J^*^*^r*>L»^U»W'^Ak* WV^^n^* S^VV^ Ifc*^^ 
 
 SKETCH 
 
 OF 
 
 Captain Thompson l^lcAllister, 
 
 CITIZEN, SOLDIER, 
 CH RIST! AN . 
 
 [. GRAY iVIcALLISTER 
 
 I i 
 
 1896. 
 
 CO 
 
Pamphlet Celie€tiai 
 Duke Uaiversity Lifefaf^ 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2015 
 
 https://archive.org/details/sketchofcaptaintOOmcal 
 
SKETCH 
 
 Captain Thompson McAllister, 
 
 . GO. A, 27TH VIRGINIA REGIMENT. 
 
 BY 
 
 J. GEAY McALLISTEE. 
 
 T AM GLAD TO KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO PUBLISH A MEMOIR OF Ca.PTAIN 
 
 McAllister, for he was a brave man and deserves 
 COMMEMORATION." — U. S. SencUor John W. Daniel. 
 
 FOR PRIVATE DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 PETERSBURG, VA. : 
 FENN & OWEN, PRINTERS AND BINDERS. 
 1896. 
 
TO WIFE, 
 
 MRS. LYDIA MILLER (ADDAMS) McALLISTER, 
 
 w/to, at nearly four-score, graces a Christian character by genuine 
 young -hear tedness and Loving sympathy . 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 o THOSE wlio knew Captain McAllister, personally and by 
 
 report, no apology is needed for the presentation of this 
 sketch, and since for these it was written, further explanation is 
 wholly superfluous. Of the authorities freely used in prepara- 
 tion may be mentioned Pennsylvania Archives, Second Series, 
 Edition of 1SS7, Yol. xiv, pp. 375 and 452; Bancroft, Vol. iii, 
 pp. 205-(]; and '^McAllister Memoranda,'' compiled (lS44j by 
 Hon. Hugh ^vTelson McAllister. These were furnished by Mrs. 
 J. H. Baldwin, (nee McAllister), of Edgewood Park, Pa., who 
 rendered other valuable assistance, as did in like manner her 
 sister, Mrs. AVilson Lloyd, of Oakland Mills, Pa. The chief 
 source of information was the large batch of war -papers which 
 the writer found at ''Eose Dale" in December, 1894, and wher- 
 ever possible this written testimony is made its own spokesman. 
 
 Prominence has been given to these writings for the reason that 
 Captain McAllister was a pronounced military man by both taste 
 and training, and further because the records of this period were 
 more accessible and full. 
 
 Especial mention is gratefuilj^ made of the services of Mr, 
 Hugh M. McAllister, of Covington, Ya., and the liberal pecu- 
 niary assistance of Mr. Wm. M. McAllister, of Y^arm Springs, 
 Ya. The unanimity of response on the part of all is indeed most 
 gratifying, and suggests the question whether we are not now 
 ready to publish a comprehensive history of the famil3\ The 
 
6 
 
 THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 collection of records in the possession of Mrs. Baldwin, compiled 
 by her at the expense of mnch time and effort, can, I feel cer- 
 tain, be secured if the necessary funds be raised for their publi- 
 lication. And no one is so well fitted as herself to collate and 
 publish them. 
 
 The engraved Frontispiece, though not as clear-cut as desired, 
 was yet the best that could be secured, there being extant no 
 recent photograph from which a good engraving could be made. 
 
 The accompanying sketch has been struck off in hours snatched 
 from a busy life. It makes pretentions to no literary merit and 
 its purpose shall have been compassed if loyalty to truth be 
 maintained i,nd a faithful portraiture of one whose memory is 
 blessed be given those for whom it is prepared. 
 
 J, Gray McAllister. 
 
 Richmond, Va., May, 1896. 
 
 V, 
 
THOMPSON MCALLISTER. 
 
 By J. Gray McAltvIster. 
 
 MONG the Scotch Protestants seeking a temporary shelter 
 in Ireland in the first half of the 18th century was one 
 Hugh McAllister, the progenitor of the subject of this 
 sketch. For the further and unhampered exercise of liberty, 
 religious and civil, for which all possessions save honor had been 
 laid dow^n, he, with others of like faith, emigrated to America 
 about the year 1730, settling in Lancaster county. Pa. Here six 
 years later his second son, Hugh, was born. The latter was but 
 22 years of age when as private in Captain Forbes' company he 
 went out to help capture Fort Du Quesne. He was under Wash- 
 ington at that time and hence must have been one of the picked 
 men of the advance guard. In 1763 Pontiac's war began and 
 young Hugh marched as a volunteer in a company of one hun- 
 dred men. In 1776 we find him one of the sergeants in Captain 
 James Gibson's company of militia of the Fourth Battalion of 
 Cumberland county. In December, 1776, he enlisted the first 
 man in Captain John Hamilton's company, formed for re-enforcing 
 the disheartened army of Washington. The company reached 
 headquarters one day after the capture of the Hessians at Tren- 
 ton. In 1777 the young soldier held a lieutenant's commission 
 and on his return w^as elected captain. Tow^ards the close of the 
 war he was in command of forces stationed at Potter's Fort, Cen- 
 tre county, and commanded an expedition sent to punish the 
 Indians for depredations committed near the Great Island, where 
 the City of Lock Haven now stands, and May 1st, 1783, he was 
 commissioned Major of the 7th Battalion of militia in the county 
 of Cumberland. The w^ar over, he retired to the farm, lying in 
 Lost Creek Valley, which he had purchased in 1756. His fourth 
 son, William, was born in 1774, served in the war of 1812, was 
 appointed one of the two associate judges of Juniata county 
 
8 
 
 THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 March 4th, 1842, and died December 21st, 1847. The wife of 
 the first Hugh was a Miss Harbison; of Major Hugh, Sarah 
 Nelson; and of Judge William McAllister, Sarah Thompson. 
 
 The second son and third child of the last two named was 
 Thompson McAllister, who was born August 30th, 1811, at 
 the homestead of his fathers. Here, under the healthful exac- 
 tions of farm life, which in those days were more onerous than 
 now, and with such schooling as conditions admitted, he grew 
 into early maturity of mind and physique, building slowly and 
 well the character which late in life was to stand firm amidst 
 tests the most arduous and harassing Letters and recollections 
 of associates give us glimpses of this period. 
 
 Money on the farm was by no means plentiful and collegiate 
 education for all the sons seemed out of the question. The 
 father appreciated the need of thorough instruction, however, 
 and the neighboring school was used and training given by the 
 Eev. John Hutchinson, the pastor of their church (the Presby- 
 terian) and a noted minister of the county. The oldest son, Nel- 
 son, was being trained for the law and upon the younger boys 
 the duty devolved of defraying the expenses. The intense per- 
 sonal attachment between Thompson and Eobert made them one 
 in their work in the field, class-room and study-hour, and the 
 aptitude for study on the part of each found aid in an inherent 
 fondness for the best books of the time and led them to make 
 constant use of the good library of their father. Far into the 
 night, when the lights of other rooms were only the flickering 
 hearth -flames thrown upon sleeping occupants, the candle in the 
 study -room was keeping vigil over these two brothers, resolute 
 upon the acquisition of practical learning. This, though the 
 day's labor might have been heavy and the morrow's duties 
 would begin before day break and on rigid schedule time. 
 
 The two boys were leaders likewise in all work on the farm, 
 their father being three-score when Thompson reached his ma- 
 jority. An interesting reform occurred about this time and the 
 fact is given as evidencing the sterling and aggressive principles 
 of the two young men. Whiskey in harvest time was deemed as 
 unquestionably appropriate as the harvest moon itself. But the 
 great Washingtonian wave of temperance had just swept over 
 the country and carried with it the sympathies of the brothers, 
 and it became their mission to banish brandy from the farm. 
 
THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 9 
 
 Their father indulged himself •■the gentleman's morning dram'' 
 and had not become a convert to teetotalism. The rest of the 
 household linked shields with the boys. Five cents per day 
 extra was allowed each laborer as compensation for the loss of 
 his bracer. Xeighbors predicted that the wheat would rot in the 
 field for the want of harvesters. Xot so. The harvest went 
 smoothly on and ^ ^hands'' were to be had in abundance. Eight 
 principles had prevailed, and best of all the father, with just 
 pride in his sons, and convinced of the efficiency of the reform 
 which they had successfully carried through, became a total ab- 
 stainer for the remainder of his days. 
 
 The lapse of time served only to develop these principles of 
 temperance, which each upheld rigidly in the subsequent pur- 
 suits of peace and war. A correspondent from Juniata county 
 writes: can see to this day the advantage that their stand on 
 temperance has been to this country.*' 
 
 The following letter, written by Judge AVilliam McAllister to 
 Xelson, his oldest son, who was then awaj' at college, is illustra- 
 tive of some facts just mentioned and serves further to show the 
 uncompromising opinions which His Honor held: 
 
 "Lost Creek Valley, 14th October, 1834. 
 
 Dear Sox: 
 
 I enclose in the within letter seventy dollars, which is all 
 that I can raise and more than I can spare. ^ * ^ As to your going to 
 Carlisle, you may do as you please. The only thing I have against it is 
 the want of money and another thing is its being a Methodist institu- 
 tion, an institution which I never want any of my children taught in. 
 * ^ ^ I am, with respect, your sincere well v/isher, 
 
 \YM. McALISTER." 
 
 The cares of the farm were not so irksome, however, as to pre- 
 clude social enjoyment, to which the boys took an early liking. 
 We find Thompson twitting Xelson about the ''future Mrs. Mc- 
 Allister," and pledging her ''all the politeness of which we are 
 masters'-' upon the happy consummation. Politics (of another 
 kind) likewise engaged the attention of the boys, and the debat- 
 ing society of the neighborhood gave frequent opportunity for 
 the development and acquisition desired. Thompson writes thus 
 to Xelson under date of February 23rd, 1835: 
 
 "Mr. J. D. W. has, contrary to my expectation and contrary to his own, 
 acquired no inconsiderable celebrity in the art of speech-making. He 
 is a member of our club, which is of no small reputation. The club has 
 
10 
 
 THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 been in active operation, meeting once a fortnight, all winter. We dis- 
 cussed the question 'should capital punishment be abolished ?' It was 
 decided in the affirmative. We meet on Friday evening to discuss the 
 reprisal and French war question." 
 
 A facility of expression, in both composition and delivery, was 
 here learned by the young man, who, twenty-five years after- 
 ward, made good use of it in his country's cause. 
 
 But that which proved most inviting to the brothers seems to 
 have been the military enterprise of the community, and in this, 
 as in quite all things else, they were the acknowledged leaders. 
 General Eobert McAllister, in a letter embodied in his ''Sketch," 
 writes thus: 
 
 "My brother Thompson and I spent a great deal of time together, study- 
 ing military tactics, were always connected with military companies, 
 and were both fond of drilling. Little did either of us theu think that 
 the time was coming when our swords would be drawn against each 
 other in a contest that threatened the destruction of our country and 
 government. But such was the fact. Before the war I was promoted 
 from a Lieutenant to a Captain, then to Lieutenant-Colonel." 
 
 At an early age Thompson formed an artillery company of about 
 fifty men and drill was held four times a year in an old still -house 
 at Oakland Mills, near by . From its place of meeting the company 
 was called the "still-house artillery." Its iron cannon was 
 housed in the homestead carriage-house, and only one man of the 
 fifteen hired on the farm could move the piece. Thompson was 
 Captain of this company, and upon his removal to Franklin county 
 Eobert was elected in his stead . The latter soon formed a cavalry 
 company in which there were seventeen men by the name of 
 Thompson, all finely mounted and all cousins of the Captain. 
 A daughter of General McAllister writes: 
 
 "When father was lying wounded after the Gettysburg fight he talked 
 by the hours of those days and of his brother Thompson. Their devotion 
 to each other was intense." 
 
 In ^N'ovember 1835, Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of the 
 family, died at the age of twenty years, having been married 
 but a few months more than one year to David W. Stewart. In 
 her prolonged sickness she was tenderly nursed by Robert and 
 Thompson, whose devotion to her was as strong as the affection 
 existing between themselves. Her fame as a horse-woman ex- 
 tended throughout the whole valley and county, and her lovable 
 traits of character and person added much to the poignancy of 
 
THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 11 
 
 grief over her early death. February 14th, 1839, Thompson was 
 united in marriage with Miss Lydia Miller Addams, daughter of 
 Abraham Addams, Esq., of Millerstown, Pa., a union which has 
 been fruitful and happy. The young couple began their wedded 
 life in Franklin county, near Chambersburg, Pa., upon a farm, 
 ''Spring Dale," afterwards deeded to them by Thompson's father, 
 and here were born the four older children, Clara, Addams, 
 William and Edgar. 
 
 Captain McAllister's removal from Jnniata county caused no 
 abatement of his interest in military affairs, as the next para- 
 graph will prove. Two winters ago the writer found among the 
 former's papers a large poster, yellow and worn with age and 
 reading thus: 
 
 '"War !! War !! Artillerists, attention ! In pursuance of General Orders 
 you are ordered to parade at the Armory, iu full winter uniform, on 
 Thursday, the 26th instaot, at 1 o'clock, for the purpose of electing officers 
 and reporting the artiUery ready for service. Some recuits wanted to fill 
 the Company to the complement of 94 men. P. S. — Those persons who 
 volunteered their services in May last, as well as recuits, will appear on 
 parade in Citizen's Dress. 
 
 THOMPSON MCALLISTER, Captain. 
 St. Thomas, November 24th, 1846. 
 
 Six volunteer companies were called for by the Government, 
 and by the merest accident — the delay in getting a trunk -strap — 
 Thompson's company, whose services had been tendered, reached 
 the enrolling quarters thirty minutes after the sixth had been 
 accepted. Eobert was likewise ready to enter the Mexican 
 War, but Providence had in view more stirring sequels still. 
 Thompson was in 1847 elected a member of the Pennsylvania 
 Legislature, serving one term, and in December, 1819, he removed 
 to Virginia, having purchased a tract of 2,200 acres at Covington 
 in that State. The greater portion of this remains in possession 
 of the several branches of the family, the brick home, '^Eose 
 Dale," which he built, being now occupied by his widow. AYith 
 his accustomed energy and good judgment he soon placed the 
 farm in an excellent condition of productiveness and increasing 
 valuation . What by successive improvements are now the Coving- 
 ton Flouring Mills were likewise included in his purchase and 
 were under his prudent supervision. 
 
 The public spirit of Captain McAllister is well shown in the 
 records of this time. He strongly advocated the construction of 
 
12 
 
 THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 the Covington & Ohio railway so as to connect with the extension 
 of the canal to that town, and thns bring the mountains in 
 living connection with the Tidewater district of the State. His 
 views are set forth in a paper written by him at this time, and 
 extracts are given from it to show the striking similarity of his 
 predictions with the present status, 1896; 
 
 "Who that is at all acquainted with the history of tbe iron and coal 
 trade of Penosylvauia, whose iron now exceeds iu amount the manufac- 
 ture of England, can call into question the ability of this region in its 
 iron alone to furnish tonnage to an incalculable amount? and this, too, 
 with the more certainty when we consider the greater richness of our 
 ore, the superior quality of our metal, and the ease with which it is 
 mined. ^ * * Covington is in the centre of the county of Alleghany; all 
 the principal water courses, two of which are navigable, and all the turn- 
 pikes and county roads, converge to this point. The water power in the 
 vicinity is immense. It is in the heart of the iron region of central Vir- 
 ginia. It has been estimated by those who have the best opportunity of 
 information that there is iron enough within ten miles of Covington to 
 lay all the railroads in the United States, and it is of very superior excel- 
 lence. That now manufacturing commands a higher price than any sold 
 iu the market. The mountains will supply fuel for its extensive manu- 
 facture until the completion of the Covington & Ohio road, which will 
 then furnish a supply of coal for time to come. The lumber of Alleghany 
 must have a cheap mode of transit or remain undisturbed for many 
 years, and limestone and hydraulic cemeut abound with wood and water 
 sufficient to make them useful." * 
 
 He was largely instrumental likewise in having the Central 
 railroad extended to Covington, and was one of four who sub- 
 scribed to ten shares for the necessary construction. The Cov- 
 ington & Ohio and the Virginia Central railroads joined steel at 
 Covington and the lines are now part of the Chesapeake & Ohio 
 system. Together with his brother Eobert he was engaged in 
 construction on the Covington & Ohio when Virginia seceded. 
 
 In religious affairs Captain McAllister was none the less active 
 and progressive. He had early espoused the faith of his fathers 
 and soon after his removal to Virginia was ordained one of the 
 ruling elders of the Covington Church, a position which he faith- 
 fully filled until his death. By continuous effort and by expen- 
 diture proportioned to a liberal purse, he came soon to be re- 
 garded as the strongest supporter of the church's work, and the 
 systematic diligence applied to secular affairs as thoroughly 
 characterized his labors for the Master. Intimately associated 
 
THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 13 
 
 with this line of effort were his affiliations with various tem- 
 perance organizations of the county. In 1855 we find him Treas- 
 urer of the '^Cadets of Temperance," in 1860, Deputy Grand 
 Worthy Patriarch of the "Sons of Temperance," and as late as 
 April, 1870, he was one of two District delegates to the convention 
 of the "Friends of Temperance," held in Waynesboro, being at 
 that time Vice-President of Covington District, which embraced 
 the counties of Bath and Alleghany. The great executive ability 
 of the man becomes pre-eminent when we consider that besides 
 all this, he was managing his more than two thousand acres, 
 equipping his farm with the most modern of improvements, and 
 finding time beside to actively engage in the exciting political 
 canvasses of the day . Small wonder, then, that at sixty he de- 
 clares himself "an old man, broken down with labor and care." 
 
14 
 
 THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 CHAPTER M. 
 
 NTIL the beginning of the war, Captain McAllister was an 
 
 ^ ''Old-Line Whig" in political affiliation, and in 1860 he 
 worked and voted for the "American" candidates, Bell and Ev- 
 erett, for President and Vice-President, and for Colonel Thomas 
 Sitlington, of Bath county, a successful Union candidate, for the 
 State Convention. 
 
 To point out, even briefly, the causes of the great war which 
 soon followed does not lie within the limits or purpose of this 
 sketch. In passing it may be remarked, however, that slavery 
 was the cause of the struggle only in that it furnished the occa- 
 sion for denial of guaranteed rights and for coercion arbitrary 
 and unconstitutional. As independent sovereignties the States 
 had given assent to the compact designed to unite them against 
 foreign invasion and in so doing they made no surrender of orig- 
 inal rights, at the very bottom of which lay the right of seced- 
 ing when forbearance should cease to be a virtue. The wisdom 
 of this policy is an open ciuestion, but the fact of its existence 
 remains forever impregnable. 
 
 "Davis in irons flung down the gauntlet to Chase in the seat of power. 
 The glove lies to-day unlifted. Lodge and Seeley, sturdy scholars of 
 constitutional history, conceded that the South stood four square and 
 stout in truth on the great document of freedom. If three millions of 
 the subjects of a monarchy got to themselves unfading glory of resisting 
 a king, were five millions of their sous rebels for repelling the assaults of 
 copartners in a republic where coercion contradicts their creed of liberty 
 and surrenders Wasbiugtou to the halter of George IV?" 
 
 Aside from this, the extension of slavery was neither designed 
 nor desired by the Confederacy. Its constitution expressly for- 
 bade the re-opening of the slave trade and "while that constitu- 
 tion gave slave-holders the express right to carry their slaves 
 into any territory belonging to the Confederacy, it also provided 
 that when that territory became a State it should be slave-hold- 
 ing or free, according to the will of its citizens." 
 
 These unanswerable facts are pertinent to what follows. 
 
THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 15 
 
 In March, 1861, Captain McAllister raised, and at his own ex- 
 pense largely eqnipped, the first volnnteer company, for the war, 
 in Alleghany and in that section of the State. This was the '^Al- 
 leghany Light Infantry," by some of their own members nick- 
 named ''The Alleghany Eonghs." The companj^ was organized 
 and disciplined for the purpose of being placed at the disposal of 
 the Governor of Virginia whenever the convention then in session 
 should determine the side Virginia was to espouse. The ordinance 
 of secession was passed the night of April 17th, and Captain Mc- 
 Allister immediately made tender of the company's services to 
 the Governor, arriving on the evening of April 22nd at Staunton, 
 the military rendezvous. The company returned to Covington a 
 few days later and after rigid drill by the Captain, was ordered 
 to Harper's Ferry. One or two temporary assignments preceded 
 the permanent assignment of the command as Company A, 27th 
 Virginia. This was one of the five regiments constituting Jack- 
 son's original "Stonewall Brigade." After remaining at Har- 
 per's Ferry picketing and drilling, the army was ordered up the 
 valley toward Winchester. 
 
 The first engagement, after a forced march, was at immortal 
 Manassas, July 21st, 1861. In this battle Captain McAllister re- 
 organized and led his broken regiment in their daring second 
 charge, which in General Jackson's opinion contributed largely 
 to the ultimate and successful advance movement and rout of the 
 enemy. In the Century of i^ovember, 1891, General Beauregard 
 presents a masterly description of this battle as viewed in its 
 general plan and execution. After detailing the first of the two 
 decisive charges of the day (July 21st) he continues: 
 
 "I determined to make another effort for the recovery of the plateau, 
 aud ordered a charge of the entire line of battle including the reserves, 
 which at this crisis I myself led into action. The movement of the seve- 
 ral commands was made v/ith such keeping and dash that the whole sur- 
 face of the plateau was swept clear of the enemy, who were driven down 
 the slope and across the turnpike on our right and the valley of Young's 
 Branch on our left, leaving in our final possession the Robinson and 
 Henry houses, with most of Rickett's and Griffin's batteries, the men 
 of which were mostly shot down where they bravely stood by their 
 guns." 
 
 It is a point worthy of notice that General Beauregard indi- 
 cates the relative position of the troops placed at this strategic 
 and perilous situation w^ith reference to the 'Stonewall' Brigade, 
 
16 
 
 THOMPSON McAllister, 
 
 which had won its immortal soubriquet at the same spot a short 
 while before the two onsets above referred to were made. The 
 events of the day amply justified the distinction. Of the regi- 
 ments composing the brigade the 33rd Virginia was placed at the 
 extreme left of the army and throughout the action was subjected 
 to an enfiladed fire from the enemy, who were making a flank 
 movement. The 27th Virginia was immediately to the right of the 
 33rd. A.fter going into camp at Centerville much empty boast- 
 ing was indulged in by officers and privates of some of the com- 
 panies, and regiments as to the conspicuous part they had played 
 in the sanguinary drama just enacted. In order to reduce these 
 pretensions to the sphere of facts Captain McAllister prepared 
 the following carefully written statement, which was found among 
 his large collection of papers. It is given verbatim: 
 
 "MANASSAS." 
 
 "Between 1 and 2 o'clock on the 18th the 27th Regiment left Winches- 
 ter for Manassas and by a forced march and by railroad reached Manassas 
 the evening of the 19th. Saturday, the 20th, was spent in awaiting an 
 attack. Early in the morning of the 21st booming of artillery warned 
 us of the approach of the enemy. Four regiments of Jackson's Brigade 
 were kept in reserve until the enemy's movements could be more fully 
 demonstrated. About 12 o'clock the Brigade was placed in the rear of 
 our artillery near the Henry House, to which place our forces had re- 
 treated before the advancing enemy — the distance of a mile. Flat upon 
 the ground for two and one-half hours we maintained our position without 
 firing a gun — cannon-balls flying thick over our heads, and minnie-balls 
 killing and wounding our men from the left. At half-past two Preston 
 and Echols charged forward, whilst Allen and Cummings charged on our 
 left flank, and the artillery retired, leaving the contest to the infantry. 
 
 "Sixty-six men crossed over. Blank remained at Manassas. My com- 
 mand numbered sixty-three men. In coming forward by regiment our 
 lines became broken. I enquired of the Colonel the order of attack, to 
 which he immediately replied, 'By company.' Facing my men by flank, 
 they were brought [revised from 'I brought them'] to within gunshot 
 and then into company, — fired and ordered to load and fire at will, — 
 aim well, — when each man lay flat on the ground or took to a shelter. 
 After some four to six fires, finding the other forces did not come up and 
 that the fire of the enemy, greatly superior in number, was drawn to 
 us, I ordered my men to fall back and raUy, which order was promptly 
 obeyed. Some eight or ten of my men, having moved to the right some 
 distance, did not hear the order to fall back nor observe our movement, 
 and continued to engage the enemy with good effect. Every other man 
 except the wounded and their attendants rallied immediately some one 
 
THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 17 
 
 hundred and fifty yards in the rear, at which point I expected to find 
 the regiment, but in this I was disappointed. 
 
 "The field olficers not being present and the companies scattered, sev- 
 eral officers with a few of their men formed on my company preparatory 
 to a second charge. The number of men willing to join me was quite in- 
 considerable, although hundreds in our rear standing idle were appealed 
 to by me with all the entreaties and urgent appeals of which I was 
 capable, — telling them with their aid the field would be ours in ten 
 minutes. At this instant an officer rode near by whom I addressed thus: 
 'Can you aid us in charging the enemy? I do not know where my field- 
 officers are and I am but a captain. With an increased force we can 
 drive the enemy. Bring your force and I will fight under you.' With 
 a promise to re-enforce me, he rode toward the left twenty or thirty paces 
 and was seen by some of my men to fall from his horse, yet I was not 
 aware of this fact until the battle was over, but supposed his forces were 
 too much scattered, or engaged with the enemy elsewhere. This officer 
 was doubtless Colonel Bartow, as the time and place of his fall are 
 identical. 
 
 "During this time every efTort was made by myself and other officers 
 to rally to our aid the men in the rear, with but little success. With a 
 prospect of being re-inforced from these two sources, but not having in- 
 formed my men nor officers of it, and whilst I was urging the men in 
 our rear, at some twenty-five or more yards distant, a forward movement 
 was commenced and it became necessary for me to hasten forward to 
 share the honor and the danger with them of one of the most daring 
 and successful charges of that memorable day. 
 
 "To the cowardice of those in our rear is to be attributed the loss of so 
 many men. We met the enemy five to one and after desperate resist- 
 ance drove them from the field. Of those at the cannon the officers and 
 gunners fell before our marksmen and when they were hitching to take 
 off the artillery their last horses were shot down, and those who re- 
 mained retreated, leaving three pieces of artillery on the field, one of 
 which they had captured in the morning from Captain Imboden. The 
 colors of the 1st Michigan regiment were captured and the bearer made 
 a prisoner by James Glenn, private of my company. Our prisoners were 
 at first handed over to those who would take charge of them, my men 
 having other duties to perform. At the close of the action I pressed 
 as a guard a sergeant and two privates in whose charge I put three pris- 
 oners, who were taken to Manassas." 
 
 In giving the list of the men who were in the charge Captain 
 McAllister adds; ''Blank was at the Jnnction and onght to have 
 been in the fight. P. J. received a slight wonnd and was seen 
 no more." 
 
 A personal letter to the writer from U. S. Senator John W. 
 Daniel corroborates the above and furnishes added testimony re- 
 specting the charge first made: 
 
18 
 
 THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 "I was attached to Company C, 27th Regnnent. * * We were placed 
 iu position on the battle-field with the 4th Regiment in front, com- 
 manded by Colonel James Preston, and the 27th close behind it, com- 
 manded by Lieutenant-Colonel John Echols. * * For an hour or so 
 we lay upon the ground receiving a hot fire, but with no opportunity to 
 reply. After we had been in this position some hours General T. J. Jack- 
 son rode to the right of our line and calling for Colonel Preston of the 
 4th Regiment exclaimed, "Order the men to stand up." Both lines — 
 the 4th and the 27th — arose, and he exclaimed, "We'll charge them now 
 and drive them to W ashington." We advanced rapidly, moving obliquely 
 to the left to clear our own guns. The men of the two regiments were 
 soon bunched and at a double quick went over the hill in front under a 
 heavy fire from the enemy's batteries, which opened upon us. We car- 
 ried the battery stationed at the Henry House, and it was there that I 
 saw your grandfather. Captain Thompson McAllister, passing by the 
 enemy's guns, sword in hand, and his son William at his side. They 
 were to the right of our regiment, which was now much scattered, no 
 line being preserved. At about this time our colors fell and I ran to them, 
 and was shot in the right breast and in the left hip. I did not see Cap- 
 tain McAllister again. He was very near the Henry House when I saw 
 him and was evidently doing his duty bravely as was his son by his side. 
 I was well to the front, as was Captain McAllister, with perhaps not six 
 men of the regiment closer to the enemy." 
 
 The eight or ten members spoken of as detached from the com- 
 pany pressed on to the Henry House, so I have it from one of 
 them, took shelter behind it, and picked off several skirmishers 
 from the advance line of the enemy. It was at this time that 
 ^'Jackson's brigade pierced the enemy's centre," to use the words 
 of General Beauregard. A glance at the first letter will reveal 
 the daring displayed by the ^'command which numbered sixty - 
 three men." Rallying to a man, it became the nucleus for other 
 commands and was with its complement in the forefront of the 
 second and permanently successful charge and maintained, as 
 few companies were able to do, a compact unity throughout the 
 crisis then ensuing. Six of the sixty-three were killed and a 
 number wounded. One was pierced with five buck-shot and still 
 lives. The captain received a slight leg wound. — ''The other du- 
 ties to perform" were further pursuit and capture of the retreat- 
 ing forces. For the conspicuous service rendered on that day 
 the company was made Jackson's favorite artillery force and was 
 known throughout the war as "Carpenter's Battery," taking its 
 name from the captain succeeding McAllister. 
 
 Strange the fortunes of war. In this battle Robert McAllis 
 
THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 19 
 
 ter, the comrade-brother of Thompson, commanded one of the 
 two regiments that attempted to check the stampede which the 
 latter's regiment had been, as we have just seen, so largely in- 
 strumental in producing. Another striking coincidence lies in 
 Stonewall Jackson's remark that the First New Jersey (Robert 
 McAllister's) regiment ^'was the finest body of troops" at First 
 Manassas ''he ever saw." The brothers, so closely associated in 
 youth, were now pitted each patriotically against the other. This 
 fact, together with the intrinsic interest of the description itself, 
 renders opportune and appropriate an extract from ''New Jersey 
 and the Eebellion," defining the position of Robert McAllister 
 in this battle: 
 
 "Robert McAllister was Lieuteuant-Colouel of the First Regiment, New 
 Jersey Volunteers, enlisted for three years' service. They left Trenton, 
 New Jersey, June 28th, 1861, and reported to General Scott at Washing- 
 ton on June 29th, 1861. 
 
 "The regiment formed part of General Runyon's Division of Reserves 
 in the battle of Bull Run, July 21st, 1861, and aided materially in assist- 
 ing the retreat of our forces on that fateful day. 
 
 "The First and Second New Jersey Regiments were on the morning 
 of July 21st encamped at Vienna, Lieutenant-Colonel McAllister in com- 
 mand of the former. Three of the companies of the First New Jersey 
 were absent on a reconnaisance when orders came for an advance of the 
 two regiments to Centreville. This order was promptly obeyed, the reg- 
 iments hurrying forward with all possible haste, encountering now and 
 then a civilian anxious to get beyond the reach of possible harm, but 
 unable to gather any satisfactory information as to the progress of the 
 conflict. Presently, as they approached Centreville, the guns whose sul- 
 len roar had filled all the morning suddenly ceased firing, and theu, for 
 the first time, these New Jersey troops, marching steadily forward, knew 
 that the battle was decided. The answer as to how it was decided was 
 soon given by the confused masses of the retreating army, drifting down 
 by every available channel from the disastrous field. It was a sad and 
 bitter awakening to the advancing troops, but they did not falter in their 
 duty. The commandants of the regiments (First New Jersey and Sec- 
 ond New Jersey) determined at once to employ all the means at their 
 disposal to arrest the stampede, and throwing their columns across the 
 road, sought to stay the fugitives, appealing to their patriotism, their 
 honor, their sense of duty, to gather once more in line and make another 
 efTort to save the day. But for a time so great was the panic that no at- 
 tention was paid to these urgent appeals. Then it being apparent that 
 more vigorous persuasion was required, the regiments charged with fixed 
 bayonets upon the bewildered mass and soon efiectually arrested the re- 
 treat, permitting only the wounded to pass through the lines. The First 
 Regiment alone turned into its ranks some five hundred of the fugitives. 
 
20 
 
 THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 marching straight through their retreating columns. In some cases the 
 olficers drew their swords and pistols on men and officers who refused, 
 upon appeals to a sense of honor, to turn back. As the regiments ad- 
 vanced cheer upon cheer greeted them from the fugitives who, as they 
 saw help in sight, grew more calm and courageous. Many fell in line 
 while others encouraged the advancing Jerseymen with applauding 
 words. It was now nearly five o'clock in the afternoon, and the stam- 
 pede was stopped, the road had been cleared and regulated, the army 
 wagons halted, still in line, on one side of the pike, and order had come 
 out of chaos, solely through the efTorts of two New Jersey regiments. 
 By this time the First New Jersey Regiment had reached the heights of 
 Centreville, and by sun-down the greater part of the retreating troops 
 had found shelter behind the ridge. * * * The First New Jersey Regi- 
 ment advanced to a point beyond Centreville where it took up position 
 on the hill, with its right resting on the road by which it would be ne- 
 cessary for the enemy to advance. ^ * * Finally, during the night, the 
 First New Jersey Regiment being left alone on the field, it was decided 
 that there was no alternative but to fall back, and directions accordingly 
 were at once given." 
 
 It is pertinent to give just here the answer which Captain Mc- 
 Allister makes to the complaints of a few of his men ambitious 
 to usurp office. These complaints were preferred before the 
 battle and asked to be withdrawn the morning after it. True 
 dignity and force rings in these sentences, written after the with- 
 drawal was asked for: 
 
 "My men may consider me, as I certainly am, more strict than any other 
 Captain in the 27th. * * In all the essential qualities of a commander of 
 a company, I do not feel myself inferior to any captain in the regiment. 
 ^ * * Having discharged my duty conscientiously, faithfully, and I be- 
 lieve efficiently, without effort to gain favor or to publish even to the men 
 what I had done for the purpose of gaining their favor; having gone into 
 the service at a great sacrifice and loss in my business; having contribu- 
 ted in means more than all the members put together, loans still unpaid 
 and unsecured, a due self-respect forbids that I should yield to such in- 
 fluence and resign my commission, however unpleasant it might be to 
 hold it." . 
 
 Immediately following this incident, however. Captain Mc- 
 Allister was attacked with camp fever in quarters at Centerville. 
 The wearisome marches and exposure just preceding the fight 
 were borne by him at fifty years with such unflinching fortitude 
 as to be remarked upon by his men. This but hastened the re- 
 action, and the cares of large and unsettled business interests, 
 which at great sacrifice he had abruptly left behind, further ac- 
 centuated the progress of his illness and rendered his presence 
 
THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 21 
 
 at home doubly necessary. He therefore applied for a furlough, 
 which so anxious was General Jackson to have granted that, 
 after the first application had been refused by General Johnston, 
 he came to Captain McAllister's tent and urged him to renew his 
 application, promising his ''special recommendation" for ap- 
 proval by Generals Beauregard and Johnston. This application 
 was likewise returned "disapproved," necessitating, on August 
 8th, the employment of the alternative, resignation of command. 
 During and prior to his illness a strong personal attachment, 
 based upon the recognition by each of true bravery in the other, 
 had been cemented between General Jackson and himself, and 
 even after the latter 's return home upon the acceptance of his 
 resignation, August 20th, warm wishes and messages from the 
 great chieftain followed him in his further and separated service. 
 
 ^^either sickness nor business, as the preceding paragraph an- 
 ticipated, was made a reason for inactivity. His health recov- 
 ered. Captain McAllister was anxious to be again in the field. 
 He writes thus to a friend under date of October 26th, 1861: 
 
 "As time passes aud I see the importance of an early and vigorous ef- 
 fort on our part to repel the invaders of our soil, do I feel there is yet 
 something for me to do iu aid of my country, in disciplining, and, if need 
 be, leading, our soldiers to the conflict. In my last interview with you, and 
 afterwards in a conversation with Mr. Rosser, I doubtless made the im- 
 pression that I would not be likely to take a position that would take me 
 out of the State. On more mature reflection I conclude it is not for me 
 to choose the scene of my future action, but rather to enquire where I 
 can afford the most efficient service. Having transacted the most impor- 
 tant of my business, I feel that I ought to return to the service." 
 
 Words characteristic of the man! 
 
 In accordance with this declaration he was, before the year 
 closed, placed in command of all the home-guards and reserves in 
 the Alleghany section, a territory in which invasions of the 
 enemy were frequent aud precipitate. He continued in com- 
 mand of these border forces until the close of the war, and his 
 carefully -kept records of this time throw light no less upon the 
 dangers which this service entailed than unconsciously upon the 
 principles of the man himself. Among other organizations a 
 company of Mounted Riflemen, to serve without pay, was raised 
 for the defense of the Greenbrier District, and Captain McAllis- 
 ter chosen as its commander. Contributions for clothing and 
 equipping the company were "to be paid in over-coats, blankets, 
 
22 
 
 THOMPSON McALLISTEIt. 
 
 socks, &c., at a fair valuation, or in the use of horses at govern- 
 ment rates, in lieu of money, so far as the subscribers shall offer 
 to do so." 
 
 In March, 1862, resolutions presented by Captain McAllister 
 were passed by the citizens requiring all slaves to be in their 
 cabins by 9:30 P. M., and ^^ovember 17th, of the same year, a 
 public meeting was held at the court-house in Covington, the ob- 
 ject being to ''provide means for the support of soldiers' fami- 
 lies; to regulate the price of grain and of all manufactured and 
 other articles for sale in the county," and to provide clothing and 
 blankets for the indigent soldiery. The prices tell between the 
 lines: Wheat, per bushel, $3; corn, $2; rye, $2; bacon, per hun- 
 dred, $35.00; calf-skin boots, $20.00; jeans, first quality, $4; salt, 
 10 cents per pound, and flour, $15 per barrel, are but a few ran- 
 dom examples of the general stringency. The writer has another 
 illustration of this in the shape of a muddy -brown envelope bear- 
 ing stamps on both sides of the address sheet. The habit of 
 turning the envelope wrong side out for a second use became more 
 and more fixed with the scarcity of paper and funds. 
 
 Company A of the ''Alleghany Home Guards" was organized 
 the 17th of August, 1863, and Captain McAllister was elected 
 commander of this organization also and was commissioned as 
 such by the Governor the 14th of the following month. What 
 this company became the means of accomplishing and what the 
 dangers were, is set forth in the following stirring appeal, writ- 
 ten and issued by Captain McAllister, chairman of the commit- 
 tee for the purpose: 
 
 To the men of Alleghany not under arms: 
 
 In the name of God and our country we admonish you to organ- 
 ize, that you may be ready to repel the invader at his coming. As mem- 
 bers of the Home Guard at Covington we address you, and hesitate not 
 to claim for our company the credit of saving Alleghany (except the 
 Callaghau road) from devastation. This was effected by watching the 
 movements of the enemy and in giving timely notice to our army and 
 the Home Guards of adjacent counties, which brought them to our relief. 
 May we not reasonably expect other companies of the county to co-ope- 
 rate with us should there be other raids ? 
 
 The country does not expect of you impossibilities. To dispute the 
 pass with fifty times your number would be rash and iueflectual. The 
 duties of Home Defenders are: 
 
 1st, To ascertain our danger. 
 
 2nd, To remove property and protect it. 
 
THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 23 
 
 3rd, To iiuite with the army and other Home Guards in resisting the 
 invaders. 
 
 These duties are plain, simple and within the power of every man 
 who has health and strength enough to perform any kind of manual la- 
 bor. There is yet but one company in the county, while there is mate- 
 rial for four or five. Botetourt, Rockbrige and Augusta have each a reg- 
 iment, leaving scarcely a man behind, and these few are pointed at either 
 as cowards or against us. We know well that neither opposition nor 
 cowardice controls your action in this matter. Why, then, stand you 
 idle? Your country demands your help. Strike as you have opportu- 
 nity and let your action be united, vigorous, timely. Organize without 
 delay. Excellent arms and ammunition for one company are waiting 
 for you. Let it not be said they shall be sent back for want of men to 
 use them. 
 
 Your services, like ours, are indispensable at home, alike to your fam- 
 ilies and to your country. Let us now assure the army aud the country 
 that we are no less patriotic than those in the field. Let us swear by the 
 precious memory of those who have fallen in our cause, that by united 
 and vigorous effort we will ward off the blow which would otherwise fall 
 upon others whilst we are guarding our own hearths from desecration; 
 and to this end we pledge our lives, our fortune and our sacred honor. 
 
 Posterity will point the finger of scorn at the man, physically able, 
 who fails to aid iu this gigantic, this glorious struggle for liberty and 
 national existence. Is there a man in Alleghany who will thus refuse? 
 If so let his name be recorded that posterity may deal with him and his 
 memory according to his deserts. Signed on behalf of the company, 
 
 T. MCALLISTER, Captain, 
 A. B. PERSINGER, l8t Lieutenant. 
 November 24th, 1863. J. H. BEARD, 2nd Lieutenant.'' 
 
 But darker days still were ahead for the Confederacy, and no 
 doubt it was a sorrowing assembly that gathered in the Coviug- 
 higton Conrt-hoiise the 22nd of February, 1865. Yet all hope 
 had not fled aud the resolve to yet more determined resistance 
 nerved the heart aud arm of these Alleghany patriots. Ou that 
 occasion Captain McAllister made the following remarks: 
 
 "We have met together this evening for the purpose of doing honor to 
 our country's brave defenders. All those who have stood under the flag of 
 our country, those who have been honorably discharged, as well as those 
 who are listed to still further battle with the foe, are most cordially in- 
 vited to come. If there be any present who have deserted our country 
 in the hour of her need, such are out of place. But I trust none such 
 are here and certainly none such are desired except as repentant otTeud- 
 ers returning to the allegiance of their country. 
 
 "I am proud of my own sons. I am proud of the sons of Alleghany. 
 I am proud of the sons of Virginia, who have battled so nobly in our 
 country's cause. Contrary to the expectation of the Northern people, 
 
24 
 
 THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 Virginia, at tlie commeucement of this war, impelled by a sense of duty, 
 declared herself through the ballot-box to be a free and independent 
 State, and her people have made good that declaration on every battle- 
 field. ■=<- ^ 
 
 "Our own county furnished, at the commencement of the war, more 
 men voluntarily than any other county; it has from time to time contrib- 
 uted liberally of those that remained, and from First Manassas, where 
 many of our boys poured out their life's blood, to the close of the cam- 
 paign of 1864, no better soldiers have fought through this war than have 
 gone from our midst, and, except for the Western hordes, the moral at- 
 mosphere is so pure that in it no deserter can live. Our soldiers are 
 worthy and our people desire to bestow gratitude with a liberal hand. The 
 soldiers in the field know but little of the estimation in which their ser. 
 vices are held by the people at home, and it is for the purpose of assuring 
 you of their appreciation that we have asked you to meet us here to-day. 
 
 "We know well that if you and your compatriots in arms fail in duty 
 but one day, the iron heel of Abe Lincoln will be upon our necks; liberty 
 will wing her flight from this land; our men who escape with their lives 
 will be incarcerated in Northern prisons, our property destroyed or con- 
 fiscated and our country reduced to worse than colonial vassalage. But 
 this you will not do! Gird yourselves, then, for the coming contest! 
 Swear by the God that liveth, your country shall be free! * * * Be you 
 the honored instruments in His hands in securing so great a boon, and 
 your children's children will refer with pleasure and delight to the fact 
 that their ancestors bore a noble part in this matchless struggle, whilst 
 the present generation will hail you as the deliverers of our country!" 
 
 lu the light of present evidence we know that some of these 
 apprehensions were unfounded. They were, however, none the 
 less entertained in that time of uncertainty and thick flying ru- 
 mors. Six weeks later came the surrender at Appomattox. 
 
 The state of military pre-emption succeeding the war is too 
 ignominiously known to need comment. We are fortunate, how- 
 ever, in possessing a letter written by Captain McAllister in Au- 
 gust, 1865, to one of his brothers at the Korth, and the following 
 extracts are given therefrom: 
 
 What better can we expect of the masses after the deliverances made 
 by the late General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, more hateful 
 dogmas than which have never been uttered by the Romish Church in 
 the times of her power? If the North rules in the State, they cannot 
 control the conscience, and whilst they exclude us, it is all they can do, 
 — ecclesiastically. 
 
 " 'Forfeited all our rights' is a dogma to which I cannot accede. These 
 rights were in abeyance during the war, and with peace every right we 
 ever possessed returns, and the withholding of any is an unwarranted 
 despotism. We have nearly all taken the oath of allegiance, yielded our 
 
THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 25 
 
 rights from necessity and re-establislied our government under Pierpont, 
 and now within the last few days comes on the batch of blue-coats to 
 keep us in subjection where no manifestation of resistance has been 
 shown since the surrender. Were they so disposed the young men in 
 our county could in a single day make an end of them, but such is not 
 the purpose of the young men nor the counsel of the old. Submission, 
 unconditional submission; yet the time may come when endurance will 
 cease to be a virtue and men will choose death rather than sufier wrong. 
 
 "Might never did and never can make right. I feel a conscious pride 
 in having done my whole duty to my country in a noble cause, and so 
 has done every member of my family, both male and female, for which 
 I have just cause to rejoice. * * * I will only say that if a despot's heel 
 bases upon us beyond endurance, we will find means to obtain a home in 
 some land beyond his control. 
 
 "In justice to myself I must here say I was not a secessionist and con- 
 tended with all the might I possessed against it until President Lincoln 
 called for 75,000 men to whip the South. Then commenced my career 
 with the extreme Southern men. That our leaders committed errors we 
 admit. Yet of the justness of our cause I never entertained a doubt, 
 nor do I now, though overpowered, a result which the North never could 
 have accomplished but for foreign aid. 
 
 "I have not held a military office above a captaincy and held no civil 
 office, am in possession of taxable property worth over §20,000, which 
 alone puts me in the excepted class. I have taken the amnesty oath and 
 have m^^ petition ready. The Governor says there is no need of employ- 
 ing lawyers or special agents, which suits my case well, as I have no 
 money to pay them. I drew up my own petition and now can aid oth- 
 ers. I have not received as much money since our currency failed as I 
 used to get for ordinary sales in one day and not a dollar can be collected. 
 I want to educate my children. * * * The war has had a crushing effect 
 on the education of our young men." 
 
 How true that last sentence is those only know whom adver- 
 sity and stern labor have bnilded into strong manhood. 
 
 A characteristic though amusing incident, showing the scarcity 
 of money even upon a place worth many thousands, had occur- 
 red in May of this year, 1865. The oldest son was to be mar- 
 ried and certain pecuniary preparations therefor have to be 
 made, it is said. Accordingly a collection was taken up, even 
 the negroes on the farm contributing. The sum total of cash 
 that could be secured was $1.15. It is proper to add that there 
 was no postponement of the nuptuals. 
 
 These multiplied troubles, though pressing heavy, did not bring 
 despair with them. The boys assisting, the farm work was re- 
 organized and substantial improvements planned and executed. 
 It was at this time of widespread want that Captain McAl- 
 
26 
 
 THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 lister gave another evidence of his charity and public spirit in 
 furnishing gratuitously a car-load of flour to the families of 
 needy soldiers. This is but one conspicuous instance of his many 
 smaller charities in behalf of the destitute poor. In politics he 
 still took an aggressive interest, uniting with the "Conserva- 
 tives," of which the Democratic party in Virginia is to-day the 
 offspring. 
 
 The strong affection between Captain McAllister and his 
 brother Robert has before been touched upon. In view of it the 
 following letter, written to the latter but never sent, will prove 
 of interest: 
 
 "Sweet Chalybeate Springs, Julj^ 9th, 1870. 
 
 My Very Dear Brother: 
 
 Such I have ever regarded you and until I have further knowledge, 
 must still regard you, although the long silence would indicate anything 
 else. The years spent in deadly combat in which .you and I were actors 
 on opposite sides explains itself, but that five years should have elapsed 
 since the close of the war without any communication between us is as- 
 tonishing indeed. 
 
 Out of this contest you came victorious; we lost everythiug but our 
 laud and our honor, the former of which, for a time at least, we held 
 by an uncertain tenure, but the last was as enduring as life itself. To 
 have opened a correspondence with you under the circumstances [the 
 views which General McAllister held as to the South] was a compromise 
 of honor which I did not feel at liberty to make. Now that your long- 
 looked-for letter has come I would not have delayed answering it a sin- 
 gle day but for physical disability. 
 
 At the age of tifty-nine I am an old man, broken down with labor and 
 care. Last summer I failed in hot weather but revived when it was over. 
 This summer I failed far more markedly. The doctor advises rest for 
 body and mind. I thought to spend a part of the summer in Juniata 
 when I wrote sister, but have become too feeble to travel." * 
 
 This brother, whose life and services have been admirably por- 
 trayed by General John Watts DePeyster, was one of the most 
 loyal of men and incorruptible of patriots. Actors on oppos- 
 ing sides," yet each battling for principles dearer to him than 
 life or fortune and commensurate alone with sacred honor. Un- 
 questioned sincerity of North and South is the one safe in- 
 terpreter of this fratricidal struggle and posterity must pass 
 upon its merits by that criterion or forever do injustice to its 
 consumate bravery and fortitude. 
 
 Soon after this there was a meeting of the three brothers, Nel 
 son, Robert and Thompson, in New York, whither the last had 
 
THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 27 
 
 gone for medical consultation. The eminent physicians who at- 
 tended him pronounced his disease incurable and when Thomp- 
 son left for home all three knew it was the last parting this side 
 of the grave. ''He was," says one, ''by far more calm than 
 they. ^ ^ I remember his letters shortly before his death and 
 how much he emphasized his entire dependence on Christ for 
 salvation." The 13th of March, 1871, he passed peacefully to 
 the rest that remaineth for the people of God. 
 
 One of the many tributes to his memory was that unanimously 
 presented by the "Friends of Temperance." It faithfully sums 
 ap the virtues of the man and the high esteem in which he was 
 universally held by the community: 
 
 "At a called meeting of the Friends of Temperance of this place, March 
 13ch, 1871, the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously 
 adopted by the Council in memory of our worthy and much loved 
 brother, Thompson McAllister, who died on the night of the 12th iust. 
 
 Resolved^ That in the death of Captain McAllister the community 
 has lost a valuable and worthy citizen, the church a zealous and devoted 
 member, this society one whose zeal and example cannot be supplied, the 
 wife a kind and affectionate husband, his children an indulgent and de- 
 voted father, society one of its main pillars, aud the State a citizen who 
 was as brave and gallant in war as he was courteous and gentle in peace; 
 and that we attend his funeral in a body to-morrow. 
 
 ''Resolved, That we extend to the family of the deceased brother our 
 sympathies in this the hour of their bereavement, and that we wear the 
 badges of mourning prescribed by our Order. 
 
 ''Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be furnished the family of 
 our deceased brother and forwarded to the Staunton Spectator and Cen- 
 tral Presbyterian for publication. Committee." 
 
 The memory of such men may die with the generation of which 
 they were a part, but "their works do follow them." The life 
 they lived has become embodied in human interests, which do 
 not die, and in human character, which is immortal. The dom- 
 inant principle in the life which these pages have attempted to 
 portray was that of duty, and to our progenitor the discharge of 
 duty was but Christianity in action. He unswervingly placed 
 family above self and country above both self and family. His 
 early letters to his father and his respectful regard for him fore- 
 told this and his later services and sacrifices are the ample proofs 
 of this regnant characteristic. 
 
 As a citizen Captain McAllister was ever public-spirited and 
 just; as a soldier, brave, honorable and uncompromising in a 
 
28 
 
 THOMPSON McAllister. 
 
 righteous cause; as a Christian, one who by patient continuance in 
 well-doing entered before death upon life eternal. Sprung from 
 an honorable ancestry, he yet further illumined it by an upright 
 and purposeful life, for which we, his descendants, are laid un- 
 der lasting obligation and gratitude. It was his part on the field 
 of war and amid stirring times to illustrate hereditary virtues. 
 It is ours to live them in pursuits upon which Heaven has pressed 
 the crown of peace. 
 
 THE END. 
 
NOTES 
 
 GENEALOGICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. 
 
 T X THE PEEPAEATiox of these brief notes the compiler has 
 used to some extent "The Thompson Family," but most of 
 the information not otherwise credited has been secured by cor- 
 respondence and from the several family Bibles. The outline of 
 Major Hugh McAllister was briefed in the main from ''McAllis- 
 ter Memoranda" and that of Hon. H. X. McAllister from "Mc- 
 Allister Memorial," published in 1873 by order of the Pennsyl- 
 vania Constitutional Convention. 
 
 The name McAllister was originally spelled with one as the 
 signatures of Major Hugh and Judge William McAllister at- 
 test. The cut of the first signature, a fac simile of the one 
 autograph known at present to be extant, was written on the fly 
 leaf of "Letters to a Gentleman" (1792). Our early records were 
 destroyed years ago by the burning of the church in which they 
 were stored. 
 
 An examination of the memoranda reveals in our ancestry a 
 strong predilection for the religious as well as the military. Scotch 
 ancestry is itself a heritage. 
 
 The family burying-ground is near McAllisterville, Pa., and 
 a short distance from the homestead. The dead of the Virginia 
 branch are interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Covington, Ta. 
 Commendable efforts are being made for the improvement and 
 continued preservation of the former burying-ground. They 
 merit our unstinted support. 
 
 The first generation is indicated by large capitals, the fourth 
 by small capitals, and the fifth by italics, in the notes which 
 follow . 
 
GENEALOGICAL DATA. 
 
 I. 1.— HUGH McAllister, Scotch Protestant who emigrated from 
 Ireland to America about the year 1730, settling in Lan- 
 caster county, Pa. He married a Miss Harbison. Issue: 
 John, Hugh and William. The first settled in Sherman's 
 Valley and the last two, who were both prominent in the 
 Indian and Revolutionary wars, in Lost Creek Valley, Pa. 
 
 ("Major Hugh"). 
 
 II. '1.— ^ 4UX.^0(M^ L/rf,t^O^/^ ^Born 1736 in Little 
 
 Britain Township, 
 
 Lancaster county, Pa. Enlisted in the French and Indian 
 War at the age of 22. He went under Washington and in 
 Captain Forbes' company in 1755 to Fort Du Quesne, Af- 
 terwards married Sarah Nelson, of Lancaster county, who 
 had emigrated from Ireland in infancy with her father 
 and mother, both of whom died on the voyage. After 
 their marriage they settled upon a small farm which he 
 purchased, situated upon Buffalo Creek in Sherman's Val- 
 ley, near what is now called Ickesburg, in Cumberland, now 
 Perry, county. This farm he afterwards sold to his bro- 
 ther John for £45 and in the fall of 1760 or 1761 purchased 
 from a certain John Irwin for £40 his improvement right 
 (acquired by the deadening of a few trees) to the tract of 
 land on which he afterwards lived and died, situated in 
 Lost Creek Valley, Cumberland, now Juniata, county. 
 He returned to his residence in Sherman's Valley to spend 
 the winter and whilst absent with his family on a friendly 
 visit to a neighbor, his house took fire and on their return 
 they found it, with all its contents, a heap of ruins. On 
 the 16th of March following he moved with his family to 
 his new farm. Indians were his neighbors and with them 
 he lived on terms of intimacy and friendship. Just before 
 harvest of the next year a friendly Indian came to him 
 with the information that war was at hand and that if he 
 would save his own life and the lives of his family, they 
 must fly before they slept. The household furniture and 
 farming utensils were immediately buried and the family 
 
GENEALOGICAL DATA. 
 
 33 
 
 set c)ff for Patterson's Fort, now Mexico, seven miles dis- 
 tant, and the next day the^' left for Yellow Breeches Creek, 
 south of Carlisle. He sufTered his crop to rot. Others w^ho 
 returned to cut their crops were either killed or taken 
 prisoners. 
 
 The next spriug he rented a farm at Hagerstown, in 
 Cumberland countj^, and during the summer (1708) he 
 volunteered for Pontiac's War. The spring following he 
 returned to his farm in Lost Creek Valley, which he con- 
 tinued to improve and cultivate without further interrup- 
 tion from the Indians. At this stage of comparative ease 
 and comfort in the pioneer life, his services were again 
 volunteered for defence, this time against the British. In 
 1775-6 he was Sergeant in Captain James Gibson's com- 
 pany of militia, Fourth Battalion, Cumberland county. 
 December, 1776, found Boston, New York, Forts Washing- 
 ton and Lee in the hands of the British. The American 
 army under Washington, shattered, disheartened and 
 daily decreasing, were making a precipitate retreat across 
 the Jerseys into Pennsylvania before the victorious British 
 army, under Lord Cornwallis. In this gloomiest hour of 
 the American Revolution, a meeting of citizens was held 
 at the farm-house of Wm. Sharon— within a mile of Mc- 
 Allister's—to consult as to what thej^ might do towards re- 
 enforcing ^Yashington, A large meeting assembled. It 
 was unanimously resolved that a compauj^ be raised to 
 march forthwith. But how? ^Y ho would go? 
 
 McAllister stepped out as a volunteer and for some time 
 stood alone. At length one and another stepped out. The 
 company was filled and John Hamilton elected Captain. 
 The company was composed of the officers and fifty pri- 
 vates, a troop of horse. It reached camp the day after the 
 Hessians were taken prisoners at Trenton. McAllister 
 held a subordinate office. The company, after having 
 served the time for which they were volunteered, returned 
 home. The next year McAUister was drafted, and spent 
 the winter at Valley Forge, holding a Lieutenant's com- 
 mission. On his return home he was elected Captain and 
 in that capacitj' was sent with his company to Potter's 
 Fort. Several expeditions against the Indians preceded 
 his return to his family. After his return, the family of 
 Jacob Styers were killed by the Indians at Beaver Dams, 
 now Union county. McAllister summoned his company 
 and went in pursuit, but finding it impossible to overtake 
 the Indians, after burying the dead they returned. Mc- 
 Allister was then (May 1st, 1783,) commissioned Major of 
 the Seventh Battalion of Militia, in Cumberland county 
 (writer has the original commission). Hugh McAllister, 
 
34 
 
 GENEALOGICAL DATA. 
 
 some years previous, with otliers begau to build a church 
 two miles from Miftlintown upon a spot ii )W marked by a 
 cemetery. Indians interrupted the work, which was com- 
 pleted two years later, and a church 30 by 40 feet erected, 
 Hugh McAllister was a Presbyterian and is reputed to 
 have been a man of strong religious convictions. The re- 
 cords prove him a man of business tact, progressiveness 
 and large public spirit. He died September 22nd, 1810, 
 having by will given the homestead to his son William. 
 His wife had died July 7th, 1802. Issue: Robert, Hugh, 
 John, Nancy, Polly, and William. 
 
 ^yy^ Qy^r ^T^'^.^mi^ ("Judge William"). Born 
 
 .— yy L/jT^ August, 1775. Married, 
 
 III 6. 
 
 November 2nd, 1802, Sarah Thompson. She (1 783-1802) 
 was daughter of William Thompson, Sr., (1754-1813) who 
 participated in the battles of Brandywine and German- 
 town and whose wife was Jane Mitchell. William Thomp- 
 son's father, John Thompson, Sr., (I. 1.) originally a Scotch 
 Covenanter, emigrated from Ireland, about 1730, to Ches- 
 ter county, Pa., married three times and William was by 
 first wife, Miss Greenlee. (See "The Thompson Family"). 
 William McAllister served in the war of 1812, and March 
 4th, 1842, was appointed one of the two associate judges 
 of Juniata county. He died December 21st, 1847, and his 
 wife March 7th, 1862. He was a man of great business ca- 
 pacity, full of energy and industry; prominent in church 
 work; noted for his hospitality and uncompromising in 
 principle and opinions. Issue: 
 IV. 1.— Jane Thompson McAllister (December 27th, 1803— July 
 29th, 1880). Wed Judge David Banks April 10th, 1827. 
 She was the mother of seven sons, four of whom are liv- 
 ing. Issue: 
 
 y. 1. — Ja7nes A. Banks. Born January 17th, 1828. Killed by Indians 
 in Nevada August 1st, 1867. Went to California in 1853 
 and become very prominent. Served in the Legislature of 
 that State two terms and in the State Senate one term. 
 He came within one vote of being elected United States 
 Senator. At the time of his death was managing mining 
 interests in Nevada. 
 
 V. 2. — William Banks. Born March i2th, 1830. Lived at the home- 
 stead until 1886; since then at Miftlintown, Pa. Wed Jane 
 Elizabeth Hamlin October 1st, 1861. These two, with 
 their children, early became members of the Presbyterian 
 church. Issue: 
 
 VI. 1.— William H. Banks. Born November 16th, 1862. Wed Bessie 
 Parker, of Mifiiintown, October 27th, 1892, and is a practic- 
 ing physician there. Issue: 
 
GENEALOGICAL DATA. 
 
 35 
 
 VII. 1.— Robert Parker Banks. Born October 18th, 1893. 
 VII. 2.~Jane Banks. Born November 15th, 1891. 
 VI. 2.— James A. Banks. Born October 15th, 1864. Druggist with Dr. 
 
 Lucien Banks, Mifflintown. 
 VI. 3.— Andrew Banks. Born March 21st, 1866. Graduated at Prince- 
 ton College and is a successful lawyer at Greensburg, Pa. 
 VI. 4— Ella Kate Banks. Born May 6th, 1868. Wed J. Howard Neely, 
 lawyer of Mifflintown, December 31st, 1891. Issue: 
 Vir. 1.— Lucien Banks Neely. (March 3rd, 1893— Xovember 30th, 1893.) 
 VII. 2.— John Howard Xeel\\ Born Xovember 22nd, 1894. 
 VII. 3.— William Hamlin Xeely. Born February 2nd, 1896. 
 VI. 5.— Philo Hamlin Banks. Born September 30th, 1870. 
 VI. 6.— R. Jennie Banks. Born July l^th, 1872. 
 
 VI. 7.— Annie May Banks. Born July 14th, 1879; died May 10th, 1880. 
 V. 3.— Dca'/rZ Stewart Banks, D. D. Born January 10th, 1832. Has a 
 
 charge in Santa Cruz, Cal. Is not married. 
 V. 4. — John Edward Banks. Died in infancy. 
 
 V. 5. — Robert Edwin Banks. Born June 29th, 1837. Died of typhoid 
 fever at Jefferson College April 17th, 1858. 
 
 V. <6—John Nelson Banks. Born May 3rd, 1839. He stands high in 
 the legal profession at Indiana, Pa. He has two children. 
 
 V. 1 .—lAicien Banks. Born January 13th, 1841. A physician in high 
 standing in Miffiintown. Chairman of Democratic party 
 in his county and has served one term in the Legislature. 
 
 IV. 2.— Nancy. (January r7th, 1807— September 28th, 1807.) 
 
 IV. 3.— Htgh Nelson McAllister. Born June 28th, 1809. Grad- 
 uated from Jefferson College 1833. Admitted to bar of 
 Centre county, Pa., Xovember 25th, 1835, and at once be- 
 came full partner of Hon. W. W. Potter. In 1859, Mr. 
 Potter having been dead some years, Mr, McAUister asso- 
 ciated with him Hon. James A. Beaver under the firm- 
 name of McAllister & Beaver. He first wed Henrietta 
 Ashman Orbison, of Huntingdon, Pa., by whom he had 
 seven children, four of whom died in infanc3\ The first 
 Mrs. McAllister died April 12th, 1857, and on September 
 12th, 1859, he married Margaret Hamilton, of Harrisburg, 
 a granddaughter of Captain John Hamilton, under whom 
 his grandfather served in the Revolution. During the war 
 of 1861-5 Mr. McAllister did more than an^'- one man to 
 raise and organize the many companies which left Centre 
 county. He finally raised a full companj^ (Co. F, 23rd Pa. 
 militia), was elected its Captain and went with it to the 
 field, serving faithfully until his place could be filled by a 
 younger man. He was one of the projectors and constant 
 supporters of the (now) State College; kept the county ag- 
 ricultural society in existence for a long time almost un- 
 aided, and for many years headed the temperance organi- 
 
36 
 
 GENEALOGICAL DATA. 
 
 zations of the couDty. He was a ruling elder in the Belle- 
 fonte church and was one of the most learned of the four- 
 teen delegates at large of the Pennsylvania State Consti- 
 tutional Convention. He died as a member of that body 
 May r)th, 1873. Issue by first marriage: 
 V. \.— Ellen E. McAllhter. (1846—1866.) 
 
 V. 2.— Mary McAllister. Wed, December 20th, 1865, James A. Beaver, 
 Bellefonte, Pa., Brigadier-General Civil war; Governor of 
 Pennsylvania 1887-9, and now (1896) on the Supreme Bench 
 of Pennsylvania. Issue: 
 VI. 1.— Nelson McAllister Beaver. (November 11th, 1866— January 
 8th, 1867). 
 
 VI. 2.— Gilbert Addams Beaver. Born January 1st, 1869. Wed Miss 
 Anne Simonton May 12th, 1896. Engaged in International 
 Y. M. C, A. work (1896). 
 
 VI. 3.— Hugh McAllister Beaver. Born March 29th, 1873. College 
 Secretary Y. M. C. A. (1896). 
 
 VI. 4.— Thomas Beaver. Born April 8th, 1875. 
 
 VI. 5.— James Addams Beaver, Jr. (December 26th, 1883— January 
 22nd, 1887). 
 
 V. Sarah McAllister. Wed Dr. Thomas R. Hays, Bellefonte, Pa., 
 1883. They still reside there. 
 
 IV. 4.— Thompson McAllister (August 30th, 1811— March 13th, 1871). 
 
 Wed, February 14th, 1839, Lydia Miller Addams (February 
 
 11th, 1819), daughter of Abraham Addams, Esq. Moved 
 
 to Covington, Va., 1849. Captain in C. S. A. 1861-'65. (See 
 
 "Sketch.") Issue: 
 V. I.— Clara Biddle McAllister. (December 8th, 1839— May 28th, 
 
 1869). Wed Dr. Gabriel McDonald, Surgeon in C. S. Army, 
 
 September 29th, 1859. Issue: 
 VI. 1.— Mary Jordan McDonald. (November 18th, 1860— February 
 
 15th, 1862). 
 
 VI. 2.— Willie May McDonald, Born September 19th, 1864. 
 VI. 3.— James Addams McDonald. (September 22nd, 1867— August 
 6th, 1868). 
 
 VI. 4.— Clara Gabriella McDonald. Born May 11th, 1869. Wed T. E. 
 
 Buck, East Radford, Va., November 2nd, 1892. Issue: 
 VII. 1.— William McDonald Buck. Born August 14th, 1893. 
 VII. 2.— Evred Johnson Buck. Born June 11th, 1895. 
 VII. 3.— Frank Speed Buck. Born June 11th, 1895. 
 
 V. 2.— Abraham Addams McAllister. Born August 25th, 1841. March, 
 1862, enlisted in Bryan's Battery, in which he was Ser. 
 geant till the surrender. Wed Julia Ellen Stratton May 
 10th, 1865, and managed estate until 1876. Began mer- 
 chandising with G. G. Gooch 1875, and for self 1880. Senior 
 partner of milling firm of McAllister & Bell, Covington, 
 
GENEALOGICAL DATA. 
 
 37 
 
 Va. Is a successful and scientific farmer and owns a con- 
 trolling interest in a number of enterprises in Covington 
 and at other points in the county. Is a ruling elder in the 
 Covington church. Issue: 
 VI. 1.— Joseph Thompson McAllister. Born February 27th, 1866. Wed 
 •Virginia Richards Anderson April 18th, 1893. Attorney- 
 at-law of the firm of Wm. M. & J. T. McAllister, Warm 
 Springs, Va. Issue: 
 VII. 1.— Joseph Thompson McAllister, Jr. Born March 24th, 1894. 
 
 VI. 2.— Mary Lydia McAllister. Born September 1st, 1868. Wed F. 
 
 H. Hammond, November 29th, 1887: died October 9th, 
 1888. Issue: Baby, still-born. 
 
 VI. 3.— William McDonald McAllister. Born January 15th, 1871. Wed 
 Virginia Harlow, September 25th, 1895. He is the Mc- 
 Allister Hardware Co., Covington, Va. 
 
 VI. 4.— James Gray McAllister. Born November 27th, 1872. Business 
 Manager Central Presbyterian^ Richmond Va. (1896). 
 
 VI. 5. — Addams Stratton McAllister. Born February 24th, 1875. 
 
 VI. 6.— Clara Annie McAllister. Born March 17th, 1877. 
 
 VI. 7,— Hugh Maffitt McAllister. Born April 7th, 1879. 
 
 VI. 8.— Juhan Robert McAUister. Born November 21st, 1881. 
 
 V. 3.— Wdliarn Miller McAllister. Born March 6, 1843. Enlisted April, 
 1861, as youngest in his father's company, the famous "Car. 
 penter Battery," serving until the close of the war. Wed 
 Maggie A. Erwin October 27th, 1869. Senior member of 
 the law firm of Wm. M. & J. T. McAllister, Warm Springs, 
 Va., and special attorney for the U. S, Government, War 
 Claims' Department, headquarters Tennessee. Active and 
 deservedl^^ prominent in Virginia political affairs. Is Com- 
 mander Bath Camp C. V., and a ruling elder of Warm 
 Springs church. 
 
 V. 4:.— Edgar Thoynj^son McAllister. Born October 30th, 1848. Wed 
 Alice C. Mann October 20th, 1874, w^ho died October 18th, 
 1895. Issue: 
 
 VI. 1.— Alice Miller McAlhster. Born April 16th, 1877. 
 VI. 2.— WiUiam Addams McAllister. Born May 16th, 1879. 
 
 V. b.— Annie Elizaheth McAllister. Born June 6th, 1851. Wed Dr. J. R. 
 
 England December 17th 1873. Live at home-place. Issue: 
 
 VI. 1.— Lydia Miller England. Born June 21st, 1875. 
 
 VI. 2.— Harriet Elizabeth England. Born September 8th, 1876. 
 
 VI. 3.— Charles Thompson England. Born April 1st, 1878. 
 
 VI. 4.— William McAllister England. Born April 3rd, 1880. 
 
 VI. 5.— Clarence McDonald England. Born March 19th, 1882. (A sis- 
 ter was born and died that date), 
 
38 
 
 GENEALOGICAL DATA. 
 
 VI. 6.— Frank Addams England. Born April 18th, 1884. 
 VI. 7.— Mary Kyle England. Born July 16th, 1886. 
 
 IV. 5.— Robert McAllister. (June 1st, 1813— February 23rd, 1891). 
 
 Wed Ellen Wilson November 9th, 1841. In the Civil War 
 he first commanded the First New Jersey Regiment and 
 June 30th, 1862, was commissioned Colonel of the Eleventh 
 New Jersey Volunteers. "Was one of the very few men 
 who went through the war from its inception to its close, 
 being present at Bull Run and Appomattox, respectively, 
 without missing any of the pitched battles (except South 
 Mountain and Antietam) of the Army of the Potomac, to 
 which he was attached from tirst to last. ^ * * Brevetted 
 Brigadier-General for his glorious behavior at Boydton 
 Plank-Road, 27th October, 1864, and Major-General for mer- 
 itorious conduct throughout the war." General DeTrobri- 
 and says of him: "As punctual in his religious habits as he 
 was sincere in his belief, he had Protestant religious ser- 
 vices regularly on Sunday at his headquarters. The most 
 pleasant' attention we could pay him on that day was to 
 listen to the sermon of his Chaplain." Monument to his 
 command at Gettysburg, where General McAllister had 
 two horses shot from under him. (See "Sketch" by Gen- 
 eral John Watts DePeyster.) Issue: 
 V. 1, — Swah Elizabeth McAllister. Wed Wilson Lloyd, Philadelphia, 
 August 13th, 1863. Live at "Hugh's Fancy," near home- 
 stead. Issue: 
 
 VI. 1.— Robert McAllister Lloyd. Born June 14th, 1864. President of 
 Plaute Electric Storage Battery Co., N. Y. (1896). 
 
 VI. 2.— Elizabeth Spackman Lloyd. Born November 27th, 1866. 
 
 VI. 3.— Thomas Wilson Lloyd. Born June 16th, 1869. With import- 
 ing house of J. H. Tilge & B., N. Y. 
 
 VI. 4. — Nelson McAllister Lloyd. Born December, 1872. Assistant 
 City Editor Evening Sun, N. Y. (1896). 
 
 VI. 5.— William Henry Lloyd. Born June 16th, 1877. 
 V. 2. — Henrietta Graham McAllister. Wed Johnston H. Baldwin, 
 
 Pittsburg, October 30th, 1873. Issue: 
 VI. 1.— Eleanor McAllister Baldwin. Born August 13th, 1874. 
 VI. 2.— Jane Hewitt Baldwin. Born July 23rd, 1876. 
 VI. 3.— Robert McAllister Baldwin. (September 13th, 1877— May 31st, 
 
 1892.) 
 
 VI. 4. — Henrietta Baldwin. Born November 22nd, 1885. 
 
 IV. 6.— Elizabeth McAllister. Born January 7th, 1815. Wed 
 David Stewart June 3rd, 1834. Died November 21st, 1835. 
 
 IV. 7.— William McAllister. (July 5th, 1818— August 6th, 1822). 
 
GENEALOGICAL DATA. 
 
 39 
 
 IV. 8.— Son born October 10th, 1820. Died imDamed. 
 
 IV. 9.— George ^YASHINGTON McAllister. Born February 'Jth, 
 1823. Wed Mary Myers January 15th, 1850. Lives at the 
 homestead. Issue: 
 V. 1. — Laura Jean McAllister. Born October 26th, 1855. 
 
 V. 2.— Banks Clayton McAllister. Born October 5th, 1859. Wed Em- 
 ma Ewing, Culpeper, Va., April 18th, 1889. Issue: 
 VI. 1.— George Irvine McAllister. Born September 28th, 1890. 
 
621