideas which may have been entertained by that gentleman, still as a historian, Fie has no inclination to sup- press anything which Lieutenant Brooke has been able to advance in support of ins claim. The main stay <>t support which he has, is a report made by Secretary Mallory to the Confederate Con- gress. That report was dated Mareh29th, l>m'2, but was not made public until April 4th, when it appeared in \]\v Richmond press, In that report Mi*. Mallory says: "On the. 10th of June. 1861, Lieutenant Brooke was directed to aid the department in designing an iron-clad war vessel, and framing the necessary specifications, and, in a few days', submitted to tie- department rough drawings of a casemated vessel with sub- merged ends and inclined plated sides, the ends of the vessel and the eaves, to he submerged two feet, and a light bulwark, or false bow was designed to divide the water and prevent it from bank- ing up on the forward part of the shield with the vessel in motion, and also to serve as a tank to regulate the ship's draft. His de- sign Was approved by the department, and a practical mechanic was brought from Norfolk to aid in preparing the drawings and specifications. "This mechanic aided in the statement of details of timber, etc., but was unable to make the drawings, and the department then ordered Chief Engineer Williamson and Constructor porter from tlie Navy Yard at Norfolk, to Richmond, about the 23d of June, for consultation on the same subject generally and to aid in the work. ''Constructor Porter brought and submitted tlie model of a liar bottomed, light draft propeller, casemated battery, with inclined iron covered sides iuuI ends, which he deposited in the depart- ment, jlr. Porter and Lieutenant Brooke have adopted for their casemate a thickness of wood and iron, and an angle of inclination nearly identical. "Sir. Williamson and Mr. Porter approved of tlie plan of hav- ing submerged end? to obtain the requisite flotation and invulner- ability, and tlie department adopted the design, and a clean draw- ing was prepared by Mr. Porter of Lieutenant Brooke's plan, which that onieer then filed with the department. THE " VIRGINIA" {MKURIMAC.) 343 k" The steam frigate Merrimae was hurned and sunk, and her engines greatly damaged by the enemy, and the department di- rected Mr. Williamson, Lieutenant Brooke and Mr. Porter to con- sider and report upon the best mode of making her useful. The result of their investigation was their recommendation of the sub- merged ends and the inclined casemates for this vessel, which was adopted by the department." The following is the report upon the Merrimae. [See ante.] "Immediately upon tin.- adoption of the plan, Mr. Porter was di- rected to proceed with the constructor's 'Pities. Mr. Williamson was charged with the engineer's department, and to Mr. Brooke was assigned the duties of attending to and preparing the iron aiid forwarding it from the Tredegar Works, the experiments neces- sary to test the plates and to determine their thickness, and devis- ing heavy rilled Ordnance for the ship, with the details pertaining to ordnance. "These gentlemen labored zealously and effectively in their sev- eral departments. Mr. Porter cut the ship down, submerged her ends, performed ail the 'Pities of constructor, and originated all of the interior arrangements by which space was economized and he lias exhibited energy, ability and ingenuity. Mr. Williamson thoroughly overhauled her engines, supplied deficiencies, and re- paired detects, and improved greatly die motive power of the vessel. "Mr. Brooke attended daily to the iron, constructed targets, as- certained by actual tests, the resistance offered by inclined planes of iron to heavy ordnance, and determined interesting and impor- tant facts in ednnectidn therewith, and which, were of great im- portance in the construction of the -hip ; devised and prepared the models ami drawings of the ship's heavy ordnance, beingguns of a ela>s never before made, and of extraordinary power and strength. "The novel plan of submerging the ends of the ship and the eaves of the casemate, however, is the peculiar and distinctive fea- ture of the Virginia. It was never before adopted. * * * * We were without accurate data and were compelled to determine the inclination of the plates and their thickness and form by ac- tual experiment. The department has freely consulted the three excellent officers referred, to throughout the labors on the Vir- ginia, and they have all exhibited signal ability, energy and zeal." • This report of Secretary Mallory was made from his recollec- tions of what took place nearly a year before. How he obtained his information of what took place in the meeting of the board of dune 25th, 1861, does not appear, nor does it coincide with the recollections of Mr. Williamson arid Mr. Porter, or with the re- port made by the board, ^r the orders of the Secretary himself to proceed with the work. Memory P act always reliable after a lapse of time. 344 NORFOLK COUNTY, ISVl-d. I First.— -After speaking of Mr, Brooke's efforts to design aniroii clad and his failure fo accomplish anything, even after a practical mechanic had been sent from the Xavy Van] to assist him, lie says : " The department ordered Chief Engineer A\ illiamson and Constructor Porter from the Navy Yard at Norfolk, to Ivich- moud, about the ~:>d of -hiiie (ISG1 >, for consultation on the same subject generally and to aid in the work.'1 It is unfortunate that that order was not found. Messrs. Porter and Williamson denied that they were summoned to con- fer about any plans of Lieutenant Brooke, and the order could have determined the matter if it was among the Xavy Depart- ment records. It was not produced. The 23d of dune, LvSfll, was Sunclav, and the Department was not "open for business'5 on that day. Second.— The Secretary says: "Constructor Porter brought and submitted the model of a Hat-bottomed, light draft, propeller, casemated battery, with inclined iron-covered sides and end-. which lie deposited in the Department. Mr. Porter and Lieu- tenant Brooke have adopted for their casemate a thickness of wood and iron, and an angle of inclination almost identical/' Hence, from the Secretary's recollection of Mr. Brooke's vowjh drawing* they were similar to Mr. Porter's model, then in hi- office, as to the shield of the vessel. Mr. Porters model was tan- gible and practical, Mr. Brooke's "rough drawings " were ideal and imaginative. Can any one draw from this a conclusion that the board directed that the Merrimac be changed into an iron- clad after t!aj rough drawings of Mr. Brooke and not the matured model of Mr. Porter. t Third. — The Secretary says: "Jh. Porter originated all of the interior arrangements, by which space lias been economized, and lias exhibited energy, ability and ingenuity." It seems, therefore, even from the recollections of Secretary Mailory, that Mr. Porter not only carried to Richmond with him a model of a vessel with the Merrimae's shield on it, but he origi nated all of the interior arrangements of the vessel Fourth. — The Secretary says: "Mr. Porter cut the ship down. submerged her ends," ecc. Her ends were submerged, by the Federal authorities who buna I her. There was no submerging of her ends as contemplated iu Mr. Brooke's idea of water-tight tanks to regulate her draft. Sin was built upon a straight line from stem to .-tern. Fifth.— lie says the Department directed Mr. Williamson. Lieutenant Brooke, and Mr, Porter to report upon the best n om of making tfi'e Merrimac useful. The result <»f their iriveshga tions was the reconmiendation of the submerged end's and the. elined casemates for this vessel, which was adopted by the 1 partment/' THE "VIRGINIA* (MRRRIMAC.) 315 Their report, which is published in full in this chapter, contains nothing of that character. It speaks for itself and eontradic^ the Secretary. When the question of the consideration of the Merri- mac was subniitted to the board does not, appear, and all three of the members of the board have stated chat the conversion of the Merrhnac into an iron-clad was purely accidental, and the result of circumstances, not of original design. Sixth. — The Secretary says : " We were compelled to deter- mine the inclination of the plates by actual experiment." The Secretary's memory is greatly at fault here, too. The an- gle of inclination of the plates was marked in .Mr. Porter's drawings when he submitted them to the Secretary at the time the order was given to begin the work, and was not altered, Those drawings are now in the possession of the author, and are an un- questionable proof that the angle of inclination was designed by Mr. Porter, from his own judgment, when he prepared the draw- ings of the vessel, and. not as the result of any experiments marie by Lieutenant Brooke subsequent to that date. The shield was built upon an angle of o5 degrees, just as is delineated in the original drawings which were submitted to Secretary Mallory July 11th, 1S61. Seventh. — The Secretary says: "Mr. Brooke's plan wits adopted by {}}{: Department." Well, suppose the Department did adopt Mr. Brooke's plan, which, up to that time, consisted only of some rough drawings, that plan was not considered by Mr. Williamson and Mr. Porter, and was not in the mind of the Secretary him- self whet) he ordered the work to be commenced on the Merri- mac, for lie wrote an autograph order to Commodore Forrest di- recting him to proceed with all practicable dispatch to make the changes in the Merrimac, and to build, equip and lit her in ail respects occordui >/ to the design* or*d plan* of the Constructor und JuHjJnecr, JA-sv/'.v. Porter ami Williainsmi. These discrepancies between Secretary Mallory's report and cer- tain facts which have been so well established as to become axiomatic, are referred to simply to show the unreliability of an oih- cial report which is based upon memory, without regarding eotempo- raneous documents. Lieutenant Brooke has borne testimony in behalf of Construe- tor Porter. At the session oi ('^n^re^ of 1S02-3 a joint commit- tee of the Senate and Rouse of Representatives was appointed to investigate Mr. Mallory's management of die jNavy Department, and on Hie 2n.tJi of February, bSGo, Lieutenant Brooke testified before the committee. See their published report, page 410. He said : "The Constructor lava: lit with him a model. I should have said the name of the Constructor was J. L Porter. This mod* ! is one )f the models now in the Secretary's room. It consisted 23 o 1 e 6 10 \nn FOLK COVNTT ISfil :•. of a shield and hulk" &e. * ":f uThe Secretary directed Hie Constructor, Chief Engineer Williamson arid my.self to meet him ai uiv office here. We met there and this model was exam ed bv us all, and. the form of the s.hh ]•;,.! ved. j i w considered n good shield, and for ordinary purposes a good boat for Ivarbor defence-."! '::' * * ;iMr. Williamson proposed to put the shield ou the Merrimac, Mr. Porter and myself thought the draft was too great, hut were nevertheless of the opinion that If was the best tiling that could he dune with om* means/1 Mr. Brooke- 'further say £ after tolling of tin adoption of Mr. Porter's shield. '* the Secretary then called rise attention of Mr. Porter and Mr, Williamsou to the drawing giving a general idea of the vessel I proposed/' Therefore, from Lieutenant Brooke's own testimony, the shield of the Merrimac wa« Mr. Porter's shield, and it was "at Mr. Wil- liamson's suggestion that it was per on that vessel, and further- more, the shield was adopted before his plans were submitted to the board. How, *;;>-:!, ■■•n\A an iron-clad after Mr. Brooke's phmsi Was there any thing about her pertaining to an iron-elad except her shield i "\\ as there any- thing ahont lie v except her shield which, cow hi he dignified into the name of n ft"';*? The article preview ~\ referred to, written by Lieutenant Cates- by Jones, lias been referred to by friends of Lieutenant B rooky as a proof of his claim. Lieutenant Jones said: "The Merrimac was raised and on June -&-U.1 following the Hon. S. R. Maiiory.. Confederate See rotary of the Navy, ordered that site shouid he converted into an iron-chid on the plan pro posed by Lieutenant John M. Brooke, C. S. \." Following the >ame views expressed by Lietio nam Jones, Vap- tain John Taylor Wood wrote to the \ 'i-ntiirv Magazine: " During the >ununer o~ iSbj Lieutenant i.-ieor^e [John] M. Brooke proposed to Secretary Maiiory to raise and rebuild this skip as an iron-clad, ill- plans were approved and orders sx'Oiv given to carry them out." Those two irentlenien give Lieutenant Brooke more credit than he claims, lie testified unrlor oath Udoro the Congressional rimae first came from Chief Engineer Wiiliamson, and that in himself oppos d it. N or were any orders ever issued bv Secreiarv Maiiory to make an iv>>n-rhu] of her after Mr. Brooke's plans. The order to make her an iromelad distinetlv specified "the of the Constructor and Engineer, Messrs "Porter and William- son," and an order i sued six week.-- later proposed to hold tl »h ai tenant Jones seems to have had no authority for his 77/ E "17 IU i I XL i" ( M Eli R l.\i.\ ( '. ) 347 I ■ V. ....... vi;;,/jij|- jlvij ■ vrt!0$0% :!-^7;7'i?7S%!Vi;;' 1 >—> | i ' . , !'!^;V;:':; '■■ • -S, .':'.'■ ',';:-' ..V'/; '.'",. '7;..' 7'' n > <-_ o ..■■■ X >"V 7 j;;''i:|;:.. :|:;';,;j;j7 2 7' i- '•'•iiiik 'fill' i ypf iiiiSRi o ■. ;" • I ■ ' { j , ;| ' il a .: il v. 1 •-.?■■';' W .-".vLf J' 'Si j ' I . : :! n Ai'f;,!''.;'.1):-' ''.', :'."'/( : : • : T | : , ■ it '•ftfi 01 j7 .'.:; |j;7g .;:j ;7|| . . X [ ($::[ ;;'/;. j j| |, :'|;^ \& o , • i*J ::,,;, |l a- ■ ■ | j il C* j .! "^7^^J|i I'ii'ji c ^JikfUp Sff " 77 aid ?iir: Deparment in design- ing an iron-clad war vessel and framing the necessary specifica- tions, and in a few day- submitted to the Department rough drawings of a casemated vessel with submerged end- and inclined plated sides, die ends of the vessel and the eaves te he submerged two feet.'' I do not doubt the statements of the. Secretary, but no such plans were submitted to the board, and, from the fact that the master carpenter had returned m this yard without com- pleting any plans, and myself being sent for immediately, and from the- further fact that the Secretary presented us no plans from this source, I stated in my last communication that Lieuten- ant Brooke failed to produce anything, after a week's trial, and I am still of that opinion, so far as anything tangible is concerned. The report sf:;rc- that "the practical mechanic who was brought up from Norfolk was unable to make thedrawings tor Lieutcnani Brooke, and that the Department then ordered Chief Engineer Williams m and ( instructor Porter from the Navy Yard at Nor- folk to Richmond about the |"3d of June, fur consultation on the same subject generally and to aid in the work.'' 1 do not understand thi- part of the report exactly, hut if it is intended to convey the idea ttesat we were to examine am plan oi Lieutenant Urooke I never so understood it. neither did. we act in accordance with any such idea, as onr report will show. The report next refers to my model, which [carried up with me, the shield and plan ot' which is carried out on the Virginia hut the report seems to have lost sight of the fact that the eave- and ends of my niod< I were submerged two feet, precisely ^ke the Virginia. The ship was cut down on .j strai'jxht line fore and aft, to suit this arrangem ■: ". nc] the si hAA v.>. te ruled over her just a * far as the space inside would admit and leave room to work the THE "VIRGINIA" {MERKIMAC) 349 guns. A rough breakwater was built on it to throw off the water forward. The. report states that I "made a clean drawing of Lieutenant Brooke's plan, winch that officer thtp tiled with the Department." The only drawing that I ever made of the Virginia was made .-it my office in this Navy Yard, and which J presented to the De- partment on the 11th of July, just sixteen days after the board adjourned. This drawing and plan I considered my own, and not Lieutenant Brooke's- As soon as I presented tin- plan the Secre- tary wrote the following order while everything was fresh in his mind concerning this whole matter: X A V V 1 ) K I ' A RTM K XT, ) ] llO H M< >N D. J i 1 1 V 1 1 til, 1 S 6 1 . | Flag Ojjh-er F. Furro4 : Sir. — Yon will proceed with all practicable dispatch to make the- changes in the Merrimne, and to -build, equip and tit her in all respects aor,trdtfj(j U> Ul>- ilnx'ujn-s ami plan* i\ }[>ssr-<. Porter and lYilliantmn. As time is of the utmost importance in the matter, you will see that the work progresses without delay to completion. S. g. Mallouv, Seere.tary Confede-mte Stuff* 'X,/r>j. What. won] mid be more explicit than this letter, or what Words could have established ' my claim stronger, if ! had dieiated themJ Tlie concluding part of this report says: " The novel plan of submerging the ends of the ship and the eaves of the casemate, however, is the peculiar and distinctive feature of the Virginia;.'' This may all be true, but it is just what my model calls for, and it Lieutenant Brooke presented ;i rough drawingsv to t\ie Depart- ment carrying out the same views it may be called a singular co- incidence, and here I would remark that my model was not cal- culated to have much speed, but was intended for harbor defence only, and was of light draft, the eaves extending over the entire length of the model and submerged al! around two feet, end and sides, and the line oh which I cur the ship down was just in ac- cordance with this, but if Lieutenant Brooke's ideas, which were submitted to the Secretary in his rough drawings, had been car- ried out, to cut ber ends down low enough to build tanks on to regulate the draft of t: e v- — el, she would have been much lower than my plan required, for all the water which now covers her (aid- would net alter n ?v draft three in tinned m tank: All ot the calculations >r tli lii - r , r-ui rl.i« *l»m fir, tm « ner whole arrangements. ami displacements, and t 3o0 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1861-5. That Lieutenant Brooke may have been of great assistance to tbe department in trying the necessary experiments in determin- ing tbe thickness of tbe arinor, getting np her battery and attend- ing t<> the shipping of the iron, &c, I do not doubt, but to claim for him the credit of designing the ship is a matter of too much interest to me to give up. Engineer Williamson discharged his duties with great success. The engines peformed beyond his most sanguine expectations, and these, with tlie improvements in her propeller, increased her speed three miles. per hour. •• , *- The Secretary of the Navy has not only been my friend in this Gov- ernment, but was a true and serviceable one under the I'.S. Gov- ernment, and has rendered me many acts of kindness for winch I have always esteemed him, but the present unpleasant controversy involves a matter of so much importance to me that 1 shall be ex- cused for defending my claim, not only as the constructor, but t.h.c originator of the plan of r\w Virginia. John L. Porter, Confederal States Naml Consiruciory There seems to have been a difference of recollection as to what became of Lieutenant Brooke's rough drawings. He says Sec- retary Mallory laid them before the "Hoard. Messrs. Williamson and Porter say the}' were hot before the board, or considered by it, and Mr. Mallory is silent on the subject. lie says tlie board adopted Mr. Brooke's plan of submerged ends, but does not say how he obtained the information, nor does he claim to have been present at the conference. Messrs. Williamson and Porter say the plans of Mr. Porter were adopted, and that it was decided to build a new vessel after his model and Mr. Porter first made the proposition to adapt them J. JL % ■ 4 i. to the Merrimac, after hnding our the impracticability of getting an engine for a new boat. Mr. Brooke says Mv. Porter's shield amis adopted and Mr. Williamson iirsi proposed to apply it to the Merrimac. Chief Engineer Williamson gave to Mr. Porter a letter certify- ing to the fact that :\w Merrimac was converted into an iron-clad after his plans and not alter plans of Mr. Brooke. That letter was burned up in ZM r. Porter's office in ttiehmond, but there an* witnesses living at this writing who have. read it. There are wh nesses too, living who were on intimate terms with Chief Engi- neer Williamson, and *<> whom he expressed himseli tVeely on tlie subject of the Merrimac, and to those he always said Mr. Porter was her projector, Mr. Williamson's death prevented Mr. Porter from getting a duplicate of his letter, but its contents and bis views upon the subject can be substantiated by living witnesses, Tlie following letters will bear out what has been said on tfh subject. The tirst was sent t«> the author by Captain Wm. It. Singleton : THE "YIimMA" {MKRRTMAC.) 331 \ ! ■ si « i 1 ;/ 33 ;•' ' 5 .'' • ', „.. ! • ,/ ; ■ ■ ■ yj' ' \ ' ' ! m : 3D '■• -n 2 ; =r 1 ,.\ ■ 33 i e ■ i ■ 1 ! . i NORFOLK COUNTY, tSGl-o. W ash i xg ton . I ) . C . , J u ne 1 5 fcl i . 1 S9 1 . Dear Sik — * * In 1857, when ] was eonstnicting eugin- eer in charge of the Pensacola Navy Yard, Mr. John L. Porter was the naval constructor and lieutenant John Newton, (since then General and Chief Engineer) was in charge of Forts Pickens, MeCrea and Barrancas. As we were, all three, from Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia, and, in early days, school boys together, we frequently met at the Navy Yard. On one occasion in my office, the conversation turned upon defen ;es of harbors, &c. Mr. Por- ter explained to us bj diagrams, his method of constructing a ves- sel; which he said originated with him at the time he was eon- stnicting the naval ship at Pittsburg, in tS4T>. - * I can re- member rite sketches made at the Pensacola Yard in 1S5T. The Merrimae was altered to suit the broad idea so far as she could he in her then condition. 1 believe subsequently the Richmond was constructed from the beginning, as was his original idea. Hoping that Mr. Porter will get the credit to which I always insisted that he was [usth entitled; 1 am. Very respectfulh yours, Wm. R. Singleton, l.,iir ('<<.u*t /■<*<■! '■■ '<■■ the Bureau of Steam Engineering in Richmond, and 1 often heard, while there. Major Wm. P. Williamson, the Engineer in Chief, say that the design of the Merrimac's shield was that of Mr. John L. Porter, who ,vas the Chief Construe tor of the C. S. Navy. Major Willi; nison was n inember of the board which r& coniwemled making an iron-clad of the Merrimae. 1 distinctly remember sketches and plans, similar in design to theshieldof the Merriinac, which Mr. Porter had made in Pittsburg years prior to the war. Yours truly, (hf A>. SCHE< iEDER. The>e two letters, together with :: e [dans of the vessel in Con stractor Porter's . sketch book or naval designs, establish vCrv clean v the tact that in lb4*»* saw Lieutei burg, the s! \ynt on t\^' France i>eir .lit Pro J e. ne ues there is no good reason to q« y< ars before Mr. Poller ever "an iron-clad vessel in Pitts- lie subject oi lron-ciatis, iierK^e >u that the first iron-clad vessel 77//; "VIRGINIA" (MERUIMAC.) OOo ever designed, was the work of a native and citizen of Ports- mouth. That Chief Engineer Williamson, over his own signature, has certified that Constructor John L. Porter was the projector of the vessel, will lie seen from the following letter : Norfolk, Va., January 9th, 18-92. Sir— -During the late war 1 was chief clerk in the office of Chief Constructor John L. Porter, Confederate States Navy, cor- ner of Main and Eleventh streets, Richmond. Theoflice of Chief Engineer Win. P. Williamson, of the Bureau of Steam Engineer- ing, was in an adjoining; room, and scarcely a day passed without his coming in Mr. Porter's office foreonsultation. We -frequently talked on the subject of the Merrimac, and he told me repeatedly that she was made into an iron-clad aftt v the plans of Mr. John L. Porter, and that there wus no ground whatever tor the claim which Lieutenant Brooke had set. up to being her projector. I also remember having read a letter to that eil'ect winch Mr. Wil- liamson gave r" Mr. Porter, and which was, in all probability, burned with the other papers in Mr. Porter's office, at the evacu- ation of Richmond by the Confederates in April, 1865.. Mr. Porter was. at that time, absent from Richmond, having gone to North Carolina on business for the Navy Department, and the building in which his office was located, was burned in the general conflagration. Very respectfully, Jno. W. Hokum. Commodore Marshall Parks, an intimate friend of Chief En- gineer Williamson, had many opportunities to learn from him the history of tlte Merrimac, and lias furnished the author with the following testimonial, both as to the character of the model Con- structor Porter took with him to Richmond and as to Chief En- gineer Williamson's statement of what took place at the meeting of the board on the 25th of June, ISdl. Norfolk, Va., January 9th, IS92. Dear Sir — In reply to your communication 1 will state that when I was appointed by the Governor and Council of North Carolina, as commissioner with Commander Muse (who had re- signed from the United States Navy) to establish her navy, I had to visit the Gosport Navy Yard frequently -to obtain sup-plies for the gunboats we had purchaser! and were fitting out at Norfolk. I well recollect on one of those visits Naval Constructor John L. Porter exhibited to me a model of a'n iron-clad which was identically the same plan which was afterwards applied to the Merrimac. lie subsequently carried it to Richmond, and orders were given to carry out Ins plan. I went to Raleigh and informed the Gov- ernor and members of the Legislature of che plan, and. suggested that some small iron-clads be built for the defense of the North .Carolina Sounds. 1 recollect that the plan so impressed me and 354 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1SG1-5. them, that I was directed to write a " Bill " to authorize tlie Gov- ernor to have some vessels built on the plan, and it was passed immediately. The State of North Carolina §09-11 after this decided to join tlie Confederacy, and J was directed to go to Richmond and turn over all the s&eamers we had purchased and fitted out to the Confeder- ate States Navy Department. 1 have had a life-long acquaint- ance with Major W. P. Williamson, who was the senior engineer of the United States Navy, and during and since tlie war he always expressed himself to me that the Merrimac was converted into an iron-clad after tlie plans of Mr. John L. Porter, and that Lieuten- ant John M. Brooke had nothing to do with her except to super- intend the preparation of a portion of her guns. Very respectfully, ymir obedient servant, M Ausn.u.r. Parks. As all of Naval Constructor Porter's original drawings are still in existence, subject to the inspection of any one who has any desire to look at 'them, and, as they speak for themselves, and as the foregoing letters are from gentlemen and officials who were in positions to know the facts of which they write, there can he but one conclusion drawn from them and that is that the Merrimac was converted into an iron-clad after the plans of Naval Construc- tor John L. Porter. The evidence may be summed up briefly. Mr. Porter invented an iron-clad in IS46, the [dan of which submerged the eaves too feet below the water line. \\\ May. 1861, he had a mode! made at the Gosport Navy Yard, changing somewhat the shape of the hud of his Pittsburg host, but retain- ing the features of her shield and submerged eaves. She was submerged all around, eaves and ends. In June, IStU, Lieutenant Brooke was in consultation with Secretary Mallory on the subject of ironclads and Mr Joseph Pierce, Master Ship Carpenter of the Gosport Navy Yard, and afterwards a Naval Constructor in the Confederate Navy, was sent to Richmond to help him develop his idea, but nothing was developed and no vessel was designed, no specifications drafted. Oil the 23d of June Mr. Porter went to Richmond and took Ids mode! with him, and on the 25th, by order of Secretary Mal- lory, Messrs. Williamson, Brooke and Porter met in Mr. Brooke's office in t\iQ Navy Department and that model was laid before them. The form of the shield was adopted (even Mr. Brooke ad- mits this) and, according to Mr. Brooke's recollection, Mr. Wil- liainton suggessed that it be adapted to the Merrimac, but Messrs. Williamson and Porter -say the proposition first came from Mr. Porter. Mr, Williamson could not have mad- the suggestion i'm- he >\l<\ tn>{ kuo\s that the Merrimae could carry the shield,buf he that as it may, the shield which was on Mr. Porter's model was, according to the statements <>f all til roe members of the board, di- THE "TWGIfflA" {MERRIMAC.) 3o5 reeled to be adapted to the Morrimac, because there were no fa- cilities to build a Mew engine for a new boat, and Air. Porter re- turned to the Navy Yard in Portsmouth to measure the remains of that vessel, and prepare the plans. He made the plans unas- sisted by anyone, originated all of the interior arraiigements, de- cided how long her shield would be, fixed the angle of inclination at V>~j degrees, and cut her down so that the ends of her iron plat- ing, or eaves, would be two feet under water, just as was contem- plated in his Pittsburg vessel of 1846, and in the model which he carried with him to Richmond, Lieutenant Brooke's idea of submerging the ends of an iron- clad, according to Secretary Mallory's report, contemplated the building of water tight tanks on them to regulate her draft of water, and Mr. Poster shows that, had she been cut down in con- formity with Mr. Brooke's idea she would have been cut down much lower than was actually the ease, for all of the water which was over her ends would not have affected her draft three inches if confined in tanks. Therefore -lie could not have been cut down to suit Mr. Brooke's idea. Messrs. Porter'and Williamson were yvvy explicit as to the part Mr. Brooke performed, namely, that his connection with the plan of the ship consisted in superintending a portion of her bat- tery: and it will be remembered there were only three members of the hoard, and no one but those three gentlemen were compe- tent to speak of what took place at their meeting. But Air. Porter completed the plans for the hull, took them to Richmond and submitted them to Secretary Mallory on the 11th of. July, l-Sb'l* just sixteen days after the- meeting of the board; Lieutenant Brooke's rough, drawings, such as they were, and the plan proposed therein, whatever it was, must have been fresh in the Secretary's mind, if they made any impression upon him there had not been time for It to have been eradicated^ especially as he and Mr. Brooke had been talking the matter over between themselves iv^ \i the loth to the 2oth of June, but while every- thing was fresh in his mind., if it had been Mr. Brooke's plan which he approved, would be have written bis order to Commo- dore Forrest "to make the changes in the Merriinac, and tobuikl, equip ami tic her in all respects, areordlMj '>> tks des-oc/ns and 'plan* of the Cvhxtrwtor and Engineer, Jfess?% Porter and WU- I /th. 18#1, nor in his order to Commodore Forrest of Aug. l'.'tli, declaring his purpose of holding Messrs. Porter and Williamson personally responsible for the success of tin ir plans.. Charity to Mr. Mallory would say his report of March. 21>tlr, 18G*2, was the result of a defective memoi .. Had it been practicable Mr. Porter would not have submerged 356 NORFOLK COL'XTY, ISG1-5. the ends of the Merriniac at all, but would have raised them out of'the watt ;• Like tin;; ends of his Pittsburg model; a^id like lie did the iron-clads which were subsequently built for the Confederate navy, hut too much of her bad been burned oil for that, and, on account of the manner of the construction of the hulk, it would have been impossible to have built u\*> and protected her ends above the water. -without the expenditure of a great deal of time and money, even if there had been enough of her left for that purpose, hence he was compelled to arrange \iw after the plans of his model, which was submerged ill around, eaves and ends, the model he took to Richmond, and which, according to Messrs. Williamson and himself, he was directed to apply to the Mem- mac. The Merrimac was not selected as v\e. result of any plan, but simplv because she had an engine in her which could be utilized, where it was, and the Confederates lacked the facilities for building a new engine for a new boat. The burned portion of her was cut away and the weight of her armor, armament, lyc, submerged the remainder so that only Iter shielu was out ol water. It -is not probable that Constructor Porter would have built a new vessel with her ends extending out under water be- yond her shield. He converted the Merrimac into an iron-clad after that style through necessity, and not from choice. They were the weak points of the ship, the crew had no place for re- creation and were kept in the casemate, the ends were liable to spring aleak, and being hidden from sight, confused the pilot in steering, besides retarding the vessel. The shield was extended as far forward and aft as the sharpness of her ends would permit: It was a well known fact that pig iron was put on the A irginia to sink her deeper in the water, and various writers have endeav- ored to account for this. Lieutenant Brooke, in his testimony ■be- fore the Congressional investigating committee, which has gone forth to the w< a; Id as history, says: " After the vessel was launched Mr. Porter stated to me that he had accidentally omitted in his calculations somi weights which were on hoard the ship, in eon sequence of which she did not d.rawasmneh water when launched as he anticipated. " Mr. Brooke evidently made a mistake here. Air. Porter could hardly have told him that, for if lie had omiti in his calculations any of the weights in the ship she would hay* drawn mon instead of />>•>• water than he calculated. The fact- are, Air. Porter had to give her more draft than was necessar) to prevent cutting into her propeller, which was already in the ship, and this was the displacement which had to be overcome by the pig iron. Mr. Porter could hardly have told Mr. Brooke that the ship was launched. She was built in the dry-dock, and when finished the water was turned in and she was simply floated on the blocks. She was rioi laimche 1. _ a . . The cuts which are pu dished of the Virginia, and also of the vessel contemplated in Mr. Porters model which he carried with THE '■ VIRGINIA1'' (MERRIMAC.) obi hini to Richmond and submitted to the board, are very positive evidence- that they were identical in plan, and Mr. Brooke ad- mitted in his testimony before the Congressional investigating committee that this shield was adopted by the hoard before his own rough drawings were submitted to it. The converting of the vessel into an iron-clad consisted in putting the shot proof shield on her. Thai is all of an iromclad nature there was about her, all there was of a plan. All of the rest of h^v was the result of accident, and not design, and if any one is entitled to the credit of submerging her cad- beyond her shield, it was Commodore Paulding of the United States Navy, who ordered the Gosport Xavy Yard to be burned, in consequence of which the Merrimac was burned to the water's edge. The deck plan of the Virginia shows for itself, that the shield was extended fore and aft as far as tin.* conform* tioi f the ship would permit, and was there stopped from necessity. When Constructor Porter drew the plans by which she was converted into an iron-clad he followed precisely the plan which he had mapped out in his model, submerged her eaves and end- two feet all around, and would have extended her shield her entire length had she not been too sharp at the bow and stern, and therefore lie stopped it where the vessel became too narrow to admit its being built any further. He did not de- sire any assistance from Mi*. Brooke's undeveloped idea or unma- tured plans. The plans upon which he converted the Merri niac- in to an iron-clad were his own, nwd were fully matured, deline- ated and oaJcula rl before he ever saw Mr. Brooke. No better proof can be adduced of this than tUc original drawings of the three boats, which are still in exist* nee. Subsequent to the publication of O.ll' report of Secretary Mal- lory Lieutenant Brooke applied :" the Confederate Patent Office and obtained a patent for "an iron-clad with submerged ends, projecting beyond her sJiie-My' and if has been claimed for him that tiii.- is an evidence thai lie was die author' of the plans upon which th-e \ irginia <>■■•■■ ':;: t into an iron-clad. There might be some ground*- for this claim if the matter had been contested and judicially decided when the patent was granted, but Naval Com structor Porter had no knowledge that the patent was being ap- plied for, and therefore no opposition w is made to it, and it was issued as a matter of course; After i.1 was granted it was not worth contesting. An naval architect would construct a vessel in tli.n manner from choice. The V irginhi grew out of the neeessi ties oi the Confederacy and the want of facilities 'to build a new engine for a new vessel. Xo irorrclads wen subsequently built with submerged projecting ends. Mr. Porter did not then fore- see that this patent \\ »uid, in future years^ be appealed to as evhkmee to ilej r ■• ■• \ [m of the vn dk' of ! is invention, The elai.n set forth in the patent seems to be solely for submerged ends, and not for the iron-plated shield. CHAPTEK XLV1IL THE BATTLK OF HA.MTToN KoAO: When the water was turned into tlie dry-dock and the Merri- rnac was floated, her mime was changed by order of the Secretary of the Navy to "The Virginia." and though not really completed. Captain Buchanan, who had heen assigned to her as her comman- der, decided to proceed with her to attack the Federal vessels in Hampton Roads, and on the 8th of March, 1S02-, a little before noon, she steamed slowly away from the Xavv Yard. Both banks of the river were lined with spectators, and the troops sta- tioned at the various batteries around the harbor cheered her as she passed. She appeared on the water like a sunken house with nothing but the roof above the tide. Her officers were: Captain, Franklin Buchanan, of Maryland. Lieutenants, Catesby ApR. Jones, of Virginia; ('has. 0. Simms. of Virginia; Robert I). Minor, of: Virginia; Hunter Davidson, of Virginia; John Taylor Wood, of Louisiana: J. II. Eggleston, of Mississippi, and Walter U. Burt, of Virginia. Midshipmen, U. (.'. Koote. of Tennessee; 11. 11. Marmaduke, of Missouri; 11. B. Littlepage, of Virginia; W. J. Craig, of Ken- tucky ; J. C. Lonir. oi Tennessee, and L. M. Boots, of Virjrii Paymaster, James Semple, of Virginia. Surgeon, IX B. Phillips, and assistant. A. S. Garnett, hoth of Virginia. ( aptaiii or Marines. R. T. Thorn, of Alabama. En^iuees — Chief, LI. Ashton Ramsay, of Virginia; assistants, John YV. Tynan, of Virginia; Loudon Campbell, of Virginia; Benjamin Iterrin^, of Xo *th Carolina; E. V. White, of Georgia; E. A. Jack, of Virginia, a ad Robert Wright, of Virginia. Boatswain, Charles M. Elasker; Gunner, Charles B. Oliver; Carpenter. Hugh Lindsay ; Clerk, Arthur {Sinclair, Jr.: Volunteer Aide, Douglas F. Forrest'; Commandant United Artillery, Cap- tain Thomas [verill, all of Virginia. Pilots, Wm. ParrUh, Win.' CU ■ ke, Uezekiah Williams and George Wright, all of the Virginia Pilots' Association. Her crew was made up of about three hundred men. some oi whom were seamen, but the larger oortion were landsmen, wh" volunteered from the army, but for such service as was expected on t\) stand fast, that tie was going to ram her. True to his purpose, he struck her on the starboard side, knocking iu her & large hole, from which she filled and sank in about fifteen minutes. The Congress ami Cumberland both opened their guns upon the Vir- ginia, but ilie shot- glanced liarmlessly from her shield. As the Cumberland careened over from me blow of the Virginia the men on the Virginia saw tier bulwarks lined with sailors and ma- rines armed with cutlasses and muskets to repel an attack of ooarders, her commander thinking that was the purpose of the Virginia in coming so near without tiring upon her. Almost im- mediately aire]" the impact the bow gun of the Virginia was tired a second time into the Cumberland, and the sponger, in ins en- thusiasm, leaped into the port hole to sponge our the gun. As he did so he was killed by a musket ball from the Cumberland, which entered his forehead. His name was Dunbar, and he, too, was from Xew Orleans. Passing beyond the Cumberland, which soon went down bow foremost, with her colors living and gnus tiring, the Virginia kept on until she found room to turn around, when she returned to engage the Congress. This vessel was run ashore by her commander to escape the ramming power of the Virginia, but was soon disabled, her decks strewn with dead and wounded and the vessel on fire in three or four places. After about an hours tiring she hoisted a white flag in token of surrender. The Beaufort and Raleigh steamed alongside of her and took posses- sion. Two of her officers, Lieu tenants Smith and Pendergrast, went on board the Beaufort and surrendered their swords, after which they asked permission to return to the Congress to assist in removing rho wounded to the Beaufort, as the Congress was on fire. The permission was granted, but they availed of it to make their escape to the shore and moan' returned to the Beaufort The enemy kept up a constant fire of musketry and artillery iron! the shore to prevent the Conf d fees fc'rofn taking ,•-•— -,m>:i of the vessel, and a number of men on the Italeigh and BeaUi'ort were killed and wounded, among them some of the Federal prisoners from the Congress. Lieutenant Minor, of the Virginia, while rowing to the Congress in the Virginia's launch was also wounded. This determined Captain Buchanan to destroy her lie accord ingly >at h^r on fire with hot shot L?rom the Virginia. She-burned until about midnight, when, the tire having readied her powder magazine, she was _blo-w-.ii up. During the engagement Captain Buchanan stood in one of the hatehwavs in the "too of the Vir- I, from that position, directed the movements oJ the vessel, but desiring to return the tire 1'rom tin- shore, hecalled tmir above the shield' so that he could take lor a tnusKet, and gertn better aim, lie ex pi se 1 was broken bv a nmske riiri vvuoie oouy, ana. •■-.. \ m^u i •> from the shore. The wound di THE BATTLE OF IIAMPTOy ROAMS. ;.6l bled him, and the eonimand of the vessel devolved upon Lieuten- ant Jones. Captain Buchanan's Leg was subseqiientlj am]Uitated, Lieutenant Jones now directed his attention to the Minnesota, which was still aground, and separated from the Virginia by the "middle ground,'*5 or ehoak Before the Congress surrendered the Confederate vessels had been reinforced by the James river squadron, composed of the Patrick Henry, twelve guns, under Captain John It. Tucker, the Thomas Jefferson, two guns, under Lieutenant J. M. Barney, and the Teazer, two guns, under Lieu- tenant AV. C. "Webb. These vessels ran past the shore batteries at Newport Xews without suffering any material injury, except that the Patrick Henry received a shot through her boiler, which disabled her temporarily. The escaping steam scalded four men to death. The Thomas Jefferson towed her out of action, and. after a delay of about two hour- repaii ' .: : Linages, she returned and played a prominent part in the battle. These vessels being of lighter draft than the Virginia, succeeded in getting much nearer to the Mi mesotii than the iron-chid could. The Minnesota was very badly cut up, and Captain Van Brunt, her commander, says it was more from the lire of the gunboats than from the \ ir- ginia. • The engagement was kept up until darkness prevented a proper aim, when the ( »n federate vessels retired to Seawell's Point, with the intention of renewing the battle in the morning. During the nigln: "efforts were made to get the Minnesota afloat, but they wvvc unsuccessful, and in the morning she was lying al- most exactly where she grounded the day before. About 7 a. m. on the Oth the Confederate il >tilla airain advanced ci against it tor the purpose of completing her destruction. A new antagonist, however, appeared upon the scene and offered battle. This was a Federal iron-clad which had arrived during the night, and proved to be the Ericsson Mm itor. It consisted of a hull, sharp at both end.-, -landing about eighteen Inches out of the water, and amidships on hi- deck was a round turret of iron, nine inches thick, iii winch were two eleven-inch Dahlgren guns. When the Monitor first made her appearance from behind the Minnesota she looked like a raft t<» the people on the Virginia, and Lieuten- ant Davidson remarked, LiThe Minnesota's crew are leaving her on a rair," but the raft started towards the Virginia and showed light. The details of this coi that are very interesting in marking a new era in naval warfare. For the first time in the history of the world two iron-elads were contending, for the mastery. They were made upon different plans— that of the Virginia, with in- clined ^idv;-. was the bettor plan of the two, and lias since been adopted by the United States Government in the construction of its later war vessels,, hut In greater mechanical facilities at the disposal of the United States enabled that Government to huild the hitter war vessel upon an inferior plan. The Virginia's great 24 nesota lay there a helpless prey, unable to move. The reported leak on the Virginia's bow, caused hy the breaking off of her -beak when she rammer the Cnmhorla} d,"was an insigniticafit atnur.>i best, and had been stopped by Mr. Flasker, the ixKHswain. *u machinery of the vessel was working very well, the tide did not ! 362 Norfolk coijyri', isov-x length, deep draft of water and inferior machinery were disad- vantages as compared with her antagonist's greater speed, lighter draft and ability to turn in a sliorter space. The armor of the Monitor was live inches thicker than that of the Virginia, and was made in large plates without five wooden backing, hut, being perpendicular, had to resist the shuts v( the Virginia by main strength, while the inclined sides of the Virginia caused the shots of the Monitor to glance oil without imparting their full momentum* When the iron-clads became engaged the Confederate wooden vessels retired from the contest to await the result of the battle. For several hours, part of which the two ships were almost touch- ing each other, they continued pouring broadside after broadside into -each other without an v apparent effect. The Monitor fired both solid shot and shell, while the Virginia had nothing but shell. These were not heavy enough to penetrate the Monitors armor, while the heavy projectiles from that vessel glanced harm- lessly from the Virginia's inclined sides. Both seemed to be in- vulnerable. At one time during the action the Virginia got aground, and the Monitor took up a favorable position for attack, but she - >on floated again and attempted to run down the Moni- tor; tin latter. .. w* rer. partially avoided the blow, which glanced from her side. It has been claimed by Confederate authority that, but for a mi-take made at this time on the part of the \ ir- ginia. she would have forced the Monitor under water. It is said that while her bow was pressing against the Monitor's side that vessel was being badly careened'-, arid that a few mere forward turns of the Virginia's propeller would have forced her underthe water, but the Virginia's engines were reversed and the two ves- sels separated. Finally a shell from the Virginia struck the ]>i'"; house of the Monitor and disabled her commander, Lieutenant John!,. Worden, who had taken up his position there. The Monitor then withdrew from the fight and steamed away towar - Fortress Monroe. The Virginia again turned towards the Min- nesota as if to complete her destruction, and Captain Van Brunt was considering the propriety of setting her on fire to prevent in i falling into the hands of Utc Confederates when, very much to his surprise, as well as to his delight, tin Virginia changed her course and steamed for Sea well's Point, whence she continued on to ihe Navy Yard. No satisfactory reason has been given why the Virginia left the ll>'u\~ without first destroying trie Minn! -. i sota. The Monitor had withdrawn from the -tight and the M n THE UATVLi: OF HAMPTON ROADS. necessitate her return, for she remained in the Roads until dark the day before, and there was no necessity for her immediate) re- turn to the Navy Yard. The only inconvenience which resulted from the action was the perforation of her smokestack with nu- merous shot holes, hut the withdrawal of the Monitor left the "\ irginia in a position to have had those stopped up temporarily, and with little loss of time. As it was, her returning' to the .Navy Yard without first destroying the Minnesota has enabled the Northern historians to lav claim to a victory for the Monitor. Captain Van llrunt, commander of the Minnesota, in his official n']«>v{ of the action, says the Monitor was the first to withdraw. He says : " The Merrimae, "finding that she could make nothing of the Monitor, turned her attention once more to me, and now, on lien- second approach, I opened uponlier with all my broadside guns and ten-inch pivot gun, a broadside which would have blown out of t}\L' water aiiy timber-built ship in the world. She returned my iirt with her rilled bow* gun with a shell which passed through. the chief engineer's state room, through the engineers' mess room amidships, and burst in the boatswain's room, tearing four rooms into one, in its passage exploding two charges of powder, which set the ship on tire, but it was promptly extinguished by a party headed by my First Lieutenant Her second went through the boiler of the tugboat Dragon, exploding it oik] causing some con- sternation on board my ship for the moment until the matter was explained. This time I had concentrated upon her an incessant fire from my gun deck, .-par deck and forecastle pivot guns, and was informed by my marine officer, who was stationed on the poop, that at least fifty solid shot struck her on her slanting side without producing any apparent effect. By the time she had tired her' third shell the little Monitor had come down upon her, placing herself between us, and compelled her to change her po- sition, in doing which she grounded, and I again poured, into her all the guns which could be brought to bear upon her. As soon as she got off she stood down the bay, the little battery chasing her with all speed, when suddenly the Merrimae turned around and ran full speed into her antagonist * * * The Rebels concentrated their whole battery upon the tower and pilot house of the Monitor, and soon after the latter stood down for Fortress Monroe, and we thought it probable she had exhausted her sup- ply of ammunition or sustained some injury. Soon after the Merrimae and the two other steamers headed for my ship, and 1 r:n:n felt to the fullest extent my condition. I was hard andim- movaojy agrou iev Co! Aftei take "position under my stern nsuitmi*' my officers, J oruerea every preparation to be made to destroy the ship after all hope was (j;<:nm to save her. On ascending my poop deck i. ascertained a64 NORFOLK COUNTW 1861-5. that the enemy's vessels bud changed their course and were head- ing i ir ( 'raney Island.'' Tims' it is apparent that had die Virginia remained ten minutes longer in Hampton Lioads, the Minnesota would have been de- stroyed !>y lier own crew. The \ irginia returned to the Navy Yard and was docked. A new and stronger prow was put on tier, and a course of two-inert! iron, extending four feet down front the. knuckle, was placed all around her. wrought iron shutter:; were tittcd to her four quarter smokt -:•;■!" were patched and a half a dozen pieces of armor plate ware removed and replaced by new ones. These alterations con- sumed nearly a month's time, and it was the 8th of April before she came Out of the dry-dock. Commodore Tatnall had in the meantime, succeeded Captain Jbiehanan as her commander, and On the 1 ttli of April, accompanied by the Patrick FIenry/J.'honias Jetfersmt, Unleigh, in nil'ort, Tcazt rand a wooden tug or tender from the .Navy Yard, ho steamed down to Hampton Roads pre- pared to engage and capture the Monitor. Each of the small steamers was manned with a boarding party. There were three division* on-each i><>at, and ir was expected that some of them would he sunk by the Monitor before reaching her, lmt if any one boat succeeded in boarding her the enterprise promised to be successful. One division was directed to cover the pilot house with 1 rpaulins to prevent thi wheelsman front seeing; another was to drive iron wedges between the turret ami (leek to prevent it from revolving, and the tl ird was to ignite combustibles, such as turpentine, &c, and thpov them down the funnel. into the tur- ret, and then cover the turret over with tarpaulins to smother >\^- crew. The Virginia found the Monitor under the guns of For- tress Monroe, and Commodore Tatnall, apprehending torpedoes ! ml slii r: I vva! er, n ni>r< >achei ! her as ami r tv to. challenging her t e as he ; ix'uudit advisabn eoui and iiirlit. Thechal lenge was noj accepted, and, noticing two twigs and a schooner anchored <•!< Hampton bar, Commodore Tatnall ordered the Thomas JeiTerson to capture tlie.m. The capture was eiTee.ted withoui ■<■■•• re^istauee, and, koksting their {lags with the I ni<»n i.l 'Wit. to tempt the Monitor to come to their rese.ue, the Jelfers"ii to<»k them in tow and carried them to Craney Island, whence they were taken to the X:\vy Yard. 11 le brigs Vei^n the Marcus, of frtoektou, IS'ew Jer.*e\% add the Sabout./ of Providence, Rhode Island, and were loaded with hay for the United States army. The schooner was the < :athei ine T. Dix, of Accomac county, \ ir- Ldnia. ai i.l 'was in ballast. Finding rite Monitor would not tight, fair was witnessed by a couple oi- Fjtglkh and French meri-ot-war which were anchored in the lioads, and which, expecting a tight, Sews, to !>ive the combatants room. moved up towards ]STe\\ port I 7777; BATTLE OF HAMPTON ROADS. 3(55 It is more titan probable that, bad the Monitor come out to tight the Virginia, she would have been captured. She bad another opportunity to light the Virginia on the 8th of Mayr but again declined. On that day. a little before noon; the Federal fleet, consisting of the Monitor, Naugatuek, Minne- sota, Daeotah, Seminole and San Jacinto, moved over to Sea- Weirs Point and began bombarding the Confederate batteries. The Virginia was at the Navy Van!, and steamed down to the assistance of the batteries. A- Av: turned Lambert's Point she came within dgld of the federal fleet about six or seven miles lower down the river, and the entire licet retired to Fortress Mon- roe. Commodore latnall pursued nut.il he reached the vicinity of the Rip Paps, wmeu lie returned to SeawelPs Point. On the }'■■ of ay tli order came to ev-; ouate Nan-folk and Portsmouth, and the proper disposition to he made of the Vir- ginia, became a question of considerable moment. Commodore fatnaJJ requested Js'avii.l Constructor Porter to have a set of wooden port-huckle-ns made tor her, t-» keep the water 'from com- ing in her port holes. Lie said lie knew a port in Georgia Where there was sutiieient depth of water for her, and he intended tak- ing her there. The bucklers, were make, .but were never taken out of the earpei er shop at the Xavy Van.]. The tear/of torpe- does at Fortress Monroe and the fact that the \ irginia was not a safe sea boat in wormy weather, when the waves would foe" liable to wash <^.\:v her, induced Commtxlore Tatnall to ch.au ge his mind about 'taking her to Georgia, and he commenced lightening her, tor the pnrpos< of carrying her up James river. The pilots in- formed hiiu thatrhey could carry eighteen feet over the principal bar in the river, and he desired to lighten her to seventeen feet. Paymaster Semj le inquired of Naval Constructor Poster if the vessel would have stability on a draft of sevei teen feet, but did not volunteer any information as to the object of his inquiry. Mr. Porter replied that she would* To have lightened her to that draft, however, would have necessitated the removal of almost everything it; her, even to a part of her machinery, [hit the Commodore began on the morning of the Loth to throw overboard everything movi able, md, I'm\ rug hrou^ln h< r I mil out of water, and not having succeeded in reducing her depth snliicientiy to have carried her over the. bar, and having no means of again set- tling her in the water, he determined to set her on fire arid do- ts applied and about d ar- ras blown np, the tire hav- ing reached her magazine. Thus perished hy the hands ot her own comniandi v this famous re^sel, which the moSI powerful en- gines <>i: war in the possess! ■ ■ ol her cm mies w< re unable to in jure, How lunch more gloriou vvoukl have been lier end, and how iiiiii'li higher her name \v* nid h iyq stood in hisrorv, had her commander, instead oi setting her on tire, ran past fortress Mou- stroy her. Accordingly the mate! break on the mornimr-of the 1 !f:: s O 60 NORFOLK COUNTY, 1S61-5, roe and destroyed or dispersed McClellaus fleet of war ships and transports which were lying outside the fort and in York river. Theguns of Fortress Monroe were as powerless to injure her as were those of the Monitor, Minnesota, Cumberland and Congress. The enemy gained everything and lost nothing by her destruc- tion., and her late antagonists, who were kept at bay by the terror of her name, steamed boldly np to the twin cities which she had so thoroughly guarded. Her crew inarched to Suffolk and took part in the defence of DruiVs Bluff later that month. Whether or not Commodore Tatuail was justifiable in destroy- ing the Virginia will remain a matter of discussion. A naval court of inquiry exonerated him from all blame, but his defence of himself was marred by an attempt to blacken the good name of the Virginia pilots and to fasten upon them the imputation of being deficient in personal courage. The Federal Government had a wholesome fear of the Virginia and offered rewards and promotion to anyone who would destroy her. The Xavy Department ordered the Potomac river to be blocked with vessels loaded with stone, to prevent her coming to Washington.' These preparations were kept up for several weeks, until it was ascertaine I that her draft of water was too great to enable her to ascen I tin river. General Wool was authorized by a dispatch from Washington, dated March 9th, at 1 p. m. (after the Monitor had retired from the light), to evacuate Newport Xews, hut to hold Fortress Monroe at all hazards. President Lincoln issued orders that the Monitor be not too much exposed; Le was afmid to risk tire consequences of another battle with the Virginia, and on the 14th day of March, live days after the bat- tle between the two iron-clads, Quartermaster .General M. C. Meigs of the L nited States army, wrote to Captain Dahlgren, commanding -lie Washington Navy ^ ard, as follows: " \ our telegram relative to barges received. I have ordered eight nmre *ent down. 1 have seen nothing yet to satisfy me thai in the next engagement the Monitor will not be sunk.7' These barges were to block up the Potomac river, and General Meigs was correct Had, the Monitor come out to light on. the 11th of April, when the \ irgiuia was prepared for her, she would have been sunk or captured. General Wool, commanding the department at Fortress Monroe, in i letter of the 14th of March to Secretary of War Stanton, expressed the fear that the Monitor would be overcome in the next engagement and that Newport News would have to ho abandoned, and on the 15th, the Secre- tary, having no fa th in the ability of the Monitor to successfully contend against th - Virginia, proposed to make a contract with Mr. C. Vanderbih to destroy Iter, but what tlie utmost exertions of the United States Government were powerless to do was done by her own commander, and tlie lirst and. most famous of iron- clads passed out of existence. J^ahoneymlle Distilling Company, ALEXANDRIA, VA., Main Office, Nos. 11 and 13 High Street. • PORTSMOUTH. VI, DISTILLERS OF Arlington Pure Rye and Cameron Springs Whiskey AND RYE MALT GIN. ALSO RECTIFIERS AND WHOLESALE DEALERS IN Foreign and Domestic Wines and Liquors. PROMPT ATTENTION GIVEN TO ALL ORDERS, B. F. HOWELL, Deaderin Furniture, Carpets, Dry-Goods, Notions, Clothing, Trunks, otows. Hoots, Shoes, Glass, Crockery and Tinware. Cor. High & Washington Streets, Portsmouth, Va. Carrying the line of goods that I do. enables me fcp beat ail competition. The Cheapest Goods in this Section. Goods sold on installments-. rJXO. X. HART. \VM. F, HART. JNO. N. HART & BRO., Lumber, Shingles and Laths, Cor. High and Chestnut Streets, Adjoining Godwin's Factory. Portsmouth, Va. DEALER IX IMPORTED VXD DOMESTIC CannedGoods& Groceries 508 CRAWFORD STREET, PORTSMOUTH, ■--'-'-._._-_..- VIBGESTA. JOS. F". WEAVER. — DEALER IX — DBUGS, 3 1DICIHEB, Fancy and Toilet Articles, 518 SOUTH STREET, - - - - PORTSMOUTH, YA. Prescriptions Carefully Compounded. NIEMEYER § CO., 115 & 117 HIGH ST., PORTSMOUTH, VA. Collie, Ct ill, AND COMMISSION MERCHANTS. CITY STOVE HOUSE. ALEXRDER & POWELL, DEALERS IN C coking £5 Heating Stoves Ranges, Sc, Tinware M House Etifni&Mfig Goods, Gas Fitting; and Plumbing:. 517 and 519 Crawford St., - - - - - Portsmouth, Ya. W« C« MASH, -DEALER IX- & 1 ^tt fil /-v /% rl c r& in rl TNT r\ 4- i >% tri c? 1J I ^ O U U Up Ci/ AX U. JL % U b JlO 11 b 5 CLOAKS, CASSljMCr^E^ OlLCUOT^S, MATTINGS, LADIES1 UNDERWEAR, &c Kikn Building, 229 Hiirli St., Portsmouth-, Va. WILLIAM H. STEWART, ATTORNEY AT LAW, COMMISSIONER IN CHANCERY For the Court of Hustings for tiro City of Portsmouth and for the Circuit Court of the County of Norfolk. Oilier. So. Hl7 Court Street. Residence, No. .">17 North Street. W. B. JOHNeON. FunEFainirBGcoi' and Embalinei1. Office, ----- 502 County Street. Residence, - - - 700 County Street. PORTSMOUTH, - - - VIRGINIA. OWENS BROSM vviioiesaie .*. Fancy .\ Grocers 119 A>;i) 121 HIGH STREET, PORTSMOUTH, VA. —DEALERS iX Fruits, Vegetables, Candies, Cakes, Crackers, Cigars, Tobacco, &c. Agents for Price' £ Lucns? Cider and Vinegar and Skillruan's Fancy Cak«*. VM C MASH, DEALER IX — Dry Goods and Notions, j ChOAKS, CAS5ijMC^E5r OlhCUOTfiS, MATTINGS, LADIES' UND3RWEAR,&c Kikn Building, 229 IIi RETAIL DEALEK IN" White Pine and Poplar a Specialty. ^■STEAMBO ATS SUPPLIED WITH WATEE,^ MAIN OFFICE, S. W, COR. LOXWON ,v WATER STREETS, POETSMOPTri, - YmOTiNTIA. THOMAS £^COTT, :U7 HIGH STREET, PORTSMOUTH, YA. T^e Oldest pumiture Kjoli^e IN EASTERN VIRGINIA. Beautiful Lines of Furniture. Carpets, Mattings, Oilcloths, Rugs, Mattresses., &c, always in stock. Will be pleased to wait on his friends. I J. S. CRAWFORD, Furniture, Carpets, he,, Desks, Pictures, CJ.il Ciotli and Matting, Feathers, Springs, Mattresses and Pillows, Lace Curtains, Portiers and Wall Paper. Country Qniers Solicited. Northern Prices Duplicated. Largest Furniture and Carpet House in the City. Crawford Building, 221, 223 High Street, PORTSMOUTH, VA. G. M. REYNOLDS & CO., Insurance, Seal Estate & Rental Agents, AUCTION ' S. 333 and 337 High Street, PORTSMOUTH, VA ESTABLISHED IN 1331. M. J. BRENT, (x£i\i£ral Qoi\traQtor ai\<\ iSliil&^r, 1309 and 1311 GREEN STREET. Improved I'.'rili1 ic~ for Coiuluotrinir the fUisino^s in ail it* ['ranch**.5*. Estunat< rt ifu.riti.shnd on t'ppHou.tion. All work promptly attended to. ti. B. WJLK1NS, 1 DEALER IN ( ^COML &t MOOD.# 1213 Washington St, Portsmouth, Va. Has always on hand ;i full itocli of First Class Pine and Hard Wood, also "the Best Grades of [lard and Soft Coal. Delivered to any part of city or county. 4 3 a '5