Book /^Ls\Nij,_ flight N!* COBfJUGIfr DEIOEHft ( MEMORIAL, VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES GRADUATES AND ELEVES VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE ^VHO FELL DURING THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES. BY CHARLES D. WALKER, LATE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR V. M. 1. re :^^'% PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 1875- .V5V • Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, ^Y CHAS. D. WALKER, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, r to GEN. WILLIAM H. RICHARDSON, ADJUTANT-GENERAL OF THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, AND THE LIFE-LONG FRIEND OF THE V. M. I., THIS RECORD OF THOSE OF HIS "BOYS" WHO DIKD FOR THE CAUSE IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. PREFACE. The idea of the following work first found expression in December, 1862, when the Adjutant-General of the State of Virginia, in presenting his annual report to the Legislature included in it an extended memorial of the eleves of the Military Institute, who up to that time had taken part in the service of the Southern Confederacy. This memorial, which had been prepared by General Smith, was widely circulated and eagerly sought after. During the summer of 1865, General Smith, as a partial relief from the heavy care laid upon him by the destruction of the Institute build- ings, the erection of which had constituted one part of his life-work, turned to that other part, which no enemy could destroy — the record of those who had gone forth from the now dismantled walls to battle and to die for their country. He felt assured that if an interest had been evinced in such a memorial when the Cause was young, vigorous, and with prospect of success, much more, now that the Cause was- lost, would there be felt a deeper and more tender interest in a fuller record, which should include all who fought or died for its dear sake. Acting upon this idea, he prepared short sketches of about four hundred Cadets who had been in service. But the labor of rebuilding the Institute, and the necessity of applying every energy to that object, inter- S Vm> "TisO u 6 PREFA CE. fered with their satisfactory completion. When, in 1871, the Rev. J. L. Johnson issued the Univa'sity Mc}nonal,A\\e. Faculty of the Institute — recognizing the appropriateness of the form of tribute paid therein to the gallant dead of our noble State university — felt that her younger sister could not do better in this respect than to follow her example. Accordingly, the execution of the following work was or- dered, in which the plan of the University Memorial, except in a few minor details, has been closely followed. Four of the sketches in this Memorial, by permission of Mr. Johnson, and at the request of the families of the de- ceased, are copied from that volume. To carry out the design thus decided upon a committee was appointed, consisting of General F. H. Smith, LL.D., Commodore M. F. Maury, LL.D., Colonel James W. Mas- sie, Colonel Scott Ship, Colonel R. L. Madison, M.D., and Colonel W. E. Cutshaw, to supervise the preparation of the book, examining and deciding upon the sketches. Scarcely was the work begun when one of this number, Colonel Massie, himself a brave and distinguished soldier, found rest from terrible suffering, brought on by exposure in service, and went to join his comrades whose names constitute this record. So, too, when the committee had almost finished their work, another of their number. Com- modore Maury, the Pathfinder of the Sea, his anchors not dragging to the last,* came safely to rest " in the haven where he would be." On many of the sketches which he examined were written brief notes, generally expressive of admiration for some brave boy-soldier, who, ere manhood had rendered his military services due to his country, had I * His last words were, " Do I drag my anchors ?" PREFA CE. 7 freely given them, and with them his life, an offering of youth- ful patriotism, A longer time than was anticipated has been needed for the completion of this work. And now, when at length it goes forth, so numerous are its imperfections that it would be withheld but for the assurance that the principle which prompted its inception, and has carried it through to com- pletion, must commend it, in spite of all defects, to the Southern people. That principle was to rescue from ob- livion the names of those fallen Confederate soldiers who were sons of the Virginia Military Institute. In the en- deavor to perform this sacred duty many difficulties and dis- couragements have been encountered. The many changes brought about by the war have made it difficult, in some instances impossible, to get a clue to the residence of any relative or friend of the deceased. And even where this in- surmountable obstacle did not present itself, the years which have elapsed since the war have blotted from memory all save salient facts. Hence it has happened that in some cases, where direct communication with the immediate family was possible, they have preferred the simple record of a few lines to any attempt at a formal memoir founded upon the imperfect data in their possession. This will account for the brevity of some of the sketches, though in the majority of cases this brevity is due to lack of information. Honest effort was made to learn all that could be known of each and every one, and all that was learned is faithfully recorded. Doubtless it would have improved the appearance of the book to throw all these imperfect sketches together in an appendix, but this did not accord with our plan. No dis- tinction of merit, rank, or service determines the position of a name on this roll of honor. It is only a roll-call of the 8 PRE FA CE. Cadets who died for the South ; all have equal honor in this one fact, that they gave up their lives ; each one has his place in ranks ; each one died in the forefront of duty, and it were dishonor to any one to put him in the rear. When it is remembered that a very large proportion of those whose life-story is here told had not reached years of manhood, so that time for full development of character or opportunity for performance of deed had not been given, there will be no difficulty in understanding the lack of inci- dent in some of the memoirs, their great likeness to each other, and in this their want of that individuality which gives to memoirs, as such, their value. The single interest- ing event of the young life, its close on the field of battle, being the same in many cases, variety in describing those lives was impossible. To secure as much variety as was practicable, such changes only have been made in the rough memoirs, furnished often by inexperienced writers, as was absolutely necessary; bad shape and awkward expression being preferable to the dead sameness that must have re- sulted had they all been remodeled by a single hand. Despite all these difficulties, and the consequent defects of the book, still, it contains many noble memoirs, that ought to be interesting and profitable to all ; stirring ac- counts of heroic deeds, life-stories of brave, true, tender, great-hearted Christian soldiers, worthy of the imitation of the young, and of the admiration of the older, some of whom were their comrades in arms. CHARLES D. WALKER. March 20, 1S75. CONTENTS. I.— Adie, Louis B., Private, Mosby's Cavalry. By Chas. L Powell, A.M II.— Alexander, Thos., Lieutenant, Co. C, 40th Virginia In fantry ....••••• III. — Allen, Tas. W., Colonel. 2d Virginia Infantry IV. _Allen. Robt. C. , Colonel, 28th Virginia Infantry . v.— Armistead, Jno. S., Lieutenant, C. S. Engineers . VI.— ASHBY, JAS. L., Private, Co. D, 6th Virginia Cavalry • VII.— AsHBY, John W., Private, Co. I, 12th Virginia Cavalry (aviIL — AsHBY. Richard, Captain, Co. A, ylh Virginia Cavalry IX.— Atwell, S. F., Corporal, Co. A, Corps of Cadets . X.— Barton, C. M., Lieutenant, Cutshaw's Battery . XL— Beasley, p. R., Lieutenant, 35th Alabama Infantry XIL— Benbury, R. B., Private, North Carolina Infantry . XIIL— Bishop, B. F., Captain, Staff General Wright . XIV. — BoTTS, Lawson, C olonel, 2d Virginia Infantry, By Col onel R. H. Lee XV.— Bradley, R., Captain, 14th Louisiana Infantry XVI.— Bray, W. H., Lieutenant, Virginia Infantry . XVII.— Breckinridge, Jas., Captain, Co. C* 2d Virginia Cav- alry XVIIL— Breckinridge, P. G., Captain, Co. B, 2d Virginia Cav- alry XIX.— Burgess, A. A., Private, ist Virginia Infantry . XX. — Burgwyn. H. K., Colonel, 26th North Carolina Infantry XXL— Burke, Jno. W.. Sergeant, King William Artillery . XXII.— Burke, Thos. M., Major, 55th Virginia Infantry . 17 20 21 26 30 33 34 36 41 42 46 53 58 60 60 67 72 73 87 91 XXIIL— Cabell, W. H., Orderly Sergeant, Co. D, Corps of Cadets 92 XXIV.— Carrington, a. C, Lieutenant, Co. D, i8th Virginia Infantry, By Rev, R, L, Dabney, D,D. . . , 98 9 10 CONTENTS. VAGB XXV. — Chenowith, Jos. H., Major, 31st Virginia Infantry . 108 XXVI.— Cherry, J. B., Captain, Co. F, 4th North Carolina Cavalry . . .114 ^ XXVII. ^Claiborne, T. P., L ieutenant-Colonel, Virginia Bat- talion 116 XXVIII.— Clopton, a. W., Adjutant, 34th North Carolina In- fantry . .116 XXIX. — COLCOTT, A. D., Lieutenant-Colonel, 3d Virginia In- fantry . . . .119 % XXX.— Colston, Raleigh T.^ Lieutenant-Colonel, 2d Vir- ginia Infantry . . . . . . . .120 XXXI. — Crittenden, L., Lieutenant, Co. E, 40th Virginia In- fantry 133 XXXII. — Crockett, C. G., Private, Co. B, Corps of Cadets . 137 XXXIII. — Crump, C. A., Colonel, i6th Virginia Infantry . . 141 ^ XXXIV. — Crutchfield, S., Colonel, and Chief of Artillery, 2d Corps, A. N. V. By General W. N. Pendleton . 143 XXXIV^— Crawford, R. A. No record. XXXV. — Dabney, B. G., Private, Thomson's Horse Artillery . 160 XXXVI. — Dabney, E. M., Captain, Co. C, 52d Virginia Infantry 161 XXXVII. — Davis, J. Lucius, Private, loth Virginia Cavalry . . 163 XXXVIII.— Davis, T. B., Lieutenant, Co. D, 2d Virginia Cavalry 165 XXXIX. ^)erby, C. a.. Colonel, 44th Alabama Infantry . .169 XL. — Deyerle, M. p., Captain, Co. I, 28th Virginia Infantry. By D. a. Carter, Esq 173 XLI. — Dove, Leslie C, Courier, General Chambliss . -175 XLIL— Dudley, Thos., Lieutenant, P. A. C. S. By Hon. B. B. Douglass 178 XLIII. — Easley, W. H., Captain, Co. C, 3d Virginia Cavalry . iSi XLIV. — Eastham, George. No record. XLV. — Edmonds, E. C , Colonel, 38th Virginia Infantry . 185 XLVI. — Edmondson, H.~C., Private, ist Richmond Howitzers 188 XLVII. — Ellis, J. T., Lieutenant-Colonel, 19th Virginia Infantry 190 XLVIIL— Fant, E. L., Lieutenant, 8th Virginia Infantry . . 193 XLIX.— Fletcher, Jno., Captain, Ashby's Cavalry . . 193 L.- — Forbes, W. A., Colonel, 14th Tennessee Infantry . 194 LI. — Ford, C. E., Lieutenant, Stuart's Horse Artillery. By Hiram Brovver ........ 203 LII. — Frazer, p. F., Lieutenant-Colonel, 27th Virginia In- fantry 208 LIIL— FuLKERSON, S. v., Colonel, 37th Virginia Infantry . 210 CONTENTS. 1 1 PAGB LIV. — FoWLKES, E., Captain, Co. F, nth Virginia Infantry . 222 223 LV. — Galt, W., Adjutant, 52d Virginia Infantry . LVI. — Garland, S., Brigadier-General, Hill's Division, A. N V. By Mrs. CM. Jordan . . . _ . LVII. — Garnett, T. S., Colonel, 48th Virginia Infantry . LVIII.— Gay, C. W., Private, Danville Artillery. By Captain Thos. D. Ransom LIX. — Gibbons, S. B., Colonel, loth Virginia Infantry , LX. — GiBBS, J. T., Corporal, Rockbridge Artillery LXI. — GOODE, E., C olonel, 58th Virginia Infantry . LXII. — Grandy, p. H., Lieutenant, North Carolina Infantry LXIII. — Green, W. J., Lieutenant-Colonel, 47th Virginia In fantry. By Judge Wm. S. Barton LXIV.— Grigg, W. p.. Sergeant, Martin's Battery. By J. E Christian ........ LXV.— Haigh, C. T., Lieutenant, Co. B, 37th North CaroHna Infantry. By T. P. Devereux .... LXVI. — Hairston, J. A., Private, 24th Virginia Infantry. By General J. A. Early ...... LXVII. — Hambrick, J. A., Major, 24th Virginia Infantry . LXVIII. — Hammond, G. N., Captain, Co. B, ist Virginia Cavalry By Colonel John B. Hoge 227 2^.8 241 246 247 248 251 251 254 257 259 261 263 LXIX. — Hardy, J. B., Lieutenant, Crescent Regiment, Louisiana 269 LXX. — Harman, T. L., Lieutenant, Staunton Artillery . . 269 LXXL — ^Harrison, C . H., Major, nth Virginia Infantry. By Colonel R. Harrison 271 LXXII. — Hart, T. G., Sergeant-Major, 17th Virginia Infantry . 279 LXXIII. — Hartsfield, A. C, Private, Corps of Cadets . . 280 LXXIV.— Helm, R. H. No record. LXXV.— Heth, J., Lieutenant, ist Virginia Battalion . . 281 LXXVL— Hunter, H. W., Lieutenant, C. S. Ordnance . LXXVII. — Irvine, Alexander. No record. LXXVIII. — Jackson, A, E., Adjutant, 29th Tennessee Infantry . 283 LXXIX. — Jameson, J. H., Captain, Virginia Infantry . . . 2S7 LXXX. — Jarrell, T. G., Lieutenant, Co. B, 36th Virginia In- fantry 288 LXXXL— Jefferson, T. G., Private, Co. B, Corps of Cadets. By Rev. D. W. Shanks 290 LXXXII. — Johnston, Peyton, Jr., Lieutenant, Fayette Artil- lery, By Frank H. Alfriend, Esq 294 12 CONTENTS. y PAGE LXXXIII. — Jones, Francis B., Major, 2d Virginia Infantry. By J. Peyton Clark, A.M 299 LXXXIV.— Jones, H. J., Private, Co. D, Corps of Cadets , .310, LXXXV.— Keeling, R. H., Captain, 13th Alabama Infantry . 312 LXXXVI. — Keiter, Wm., Captain, Tennessee Artillery . . 313 LXXXVII.— Kent, Jas. R., Lieutenant, Co. E, 24th Virginia In- fantry 315 LXXXVIII.— KiNCHELOE, J. M., Adjutant, 17th Tennessee In- fantry 316 LXXXIX.— KiNNEY, T. C, Lieutenant, Staff General Edward Johnson 318 XC. — KiRBY, Edmund, Lieutenant-Colonel, 58th North Carolina Infantry 319 XCI. — Lackland, Francis, Lieutenant-Colonel, 2d Virginia Infantry . . _ 323 XCII. — Langhorne, J. K., Private, 2d Virginia Cavalry . 327 XCIIL — Lati me r, J. W., M ajor, Andrews's Battalion . . 328 XCIV.— Lauck, C. E., Lieutenant, 4th Virginia Infantry , 335 @ XCV. — Lee, W. F., Lieutenant-Colonel, 33d Virginia In- fantry 338 XCVI. — Leftwich, J. C, Private, Co. I, 2d Virginia Cavalry 341 XCVII. — Logan, R., Captain, Co. H, 14th Virginia Infantry. By N. T. Green 343 XCVIIL— LVLE, A., Private, Mosby's Cavalry, By Rev. H. C. Alexander, D.D 346 XCIX. — Macon, Edgar, Lieutenant, Thomas Artillery . 348 C. — Macon, Miles C, Captain, Fayette Artillery . . 349 ^■CI ..— Magruder, Jno. B., Colonel, 57th Virginia In- fantry 350 CII. — Mallory, F., Colonel, 55th Virginia Infantry. By Dr. Samuel Selden 351 CIII. — Marr, J. Q., Captain, Warrenton Rifles . . . 359 CIV. — Marshall, J. K. , Colonel, 52d North Carolina In- fantry '. 7~ 369 CV. — Mathews, W. T., Private, 3d Richmond Howitzers 372 CVL— McCance, R. G., Private, Otey Battery . . -373 CVI I.— McDonald, C. W., A. D. C. General Elzey . . 377 CVIIL— McDowell, W. H., Private, Co. B, Corps of Cadets 379 CIX.— McKiNNEY, R. M., Colonel, 15th North Carolina Infantry . \ 380 ex. — Mears, L. W., Private, Old Dominion Dragoons . 383 CONTENTS. 13 PAGE CXI. — Meem, J. L., Captain and A. A. G., Garland's Brigade. By C. L. Mosby 383 CXII. — MoFFETT, J. S., Private, 4th Virginia Infantry , . 387 CXIII. — Montague, A. J., Private, Co. C, 55th Virginia In- fantry. By Geo. D. Nicholson .... 387 CXIV.— Moore, C. W., Drill-master, C. S. A, . . . 390 fe*"^ CXV. — Morgan, E. F., Major, 8th Georgia Battalion . . 390 CXVI.— Morgan, W. H., Captain, Co. F, 21st Virginia In- fantry. By Captain J. D. Young .... 392 CXVII. — Neff, Jno. F ., Colonel, 33d Virginia Infantry. By Captain D-ll. Walton 396 CXVIII. — Niemeyer, J. C, Lieutenant, Co. I, 9th Virginia In- fantry 406 CXIX. — Norris, C. R., Acting Captain, 27th Virginia In- fantry. By C. Shafer 408 CXX. — Oliver, J. M., Captain, 2ist Virginia Infantry . . 410 CXXI.— Otey, G. G., Captain, Otey Battery , . . .412 CXXIL— Park, W. K., Lieutenant, C. S. Engineers . . 416 CXXIII. — Parran, W. S., Surgeon, Courtney's Battery . . 420 CXXIV. — Pattox, G. S., Colonel, 22d Virginia Infantry . . 422 CXXV. — Patton, W. T., Colonel, 7th Virginia Infantry . 425 CXXVI. — Pendleton, Ed., Lieutenant, Co. C, nth Virginia Cavalry ......... 430 @ CXXVIL — Petway, O. C, Colonel, 35th North Carolina Infantry 432 CXXVIII.— Preston, W. C. Cadet 433 CXXIX. — Price, George S., Private, Co. C, 2d Virginia Cav- alry 435 CXXX. — Randolph, W. H., Captain, 4th Virginia Infantry . 435 CXXXI. — Rhodes, E. A., Lieutenant, nth North Carolina In- fantry 436 CXXXII. — Rice, T. C, Lieutenant, 3d Virginia Cavalry . . 439 CXXXIII. — Richardson, J. Q., Major, 52d North Carolina In- fantry .... 440 CXXXIV.— Rodes, R. E., Major-General, A. N. V. By Major Green Peyton 440 CXXXV.— Rogers, A. L., Major, Artillery, C. S. A. . . . 458 CXXXVL— Scales, J. R., Captain, Co. H, 54th Virginia Infantry 461 CXXXVIL— Selden, W. B., Lieutenant, Artillery, C. S. A. By James Barron Hope 463 14 CONTENTS. ^ PACB CXXXVIIL— Simpson, R. H., Major, 17th Virginia Infantry. By S. S. Turner 475 CXXXIX.— Speed, H. G., Private, ist North Carolina Cavalry , 482 A CXL. — Smith, F. W. , Lieutenant-Colonel, Artillery, C. S. A. 484 CXLI. — Stanard, J. B., Private, Co. D, Corps of Cadets . 494 CXLII. — Starke, E. B., Adjutant, 7th Virginia Infantry . 495 CXLIII. — Stewart, B. F., Lieutenant, 40th Virginia Infantry . 496 CXLIV. — Stone, Nolan, Sergeant, Co. B, ist Regiment C. S. Engineers 496 CXLV. — Strange, J. B., Colonel, 19th Virginia Infantry . 498 CXLVI . —Stuart, W. D., Colonel, 56th Virginia Infantry . 502 CXLVII.— SuDDOTH, F. M., Adjutant, 24th Virginia Infantry . 505 CXLVIII. — Sydnor, R. D. B., Lieutenant, Co. B, 40th Virginia Infantry 506 CXLIX.— Tabb, W. H., Captain, ist Virginia Infantry . . 508 CL. — Taylor, C, Lieutenant. No record, CLI. — Taylor, Thos. S., Captain, Co. D, 24th Virginia In- fantry 508 CLII. — Terrill, J. B., Brigadier-General, A. N. V. . . 512 CLIII. — Terry, C. W,, Private, Virginia Infantry . . . 516 CLIV.— Thomas, L. M., Assistant Adjutant-General, Staff General B. H. Helm 516 3a "^ .CLV. — Thomson, J. W., Major, Horse Artillery, Rosser's Division ......... 518 CLVI. — Tredway, T. B., Sergeant, Virginia Infantry . . 519 CLVII. — Trout, E. S., Captain, Co. H, 52d Virginia Infantry. By Dr. A. M. Fauntleroy ..... 520 CLVIII. — Tyler, Samuel, Lieutenant, C. S. Engineers . . 522 CLIX. — Urquhart, C. F., Major, 3d Virginia Infantry. By R. W. Burges 523 CLX.— Waller, W. M., Lieutenant, Co. E, 2d Virginia Cavalry 526 CLXL— Walthall, J. A., Adjutant. No record. CLXIL— Warwick, B., Lieutenant, Staff General H. A. Wise 527 CLXIIL— Watkins, W. E., Orderly Sergeant, Alright's Battery 530 CLXIV.— Wheatley, T. T., Major. No record. CLXV.— Wheelwright, J. C, Private, Co. C, Corps of Cadets. By D. C. Wirt 531 CLXVL— WiLLCOX, J. W., Sergeant, Charles City Dragoons . 534 CLXVIL — Williams, L. B., Co lonel, ist Virginia Infantry . 535 CLXVIIL— Wilson, N. C, Major, 28th Virginia Infantry . . 536 CONTENTS. jt PAGE CLXIX.— WoRSHAM, P. H., Sergeant-Major, 3d Virginia Cavalry . 539 CLXX.— Wright, T. C, Sergeant-Major, 37th North Carolina In- fantry 541 Discourse on the Life and Character of Lieutenant-Gen- ERAL T. J. Jackson. By General F. H. Smith, LL.D. . . 543 The Battle of New Market, May 15, 1864. By General F. H. Smith, LL.D. . . , 562 Memorial Poem. By James Barron Hope, Esq. . . ' . .574 MEMORIAL, VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE. LOUIS B. ADIE, OF LOUDON COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; PRIVATE, MOSBY'S CAVALRY. No one of the youthful martyr-heroes in our struggle for liberty was animated by a purer purpose and nobler patriotism, or, in a career so brief, better maintained the honor of the Virginia Military Institute, than Louis B. Adie. He was born at Leesburg, Loudon County, Virginia, on the 2 1st of July, 1844. His father, the Rev. George Adie, was a devoted and highly-esteemed clergyman of the Prot- estant Episcopal Church, and for many years Rector of St. James's Church at that place. His mother was the daughter of the Hon. Cuthbert Powell, who, very acceptably to his constituents, represented the Loudon District in the Con- gress of 1841-42, which was remarkable for the number of men distinguished for their integrity and ability who were comprised among its members. His great-grandfathers were Colonel Levin Powell, of Loudon County, and Colonel Charles Simms, of Alexandria, Virginia. They were both officers of good repute in the Revolutionary War, and both members of the Virginia Convention which ratified that Fed- eral Constitution which in the purer days of the Republic had rapidly advanced its prosperity and greatness, and which, in corrupt times, by usurpation, and the perversion and abuse 2 17 1 8 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. of its powers, was employed to involve their State and their posterity in a calamitous war. Colonel Powell was also a highly-respected member of the Congress of the United States in about the year i8oo. It may be mentioned in illus- tration of the character of the political principles and love of liberty which he transmitted to his posterity, that forty-eight of his descendants were in the military service of the Con- federate States, nine of whom proved their devotion to the cause by the sacrifice of their lives. Thus nurtured, young Adie was ready for the crisis of 1861. He was then, at the age of sixteen, quietly engaged in the pursuit of his studies at the Leesburg Academy, — an intelligent, calm, resolute, affectionate, dutiful boy. He threw aside his books to find an outlet for his eager desire for active usefulness in the posi- tion of courier to General D. H. Hill, then in command at that place. When his widowed mother objected to his enter- ing the ranks because of his youth, he met the objection by the characteristic argument, that he was old enough for mili- tary service, and if he were killed, a boy's life would be a less loss to the State than a man's. By the persuasion of his friends, he was induced to defer the gratification of his eager desire for military service until prepared for it by the training of the Virginia Military Institute. He accordingly, on the 1 8th day of March, 1863, became a cadet of that institution. While there, by his correct deportment and studious habits, he secured the approval of his teachers ; and by his amiable and affectionate disposition, and his manly and honorable bearing, he won the confidence and attachment of his com- panions. But the quiet of his academic studies was invaded by the clash of arms, and his spirit chafed under a sense of his own inaction. He heard of the battles in which the brave and patriotic young men of the country were struggling to drive back the invaders of Virginia, and became impatient to participate. He therefore left the Institute, and returned home to make immediate preparations for active service. Sheridan was then pressing his devastating march up the beautiful valley of the Shenandoah. There was devolved upon Col- LOUIS B. A DIE. 19 onel Mosby and his command the important duty to obstruct his progress by hanging upon the rear of his forces and cutting off his supplies. The character of the leader and of the service, inciting to dashing and brilliant enterprise, was peculiarly fitted to fire the imaginations and stir the hearts of the brave young men of the land. Young Adie felt and yielded to their influence, and early in the winter of 1864 attached himself to Colonel Mosby's command as a member of the company of Captain Alfred Glasscock, of Fauquier. He threw all the energies of his nature into its duties. In its dashing and dangerous enterprises he was an active partici- pant. It was in one of these, in the middle of August, 1864, that his brilliant and brief career was brought to its fatal close. A plan was laid for the capture of a supply-train, which, under an infantry and cavalry escort, was making its way to Sheri- dan's army. Young Adie was not among those detailed to accomplish it. But with his friend, A. H. Nott, now of Alex- andria, and Captain Glasscock, he volunteered for the service. The infantry and cavalry escort was scattered before the charge of our men; but the success was won by the sacrifice of some of the most gallant young men of the command. Among them was Louis B. Adie. It is difficult to learn with perfect accuracy, even from those engaged, the details of a battle or a skirmish. In the account which has been fur- nished by Captain Glasscock of the circumstances of Louis Adie's death, he states that " he fell while charging at the head of the company near Berryville, Virginia. Before receiv- ing the fatal shot he killed two of the enemy with his revolver, and, pressing the third one hard, he fell under the fire of an infantry company, which arose from behind a stone wall." Whatever uncertainty there may be of the details of the action, and of his participation in it, it is certain they were such as to secure from his comrades their high admiration of his conduct and their profound regret for his death. His captain declares of him, " I always regarded Adie as the very type of chivalry, the soul of courage, and the embodi- ment of all the characteristics which make a true soldier." 20 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. To that, Colonel Mosby adds this testimony : " I esteemed him very highly as a very high-toned, virtuous youth, as well as a brave soldier." His remains repose in the quiet cemetery of his native town. " How sleep the brave who sink to rest By all their country's wishes blest! When Spring, with dewy fingers cold. Returns to deck their hallow'd mould, She there shall dress a sweeter sod Than Fancy's feet have ever trod." Charles L. Powell, A.M. THOMAS ALEXANDER, OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; LIEUTENANT, CO. "C,"40TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Thomas Alexander, son of Thomas B. Alexander, was born in Northumberland County, Virginia, in 1843. Became a cadet in the Virginia Military Institute in August, 1859. Entered the service of the Confederate States in April, 1861, when the corps of cadets was ordered to Richmond. Gradu- ated on the 6th'of December, 1861. Appointed first lieuten- ant, Co. " C," 40th Virginia. Killed on the i8th of August, 1864, in the battles in front of Petersburg, whilst gallantly leading his company against the works of the enemy. He was ever kind and generous, and was universally esteemed and beloved by his friends and comrades. As an officer he was untiring in the discharge of his duties; was ever foremost in the hour of danger, inspiring those around him by his splendid courage and chivalrous bearing. JAMES W. ALLEN. 2 1 JAMES W. ALLEN, OF BEDFORD COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; COLONEL, 2D REGIMENT VIRGINIA VOLUNTEERS, " STONEWALL BRIGADE." The subject of our memoir, James Walkinshaw Allen, was born in Shenandoah County, Virginia, July 2, 1829, and was eldest son of the Hon. Robert Allen, who represented that district in Congress. In 1839, Robert Allen and family moved to Bedford County, Virginia, James at that time being ten years old. For the next four years he was sent to a school in the neighborhood, and the three following to New London Academy. While on a visit home from New London he had the misfortune to lose his right eye, from a wound received from the fragment of a percussion-cap. From New London Academy he went to the Virginia Military Institute, in 1846, being then just seventeen, and in 1849, when twenty, he graduated with distinction. In 185 1, we find him teaching a large classical school at Piedmont Institute, in Liberty, resigning this place for an ap- pointment as Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the Vir- ginia Military Institute in 1852, — and returning home in 1855 to take charge of his father's farm. He married in February, 1856, Miss Julia A. Pendleton, of Jefferson County, Virginia, and the following year moved to a farm he had purchased near Summit Point, in Jefferson County, Va., where he lived quietly farming whilst the great political storm was brewing, prior to the outburst in 1S61. In politics he was, at that time, a Union man. Soon after the John Brown raid upon Harper's Ferry, in 1859, the volunteer companies of Jefferson, Berkeley, and Clarke formed themselves into a regiment, of which James W. Allen, although comparatively a stranger to all, and not a candidate, being absent from the meeting, was elected colonel. This regiment was numbered as the ist until the first year of 22 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. the war, when its number was changed to the 2d, the volun- teer regiment from Richmond being put as the 1st. When it was determined, early in i86i, to seize the arms and armory at Harper's Ferry, orders were sent Colonel Allen by the militia general of the district, from Staunton, to assemble his regiment and march to a point near the Ferry, and there await further orders. Hearing nothing further. Colonel Allen sent his quartermaster to Winchester to get instructions. After much needless delay the general was gotten as far as Charles- town, where he insisted on stopping a short while. The quartermaster waited at the door in the carriage an hour or more, and then received a message from the general saying he was too much exhausted to proceed that night, but to tell Colonel Allen to do whatever he thought best under the circumstances. Upon the receipt of this message Colonel Allen marched upon the village at once. Not soon enough, however, to pre- vent the loss of a great deal of war material, machinery for the manufacture of arms, and arms, but in time to save a vast deal, which was afterwards used with great success during our pro- tracted struggle. All this material could have been saved but for these needless delays in sending forward the necessary orders. Soon after this, General T. J. Jackson, then a colonel, was sent to take command of the troops at Harper's Ferry, and there formed the celebrated " Stonewall Brigade." Very soon after the organization of the brigade, the 2d Regiment became conspicuous for its discipline, and was acknowledged to be the best-drilled regiment in the Valley. At the first battle of Manassas, when the brigade was drawn up in line of battle, and just before the order to advance was given. Colonel Allen was totally deprived of sight by being struck, in his only remaining eye, by a limb of a pine cut off by a shell. His regiment, being deprived of its commander at this crisis, was for a time disorganized, and its commander was afterwards subject to unjust aspersion, which subsequent events wholly removed. The brigade returned with General JAMES W. ALLEN. 23 Jackson to the Valley in the winter of 1861, and the next we heard about the 2d and its commander was in the memorable battle of Kernstown, Sunday, March 23, 1862, where Jackson with a handful of men fought odds of four to one all day, and retired when night came without being pursued, leaving the enemy so shattered that they were unable to move for some days. We only quote the account of the battle as' regards this regiment. It says, — " Where all acted so gallantly and fought so bravely it is hard to particularize, but a few instances deserve especial men- tion. It is needless to say General Jackson acted bravely ; he was in the thickest of the fight, and exposed to every danger. A braver man God never made. " Colonel Allen, of the 2d Virginia, distinguished himself Three times the flag of the 2d Virginia was shot down and the staff shot away. Colonel Allen, the masses of the enemy close upon him, jumped from his horse and carried the colors from the field." Colonel Allen was with General Jackson in all his move- ments in the celebrated campaign against Fremont, Banks, and Milroy, prior to the seven days' fight around Richmond, and when Banks was driven through Winchester, the 2d Regi- ment had the advance along Main Street. Just as the head of the regiment got opposite Taylor's Hotel, General Jackson rode up, pressing, as he was accustomed to, eagerly forward. The rear of the enemy being about two hundred yards off, as- cending the hill, Colonel Allen urged the general to pause an instant, as he thought the rear were about to deliver their fire. This he did. A moment afterwards a volley swept the street, with no harm to the general. In June, 1862, we find all eyes turned towards Richmond. McClellan had gradually drawn near the devoted city, and the fast-approaching struggle would decide its fate, and with it, it was thought, the fate of our young Confederacy. Quietly General Jackson with his whole command steals from the Valley, and on the 26th of June we find him near Richmond, ready on the 27th to strike McClcllan's right, the 24 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. blow at Gaines's Mill, by which his line was broken, without our own men at Richmond even knowing of his arrival. The following description of the attack on the fortifications at Gaines's Mill, and the final carrying of them by the "Stone- wall Brigade," is given by a distinguished Confederate general who was an eye-witness of this attack in which Colonel Allen was killed. He says, — "I soon observed a Confederate brigade issue from the woods into the field, about half a mile wide, which was in front of the works, for the purpose of charging the enemy's breastworks, which were flanked by heavy batteries. As soon as the brigade made its appearance the batteries opened a heavy fire, which the brigade disregarded until it reached the middle of the field. Here the fire became so severe that the brigade was forced to retreat. After a short interval it re- newed the attack and again was compelled by the heavy fire to retire. After a second pause a third attempt was made, and, as I supposed, by the same brigade, but afterwards I was corrected in this by General Jackson's adjutant-general, who said the first two attacks were made by a North Carolina bri- gade, and the third by a Georgia brigade. This failed also, in consequence of the withering fire. I now thought the battle lost, and with it the Confederate cause. But after an- other short delay, the same brigade, as I supposed, but which the adjutant-general assured me was the 'Stonewall Brigade,' rushed out of the woods. And, although the fire from the batteries was as terrible as before, there was not a moment's pause or hesitation along the whole line ; it never faltered an instant, but pressed on until the works were carried, the bat- teries captured, and the enemy's line broken." This was the turning-point of the battle, and here McClellan received a blow from which he never recovered. In this glorious charge of the immortal "Stonewall Brigade," up near the enemy's works. Colonel James W. Allen, leading his command, sealed his patriotism to his State and his devo- tion to a just cause with his life's blood. Could a more glorious death be desired ? JAMES W. ALLEN. 2$ From the " Richmond Enquirer" of the 29th we get the following : " Among the killed in the desperate fight of Friday after- noon was Colonel James W. Allen, of the 2d Regiment Vir- ginia Volunteers. He was shot through the head, and ex- pired almost instantly. At the time he received the fatal shot he was acting brigadier-general of Jackson's 'Stonewall Bri- gade.' His body was brought to this city yesterday morning, and during the day was deposited at Hollywood Cemetery." Since then his remains have been removed to the cemetery at Liberty, Virginia, near his old home, and the beautiful Peaks of Otter he knew and loved so well. His commission had been made out as brigadier-general, but had not been forwarded to him. His widow survived him only two years, and left an only son. Colonel Allen was six feet three inches in height, of com- manding presence, of graceful, soldierly carriage, handsome, and of most pleasant address. With all who knew him he was popular, beloved, and respected. At the time of his death he was thirty-three years old within a few days. This memoir can be no more appropriately closed than by quoting General Winder's official report of the battle of Gaines's Mill. He says, — "The 2d and 5th Regiments of Virginia Volunteers moved so rapidly they got in advance of the line, receiving a heavy fire, which thinned their ranks, depriving them of some of their best officers. Nothing daunted, they held their ground until the line came up, and moved on with the same impetuosity and determination as before. Here that gallant officer. Colo- nel James W, Allen, 2d Regiment, fell mortally wounded whilst leading his command in the charge. " He was a true soldier and gentleman, whose loss to his regiment, country, and friends will be long mourned, though falling in so sacred a cause. His patriotism and noble char- acter had endeared him to all. " ' He sleeps the sleep of our noble slain. Proudly and peacefully.' " 26 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. ROBERT C. ALLEN, OF SHENANDOAH COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; COLONEL, 28tH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Robert Clotworthv Allen, the subject of this brief me- moir, was born in Shenandoah County, Virginia, on the 22d day of June, 1834. His paternal grandfather and his father were both prominent lawyers and public men. The former, James Allen, was one of the Judges of the old General Court of Virginia. The latter, Robert Allen, represented the She- nandoah District three terms in the United States Congress. In 1839 he removed to Bedford, from which county his son, Robert C. Allen, entered the Institute July 31, 185 i, grad- uating July 4, 1855. Having completed his collegiate course, Robert C. Allen studied law, Shortly after beginning the practice of his pro- fession he formed a copartnership with William Watts, of Roanoke County, and in 1857 removed to Salem. In Feb- ruary, 1 861, he married Miss Mary E. Wingfield, daughter of Judge G. A. Wingfield, of Bedford County. The difficulties between the North and South were now about to find their solution in civil war. The subject of this memoir was among the foremost to enlist in the service of his native State. In April, 1861, he was elected captain of a vol- unteer company raised in Roanoke County, but before it took the field he was commissioned major in the volunteer army of Virginia, and when the 28th Regiment of Virginia Infantry was organized, at Lynchburg, in May, 1861, was assigned to it. The other field officers of the 28th at its organization were, Colonel Robert T. Preston, of Montgomery County, and Lieutenant-Colonel Robert S. Burks, of Botetourt County. At first the regiment was composed of companies from the counties of Roanoke, Botetourt, Bedford, Craig, and Camp- bell. After a short time the companies from Campbell were transferred to another regiment, and the 28th, as organized ROBERT C. ALLEN. 27 for the war, was composed of companies from the other four counties. Towards the end of May, 1861, the 28th was ordered from Lynchburg to Manassas Junction. To perfect the raw troops of the regiment in discipline and drill became now a matter of the first importance, for they were in the presence of the enemy, whose advance was daily looked for. Major Allen was untiring in the discharge of his duties. He had few superiors as a disciplinarian and tactician. Citizen soldiers, practically ignorant of the war, are slow to appreciate the ne- cessity for the labor and restraints imposed upon them when called into the active service of the field. They are apt to regard what is essential to secure the efficiency of an army as unwarrantable military tyranny. Major Allen had this feel- ing to contend with. He was looked upon by many in the regiment as unnecessarily rigid and exacting. The subse- quent events of the war, however, justified his course to those who did not appreciate it at first, for laxity of discipline proved the bane of the Confederate armies. In the operations of a large army a regiment loses to a great extent its individuality. A detailed account, therefore, of the services of a regiment under such circumstances would be the history of the brigade and division to which it belonged. As it is not contemplated in this short memoir to compile such a history, brief mention only will be made of the battles 'in which the 28th participated. It was first under fire at Ma- nassas, July 21, 1 861. Brought into action late in the day, it sustained but slight loss. Major Allen was at his post throughout the engagement. He shared in the various ser- vices rendered by his command during the ensuing fall and winter, and at the reorganization of the army under the pro- visions of the "Conscription Law" was elected colonel of the 28th, May 3, 1862. William Watts, of Roanoke County, was elected lieutenant-colonel, and N. C. Wilson, of Craig County, major, — all of whom at once entered upon the duties of their offices. The brigade to which the 28th now belonged was com- manded by General Pickett; the division by General Longstreet. 28 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. The battle of Williamsburg was fought on the 5th of May, 1862. A drenching rain fell all through the day. Towards night, when in the advance, the supports to the right and left of the 28th were withdrawn. Owing to the dense fog and smoke which enveloped the field the order directing Colonel Allen to retire was miscarried, and the first intimation he had of his isolation was on discovering the enemy a short distance in his rear. He succeeded in extricating his command from its perilous position in perfect order, proving himself worthy of the confidence which his company officers had bestowed in electing him their colonel. From Williamsburg the Confederate army retired to the defenses of Richmond. Of the battles below Richmond, in the summer of 1862, the 28th participated in those of Seven Pines, Gaines's Mill, and Frasier's Farm. Colonel Allen commanded his regiment in the first two. At Gaines's Mill he was severely bruised by a piece of shell, which disabled him for several days. His brother. Colonel James W. Allen, lost his life in this engagement. He was at the head of his regiment in the race after Pope in August, 1862, and was again severely bruised in the engagement of August 30, at Manassas, but did not quit his command. In September, shortly after cross- ing the Potomac into Maryland, he was prostrated by a severe attack of sickness, and made his way back to Virginia. Dur- ing his absence the battles of Boonsboro' and Sharpsburg were fought, and the army recrossed the river into Virginia. The beginning of winter found the hostile armies confront- ing one another at Fredericksburg. The battle of Fredericks- burg was fought on the 13th of December, 1862. The 28th was on the lines, but did not become engaged. This battle closed the memorable campaign of 1862 of the Army of Northern Virginia. The 28th had been engaged in eight pitched battles, and in every one, except the last, sus- tained heavy loss. During the year 1862 the organization of the Army of Northern Virginia into corps was perfected, and the opening of the campaign of 1863 found the 28th attached to Garnett's ROBERT C. ALLEN. 29 Brigade, of Pickett's Division, of Longstreet's Corps. In Feb- ruary, 1863, Pickett's Division was ordered to the south side of James River. During the spring Garnett's Brigade was for some weeks in North Carolina. The division did not rejoin the main army until after the battle of Chancellorsville. In June, 1863, the army of Northern Virginia moved into Maryland and Pennsylvania. The battle of Gettysburg was fought on the ist, 2d, and 3d days of July, 1863. Pick- ett's Virginia Division was not engaged until the 3d, having been left at Chambershurg to guard the rear of the army. The evening of that day it made the assault on Cemetery Hill, the memory of which will " survive as long as the language of glorious deeds is read in this world." In that desperate charge Colonel Allen advanced up the slopes, through the storm of shot and shell, in front of his regiment, encouraging his men both by his words and heroic example. When within a few yards of the cemetery wall, just as the works of the enemy were carried, he fell pierced through the brain by a musket-ball. An accomplished officer and gallant soldier, he yielded up his life on the altar of his country at the supreme moment of that country's destiny. A few minutes after his fall, the fragments of Pickett's Division, unsupported and almost surrounded, were forced from the Hill, to storm which had cost so many noble lives. 30 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. JOHN S. ARMISTEAD, OF ELIZABETH CITY COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; LIEUTENANT, C. S. ENGINEERS. John S. Armistead, son of John, and Jean Armistead, was born in Elizabeth City County, Virginia, on the loth of Jan- uary, 1836. His boyhood passed without remarkable inci- dent, nor can it be said that he gave promise of any brilliant or extraordinary career. His father, who had not enjoyed the advantages of a good education himself, was anxious that his children should be as well educated as circumstances would allow, and therefore sent him to an old field school at the early age of five. From that time until he was sixteen he stood in most wholesorhe fear of the teacher. Often, while studying his lessons, would he break out into tears and be- seech his parents to write an excuse for the next day's lessons ; and this, too, not because he was averse to study, or unable to learn, but simply through the fear that he might possibly miss his lesson and be punished. There were two traits of char- acter that began to develop themselves in him at a very early age : the one, an almost perfect obedience to his parents' com- mands; and the other, a persistent, indomitable obstinacy. His mother, who was a woman of great firmness herself, used to declare that if John wanted to do anything, the privilege had as well be granted at once, for while he would not do anything without permission, he would never desist from his efforts to obtain that permission. One instance illustrative of this self-will and resolute purpose would not perhaps be out of place. As boys often will do, he and his brother had fallen out about some trivial affair, and, as his brother was quick and impetuous, a tussle ensued between them. John concluded that his father was the proper person to settle the difficulty, and resolved to take his brother to him, then down at the creek, some two hundred yards off, taking up oysters for JOHN S. ARMISTEAD. 3 I breakfast. He therefore set to work to put his purpose into execution ; although resisted, fought, hammered most furiously by his brother, who was only two years his junior, he manfully refrained from returning the blows, but perse- veringly continued his efforts until he had accomplished his purpose. He professed religion at the age of fifteen, and connected himself with Methodist Episcopal Church South, in which he had been reared, continuing a member thereof until his death. His religion, while it did not partake of fanaticism, or even enthusiasm, was nevertheless deep and fervent. It con- trolled his thoughts, restrained his passions, and modeled his conduct. At school he displayed considerable talent for mathe- matics, and was fond of the general literature of our standard "Readers," but he had neither aptitude nor fondness for the languages. He was entered as cadet of the Military Institute in the summer of 1855, and graduated three years afterwards. But his standing was much lower than his friends had hoped for and had good reason to expect. After his return home, the district free school was tendered him, and as it was convenient to his home, he accepted and retained it until the opening of the war. As a teacher he gave the most perfect satisfaction to the parents, and was fondly loved by his pupils. In November of 1858, he was married to Miss Diana W. Smith, of his native tov/n. His married relations were of the most pleasant kind, and to perfect his bliss one son was born to them in December, 1859. This son, who died very sud- denly, in May, 1865, was the only fruit of their marriage. Immediately upon the secession of Virginia, Mr. Armis- TEAD tendered his services to his native State, and was ordered to duty as drill-master at the camp of instruction, near Norfolk, Virginia. After serving in that capacity for several months, he was assigned to the Engineer department, under Major F. W. Jett, and ordered to duty around Dinner's Point, Nanse- mond River, and the contiguous country. In this position he 32 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. remained until the latter part of March, 1862, when he ob- tained a furlough to visit his parents, who were then refugees in Williamsburg. Never was there a happier reunion. For the first time since they had been driven from their homes the preceding May the whole family were gathered together, — motiier, father, sister, brother, wife, and child were all there. Lieutenant A. was then the picture of robust health. He stood about five feet ten inches in height, and weighed two hundred pounds. Never so happy as in the home-circle, he seemed now to revel in the strange bliss of this short re- union. Perhaps within the whole borders of the Southern States there was hardly a happier household. Little did they dream of the dark cloud that was so soon to envelop them. Just before retiring, on the night of April i, he remarked that he felt the glow of physical health, his .spirits were in unison with the body, and he was as happy as it was possible to be under the circumstances of war. Ah, fatal delusion! never was there a greater error. Before the morning dawned he awoke his wife and complained of being cold. A stupor seemed even then to have set in upon him, and from it he never fully aroused. It was soon discovered that the ex- posure of camp-life had brought on a case of malignant typhoid fever, resulting almost immediately in congestion of the brain, and producing death in less than twenty-four hours from the time that he was taken. At one o'clock on the morning of April 3 he died. With the exception of the brother before referred to, and whom he tenderly loved, all whom he held dearest were with him in this last hour of human need. He was interred in the family burying-ground of Colonel R. H. Armistead, of Wil- liamsburg, where his bones still rest. In appearance Lieutenant Armistead was stout and pleth- oric, straight in stature, but lazy in his carriage, and care- less in his dress. He was good-natured to a fault, yet none were readier to resent an insult or an attempt at imposition. He was idle and indolent in his habits, and for that reason never stood well in his classes. His kindness of heart was JAMES L. ASHBY. 33 almost proverbial ; indeed, he had not been long at the Vir- ginia Military Institute before his fellow-cadets dubbed him "Pater," and by that name he was always known among them. There was one weakness which he could never overcome, and that was a fondness for the chase. Rabbit-hunting, raccoon- hunting, fox-hunting, or any kind of hunting in which he did not have to carry a gun, — that was too much like labor. His mother and father both died during the war, the former in Lynchburg and the latter in Liberty. JAMES L. ASHBY, OF CLARKE COUNTY, VIRGINIA; PRIVATE, CO. " D," 6tH VIRGINIA CAVALRY. James L. Ashby, son of Buckner and Sophia G. Ashby, was born in Clarke County, Virginia, on 6th of November, 1831. His boyhood life, spent on his father's farm and at neighbor- hood schools, was uneventful. In his seventeenth year, re- ceiving an appointment to a cadetship in the Virginia Military Institute, he entered that school on the 30th of July, 1848, pursued the prescribed course of study during a period of four years, and was graduated on the 4th of July, 1852. After a short rest at home, young Ashby emigrated to St. Joseph, Missouri, and there entered a corps of engineers in the ser- vice of the St. Joseph and Hannibal Railroad Company, with whom he remained for some time, engaged in preliminary surveys in the Territory of Kansas, and on the construction of the above-mentioned railroad. In the many difficulties arising in that Territory between anti- and pro-slavery men, Ashby took a conspicuous part. Soon becoming wearied of rough Western life, he returned to his native State, and went into the milling business in Warren County, where he re- mained pursuing his quiet avocation until the breaking out of the war in 1861. In the fall of that year he was called to 3 34 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Winchester, and assigned to duty, by General Jackson, as a drill-master to the raw troops assembled there. Performing with care and alacrity the duties of his office, he did efficient service in assisting to discipline the rude and disorganized masses of Southern volunteers who were flocking to that point. On the 12th of March, 1862, the need of drill-masters no longer existing, he joined the "Clarke Cavalry," Co. " D," 6th Virginia Regiment, as a private, and in this capacity served with his regiment in the division of the gallant J. E. B. Stuart, and participated in every battle in which it was engaged, until June 11, 1864. On that day Co. "D" was ordered to charge and take a battery of the Federal forces, near Trevyllian Station, Virginia; gallantly and successfully performed the duty. In the desperate counter-charge made by the enemy in endeavor to retake the battery, James Ashby fell dead, shot through the head with a bullet. Though " only a private," his record as a soldier compares favorably with many in higher station. Of undoubted courage, he was not unworthy to bear the name of Ashby, a name which his native Valley proudly claims as that of the noblest, bravest soldier, "Ashby, the peerless one," who raised his arm in defense of his home and the right. JOHN ^V. ASHBY, OF CLARKE COUNTY, VIRGINIA; PRIVATE, CO." I," 1 2TH VIRGINIA CAVALRY. John W. Ashby, second son of Buckner and Sophia G. Ashby, was born near White Post, Clarke County, Virginia, on the 15th of December, 1833. On the 4th of August, 185 1, he matriculated at the Virginia Military Institute, but did not remain to graduate. Soon after his elder brother, James L, Ashby, graduated, July 4, 1852, he left the Institute and joined his brother, in the corps of engineers in which he was engaged. In this corps he assisted in the laying off of Kansas Territory into townships, in location of towns, and also was employed in JOHN W. ASHBY. 35 the preliminary surveys of the St. Joseph and Hannibal Rail- road, in Missouri. Returning to Virginia, he entered into a partnership with his brother for the purpose of conducting a flouring-mill in Warren. In this business he was engaged until the war commenced. In the beginning of the war, being unable to make such business arrangements as would admit of his leaving home immediately, he assisted in organizing and drilling several companies in his neighborhood. In the fall of 1 861 he volunteered as a private in Co. "A," 7th Vir- ginia Cavalry, the celebrated " Black Horse Cavalry," com- manded by the gallant Turner Ashby; the captain of "A" Company being the no less gallant Richard Ashby, a fellow eleve with John W. Ashby, of the Virginia Military Institute, as well as a brother martyr in the Southern cause. In this com- pany he served with distinguished credit as a brave and cool soldier, until the reorganization of the army in 1862, when he joined Co. " I," 12th Virginia Cavalry, a company organized in Warren County, in the neighborhood where he resided before the war. In his regiment John W. Ashby was very popular, his generous nature winning him friends among his comrades, and his readiness for duty commanding the respect and approba- tion of his officers. All through the war he was with his regi- ment, until sent on horse-detail a few months before the sur- render. On the 6th of April, 1865, just three days before the grand old army of Northern Virginia breathed her last at Appomattox Court-House, he rejoined his regiment. On the morning of the 9th, just two hours before the catastrophe, he was struck in the stomach by a fragment of a shell, pro- ducing such severe wounds that death quickly ensued. It seemed very sad, when he had passed through four years' campaigns unscathed, that in the very last battle, when in a few hours he would have been safe, he should have fallen thus ; yet he was spared witnessing his country's humiliation. Brave, generous, warm-hearted in nature, he was never with- out friends, and had few, if any, enemies. James L. Ashby, at Trcvyllian, John W. Ashby, at Appomattox, two brave soldier- brothers in life, in death not long divided. 36 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. \/ RICHARD ASHBY, OF FAUQUIER COUNTY, VIRGINIA; CAPTAIN, CO. "A," 7TH VIRGINIA CAVALRY. Richard Ashby* youngest son of Colonel Turner and Dorothea F. Ashby, was born at " Rose Bank," in Fauquier County, Virginia, October 2, 183 1. Losing his father w^hen only three years old, he lived vi^ith his brother and sister at the old homestead, under the care of his mother, who was well fitted to make her children worthy of their proud name. " She took care to employ good teachers in her family, and whilst the minds of her children were cultivated under all the happy safeguards of home, was not less careful of their physi- cal education ; her boys were taught, like the young Medes in the day of Cyrus, to ride, to shoot, and to speak the truth." In July, 1848, " Dick" Ashby entered the Virginia Military Institute, but only remained for a short time. In 1853, when Mrs, Ashby was forced to dispose of Rose Bank, he bought a farm in Stafford County, near the home of his sister, Mrs. George Moncure, with whom his mother had gone to live, and cultivated it for some years. After this several years were spent in the West. When, in 1861, the 7th Virginia Cavalry was formed, he was appointed captain of "A" Company, which had previously been commanded by his brother, Turner Ashby, who was at the ^;ame time made lieutenant-colonel of the 7th Cavalry. While on service in the neighborhood of Romncy, in July, 1 861, Captain Ashby was sent in command of a small scout- ing-party to arrest a citizen who had rendered himself ob- noxious to our troops by the conveyance of information to the enemy. While on this service he was killed. From "Ashby, and his Compeers," by the Rev. Jas. B. Avirett, we take the following account of his death, and the attendant circumstances : RICHARD ASHBY. 37 "I found Captain Ashby a most agreeable companion, and for one who had spent much of his time in the Far West, fight- ing Indians, a very poHshed and refined gentleman. I was par- ticularly struck by his superb horsemanship, and thought I had never seen such perfect mastery of his noble black stal- lion as was indicated by his easy, graceful seat, and the perfect accommodation of his every movement to that of the spirited animal he rode. " But the captain was not as well mounted as usual this morning, his favorite horse being a little out of order, from the hard duty upon which he had recently been placed. He was riding a very serviceable, but an inactive animal. At the head of the scouting-party, and at rather a rapid gait, he rode on, now through some narrow defile of the mountain, now over some spur of the Alleghany, until, about ten o'clock, he found himself near the spot where he hoped to make the arrest. Here, observing the most watchful precaution, a re- connoissance was made, but, much to his chagrin and dis- appointment, he soon found that 'the bird had flown.' Not suspicious of the deadly trap into which he was about to fall, he determined to push the scout nearer to the Federal lines, and advancing with this view, soon struck the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad where it makes its serpentine way over that rough country. " He had not proceeded very far along the bed of the road, having turned off once to avoid a cattle-guard along the bed of the track, when, as suddenly as the riving bolt from a cloudless sky, a volley of musketry was poured into the ranks. Rapidly, and as best he could on the narrow track, he formed his little band to receive the shock of the coming charge, when, seeing that he was largely outnumbered, he determined to withdraw to where the advantage of position might, in some degree, compensate for disparity in force. While endeavoring to accomplish this manoeuvre, himself bringing up the rear, the Federal column of nearly an hundred mounted men made a spirited charge. The Confederate force, moving rapidly down the track of the railroad, found itself confronted by the 38 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. cattle-guard above referred to. Most of the men were able to make the leap, but the captain looking behind, firing rapidly as he retreated, was precipitated, by the fall of his awkward, clumsy horse into the cattle-guard, upon the bed of the rail- road. The fall, though a severe one, did him no serious damage, and when fairly on his feet it was only to realize his danger. He called to his men to shelter themselves, and by this time the young Virginian found himself alone, unhorsed, and charged by a large body of men, rapidly firing upon him as they advanced. The firing, as is usual in such cases, was too high, and no ball touched him. Firmly planting himself on the track, he determined to sell his life as dearly as possi- ble. For awhile, as the track was narrow, he held his own against the fearful odds, unhorsing those leading the charge by well-directed shots. The fight grew more and more des- perate, until some of the enemy, making their way off the track, surrounded him and brought on the most terrible hand- to-hand and death-to-death struggle. The odds were too great, and after the most terrible rencontre Richard Ashby, over- powered by superior force, fell to the ground, weakened by nearly half a score of wounds all in front. When prostrate, the enemy pressed thickly round the unarmed man, and when gasping out a feeble reply to the question, 'Are you a seces- sionist ?' he received a terrible wound in the abdomen from a bayonet-thrust by the hand of a creature whom to call a man were inhuman. Whether or not his foes supposed that succor was near, they rapidly rifled his pockets, even taking off his spurs, and left him alone to die. He was a man of very great vitality, and a slight reaction ensuing, had barely strength to reach some bushes, a few feet from the road, under which his flickering instinct brought him to seek shelter from the burn- ing rays of the sun. But in the providence of God it was not his to die unaided or unavenged. It so happened that Colonel Ashby, who, in person, was making a scout in a direction other than that of his brother, informed by a friendly moun- tain girl that heavy firing had been heard in the direction taken by his brother, determined to advance as rapidly as RICHARD ASHBY. 39 possible in that direction. At the head of a scout of nine or ten men the agile, lithe form of tlie colonel might have been seen as he pressed the spur home in the flank of his noble dark bay, and impetuously rode onward to the spot of the desperate encounter, followed by his faithful troopers. " ' Swifter than an eagle, stronger than a lion,' was Turner Ashby that day. Arriving at the spot, he was not slow to see that hot work had been going on ; but not meeting any one from whom to learn definitely what had taken place, other than that a desperate fight had occurred, he pushed madly on the line of retreat taken by the enemy. Such was the im- petuosity and the rapidity of the movement that he was not long in coming abreast of the enemy as they occupied Kelly's Island — a long, narrow island in the Potomac. Discovering them just as they were in the act of firing, he rapidly wheeled his men off the track of the railroad, formed them under the cover of the embankment, and with a shout which made the woods ring, he cried out, ' Charge them, men, and at them with your bowie-knives!' And then, dashing his horse into the Potomac, closely followed by ten dauntless spirits, pro- ceeded himself to obey the command. The fire which they now encountered was a close and heavy one, emptying two of the saddles just as the little band reached the island. ' Reserve your fire, men, and at them with your bowie-knives !' cried the colonel. And at them they went. Suspecting that some harm had befallen his brother, he fought with a terrible courage, and those who saw the wild glance of his eye and heard the shout of his ' Charge them, boys ! charge them !' will never forget it. The charge being pressed with increas- ing energy he was soon left in mastery of the field, — a brilliant victory, though by no means a bloodless one. . , . " Quickly gathering up the wounded and repairing to the Virginia shore, the colonel returned to the scene of Captain Asiiby's engagement of the morning, for he found among the articles captured upon the island his brother's spurs and horse. Searching diligently, Captain Ashby was found, still alive, but with scarcely strength to ask for a drop of water. 40 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Some spirits was administered, which rallied him a little, and on a blanket stretched across two elastic poles he was carried across the mountain, by slow and easy stages, on the shoulders of the men who loved to follow him, to the hospitable mansion of Colonel Washington, near ' Camp Washington.' Here the writer had the melancholy pleasure of nursing and tending him during the week he survived his eight desperate wounds, and it affords him a saddened pleasure to remember how uncom- plainingly he bore his great suffering. The surgeons thought he might recover, so great was his vitality, and such a des- perate effort did nature make to right herself; but after endur- ing seven days of terrible suffering, sufficiently rational at first to make to his brother, the colonel, the recital upon which this description is chiefly based, the spirit of Richard Ashby passed away on the 3d of July, 1861." The body of Captain Ashby was buried with all the honors of war in the Indian Mound Cemetery, near Romney, Virginia. After the close of the war the body of Captain Ashby was removed to the " Stonewall Cemetery," at Winchester, Vir- ginia, where it was reinterred by the side of his brother, Gen- eral Ashby, and Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas IMarshall, of the 17th Virginia Cavalry. Killed before the first great battle was fought in his native State, the dashing, spirited soldier had gained for himself the reputation for a bravery not surpassed in our war. S. F. A 7 WELL. 41 S. F. ATWELL, OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VA. ; CORPORAL, CO. " A," CORPS OF CADETS. Cadet S. F. Atwell was a native of Westmoreland County, Virginia, his father Hving near Montrose. On the 20th of May, 1862, when in his seventeenth year, he became a cadet. In his college-Hfe the record is excellent. At the end of his fourth class-year he had attained honorable standing in his studies, and for his soldierly qualities was appointed fourth corporal in Co. " A." Of his private character, a room-mate and friend says, " He was a consistent member of the Episcopal Church, and I can bear testimony that he exerted himself continually to impress the truth of the doctrines of Christianity upon his companions. I well recollect his zeal- ous efforts to repress profanity amongst us." Only those who remember the utter recklessness as to religion of the greater number of the corps during the war, when foolish boys high-strung with the excitement of the times imitated the vices of camp without imitating its virtues, can appreciate the moral force and courage requisite to assume the stand of young Atwell, to lead the life of godliness, and to be esteemed a manly Christian by his companions. Within a week from the close of his second year, in May, 1864, the cadets were ordered to join General Breckinridge at Staunton. Before daybreak on Wednesday, the i ith, preparations were being made to leave the Institute, and when, after an early breakfast, the corps filed out of the Virginia Military Institute grounds, it is no special praise to say that Atwell's heart beat high at the prospect of serving his country. Every young heart there went forth to battle not only willingly, but gladly. The writer now, ten years after, recalls it vividly as the most joyous moment of his life, and the impression that so felt all the boys. As we passed along the road to Staunton this feeling showed itself in snatches of song shouted out merrily 42 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. along the column, more frequently the whole battalion joining in whistling " Rosser's Quickstep," then a favorite among us. Little we anticipated that in a few hours some of our com- rades would lay dead on the field of battle ; that others, in terrible suffering from deadly wounds, would be longing for death as a relief. Such was the sad fate of the subject of this memoir. Ar- rived at the little village of New Market, in Shenandoah County, on Sunday morning, the 15th, the cadets were carried into battle about noon. Held in reserve until about two o'clock, it then became necessary that they should be ordered into the thick of the fight. Of this battle, its results and the casualties, a full account has been given. Among the wounded was Atwell, struck in the calf of the leg; his wound was considered severe, though not dangerous. Being removed to Staunton, he had almost gotten well, when he was attacked with lockjaw, and died in the most excruciating agony. His pain was so intense that he could not touch the bed without a groan of agony, and death came to him as a blessed relief A true soldier of his mother-country, an earnest child of Jesus, he laid down his life for the cause, and gained life im- mortal in the company of the Master, whose blessed name he had tried to defend while on earth. CHARLES M. BARTON, OF WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA ; FIRST LIEUTENANT, CUTSHAW'S BATTERY. Among the severest losses of the South, in her late struggle, was that of her youthful population, the choice spirits of her youth first volunteering to take part in the contest; in too many cases the first sacrificed ; a loss, in its very nature, irre- parable. The material wealth and resources destroyed and wasted may, in time, be replaced. The various sources of CHARLES M. BARTON. 43 prosperity, closed up, may again be opened ; and the oper- ations of trade and commerce, suspended or deranged, may again be resumed more successfully than ever. But not so as regards the waste and loss of life with these youthful warriors. Too many of these, forsaking home and its endearments at the first call of patriotic duty, never again returned ; and too many others, spared to return, came back as mere wrecks, ruined and broken alike in mind and in body. The subject of this memoir belonged to the former of these classes. Responding to the call of his native State for de- fenders, during the summer of 1861, his brief career terminated in the spring of 1862. He fell in battle in sight of the home of his nativity, amid the natural objects with which he had been familiar from boyhood, and within a few miles of the home which he had left when entering upon military service, — a sacrifice in the moment of victory upon the altar of patriotism. Charles Marshall Barton, the eldest son of David W. and Fanny J. Barton, was born in Winchester, November 30, 1836. He received his early tuition at the Winchester Academy, and the Episcopal High School near Alexandria, and entered the Virginia Military Institute at the beginning of the session 1853, graduating on the 4th of July, 1856. During the last session of his course at the Institute, Cadet Barton was brought under decided religious impressions, in a season of special interest, during the spring of 1856, and made a profession of religion only a few weeks before the session terminated. He was confirmed by Bishop Johns in company with some thirty or more of his comrades from the same institution. This most important step was taken in an earnest and decided spirit, and his subsequent course was in accordance with it. The writer of this sketch was present when the profession was made, had opportunity of conversation with him in reference to the feelings and resolves by which it was dictated, knew him intimately during most of his sub- sequent life, and it is grateful to think of that life as char- acterized throughout by an unostentatious, but unbroken consistency. 44 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Soon after his graduation, Mr. Barton selected as his vo- cation that of a tiller of the soil, and settled upon a beauti- ful farm, the property of his father, within a few miles of Winchester, in one of the most desirable sections of the Valley. Here, with his feelings of interest thoroughly enlisted in his occupation and with 'a genial soil making its abundant returns, he was rapidly surrounding himself with the comforts and enjoyments of rural life. His marriage, in the fall of 1859, with Miss Ellen Marshall, of Fauquier, brought the joys of domestic life to his home, and added a brighter sunshine to all its duties and pleasures. About this time, or soon after, he removed from the farm which he had been cultivating to one not far distant, Springdale, on the main turnpike from Winchester to Staunton, and between five and six miles from the former place. It was from this home of comfort and abundance, of healthy and interesting occupation, of peace and domestic enjoyment, that the youthful farmer was called to a sterner class of duties, — the privations and hardships and dangers of military life. At the demand of patriotism the farmer became the soldier, and, within less than a year, yielded up his existence; offering his services to the State of Virginia, he received the appoint- ment of second lieutenant in the provisional army of the Con- federacy. His military education did him good service in his new position. And his brief but efficient career, like that of so many other of her sons, reflected credit upon the training of his Alma Mater. During the summer and fall of 1861, Lieutenant Barton was assigned to duty as inspector of forti- fications surrounding Winchester, at that time regarded as the gateway of the Valley, the granary of the State. During the winter of 1 861-2, as first lieutenant, in conjunction with Cap- tain, afterwards Colonel, Cutshaw, he organized a company of artillery, well known as Cutshaw's Battery. As part of the army of the Valley this organization rendered efficient and arduous service during that memorable campaign of the spring of 1862 in the Valley of Virginia. Towards the close of this period the contest for the Valley CHARLES M. BARTON. 45 raged within the vicinity of Winchester. The retiring Federal army, endeavoring either to hold this position, or to secure their retreat from serious molestation, made a brief stand at this point on the morning of Sunday, the 25th of May. South of the town the range of hills rises to a crowning elevation. From this, looking north, may be seen, thirty miles off, the gap and neighboring mountains of Harper's Ferry. To the east, trending to the distant south, range the gentle undulations of the Blue Ridge, and, intervening between this range and the beholder, lies stretched out a country of hill, and valley, and cleared spot, and forest growth of most beautiful and diversi- fied character. It was upon this elevation that Lieutenant Barton's battery was situated ; and with him the contest was literally one for house and home, — a contest carried on upon a spot with which he was perfectly familiar, connected with all the associations of youth and opening manhood. Beyond the ranks of the enemy was the home of his childhood, of his yet remaining parents ; while only a few miles back was that home of his early manhood, forsaken at the call of duty. But it was just here, with the prospect of victory and reunion with his beloved ones, that his death-wound was received. While manning one of his guns, and exulting in the prospect of suc- cess, he was struck by a fatal shot, the last one of the oppos- ing battery, and rendered immediately helpless. Borne by his comrades to the shade of a neighboring grove, he soon breathed his last, almost in hearing of the welcome given by his parents, as yet ignorant of their loss, to his victorious com- rades. That bright May Sunday, of patridlic joy and exul- tation among the people of Winchester, will never, by its participants, be forgotten. But there was at least one sorrow- ing household, one darkened home, in which that rejoicing was mingled with mourning. He now sleeps in the cemetery at Winchester with two brothers in blood, and with many brethren in arms not far off, all, like himself, yielding their lives to the cause of a common country. Among the individual records of the great revolution through which this country has passed, there is scarcely one 46 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. to be found which more strongly than this contrasts the blessings of peace and the evils of war. If this brief record of a good citizen and fearless patriot should in any manner tend to the securing of these blessings of peace and the warding off of these evils of war, its purposes will have been more than accomplished. PETER R. BEASLEY, OF HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA ; FIRST LIEUTENANT, 35TH ALABAMA INFANTRY. Peter R. Beasley, son of Dr. Jas. A. Beasley, was born near Huntsville, Alabama, on the i6th of July, 1844. In his boyhood he was noted for his firmness, self-reliance, and energy; which traits characterized him in a marked degree as he approached manhood. He entered the Virginia Military Institute in the fall of i860, and remained there until the suspension of the school in the spring of 1861, when he went with the battalion of cadets to Richmond, and served there as a drill-master until the first battle of Manassas. Returning then to Huntsville, he joined the 35th Alabama Infantry, in which regiment he served as a private for some time, and was then promoted first lieutenant. In this capacity he served until, at the battle of Corinth, in 1862, he received a severe wound in the leg, which obliged him to return to his home for some time. Returning from his furlough, he served with his regiment in all its duties, an efificient and trusty offi- cer, until the 4th of July, 1864. On that day he was engaged in throwing up breastworks near Marietta, Georgia. During the progress of the work Lieutenant Beasley mounted the parapet to see that it was more efficiently done. Repeatedly warned of his imminent danger, he continued cool in the PETER R. BEASLEY. 47 discharge of what he considered his duty, until he was shot down by a ball breaking his leg. Persistently refusing to have the limb amputated, he would not consent to have chloroform administered by the surgeons who examined his wound unless they gave their word of honor that they would not amputate the limb while he was unconscious. He was removed to Forsyth, Georgia, where after lingering for three weeks in intense suffering, borne with soldierly fortitude, he died on the 25th of July, 1864, aged twenty years and nine days. Lieutenant Beasley's decided character, clear and vigorous intellect, and purity of morals gave promise that he would have become a man of mark had he escaped the perils of war, "sed dis aliter visum est." Deeply beloved by family and friends, the following tribute to his memory, from the pen of a lady friend, must show, as best it can, that estimation : " Another bi^ave young hei-o softly sleeps, An offering to his country's honor and renown ; Another fair Corinthian column lies, All crushed and broken, on the blood-stained ground. " Scarcely a man, and yet so brave and good, That men of sober years valued his worth and truth; And He who takes the best the earliest hence Looked with immortal love upon His noble youth. " What a bright destiny to be so early called From the first conflicts of this rude, cold woirld ! To tread, in place of its hot, dusty streets. The cool broad pavements of the onyx-stone and pearl !" " The memory of our noble patriot boy Shall build the temple of our country's fame, Each one a classic stone, a sacred name. And here, in after-years to come, We'll bring our little ones to learn The names that make us great." 48 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. RICHARD B. BENBURY, Jr., OF GATESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA ; PRIVATE, NORTH CAROLINA INFANTRY. Richard B. Benbury, Jr., son of Richard B. and Mary Benbury, was born in Gatesville, North Carohna, in 1844. Was sent to the Virginia Military Institute in February, 1862, where he remained for a iQ.\N months, and then entered a North Carohna regiment. In 1864 young Benbury, together with his elder brother James, received a furlough for a few weeks, and returned to their home in Gatesville. Several days elapsed, both were taken sick with disease contracted in camp, and, after a very short illness, they died within four hours of each other, and were buried in the same grave. Their wid- owed mother followed these her only children to the grave in a few months, leaving no one to tell the story of their lives. B. F. BISHOP, OF SURRY COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; CAPTAIN, STAFF OF GENERAL WRIGHT. Among the many painful duties assigned to man, few are more so than to go back to the birth, infancy, and childhood of one of the loved and lost; to follow the path of innocent feet on through the ever-varying scenes of life to the dawning of glorious manhood, with its many bright hopes and lofty aspirations ; on, still on, to the very verge of the new life, watching the shadows of the twilight of age as they creep over the loved form, and then lean forward with painfully- throbbing heart to catch a last glimpse, as it passes over the "Jordan of Death" to that unknown land "from whose bourne no traveler returns !" Though the decree of the Just B. F. BISHOP. 49 One includes our entire race, and though we know 'tis a fate common to all to fall a prey to the avenging angel, and many, many times have we felt his presence near, yet we cannot be- come so accustomed to his footsteps as to hear the sound of them without a shudder, even though the victim for whom he comes claims not a kindred sigh or tear. When mortal nature sinks beneath the weight of years, when the wheels of life are really worn out by' long turning, even then we feel sad that what was once the home of a noble spirit, full of life and buoyant hopes, should be consigned to the dark, cruel grave, passing away from this world forever; and with feelings of sacred tenderness we trace each line, telling that world what it has lost. But alas ! how much more is it to be regretted that we must record the events of a life that was withered when in the flush of perfect bloom, then faded, drooped, and died ; just as the sun of life has reached its zenith to see it hurled down, never again to emit a single ray to gladden the hearts of the many who would fain hope against hope ! And such was the fate of the subject of this memoir, Captain B. F. Bishop. Captain Bishop was born of poor but worthy parents. His father, William R. Bishop, was a native of Surry County, Vir- ginia, and a most energetic, persevering man. His mother, Mahala P. Laine, was of Sussex County, Virginia. They were married on the 20th of December, 1838, and settled in Sussex. On the 1st of November, 1839, Benjamin Franklin Bishop was born. From his earliest infancy he evinced a strong thirst for knowledge. When he could just begin to prattle, making sweetest music for his mother's ear, she would some- times give him a newspaper with which to amuse himself by kicking and tossing it about with his little feet and hands that he might hear it rattle. Ere long he began to take such an interest in the many, to him, mysterious marks with which it was covered, as to single out one, and then another, and ask what they were. In this way he learned the whole alphabet, and so gifted was he with the powers of memory that he never forgot it. All through his after-life he exhibited the same 4 50 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. desire and determination to gather knowledge,- and it was an easy matter for him to solve the most difficult problems. At the age of eighteen, having had very limited advantages, he was enabled, through the instrumentality of General George Blow, Jr., and Mr. William N. Blow, to enter the Virginia Military Institute as a State cadet, where he remained till the beginning of our late war. He was sent, in April, 1861, to Richmond to drill Virginia soldiers, and from there back to Lexington for the same purpose. On the 4th of July, 1861, he, with the rest of his class, was graduated and then sent into active service. On the i6th of July, 1861, he was commissioned second lieu- tenant in the regular army of the Confederate States, but was ignorant of the fact until January, 1862, when, on application to the Secretary of War, he learned that his commission had been granted him five months previous, but, in consequence of the Secretary's being ignorant of his whereabouts, he had not received it. He was then ordered to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he remained only a few days, as he received orders to proceed to Cumberland Gap, Kentucky. Colonel Vance being absent, and the lieutenant-colonel and major both being sick, he was put in command of the forces. The trip was a dreadful one, as it rained incessantly for four days. The rivers on the route, — the Clinch, Powell's, and Holston, — were so swollen as almost to defy man and beast. Nevertheless, rafts were constructed under the orders of Lieutenant Bishop, and the troops conveyed safely over, the lieutenant being com- pelled to swim his horse. When he reached Cumberland Gap he was placed on General Reins's staff While there he was engaged in one battle, and received a slight wound in the hand. He also contracted the measles and mumps while sta- tioned at that place, which came near costing him his life. Being scarcely recovered from the effects of sickness, he was, on the 28th of June, attacked with typhoid fever, and sent on to Lee's Springs, where, for four weeks, he remained uncon- scious of all around him. After recovering sufficiently to admit of removal, he was sent to Knoxville, Tennessee, and subsequently was attacked with pneumonia and inflammatory B. F. BISHOP. 51 rheumatism. His health being now so much impaired as to unfit him for duty, he was granted a furlough and returned home to regain, if possible, his former strength and elasticity of both mind and body. Being partially restored, he again reported at headquarters, and was appointed assistant adjutant- general, army of East Tennessee, and was assigned to duty on General E. K. Smith's staff. He did not continue there long, however, before he was promoted to a captaincy, and appointed provost-marshal for the entire district of North Georgia, North Alabama, and Southeast Tennessee. Head- quarters being at Chattanooga, he was placed on General J. K. Jackson's staff. On the 14th of May, 1863, he was united to Miss Anna L. Lewis, daughter of Major Lewis, of Loudon, Tennessee. Soon after their marriage he was ordered to Atlanta, Georgia, that being headquarters, and he was ap- pointed, for the time, assistant inspector-general. On the 26th of May he was taken prisoner at Macon, Georgia; he was, however, paroled the same day, and returned to Atlanta and was put on General Wright's staff, where he remained for a few months, was then ordered to Madison, Georgia, and was again captured near that place and sent to Charleston on one of the vessels that bombarded that city. The name of the vessel is unknown. Whilst held a prisoner there, he was again seized with pneumonia and came very near dying. In such a place, crowded in the hold of the ship, the wonder is that his already terribly-shattered constitution could ever rally again sufficiently for him to reach his friends, and no doubt he never entirely recovered from his horrible sufferings during the six months of his captivity ; never did he find relief from the terrible cough that at times harassed him exceedingly. One of the officers on the ship, whom he recognized as a brother cadet of the Military Institute of Virginia, recognized him also, and through his influence he was paroled on the 8th of May, 1865. The war being over, he became principal of the Calhoun Academy, Georgia. In the following September, returning to his native State to engage in farming, he came back to the " loved ones at home" a mere wreck of what his 52 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. early manhood promised, broken down in health and de- pressed in spirits from the sad consequences of the four years of hard servitude in war, and the heavy sorrows which befell him, among them the loss of his wife. Captain Bishop's health grew worse, though he would fain have made his friends be- lieve that it was improving. Evidently he thought so, for, on the 13th of June, 1867, he was again married, to Miss Sallie B. Bailey, daughter of Mr. J. L. Bailey, of Southampton County, Virginia. Near the middle of December, when about to take charge of an academy in the town of Hamilton, North Carolina, he was attacked with paralysis, and after struggling hard against his fate, trying, no doubt for the sake of his friends, to appear much stronger than he really was, he was compelled to take his bed for the last time on the last day of the year, and the next morning found him speechless. It was evident his brain was affected, and it was thought by some he had brain fever combined with paralysis, but 4iis physician never positively determined what was the real cause of his untimely end; but those who were well acquainted with his sufferings during the war could not doubt but they were the fundamental cause of his death. During the following few days that he lived, he was apparently unconscious of all else save the presence of his wife, and was never more quiet than when she was by his bedside holding his hand, and would grow restless whenever she left him for a few moments. On the 5th of January, 1868, his spirit passed away, and on the 7th his remains were in- terred in the family graveyard. In the hearts of many the memory of Captain Bishop is still fondly cherished, unchanged as the dark evergreens that droop over his grave. Years have passed since he was taken away, yet in affectionate remembrance friends and relatives pay to him personal tribute, while his country mourns him as one of her lost sons. LA WSON B O TTS. 5 3 LAWSON BOTTS, OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, VIRGINIA; COLONEL, 2D VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Although our peculiar Southern civilization has passed away, its friends can point with proud satisfaction to the men that it has produced, and can argue that a social system that produced such men as adorn the history of Virginia and the South, was not unworthy of the struggle in which that system expired. Viewed from a material stand-point, its results are far infe- rior to those of its successful rival. No vast accumulation of capital, in corporate or individual hands, appears in Southern statistics. No great monuments of human art or human labor adorn her scenery. Her rivers, great and small, have been allowed to flow in comparative peace from their moun- tain sources to the bosom of the ocean. The solitude of her mountains has generally been undisturbed, save by the wood- man's axe, the hunter's rifle, and the peaceful shepherd and herdsman. And yet, notwithstanding all this comparative in- difference to material development, the southern section of our country has produced men the peers of earth's greatest sons, in the Senate or in the field, in the forum or in the home circle. We of Virginia have been in the habit of pointing with pride to the list of our distinguished men. That list is not confined to our revolutionary period, but extends from the day that gave birth to George Washington to that of the death of Robert E. Lee. This habit of ours is considered by our materialistic neighbors as a Virginia weakness. The pleasure which we take in contemplating the characters of our good and great men affords amusement to the worshipers at the shrine of mere material development. They wonder that we can dwell with such satisfaction on the deeds and characters of our immortal dead. We, on the other hand, wonder that men can see more to attract in the power that drives a cotton 54 INSTITUTE MEMORIAI^. mill, than in that which impels a man to the performance of duty amid all the trials and temptations of life. And as our list of great men is not confined to one period of our history, neither is it limited to those who have held high places and received the plaudits of the world. Such are but representative men, of higher position, and, if you please, of higher intellectual and moral endowment, but in the bosom of the State that gave them birth there were men of kindred qualities and powers, alike in kind but different only in degree. General Robert E. Lee achieved a reputation world-wide, and he is often spoken of as a representative man. There is truth in the idea. Possessed, as General Lee doubtless was, of high military talents and great moral qualities, he had the good fortune to occupy a position that enabled him to exhibit his talents and his virtues. Among those who followed the fortunes of that great leader were men who, while inferior to him in talents and position, possessed no small share of the courage, patriotism, devotion to duty, and other high moral qualities that have given such lustre to his name. Our State produced many men of the character just indi- cated, and if their names are not known beyond the confines of their State, county, or regiment, they are nevertheless em- balmed ^n the hearts of comrades and friends. Of these heroes no better representative is known to the writer than he whose name stands at the head of this article. For he was a hero, a man of whom our State may well be proud, a character that can be held up to our young men to admire and imitate. Lawson Botts was born at Fredericksburg, Virginia, on the 25th day of July, 1825. His father was General Thomas H. Botts, and his mother Ann Willis, a daughter of Colonel Byrd Willis, of Orange County. His grandfather was Benja- min Botts, a distinguished member of the bar, who lost his life in the burning of the Richmond theatre, in 181 1, at which time his wife, the grandmother of the subject of this sketch, perished with her husband. It is said that Mr. Benjamin Botts succeeded in making his escape from the burning building, LAWS ON BOTTS. 55 but, finding that his wife was not with him, returned, and be- came the victim of the flames. Lawson Botts entered the Virginia Military Institute as a cadet in the year 1841, at about the age of sixteen years, where he remained two years. He was compelled to return home before graduating, because of his father's ill health and loss of sight. He subsequently studied law in his father's office, and after he obtained his license, his father's affairs having been arranged so that he could leave home, he settled in Clarksburg, Harrison County, where he remained about one year. About the year 1846, he removed from Clarksburg to Charlestown, Jefferson County, where he continued to reside until the war. In 185 1 he was married to Miss Ranson, daughter of James L. Ranson, Esq., of Jefferson County. When John Brown was tried for treason, Lawson Botts was appointed by the court to defend him ; and it is worthy of notice that his grandfather, Benjamin Botts, defended Aaron Burr from a similar charge. After the John Brown raid, a volunteer company, known as the "Botts Grays," was organized in Charlestown. Of this company he was elected captain, and at the commencement of the war the " Botts Grays" promptly entered the service of Virginia as Co. "G," of the 2d Virginia Infantry, commanded by Colonel James W. Allen. The regiment had been organized in Jefferson County, about one year before the war, and when put on a war-footing was strengthened by companies from Clarke, Frederick, and Berkeley Counties. It was the regi- ment that marched on Harper's Ferry, April 17, 1861, and after driving out the small body of Federal troops stationed there, occupied that town. At the organization of the force at Harper's Ferry by Col- onel T. J. Jackson, — afterwards known as General Stonewall Jackson, — Captain Botts was commissioned by Governor John Letcher as major of his regiment, 2d Virginia Infantry. This regiment, with the 4th, 5th, 27th, and 33d Virginia In- fantry, composed the first Virginia brigade of infantry, — after- wards known as the " Stonewall Brigade," in honor of its first 56 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. brigadier, and which served under that great captain until his death. At the first battle of Manassas, Major Botts distinguished himself for coolness and gallantry, and was soon after made lieutenant- colonel of his regiment, to fill the vacancy occa- sioned by the death of Colonel Frank Lackland, He also greatly distinguished himself at the battle of Kernestown, March 23, 1862; was with his regiment at the battles of Win- chester, May 25, 1862, Port Republic, June, 1862, and in the seven days' battles around Richmond, in one of which, that of Gaines's Mill, Colonel Allen and Major Francis B. Jones, of the 2d Virginia Infantry, were killed, leaving Colonel Botts the sole surviving field-officer of his regiment. In all of these battles Colonel Botts more than sustained the reputation gained at Manassas. He was commissioned colonel of his regiment soon after the death of Colonel Allen, and, although of delicate frame and feeble health, he was present in every battle in which his regiment was engaged that summer, until, on the 28th of August, 1862, he received his death-wound at the second battle of Manassas, while leading his regiment into the hottest of the fight. He was shot from his horse by a musket-ball, which entered his cheek and came out behind his ear. He survived this wound upwards of two weeks, and died at the house of a friend. Rev. James Haynes, near Middleburg, Loudon County, on Wednesday the i6th of September, 1862, in the thirty-eighth year of his age, from secondary hemorrhage. He died as he had lived, a Christian gentleman and soldier. His wife still survives him. At his death he had four sons. One has gone to join his father; three are now living, — Thomas H., James Ranson, and Robert. May they prove worthy sons of their honored father ! When Colonel Botts settled in Charlestown, he was poor and unknown ; when he died, few, if any in his county, ex- erted a more solid influence, or had a larger circle of friends and admirers. This influence he carried with him into the army, and if his life had been spared until the close of the war, LAWS ON BOTTS. 57 it is not hazarding much to say that his military and personal reputation would have been as extensive as the Confederacy. His intellectual endowments, while of an order that would have given him high rank in his profession if his life had been spared, were not, in the opinion of the writer, the true source of his influence. Although his intelligence and cultivation were important elements in the combination of qualities that adorned his character, love of truth, devotion to duty, courage to defend the one and perform the other, were the true ele- ments of his power. His love of truth in the largest sense of the term was remarkable. To know the truth on all subjects that he was called to act upon, was the master-feeling of his nature. To ascertain the truth was by him considered a duty, and from the performance of duty he never shrank, no matter where placed, whether in public or private life, at the bar or on the battle-field. This fidelity to truth and duty ran through his whole conduct, and illustrated everything he did. Hence, as a citizen, he was public-spirited and anxious to promote the good of his country ; as a lawyer, faithful to every trust, giving all of his energies and abilities to the interests com- mitted to his care ; as a Christian, earnest and active ; as a military man, submissive to authority, quiet in conception, active, bold, courageous. He did not belong to the extreme class of Southern men. A devoted friend of the Union and the ConstitJitioii, he was opposed to the separation of Virginia from the Union until after the failure of the efforts of Virginia to effect through her peace commissioners a settlement of the pending difficulties. When the State seceded, he determined, from a sense of duty, to follow her fortunes, which he did until his end. It was his devotion to duty that led to his death. At the time of receiving the fatal shot his health was very feeble. Most men in his condition, with his distinguished reputation as an officer, would have acted on the advice of his surgeon, and have sought rest and quiet long enough to re- cruit his exhausted nature. Not so with the subject of this notice. He deemed it his duty, as long as he had strength enough to keep his saddle, to remain with his regiment and 58 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. share the privations, sufferings, and dangers of his men. The wound that he received would not, it is thought, have resulted in his death, but for the state of his health at the time it was received. The late war has deprived Virginia of many a noble son. Her soil contains many a hero's dust, yet nowhere within her limits rest the remains of a truer, braver, nobler man, than was Colonel Lawson Botts! Colonel R. H. Lee. RANDOLPH BRADLEY, OF PAGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; CAPTAIN, I4TH LOUISIANA INFANTRY. The subject of this sketch was born in Page County, Vir- ginia, on the 28th of May, 1842, and was connected on both sides with the best families in the State. When young Brad- ley was three years of age, his father, William Bradley, Esq., removed to the West, and settled in the interior of Missouri. Here he attended the district schools, and showed consider- able proficiency in mathematics. Among his schoolmates he was remarkable for his love of truth and high sense of honor. In his nineteenth year he entered the Virginia Military In- stitute, this being in the autumn of i860. The following April he was sent with the cadets to Richmond to act as drill-master. In this service he was engaged for three months. He then determined to enter the service of his adopted State, which had seceded about this time ; but, upon reaching Memphis, Tennessee (whither he had gone with dispatches for General Floyd), he found it impossible to get through the enemy's line, and, therefore, returned to Smythe County, in South- western Virginia. Volunteering here in the " Smythe Blues," he was with them in all their marches and other military ser- vices until the latter part of December, 1861, when he received an appointment as second lieutenant in the Confederate States RANDOLPH BRADLEY. 59 army, and was assigned to duty in the 14th Louisiana Infantry. In the course of a few months, Lieutenant Bradley was pro- moted first lieutenant and adjutant. At the battle of Williams- burg he acted as aid-de-camp to General Pryor, was slightly wounded, and so distinguished himself for his coolness and gallantry that he was mentioned in the general's report of the battle as deserving promotion. At the battle of Seven Pines was promoted captain in the 14th Louisiana, then commanded by Colonel R. VV. Jones. In this capacity he served until he fell, mortally wounded, leading his company in battle, during the great seven days' fight around Richmond, on the 27th of June, 1862. The regiment was ordered to storm a battery, and in so doing was cut to pieces, every officer save three, and two- thirds of the privates, being killed. Colonel Jones, in speak- ing of Captain Bradley, says, " He displayed great courage and coolness on the field of battle, and lost his life by no rash act of bravery." He was taken from the field of carnage to the house of Colonel Fry, in Richmond, where he was ten- derly cared for by loving friends, the Rev. Dr. Minnegerode offering him spiritual comfort in his last moments. He expired on the next day, June 28, 1862, and his remains now sleep in Hollywood Cemetery, with the proud city he died to defend his only monument. His immediate family were no laggards in patriotism : one brother losing his life in the Mexican war, another dying a lieutenant-colonel in the Confederate army, and a younger brother being a soldier in the " Missouri State Guard." Laying down his life before he had reached the age of man- hood. Captain Bradley had yet endeared himself to friends, and proved himself so worthy, that they shall ever dwell on his noble deeds and glory in his memory. In personal appear- ance he was tall and commanding; his finely-formed head was covered with dark-brown hair, and his deep-blue eye was pene- trating and intelligent. Strong in frame, bold in disposition, he was kind, benevolent, and humane ; and in his sense of right and regard for duty was as unyielding as the fiat of Heaven. (^ INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. WILLIAM H. BRAY, OF ESSEX COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; LIEUTENANT, VIRGINIA INFANTRY. William H. Bray was born in Essex County, Virginia, in 1839. In his nineteenth year, he was entered as a cadet at the Military Institute by his guardian, Dr. R. Richards, of King William County, and became a member of the third class. Attaining considerable success in his studies, at the end of his first year he stood in the upper half of his class, and received a sergeantcy in the corps. Graduated in July, 1 861, after having served with the cadets, as a drill-master, at the Camp of Instruction at Richmond, and was appointed as lieutenant in a Virginia regiment, name not known, with whiqh he served until killed in the battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. JAMES BRECKINRIDGE, OF BOTETOURT COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; CAPTAIN, CO. "C," 2D VIRGINIA CAVALRY. James Breckinridge, son of Colonel Carey, and Emma G. Breckinridge, was born on the ist of September, 1837. Having received an appointment as cadet in the State Military Institute, he reported for duty during the encampment of 1854, and began his studies as a member of the fourth class in Sep- tember of that year. Graduating in 1858, during the follow- ing session he studied law at the University of Virginia, and was just preparing to enter upon the practice of his profession when the war intervened. Volunteering immediately, he was commissioned in the Virginia State line, and assigned to Cocke's brigade as aid-de-camp. Resigning this commission JAMES BRECKINRIDGE. 6 1 in July, i86i, he enlisted in a cavalry company from his county, named Co. " C," 2d Virginia, at the organization. He was appointed orderly sergeant of this company, and, upon the first vacancy occurring, was promoted to a lieutenancy. In this capacity he participated in the cavalry service during the first year of the war, and at the reorganization, in 1862, he was elected captain of his company. Early in the spring of this year Captain Breckinridge was married to Miss Fanny Burwell, of Liberty. Her subsequent history we give in a few words, copied from the " University Memorial :" "In August, 1862, Captain Breckinridge's command re- mained for a time near Gordonsville, and his wife spent a few days with him at the house of his uncle. Dr. Gilmer. Im- mediately upon her return home she was stricken down by typhoid fever, and died while he was engaged with Pope's army and unable even to hear of her illness. It was to him a crushing blow ; but through God's mercy it led him to his Saviour, for so He killeth and so He maketh alive. And so after a time the young soldier was able to regard as his home the heaven to which he believed his Christian wife had been translated. From that time he had little interest in life except to serve his country, which he did fearlessly and faithfully." No events of special interest mark his career from this period to the close of his life at Five Forks. " No friendly eye wit- nessed his death, but he had been heard to say he would never surrender, and when last seen on the retreat he was surrounded by the enemy and fighting desperately. His fate is veiled by the clouds that hung in dark column over the way from Petersburg to Appomattox Court-House." To give a fuller idea of the soldierly qualities of the subject of this memoir, we quote from a letter of General Munford, who was formerly colonel of the 2d Virginia cavalry : "In person Captain Breckinridge was a splendid specimen of a cavalry officer : tall and graceful, with a form indicative of great strength; handsome, gentle, and modest; his voice always pleasant in conversation ; a horseman by nature ; and 62 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. a master of his pistol and sabre. When the bugle blew ' To horse,' he would mount with an ease to himself and horse that was rarely equalled ; and when he drew his weapons in action his eye was as piercing as his aim was true, and woe to him he encountered. With the noblest courage, yet free from recklessness, he would dash forward, inspiring his men to follow. When hard pressed, as he frequently was, in covering a retreat or opening the way for an advance, he was the same quiet, modest gentleman as in camp. Ever present in the thickest of the fight, his trusty carbineers needed not to be admonished by him, his example was so constantly before them. Serving with him four years, amid all the trials, fatigues, and wants of the cavalry service, I knew him thoroughly. He believed the cause right, and counted no sacrifice too dear to accomplish the end. I never heard him speak of himself No one ever heard him complain of any- thing. When the men and horses were nearly starved, he did not murmur, unless he believed it- was from neglect; then he was prompt to demand redress. When last I saw him, at the battle of Five Forks, in Dinwiddle County, the day of the evacuation of Petersburg, he was doing his utmost to check 'Warren's Corps,' which was flanking Ransom's Division. With a flush on his manly brow, he never looked more the soldier. Alas, like his elder brother, he sleeps in an unknown soldier's grave. 'But, like the wounded eagle, he died with his plumage ruffled to the last, an eagle yet, with unblanching eye.' His name and noble bearing will ever linger in the memories of his old comrades in arms, whether they live in the humble mountaineer's cabin or in the stately mansion. And their little ones will often hear of his gallant deeds whenever the members of his old regiment meet together around the fireside or social table, and fight their battles over again. " No officer in his division was more distinguished for gallantry. None of his rank ever did more hard service than he, as the captain commanding the sharpshooters of the regi- ment. Yet we find an author, who writes fiction for history, charging him with neglect of duty. It is presumed when JAMES BRECKINRIDGE, 63 history is written facts are given. The Federal officers give him credit for a gallant defense. His old comrades feel that had some of the Bomb-proof Ring, who manufactured com- missions at the War Department for political and other pur- poses, been present at Kelly's Ford on the 17th of March, 1863, a commission commensurate with his deserts would have been given him, as far more worthy really than the ma- jority of those on whom they were in the habit of bestowing them. On page 268 of McCabe's ' Life of General R. E. Lee,' we read, — " ' The campaign opened by a reconnoissance of six regi- ments of Federal cavalry and a battery of artillery under General Averill. The object of this expedition was to cut Lee's communications at Gordonsville, and ascertain his strength and position. On the morning of the i6th of March a telegram from General R. E. Lee's headquarters informed General Stuart that a column of Federal cavalry was in motion, and advised him to look out for it along the upper Rappahannock. A small force was stationed at Kelly's Ford, to protect the crossing, and General Fitz. Lee's Brigade was ordered to hold itself in readiness to meet the enemy. In con- sequence of the neglect of the picket, General Averill forced a passage of the river at Kelly's Ford on the morning of the 17th of March, capturing the picket-guard, and, pushing on, soon encountered Fitz. Lee's Brigade, which was drawn up to receive it. A severe engagement ensued, during which the Federal cavalry displayed more efficiency than they had shown during the war.' Let us examine closely what is here said. We know that Averill's Brigade was then composed of the 1st and 5th United States Regular Cavalry, the 3d and 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry, 1st Rhode Island and 4th New York Cavalry, and 6th New York Battery of six guns. The regi- ments were full at the ' opening of the campaign,' numbering about four thousand five hundred men, who were 'displaying more than usual efficiency.' The ' small force who guarded the crossing' numbered sixteen carbineers, and a reserve of about the same number of sabres, and was commanded by 64 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. ' , Captain James Breckinridge, 2d Virginia Cavalry. The enemy moved from their camp on the i6th, and at h'ght on the 17th of March moved upon the ford, defended by this noble and devoted little band. We know also that Fitz. Lee's Brigade was encamped between Brandy Station and Culpeper Court-House, four and a half miles away by the shortest line from the point where Averill found them 'drawn tip to receive him! The brigade was in camp, had to be noti- fied, and then move four and a half miles to arrive at the point where they gave him battle. Now, how long were sixteen carbineers expected to hold an open ford against four thou- sand five hundred efficient troops? I ask if all lu ere not cap- tured, if they made any defense, zvJiosc fault was it ? Yet we know that double that number of men and horses were killed by this picket-guard before an inch of ground was yielded. And not until the enemy brought their artillery to bear upon them could they move them, though charge after charge was attempted. Every inch of ground was disputed until the brigade came to their rescue. A braver defense was never made by any officer against such odds. General Stuart him- self did not arrive on the field until General Fitz. Lee had fought the battle, which lasted all day. Averill retired, not much wiser as to General Lee's position, but terribly worsted in men and horses. To us it was a costly fight. Yet how cruel the charge made against the hero of Kelly's Ford ! Let it recoil upon the author, be he who he may." The following account of the battle of Kelly's Ford will make clearer the point made in the foregoing letter. It is from the pen of another comrade : "In March, 1863, the Northern army lay about in Stafford County, near Fredericksburg. The Stafford raid of Fitz. Lee had stirred up the animosity of this host, and we anticipated that they would return our visit. " Kelly's Ford was the natural route for a: visit to Culpeper Court-House or Gordonsville; and we proceeded to intrench our picket at Kelly's Mill, and to obstruct the ford, so that, if possible, the picket might be able to hold an advance JAMES BRECKINRIDGE. 65 sufficiently long to give our cavalry brigade time for prepara- tion to receive the invaders. " We cut a ditch on this side, opposite the entrance to the ford on the Fauquier side, fastened a telegraph wire — about breast high — to the trees fronting the ditch. Above and below the simple track of the ford we fastened telegraph wires, so as to force the attacking party to come squarely on in front of the ditch. "On the morning of the 17th of March, 1863, Captain James Breckinridge, of Botetourt, with part of his squadron of the 2d (Co.'s ' C and ' D'), commanded the picket at Kelly's Ford. He had sixteen riflemen in the ditch, and his reserve with the horses on the hills, within rifle-shot of the ford. At daylight we received word that the picket was attacked, and we moved with eight hundred men to its sup- port, and arrived near the place to meet the enemy and join battle. " I have not space to give an account of that strange day's fighting, in which eight hundred men and three pieces of artillery defeated and drove across the river four thousand five hundred men with five pieces of artillery. I propose to describe the picket fight of a gallant brother captain, who was killed in the last battle of the lost cause, — the gallant life of a splendid man wasted in a series of fights in which we had no chance. Whether the fighting from. Petersburg to Appo- mattox, — a handful of tried and gallant patriots, wasted and starving, against an overwhelming host, richly caparisoned for war, — was proper, was judicious, was statesmanlike, — whether it should have been avoided, or peace made in Hampton Roads, — whether the civil government, the military, or the people were to blame, I stop not to inquire. Mean men and skulkers lay the blame on others. We thought we were right ; thought we were fighting right ; thought the govern- ment was doing ifs best. We blamed no one then but the 'dodgers and bomb-proofs.' We blame no one now. 'God is wise.' Had we died on the battle-field we should have blamed no one. Jeff. Davis did not make tis fight, — we put 5 66 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. him forward. General Lee did not force us to the field, — he was the leader of our choice. Force could not have started the revolution, or formed the Confederacy, and force could not have held it twenty-four hours. "Three thousand men, — headed by a fine regiment com- manded by a brave Dutchman, — advanced on the ford, and were met by sixteen deadly rifles, sweeping the ford. Again and again was that column dashed into the fire, and horse and rider were 'in one red burial blent.' The major reached the wire, when Breckinridge's pistol sent a ball through his shoulder, and he retreated to the other side. The rifles from the hill gave some assistance. The artillery opened on the ditch, and for some time a shower of shells almost covered it. Captain Breckinridge and his men lay close ; and, when the enemy's bugle sounded the charge, the sixteen men stood to their carbines ; and as the column swept into the ford, the deadly rifles emptied the saddles, and filled the ford with men and horses. For more than three hours was this fight con- tinued. The enemy was furious, and our ammunition was failing. The enemy were charging to the wire, and their bodies were covering the sand. The carbine ammunition was exhausted. The pistols were being used, but there was no time for reloading. Captain Breckinridge sent out one man to have the horses ready ; and, in the face of the enemy, re- gained his horses, and skirmished in front of the advancing column, losing but two men. " When the enemy got to old Mr. Kelly's at the mill, they called him out and asked of the strength of our force. The old man proudly told them that sixteen men held the ford, with a reso've of about the same number. The colonel turned to his men, cursed them, and told them that it was a disgrace to their army that a brave captain with a company had held three thousand men in check for three hours. Botetourt and Franklin may well be proud of the men who that day expected death, kneeling in that ditch, and destroying all the letters from dear ones at home to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy. PEACHY GILMER BRECKINRIDGE. 67 " The Parkers and Hollands, of Franklin, and the Breckin- ridees and Brufjhs, of Botetourt, shed as brave blood on the bosom of our old mother as ever ran in 'cavalier veins.' They thought that they fought for liberty. " ' They walked in the paths their fathers had trod, Let them pass with their swords to the presence of God.' " PEACHY GILMER BRECKINRIDGE, OF BOTETOURT COUNTY, VIRGINIA; ACTING CAPTAIN CO. " B," 2D VIR- GINIA CAVALRY. Peachy Gilmer Breckinridge, son of Carey and Emma Gilmer Breckinridge, of Botetourt County, Virginia, was born on the 15th of September, 1835. His character was a combi- nation of strong qualities, prominent among which was his courage, both physical and moral. It has, indeed, been said of him, that he never experienced the sensation of fear; but if he did, he seemed not to lose the power of self-possession, even in his youth, and under the most critical circumstances. While a boy, he was one day skating with his schoolmates, when the ice broke, and he went down beyond his depth. He rose to the surface ; but with each effort to extricate himself the ice gave way. One of his companions who was very fond of him was hastening to his assistance, when Gilmer shouted to him to go back or he would certainly be drowned. Reach- ing, at length, a point where the ice was firmer, he climbed out without help. His affection for his mother and respect for her wishes was another marked characteristic. When about eighteen, the age at which so many young men think it an evidence of their manhood to disregard the injunctions of their parents, Gilmer was visiting some friends who played cards for amusement ; they wished him to join them, but he declined, saying that he 68 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. did not know how. They urged him to learn, and, when he refused, demanded his reason. He simply replied, " My mother does not wish me to play." In 1853 he entered the Virginia Military Institute, and there received the education which eminently fitted him for the ser- vice his country afterwards demanded at his hands. His first year at the Institute was marked by a determination to resist the tyranny always exercised by older cadets over the " plebs." Few young men have ever succeeded in their efforts to with- stand the combinations of the advanced classes ; indeed, the submission of the plebeians is a custom so time-honored that few of them ever think of attempting to violate it. If it is a custom " more honored in the breach than in the observance," Gilmer Breckinridge paid it the highest respect : he never surrendered to Jus seniors. He next pursued a course at William and Mary College, and in 1857 entered the University of Virginia as a law stu- dent. The following summer he joined the Pacific Railroad Exploring Expedition, under Lieutenant Beale, of the United States army. One of his adventures during this trip came near costing him his life. The party was halting for several days on the Canadian River, when one morning he took his gun and went out in search of game. In the excitement of hunting he lost his bearings, and was not able to return to camp. For three days he wandered about, bewildered and without food, in a country filled with hostile Indians and wild beasts. On the morning of the third day he struck the trail, and, after walking a few miles, saw an Indian running towards him, yelling loudly; others soon appeared, rapidly approach- ing, and making the air ring with their shouts from every direction ; but he was pleasantly relieved at finding they were hunters, sent out in search of him. On his return from California, he commenced the practice of law, and was rapidly rising in his profession when the war broke out. In i860 he was married to Miss Julia Anthony. When the State Convention was called to consider the question of secession, he was nominated by the Fincastle PEACHY GILMER BRECKINRIDGE. 69 paper as a candidate for that body. He was strongly opposed to the disruption of the government, and upon his acceptance of the nomination he issued an address to the people of Craig and Botetourt Counties, stating clearly his political views. The following extracts from that address serve to show at once his devotion to the Union, his strong, sarcastic method of argu- mentation, and his stern moral courage, for which he was conspicuous, illustrated in this case by his bold opposition to the popular feeling : ..." But admitting that slavery is in danger, and that dis- union is the only remedy, let us see whether slavery is worth the Union. We must treat slaves as we would other property, and give it its value in dollars and cents. We must lay aside that romantic attachment for this peculiar property which would lead us to sacrifice everything else, and leave us in the possession of it without being able to enjoy it. If we separate from the North, it will be on account of the bad feeling exist- ing between us, so that there will be no hope of our being on terms of friendship hereafter. This, then, would compel us to keep a standing army on our northern frontier. Now, if the Legislature of Virginia allowed the hanging, not the trial or board, of seven men, who had been caught by the United States marines, to cost the State two hundred and twenty thousand dollars, how much would it cost to keep up an army of twenty thousand men ? But as we may, after the next gen- eral election, be blessed with a legislature which will have no ambition to hang abolitionists with military honors, I may state that it is calculated that to support twenty thousand men costs six million dollars a year. Now, would the slaves of Virginia be worth that much more out of the Union than they would be i)i it ? . . . " We are advised to secede, but no one has said what we are to do afterwards. We would have to establish a new government; but would it be a confederacy, a consolidated republic, or a monarchy? The party in whose hands the Union is dropping to pieces is the party which will have to make the new government. Now, is it likely that men who 70 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. were unable to manage a government already made, and said to be the best in the world, could make a better? It is easier to pull down a government than it is to put up a better. . . . " While I intend to battle for the Union so long as we con- tinue in it, when Virginia decides to withdraw from it, and calls for volunteers to defend her from invasion, I do not ex- pect to be found far behind those who are now crying out so boldly for blood, except it be in retreat. He who raises his hand against the Constitution of the United States, which he is sworn to defend, will not be a reliable man even in a slave confederacy. Why is this disunion movement made? Why is slavery in danger? Demagogues, North and South, have fired the hearts of brother against brother. We forget that ' a house divided against itself must fall.' We forget that, in destroying the Union, we but incite the hostility of foreign foes. Has every spark of patriotism died out in the souls of the people? If exiled in a foreign land, would the heart turn back to Virginia, or South Carolina, or New York, or to any one State as the cherished home of its pride ? No ; we would remember only that we were Americans. We would pine for the land whose goddess sits triumphant on her throne, — her foot upon the neck of tyrants, her ensign welcoming beneath its shelter the oppressed of distant nations. Away with your Palmetto flags ! Let the banner under which Washington fought wave over every blow that I strike in battle; and if I die the death of a soldier, let me be wrapped in the ' Star- spangled Banner' !" Gilmer Breckinridge was not elected to the convention ; but, when Virginia seceded, and called for troops to defend her borders, true to the words that he had uttered, he was among the first to answer her summons. He at once raised and equipped a company of infantry, and led it to the front. When the 28th Virginia Regiment was organized, his command be- came a part of it. At the reorganization of the army. Captain Breckinridge was not re-elected ; but, like Jubal Early, he went into service not as a secessionist, but as a Union man, fighting for the PEACHY GILMER BRECKINRIDGE. n rights of his old mother, Virginia. Accordingly, unmoved by this act of injustice, which stung to the quick so many of our best officers, he joined the State line, under General Floyd, recruited a company for it, and was promoted to a majority. When, at length, the State line was disbanded, he did not hesitate concerning his duty. In May, 1863, stepping down into the ranks, he enlisted in his brother's (Captain James Breckinridge) company of the 2d Cavalry. In this capacity, and as color-sergeant, he served — and by his faithful service honored his position — until the 24th of May, 1864, when he was assigned to the command of Company " B" of the same regiment. On that day occurred the attack on Kennon's Landing, and there he yielded up his life. The following statement of an officer engaged in that assault gives an account of Gilmer Breckinridge's death : " We dismounted, made the assault, and were repulsed. Major Breckinridge was wounded in the arm. We then changed our position and charged again through some ob- structions of fallen trees and sharpened limbs. Major Breck- inridge pushed on, working his way through the obstructions under a very heavy fire, and got within about fifty feet of the parapet, with only a few men around him, when he was seen to fall." It was impossible to bring him from the field, and so he sleeps in an unknown grave. His regimental commander. Colonel Thomas T. Munford, thus spoke of him in a letter to his parents : "Your noble son had won the admiration of all the officers and men of my regiment. Throwing aside pride at loss of rank, he came forward as a private to defend his country. His gallant bearing as the color-sergeant, his uniform, buoyant spirits under all circumstances, frequently volunteering when not called upon to go into a fight, had caused me to mention him in my reports, and he had been recommended for promo- tion, and assigned to the command of Company ' B,' as all the officers of that company were absent, wounded. It was at the head of his company he fell, striking for all that was dear to 72 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. him. Virginia has made many sacrifices, but no nobler patriot has fallen than your noble son." The Breckinridge brothers yielded up their lives on differ- ent and distant fields, and found their resting-places none can tell when and how. But they were one in faith. Gilmer had long been a devoted Christian and a consistent member of the Episcopal Church ; and James had learned to kiss the hand that afflicted him. And so they too triumphed in death, and, springing heavenward, left their names to their countrymen, their graves to their God. — From University Memorial. A. A. BURGESS, OF CULPEPER COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; PRIVATE, 1ST VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Armistead Alexander Burgess, a son of Edward and Elizabeth F, Burgess, was born in Culpeper County, on the 22d of November, 1843. After a previous training of some years, young Burgess was sent to the Virginia Military Institute, entering in July, i860, being at the time in his seventeenth year. His attainments enabled him to become a member of the second class, and in the semi-annual report of the Institute, for January, 1861, we find he had made excellent progress in his studies, having been specially successful in mathematics, standing fifth in a class of forty members. But the exigencies of the war, which at this time came upon us, prevented the completion of his education. The State of Virginia felt the need of expert drill- masters to train her volunteers gathering at Richmond. Gov- ernor Letcher assigned this duty to the corps of cadets. How well they performed that duty has been told. Cadet Burgess, as a member of that corps, executed the duties of his position satisfactorily and well. When the cadets were disbanded he returned to his home in Culpeper, and remained there until HENRY K. BURGWYN, JR. 73 the following spring, when he left home for the purpose of joining the army. In the spring campaign of 1862 he attached himself to the 1st Regiment, Virginia Infantry, composed of troops from Richmond and vicinity. With this command he served until the battle of Seven Pines, May 31-, 1862, where he was killed, in charging a Federal battery. Cadet Burgess's youth, his age just nineteen at the time of his death, and short service, preclude any suppositions as to what his success, as a soldier or as an officer, might have been. Yet his duty had been well done, and he fell with his face to the foe. HENRY K. BURGWYN, Jr., OF NORTH CAROLINA ; COLONEL, 26tH NORTH CAROLINA INFANTRY. Colonel Henry King Burgwyn, Jr., the subject of this memoir, was descended on both sides of the house from families of high respectability, culture, and influence in their respective States. His paternal great-grandfather, John Burgwyn, of " The Hermitage," near Wilmington, North Carolina, came to this country from Herefordshire, in the west of England, when quite a young man, leaving an opulent home and influential family connections in the Old, to achieve success by his own unaided exertions in the New World. He settled at Wilming- ton, North Carolina. Soon became a prominent merchant, and was the first public man of this country to take ground against privateering, on which subject he corresponded with the English Cabinet as early as 1782. During the Revo- lutionary War he was President of the King's Council in the State of North Carolina, His eldest son, John Fanning Bur- gwyn, of New Berne, was also a merchant, and married Sarah Pierrepont Hunt, of New Jersey, a granddaughter of Jonathan Edwards, the distinguished theologian and metaphysician of 74 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. New England. Henry King Burgwyn, Sr., the third son of the issue of this marriage, till the close of the late war, was a large planter on the Roanoke River, in Northampton County, North Carolina, and is now living in Richmond, Virginia. He married Anna Greenough, of Jamaica Plains, near Boston, Massachusetts. Eight children were the fruit of this union, six sons and two daughters, the eldest son being named after his father. Henry K. Burgwyn, Jr., was born at Jamaica Plains, on the 3d of October, 1841. Till he was nine years old he lived with his parents, who resided in Northampton County, North Carolina, on their plantation, having removed there shortly after he was born. Erom a very early period of his boyhood, till he was sent to boarding-school, he was instructed by private tutors, who lived in the family. The training he thus received was the most careful and judicious possible, and had a marked influence upon his after-career, especially in a spiritual point of view. When nine years of age his parents sent him to the school of the Rev. Erederick Gibson, near Baltimore, Maryland, and afterwards to the Episcopal School at Burlington, New Jersey. At both he was a diligent and conscientious student. Soon after he was fifteen years of age he received a warrant to enter as cadet at West Point ; but being in Washington, Mr. Jefferson Davis, who was then Secretary of War, inci- dentally learning that he wanted a few months of being of the prescribed age to enter the institution, declared the objection insurmountable, and that he would have to wait a year longer. He was then placed by his father under the tuition of the present General J. G. Foster, U. S. A., who was then a pro- fessor at the Academy, by whose instruction he acquired the same scientific information as was given at the institution, where he remained until General Eoster was ordered away. He then entered, as a partial course student, the University of his State, located at Chapel Hill; where, in two years, he graduated upon those studies which he had selected, sharing with the best scholars the highest honors of his classes, and HENRY K. BURGWYN, JR. 75 having obtained the affectionate regard and esteem of his professors and fellow-students. His father being convinced that the questions which then agitated the North and South would find their arbitrament in war, determined that he should have all the advantages of a military education when compelled to take part in it, and therefore sent him to the Military Institute at Lexington, Vir- ginia ; where he matriculated August 10, 1859. Here he soon placed himself with the foremost of his class, and was among those selected by General, then Colonel, Smith, Super- intendent of the Academy, to act as a guard at the execution of John Brown at Harper's Ferry. At the breaking out of the late war, early in the spring of 1 86 1, the corps of cadets having been ordered to Richmond, Virginia, Cadet Burgwyn, then in the graduating class and sharing its highest honors and distinctions, fulfilled the duties of an important office there under General Smith, until he deemed it his duty to offer his services to the Executive of his own State, — North Carolina. As an evidence of his course while at the Virginia Military Institute, we insert a letter from General Stonewall Jackson : " Lexington, Virginia, April 16, 1861. " Sir, — The object of this letter is to recommend Cadet H. K. Burgwyn, of North Carolina, for a commission in the artillery of the Southern Confederacy. Mr. B. is not only a high-toned Southern gentleman, but, in consequence of the highly practical as well as scientific character of his mind, he possesses qualities well calculated to make him an ornament, not only to the artillery, but to any branch of the military service. " T. J. Jackson, " Prof. Nat. Phil, and Instruc. in Artillery Tactics, V. M.I. " To L. P. Walker, Secretary of War!' The Governor, Ellis, soon placed him in command of the camp of instruction, for newly-arrived volunteers, located just outside of Raleigh ; where he conducted a system of severe ye INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. drill and military duties, which obtained the commendation of all who witnessed its effects. His military capacity, amenity of manner, and close attention to the comfort of his men, soon won their confidence and affection, and, on the formation of the 26th Regiment, composed of companies then stationed at the camp of instruction, on the 27th of August, 1861, he was elected its lieutenant-colonel, under Zebulon B. Vance, afterwards Governor of the State, as colonel. The regiment immediately after its organization was ordered to the sea-coast of North Carolina to aid in protecting Fort Macon, commanding Beaufort harbor, and situated at the eastern terminus of the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad, over which many supplies were conveyed into the Con- federacy. That late gallant and chivalrous officer from North Carolina, General L. O. B. Branch, killed at Sharpsburg, then commanded at New Berne, and the 26th North Carolina Regi- ment was a part of the force assigned to him to defend that important position. As showing the mature and military judgment of Colonel BuRGWYN, then not twenty years of age, we copy the plan which he formed by himself to defend this coast. This was found among his papers after his death : "There are two points which, in my opinion, are the key- points of this coast. One is at Captain Penders's Battery, where both regiments (the 26th and 7th North Carolina Regi- ments) are now stationed, and the other is a position similar to this but about two miles nearer the fort (Macon). At this latter position the chaparral (which is impenetrable) runs close up to the sandbanks, which are quite high and difficult of access. If now the enemy, familiar with the con- figurations of the ground, were to take this latter position, our retreat would probably be cut off from the shore, and our communication with the fort would certainly be interrupted. It seems, then, higlily important to guard this position. My plan is to place the 7th Regiment at that place, allowing us to retain our position here. Then place the companies of the 26th and of the 7th Regiments three hundred yards apart, vary- HENRY K. BURGWYN, JR. yy ing the distance slightly so as to place each company behind high sand-banks. The two regiments would thus occupy a line of six thousand yards, about three and a half miles. The entire distance between us and the fort is about six miles, thus leaving only two and a half miles unguarded, which is in range of the columbiads and rifled cannon of the fort. " To an enemy, therefore, who attempted to land between the extreme left of our line and the fort, there would be opposed the fire from the fort and the defense of at least one company, whieh could be reinforced in half an hour by the entire force of the two regiments. Apparently this scattering of our forces might subject us to be beaten in detail. " Let us look a little closer, however. One force can only truly be said to weaken itself when the force to which it is opposed can concentrate in a less period of time. Now, it will take an enemy at least several hours to fill his boats with men, and at least twenty to thirty minutes to row them ashore. In that time, allowing our forces only the ordinary double-quick step, we can easily concentrate both regiments, if the attack is made on our centre, or one entire regiment, if made on our extreme right or left ; and in the same period of time the other regiment could be concentrated if the attack were made on one of our extremities, so that we could oppose to the enemy's landing one entire regiment, even if he were not to indicate to us his landing-point by means of his prepa- rations. The advantages of thus scattering our forces are: ist. That by making each company at night guard the three hun- dred paces it has to defend, we would have a chain of sentinels for six miles, whereas we now have them for only two thou- sand yards. 2d. By making each company construct bomb- proof shelters and a fine road for itself behind the sand-banks the danger from the enemy's shells is absolutely nothing, and that great desideratum — a military road to secure our com- munications — is obtained. To guard still more effectually against a night attack I would place a barrel of turpentine in the interval between each company, and whenever a well- founded alarm is raised set fire to the barrels, and with the yS INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. light thus thrown upon the enemy, ourselves being in the shade, we might defy his attack and increase our defense; besides, the moral effect of such a brilliant and unexpected pyrotechnic display would be quite prodigious. " I greatly lament that I have been unable to excite more attention to the necessity of aiding nature by art and render- ing our security perfect." Colonel Burgwyn's regiment participated but partially in the battle which occurred at the taking of New Berne by General Burnside early in the spring of 1862. Owing to the non-arrival of twelve hundred men which General Branch had been assured would be sent him in time for the battle, but which never arrived, there was a gap of some four hundred and fifty yards in the centre of our line of defense totally undefended, which the enemy at once dis- covered, and directing their attack to that point they easily turned our position, necessitating a retreat of the right wing, on the extreme right of which was placed the 26th Regiment. In the retreat of the regiment it became divided. Colonel BuKGWYN, conducting his part of it, came to a deep but narrow river which it was necessary to cross at once in order to place it between himself and the pursuing and victorious enemy. But two small canoes could be found ; by means of which, with the exercise of the greatest coolness and firmness on his part, he saw all of his men carried across and then himself followed them, while a large force of the victorious enemy were in plain view of his scouts during the entire time of four hours which it required to transport the men across the river. Upon the election of Colonel Vance as Governor of North Carolina, in the summer of 1862, it was objected on the part of General Robert Ransom, of North Carolina, recently as- signed to the command of the brigade to which the 26th Regiment was attached, that Colonel Burgwyn's extreme youth rendered him unfit to have command of so large a regiment; but Major-General D. H. Hill, who had previously commanded at New Berne, and at the time commanded the division to which Ransom's Brigade was attached, wrote to HENRY K. BURGWYN, JR. 79 the War Department that " Lieutenant-Colonel Burgwyn has shown the highest qualities of a soldier and oifficer, in the camp and on the battle-field, and ought, by all means, to be promoted." Of course Colonel Burgwyn received the pro- motion, and subsequently was strongly recommended for the position of Brigadier-General. In the bloody battles around Richmond, in May and June, 1862, ending with the terrific conflict at Malvern Hill, "the 26th Regiment was unsurpassed for heroism by any troops on the field." In the following September Colonel Burgwyn's regiment was transferred to the brigade of the late General J. Johnson Pettigrew, of North Carolina, in whose death, at Falling Waters, in July, 1863, the Southern Confederacy lost the ablest officer in her army from the State of North Carolina. General Pettigrew being assigned to make the defensive campaign of Eastern North Carolina for the winter of 1862-3, determined to attack and capture, if possible, one of the en- emy's forts on the north side of the New Berne, and to break up his facilities for penetrating the State and threatening its capital. Accordingly, he moved with great celerity and pre- caution among the woods and swamps of that region of the State, and came close upon the fort before daylight, taking it wholly unprepared. Colonel Burgwyn proposed to the gen- eral commanding to lead his regiment to the attack, eo instanti, and promised to deliver the fort to him in twenty minutes; but the general preferred to summon it to surrender, in reply to which the commanding officer demanded a delay of half an hour, which being granted him, he availed himself of it to signal the gunboats in the river opposite, which at the expira- tion of that time opened a heavy fire on our troops. General Pettigrew not deeming it proper to expose his troops to the united fire of the fort and gunboats, withdrew them, and the campaign effected little more than to keep the enemy within their lines for the time being. During this winter, General Foster, the former instructor of Colonel B., then in command of the United States forces at New Berne, organized an expedition with a view to the cap- 8o INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. ture of Raleigh and Wcldon, both objective-points with the enemy. This expedition, consisting of about thirteen thousand men of all arms of the service, arrived at the town of Washington, on the Tar River, at the same hour that Colonel Burgwyn ap- proached that place, he having been detached by Colonel Rad- cliffe, 6 1 St North Carolina Regiment, to protect his rear from attack, byway of Washington, while he. Colonel R., with three regiments, went to capture the town of Plymouth, situated at the mouth of the Roanoke River. Colonel Burgwyn selecting a very favorable point for de- fense at Rawle's Mill, left his lieutenant-colonel (Lane) and half of his regiment to throw up field-works bearing upon the passage of the ford at that place, while he himself marched with the other half, twenty-seven miles across the peninsula, in the direction of Washington. When near that town his scouts brought him word that a large force of the enemy were disembarking from numerous gunboats and steamers, anchored in the river opposite to the town, and marching in his direc- tion. Colonel Burgwyn at once conceived that the enemy's object was to cut off and capture the three regiments under Colonel Radcliffe's command destined for Plymouth. He at once dispatched couriers to Colonel Radcliffe, warning him to retreat, and to Lieutenant-Colonel Lane, at Rawle's Mill, ordering him to complete his field-works as rapidly as pos- sible. In what follows we have an exhibition of uncommon coolness and military judgment ; at least uncommon in one so young and unexperienced in the art of war. Colonel Radcliffe having advanced some distance on his march to Plymouth, it was necessary to hold the position at Rawle's Mill till he could retrace his steps to that place, otherwise his retreat would be cut off; hence the orders to Lieutenant-Col- onel Lane. There are two parallel roads leading from Wash- ington, North Carolina, to Colonel B.'s position at Rawle's Mill, distant from each other about a mile. It was necessary to know which of these roads the enemy would take before Colonel Burgwyn could decide upon his HENRY K. BURGWYN, JR. 8 1 line of retreat ; for, should he select the same one with the enemy, his presence would assuredly be discovered by them, and having a large cavalry force, they could easily overtake him, and his small force of some four hundred men would be at the mercy of his powerful opponent; powerful in numbers, as well as in all the arms of the service, while Colonel BuR- GWYN had but infantry. No sooner had the enemy fairly taken up his line of march than Colonel Burgwyn with his handful of men rapidly took their way by the other road, the two forces marching side by side on parallel roads, a skirt of woods of about a mile in width separating them. The light equipment of his men, their knowledge of the country, and their appreciation of the situation, of which their enemy were ignorant, enabled Colonel Burgwyn to arrive at the Mill nearly an hour ahead of the enemy, and he at once prepared for action. Placing his men behind the low field-works which had been thrown up in echelon lines, so as to concentrate the heaviest fire possible upon the centre of the ford, he cautioned them to reserve their fire till the enemy were well advanced in the water. His prep- arations were not completed when the enemy appeared and boldly plunged into the stream, about three feet deep, little dreaming of what was before them. As soon as the ford was well filled. Major Jones, of the regiment, — afterwards its gallant young lieutenant-colonel, killed at Brandy Station in the winter of 1864-5, — was heard, in a loud, deep, voice, giving the order, " Now's your time, boys ! Give it to them ! Make that water too hot to hold them !" A sheet of flame appeared from along the entire line of eight hundred men, and the water in their front was a confused, struggling mass of dead, dying, and panic-stricken men. Again and again for several hours the enemy made earnest efforts to cross the stream ; artillery was brought up, and still these few men resisted their powerful opponent. The Federal general then resolved to turn the ford at a point some two miles below, and ceased his attacks, which Colonel B. sus- pecting, he sent out scouts to ascertain the fact, who soon 6 82 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. returned with the news that Colonel Radcliffe with his three regiments had arrived, which rendered a longer retention of the position unnecessary. Colonel R. being the senior officer now assumed command and ordered a rapid retreat, which was effected in order and safety. Thus were these three regi- ments extricated from their perilous situation by the military skill of a young colonel not yet twenty-one years of age, sup- ported as he was by the bravery and discipline of his men, and their confidence in their commander. General J. G. Martin, a true son of the old North State, who had won his honors and experience on the battle-fields in Mexico, collecting what troops he could, now took the field against General Foster ; but could only gather about seven thousand men to oppose Foster's well-equipped force of thir- teen thousand. As soon as he had concentrated his troops General Martin called a council of war, to decide whether he should advance and attack General Foster, or remain on the defensive. Col- onel BuRGWYN, as the youngest officer present, was first called upon to give his opinion; this he did, unqualifiedly recom- mending an immediate advance with all their force, and a vig- orous attack on coming up with the enemy ; he was brought to this conclusion by the reports which his scouts and the neighboring country people brought of the demoralization of General Foster's forces, resulting from too free use of apple- brandy, which was very generally abundant in that country at that season of the year. Colonel B. thought this state of things would unfit the enemy for the struggle and manoeuvres of a vigorous attack, many of them, as the information was, being carried along in their wagons and ambulances. It was concluded, however, by the other members of the council, that the disparity of the forces was too great, and our greatly inferior equipment precluded the reasonable hope' of success. General Foster advanced as far as Goldsboro', but after a sharp encounter with our troops there, returned to his quarters at New Berne. In the spring of 1863, Pettigrew's Brigade was transferred HENRY K. BURGWYN, JR. 83 from the seat of war in North CaroHna to that in Northern Virginia, and was assigned to Heth's Division. On that memorable morning of the ist of July, 1863, as Pettigrew's Brigade marched to take their position in the dreadful battle of Gettysburg, that was to last three days, a finer body of some three thousand men could not be found in General Lee's army. Well disciplined, having seen hard service, devoted to their brigade and regimental commanders, and confident in themselves, they marched with alacrity to the bloody field. The 26th Regiment (Colonel B.'s) was over eight hundred strong, with a full complement of field and company officers. What a change a few hours were to effect in that splendid body of men ! How mutilated and shattered its ranks were to be ! How mournful and sad in the slaughter that was to occur ! It was the fortune of the 26th Regiment, in the afternoon of that day, to have to assault one of the strongest positions of the enemy, defended by some of his best troops. The celebrated Iron Brigade in the Federal army, formed from picked troops of the Northwest, were in line of battle imme- diately in Colonel Burgwyn's front. It was the boast of this brigade that it had never encountered a similar force that had been able to resist its charge. About three o'clock in the afternoon the order was given to Colonel Burgwyn to charge and carry the position occupied by the enemy in his front. Calling for his colors, he stepped a few paces in front of his regiment, waved his sword above his head, and gave the order, " Now, boys, give them one Confederate yell, and rush in !" They were the last words of command he ever gave. As the regiment neared the woods, filled with the enemy's most trusted troops, the fire of musketry, grape, and canister con- centrated upon it beggars description ; still they pressed on, some few to reach those coveted woods and heights, but not their young commander. Turning slightly to see how his men were acting, which threw his right side towards the enemy, he was struck on that side, the ball passing through both lungs. As he fell, one of his men near him caught him 84 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. \ and laid him gently on the ground to die. But his regiment faltered not. Lieutenant-Colonel Lane seizing the colors from his dying commander's hand, carried them aloft till he, too, was stricken down ; then Captain McCreery, of General Petti- grew's staff, gallantly bore them in advance, till a shell, carry- ing off his head, once more leveled them with the dust. Again and again, till eleven had, in succession, fallen with the colors of their regiment in their hands, did those gallant men bear aloft, amid the carnage of that dreadful day, the standard of their command. In a letter written by their brigade com- mander to their former colonel, then Governor Vance, their conduct on this occasion is thus spoken of: " Headquarters Pettigrew's Brigade, July 9, 1863. " Dear Sir, — Knowing that you would be anxious to hear from your old regiment, I embrace an opportunity to write you a hasty note. It covered itself with glory. This is no passing eulogium I pay them. It fell to the Jot of the 26th Regiment to charge one of the strongest positions possible. They drove certainly three, and we have every reason to believe, five, regiments out of the woods with a gallantry unsurpassed. Their loss has been heavy, very heavy, but the missing are on the battle-field and in the hospital. Both on the ist and 3d your old command did honor to your associa- tion with them, and to the State they represented. ******** " Very respectfully your obedient servant, "J. J. Pettigrew, Brigadier-General. " Gov. Z. B. Vance." In these two days of fighting, the regiment lost enormously. But our duty for the present is not with the victorious regiment, but with its dying colonel. As the regiment passed on, Cap- tain Young, of General Pettigrew's staff, rode up, and asked Colonel BuRGWYN if he was badly hurt. " Yes," was the reply. "I have but a short time to live; let me lie here and die." To Captain Young's offers of services he replied requesting him to deliver a few messages to his parents and family, and HENRY K. BURGWYN, JR. 85 to commend his men favorably to the general, saying, " They never failed me, and never will."* He lived but a short time, and died where he fell on the field of battle, as all true men should be willing to do, when in defense of their country. Captain J. J. Young, of Wake County, North Carolina, quartermaster of the regiment, and Colonel Burgwyn's inti- mate and esteemed friend, thus writes to his parents in refer- ence to their son's death : " It was near sunrise on the morning of the following day when I arrived in the vicinity of the battle-field of the 1st. I immediately went after the corpse. Major Jones had a guard placed over it during the night, having had it removed about shalf a mile to the rear. How beautiful he looked even in death! There was none of the usual hideous appearance generally apparent in those killed while contending in mortal strife; but he looked like one just fallen asleep. How could I doubt, looking on him, for a moment that his spirit had flown where sorrow and suffering are no more? I will here make a remark. The colonel and myself messed together; we were more intimately connected than men can possibly be in civil life, and I had an insight to his whole character. I have often been struck with his high sense of honor, especially in a spiritual view. He put his trust in a higher power than the puny arm of man could afford, and I would say to his afflicted relatives, Mourn not as those without a hope, but rather look forward to the time when they can meet him in endless happiness. * A remarkable coincidence between the death-scenes of Colonel H. K. BuR- GWYN, Jr., and his cousin, Captain John H. K. Burgwyn, U. S. A., who com- manded a large detachment of United States dragoons in the Mexican war, and was also shot through the body while leading a forlorn hope at the storming of Puebla de Taos. On being visited just before his death by General Sterling Price, commanding the expedition, who saying he would not fail to mention in his report to the War Department the gallantry and skill of Captain Burgwyn, the latter at once said, "And don't fail to state how well my men behaved; they never failed me at a single point." The similar consideration for his men shown by Colonel Burgwyn amid all his agonies on the fatal field of his death showed that each of these cousins possessed those noble traits that adorn and make beloved the noble soldier. 36 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. " No surgeon attended him after he fell : one of Company B, the name I cannot find out, caught him and laid him gently on the ground. Captain Young, of General Pettigrew's staff, came up to him soon afterwards, and his last words were to him as Major Collins has described to you. I visited the spot the next day. A prettier place could not have been selected, if sought for, being in a dense shade of oak on the green grass. His scabbard had been shot away before. When he received his death-wound, he was a few steps in advance of the regi- ment, his sword in his right and the flag in his left hand, cheering on his men. He had turned to see how they were acting, which threw his right side to the enemy. The ball passed through both lungs, and he fell, or rather was laid, in such a position that he bled internally. The men passed on ; and here, under the broad canopy of heaven, he died as a patriot could only wish. He had some of his best stimu- lants in his flask. Captain Young gave it to him to drink, which revived him a little, when he sent the messages in Major Collins's note. No surgeon was needed, for he was beyond mortal aid. We buried him about seventy-five yards from the turnpike leading from Gettysburg to Chambersburg, on the right-hand side, two miles from the latter, directly east of a walnut-tree and near it. Captain Iredell, of the 47th, is on his left side, and Captain Wilson, Company " B," of the 26th, on his right. I wrapped him closely in his red woolen blanket, to preserve the body as much as possible." A writer who had an " intimate knowledge of the character of Colonel Burgwyn" thus writes of him in an obituary notice : ..." In person, he was tall, strong, handsome, and unusually commanding in appearance for one so young. . . . Both in mind and character he was mature: the one was solid, well balanced, and eminently practical ; the other was manly, elevated, free from the vices common to youth, modest, and warm-hearted. . . . Such was he to the outward world ; but he had one trait of character but too seldom found among the young of our day, — Xxx?, filial piety , which made him a young man that it was hard not to love. This was the great secret JOHN W. BURKE. 8/ of his knowing how to command men : he had learned per- fectly how to obey at home. The slightest wish of his parents became to him a law; and in respect to his mother, it united to a feeling of tenderness an anxiety to please her that gave his character a beauty and chivalrous bearing that we have rarely seen before. These qualifications and traits of character, together with his strong reverence for God, showed him to be a young man of uncommon promise, a loss to his family, his State, and to the Confederacy." At the close of the war his remains were removed to Ral- eigh, North Carolina, and interred in the Soldiers' Cemetery among those who had so often risked their lives at his com- mand, and of whom he had always said he would not order them to go where he was not willing to lead them. They were followed to the grave by a large concourse of sorrowing friends and neighbors, and their grateful affection still keeps it fresh and g-reen. JOHN W. BURKE, OF KING WILLIAM COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; SERGEANT, KING WILLIAM AR- TILLERY. John Waller Burke was born in Hanover County, Vir- ginia, March 4, 1842, but when an infant was taken to the native county of his ancestors. King William, and was reared at Spring Bank, the home of his parents, Robert and Margaret Anderson Burke. Placed at school at an early age, under the instruction of Mr. J. H. Pitts, a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, and the Principal of Rumford Academy, a school well and favorably known, he remained until a year before the war. On the 5th of July, 1859, he entered the Vir- ginia Military Institute, intending to remain until he should graduate; but in the spring of 1 861 he (with the corps of cadets) was ordered to Richmond to assist in drilling the 88 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. companies of volunteers who were daily arriving at that point. The incalculable service rendered by the cadets at this camp of instruction cannot be too much dwelt upon. The utter helplessness of the volunteers, most of them men of position and means, entirely unused to the duties and hardships of mili- tary life, and thoroughly devoid of that capability to make themselves comfortable, the great characteristic of the old soldier, made it necessary to give them the example and in- strOction of those who had not only a theoretical knowledge of military science, but a practical experience in military dis- cipline and camp-life. This desideratum could not have been better supplied than it was by the corps of cadets ; fresh from their training, ardent in the cause, they made enthusiastic and efficient drill-masters, and soon succeeded in reducing to order the confused mass pouring into Richmond. After the com- pletion of this work the corps was disbanded. Cadet Burke returned to his home to await the re-opening of the Institute, which was announced for the following September. Reporting at that time, his furlough was extended until the following January, it being found impossible to resume operations at the Institute until that date. At the appointed time he was at his post, his family trusting that he might remain until he gradu- ated without further interruption, but in this they were doomed to disappointment; scarcely had he resumed his studies when letter after letter reached his father urging him to send a written consent that he might leave the Institute and enter the army. Like a blow this appeal fell upon his family ; his mother, with the most touching remonstrances, urged him to remain at school, but he seemed determined to remain inactive no longer. Soon a letter came, in which he said, "How will I feel, when the war will have closed, to know that I have taken no part in it?" There was no alternative: the permission was sent; so much was his mother affected, having already a son exposed to all a soldier's hardships in North- western Virginia, that a dispatch was sent to intercept the letter, but it was too late; when next heard of he had enlisted as a private in the King William Artillery, and had fought his JOHN W. BURKE. 89 first battle at Williamsburg. Then on the tramp from day to day he plodded, tired, worn, and almost overcome by hardships and fatigue. All this he frankly acknowledged when with his family for the last time, a few months afterwards, having fought in many battles around Richmond, Fredericksburg, and numerous other places. As he sat with the loved ones at home telling them of his soldier-life, he said, "I have fought in twenty-seven steady battles, and know well I cannot escape always. Yes, I am as confident that my time must come soon as that I live now." When remonstrated with for entertaining such gloomy forebodings, he would reply, gravely, " Gladly would I give up an arm this moment in risk for future losses." Yet never once did he shrink from danger or shirk duty; ever present when his battery was in action, his comrades bear testimony to his undaunted bravery. Timid and retiring with strangers, it was often remarked how strange that he pos- sessed so much moral courage. No companion could ever recall the slightest rupture caused by an unkind word of his ; and yet when circumstances required it, in the shock of battle he stood fearless and unmoved. And so on many a hard- fought field he proved. Of Sergeant Burke's character as a soldier, and of the cir- cumstances of his death, the following letter from the com- manding officer of his battery, Captain Wm. P. Carter, will give an outline : " Young Burke was a sergeant in the King William Artil- lery at the time of the capture of the guns at Spottsylvania Court-House, May 12, 1864, where he was supposed to have been killed ; his body was never found, nor has scarcely a word been heard of him by his friends. Sergeant Burke was a brave and efficient soldier, particularly reliable and conscientious as to orders and duties. Always affable and re- spectful, he was one of the best drill-officers in the company. My impression is that he was in all the battles fought by the army of Northern Virginia, from the battle of Williamsburg, when our forces were retreating from Yorktown, to the bloody combat of May 12, 1864. And, I am sure, when the 90 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. legion of Hancock charged over the Horse-Shoe Bend, at Spottsylvania Court-House, on that dreadful morning, under the banner of the immortal Lee, no braver spirit, no truer- hearted gentleman, went forth to meet the shock of death than Sergeant John W. Burke, of King William County, Virginia." Colonel Thos. H. Carter, who commanded the battalion to which the King William Artillery was attached, says of him : " Young Burke joined the company but a short time before I left it, as its commander; but I recall very well his gentle- manly and soldierly qualities, the courage and unusual spirit with which he always commanded his gun, and the repeated statement of Captain Carter, that he was his staunchest and most reliable non-commissioned officer. This was high praise in a company which distinguished itself whenever engaged, and drew from brave General D. H. Hill, at Seven Pines, in the heat of action, * I would rather command that battery than be President of the Confederate States.' " The circumstances of his death, more in detail, were as fol- lows. When the battery was captured confusion reigned in the Confederate lines, and many of our men were taken pris- oners. For months his family believed that he, too, was con- fined in the far-off prison walls. During the interval of their anxiety, an elder brother was brought home a mangled corpse ; but to alleviate their suffering, longingly their hopes turned to the absent one of the family circle. Days came and went. Prisoners returned, and yet no tidings came until a returned prisoner ventured to tell the little he knew. As the hurricane of balls swept over the field that day. Sergeant Burke fell, pierced through the body by one of the fatal mis- siles. A comrade, finding his strength fast failing, kindly sup- ported him, but the danger increasing, he bade his friend seek to save himself, saying, " Lay me down; I am dying." These were his last words, and in this trying hour we see the same magnanimity that characterized his life. A friend wrote the following lines, published just after the war in the "Southern Opinion" : THOMAS M. BURKE. " They bore him away from the ranks of the brave, Where the shafts of death were flying : And the last sad token of life he gave Was, 'lay me down; I am dying.' " To his countiy he gave his precious young life, While pure and unscathed by sorrow : And he heeds not the storm of contending strife, Nor clouds which may come on the morrow. " And many a friend shall mourn for the dead, On Freedom's altar lying, With him who reposes where meekly he said, ' Now lay me down ; I am dying.' '* But who shall comfort the sorrowing ones, Who long have waited his coming, And knew not he slept with Virginia's brave sons, Where the sweet wild flower is blooming ? " May the mother, whose head in anguish is bowed, And the sisters who weep in despair. Be soothed when they think the young life bestowed Was resigned without anguish or care ! " He sleeps with the loved, the hallowed dead. Where many a hero is lying. In his own sunny land, where softly he said, ' Now lay me down ; I am dying.' " 91 THOMAS M. BURKE, ' OF ESSEX COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; MAJOR, 55TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Thomas M. Burke, eldest son of James and Susan Burke, was born in Essex County, Virginia, April 20, 1829. Entered the Virginia Military Institute in August, 1848. Resigned after some time, and was engaged in farming in Essex County until the John Brown raid, when he raised a company x>{ in- fantry, and took part in the military operations during Brown's imprisonment and trial. In command of this company, which 92 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. subsequently became Co. " F," 55th Virginia, he entered the service. Was stationed at Lowery's Point Battery until April, 1862, when the regiment was ordered to Fredericksburg. Was there promoted major. From Fredericksburg the regi- ment was ordered to Richmond, and was engaged in the seven days' fight. In the first day's battle Major Burke was wounded in the left arm, and in the seventh and last day, at Frasier's Farm, June 30, 1862, he was killed. An excellent soldier and competent officer, he served from the beginning of hostilities, without intermission, until the day of his death. ^A^ILLIAM H. CABELL, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA ; ORDERLY SERGEANT, CO. " D," CORPS CADETS. " Affliction's .seml:)lance weeps not at his tomb; Affliction's self laments his early doom." William H. Cabell, son of Dr. R. G. Cabell and Margaret Caskie Cabell, was born in the city of Richmond, on the 13th of November, 1845. His father is still a practitioner of medi- cine in his native city, where he has resided for many years. He was the grandson of Judge Wm. H. Cabell, fomerly Gov- ernor of Virginia, and during the latter part of his life Presi- dent of the Supreme Court of Appeals. On the maternal side he was descended from James Caskie, an eminent merchant and financier, and for many years President of the Bank of Virginia. His early education was superintended by his father, who, in the interval of practice, devoted much time to the instruction of his sons in the ancient languages and the elementary principles of the English tongue. After passing through the usual scholastic studies, he entered Richmond College as a student. Prof. Ryland, late President of that institution, wrote as follows to his father in consequence of his death : WILLIAM H. CABELL. q3 " I am filled with grief to hear that your son, William H. Cabell, was among the slain at the late battle in the Valley. I write from a sick-bed to say how heartily you have my sympathy. You have lost a noble boy ! While here at school he was all that teacher and parent could desire, — quick, studi- ous, docile, apt to learn, and, for his age, far advanced, he certainly gave promise of usefulness and distinction ; and that promise he has redeemed ! Though a mere lad, he has illus- trated by his sublime, self-sacrificing course, and by his noble death, the highest virtues of our nature. Do not think that your labors and care in raising him are lost. He has done as much as many great men do, in a long life, for his country and his race." The virtues of his heart attracted to him many friends, and no boy was more popular and beloved. In his studies he was a proficient ; accomplished in Latin and Greek, he read in their original languages the classics for pleasure ; and his mind, of a grave and investigating nature, delighted in metaphysics and the solution of abstruse problems in mathematics. To an in- tellect thus trained and disciplined, he added a moral elevation which was the charm of his character. He possessed an in- flexible strength and determination of will which nothing could subdue. His affection and filial duty to his mother, whom he almost idolized, was evinced by an incident which occurred when he was not more than twelve years of age. Being very athletic, he distinguished himself in the gymnastic sports of youth, and, on one occasion, he unfortunately broke his arm. He was carried home by his companions in much alarm, and physicians were sent for to attend him. They found him with unusual composure, seated on a sofa in the passage, with his arm in a sling. It was suggested that he should be removed to his room, where he would be more comfortable, and where he could recline on his bed and be seen by his mother. To this proposal he at once positively objected, saying he feared its effect on his mother who was sick, and that he preferred to suffer additional pain where he was, rather than alarm and distress his mother by informing 94 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. her of the injury he had received. The bones of the fractured arm were then adjusted, splints and bandages applied, and the little boy submitted to the operation without a tear or a murmur of complaint. This is only one of many examples which might be adduced, illustrating in early life the pre- dominant and peculiar traits for which he was afterwards noted. The same cool and dignified self-possession, mani- fested in boyhood, continued with him at College ^nd the Virginia Military Institute, and did not desert him in scenes of danger and death, when with intrepid steps and bared breast he marched into " the Valley of the Shadow of Death" in defense of his country's honor, as dear and sacred to him as his own. The events which occur in the domestic circle and in the life of a student are of a tranquil and contemplative nature, and possess little of brilliancy and eclat. They do not interest the public, but are cherished only by those to whom he is per- sonally known and who cling to him from consanguinity and love. There are no dramatic exploits, no salient and romantic deeds to please the imagination and arrest attention, but along "the cool sequestered vale of life" the youthful student "keeps the noiseless tenor of his way" unheeded and unknown save only by those with whom he associates and by whom he is loved. But in Cadet Cabell there was a germ of independ- ence, truthfulness, and honor which, like a halo of romance, during his whole life, distinguished him as a youth of no ordinary interest. His intellect was massive and of large proportions, his heart full of the tenderest sensibilities, with a courage which no danger could daunt, and a fortitude which no physical or mental distress could overcome. He was loved by a troop of friends, and from the achievements he made in his studies, the impression prevailed that he was destined to make his mark and attain renown in his future career. The war for our independence commenced in 1861. The whole State was in a blaze of military ardor, and patriotism fired the heart and nerved the arm of every true Southern man. The youth particularly panted to enlist in the army of WILLIAM H. CABELL. 95 the South, and every boy capable of bearing arms left the delights and comforts of home to defend the soil of his be- loved State. At this time Cadet Cabell was fifteen years of age, and, participating in the enthusiasm of the times, he sincerely desired to join the company of volunteers of which his brother, James Caskie Cabell, was lieutenant, and, as a private in the ranks, do his part in defense of the Southern Confederacy. At the solicitation of his father, who told him that having one son only seventeen years of age in the army, he was unwilling that another, of tenderer years and unable to bear the hardships of war, should at that time become a soldier, he reluctantly continued his studies until he should reach maturer years. To prepare him for military duty and to enable a mind so gifted with genius to be trained in the tactics and art of war, he had entered the Virginia Military Institute, and it was that seat of learning which became the theatre of his greatest triumphs in science, and where he won the highest distinction. At his final examination he was pro- nounced first on the list of Proficients and had his name illus- trated by a star. Here, as at other schools, Cadet Cabell was considered a youth of great promise, and most favorable anticipations were entertained of the brilliancy and usefulness of his future life. For industry, attention to his studies as a student and. a soldier, for moral and exemplary conduct, he invariably won from his preceptors the meed of applause. But these honors, enviable as they are, could not satisfy the crav- ings of his ambition. His heart, during th^ four long and gloomy years of the war, panted to join the army of the South. This was the theme and burden of his letters written to his parents. During his last session at the Institute and before he had attained the age of a conscript, he said he feared that the contest would be over, and independence achieved or lost without his contributing his mite in the final struggle. Re- peatedly did he say, in his letters to his parents and his brother, Lieutenant Cabell, that he had rather die than such should be the case. He was, in truth, willing, like the Roman Curtius, to devote himself if necessary to the salvation of his beloved 96 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. and afflicted country. His desire was gratified, and, alas ! he fell a mart)^- in the vindication of a cause he loved with a hallowed devotion. It was in May, 1864, that General Breckinridge called for the aid of the cadets at the Institute to repel the invasion of the Federal army under General Sigel. Lexington and the Institute were in danger, and the cadets at once responded to the call, and marched to the scene of conflict. The health of Cadet Cabell had been for some months impaired; he had visited his father on furlough to obtain his professional advice, and was at the time of his march under medical treatment. He could reasonably, and with just cause, have declined the summons, and have remained at his quarters without dis- honor. His gallant spirit could not bear that his companions should go on this perilous enterprise, and he r;emain inglo- riously at home. He resolved to do his duty at all hazards, and he undertook the march. It is said that he nearly fainted from debility, fatigued and overpowered by the labors of the way. At night, before the battle of New Market, knowing that the cadets would participate in the action, he conversed confidentially with a friend and fellow-student. He spoke of the dangers of the impending conflict, saying he feared nothing for himself, and that he was willing to incur the hazard, but of his brother, Cadet R. G. Cabell, Jr., who was not more than sixteen, the idol of his revered mother, he spoke in the tenderest terms. He feared that his brother would be wounded or killed, and deplored either event, as, he said, he knew it would cause the death of his broken- hearted mother. He then retired a short distance from his comrades, and offered up a prayer for the preservation of his brother and himself in the expected battle, invoked the blessing of God on his parents, his absent brothers and sisters, and retired, weary and worn, to his soldier's bed. The battle of New Market occurred on Sunday, the 15th of May, 1864, and it was one of the most exciting of the war. The charges, the rapid movement of the batteries from one WILLIAM H. CABELL. 97 position to another, the impetuous action and the utter rout and discomfiture of the Northern forces, seldom .occurred on one field. The cadets were now in battle array. Cadet W. H. Cabell and Cadet Robert G. Cabell, Jr., two brothers, were sta- tioned in the same battalion. One portion of our line wavered under a fierce fire of canister and musketry, and to sustain it the cadets were ordered to advance. They rushed with all the enthusiasm and valor of youth impetuously to the charge, and every obstacle yielded to their unfaltering and unflinching courage. The flag of the cadets waved in triumph over the artillery of the North, and victory perched on the banners of the South. Cadet R. G. Cabell, Jr., passed bravely and unin- jured, and reached the enemy's cannon without a wound, while his noble, learned, accomplished, beloved, and unfor- tunate brother, struck by a cannon-ball in the chest, was left mortally wounded on the field of battle. The casualties and havoc of war, in the moment of triumph, are lost in the exultation of the victors, and the welkin rung with the shouts of the cadets, forgetting for a time the great price with which the battle had been won, R. G. Cabell, Jr., participated in the triumph, but he soon saw that his brother was missing, and with sad, foreboding heart, he retraced his steps to ascertain his fate. He found him dead in the path of the charge, his head pierced and torn by the fragment of a shell. Truthful as he was brave, sincere and ingenuous as he was accom- plished, affectionate and gentle, with every attribute which dignifies humanity, his " noble spirit sought the grave to rest forever there." In his annual report to the parents of the cadets. General F. H. Smith, Superintendent of the Institute, wrote to Dr. R. G. Cabell, the bereaved father of W. H. Cabell, saying, " Cadet William H. Cabell fell in the gallant discharge of his duty in the sanguinary battle of New Market, 15th May, 1864." His remains, temporarily interred at New Market, were afterwards removed to Hollywood Cemetery, near the city of . Richmond, and by his side repose the ashes of his mother 7 gS INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. whom he so fondly loved, and who herself was a matron worthy to be the parent of a son possessed of so many virtues and so universally esteemed and beloved. ABRAM CABELL CARRINGTON, OF CHARLOTTE COUNTY, VIRGINIA; FIRST LIEUTENANT, CO. " D," i8tH VIRGINIA infantry. Abram Cabell Carrington was born at Ridgeway, the seat of his father, on Staunton River, in Charlotte County, Virginia, October 15, 1831. His parents were Paul S. Carrington, Esq., son of Judge Paul Carrington, and Emma C, daughter of Judge Cabell, of the Supreme Court of Virginia. Thus his lineage connected him, on the one side, with the Cabells, whose posi- tion in the history of the State is too well known to require any recital here, and on the other, with the two Judges Car- rington of the Revolutionary era, and their numerous descend- ants. The other children of this marriage were two daughters, and Isaac, major in the Confederate service, and provost-mar- shal of Richmond, since deceased, Alexander, a clergyman of the Presbyterian Church, and Edgar Wirt, a captain in the Confederate service, who fell in the battle of Seven Pines. The birth and early years of the subject of this sketch were blessed with everything which was most enviable in the lot of a young Virginian of the times which have gone, — a rural home combining retirement, culture, and elegance, a home education under the eye of parents who postponed everything to the best interests of their children, and a society virtuous and Christian within and around the home of his youth. His classical education was prosecuted wholly under the eyes of his parents, until, in August, 1848, he became a cadet of the Virginia Military Institute. His health was then feeble, and prevented his completing the course. He resigned in a ABRAM CABELL CARRhVGTON. 99 short time, and, after spending three years at Mr. Franklin Minor's school, near Charlottesville, returned to his home pursuits. On the 7th of July, 1852, he was married to Miss Nancy Cabell, daughter of Clement C. Read, Esq., of Farmville, Vir- ginia. This estimable lady still survives him, in her native town, the faithful guardian of his four children. The first year of his married life was spent at Ridgeway with his parents, and his time was occupied in the instruction of his younger brother and sisters. In the autumn of 1853 he, with his brother Alex- ander, then a practicing attorney at law in Prince Edward County, bought a landed estate from Moses Tredway, Esq., and Mrs. Mary Hughes (the father and sister of the Hon. Judge Wm. M. Tredway), upon the waters of Buffalo, and about two miles from Hampden Sidney College. There both the brothers resided for a time together, Alexander pursuing first the legal and then the clerical profession, and Abram managing their joint property of lands and negroes. He was from the first an industrious and successful planter, and was one among the many instances which the young gentry of Virginia presents, and has always presented, to refute the ab- surd charge of effeminacy. His birth and breeding did not prevent his devoting himself, not only to a faithful superin- tendence of his affairs, but to the sturdiest manual labor. Under his energy, a dilapidated estate soon began to assume a new dress of beauty and fertility, and he grew steadily into a skillful and prosperous planter. Nothing occurred to mark the uneventful life of a country gentleman until May, 1855, when, after deliberate reflection, he made a profession of faith in Christ, and became a member of the College Church (Presbyterian), under the pastorate of the venerable B. H. Rice, D.D., of which his wife was already a member. P'rom the very first his modest, brave, and honorable nature displayed the refining influence of grace; and he assumed at once the standing of a thorough Christian. His religion was of that type which, like Joshua's and Caleb's, "followed the Lord fully." The result was, that 100 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. within two years he was introduced into the eldership, with the unanimous approval of the church. To this office he was ordained October, 1856. In it he was a model of fidelity, ever postponing his private convenience to the calls and duties of the elder, firm in discipline, in purity of life an ensample to the flock, and ready to assume any burden of labor or respon- sibility to which duty called him ; so that, though of all men most modest and least pragmatical, he soon found the largest share of the church's work resting on his shoulders. His co- presbyters at the time of his ordination were, Samuel C. An- derson, Esq., Henry E. Watkins, Esq., Moses Tredway, Esq., Peyton Randolph Berkeley, M.D., Benjamin M. Terry, M.D., and Colonel Henry Stokes. The great and disastrous revolution of 1861 cast its shadows before it upon all reflective minds. One result of the Harper's Ferry raid was the completion of a volunteer infantry company in the western end of the county of Prince Edward, known first as the " Prospect Guards." Its captain was Edwin G. Wall, a graduate of the Military Institute, and a distinguished civil engineer. Mr. Carrington was its first lieutenant, Mr. Charles Price, his neighbor, the second, and Mr. Peyton R. Glenn, the third lieutenant. Mr. Carrington devoted himself with his usual quiet energy to the drilling and equipment of this company. As the spring of 1861 approached, while others were speculating about the turn which affairs would take, some asserting a peaceful secession, and others urging a passive policy upon Virginia, he silently made his preparations for leaving his family to go into the field. He was no talker of politics ; but his sound intelligence, and honest, manly heart, told him intuitively what Virginia had to expect, and what would be her duty. When others ventilated their in- genuity or zeal in theories of events, he, from the first, said, with a quiet air, " We shall be in the field in the spring ; I am arranging my business to go." Consequently, soon after the secession of Virginia, the Prospect Guards offered themselves to the Governor, were accepted, and went into the camp of instruction in May, 1861, at Richmond. Here they were ABRAM CABELL CARRINGTON. jqi embodied in the i8th Virginia Infantry, as Co. " D," and the remnant of the heroic band was captured at the battle of Sailor's Creek, in their native county, April, 1865, after having shared in all the great battles of the army of Northern Vir- ginia. The first colonel of the 18th was Robert E. Withers; the lieutenant-colonel, Henry C. Carrington (cousin of Abram); the major, George Cabell, of Pittsylvania. Early in June, 1861, the organization of the i8th was com- pleted, and the regiment was advanced to Manassas Junction, to form a part of the Jincleiis of an army under General Beau- regard. A short time before the first battle of Manassas it was organized, with the 28th Virginia, Colonel Robert Pres- ton, and the 19th Virginia, Colonel Strange, into a brigade, and commanded by Brigadier-General Philip St. George Cocke. The regiment was advanced, in July, first to Centreville, and then to Germantown, near Fairfax Court-House, where it re- mained until the brigade fell back before McDowell's advance, July 16. On reaching Centreville in retreat, the brigade Avas ordered to march towards Lewis's P'ord, on Bull Run, and Company " D" of the i8th was thrown out, west of Centre- ville and of the turnpike leading to the Stone Bridge, as a line of skirmishers. The sun was sultry, the thickets were tangled, the march from Germantown had already been arduous and rapid. When this scout was completed. Lieutenant Carring- ton was so exhausted by fatigue and sickness that he fainted (as not a few of the inexperienced soldiers had already done). He was placed upon a gun-carriage, and borne insensible to the bivouac of the regiment at Lewis's Ford. The combat of Bull Run having been fought by other brigades the next day, the 1 8th of July, there was then a lull in the storm. Lieu- tenant Carrington was advised by the colonel and the sur- geon to avail himself of this opportunity for retiring to the- baggage-train in the rear for rest and refreshment, being wholly unfit for duty. On Sunday morning, the 2ist, he was in his place again, not restored from his sickness, but so weary of the confusion and idleness of the train, and so determined to meet the enemy, that his weakness was forgotten. It is 102 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. distinctly remembered how thoroughly disgusted he was with the disorganization and anarchy of the quartermaster's de- partment, and the selfishness and inefficiency of its officers during this furlough. On the memorable day of July 21, 1 861, the i8th Regiment was held in reserve at Lewis's Ford until the afternoon. After the immortal charge of Jackson's Stonewall Brigade, Lieu- tenant Carrington's regiment was ordered up to replace (with others) that body. It advanced to this, its maiden battle, solemn, but determined, and without a single straggler, skirmishing through the pine thickets with the Federal Zouaves, who had insinuated themselves completely into the rear of the ground held by Jackson, until they won their posi- tion upon the bloody plateau of the " Henry House." Here they awaited the formation of other troops into a new line of battle, under a hail of musketry and shells, and, at the signal, charged the enemy and assisted to sweep their last line of battle from the field. Where all behaved so well, it was diffi- cult to distinguish any. Lieutenant Carrington went with enthusiasm through the whole engagement and pursuit, cheer- ing on his men by voice and example. From the battle-field the regiment was advanced, first to Cub Run, then to a pestilential encampment at Centreville, and then to Fairfax Court-House. Here, at last. Lieutenant Carrington became one of the numerous victims to camp fever. About the ist of September he was sent to the rear sick. He found shelter in the house of a relative in Rich- mond, where he underwent a long and severe illness. Re- ceiving a convalescent furlough, he then came home, and as soon as he was able to ride, devoted himself to settling up his private affairs for a prolonged absence, and to recruiting for his company, to fill the gaps made rather by the fever than the sword. Foreseeing a long and doubtful war, he sold his estate, hired out his servants, and placed his wife and children under the protection of his father and father-in-law. Late in the autumn he returned to camp. Nothing occurred to break the monotony of the winter except the affair at Drainesville, ABRAM CABELL CARRLNGTON. 103 in which the i8th was sent upon a forced march to relieve General Stuart; arriving too late to do more than aid in bring- ing off the wounded. The long inaction of the muddy spring of 1862, the removal of the campaign to the Peninsula, and the overland march of the troops need not be related here. Upon the resignation of General Cocke, the brigade was given to General Pickett. Having received the accession of the 8th Virginia (General Eppa Hunton), it became thence- forth the fighting brigade, the nucleus of General Longstreet's Division. The next time the i8th met the enemy was at Williams- burg. There Lieutenant Carrington with his regiment was hotly engaged. Their immediate adversary was a New Jersey regiment, which assaulted their line in a wood, and rashly advanced so near that they could neither retire nor proceed. For an hour and a half the i8th held them in deadly grapple^ until they were almost annihilated. The i8th then retired with the army, leaving a few of its dead and wounded in the enemy's hands. The only part which the brigade took in the battle of Seven Pines was to hold the line of battle on the second day, and show front against the Federal army. The previous evening Lieutenant Carrington's brother Edgar had been killed in battle, serving as a volunteer, although holding at the time no commission, in the company which he had recently com- manded. This was a premonition of the fate which, in the next great struggle, awaited him. The seven days' battles came on, with the main outlines of which the Southern reader is acquainted. After the preliminary combats of the afternoon of June 26, at Mechanicsville and Ellyson's Mills, General Lee's plans required Jackson to engage the enemy's right at Cold Harbor, A. P. Hill his centre, and Longstreet, sweeping down the left bank of the Chickahominy, to drive in his left. The terrible struggle had hung in suspense far into the after- noon. Line after line of Confederates had been hurled back discomfited. Pickett's Brigade formed itself and advanced across a broad table-land of open field towards an almost I04 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. impregnable position upon the Watt farm. Batteries of long- rifled guns on the heights south of the Chickahominy enfiladed them at every step from the right. In front, the smooth field, after exposing them for a third of a mile to every shot, de- scended to the straight rivulet which formed the boundary, by its deep channel, between the farms of Gaines and Watt. This channel was filled with a line of Federal riflemen, who kept up a galling fire. The opposing slope was covered by open woods. Half-way up it, and just elevated enough to sweep the opposite field as a glacis, was another line of battle, pro- tected by a barricade of fallen trees and bales of hay. At the top of the ascent was a formidable line of artillery, supported by a third line of infantry. From this artillery and the three lines of infantry a constant fire was poured into the advancing Confederates. Colonel Withers had instructed his men, before beginning the perilous onset, that they were not to pause for the purpose of returning the enemy's fire, nor for any other; but to press steadily and rapidly forward with the bayonet, reserving their revenge until after the opposing lines were broken. This order was admirably executed until the advanc- ing line approached within fifty or sixty yards of the rivulet whose channel contained the foremost Federal line. Here the 1 8th Regiment passed through the debris of another, which had become panic-struck and was rushing to the rear in con- fusion. Colonel Withers, seeing the strangers flying so igno- miniously, made an effort to arrest their flight in the rear of his own regiment. His call to the fugitives to halt was heard and misunderstood by his own men. The fire of the enemy had become intolerably galling, and they supposed, not un- naturally, that he wished them to pause at this point and return it. The regiment thus for a few moments unfortunately arrested their victorious career, and began to fire upon the Federal lines with all their might. Their commander very soon perceiving their misconception, renewed the command to charge bayonets ; but his voice was inaudible amidst the roar of the musketry. The heroic men began to drop rapidly under the withering fire. Perceiving that he could not be ABRAM CABELL CAR RING TON. 105 heard, he then said to himself, " My men will, at least, know what the advance of their colors means;" and riding to the front, he seized the flag and began to carry it towards the enemy. But at the moment he fell from his horse shot through the body. The other field officers being absent, the command of the regiment now devolved upon Captain Wall, and he gave the immediate command of Co. " D" to Lieu- tenant Carrington; and causing James Walthall, a private of the company, to rear the fallen standard and advance it, he shouted to the captains near him and to his lieutenant, " Forward, right into that ditch!" This movement was now comprehended by the remainder of the regiment. The whole line charged furiously ; Walthall was shot through the heart as he advanced with the colors ; but the regiment rushed down the declivity and leaped into the channel of the brook, as deep as the height of a man, upon the line which occupied it. Under the covert of that ditch there was a moment's pause, while the bayonet did its stern work upon such part of the enemy as had not escaped from it; and then the regiment leaped out upon the bank next the remaining Federal lines, and again rushed upon them. They did not even tarry to try conclusions, but fled, carrying away the third line into utter rout. As the men of the i8th ascended through the trees to the top of Watt's hill they beheld the open area of his farm black with confused masses of flying Yankees, while such of their guns as had not been captured were hurrying to a new position about six hundred or eight hundred yards to the rear. Captain Wall, throwing the regiment rapidly into an open order, advanced firing upon this mass. The supreme hour of revenge had now come, and the field was soon black with prostrate bodies. The Federal artillery now attempted to check the advance of the conquerors, with volleys of canister, firing recklessly upon their own fugitive comrades and their foes. Captain Wall was struck down by a canister-shot, and borne in turn to the rear severely wounded. But the regiment swept on, and paused not until the invaders were driven into the swamps of the Chickahominy, Io6 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. In this desperate contest, one man out of every three in the whole regiment was struck. Lieutenant Carrington was now left in command of the company. In a letter written on the morning of the battle of Frasier's Farm, while describing the carnage through which he had passed on this day, he modestly says of himself, "Amidst it all, I lifted up my heart in prayer to God for safety, and, thanks to His holy name, He was pleased to hear me." In the same calm spirit he again committed himself to God in prayer and well-doing, with reference to the bloody day before him. His last hours were now approaching. During Saturday and Sunday the division of Longstreet lay upon its arms, watching the enemy. Monday morning, General Lee having ascertained that McClellan had evacuated his whole position, hurried his whole army after him ; and Longstreet was directed to pursue the midland route, between the river and the Wil- liamsburg roads, and to develop the position which he designed to assume. The result was that in the afternoon of June 30, McClellan's centre was encountered by this part of the Con- federate forces, at Frasier's Farm. The i8th Regiment was now reduced to but little more than half its strength, was without field officers, and, to a large extent, without captains. But it took its place in the bloody battle of the evening with undiminished spirit. Outnumbered many times by the enemy before him, Longstreet steadily drove back their masses until he had almost severed the Federal centre and right wing from Malvern Hill, upon which they were aiming to ccfncentrate. The 1 8th was thrown by this advance into a place where they were scourged by a fire from a detachment of Yankees, which they could not return with effect. The captains of the com- panies met for a moment to consult upon the best measure. Carrington was, as ever, modest, cool, and determined, and recommended that they should reform the remnant of the regiment and attack their persecutors with the bayonet. This plan was adopted. The shattered line again dashed forward, Carrington before his men, cheering them on, when he fell, with his face to the foe, a bullet through his heart, and was ABRAM CABELL CARRLNGTON. 107 dead in an instant. How enviable such a death for such a soldier! After the tempest of war was over, his men took up his corpse and sent it to his wife. The remains were quietly interred in the family cemetery, beside his younger brother Edgar's. But after the campaign of the year was ended, and such of his comrades and relatives as could be spared returned home on furlough, the session of his church ordered a memo- rial sermon to be preached for him in the College Church, This was done by one of the pastors, Rev. Dr. Dabney, who had been the first chaplain of the i8th, in the presence of a solemn and sympathizing crowd. From this sermon we ex- tract the following words: "If I did not know that my estimate is warmly sustained by all who knew him best, I should suspect myself of a too partial affection, and put a constraint upon my heart and lips. For truly can I say that my heart was knit to his, as the souls of David and Jonathan. And now that I have lost him, I can find no words to express my personal bereavement better than those of David in the requiem of his princely friend, ' How are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle ! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thy high places — I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan ; very pleasant hast thou been unto me.' — [n. Sam. i. 25, 26.] " Need I commend his kindness as a neighbor, when I see so many glistening eyes before me attest it ? Need I remind you of his public spirit, his inflexible integrity, his courage for the right in this community ? On the graces of his character as son, brother, husband, father, in the interior circles of his home, the sacredness of the grief which his loss has left behind it almost forbid me to enlarge. Abram C. Carrington was the truest man with whose friendship it was ever my lot to be blest. Let him but be convinced, in his clear and honest judgment, of the call of duty, and his effort to accomplish it was as certain as the rising of the sun; and it was made at once, without a pause to consider whether the task was easy and pleasant, or arduous and repulsive. Let him once bestow I08 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. his friendship upon you, and he was yours in every trial, with fortune, and hand, and heart, and, if need be, hfe-blood." Rev. R. L. Dabney, D.D. JOSEPH H. CHENOWITH, OF RANDOLPH COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA; MAJOR, 3IST VIRGINIA INFAN- TRY. Joseph H. Chenowith, son of Lemuel Chenowith, Esq., and Nancy A., his wife, was born in Beverly, Randolph County, West Virginia, on the 8th of April, 1837. His father was a member of the West Virginia Legislature of 1871, his mother a great-granddaughter of John Hart, one of the sign- ers of the Declaration of Independence from New Jersey, Young Chenowith spent his childhood in his native place, where his family still reside, and received his early education at the school of Mr. Jas. H. Logan, who for many years has taught in Beverly. Here his course was commendable ; as a quiet, diffident, studious boy, he was remarkable. His teacher says of him : " He was a noble boy. . . . Whilst his fellows of equal age would be diverted by trifles, his mind was more in- clined to reach, to grasp that ' aliquid immensiim et infinitum^ which always leads to distinction and eminence." Receiving his appointment as a cadet in the Virginia Military Institute in 1855, he matriculated on the 21st of August of that year. Though not able at first to enter a high section of his class, by the end of the session he had worked his way up to the sixth stand on general merit. Continuing to improve each year, he became the " second distinguished graduate" of the class of 1859, standing first on mathematics, natural philoso- phy, engineering, moral philosophy, and rhetoric ; having a very remarkable talent for mathematics, never failing in a single instance to solve the numberless difficult problems given out to his class. During the last two years of his JOSEPH H. CHENOWITH. 109 course he became an active member of the societ}^ of cadets ; was one of the best debaters, and medalist. Immediately after graduating-, Mr. Chenowith was ap- pointed assistant professor of mathematics, and assistant in- structor of artillery tactics, in which capacities he served until December, i860, when he was appointed professor of mathe- matics in the Maryland Agricultural College. Accepting this position, he performed the duties appertaining to it until the fall of 1 86 1, when, in response to a call made by the Governor of Virginia upon the graduates of the Virginia Military Insti- tute, he went to Richmond, and received a commission as lieu- tenant in the provisional army. Owing to the large number of officers appointed, it was impossible to assign all to active duty, — Lieutenant Chenowith was one of this number; not understanding the state of the case, and being of a sensitive nature, he gave himself up to disappointment, and became very dissipated. This went on for some months, until, by the advice of a friend, he determined tp volunteer as a private. In accordance with this resolve, and one of reform made at the same time, he returned to his home, and after remaining there for a short while, in February, 1862, he volunteered in Com- pany " F," 31st Virginia Infantry. From the time he joined this company until the first of the following May he was em- ployed in assisting to drill the company, not unfrequently having charge of the entire regiment when on drill. " As a drill-master he had few equals, and no superior in the regiment." At the reorganization of the army in May, 1862, he was elected major of the 31st Virginia Infantry, attached to the command then stationed at Fair View, six miles west of Staunton, Brigadier-General Edward Johnson commanding. In the opening of the celebrated Valley campaign, shortly after this, General Stonewall Jackson, in connection with General Edward Johnson, advancing along the Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike, met the advance of the Federal forces under General Milroy, and the sanguinary battle of McDowell ensued. It was in this engagement that Major Chenowith first saw active service. no INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. " When the heat of the engagement was fiercest, and our success seemed doubtful, Major Chenowith, in command of the left wing of the regiment (at that time detached), met and defeated a regiment of the enemy which had nearly succeeded in gaining the flank of our forces, thereby turning the tide of victory, otherwise doubtful, in our favor. When the regiment of the enemy, above alluded to, first made its appearance, coming from the direction it did, and partially hidden from view by dense foliage, the question arose whether they were foes or friends ; during the parley that followed Major Chenowith stepped up to me, and said, ' Captain, are those the enemy's troops ?' On being answered in the affirm- ative, he turned to the men and coolly said (although by this time the enemy were pouring their leaden hail into us), * Steady, men ! Ready ! Fire low and swift !' Our volley was delivered with fearful effect, when Major Chenowith, drawing his sword and waving it over his head, gave the command, ' Forward, double quick, march !' himself leading the charge, which was made with a will, and resulted in the dispersion of the enemy. To say the least. Major Cheno- with's conduct in this engagement was not only brave and gallant, but decidedly important to the success of our arms. " Immediately after the battle of McDowell, General Jack- son continued his memorable marching- Sind Jzg-/itmg caLmpaign down the Shenandoah Valley. In all the hardships, priva- tions, and dangers consequent upon this campaign, Major Chenowith bore a conspicuous and important part, ever cheering his men on to duty, and unflinchingly performing every duty assigned to himself; on one occasion being mainly instrumental in checking the advance of Fremont until our army passed through Strasburg. " In the fight at Cross Keys, on the 8th of June. 1862, Major Chenowith's gallant conduct was noticed by all who knew and saw him on that occasion. Our regiment was stationed on the extreme left of the army; the enemy several times attempted to carry our position, but were repulsed. During one of the intermissions occurring between these attacks, the JOSEPH H. CHENO WITH. 1 1 1 writer had considerable conversation with the subject of this sketch, in which he (Major C.) expressed strong hopes of the ultimate success of our cause, at the same time seeming deeply- impressed with the idea that he would not live to see the end he hoped for. He spoke feelingly of the loved ones at home, expressing fears, however, that he would never see them again on earth. When night closed on the battle-field of Cross Keys, victory had again perched upon the banner of Stonewall Jack- son, and amid all that gallant throng of victors who had fought under their great captain, none had served their country and their cause more truly, more bravely, or better, than Major Chenowith. " On the morning of the 9th of June, the day after the battle of Cross Keys, as we were marching to attack Shields, the con- versation of the previous day was renewed, and he reiterated his presentiment of his coming death. Alas ! that it should have come so soon. Our regiment was again assigned to duty on the left; our position being a large wheat-field, luxuriant with the ripening grain. We had scarcely gained our posi- tion, when the dense column of the enemy were thrown for- ward and we were subjected to a most deadly and destructive front and enfilading fire ; so murderous, indeed, that of two hundred and twenty-six men in our regiment who went into battle, one hundred and sixteen were killed and wounded in that fatal wheat-field. Among the killed was Major Cheno- with ; he had dismounted, and, in the commencement of the fight, taken his position immediately behind the centre of the left wing of the regiment. As the battle progressed he passed down the line, around its left flank, and was advancing up the front, encouraging the men, and calling upon them to follow where he led, when he was shot, the ball entering just behind the left ear, and passing entirely through his head. He fell without a groan, his sword still in his grasp pointed toward the enemy, nobly discharging his duty. *' Thus fell Major Chenowith, one of Virginia's noblest sons, who, had he lived, might have ranked among the ablest and best soldiers of the age. 112 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. " As a soldier he was brave and chivalrous ; as a com- mander firm and generous ; and as a companion kind, cour- teous, and true. In short, he combined all the qualities necessary to constitute the daring warrior and successful commander. We buried him on the battle-field, where he so nobly fought and so nobly died, with no pillow save his soldier's knapsack, and no shroud but his soldier's blanket; and yet we left him shrouded in the glory of his own noble deeds that no time can obliterate." The foregoing description of the military life and character of Major Chenowith was written by his friend and comrade, Captain J. F. Harding, of Company " F," 31st Virginia. To illustrate more fully the character of the man, as well as to show the radical change that had been wrought in him spiritually during his life as a soldier, this sketch shall be concluded by a few extracts from his diary, found on him after he was killed : " If I am doomed to fall during the war, I hope it may not be until we are satisfied, beyond the doubt of the most timid, that we will gain our independence in the end. If it should be otherwise, I am resigned ; God's will be done, not mine. I could part from earth, were I doomed to die soon, far more willingly if I could once more behold the faces of father, mother, sisters, and brothers; but if this should be denied me, I have only to say that they need not weep for me, but be proud rather, and smile when they remember that I died on the battle-field trying to do my duty to my country, fighting for what I considered her rights. "Near Harrisonlnirg, yune 6, 1862. — We camped here last night, and are marching towards Port Republic, but slowly over a rough road, made worse by long rain. I know not what our ultimate destination is, but I hope wc will soon have time to rest awhile in camp. Our troops are very much delighted at the news from Richmond. If we have really routed McClellan's grand army, our success in the end may be regarded as certain. " Three miles from Port Republic, Jime 8, 1 2 m. — A heavy JOSEPH H. CHENO WITH. 1 1 3 cannonade is being kept up on the side of us next to Harrison- burg. Some of our men have been wounded. I saw one going to the rear. The 31st is supporting the battery which is engaged. I do not Hke our position, although it is a com- manding one. We may possibly have our flank turned, but jfacksoii is here, if Fremont is with the enemy. Our move- ments yesterday and to-day are incomprehensible to me, " Later. — There is a lull in the firing. I know not why. My fervent prayer is that our heavenly Father may lead our be- loved country safely through the labyrinth of troubles which envelop her, and give peace to her persecuted and much-tried people. We seek not, O God, for conquest, we ask only for that which Thou in Thy mercy wilt bestow. In the name of our Saviour grant, heavenly Father, strength to Thy weak and erring creature. Strength which will enable him to do his duty in every particular to Thee, his country, and to himself Amen. " Later, 2.30 p.m. — This is decidedly the warmest battle with which I've ever had anything to do. The artillery firing is superb, the musketry not so slow. We are in reserve, but shells fly around us thick and fast. We will soon be into it, "4.8 P.M. — We have been firing in the fight, and poor Lieu- tenant Whitby has been killed, shot through the head. A cannon has been planted on our left. Several of our poor men have been wounded. I pity them from the bottom of my heart. We will be at it again soon. And now, O God, I renew my earnest prayer for the forgiveness of my many sins, and for strength. In the name of Thy Son grant me mercy. Amen. "6.15 P.M. — All is now quiet. Our regiment (31st Virginia) is lying down in line of battle, in full view of the enemy's battery ; the same battery which, only an hour ago, was pour- ing grape into the regiment. Noble soldiers! it tortures me to see them wounded. How many of them now, as they rest looking quietly and dreamily up into the beautiful sky, are thinking of the dear ones at home, whom they have not seen for twelve months ! This is a hard life for us refugees who 8 114 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. fight and suffer on without one smile from those we love dearest to cheer us up. But by the blessing of God the fires of patriotism will keep our hearts warm, and a consciousness that we are trying to do our duty will always enable us to sleep sweetly when our day's work is done, and then we can wander in dreamland to the hearth-stones of our kindred, and see again in imagination's rosy light tlie loved faces of the dear ones at home. ''Port Republic, jfiine 9, 1862, 8 o'clock a.m. — The ball is open again, and we are, from what I can see and hear, to have another hot day. It is Shields this time. I may not see the result, but I think we will gain the victory, although I do not think our men have had enough to eat. I cannot write on horseback." Thus ends the diary. He was killed shortly after the last words were written. Sleep had come to him before the day was o'er, but not till he had done his work. He had gone before to wait for the loved ones at home. JOSEPH B. CHERRY, OF NORTH CAROLINA; CAPTAIN, CO. " F," 4TH NORTH CAROLINA CAVALRY. Joseph B. Cherry was born in Bertie County, North Caro- lina, on the 4th of June, 1839. He was a son of Solomon Cherry, who was for a long period clerk of the Bertie County Court, and afterwards a leading commission merchant in Nor- folk, Virginia. His mother was a sister to the Hon. David Outlaw, who for a long while represented his district in Con- gress with distinguished ability. As a youth. Captain Cherry possessed an active mind, a brilliant imagination, and in disposition was generous, sin- cere, and noble. In August, 1856, he was sent to the Virginia Military Institute, and graduated in i860. The next year, JOSEPH B. CHERR V. 1 1 5 reading law under Judge John W. Brockenbrough, LL.D,, in Lexington, he had just obtained license to practice his chosen profession when the war began. His youthful spirit fired with patriotic ambition, he at once gave his services to the cause of his fatherland. Acting in several different capacities, — at one time adjutant of the 8th North Carolina Infantry, commanded by the gallant and lamented Colonel Shaw; at another, serving under Stonewall Jackson as a member of his staff, — he was finally chosen captain of a company raised in his native county, Company " F," 4th North Carolina Cavalry. This office he held, performing faithful service on all occasions, until ten days before General Lee's surrender. On this day, March 29, 1865, leading his company in a skirmish on the military road about six miles south of Petersburg, he fell, mortally wounded. Taken to a hospital in Petersburg, he was watched over with anxious care by one of his comrades for four days; and just as the echoes of the last heavy guns, which had so long defended the beleaguered city, were dying away, his spirit took its departure. A soldier who had served his country through all the years of her struggle, he laid his life down just before the days came when he could serve her in battle no more. It seems hard to have escaped so long, and then, when the end was so near, to have been taken; but he was saved the dull, dreary anguish and suffering of retreat, and the bitterness of that hopeless day at Appomattox, Il6 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. T. D. CLAIBORNE, OF DANVILLE, VIRGINIA ; LIEUTENANT-COLONEL, VIRGINIA BATTALION. T. D. Claiborne, son of Colonel L. Claiborne, was born in 1847. Entered the Virginia Military Institute in January, 1854. Resigned. Entered military service in April, 1861, as captain of 1 8th Virginia Infantry. Promoted major, in 1863, of an independent battalion of infantry; lieutenant-colonel in 1863. Mortally wounded, and died 1864. A. W. CLOPTON, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA; ADJUTANT, 34TH NORTH CAROLINA INFANTRY. Alfred Willoughby Clopton, the subject of this memoir, was the eldest son of E. A. J. Clopton, of Richmond, Virginia. From early childhood his good principles, sprightliness, and affectionate manners won the regard of all who knew him. As he advanced in age, an intellect of the highest order received every advantage from first-class instructors. No ex- pense was spared. Well was his devoted father rewarded by his rapid proficiency in every study in which he engaged. To an English education were added Latin, Greek, Spanish, and French. When very young, he read much on the subject of war, and evinced a decided taste for military affairs. He ardently desired to attend the Virginia Military Institute ; this wish was gratified. While there, Virginia seceded. Immedi- ately he determined to devote himself fully to his native State. In referring to his diary, we find how he began his military career. He says, " As soon as the difficulties assumed a hos- tile appearance, about one hundred and eighty of us were A. IV. CLOPTON. 117 ordered from the Virginia Military Institute to Richmond, to drill the soldiers before they went to the field. The ist of July we disbanded, having drilled from the 19th of April to the 1st of July about forty thousand soldiers. I was ap- pointed drill-master, with the rank of second lieutenant, and was attached to the 12th Regiment of North Carolina Volun- teers by orders from headquarters." He was afterwards trans- ferred to the 34th North Carolina Regiment, with the rank of adjutant. But, in March, 1862, he decided to enter the cavalry as a private, under our dashing cavalry officer, General Stuart, in which branch of the service he remained till the close of his life. In April he passed through Richmond en route for the Peninsula, where he was engaged in the battle of Williams- burg, on the 5th of May ; in June at Cold Harbor; at Malvern Hill, through which severe engagement he passed unscathed ; at Kelley's Ford, and Catlett's Station, losing his horse at the latter place; and again at Manassas. He accompanied his command to Sharpsburg, returning barefoot, and leading his worn-out horse. As soon as he could wear his boots and get a fresh horse, he re-formed his company. At Fredericksburg he assisted in the defense. At Chancellorsville, and the various skirmishes afterwards, he was with his troops, and, in July, with them at Boonsboro' ; in October, at Brandy Station. Fitz. Lee disbanded his brigade in January, 1864, for them to recruit. Alfred was spending his interval of rest with friends in Cumberland, when Kilpatrick and Dahlgren attempted the raid on Richmond. One of the regiments of his brigade being recalled, unable to hear from his own, such was his desire to be at the post of duty, that he left his happy companions to again pursue the path of war. During the spring of 1864 he was in all the encounters from Fredericksburg to Yellow Tavern, where Stuart fell. At Ream's Station he was engaged in his conflict for the last time with earthly foes, from which place he came, weary, but ready still to keep his saddle. With feeble health, but an indomitable will, and a determined pur- pose to serve his country, he started, on the 7th of August, 1864, with the army for Maryland. He reached the Rappahan- Il8 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. nock, and could go no farther, — exhausted nature c^ave way, and the brave youth, who had never quailed before the enemy, who had stood firmly at the post of danger, had to succumb to disease. A kind family (name unknown) took him in, and did all that a stranger's heart could dictate. But the sick, sad one yearned for his home, for the love and sympathy of affec- tionate parents, brothers, and sisters. On the 21st of August he arrived at his loved, his happy home, no more to leave it for the hardships and dangers of war, there to lay his young life on the altar of his country. His disease was typhoid fever, terminating in congestion of the brain. In his delirious hours he would call out, " Lee's army, where is Lee's army?" And in lucid intervals his anxiety would manifest itself by such questions as, "Where is the army? Where is Lee ? Is he successful?" He had but few rational moments; his sufferings were great, and borne with patience. On the 9th of Septem- ber, 1864, in the twenty-second year of his age, he was re- leased, we hope, from all pain, and entered into that "rest that remains to the people of God." Thus passed from earth a bright star. There seemed a mysterious Providence in this dispensation. We cannot see wJiy one so gifted, so loved, the light of every circle in which he went, the joy and pride of his family, on whom so many proud hopes rested, should bow so early to the sceptre of Death. God has said, "What I do thou knowest not now, but shalt know hereafter." We acquiesce. A. D. COLCOTT. 119 A. D. COLCOTT, OF ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; LIEUTENANT-COLONEL, 3D VIRGINIA INFANTRY, A. D. CoLCOTT was born in Isle of Wight County, Vir- ginia, in 1830. Entered the Virginia Military Institute in July, 1847, '^'"'d graduated in July, 185 1. Previous to the war, was engaged in teaching in his native county. At the beginning of hostilities he raised a company of volunteers, and entered the service as captain of Company "I," 3d Virginia Infantry. At the reorganization of the army was elected major of his regiment, and served as such until August, 1862, when he was promoted lieutenant-colonel. The duties of this office he discharged faithfully until his death at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. Colonel E. M. Morrison, of the 15th Virginia, in speaking of Colonel CoLCOTT, says, " Colonel Colcott was a man uni- versally beloved in his county and community, in which he did much good, especially among the poor and needy around him. He was a man of the strictest integrity and prominent Christian virtues, and energetic in good works, as evinced in the organization of several day- and Sunday-schools, the means of great good in his neighborhood. " In the army he was inflexible in the discharge of his duty, enjoyed the unbounded confidence of his superior offi- cers, the esteem and regard of his equals in rank, and the utmost love and confidence of his men. " He was killed at Gettysburg, one of the heroes of Pickett's Division, .nobly doing his duty; and, although his remains are far from us, buried on the field of battle, his memory is still green in the hearts of his surviving comrades, and in the whole community in which he lived; for we know the cause for which he fought and died had no truer defender, nor any community a more benevolent, upright, Christian gentleman." 120 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. RALEIGH T. COLSTON, OF BERKELEY COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; LIEUTENANT-COLONEL, 2D REGIMENT VIRGINIA VOLUNTEERS, '* STONEWALL BRIGADE." The record of this true gentleman and brave soldier is well worth preserving. Raleigh Thomas Colston was the eldest son of Colonel Edward Colston, of Honeywood, Berkeley County, Virginia, and of S. Jane Brockenbrough. He was born in Richmond, Virginia, on the i8th of February, 1834, at the house of his maternal grandfather. Judge William Brocken- brough, of the Court of Appeals of Virginia; a gentleman distinguished for the soundness of his legal knowledge and honored for the purity of his life, during a period when the old Commonwealth could point with becoming pride to the unsullied ermine of her judiciary. His father, Colonel Ed- ward Colston, the eldest son of Raleigh Colston, Esq., and of Elizabeth Marshall, sister of Chief-Justice Marshall, was widely known and universally beloved and respected for all the qualities which adorn a man and a Christian. His virtues were reflected in his son. The subject of this memoir entered the Virginia Military Institute during the summer of 1850, but in consequence of the sudden death of his father was recalled home in December, 185 1. Although not eighteen years of age at this time, he set in earnestly to aid his mother in the management of a large and embarrassed estate, and displayed a steadfastness of pur- pose which would have reflected credit upon an older head. In his boyhood and early manhood he was distinguished for his unselfishness and tender devotion to his younger brothers and sisters, and for an almost passionate love for his beautiful home on the Potomac. By nature his disposition was sensitive and modest in the extreme, so shrinking and retiring that only those who knew him well enough to have an insight into his heart could know RALEIGH T. COLSTON. I2i the depth and benevolence of feeling which governed his con- duct and made him almost the idol of his family and home. But the hardships and trials of our late struggle for independ- ence brought out the real strength and nobility of his char- acter. Having espoused the cause which he believed and felt to be right, his patriotism and devotion burned under all circumstances with a zeal and steadiness which knew no Immediately after the John Brown raid, when volunteer companies were formed in every part of Virginia, he assisted in raising a company in his neighborhood, which, first as lieu- tenant then as captain, he drilled with much patience and per- severance. Many of the men composing this company were enthusiastic home soldiers, never dreaming that the cloud which hung over the country was to gather darkness thick and heavy in its course, and soon to burst with terrific fury over the troubled land. When the news arrived in our locality that Virginia had really withdrawn from the Federal Union and that war was inevitable, it required all the firmness and resolution of a determined spirit to prevent the disbanding of the company. At length the tocsin sounded, and " at midnight there was a cry made," the voice of command was heard under the win- dows of that secluded and peaceful home requiring Captain Colston to report with his company at Harper's Ferry by nine o'clock on the following morning. Captain C. and his brother William (who was a private in his company), thus suddenly aroused, mounted their horses in midnight darkness and rode around their neighborhood in different directions to give notice to the members of the company. The village of Hedgesville, about five miles distant, was the appointed place of rendezvous. The gloom of that black night was made more gloomy by the lurid glare upon the sky of the fires blazing in the dis- tance at Harper's Ferry. Who could gaze upon that scene without mixed feelings of apprehension and awe ? Appre- hension for the fate of our beloved ones, and awe in view of 122 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. the magnitude of the approachinfr conflict. Even the de- termined soldier, with unblanched cheek and unfaltering voice, in solemn tones exclaimed, "It is a grave matter; but we must and will do our duty, we must do or die !" Nobly was that vow fulfilled, and how painfully verified ! Alas ! Virginia droops, and mourns her many gallant sons. Rachel weeps for her children, and cannot be comforted because they are not! After much difficulty Captain Colston succeeded in getting his company to Harper's Ferry, where it was enrolled as Co. " E," 2d Virginia Regiment of Infantry, under Colonel T. J. Jackson. Captain C. soon attracted the attention and commendation of his commanding officers by his untiring energy and strict adherence to duty, as well as by his firmness in reducing the disaffected members of his company to obedience. Thence- forward he was continually upon the field with scarcely an interval of rest. Belonging to the glorious Stonewall Brigade, whose steadfastness in battle has given it an historic fame, he participated with marked gallantry in all those battles which enrolled Jackson among the great captains in the world, including Manassas, Kernstown, McDowell, Front Royal, Winchester, Cross Keys, Port Republic, seven days' fight around Richmond, Cedar Mountain, four days' fighting at second Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Mine Run. After the evacuation of Harper's Ferry by our troops, in June, 1 86 1, the army of Northern Virginia, which had en- camped some weeks at Winchester, under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston, left that place on the afternoon of Friday, 19th of July, under orders, to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains and reach Manassas by a forced march on Satur- day night, the 20th. Owing to some accident on the road, a part of the first brigade, under General T. J. Jackson, did not reach Manassas until early on Sunday morning, the 21st. Captain Colston arrived on the field about sunrise on Sunday morning with but twelve men. He had been deserted during the first night's march by his first and second lieutenants, and RALEIGH T. COLSTON. 123 their example had been followed by a number of the privates of the company. Nothing daunted, Captain Colston went into battle, leading those twelve brave, true hearts, and there gained that reputation for intrepid daring and courage which he so well sustained ever afterwards. That little band fought with the desperation of veterans; the defection of the faint-hearted seemed to infuse increased courage and deter- mination into their high resolve to do their duty to their country and to support the heroic efforts of their captain. Of the twelve, three fell : Third Lieutenant David Manor was killed, George Miller and Sergeant Charles Manor cruelly wounded; Miller only surviving his wounds a month or two. During many weeks of inactivity after the battle of Manassas, Captain Colston was very active in recruiting his company, and the difficulties in his way were great. The part of the Valley from which he came was in the hands of the enemy, and but for his perseverance and zeal, and the high estimation in which he was held, his little company would have been merged into some other. On the 8th of November, 1861, the first brigade, now Stone- wall, was ordered to report to General T. J. Jackson, who had been put in command of the Valley. Officers and men hailed with joy the prospect of being again under the leadership of their old commander. After severe marching for twenty-five days, the army under Jackson, having traversed the mountains from Winchester to Berkeley Springs, thence to Romney, returned to Winchester on the 25th of January, 1862, and went into winter quarters at Camp Zollicoffer. During the remainder of the winter and early spring Captain Colston spent his time in re-enlisting the old members of his company and enlisting new ones. When the spring campaign opened, his company was full. The first serious fight of the spring campaign in which Jackson's army was engaged was at Kernstown. In this en- gagement Captain Colston bore himself with conspicuous coolness and bravery, never seeming to be aware of the pres- ence of dan^rer. After a hard-foucff at a double-quirk step. The fight was raging when he JOHN F. NEFF. 403 reached the scene of action, and not knowing the position of General Winder's Brigade, he rushed to the front (although solicited by other brigade commanders to unite with their bri- gades and go into action with them), just in time to unite with Major Wheat's Battalion in charging and taking the battery at General Lewis's house. The taking of this battery turned the tide of battle, and it was only a few minutes before the enemy was on a precipitate retreat, vigorously pursued. Colonel Neff joined in the pursuit. Similar instances might be multiplied exhibiting the fidelity, promptitude, and sagacity of the youngest regimental com- mander of the Stonewall Brigade. The seven days of battle below Richmond had been fought and won, and General T. J. Jackson's Corps was ordered to Gordonsville, with reference to the military operations of the man whose " headquarters were in his saddle." Whilst the army was lying at Gordons- ville some misunderstanding occurred between Colonel Neff and General Winder, which induced General Winder to place him under arrest. General Winder (and it is said to his praise) was a most rigid disciplinarian, and dealt with the greatest exactitude with all his subordinate officers. Time did not permit of an investigation of the matter prior to the battle of Cedar Mountain. The question was asked what Colonel Neff would do, whilst on the march to Cedar Moun- tain, without his sword. Those who knew him best responded that he would go into the thickest of the fight with his regi- ment. He did so, and his presence with his 'men under such circumstances inspired them with an ardor and enthusiasm which, perhaps, they had never manifested before in so emi- nent a degree. It requires the most genuine courage to with- stand a deluging shower of leaden rain and iron hail without arms. General Winder, who came, perhaps, nearer to filling General Jackson's place as brigade commander than any other, fell, mortally wounded, at Cedar Mountain, and the investiga- tion of the charges and specifications against Colonel Neff by his superior in command proved only a misapprehension of orders on the part of Colonel Neff. Cedar Mountain was 404 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. only the commencement of a campaign which equaled in importance and results any other of the war. General Pope was forced to take position on the northern side of the Rappa- hannock. Whilst there it was that General Jackson made that detour in his rear which added additional lustre to his fame. Manassas Junction was captured, with its immense stores of munitions of war and supplies. Before its evacua- tion Colonel Neff was ordered to destroy the rolling-stock connected with the railroad, and all the supplies that could not be removed for want of transportation. The order was promptly executed. The unintermitted marches, together with the loss of rest, which continued for consecutive days and nights, almost completely prostrated Colonel Neff. He applied to the surgeon of the regiment ; and he not only pre- scribed for him, but advised at least a temporary suspension of the active duties which his position imperiously demanded. Colonel Neff could not brook the idea of quitting even tem- porarily his position under the circumstances. On the morn- ing of the 28th of August, 1862, whilst the brigade, under the cover of a wood, was lying in line of battle, anticipating an attack, the surgeon voluntarily approached him, examined his pulse, and told him that in his condition he should not entertain the idea of doing any service that day. He failed to extract a promise from him that he would not. It was but a short time ere the brigade was ordered to charge, and Colonel Neff, as he was wont to do, sprang to his feet, and repeated, in his clear, sonorous voice, the word of command which came ringing down the line. It was with a shout such as the Stonewall Brigade was famous for that the charge was made. On approaching a fence, amid a terrific fire of artillery and small-arms. Colonel Neff stopped in an exposed position, and the writer, in passing him, inquired if he had any orders to communicate. He replied, " None ; go to the fence and do whatever you may regard as necessary to be done." These were the last words that he was ever heard to utter. The conflict raged, assault after assault upon the Confederate lines were repulsed, and the curtains of night fell upon the scene of JOHN F. NEFF. 405 one of the most sanguinary fields, for the numbers engaged, of the war. The inquiry was started, " Where is Colonel Neff?" No one could respond satisfactorily to it. Strange to tell, was the exclamation, that he was not, as was his habit, moving among his troops and cheering them on to duty and victory. A match was struck and a candle lighted, and he was found in the icy embrace of death just at the spot where the writer had passed him. The fearful mystery was solved. Though many had fallen, and there were many ex- pressions of regret, for none of the fallen heroes of that hour were there more heart-felt expressions of sympathy and regret than for Colonel John F. Neff. A promise made him, and which was mutual in its character, when contem- plating the uncertainties of life, had to be fulfilled then and there. The living image of her who was nearest his big heart must be secured, and the ring which she had placed upon his finger had to be taken off, and conveyed as sad me- mentos to her of a love and plighted faith which could only be quenched or removed by the king of terrors. His remains were removed to a grassy spot in the woods from which he had made his last charge with his command, and there in- terred, in a carefully-marked spot. Colonel Neff was prepared for the sudden calamity which ushered him into the spiritual and unseen world. He had years before dedicated his heart and life to the service of God, and had ever thereafter exemplified in life and conversation the Christian graces in a high degree of perfection. He died not without hope, and entered into that rest which remaineth for the people of God. Since the war his affectionate father has secured and deposited his remains in the family burying- ground. He sleeps beneath the green sod of his own native Valley of Virginia the sleep that knows no natural waking. Loved ones and friends, who will ever fondly remember him, weave affection's garlands for his tomb and scatter affection's incense over his ashes. Captain David H. Walton. 406 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. JOHN C. NIEMEYER, OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA ; FIRST LIEUTENANT, CO. " I," 9TH VIR- GINIA INFANTRY. John Chandler Niemeyer, son of William A. and Sarah H. Niemeyer, was born in the city of Portsmouth, Virginia, on the 5th of October, 1842. Entering the Virginia Military Institute on the 26th of July, 1859, ^^ remained until the i6th of April, 1861, when, resigning, he entered the service of his State as a private in the " Old Dominion Guards," a volunteer company of his native city. Captain Edward Kearns, then attached to the 3d Virginia Regiment, but afterwards as- signed as Co. " K " to the 9th Virginia Regiment, commanded by Colonel Francis H. Smith, of the Institute. For his pro- ficiency in drill, young Niemeyer was promoted sergeant, and as such participated in all the battles around Richmond, and, for gallantry displayed in these engagements, was elected first lieutenant of Co. " I," in the same regiment. Prior to this he had served with his company at Pinner's Point Battery, on Norfolk Harbor, remaining here until Huger withdrew from Norfolk. In the battle of Seven Pines, May 31, 1862, he acted with great bravery. After this battle he was constantly under picket fire on the York River Railroad, until the attack of Jackson on McClellan at Mechanicsville. During the re- treat of the Federal army he advanced under General Magru- der ; was under fire constantly during the " seven days' " fight, and was engaged in the terrific battle of Malvern Hill. After being commissioned lieutenant he participated, with Ander- son's Division, in the battles of Warrenton Springs, second Manassas, Harper's Ferry, Sharpsburg, etc. After the battle of Sharpsburg his brigade was transferred to Pickett's Division. With this division his career as a sol- dier was as noble as ever. He took conspicuous part with his regiment at Fredericksburg, and at Suffolk. On the fatal JOHN C. NIEMEYER. 407 field of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, he was conspicuously brave. Three times his brigade halted and was aligned under a gall- ing fire. After the last " halt and dress," when the regiment began to advance, Lieutenant Niemeyer turned to a comrade and brother lieutenant, with a bright smile on his face, and said, "John, what a beautiful line!" A few minutes after, he fell dead, pierced through the head by a bullet. His body was never recovered, but fills one of the many " unknown" graves that furrow the hillside at Gettysburg. A friend (Lieutenant J. Robinson), speaking of him, says : " Lieutenant Niemeyer was universally esteemed by those who knew him, and more especially was he endeared to his comrades by his uniform kindness and generosity. Bold and fearless, he was ever among the foremost in the fray, and, with a daring that almost amounted to recklessness, he seemed to court danger in the midst of death. Ever mindful of others, after the day's fight was done, he could be seen eagerly seeking among the dead and dying his own wounded, and administering to their comfort." A cousin (Judge Hill), in an obituary published in Rich- mond soon after his death, says : "As a soldier, he was brave on the battle-field ; obedient to the commands of his supe- riors ; cheerful on the march, in the camp, or in the bivouac ; and discharged his duties with zeal and fidelity. As a man, he was a gentleman in the strictest sense of the word. As a companion, inestimable and unrivaled, — disdaining deceit, generous, magnanimous, intelligent; ever alive to the noblest impulses, he lived beloved by all who knew him, — the genial sun and centre of his circle, the pride of a devoted father, the joy of an affectionate mother. His death has cast a gloom over the bright anticipations and fond hopes of his many warm and admiring friends. But we have the melan- choly satisfaction that he died in the full tide of glory, a soldier's death on the field of battle. From the evidence be- fore us, we believe that he had given his heart to God ; and may we not trust that, when earth shall have passed away, and the angel's trump shall have sounded the end of time, we 408 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. may be united around Jehovah's celestial throne with our friend and friends, and, joining in anthems of sweetest praise, in tuneful harmony, with saints and angels, ascribe ' glory, and honor, and wisdom and power, unto our God for ever and ever' ? " CHARLES R. NORRIS, OF LEESBURG, VIRGINIA; ACTING CAPTAIN, 27TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Charles R. Norris, son of John Norris, of Leesburg, Lou- doun County, Virginia, was born on the 1 2th of May, 1844, and killed, at the first battle of Manassas, July 21, 1861. On the I ith of August, i860, he entered the Virginia Mili- tary Institute as a cadet from the county of Loudoun, upon the nomination of the late General Philip St. George Cocke, of Vir- ginia, being the first cadet who entered the Institute upon the endowment of that generous and noble-hearted Virginian, an appointment most worthily bestowed, as his career at the In- stitute, his gallant and manly bearing at the commencement of the war, abundantly showed. Young Norris, up to the time of his appointment as a cadet, lived with his parents in Leesburg, — a quiet, studious, manly boy, possessing more than ordinary intelligence, and evincing an earnest, determined purpose to acquire a colle- giate education and make a man of himself This fondly- cherished aim he felt was within his grasp when he received his commission as a cadet, and accordingly, with alacrity and deep interest, he entered upon his course at that noble institu- tion, winning at once for himself the regard and admiration of his instructor and fellow-cadets. He was manly, studious, kind, courteous, and exemplary in deportment and morals ; he was governed by conscience, and never received a single de- merit during the whole of his cadetship, for it was his ambi- tion well and faithfully to discharge every duty that devolved CHARLES R. NORRIS. 409 upon him. In the spring of 1861 the war opened, and such a band of soldiers as the corps of cadets, each one of them an accomphshed officer, was of course at once called into service. The corps was ordered to Richmond ; but young Norris, being one of the youngest in years and experience, was de- tailed, with some forty or fifty" others, to remain as a guard to the Institute buildings and State Arsenal at Lexington, But his brave and eager spirit was not long to chafe in this comparatively idle and inglorious position amidst the startling and momentous events then gathering and thickening around our beloved old Commonwealth. After a very brief period, he and some eight or ten others were ordered to report to Gen- eral T. J. Jackson, then commanding the post at Harper's Ferry. He was promptly on the spot, and was assigned to duty as a drill-master to the volunteers then rushing, all un- trained and undisciplined, at the call of their State, to repel the ruthless invaders then swarming on our northern borders. In the faithful and efficient discharge of the duties of his office he remained until the army, under General J. E. Johnston, moved to the relief and support of General Beauregard, then about to engage the enemy in that first and terrible battle of Manassas. Young Norris, though engaged as a drill-master, and thus not connected with the organization of any company or regiment, sought no exemption from service, but deter- mined to go with the army. In the absence of the captain of one of the companies in Colonel John Echols's regiment, he was assigned to the command of the company. General Johnston's army reached the bloody battle-ground in time to engage in the thickest of the fight, and to contribute largely to that great victory. In this battle, Cadet Charles R. Norris lost his life in command of his company, and in advance of his men, leading them in a charge with the rallying and encour- aging cry, ringing out midst the smoke and din of battle, " Couie 071 boys, quick, and %uc can whip thcinf Just uttered, he was struck by a ball which took an oblique course across his breast, killing him, it is supposed, instantly, although his body was not found until the next morning, when, among the 41 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. dead, mangled, wounded, and dying, it was discovered in a search over that ghastly field by an elder brother, who was also a soldier in that fight, but passed the battle-storm un- harmed, and on many other fields struck manfully to avenge the death of that boy soldier and brother. Thus, belonging to no company, with his name'not enrolled on any of the lists of the honored soldiers who fought and died for the " Lost Cause," did Charles R. Norris, only a little over seventeen years old, offer up his young life an oblation on the altar of his country. And now passing along the lone path of the cemetery at Leesburg, casting your eye to the right, you there see the grass-covered mound that marks the spot where mingles his dust with its ancestral earth, — a spot cherished and watered by the tears of those who loved him, and upon which flowers are strewn when, in each returning May, our noble women mark their appreciation of the memory of the dead who died for them and the principles which enlisted their sympathies and prayers. Carlton Shafer. JOHN M. OLIVER, OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY, VIRGINIA; CAPTAIN, 2IST VIRGINIA IN- FANTRY. John Mayo Oliver, son of James Oliver, Esq., of Meck- lenburg County, Virginia, was born on the 4th of February, 1838 ; matriculated at the Virginia Military Institute Septem- ber 14, 1856, and graduated on the 4th of July, i860; studied law during the next year, at Judge Brockenbrough's school, in Lexington, until the beginning of the war, when he raised a company of infantry in his native county, and in command of this company entered service in the 21st Virginia Infantry, commanded by Colonel William Gilham ; in 1862 was trans- ferred to the command of General Floyd, in Western Vir- JOHN M. OLIVER. 4II ginia, and under his order acted for some time as a recruiting officer in Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and in the ex- treme western counties of Virginia, where his life was often imperiled, the Union men having in several instances shot balls through his clothes in attempting to kill him. During this year Captain Oliver was sent in command of an artillery company to assist in checking a raid on the town of Wythe- ville, Virginia. Before his arrival the enemy had gotten into the town, and were actively engaged with the soldiers and citizens. While advancing to get his guns into position, the infantry gave way in confusion, and in the ensuing flight some of his men deserted their guns. Waving his sword above his head, Captain Oliver appealed to them by all that was sacred not to forsake their duty ; then, rushing forward with a few of his bravest men, he reached the abandoned gun, and was endeavoring to open fire with it, when he was sur- rounded by the enemy and ordered to surrender. He refused at first when ordered by a private, saying he would only sur- render to an officer of his own grade. A Federal officer then rode up, and addressing him as captain, told him that he was so completely overpowered by numbers that it would be folly in the extreme for him to make further resistance. Concur- ring in this opinion, he surrendered. As the Confederates were making a feint, moving the cars as if they were receiving heavy reinforcements, Captain Oli- ver was closely questioned in regard to the forces, their number and position. Refusing to give any information, he demanded to be treated as a prisoner of war. Being escorted under a guard from the scene of action, as he was walking along he was struck by a stray musket-ball, which inflicted a mortal wound. Taken under charge by some of the kind ladies of Wytheville, who ministered to all his wants, he lin- gered a short time, then died. These noble women gratefully did what they could to show how they felt that the gallant soldier had died in their defense, decorated his coffin with flowers, and wrote to his family letters of sincere condolence, mingled with their regret at the loss of one who acted so 412 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. nobly for them and the fatherland. The body, placed under the charge of his brave and faithful lieutenant, was conveyed to his home in Mecklenburg, and buried in the old family burying-ground. As it passed through Lynchburg, the ladies of that town, as a mark of respect for his character, regret for his sad fate, and sympathy for his relatives in their terrible bereavement, placed on the coffin a beautiful little flag, worked by their own fair hands. Brave, noble, and generous, he went to his account, a soldier who had been true to the cause, till death sealed his devotion. Not a long time elapsed, and a younger brother, William, endowed with like qualities, went to join him, being killed at Cedar Run. We of the Southern land will never forget the honor we owe our loved dead. GEORGE GASTON OTEY, OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA; CAPTAIN, " OTEY" BATTERY. George Gaston Otey, son of John M. and Lucy W. Otey, was born in the city of Lynchburg, May 25, 1834; entered the Virginia Military Institute in 185 1 ; resigned and became a merchant; entered service as adjutant ist Infantry in 1861 ; organized the "Otey" Battery, of which he became captain; was wounded at Lewisburg, Virginia, May 24, 1862, and died from it, and effects of exposure combined, on the 21st of October, 1862. As the best method of making this brief outline assume the form of a memoir, and to give a more extended estimate of Captain Otey's character and services, we insert in full an obituary written by a friend, within a few months after his death : " It is a saddening reflection, which each succeeding day of the present war brings more vividly before us, that whilst the noblest spirits of our Confederacy are freely offering their GEORGE GASTON OTEY. 413 hearts' blood in their country's cause, the foe whom they have gone forth to meet is composed chiefly of European mercena- ries and the scum of Puritan society, — men who, dying, will leave no blessed memories behind. " This thought was forcibly impressed upon me when, in a far distant State, I heard the sad tidings of the untimely death of George Gaston Otey, captain of the ' Otey Bat- tery,' of Richmond, Virginia, which occurred in Lynchburg, Virginia, October 21, 1862, in the twenty-ninth year of his age ; and, as one who knew him well and intimately, from his earliest youth through all the successive periods of school- life, college-life, and manhood, it may be permitted me to offer this tribute to his memory, " Born in Lynchburg, of honored and respected parentage, he manifested at an early age a great fondness for military matters, which, when transferred from the mimic battle- field of school-days to the Virginia Military Institute, and strengthened and developed by several years' stay at that foster-mother of Virginia's young heroes, did much to fit him for the more active and stirring duties of actual military life. " When the John Brown raid occurred, it found the subject of this sketch residing in Richmond, a member of a pros- perous business house, and orderly sergeant of the Howitzers, then under the efficient command of Hon. George W. Ran- dolph. This company was among the first to offer their ser- vices to Governor Wise on that occasion, and the promptitude with which they obeyed his orders to repair to Charlestown, as well as the fidelity with which they discharged the onerous duties imposed upon them, during a stay of several weeks at that place, proved them to be soldiers in deed as well as in name. This short campaign ended, Captain Otey returned to the pursuits of peace, and the bosom of his family. "At the commencement of the present war he held the position of adjutant of the ist' Regiment of Virginia Volun- teers, but soon received a commission as second lieutenant in the Provisional Army, was assigned to duty on the Penin- sula, under General Magruder, and was by him placed upon 414 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. his staff, and appointed chief ordnance officer. Here he re- mained several months, engaged in the arduous duties of his place, until his health gave way under the banefuF influence of exposure to the sickening climate, and he was forced to remain at home about six months, in a very feeble state of health, during which period he obtained, unsolicited, an ap- pointment as first lieutenant of infantry in the regular army of the Confederate States. " In the month of February, 1862, he undertook the forma- tion of an artillery company in the city of Richmond, of which, upon its organization, he was unanimously honored with the captaincy, and his name, alike unanimously, conferred upon the company, which it is no unjust praise to say is one of the finest in the service. It was immediately ordered to the command of General Heth, in Southwest Virginia. In the battles of Giles Court-House, Princeton, and Lewisburg it bore a prominent part, and, in the last of these engage- ments, Captain Otey was painfully though not dangerously wounded. Hastening home to his family, he allowed himself but a few weeks' respite from duty, and, against the advice of physicians and friends, returned to his post before his wound had healed, so anxious was he to be once more with his men, and so solicitous for their comfort. " During the past summer his company, in common with all of General Loring's command, remained near the Salt Sulphur ; but about the last of August they were ordered for- ward to the Kanawha Valley, and it was during this expedi- tion that the battles of Montgomery's Ferry, Charleston, and Fayette Court-House occurred, in all of which the Otey Bat- tery was engaged, and in the last named of which it suffered severely, having no less than twenty men killed and wounded. Shortly after his arrival at Charleston, Captain Otey felt the first warnings of that visitor — carbuncle on the spine — whose presence was to cause him inexpressible agony for weeks, and finally to close his mortal career. This affection was doubtless superinduced in great part by his constant and ex- hausting labors in the saddle for some weeks previously, and GEORGE GASTON OTEY. 415 it was not until his nervous system was completely unstrung by suffering that he could be induced to quit his duties in the field, and take an adieu, alas ! final, of his fond command. " From the moment that he set out upon his homeward journey, a sad presentiment of coming death seemed to hang about him. For one hundred and fifty miles, over a mountain road, in an ambulance, did he drag his weary way, before reaching the railroad which was to convey to his loved ones his sadly altered self So much had suffering and fatigue worn upon him that, on. reaching Lynchburg (where his family were), some of the closest relatives failed to recognize him. All that fondest love and medical skill could devise to effect a cure was done, but in vain. He had indeed but ' come home to die.' In less than four days from the time when he was borne beneath the maternal roof, a helpless suf- ferer, he lay there a silent corpse. On the morning of Tues- day, October 21, he sank calmly, quietly to rest, peacefully as his loved infant boy had passed away before his eyes but little more than a short twelvemonth previously. " Thus did Virginia bring another of her sons to swell the long list of sacrifices which she had already offered on her country's altar. Thus was another name added to the lengthy roll of victims. " The earnest, heartfelt resolutions passed by his company on the occasion of his death ; the sounds of sympathetic sor- row which have come up from the members of that com- pany ; the tender condolences of brother officers ; and the saddened visages of friends and acquaintances, all bear testi- mony to the worth of Captain Otey in the outer world. But we cannot fully realize the loss sustained till we lift the cur- tain which conceals from view the broken family circle, and behold the aching void created by the absence of a dutiful, obedient son ; a fond brother, ever ready to give the word of good counsel; a doting father, willing to 'spend and be spent ' for the lovely little prattlers scarce able to lisp his name, and not able to know or feel their loss ; and a devoted husband, with whom the business of life was to cast sunshine 41 6 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. along the pathway of as fond a wife as ever breathed, and to sustain and cherish her in hfe's pilgrimage, " Mourners, ' weep not as those without hope,' for though your loved dead one was not a member of the Church of Christ, you have every reason to believe that that life which, though ever gay and cheerful, was never dissipated and blas- phemous, but ever respectful to the gospel, and which never allowed even the stern duties of camp to prevent the daily bowing of the head in prayer, has culminated in eternal hap- piness ! Blessed thought ! that, when * life's fitful fever' is over, the scattered flowers of that withered family wreath, the widowed wife, the orphaned daughters, may meet the de- parted husband and brother in that happy clime whose life- giving atmosphere shall forever resound with the joyful praises of an united household, freed from sin and saved for evermore ! J, WILLIAM K. PARK, OF JACKSON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA ; LIEUTENANT, ENGINEERS, P. A. C. S. William K. Park, eldest son of Robert Park, Esq., and Isabella Kirk, his wife, was born in Ripley, Jackson County, Virginia, on the 31st day of July, 1840. His father was for many years surveyor of Jackson County, and afterwards a magistrate in the same county. William during his childhood attended school at Ravens- wood, a village on the Ohio River, near his father's residence. Here he made excellent progress, and gave evidence of strong mental power. In July, 1857, in his seventeenth year, he entered the Virginia Military Institute. At the end of the first year he was at the head of his class in mathematics, and ranged fourth on general merit. This stand he kept until he graduated, in May, 1861. Immediately after this date he was commissioned second lieutenant, and ordered to report to Colonel (afterwards General) John McCausland, at Buffalo, on WILLIAM K. PARK. 417 the Great Kanawha River ; here he aided as drill-master and adjutant of the post. He was also engaged in the construction of the fortifications at the narrows of New River, in Giles County, having charge of them in fact, and showing great skill in locating and constructing them. During the winter of 186 1-2, Lieutenant Park took advan- tage of a furlough to study law, and worked at it so energeti- cally that he was enabled to stand his examination, and was licensed to practice in March, 1862. The opening of the spring necessitated a return to military duty. Shortly after reporting for duty, he was transferred from McCausland's command to that of General A, G. Jenkins, having been com- missioned second lieutenant of cavalry, and served on his staff for eight or ten months. In 1863, just after the dreadful battle of Gettysburg, in which Lieutenant Park participated, he was assigned to the 17th Virginia Cavalry. In November, 1864, he was commis- sioned second lieutenant of engineers, and ordered to report to Major-General Whiting, commanding at Wilmington, North Carolina. At this stirring point of his new labors he remained until after the fall of Fort P^isher, being intrusted with many important duties, all of which he performed intelli- gently and faithfully. From Wilmington he was ordered to Weldon, to aid in perfecting the fortifications at that place. When Weldon was evacuated, about the middle of April, 1865, he was ordered to Raleigh, thence to Haw River, Greensboro', and finally was sent with a small force to the defense of a bridge about twelve miles from Greensboro'. While on duty at this point he was attacked with chronic diarrhcea, and after a painful illness, died on the 5th of May, 1865, in the twenty-fifth year of his age. Serving through the whole war, from its very beginning, and laying down his life just after the bitter end had come, Lieutenant Park left a record well worthy of high praise. Never absent from duty, and even when the inclemency of winter permitted his being at home, improving himself by study, in a quiet, unobtrusive way he won his title, " True 27 41 8 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. ' man and soldier." The Christian teachings of his loving and loved mother bore also fruit, and added that third character- istic necessary for the complete man, — a deep conviction of the truth of Christia,nity, and an earnest, faithful practice of its principles. In concluding this memoir, a few quotations from the letters of those with whom he was associated will not be amiss. General McCausland, his first commander, says, " I can bear testimony to his zeal and perseverance in the cause, though his health was delicate the most of the time he served under my orders." Colonel Henry Fitzhugh writes to his father as follows : " Both General Jenkins and myself took great interest in your son William, and always received a most favorable account of his usefulness and merit. His life was certainly one of high, disinterested devotion to the cause he had espoused, and I never heard him propose preferment for himself, or employment even, except for the advantage of the army and the cause. In his diligent and sincere loyalty he lost his life, and his comrades regret his loss without having a single blemish of character to remember or forgive. For so young a man, his service was rendered with a conspicuous earnestness which placed his character high even among a very elevated set of associates, and I know of no one whom I would have chosen in preference to him as a true friend, a good soldier, and a valuable man." Lieutenant Otho K. Pate (afterwards an Episcopal minister, and now in 'his grave, from disease contracted in similar ex- posure to that which cut off the life of the friend over whose death he mourned), in a letter to Major J. W. Sweeny, after the war, says, — " I .am deeply pained that the parents of our common friend, Lieutenant Park, have not received any tidings of him since the war. Early in the winter of 1:864, Park received a com- mission as lieutenant of engineers, and was ordered to report for duty to Major-General Whiting. We corresponded at in- tervals. The last letter I received from him was written soon after the first attempt to capture Wilmington, I feel deeply WILLIAM K. PARK. 419 grieved, not only on account of the sorrow of his parents, but on my own, for he was a dear friend of mine, one to whom I ever felt strangely attached, owing to his delicate health, which prevented him, in a great measure, from attaining to that suc- cess which his merit deserved. Had he been strong and robust, I feel sure his career would have been brilliant. He certainly stood high in the opinion of the authorities of the engineering department at Richmond. The assistant engi- neer-in-chief told me that his letters and recommendations were in every way of high order, and would certainly obtain for him (as soon as opportunity occurred) a commanding position." The touching friendship that existed between these two young lieutenants, who served their country in like capacities and in the same command; who both, weak in body, were strong in soul ; who, fighting hand in hand in the life of earth, soon clasped hands again in the peace of the life of heaven; is one bright instance of those episodes of camp-life so in con- trast to its hardships and trials, that they seemed as if vouch- safed to make it endurable. When they parted, Park said, " Not a ripple of envy or unkindness has ever broken over that placid surface of the ocean of our friendship;" and Pate, when he heard of his death, " I have clung to the hope that we should meet again to grasp each other's hand in the warm and cordial greeting of yore, and together recall the stirring asso- ciations that had linked our hearts and made us one ; but God, the Almighty Father of us all, has taken him to Himself." Many others, friends, comrades, and acquaintances, testify to the naanly worth and character of Lieutenant Park ; not the least touching proof of it being in the tender solicitude with which his servant, Avery, watched by his bedside in his last illness. Only a hired servant, he had become so attached by the genial qualities of his master as to devote himself night and day to doing what he could to alleviate the intense bodily anguish of the suffering soldier. Lieutenant Park was buried in the cemetery at Salisbury, North Carolina. 420 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. WILLIAM S. PARRAN, M.D., OF ORANGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA; SURGEON, COURTNEY'S BATTALION ARTILLERY, A. N. V. The ardent love of country which prompted so many of Virginia's noble sons to offer their lives in defense of her rights, when, by reason of age or position, they could easily and honorably have kept out of danger, gives intensified lustre to one of the brightest jewels in the coronet, rich and weighty, that encircles the brow of the noble old mother State. Spurred on by patriotic ardor, the heroic soul chafes under restraint or confinement, and, breaking its bonds, rushes to the fray to conquer or die. So he whose brief story we are now to tell gave up his life. William Sellman Parran, son of Dr. N. D, Parran, was born in Hardy County, West Virginia, on the 8th of June, 1834. At the age of eighteen he entered the Virginia Mili- tary Institute, reporting for duty on the 24th of July, 1852. After being here a short time, he received an appointment as cadet in the United States Military Academy, and went to West Point, but did not remain to graduate. After his return to Virginia, he studied medicine privately with his uncle. Dr. G. A. Williams, of Moorefield, Hardy County, then entered the medical college in Winchester, where he graduated. Going thence to the University of Maryland, he graduated there, and in 1859 or i860 went to Orange County, Virginia, and commenced the practice of medicine. Settling in Barbour- ville, his kind and affectionate disposition, frank and social manners, soon won him many warm friends, and got him into a first-rate practice. In i860 he married Miss Jennie Graves, of Orange County ; but his life of married happiness was not to be long. On the 17th of April, 1861, the Governor of Vir- ginia called out her volunteers. Dr. Parran had raised, in the neighborhood of Barbourville, a company of artillery, of WILLIAM S. PARRAN, M.D. 421 which he had been chosen captain. Responding promptly to the call, he reported at Harper's Ferry with his company in a few days, the second company on the ground. While captain of this company he was in much hard service, encountered many privations, and was in many hard-fought battles and picket fights. When his company was assigned to Courtney's Battalion he was promoted surgeon, and served as such till the day of his death. At the battle of Sharpsburg, September 17, 1862, moved by the spirit of which we have spoken in our opening paragraph, he volunteered to assist, as a common soldier, at the guns of one of the batteries. That evening he was killed ; offering his country generous aid, he sealed his offer with his life-blood. He left an amiable wife and a daughter ; and some two months after his death a son was born to him. Dr. Parran was ever an affectionate and dutiful son, a de- voted husband and parent, a true friend, and an unswerving patriot. His genial social nature, his frank and manly quali- ties, made for him, wherever he went, hosts of friends, in whose memories and affections he has a monument to his honor more enduring and more to be coveted than brass or marble. A friend, in the Central Presbyterian of November 6, 1862, says of him: " He was never backward in offering and render- ing services whenever and wherever he thought they were needed and would be accepted; he lost his valuable life while nobly working at another's battery, to which he had offered his services. He was a tender and affectionate father, and left a fond and devoted wife and a darling little daughter to mourn his untimely death. May the widow's God be her God, and a father to her fatherless !" 422 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. GEORGE S. PATTON, OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA ; COLONEL, 22D VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Colonel George S. Patton fell mortally wounded at the battle of Winchester, June 19, 1864. A few days he lingered. In this interval the hope of recovery was inspired and sus- tained by the opinion of his surgeon that his wound, though serious, was not mortal. A part of the last day of his life he was alone in his chamber. Cheerful, even buoyant, no fears were felt that a few brief hours would close his earthly course. A later visit to his chamber disclosed a great change, and warned his friends that death had sealed him for his own. A few words, unintelligible to the kind ones who ministered to him, escaped his lips, and his voice was hushed forever. George Smith Patton, fourth son of the late honored John M. Patton, was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, June 26, 1833. Subsequently removed with his parents to Richmond, where he was in part educated and fitted to enter the Virginia Military Institute, in which he was a cadet from 1849 until 1852, being a distinguished graduate of the large class of the latter year. Returning to Richmond, he spent the two following years in teaching. The hours not devoted to teaching were spent in the study of law. After his admission to the bar, he re- moved to Charleston, Kanawha County, and entered upon the practice of his profession. This he pursued with marked suc- cess, till the clarion notes of war began to ring through the land. The plot discovered at Harper's Ferry was to him the signal to prepare for the conflict which he had long been taught to expect. With the energy which ever distinguished him, he organized a company, and soon the Kanawha Rifle- men were known as among the most thoroughly disciplined of our volunteer soldiery. Quick to perceive that his country would need her sons, GEORGE S. PATTON. 423 Captain Patton offered early in 1861 the services of himself and men. His first battle was at Scary, General Wise being then in command of the forces of Western Virginia, with headquarters at Charleston, Captain Patton commanding the advance fifteen miles below. Here he fought and won, but paid the price of victory in a severe and, as was feared, mortal wound. A few days after, he fell into the hands of the enemy. Released from imprison- ment, and rapidly passing the intervening grades, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the 22d Virginia Regiment of Infantry. This he commanded at the battle of Giles Court-House, where he was again wounded. He commanded the brigade at the battle of Dry Creek, August, 1863, where superior forces under General Averill were again and again repulsed, and finally compelled to retreat, blockading their rear to prevent pursuit. At Droop Mountain, Colonel Patton likewise fought with conspicuous gallantry. During four months of this campaign (1864) he commanded the brigade; and from New Market to Cold Plarbor, from Lynchburg to Winchester, where he was killed, set an illustrious example of patriotic devotion to duty by faithfully performing his own. The deeds of such a man form a not unfaithful index to his character; still, this brief record would be incomplete without more particular allusion to the traits which distinguished him. His various and accu- rate learning revealed talents of a high order and of unusual versatility. To concentrate his thought upon the subject before him was natural and easy, — not a laborious and pain- ful exercise. Rapidly scanning the page, his eye would as quickly transfer to his mind whatever of value it contained. Preferring the profession of law to any other business, and the sanctities of home and family to all other pleasures, he had, nevertheless, peculiar aptitude for a soldier's duty and a sol- dier's life. He enforced discipline without exciting dislike, and commanded his men without diminishing their self-respect. No private was ever denied the pleasure of conversation with 424 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. his commander, and a courteous reception awaited all who chose to visit his quarters. When duty compelled him to deny a request, it was done with such evident reluctance, or with such kindliness of manner, that refusal gave less pain than is often suffered when a favor is granted with roughness, or unwillingly. Colonel Patton appreciated the soldiers of our army as vol- unteers fighting in a sacred cause, and commanded their ad- miration while he won their love. Graceful and elegant as a speaker, he was the charm of the social circle, where his genial wit, sparkling humor, ready repartee, and ringing laugh made him ever welcome. He seemed never to forget what he had once learned, and could at will produce the choicest senti- ments of the poets for the young and gay, or draw from the accumulations of more severe study matter to delight the grave and thoughtful. Divine things he reverenced, and by example encouraged officers and men to wait upon God in His house. From the camp chapel he was seldom absent, and furnished to the chap- lain of his regiment every facility for the accomplishment of his work. We dare not intrude upon that private grief with which a stranger intermeddleth not. The mourning widow and the fatherless children can only be commended to the Father of the fatherless, and the Husband of the bereaved. All we may add is, that sorrowing men who have suffered much and witnessed the fall of many comrades in arms say, as they speak of their lamented colonel, — " We ne'er shall look upon his like again." IV. TAZEWELL PATTON. 425 W. TAZEWELL PATTON, OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA ; COLONEL, 7TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Colonel Waller Tazewell Patton was born in Fredericks- burg, Virginia, on the 15th of July, 1835, and died in the Col- lege Hospital at Gettysburg, on the 21st of July, 1863, in the twenty-ninth year of his age, from a wound received in the terrible battles of the first three days of July. He was the fifth son of the late John Mercer Patton, of Richmond, on his father's side a great-grandson of General Hugh Mercer, the hero of Princeton, and on the side of his mother descended from Major John Williams and Captain Philip Slaughter, officers of the American Revolution, who fought at Brandy- wine and Germantown. Three streams of Revolutionary blood thus met in his veins, and were poured out on the same soil which had drunk in that of his ancestors. In his seventeenth year he entered the Virginia Military Institute, and graduated with distinction July 4, 1855. During the session after his graduation he was assistant professor of Latin in the Military Institute. Taking up the study of law there, he qualified himself, and was admitted to practice in Culpeper County. Soon after locating himself here he was chosen to command a company of " minute men," so named after a famous company raised by his ancestors in this county during the war of the Revolution. At the first mutterings of the storm which was so soon to burst with such fury upon the South, Captain Patton repaired with his company to Harper's Ferry, and took an active part in the measures which inaugurated the war. He was soon promoted to the rank of major, and in that capacity elicited the commendation of the commanding general for his conduct at the first battle of Manassas. He rose to be lieutenant-colonel early in 1862, and was elected at the reorganization, colonel of the 7th Regiment of Virginia Infantry, a veteran regiment which played a distinguished 426 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. part in all the campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia. Colonel Patton was engaged in the battle of Williamsburg, the dreadful battles around Richmond, and in the various movements terminating in the second battle of Manassas, in which he was severely wounded. He was not able to take the field again until the Suffolk expedition, under General Longstreet, when, expecting active service, he rejoined his command. In the absence of official documents we forbear to speak of his conduct in the battles subsequent to the first Manassas, except to say that among his comrades and friends he was credited with uniform gallantry and efficiency. He was with General Longstreet in his Suffolk campaign, and was soon after elected to the Senate of Virginia by a large majority over the old incumbent, without visiting the district during the canvass, or being present at the election. This was a high honor for one so young and inexperienced in affairs of State. Instead of retiring from the field and reposing upon his honors, he followed General Lee in his Maryland cam- paign, culminating in the battle of Gettysburg, where he fell, at the head of his regiment, in that heroic and desperate charge which has made Pickett's Division immortal and won for it the crown of martyrdom. Providentially, a near rela- tive, a man of clear head and calm judgment, was with him, from whom we learn the interesting incidents of his last days. It is gratifying to know that he was nursed by a Baltimore lady with as much tenderness as if she had been his sister, and that even the Federal officers were kind to him. Being wounded in the mouth, he could only communicate with his friends by writing on a slate. The prominent thoughts of his mind seem to have been his Saviour, his mother, and his country. In a letter to his mother, written a few days before his death, he says, " My sufferings and hardships during two weeks that I was kept out in the field-hospital were very great. I assure you that it was the greatest consolation, whilst lying in pain on the cold, damp ground, to look up to that God to whom you so constantly directed my thoughts in infancy and boyhood, and feel that I was His son by adoption. When W. TAZEWELL PATTON. 427 friends are far away, and you are in sickness and sorrow, how delightful to be able to contemplate the wonderful salvation unfolded in the Bible ! Whilst I have been very far from being a consistent Christian, I have never let go my hope in Jesus, and find it inexpressibly dear now. I write these things to show you my spiritual condition, and to ask your prayers continually for me." Again he said, " Tell my mother that I am about to die in a foreign land ; but I cherish the same intense affection for her as ever." The Federal officers who saw what he had written seemed astonished at the phrase foreign land as applied to Pennsylvania. He told the lady who nursed him that though he was "a young man, and prized life," he would " cheerfully lay down fifty lives in such a cause if necessary." He requested that a lock of his hair might be sent to his mother, and his watch to his sister; gave directions about some small debts, and expressed a great desire that his body might be sent home. His relative who was by his side says, " He was aware of the approach of death, and met it as became a soldier and a Christian. He said, ' My trust is in the merits of Christ; my all is intrusted to Him,' and often repeated these words, ' In Christ alone perfectly resigned.' When he became too weak to write, he tried to repeat the hymn ' Rock of Ages, cleft for me.' His friend read the hymn, and he tried to repeat it after him. He then called upon the chaplain, Mr, Morton, of the 33d Virginia (I think), to read the 14th chapter of St. John. After prayer, he called us all to his bedside, and shook hands with us, one by one. He retained to the last the utmost patience under his sufferings, and expressed his gratitude for every little service rendered him, by taking us by the hand." And thus he fell asleep in Jesus, amid the tears of all around him, including some Federal officers. His body was embalmed, and now lies in a vault in Baltimore until other times and other men will permit its removal to his native land. His soul enjoys perpetual rest and peace. God grant that we who survive may so live that we may meet him in that better land where there is no war, and where God will wipe away all our tears ! 428 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. PROCEEDINGS OF THE VIRGINIA SENATE ON THE DEATH OF SENATOR W. T, PATTON. Mr. Newman, of Madison, offered the following preamble and resolu- tions, which were read : " The death of Colonel W. Tazewell Patton, Senator-elect from the 27th District, on the 21st of July, 1863, near Gettysburg, calls upon the Senate of Virginia for the utterance of its testimony to the virtues of the distinguished dead. " He was cut down in the prime of manhood, another victim of this cruel war. At its commencement, he left the bar, of which he was a promising member, to take part in the defense of his outraged country. He rose from the rank of captain, to that of colonel of the 7th Virginia Regiment. He was wounded in the second battle of Manassas, and as soon as he was restored returned to the field. He fell, mortally wounded, whilst gallantly leading his brave regiment m the memorable charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg, and died, as in the moment of death he expressed it, ' in a foreign land,' because the land of the enemy of the Confederacy. " He was a descendant of a Revolutionary ancestry, — of that General Mercer who sacrificed his life on the altar of independence, at Princeton, and of that Captain Philip Slaughter illustrious for his services as a sol- dier and the father of a heroic family. When dying, Colonel Patton said (worthily of such a lineage), that had he fifty lives he would freely offer them in such a cause. When speechless, in answer to an inquiry whether he was prepared to die, he nobly responded, in writing, that he had given his body to his country and his soul to his God, and was pre- pared to meet his fate. Let the voice of this youthful patriot speak from his grave to his bleeding country, hope in this struggle, and dissipate for- ever the gloom of despair. " Though he had never taken his seat in this body, the Senate of Vir- ginia mourns the loss of one whose association in its councils promised so much for the success of its measures. His burning patriotism would have warmed its devoted zeal, and the experience of his clear and manly intellect would have lent wisdom to its deliberations for the good of the country. Therefore be it resolved by the Senate of Virginia, — " I. That the Senate deplores with the widowed mother of Colonel Patton his premature death, and tender her the sympathies of the Senate and of the Commonwealth in the loss of her patriotic son, whose ' Christianity made him a hero in the shock of battle, and whose faith sustained him in the hour of death. "2. That a copy of this preamble and resolutions be sent by the President of the Senate to Mrs. Patton. JV. TAZEWELL PATTON. 429 " 3. That as a mark of respect for his memory the Senate do now adjourn." Eloquent speeches were made by Mr. Ball, of Loudoun, Mr. Chris- tian, of Augusta, Mr, Dulaney, and Mr. Randolph. After which the preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted, and the Senate adjourned. It is deemed proper to close this very imperfect memoir by inserting the following lines. They were cut from a news- paper by Colonel Patton, while lying wounded in the hospi- tal at Gettysburg, and handed by him to a lady, it is thought to be sent to his mother: "DYING SOLDIER'S FAREWELL. " On the field of battle, mother, All the night alone I lay, Angels watching o'er me, mother, Till the breaking of the day. I lay thinking of you, mother, And the loving ones at home, Till to our dear cottage, mother. Boy again, I seemed to roam. " He to whom you taught me, mother, On my infant knee to pray, Kept my heart from fainting, mother. When the vision passed away. In the gray of morning, mother. Comrades bore me to the town, From my bosom, tender fingers Washed the blood that trickled down. " I must soon be going, mother. Going to the home of rest; Kiss me, as of old, my mother, Press me nearer to your breast. Would I could repay you, mother. For your faithful love and care I God uphold and bless you, mother. In the bitter woe you bear! " Kiss for me my little brother, Kiss my sister, loved so wellj 430 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. When you sit together, mother, Tell them how their brother fell. Tell to them the story, mother. When I sleep beneath the sod, That I died to save my country, All from love to her and God ! «' Leaning on the merit, mother, Of the One who died for all, Peace is in my bosom, mother, Hark, I hear the angels call ! Don't you hear them singing, mother ? Listen to the music's swell ! Now I leave you, loving mother: God be with you; fare you well !" EDMUND PENDLETON, OF CLARKE COUNTY, VIRGINIA; LIEUTENANT, CO. " C," IITH VIRGINIA CAVALRY. Edmund Pendleton was born at Fairfield, Clarke County, Virginia, October 4, 1843. In the fall of i860 he entered the Virginia Military Institute, at Lexington, and remained until the following spring, when he was ordered to Winchester to drill the troops rapidly collecting at that point. After per- forming his duties at this post for some time, he obtained permission to join General Pendleton's battery, the " Rock- bridge Artillery," then stationed at Manassas, being anxious for an opportunity to participate in the expected battle. After remaining with this command for a few weeks, upon General Pendleton's advice he returned to the Institute, and pursued his studies until the corps was ordered out to take part in the battle of McDowell, early in 1862. After participating in this battle, he connected himself temporarily with Ashby's Cav- alry, and served with them until the return of his brother, Captain John R. Pendleton, from Fort Delaware, in Septem- EDMUND PENDLETON. 431 ber, 1862. He then enlisted as a private in Captain Pendle- ton's company (Co. " C," nth Virginia Cavalry). In February, 1863, the nth Regiment met and routed the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry, taking about one hundred and forty prisoners. In this engagement Edmund Pendleton displayed such gallantry that he was unanimously chosen third lieutenant of his company. Soon after this, General William E. Jones made his memorable raid into Western Virginia, and in its numerous skirmishes and hard service Lieutenant Pendleton did his part well. Returning to the Valley, his command was ordered to Culpeper, and joined General Stuart near Brandy Station, at which place was fought the largest cavalry battle of the war, early in June, 1863. In this engagement he fought with distinction. His next battle was the cavalry fight in Loudoun County, between Paris and Upperville, in which several balls passed through his clothes. In the Maryland and Pennsylvania campaign of this year Lieutenant Pendleton was engaged at Gettysburg, Boones- borough, and Hagerstown, and in frequent skirmishes on the retreat, being often put in command of companies and select detachments to act as rear-guards, covering the retreat and making sudden dashes upon the enemy. In these skirmishes he would often take as many prisoners as there were men in his command. At the severe engagement of Jack's Shop, he led the brigade sharpshooters, opening the attack upon the enemy. During the course of this battle his ammunition gave out, and he resorted to the novel expedient of ordering his men to fight with stones, which were plentiful on the field. Himself setting the example, his men quickly obeyed, and they succeeded in the assault. When asked why he resorted to this plan, he replied that no body of men could stand under the fire to which they were exposed without being en- gaged in some way. The sound good sense and coolness of this, evidences his capacity as a soldier. In the spring of 1864 Lieutenant Pendleton went with General Rosser's command to Orange County, then to Spott- 432 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. sylvania, and was killed at the head of his company on the 6th of May, while urging his comrades to charge. Not quite twenty-one years old, he fell honored and loved by his comrades, trusted by his officers. When General Rosser heard of his death, he remarked that he had lost a most promising officer, and, in writing to his father after the war, speaks of him thus : " Lieutenant Edmund Pendleton was a soldier of rare ac- quirements ; his willingness, vigilance, promptness, courage, and devotion had already designated him one of the gems which adorned the brow of the ephemeral nation. But it was not permitted him to survive the cause he so gallantly de- fended, and on the 6th of May, 1864, he fell in the battle of the Wilderness, while nobly fighting at the head of his regi- ment." Among other officers by whom he was selected for special service, — Generals Jackson, Hampton, and W. E. Jones, — he was in like manner esteemed as a soldier and gentleman. An immediate superior, Lieutenant-Colonel M. D. Ball, in writing of an old flag of the nth, says, — " Had its worn threads a voice, they could feelingly tell How Kirby, and Spiker, and Pendleton fell." Yes, his comrades felt that his name was worthy to be in- scribed on their banner, as a brave, true-hearted man and officer. O. C. PETWAY, OF NORTH CAROLINA ; COLONEL, 35TH NORTH CAROLINA INFANTRY. Cadet O. C. Petway entered the Virginia Military Institute in September, i860, in his nineteenth year; entered military service in April, 1861, with the corps of cadets, at Camp Lee, Richmond ; was a drill-master for some months, then elected major 35th North Carolina Infantry; promoted lieutenant- WILLIAM C. PRESTON. 433 colonel and finally colonel of his regiment, and served with it with distinguished gallantry, until killed while leading it in a charge in one of the battles around Richmond, June, 1862. Colonel Petway was an orphan, and it has been found im- possible to reach any of his friends who could tell more of his life. Yet the distinguished position he had attained, not yet having arrived at the years of manhood, make it evident that he was no ordinary man. In the short space of one year he rose from a cadetship to the position of regimental com- mander, and this, too, at a period in the war when such offices were almost invariably held by older men. This is an evidence of his ability ; his conduct on the field of battle, in the campaigns of 1861-62, of his soldierly qualities; and his death, of his patriotism. WILLIAM C. PRESTON, OF LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA. William C. Preston, son of Colonel John T. L. Preston, professor in the Virginia Military Institute, became a cadet in January, 1862, and a {q:\v weeks afterwards entered military service with the corps of cadets in the expedition under Gen- eral Jackson against Milroy. He behaved with great gallantry at the battle of Cedar Run, March, 1862, and, continuing in service as a volunteer cadet, was mortally wounded at the second battle of Manassas, August 28, 1862, and died the following day, not having reached his nineteenth birthday. It is not easy to crowd into a paragraph any words that could give an adequate idea of the rare perfection and sym- metry that marked the life of this brave boy. Personally, he was noticeable for great beauty of countenance and fine phys- ical development. He had a feminine gentleness that united with it a will that was dauntless. From his childhood his 28 434 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. filial devotion to his father (he lost his mother early) had in it something chivalrous. His manliness, his truthfulness, his unswerving integrity, his deep religious sense of duty, his practical skill in conducting whatever might be intrusted to his hands, his magnetic cheerfulness, and his beautiful self- renunciation, all combined to make him almost the idol of his home. General Jackson (Stonewall) always manifested a peculiar fondness for him. In one of his letters to Colonel Preston, in speaking of William, he said : " From my knowl- edge of his high qualities, I hope for an opportunity of show- ing my appreciation of his great worth." And writing to another member of the family, after the short, bright life had so suddenly closed, he adds : " I deeply sympathize with you all in the death of dear Willie. He was in my first Sabbath- school class, where I became attached to him when he was a little boy. I had expected to have him as one of my aids-de- camp ; but God in his providence has ordered otherwise." He died as bravely as he had lived. Alone (so far as friends were concerned), and surrounded by faces he had never seen before, he suffered one day of mortal agony, with the same high-hearted serenity that had been one of his crowning characteristics, and with the overpowering filial love which had been his master-passion, still uppermost in his thoughts. Two messages only came back to his smitten home from the field-hospital where he breathed his last : " Tell my father that I am not afraid to die." " I am at peace with God, and at peace with all the world." GEORGE S. PRICE.— WILLIAM H. RANDOLPH. 435 GEORGE S. PRICE, OF FINCASTLE, VIRGINIA; PRIVATE, CO. " C," 2D VIRGINIA CAVALRY. George S. Price, son of Mrs. E. Price, was born in Fin- castle, Virginia, in 1 85 1. In September, 1829, became a cadet at the Military Institute. Remained here until the corps was ordered into service at Richmond, in April, 1861. Performed the duties of drill-ma.ster until after the corps was disbanded, when he was appointed adjutant at Battery No. 9, on the Brooke Turnpike, in the immediate vicinity of Richmond. After holding this position for several months, he resigned, and entered Co. " C," 2d Virginia Cavalry, Wickham's Bri- gade, Fitz. Lee's Division, as a private. Was killed the next year at Hartswood Church, in Stafford County, in a charge. His remains, gotten by his brother under a flag of truce at Fredericksburg, were interred at Fincastle. WILLIAM H. RANDOLPH, OF AUGUSTA COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; CAPTAIN, 4TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. William H. Randolph, son of John Randolph, of Middle- brook, Augusta County, Virginia, was born in 1834. In his eighteenth year he entered the Virginia Military Institute, during the session of 1852-53, but did not complete his course at that school. Just after the John Brown raid he be- came a member of an infantry company, and with this com- pany entered the service, in April, 1861, joining the forces collecting at Harper's Ferry, His company was here assigned to the 4th Virginia Infantry. Mr. Randolph's great coolness 436 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. and bravery at the first battle of Manassas, after his captain (William H. Nelson) was wounded and taken from the field, so endeared him to his comrades that, at the reorganization, they elected him their captain over both lieutenants. Serving with soldierly skill in command of this company, he was killed in one of the battles around Richmond, in June, 1862. Captain Randolph was a tall, well-developed man, every inch a soldier. A member of the old Stonewall Brigade, he was well worthy of the honor of holding office in that unsur- passed command. EDWARD A. RHODES, OF CALIFORNIA; LIEUTENANT, IITH NORTH CAROLINA INFANTRY. Edward Averett Rhodes was born at Galveston, Texas, on the 15th of June, 1841. His father, the late Colonel E. A. Rhodes, of North Carolina, was United States Consul at that port. From 1852 until 1858, Edward's home was with his parents in California. During his boyhood he evinced pecu- liarly noble traits of character ; of an exceedingly gentle and affectionate disposition, he was brave, truthful, and earnest alike in his love for everything pure and good, and in hatred and scorn towards all that is mean or bad. As a child he evinced remarkable reverence ; saw God in everything ; his mother says, " I have seen him kneel and kiss an opening bud, uncover and examine a grain of sprouting wheat, and cover it again with glistening eyes and reverential care ; yet he had no morbid or mawkish sensibilities, his moral nature was singularly healthy." At twelve years old he was a fearless rider and an excellent shot. His favorite study was mathematics ; his favorite author, Plutarch. After some preparatory study, from 1858 to i860, he entered the Virginia Military Institute, in July of the last- mentioned year. His cadet-life was short, extending only EDWARD A. RHODES. 437 until the middle of the following April. This time, however, he improved. His mother says, " In his letters to me while there, he wrote much in praise of the course of study, in fact, of everything connected with the Institute, and showed an earnest desire to profit by his educational advantages to the utmost. He also wrote much about the disturbed state of our country, evincing a remarkably correct view of the political situation. While aware that though of Northern birth (I was born and reared in New Hampshire), my sympathies and convictions of right were wholly on the side of the South, he knew also that in the event of civil war my relatives would be opposed to those of his father in the struggle, and this knowledge caused him great unhappiness." When the State of Virginia seceded, in April, i86i,and the governor ordered the corps of cadets to Richmond, Cadet Rhodes went with them, and acted as drill-master at the camp of instruction there for some months. Was thence transferred to Raleigh, North Carolina, and finally to Roanoke Island, in the same capacity. On the 22d of January, 1862, he was commissioned second lieutenant in the nth North Caro- lina Infantry. He was in the battle of White Hall, December 16, 1862, and in fact, in all active service participated in by his regiment from the time he became a member of it until the battle of Gettysburg. During a greater portion of this time he acted as adjutant of the regiment, and was greatly beloved by his colonel, Leventhorpe. In the great battle of July I, 1863, he fell. In a charge of his regiment, on the afternoon of that day, the color-bearer was wounded in the ankle ; as he fell. Lieutenant Rhodes seized the colors, and was in the act of advancing, cheering the men, when he was struck in the head by a Minie-ball, and fell, murmuring, " Oh, God !" into the arms of his captain. His two young friends. Cooper and Lowrie, fell nearly at the same moment, and were buried that night by the officers on the spot where they fell, near the " Seminary." Colonel Leventhorpe, in a letter to Mrs. Rhodes, written soon after her son's death, speaking of this day's battle, says. 438 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. "I saw Eddie for a moment, just as we were nearing the enemy, when he remarked to me, with a smile, " We are marching in excellent line." Even in the moment of peril of life, the brave young officer could not repress this feeling of soldierly pride in the troops he had so patiently and faithfully drilled. The surgeon of the nth, a prisoner at Norfolk, also wrote to Mrs. Rhodes, telling her of her son's death. Going at once to Gettysburg, she identified the graves of the three friends, Rhodes, Cooper, and Lowrie, their names being written on a barrel-stave at the head of the grave, and in the following spring had their remains removed to "Greenmount," Baltimore. California was the chosen home of young Rhodes. He owned no interest in the South ; not a foot of land, not a slave. Thoroughly acquainted with the history of our country, he entered the Southern army, and gave his whole soul to the cause he believed to be just. To complete this sketch we give a brief outline of his character, taken from an obituary published in a North Carolina paper in 1863 : " Traits such as his are sure to win friends, and he soon be- came a favorite, not only with his commander, but with the regiment. Possessed of intellect of a high order, with a keen appreciation of the necessities of the times, and an ambition to excel in whatever he engaged, by diligent application he rapidly acquired such a knowledge of military affairs as fully qualified him for the rugged life of a soldier, and distinguished him at once as among the most efficient officers of his brigade. He was noble by nature. Talented and brave, his heart never , quailed, nor did his hand waver in executing what his judg- ment approved. Unobtrusive in his manners, generous and affectionate, his modest merit sought not the glare of the world, but shone beautifully forth among his many friends and in the quiet communion of the home circle. As a son, he was an example well worthy of imitation, for none could surpass him in affectionate devotion to his widowed mother. As a friend and companion, he was genial in disposition, de- voted and truthful. As a soldier, he was brave and enthusi- THOMAS C. RICE, M.D. 439 astic, and thought no sacrifice too great for the success of that cause to which he had given his life. He fell, alas, in a strange land ! and sleeps in an unknown grave ! but he has a tomb in the hearts of his loving friends at home, and a monument in the memory of his country, " There is a tear for all who die, A mourner o'er the meanest grave. But nations swell the funeral cry. And triumph weeps above the brave. " D. T." THOMAS C. RICE, M.D., OF CHARLOTTE COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; LIEUTENANT, 3D VIRGINIA CAVALRY. Thomas C. Rice, son of J. B. Rice, Esq., was born in Char- lotte County, Virginia, in 1835. In July, 1852, he entered the Military Institute. Staying here a year, he went to the University of Virginia for several sessions, and then became a student in the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, where he graduated. He soon after returning to Virginia commenced the practice of medicine at Catawba, in Halifax County. At the beginning of the war Dr. Rice had just be- gun to get well into a large and lucrative practice. Leaving this immediately, he entered the service as a lieutenant in a cavalry company formed in his county, and which afterwards was attached to the 3d Virginia Cavalry, His generous and noble impulses soon won him the affection of all who were thrown with him. His gallant and chivalrous bearing in the hour of danger would have caused him to gain high position in the service of his country had he not at an early period of the war fallen a victim to disease. Soon after the retreat from Yorktown he was brought to his home in Charlotte County in the last stages of a violent fever, and died in a few weeks after reaching home. 440 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. J. Q. RICHARDSON, OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA ; MAJOR, 52D NORTH CAROLINA INFANTRY. Major J, Q. Richardson was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1836. He was a son of Mrs. Anna Richardson, who is still living in that city ; was for a short time a cadet at the Mili- tary Institute, having been there during a portion of the ses- sions of 1851-52. At the outbreak of the war he entered the service promptly, and in 1862 was elected major of the 5 2d North Carolina Infantry. In this capacity he served until killed, in a charge of his regiment at the battle of Gettysburg. ROBERT E. RODES, OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA ; MAJOR-GENERAL, A. N. V. Robert Emmet Rodes was born in Lynchburg, on the 29th of March, 1829. His father, General David Rodes, was a native of Albemarle County. He married Miss Yancey, of' Bedford, and when his distinguished son was born had long been a resident of Lynchburg. Robert entered the Virginia Military Institute in July, 1845, and graduated with distinc- tion in 1848. He was at once appointed an assistant profes- sor, a position which he held for two years. During this period he acquired some experience in civil engineering, on the North River Canal, near Lexington, and determined to adopt it as a profession. He commenced his career on the Southside Railroad, connecting the cities of Lynchburg and Petersburg, where he remained until 1854, when he accepted a position on the Texas Pacific, a road which was started ROBERT E. RODES. 441 under brilliant auspices. The financial affairs of this com- pany soon became much embarrassed, and in April, 1855, he removed to the N. E. and S. W. Alabama Road, which like- wise suspended operations in a few months. In November of the same year he went on the Western North Carolina Road, where he remained some months, and acquired considerable reputation. From this road he was induced to go to Mis- souri, but not being pleased in this new field, he returned, in October, 1856, to Alabama, where the N. E. and S. W. Road was about to resume operations. On the loth of September, 1857, he married Miss Virginia Hortense Woodruff, of Tus- caloosa, and in the following January was made chief engineer of his road, which he managed with great energy and skill until the commencement of the war. Just before the war he was elected Professor of Applied Mechanics in the Virginia Military Institute, a position which he nominally held to the day of his death. His patriotic spirit and his military training alike prompted him to draw his sword at the first clash of arms, and he raised a volunteer company, the "Warrior Guard," which, in January, 1 86 1, he took to Fort Morgan. Returning to Tuscaloosa, he devoted himself to perfecting the drill of his men, and to getting his road in such condition as to dispense with his services. In May his company v/as ordered to Montgomery, where the 5th Alabama Regiment was organized, and he was elected its colonel. The regiment proceeded to Pensacola, but in June his strong desire to join the Virginia army was gratified by an order to proceed to Manassas, where he was attached to Ewell's Brigade, of Van Dorn's Division. From this time his regiment was actively employed, chiefly on the outposts ; but, as is well known, the failure to receive orders prevented Ewell, who was then at Union Mills, from participating to any extent in the first battle of Manassas. In October, Rodes, having attracted notice by his zeal, his alertness, and his discipline, was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and took command of a brigade composed of the 5th, 6th, and 12th Alabama, and 12th Mississippi 442 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Regiments, and Captain Thomas H. Carter's battery of light artillery. With this he accompanied General Johnson to the Peninsula, in April, 1862, where Page's battery of heavy artillery was united with his command. At the battle of Williamsburg his brigade was in reserve behind Early, but did not become engaged there, or at any other point on the retreat to Richmond. On May 31 occurred the well-known battle of Seven Pines, in which the brilliant design of General Johnson was baffled by that want of combined action on the part of subordinates which caused so many subsequent failures and fruitless vic- tories during the progress of the war. General Rodes's Brigade, now attached to D. H. Hill's Division, was formed on the right or west side of the Williamsburg road, about half a mile from the enemy's works. Crossing an open field, it encountered and drove back the Federal skirmishers through a piece of woods, and emerged into a plain several hundred yards in width. Across this plain was the enemy's line of works, including a formidable redoubt defended by nine Napoleon guns. In front of the works was an elaborate abattis. Reforming his line at the edge of the woods, he dashed through the obstructions and across the plain with an impetuosity that was irresistible, and carried the works, capturing all the guns, and General Casey's headquarters in rear of the rifle-pits. The Napoleons were instantly manned by a detail from the heavy artillery battalion, and turned upon the enemy, together with Carter's Battery, which came rapidly up. This brilliant attack, together with the subse- quent operations, was attended with very heavy loss. The brigade, about twenty-five hundred strong, lost in killed, wounded, and missing one thousand and eighty-six, including most of the field officers. General Rodes himself was badly wounded, and his aid-de-camp. Captain P. Sutton, lost an arm. Notwithstanding the pain and exhaustion attending his wound, he would not leave the field until the close of the day's operations. A weary month of suffering and inaction followed, but on ROBERT E. RODES. 443 June 24, anticipating the movements about to take place, he rejoined his command, which in the interval had been con- verted into an entire Alabama brigade, by the removal of the 1 2th Mississippi Regiment and Page's Battalion, and the sub- stitution of the 3d and 26th Alabama Regiments. On the evening of the 26th, Hill's Division was thrown across the Chickahominy, at Mechanicsville, to unite with Jackson, who was moving down from the Valley. This junction was effected the next day, and culminated in the first battle of Cold Harbor, in which Rodes, late in the evening, succeeded in carrying the crest of the hill in his front, bristling with cannon, which were all left in his hands. Here he lost an aid, Captain Webster, shot through the head during the charge. The excitement and fatigue incident to the arduous duties in which he was now engaged caused his wound to re.open, with the accompaniment of high fever. He was carried to Richmond on the night of the 29th, and his brigade was gallantly led at White Oak Swamp and Malvern Hill by Colonel (subsequently Lieutenant-General) J. B. Gor- don, who commanded the 6th Alabama Regiment. During the operations of Jackson against Pope, the division was detained near Hanover Junction, to prevent an attempt of the enemy against Richmond from the direction of Fred- ericksburg. On August 27 it took up its line of march for Maryland, leaving Rodes still sick in Richmond. His brigade had the honor of crossing the Potomac, on September 5, at the head of the army of Northern Virginia, and Rodes joined it on the 6th, near Frederick City. On the 14th was fought the battle of Boonsboro' Gap. General McClellan, being made aware, from a lost dispatch, of Lee's designs, pushed forward with almost his entire force to strike the latter near Boonsboro' during the absence of Jackson on his expedition against Harper's Ferry. The Gap in the mountain was de- fended by one brigade of Hill's Division, — that of General Samuel Garland, likewise a native of Lynchburg, and a grad- uate of the Virginia Military Institute, who fell early in the action. The rest of the division was brought rapidly forward 444 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. when the advance of the enemy was known, and formed in front of the crest of the mountain. Rodes's Brigade alone occupied the left or east side of the turnpike, and for hours held the enemy at bay unaided, until Longstreet's troops arrived from near Hagerstown, and moved on to his assist- ance. The pressure of the Federals at this point became too strong to be resisted, and Rodes gradually gave back, fight- ing behind trees and rocks, until late in the evening he had been forced over the crest of the mountain. Night closed in before the enemy could accomplish any decisive result. At midnight Rodes was pushed on rapidly to Sharpsburg, to clear that village of the enemy, erroneously reported to be in some force. By the i6th the army, except Jackson's troops, were in line of battle in front of Sharpsburg, Rodes having his left resting on the Hagerstown turnpike. Throughout the 17th the battle raged with alternate fortune, but by 2 p.m. Hill's Division was almost entirely scattered. Rodes had received a contusion from a fragment of shell, his aid was seriously wounded, Gordon had been shot in fiive places, and only a handful of his men held together. Fortunately, the enemy ceased to press with vigor on this portion of the line. During the next day the brigade remained in line of battle to the left of the Hagerstown pike, and at night withdrew across the Potomac. The next two months were assiduously devoted to reorgan- izing and drilling his command, which was encamped most of the time in a charming locality near Bunker Hill. During this time the 2d Army Corps was constituted, with Jackson for its commander. To this corps Hill's Division was attached. On November 23, the brigade, now in excellent spirits and condition, commenced its march from the Valley, and on December 3 reached the neighborhood of Port Royal, on the lower Rappahannock, where it remained until hurriedly sum- moned to Fredericksburg by the crossing of Burnside's army^ Marching all night, through rain and mud, on the morning of the 13th Rodes reached Hamilton's Crossing, and was placed in the plain of Massaponax Creek, on the extreme right ROBERT E. RODES. 445 of Jackson's Corps. On the 14th he reheved Lane's Brigade on the railroad at the point where Meade had been repulsed with such slaughter. With the exception of skirmishing and exposure to a heavy artillery fire, the brigade took no active part in this the first battle of Fredericksburg. Four months and a half were now spent in winter quarters, near Grace Church, below Fredericksburg. The camp was graced by the presence of Mrs. Rodes and other ladies, and the perfect rest of officers and men was only broken by the necessity of picketing the Rappahannock River. January 16, 1863, General D. H. Hill being transferred to North Carolina, Rodes assumed command of the division, consisting of Rodes's Alabama Brigade, Ramseur's and Iverson's North Carolina Brigades, and Dole's and Colquitt's Georgia Brigades. Sub- sequent to the battle of Chancellorsville the last was ex- changed for Daniel's splendid North Carolina Brigade. On April 29, the enemy being reported as crossing the river, the division was ordered to Hamilton's Crossing, and on May i, in the van of the 2d Corps, commenced that extraordinary flank movement which will ever remain the crowning glory of General Jackson's military career. During the greater portion of that day and the next, Jackson rode with Rodes at the head of the column in frequent conver- sation. At a point on the route, near Catharine's Furnace, where a road entered at right angles from the direction of the enemy, and in their view. General Jackson directed Rodes to leave a regiment to protect the artillery which followed. This regiment, from Colquitt's Brigade, was placed by its com- mander in a railroad cut, and allowed to be quietly gobbled up by Sickles, who would have captured the whole train but for the splendid conduct of its commander. Colonel J. Thompson Brown, who drove them off with his guns alone. Late in the afternoon of the 2d, line of battle was formed in the woods on the left, or north side of the old Orange Court-House and Fredericksburg Turnpike. Rodes's Division occupied the first line, Edward Johnson's Division, tempo- rarily commanded by Brigadier-General Colston, the second, 446 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. and A. P. Hill's the third. About 6 p.m. the advance was sounded, and instantly the enemy was struck, and hurled back in the wildest confusion and dismay. So rapid and un- expected was the attack that men were shot down in the pens slaughtering cattle for supper, and two staff officers of General RoDES, leaping from their saddles for a moment to drink a cup of coffee, which had been abandoned, found it too hot to be swallowed. This rout, inferior only to that of Manassas, was pressed back to the heights of Chancellorsville, cannon, flags, and plunder of all sorts being abandoned. By the time that the troops had fairly entered the almost impenetrable thicket of woods near the latter place, night had settled down, and the divisions of Rodes and Johnson were mingled in great confusion. They were halted, and A. P. Hill, who had not fired a shot, was ordered forward to take their place. During this movement, General Jackson rode forward with his staff to reconnoitre. On his return, his party was mis- taken in the darkness for a body of the enemy's cavalry, was fired on, and he received several wounds, from which he died in a few days. General A. P. Hill being also temporarily disabled, the command of the corps now devolved on Rodes, who, though only a brigadier-general commanding a division, was the ranking officer present. Whilst making his disposi- tions for the renewal of the attack next morning at daylight, Major-General J. E. B. Stuart, in command of the cavalry, rode up and claimed the command of the corps on the ground of seniority. ,On this occasion Rodes exhibited conspicuously that noble spirit which ever actuated him during life. The 2d Corps had just gained a splendid victory, largely attributed to the good conduct of himself and his command. He was look- ing forward to a no less glorious morrow, when all the fruits of success would be gathered, to be laid by him at the feet of General Lee, as some compensation for the irreparable loss he had sustained. The ambition of this young general was sorely tempted. The command was his by military law, and he was conscious of the power to wield it loyally and well, but his love of country transcended his love of self, and he put the ROBERT E. RODES. 447 temptation aside. Stuart was then in the zenith of his fame, whilst RoDES was comparatively unknown. He feared the effect upon the spirits of the men if it were known that he had asserted his claim against Stuart. He yielded the com- mand, and cheerfully put himself under the orders of the latter. The dawn of the morning of the 3d revealed the heights crowned with works and bristling with cannon. Repeated assaults were made without permanent success. Twice was the Alabama Brigade inside the lines, and many of its men and one of its flags were captured among the guns. Ram- seur's Brigade also gained and lost a portion of the works, but not until our artillery was massed, and had concentrated the fire of some thirty guns upon those of the enemy, did we succeed in permanently holding the Chancellorsville plateau. The next two or three days were busily employed by the Federal troops in constructing a most intricate system of forti- fications between Chancellorsville and United States Ford, whilst the 2d Corps lay quietly in their front awaiting results near Fredericksburg and the arrival of other troops. During this period, Johnson's Division was temporarily placed under the command of General Rodes. Preparations were made for an attack early on the morning of the 6th, when it was ascer- tained that the enemy had withdrawn under cover of night, and were safe across the river. Rodes returned to his old camp near Grace Church. General Jackson on his death-bed had spoken in high praise of him, and requested his promotion to the rank of major-gen- eral. This promotion was now made, and dated May 2, the day on which he had so gallantly won it. On the 6th, the corps, now consisting of Early's, Johnson's, and Rodes's Divisions, under command of General Ewell, moved out of camp en route for the Valley. Rodes was de- layed on the 9th, near Brandy Station, to support our cavalry, who were heavily engaged. Without coming to blows he proceeded as far as Front Royal, where he was detached, and so continued up to the battle of Gettysburg. Turning to the 448 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. right by Berryville, which he captured on the I2th, with sev- eral hundred prisoners, he pushed on to Martinsburg, which he hkewise captured on the 14th, with a few cannon and very large supplies. On the 15th he crossed the Potomac at Wil- liamsport, his division, as in the former campaign, being the first to touch the soil of Maryland, After a few days' delay at Hagerstown, where our troops were always received with great joy and hospitality, he pro- ceeded, on the 23d, to Greencastle, Pennsylvania, and thence via Chambersburg to Carlisle, where he arrived on the 27th, and established his quarters in the United States cavalry barracks. In this entire march through the enemy's country the most scrupulous care was taken to commit no depreda- tions. All supplies were procured through the quartermaster and commissary departments, and even the fences were pro- tected with a care that had never been exhibited in Virginia. At Carlisle the Confederate flag was raised to the masthead of the barracks amid patriotic speeches from General Rodes, Trimble, and others. On the morning of the 30th, when on the road to Harrisburg, distant about twenty miles, orders were received for the army to concentrate near Cashtown, a small village about six miles northwest from Gettysburg. It was always a source of regret to General Rodes that he was thus debarred from occupying the capital of Pennsylvania, which lay defenseless at his feet; but, promptly obeying orders, he turned his back on Carlisle, leaving the barracks undisturbed as he found them. They were subsequently burned by Stuart. Whilst passing the village of Middletown, five miles north of Gettysburg, on the morning of July i, the booming of artillery from the latter direction arrested his march. Turning short to the left, he at once proceeded in the direction of the sound, and soon came up with Heth's Division of A. P. Hill's Corps, which was heavily engaged with the advance Federal column. Forming line at once, he dashed into the conflict on Heth's left, and relieved him from pressure. Daniel's Brigade, in full charge, came upon a railroad cut of great depth ; but, filing in splen- ROBERT E. RODES. 44^ did style to the point of grade, it again came to the front, and drove the enemy back. Iverson's Brigade, less skillfully han- dled, encountered severe losses. In riding along the line, the writer saw what he thought was a regiment lying down in a sunken road. It proved to be a line of men of the latter bri- gade who had fallen dead in their tracks. The fight was fiercely waged until the opportune arrival of Early's Division from York, which struck the exposed right flank of the Federals. At this moment Rodes made a vigorous forward movement with his entire command, and the enemy gave way in every direction, rushing through the town of Gettysburg to the heights beyond in great disorder, leaving five thousand pris- oners in the hands of General Evvell. General Lee, who had come on the field, was an eye-witness of this charge, and sent Rodes a complimentary message in regard to it. During the two following days his division occupied the town of Gettysburg, extending out on the Mil- lerstown road. It participated in two or three demonstrations against Cemetery Hill, but was not seriously engaged. On the 4th it moved back to Seminary Ridge, and on the morn- ing of the 5th commenced the retreat, bringing up the rear on the Fairfield road. There was but little molestation by the enemy, and Hagerstown was reached on the 7th. Here line of battle was again formed, and maintained until the evening of the 13th, when, Meade not having dared to attack, the Potomac was recrossed, Rodes's Division fording a mile above Williamsport, with a drenching rain, mud knee-deep, and water to the arm-pits. Resting until the 23d, the march was resumed via Front Royal, when a demonstration of the enemy through Manassas Gap was repulsed by the division. Proceeding by Thornton's Gap and Madison Court-House, on the 3d of August Orange Court-House was reached, and the wearied troops were at length allowed a lengthened rest. The camp at this place was rendered very agreeable by the hospitality of the com- munity, by the presence of many ladies, and by the splendid reviews under the eyes of the commanding general. On 29 450 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. September 14, the division was called to Summerville Ford, on the Rapidan, by a threatened crossing of the enemy, and subsequently was posted at Martin's Ford. On October 8, General Lee started on his well-known flank movement against Meade, Rodes moved by Orange Court- House and Madison Court-House, and on the 12th struck the Federal cavalry near Jeffersonton, and drove them in confusion across the Rappahannock at the Warrenton Springs. After some skirmishing near Auburn on the 14th, the division was engaged until the 19th in destroying the Orange and Alex- andria Railroad, when it recrossed the Rappahannock and went into quarters at Kelly's Ford. From this it was rudely disturbed on November 7 by a sudden forward movement by Meade, and suffered some loss in resisting his passage of the river. Falling back behind the Rapidan, Rodes again took post at Martin's Ford on the 9th. Here he remained until the 27th, when Meade, by way of retaliation, crossed his army at Germanna, some miles below, to make a flank attack on Gen- eral Lee. The determined front with which he was met at Mine Run induced him to abandon the enterprise, and on the night of the 30th he repassed the Rapidan, Rodes following the retreating army next morning as far as Germanna and picking up some prisoners. Returning to Martin's Ford on December 2, he shortly after went into winter quarters on the Plank Road, six miles below Orange Court-House, leaving a brigade to picket the ford. In February, General Rodes was ordered to Hanover Junc- tion with two brigades, in anticipation of a raid upon Rich- mond, but returned in two weeks, leaving Johnson's (formerly Iverson's) Brigade behind. This brigade, thus detached, never rejoined him, but was subsequently, with the remnants of John- son's Division, made into a division for General J. B. Gordon. On February 29 a movement of the enemy towards Char- lottesville again called him from camp, and his division, with others, marched to Madison Court-House through a blinding snow. The enterprise being abandoned, he returned to camp on March i, but on the 3d was pushed down the Plank Road ROBERT E. RODES. 45 I in the vain hope of intercepting Kilpatrick on his return from the celebrated Dahlgren raid on Richmond. With the exception of the interruptions mentioned, the winter passed quietly, rendered very agreeable to General RoDES and his military family by the presence in camp of Mrs. Rodes and, occasionally, of other ladies. There was little cause or occasion for festivity in the Southern Confed- eracy ; but the quiet pleasure of those winter evenings will long be remembered by those who had the opportunity of enjoying them. This agreeable existence was abruptly broken on the morn- ing of May 4, 1864, when that eventful campaign was opened which only closed on the 9th of April, 1865, at Appomattox Court-House. Rodes's Division, now composed of Daniel's, Doles's, Ramseur's, and Battle's Brigades, was destined to bear a most important part in those memorable events. Attached to Ewell's Corps, afterwards Early's, it was engaged in more than forty actions of more or less importance, and marched some two thousand miles, before it surrendered its handful of muskets to General Grant. On the very morning of that 9th of April, full of spirit and courage, it drove back Sheridan's cavalry more than a mile and captured several guns before it laid down its arms at the dictate of its broken-hearted and beloved commander-in-chief. It commenced the campaign with an aggregate of 6987 present for duty (of those who go into action). On the ist day of November following, it had lost in killed, 1066; wounded, 2677; missing, 2665; making a total of 6408. Included in this number were i major-general, 4 brigadiers, 52 field and staff officers, and 363 company officers. It was then commanded by a major-general who was colonel of a regiment on the 4th of May. This fearful record, which is official, would appear to leave no division at all; but it must be remembered that it was constantly recruited by the return of sick and wounded. I say nothing of its casualties from November to April, 1865, but my impression is that it num- bered in all about seven hundred men when it surrendered. I have nothing to verify this latter statement. 452 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. It being known on the morning of May 4 that Grant was crossing his army at Germanna and Ely's Fords, Ewell at once moved down the old turnpike, camping that night near Lo- cust Grove. Moving forward the next morning, the skirmish- ers of Warren's Corps were soon encountered. About noon the enemy attacked in force. The brigade of Malone, of Johnson's Division, was entirely routed and its commander killed. At this moment Daniel's and Dole's Brigades arrived on the ground, and were instantly formed by General Rodes on the right of the turnpike. They dashed forward with great impetuosity against the exultant Federals, driving them back in disorder and capturing two guns. The rest of the division was soon in line, and the conflict became general, resulting in checking the enemy everywhere, and in capturing several prisoners. Hasty rifle-pits were now constructed on the line held by our troops, and in this position they remained until the night of the 7th, when a general movement was made to the right. On the 8th, the division reached the neighbor- hood of Spottsylvania Court-House, about sunset, and was at once put into action, driving back the Federals a short dis- tance until darkness intervened. Drawing back from the woods, the men immediately commenced intrenching where they lay on their arms, Johnson connecting with Rodes's right. The line thus accidentally adopted became afterwards the cause of great disasters; it formed a prominent salient in Dole's front, and a far worse one on the line of Johnson's Di- vision. On the loth, Dole's salient was carried, late in the evening, by a sudden assault. Battle's and Gordon's Brigades were hurried up, and by night the enemy were driven out and the line re-established. General Lee and his staff were present on this occasion, and the latter were conspicuous in the melee. The division met with a severe loss in this affair. General Junius Daniel, one of the most accomplished officers in the service, fell pierced through the bowels by a ball, and Cap- tain Hutchinson, a gallant aid of Rodes, was shot through the head. On the morning of May 12 occurred the memorable assault ROBERT E. RODES. 453 on Johnson's salient, which resulted in his capture, the almost annihilation of his command, and the penetration of the enemy- far inside the Confederate line. The steady, unflinching move- ment of Ramseur's Brigade that morning, in which he inch by inch drove the enemy back into the captured salient, can never be forgotten by any one who saw it. Troops were hurried from all directions to sustain Rodes, upon whom fell the task of checking, and holding in check, the living torrent that threatened to disrupt the army. All were reported to him and were put into action by him. In the mean time Gor- don was actively employed in entrenching a new line in the rear, to which it became Rodes's delicate and responsible po- sition to withdraw all the troops in front. Throughout that long and anxious day and night the enemy maintained a line of battle fire, so fierce and so continuous that a white-oak tree more than twelve inches in diameter was literally cut in two by bullets. This was seen by the writer at the time. Re- peated efforts were made to drive them out of the salient and rescue the lost guns, and hundreds of lives were lost in the vain attempt. About 2 a.m. on the 13th, amidst the cease- less fire of the enemy, and torrents of rain, our ground cut into a hundred trenches and covered with the bodies of dead and dying men, accompanied by impenetrable darkness, the ex- hausted troops were withdrawn to the interior line, and drew a long breath of relief after twenty-four hours of unceasing combat. The coolness, judgment, and skill with which the operations of this most trying day were managed by General RoDES were the subject of universal commendation. On the 19th, his division, now moved to the extreme left of the army, made, in connection with Gordon's Division, a flank attack, which came very near resulting in a serious disaster, but ended in nothing of consequence. On the 21st, he started for Hanover Junction, which place he reached on the 22d, and established his line on Doswcll's Farm. This line was main- tained, with some heavy skirmishing, until the 27th, when the movement to the right was renewed. From the day that winter quarters were abandoned until Hanover Junction was 454 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. reached, not even the division commander had seen a wagon or tent, so incessant was the demand upon all the army. Camping at Hundley's Corner on the 28th, on the 30th a heavy attack was made by the corps, now under the command of Early, near Bethesda Church. The loss was heavy, but the enemy was not dislodged. On June 2, a more serious attack was made near the same point, with no better success. In this attack the artillery suffered very severely, and Rodes lost a valuable and gallant officer in Brigadier-General Doles. The fight was renewed on the 3d of June with like result. On the 6th another demonstration was made against the enemy's right flank, but it was found to be withdrawn. At 2 A.M. of the 13th, Early started from Lee's army to throw his corps across the path of Hunter, who, after defeat- ing General Jones in the Valley, was pushing for Lynchburg by way of Lexington. Reaching Lynchburg, a distance of one hundred and forty miles, on the i8th, Hunter was found in front of the city, opposed by Breckinridge, with a small force. The arrival of Early caused him to beat a hasty retreat that night, hotly pursued as far as the Gap beyond Salem. Turning from Hunter, who was now thrown entirely out of the range of operations, the corps, once more united with its train, started on the 23d for Maryland. On the night of July 4, Rodes occupied Harper's Ferry, which had been evacuated by the enemy, capturing commissary and ordnance military stores in abundance. Crossing the Potomac on the 6th, he reached Frederick City on the morning of the 9th, and held the left flank of the army at the battle of Monocacy, in which Wallace was defeated. At i^ p.m. of the iith, his division, being in the advance, struck the fortifications at Wash- ington City. Throwing forward his skirmish line, which soon became warmly engaged, he deployed his troops and felt the works at several points. They were found to be very strong and apparently well defended. It is needless here to discuss the vexed question whether Washington could have been cap- tured or not. General Rodes was decidedly of opinion that it could not, and that opinion has been clearly vindicated since ROBERT E. RODES. 455 by General Early. The 12th was occupied as the day before, in heavy skirmishing, in which his division lost not less than five hundred men. During this time Rodes made his head- quarters near the Blair House, and used every effort to prevent plundering. He recovered several articles of silver, and other valuables, that had been appropriated by stragglers, and de- posited them with a lady residing in the neighborhood, to be restored to the Blair family. On the 14th the Potomac was re-crossed near Leesburg, and, after a slight affair with the enemy's cavalry, the Shenan- doah was crossed on the 17th, and the division camped near Castleman's Ferry. On the 1 8th the enemy threw a large force across the river at this point, which was promptly met by Rodes, who drove them back with very great slaughter. Large numbers of them were forced into the water, and drowned in endeavoring to make their way across. This engagement, of which very little has been known or said, was the most severe and bloody, for the numbers engaged, that occurred during the Valley campaign. The army moved back on the 21st to Fisher's Hill, whence, on the 24th, it was launched against Crook at Kernstown, routing him completely. Notwithstand- ing the severe march of the morning, Rodes pursued the flying troops as far as Stevenson's Depot, six miles beyond Winchester. From this period to August 17, the history of Rodes's command consists of a series of marches and coun- termarches, — one day in Maryland, the next in Virginia, — engaged with Averill's Cavalry perpetually, with occasional exercise in destroying the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Some idea may be formed of the active life it led when it is stated that, during the summer campaign, it was in camp six times at Fisher's Hill, and that Rodes pitched his tent nine different times in identically the same spot at Bunker Hill. On August 17, Early, having been reinforced by Ander- son, moved forward from Fisher's Hill against the enemy, now under command of Sheridan, who fell back before him 456 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. towards Harper's Ferry. Rodes was slightly engaged at Winchester on that day, and quite actively witli the cavalry on the 2 1st, near Charlestovvn. On the 24th, Sheridan sent his cavalry around towards Early's rear, to cut his communi- cations. Rodes encountered them near Kearneysville, and they were driven across the Potomac. On this occasion he lost an esteemed friend and aid, Lieutenant Arrington, whose thigh was broken by a rifle-ball, — an injury which subse- quently caused his death. The following month was em- ployed in his accustomed occupation of marching backwards and forwards against Averill's Cavalry, which was uncom- monly active and bold. The 1 8th found Rodes encamped at Stevenson's Depot, six miles beyond Winchester, on the Martinsburg road. On the morning of the 19th Sheridan was announced to be advanc- ing, and RoDES's Division was hurried towards Winchester, to support Ramseur, who had met the shock alone. When he arrived upon the field, Gordon's Division, which had pre- ceded him, had been forced to give ground before the enemy, who were pushing forward to capture Colonel Braxton's eight guns, that gallantly stood their ground in the open field. The moment was critical. His own old Alabama Brigade, under General Battle, was in advance of his column. De- ploying at once in rear of the artillery, it swept forward, car- rying everything before it. General Early is reported to have said — as it might have been said with truth — that this splen- did charge saved his army that morning. Gordon's men rallied at once ; the rest of Rodes's Division formed on Bat- tle's right, and the whole line moved forward, the enemy giving way before it. At this instant, in the full flush of suc- cess, cheering his men on to victory, Rodes was struck in the head by a musket-ball, and fell from his horse, never to rise or speak again. From that moment fortune seemed to desert the army of the Valley. The sun of Winchester set in gloom and defeat, and never rose again to victory. It may well be left to the verdict of history to estimate General Rodes's merits as a soldier. It is certain that he was ROBERT E. ROBES. 457 equal to every position he was called upon to fill. Those that knew him best deemed him worthy of high command. His thousands of surviving soldiers can testify to the sleepless vigilance that ever extended its protecting care over their slumbers ; to the untiring energy that provided for their wants, and to the solicitude which attended to their personal comfort. All can attest his firmness tempered with kindness, and his lofty courage unhappily too little tempered with pru- dence. For myself, I can speak of the man not less than of the soldier. It was my fortune to have had the most intimate and confidential relations with him during the greater part of the war. I shared his blanket and, I believe, his heart. Upright, truthful, just, stern in the discharge of duty and in exacting it of others, but soft and genial in his hours of ease and relaxation, he was universally beloved. For some months previous to his death he wrote much and earnestly to his wife of his soul's salvation, and said that he had a faint hope that God had forgiven him. Amid the pack- age of papers and maps found on his person, were two earnest prayers printed on cards. He left a son about a year old, and a daughter was born to his wife some months after his death. It is not my province to speak of the immeasurable loss which they sustained in the death of this tender husband and father, but even their grief was scarcely greater than that of him who pens this hasty and inadequate tribute to his memory. Major Green Peyton. 458 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. ARTHUR L. ROGERS, OF- LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; MAJOR, ARTILLERY, C. S. A. Arthur Lee Rogers, the second son of General Asa Rogers, was born at Middleburg, in the county of Loudoun, on the 2 1st of October, 1831. He showed in early childhood marks of genius, and made rapid progress in his studies. After passing through the schools at home, he was placed under the instruction of the celebrated Benjamin Hallowell, of Alexandria, by whom he was well prepared to enter the Virginia Military Institute, where he desired to complete his education. He entered upon his studies there with great zeal, and became a great favorite with General Smith, the superin- tendent, for whom he entertained the highest respect. But, always rather delicate in his frame, his health gave way under the active physical and mental duties of the Institute, he was reluctantly obliged to abandon his purpose, and returned to his home. As soon as his health was sufficiently restored, he was placed in the clerk's office of the County Court of Loudoun, with a view to the study of the law. Here he soon acquired a large acquaintance with the duties of that office. From there he went to Alexandria, and studied law in the office of Francis L. Smith, Esq., from whence he went to the Univer- sity of Virginia, where he graduated with distinction, and in 1856 he came to the bar, practicing in Loudoun and the neigh- boring counties. In 1859 he was married to Miss Charlotte, youngest daughter of General George Rust, of Exeter, in Loudoun. When the late struggle was threatened, he espoused with great enthusiasm " the cause of the South," and resolved to devote his energies, and, if required, his life, in defense of her rights, and raised in his native county a fine company of vol- unteer artillery, well known afterwards as the " Loudoun Bat- ARTHUR L. ROGERS. 459 tery." He was unanimously elected to the command, and proceeded at once to Richmond, and tendered to Governor Letcher the services of his company. They took a conspicu- ous part in the first battle of Manassas, where his battery was distinguished for gallantry in a desperate fight with Sher- man's famous battery, at " the Bridge," where the enemy was cut up and repulsed. His battery and that of Captain Strib- ling were so reduced by losses that they were consolidated, and, " for gallantry on the field," he was promoted to the ofifice of major of artillery. It is not the purpose of the writer, in this sketch, to go into any extended detail of the military services of Major Rogers, but it is deemed proper to say that, at the battle of the Wil- derness, while serving as volunteer aid on the staff of his favorite commander, "Stonewall" Jackson, his arm was shat- tered by a shell, and he fell near his chief and near the same moment when the general was mortally wounded. He was brought to Richmond, and taken to the hospitable mansion of the late Dr. Beverley Wellford, where all that kindness and medical skill could afford were administered to him. His arm was saved, but never of much use, and from the effects of the wound he never recovered, having declared to the time of his death that he never enjoyed a good night's rest after the wound. As soon as he was able, he was removed to Lexington, where his wife and children were staying. Taking the deepest interest in the success of our arms, before he was really fit for service he reported at Richmond, and was assigned to duty at Chafin's Bluff. He remained in the army till the close of the war, when he returned to Loudoun, purchased his father's old home, and resumed the practice of the law. But his nervous system was so shattered by his wound, that he was advised by Dr. Smith, of Baltimore, and other eminent physicians, to keep out of his office, take active exercise in the open air, and avoid sedentary life and study. He then formed the plan of cultivating the vine and choice fruits. He addressed himself actively to this work, and planted a vineyard, and an 460 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. orchard of choice fruit-trees, the former of which is now quite a success. When the Confederate Congress resolved to have a new national flag, Major Rogers presented to the committee his design, which, in competition with a great number of others, was unanimously adopted by Congress. He always took a lively interest in the public affairs of the country, and, highly gifted as a chaste and vigorous writer, he frequently contributed articles for the press. In the last year of his life he wrote a series of articles over the signature of "Junius " against the " usury clause " in the new Constitu- tion (lately repealed by vote of the people), which were exten- sively read and copied, and marked by signal ability. He did his country "some service," too, in causing, by his energy and enterprise, the construction of a valuable turnpike con- necting his county with the Manassas Gap Railroad, — a mon- ument, though small, to his public spirit. Few men were more genial, bright, and hospitable, and better adapted to social life. Brave and generous, tender and kind-hearted, he was always a welcome guest with his friends. Patriotic and public-spirited, he was ever ready to serve his country. Trained by a pious mother, the principles of moral- ity and Christianity were early implanted in his bosom, and in the fall of 1864 he and his wife were confirmed in the Episco- pal Church in Lexington. He died at his home on the 13th of September, 1871. Cut off in the prime of manhood, his memory, for all those qualities of head and heart for which he was so eminent, will long be cherished by his numerous surviving kindred and friends. JAMES R. SCALES. 46 1 JAMES R. SCALES, OF PATRICK COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; CAPTAIN, COMPANY "H," 54TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. James Robert Scales was born in Patrick County, Vir- ginia, on the 23d of August, 1842. He was the son of Absa- lom and Eliza Carter Scales, and was descended from an old and influential family, of which several members served in some capacity or other in the Confederate army, one com- manding a brigade of North Carolina troops in the "Army of Northern Virginia," while others were field, line, or staff officers. Receiving his preliminary education at Germantown, North Carolina, and at Dr. Wilson's preparatory school for the Uni- versity of North Carolina, at Melville, Alamance County, he was appointed and reported for duty as a cadet of the Vir- ginia Military Institute in July, i860. Pursuing his studies until the following April, he went with the corps to Rich- mond, and remained there in the discharge of his duty, drill- ing recruits, until the middle of July, when the corps was disbanded. Subsequently Cadet Scales was induced by Judge W. R. Staples to go to Southwest Virginia and assist in pre- paring the 54th Virginia Infantry for the field. When he had completed this work, and the 54th was ordered into active service, a lieutenancy in the regiment was proffered him ; but he declined, and, returning to his native county, he soon enlisted as a private in Captain (afterwards Colonel) Penn's company of the 42d Virginia Infantry. He served with this command in the battles of Port Republic and McDowell, and also in the numerous skirmishes and combats that occurred in the Valley during the spring and summer of 1862. At the reorganization of the army in May, 1862, he was elected first lieutenant of Company " H," 54th Virginia, but was unable to report for duty until late in the following July. 462 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. His regiment, forming a portion of Marshall's Brigade, went with it into Kentucky in September, 1862, at the time Gen- eral Bragg invaded that State with the Army of Tennessee. Returning to Virginia in November following, after having marched over eight hundred miles, Lieutenant Scales's regi- ment was ordered to Richmond in December, and about the 1st of January, 1863, was assigned to Brigadier-General Pryor, commanding forces on the Blackwater. While here, the battle of " Kelly's Farm," near Suffolk, occurred, in which the 54th took conspicuous part. In March, 1863, the regiment went again to the department of East Tennessee, arriving at Knox- ville early in April, and remained in that vicinity during a greater part of the summer, occasionally repelling raids. Was also at Tullahoma when it was evacuated by the Army of Tennessee. In August, 1863, the forces occupying the Department of East Tennessee were organized into a corps, and placed under the command of General S. B. Buckner. From this time the 54th Virginia became a part of the Army of Tennessee. At the battle of Chickamauga, Lieutenant Scales distin- guished himself by conspicuous gallantry. He was at that time acting adjutant of his regiment, and continued to do so until the following November, when, upon the resignation of his captain, he was promoted captain of Company " H," 54th Virginia Infantry. This position he held until the close of the war. Captain Scales was present at the battle of Missionary Ridge, and bore a conspicuous and gallant part in trying to avert the disaster of that day, and afterwards in covering the retreat to Dalton, Georgia. At the reorganization of the army, by General Johnston, in the spring of 1864, the 54th Virginia was thrown into Hood's Corps. The retrograde from Dalton to Atlanta was almost one continued battle. The 54th Virginia lost heavily both at Resaca and New Hope Church. In all the series of engage- ments in which Captain Scales participated during this cam- paign, his comrades attest that he bore himself as a true and WILLIAM B. SELDEN. 463 brave soldier. Taking part in the arduous and disastrous campaign made by General Hood into Tennessee during the winter of 1864-65, he was taken sick, and received a furlough at Tupelo, Mississippi, in February, 1865. For four long years he had been a brave and faithful soldier, uncomplaining mid the heat of summer and cold of winter, unflinching in the storm of battle and the weariness of the march, and now, when rest, bitter as it was, was coming to his worn-out com- rades, he falls a prey to the insidious attack of disease. Soon after he reached his home he became a confirmed invalid, phthisis pulmonalis of an exaggerated character having been induced by the hardships and exposure he had undergone. Lingering until the 9th of November, 1866, he died, aged tv^enty-four years. From boyhood his distinguishing traits were independence in thought and action, being always governed by a high sense of honor in his intercourse with his fellow-men. Captain Scales was always a favorite with his comrades-in- arms, and had the unlimited confidence of his superior officers. WILLIAM B. SELDEN, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA ; FIRST LIEUTENANT, ARTILLERY, P. A. C. S. IN MEMORIAM. BY DR. SAMUEL SELDEN. I. I would that I a fitting wreath could twine, Or from my cypressed lyre could wake a strain, Worthy of thee whom in our hearts we shrine, The first among thy ancient city's slain ! Although thy sun ere noon in darkness set. In night whose shadows deepen with the years, A rosy light, thy memory lingers yet. Thy name yet dims fond household eyes with tears. With wing to dare and win the noblest height, A lofty spirit, blending strength with grace, 464 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Stricken while soaring in thy sunward flight ; In life's Olympic foremost in the race, Smitten, alas ! the goal and crown in sight, The flush of victory upon thy face ! II. The gilded chronicles of old Romance A nobler type of manhood do not yield ; A braver, truer knight ne'er clasped a shield, Or poised and shivered in crusade a lance. Though dark the Providence which laid thee low, Ere yet thy panoply was fairly on, Which smote thee with most unexpected blow. Thy knighthood's golden spurs were grandly won ! When battle marred thy visage, sealed thine eyes, And stilled fore'er thy young and dauntless heart. We bowed all dumb before Heaven's mysteries ; But standing by thy grave, the tears will start. As through our brain rush tender memories Of what thou wast, and what, alas ! thou art ! The name of Selden is familiar to the student of the annals of the Colony and Commonwealth of Virginia. The family- settled on the Peninsula in the seventeenth century, and to this day the virtues, worth, and learning of Parson Selden are tradi- tionally recalled in Hampton, of which parish he was rector. The subject of this memoir, William Boswell Selden, im- mediately descended from the churchman we have mentioned, was the son of Dr. William Selden, of Norfolk, in which city he was born on the 27th of June, 1837. In person he was .about five feet eight inches in height, of a slender but com- pact figure. His features were aquiline, his complexion dark^ his eyes and hair black, his brow cut as with a chisel, and his face full of power and acuteness. And young as he was at the date of his death, it was impossible to observe him without re- alizing the fact that he was a man of great force of character, earnestness of purpose, and vigor of understanding. His early instruction was received at the Norfolk Military Academy, from the lamented Strange, under whom he acquired consid- erable proficiency in French, Latin, and mathematics. In WILLIAM B. SELDEN. 465 1853 he matriculated in the Virginia Military Institute, where he was graduated in 1856 with considerable distinction, taking the second place in mathematics in a class of high standing and fine attainments. On leaving Lexington, at the age of twenty, he decided to devote himself to the profession of en- gineering, for which his proficiency in mathematics and draw- ing gave him a special fitness. His first service in this pursuit was under Colonel Trimble, of Maryland, afterwards a distin- guished general in the Confederate Army. This was of brief duration, but short as his association with Colonel Trimble was, he returned from his surveying expedition with the most flattering testimonials as to his intelligence and assiduity in the discharge of duty from the chief of his party, with whom it was his fortune, a few years later, to be brought in contact on a strangely different theatre of action. His second professional employment, which was of a tempo- rary nature, on the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad, again brought him in contact with a man destined to play a con- spicuous part on the stage where the young engineer himself appeared for a brief season in the attitude of a hero. In 1857 he obtained a position under Colonel Walker, on a public im- provement in Missouri, where he remained until the comple- tion of the work on which he was engaged. On the dissolu- tion of his party he returned home a second time, improved in health, enlarged in professional attainments, and indorsed by high encomiums from the distinguished engineer under whom he had served for a period of two years in the trans- Mis- sissippi. His next employment was in locating the Western North Carolina Road, as assistant engineer, under Mr. Turner. For more than a year he was occupied on this work, which penetrates a wild and beautiful region, not inappropriately called the " Switzerland of America." During the greater part of this period he lived in the bivouac, and though natu- rally of a delicate constitution, the active exercise he took, and the pure atmosphere he breathed, gave an uncommon degree of vigor to his slender figure, and a bodily health which defied exposure. By this time the storm which soon broke on the 466 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. country with such disastrous fury had fairly gathered in the sky, and attracted his notice. How intelligent this was is shown by his letters, written at that time, in which he pointed out the admirable training which he was then undergoing to fit him for the life of a soldier, which he adorned for a brief space, and from which he was snatched in the midst of actions of self-sacrificing valor. From this field of duty, which his penetrating mind had rightly foreseen was to prepare him for other work than that of his peaceful profession, he returned to Norfolk. This was in the winter of 1 860-61, and he remained under the paternal roof until President Lincoln published his memorable proclamation, which was practically a declaration of war between the two alienated sections of the country. This event found the subject of this sketch a man in age, sin- gularly well qualified for the profession of arms, to which he determined at once to devote himself as an act of duty. His education and pursuits had fitted him fully in body and mind for his new sphere of action. He was strong and active, though slender; his mind was well cultivated, enlarged by study, and instructed in the minute details of military life. He knew how to obey with dignity, and understood the art of ex- acting obedience without tyranny. His character was marked in its energy and devotion to duty, and under his modest ex- terior, rendered still more attractive by his truth and candor, he concealed the fires of an ardent temper and a knightly courage, which latter qualities shone out with a fatal splendor at Roanoke Island, where he fell. Add to these acquirements of education, and qualities of mind and character, habits of irreproachable morality, and we have before us the portrait of a man prepared for a large share in affairs, whether amid the vicissitudes of war or the routine of peace. Three days after the proclamation of President Lincoln appeared, he was actively engaged -in the capture of the naval magazine and the removal of its valuable munitions. This was the begin- ning of hostilities at Norfolk, and immediately thereafter Gen- eral William B. Taliaferro, afterwards a distinguished officer under the lamented Jackson, took command of the forces at WILLIAM B. SELDEN, 467 that place. The retirement of the expedition under Commo- dore Paulding, after the destruction of the navy-yard, was the signal for active defensive preparations on the part of the mili- tary authorities of the State, and Colonel Andrew Talcott was assigned to the duty of fortifying Norfolk. To him young Selden reported, and was ordered to erect a work at Fort Nelson, more commonly known as the Naval Hospital. Soon after this he was placed in charge of Fort Norfolk also, with the temporary rank of first lieutenant of engineers, under General Walter Gwyn, who had been placed in command of the department by the Government of Virginia. Lieutenant Selden then applied to the authorities at Richmond for a com- mission in the engineer corps, and with characteristic modesty aspired only to have his provisional rank confirmed, though his friends were justly of opinion that his attainments war- ranted his application for a higher grade. His commission when sent to him was that of second lieutenant, and although hurt at this disregard of his claims, which had been mod- estly put, he preferred to remain silent and achieve rank, rather than resort to family influence or political aid. When General Lee visited Norfolk, in the early summer of 1 861, on a tour of inspection, he directed a work to be thrown up be- tween the head-waters of Tanner's and Broad Creeks to cover the approach to the city from the east. To this duty Lieu- tenant Selden was assigned. He surveyed the ground with great dispatch, and prepared his plan of a field-work, which on being examined in Richmond by the engineer-in-chief, was approved, and returned without alteration. The erection of this work, two miles in extent, occupied him during the sum- mer, and when completed received the special approval of Gen- eral Huger, then in command, and that also of his old friend Colonel Trimble, chief engineer of the department, whom he there met on the new theatre to which they had both been transferred by the changed aspect of affairs in the country. Nor in the melancholy progress of events was other tes- timony to Seluen's skill wanting. When General Wool marched through the formidable work of which we speak to 468 JNSTITUTE MEMORIAL. take possession of Norfolk, after its evacuation in May, 1862, he surveyed it with professional approval, and was heard to declare that, with five thousand troops, it could be held against an army fifty thousand strong. This fact, added to those previously mentioned, shows that we have not indulged the language of conventional praise in speaking of the skill displayed by Lieutenant Selden as an officer of engineers. But, returning to our narrative, we resume it at a point which still further illustrates the justice of our criticism. Shortly after the inspection of this work, Colonel Trimble was pro- moted brigadier, and assigned to more active duty. He immediately applied for Lieutenant SeLden as engineer on his personal staff, but the War Department referring the application to General Huger, that officer refused to concur in the request, and the ambition of the young soldier was thwarted by the appreciation of his commander. Roanoke Island having become an object of some solicitude. Lieu- tenant Selden was sent to that post, with instructions to complete the very imperfect works by which it was defended. Here, as the successor to several engineer officers who had preceded him, he found himself in a field full of the most serious difficulties. The importance of the position seemed to be unknown in Richmond, though earnest representations of its value and exposed condition, from the inhabitants of Eastern North Carolina, at last compelled attention to its state. The force holding the island was never adequate in drill, discipline, armament, works, or munitions to the respon- sibility devolved on it ; and here, in a full appreciation of these facts, Lieutenant Selden went manfully to work. He was surrounded by the most depressing circumstances. He iacked everything necessary to the execution of his task save skill and energy, but these could not create implements, nor impress the Department with the importance of the position. But, with such means as he could command, he labored to complete the defenses of the position, — with what result, in part, the resistance of Fort Barton to the enemy's entire squadron can best answer. It was while engaged in this task WILLIAM B. SELDEN. 469 that he received from the Confederate Government his com- mission of first lieutenant of artillery, with assignment to duty as an engineer. In letters written at this period, he expressed confidence that his water batteries, with proper armaments and garrisons, could successfully dispute the approach of the enemy's flotilla ; but, at the same time, expressed his appre- hension that the Federals, by landing an infantry force on the south side of the island, might turn our works, and by the passage of a swamp, relied on for protection, destroy or cap- ture the Confederate force, which had no means of retreat from its insular post in the event of a disaster. To guard against this danger, he proposed a plan for an intrenchment to connect Fort Barton with the work at the isthmus, leading through the morass, where the decisive fight really occurred ; but the commanding officer, relying on the supposed natural strength of the position, did not agree with Selden on the importance of establishing this new line of defense. The re- sult unhappily vindicated the sagacity of the engineer, and established by a serious disaster the overweening confidence of his superior. When General Wise took command of the district, he sent an engineer officer to take charge of the works, and thus relieved Selden of his painful responsibilities. He might then li^ave left the fated island, for the wretched climate and bad rations had inflicted on him the scurvy ; but, animated by patriotic earnestness of purpose and profes- sional pride, he remained to participate in the battle which was then impending. Two days before this occurred he took charge of a six-pounder bronze gun, — one of the three field- pieces with which Colonel Shaw was provided, and in that time gave his gun detachment of raw troops such instruction as they were capable of receiving. On the 7th of February, 1862, the enemy began his attack, by a furious cannonade from his fleet on Fort Barton. Tiiis work was gallantly held by Captain John S. Taylor, who afterwards fell at Sharpsburg, and Captain Benjamin P. Loyall, both of whom had served in the navy of the United States. The enemy failed to silence the fort as he had ex- 470 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. pected, and withdrew from the attack in the afternoon. That night Burnside landed some fifteen thousand men at Ashby Harbor, at the south end of Roanoke Island. At seven o'clock on the morning of the 8th they commenced their attack on the work commanding the main road, penetrating the marsh already referred to. The Confederates held this with three field guns, commanded respectively by Schermerhorn, Lover, Kenney, and Selden, supported by four companies of North Carolina troops and three of Wise's Legion. For more than four hours this handful of men held the enemy's heavy masses in check, inflicting on them losses which were never fully re- ported. Here Lieutenant Selden exchanged the calm delib- erations of the engineer for the vigorous action of the officer of the line. He fought his gun with a skill and rapidity which at every fire swelled the loss of the enemy to a more ghastly total. His service of this piece was marked by deadly precision of aim and reckless personal exposure. At eleven o'clock the youthful hero fell, shot dead on the parapet, to which he had leaped to mark the effect of the last shot ever fired by his hand, and to observe the position of the enemy. Thus, in the twinkling of an eye, a career which promised to be so splendid came to a premature and lamentable end. His was the fall of the young falcon, speared on the beak of the quarry in its first swoop! The Prologue was noble; the Tragedy sudden and severe ! Of the disaster of that day we have nothing more to add, save in recording the fact that, soon after Selden fell, the enemy verified his apprehensions, penetrating the swamp, as he had foreseen, by which move- ment the defeat of the Confederates was accomplished. The portrait we have painted of the gallant dead has been drawn with historic soberness and truth ; but if, perchance, there should be those who may think that the fancy of the artist has warmed our picture, we invite them to turn with us to the following testimonial of its fidelity. From the report of the committee of the Confederate Congress " On the Fall of Roanoke Island," we take the following extract : " Of the engineer department, Lieutenant Selden killed, who had WILLIAM B. SELDEN. 471 patriotically volunteered his services in the line, and was assigned to the command of the six-pounder, which he han- dled with so much skill as to produce immense havoc in the enemy's ranks, and to elicit the unbounded admiration of all who witnessed it. Unhappily, however, that gallant officer received a rifle-ball in the head, and he fell without a groan. The loss of the enemy was, in killed and wounded, at least nine hundred men, and the probability is, much greater," In addition to this testimonial to his conspicuous gallantry. Colonel Shaw, who afterwards fell on another field, wrote, under date of February 24, 1862, to the father of Lieutenant Selden as follows : " Dear Sir, — Circumstances beyond my control have pre- vented my addressing you at an earlier day, and giving ex- pression to my sorrow on account of the death of Lieutenant William B. Selden, your brave and noble son. On the ap- proach of the enemy, he volunteered his services to me in any way in which I could make them useful. Knowing him to be well skilled in the practice of light artillery, I assigned him to the command of a six-pound field-piece, which, from the com- mencement of the action, at seven o'clock a.m., to the moment of his fall, he handled with a skill and intrepid spirit which elicited the admiration of all who witnessed his conduct. For hours, calm and undaunted amid the storm of deadly missiles, he stood by his piece and hurled destruction among the enemies of his country, till at length the fatal ball was sped which deprived you of a son of whom you may well have been proud, and the country of a patriotic and brave soldier- I know, my dear sir, that no word which I, a stranger, can utter will be capable of alleviating the deep grief which you must feel in the loss of such a son ; but let me say, he fell in the discharge of a high and sacred duty, and, falling as he did, has inscribed his name imperishably on his country's history. " ' How sleep the brave who sink to rest By all their country's wishes blest ! 472 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Here Honor comes, a pilgrim gray, To bless the sod that wraps their clay; And Freedom shall awhile repair To dwell, a weeping hermit, there.' " Having known him well, observed his gallant bearing during the whole time he was in action, and witnessed the manner of his death, I can fully appreciate your loss, and sympathize with you and his fond mother in your sad be- reavement. With sentiments of high regard, I am, " Very respectfully, your obedient servant, "(Signed) H.M.Shaw, ^'Colonel, Zth North Carolina State Troops." If we desired simply to illustrate the superb courage which young Selden displayed on the day of his heroic fall, we might rest content with the production of the testimony of his commander ; but, in order to show more fully, and on the testimony of an officer of acknowledged ability, the peculiar force and energy of his character, we copy the following extract from a letter written by Commander Benjamin P. Loyall, Confederate States Navy, who distinguished himself in the successful defense of Fort Barton. "I was," writes this gentleman, "on the island for more than four weeks before the attack, and during that time was in intimate association with Willie, and had the satisfaction of watching the assiduity and earnestness of at least one man in the prosecution of duties burdensome and of the highest importance. This in the face of difficulties almost insurmountable. At the eleventh hour, he found that men high in office began to look to Roanoke as an important and threatened point, while he had been fruit- lessly endeavoring for a long time to accomplish all that they expected him to do in a time which rendered it impossible and absurd. The details of his work you of course are some- what aware of, and I assure you that nothing but a faithful and self-sacrificing devotion to the welfare and success of our country's cause would have made him proceed in his profes- sional work. But in spite of all disadvantages, — hampered WILLIAM B. SELDEN. 473 by stupid orders and restrictions, — he did nearly all that was done to place the island in some condition of defense. As soon as the presence of the enemy was known, and the ques- tion reduced to the arbitration of the sword, he threw aside his books, and drew his own with a will worthy of his trust and faith in our right. He offered his services to command a six-pound field-piece, which was placed in the embrasure of a small breastwork which was believed by all but Jduiscif to command the only road through a deep swamp. After a day's bombardment of a battery in which I was serving with others, I was so much interested in the land defense that I rode down to the intrenchment, and there found Willie trying to get some rest by his camp-fire while the rain poured down in torrents. It was a gloomy night, to be followed by a deadly struggle with an enemy whose force was not known. They had landed on the afternoon and during the night of Friday, the 7th of February. Yet Willie was hopeful of being able to defend the position, and conversed with me with the greatest interest about the action with the fleet, and the endurance of the battery, the most important parts of which he had himself constructed. He spoke, too, with great intelligence, of the manner in which he intended to handle his piece. I left him hopeful and con- tent, aye, eager to commence the battle. " Saying adieu to him on Saturday morning at two o'clock, my duty called me to assist in serving the heavy artillery in the battery on the Sound, but from my position I could dis- tinctly hear the attack of the enemy's infantry at 7 a.m. I can- not imagine a fiercer or more incessant fire thdn was kept up for nearly five hours, and the roar of Willie's gun was listened to by all of us with great admiration and belief that it was making great havoc in the enemy's ranks. I have been as- sured by all who saw him, that his spirited and fearless con- duct gave animation and encouragement to all around him. But the deadly fire of his gun drew upon him the fire of a thousand rifles, and about 1 1 A.m. he jumped on the banquette to observe the position of the enemy, when he was laid low, as if by a stroke of lightning, the ball entering just below the 474 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. cheek-bone and passing out behind his ear. He did not breathe a moment nor speak a word. I was told by the senior colonel [Shaw] that his death seemed the signal of defeat, for in less than thirty minutes the position was turned by the flank and a retreat ordered. On Sunday, the day after the fight, I, in company with John S. Taylor, obtained permis- sion to sfo down to the scene of action and search for Willie's body. I had a coffin made, and we had no difficulty in finding the body, which we were forced to place in the narrow box as we found it. With our own hands we dug his grave and marked it, as we preferred to have no assistance from the enemy's hands, which perhaps we might have gotten. With one accord he was pronounced the hero of the battle of Saturday, and the enemy's losses (nine hundred and ten killed, wounded, and missing) bear witness to a severe struggle. If it be a conso- lation to us to know that those who fell in this war have the patriot's death, you may feel assured that none have died more nobly than your son. I grieve at his loss, but with all my heart honor his memory. I took the precaution to cut a small lock of his hair, which I inclose to you in this. I offer my heartiest condolence and sympathy. May God sanctify to you all this your irreparable loss ! With my kindest re- gards to your family, I remain, with much respect, " Yours very truly, " (Signed) B. P. Loyall." There are other letters from which we might quote to show his steady devotion to duty, and the remarkable coolness, courage, and skill displayed by the young hero in his first and last battle. From many other sources we have collected testimony to his conspicuous gallantry, and as an evidence of the fatal accuracy of his fire, we may mention a fact narrated by one who participated in the fight. To this gentleman Selden remarked, as a Zouave regiment advanced to the charge, that he would reserve his fire until he could bring down the officer leading them, a lieutenant-colonel. This, in fact, he did, and with the fall of their commander the column ^. H. SIMPSON. 475 broke and retired. Another officer who was present declared that he considered him the bravest and coolest man he had seen during the war; and to show that this personal daring was associated with a penetrating mind, we may mention the fact that when Stonewall Jackson was ordered to Harper's Ferry, in the beginning of the war, he said to his father that he would prefer to serve under him to any other officer in the army; that he had studied him well while a cadet at the In- stitute, and that he had all the elements of character necessary to make a great and successful soldier. But broad and keen and comprehensive as his mind was, the noblest and most attractive feature in the life of young Selden was his steady, systematic, and undeviating devotion to the idea of duty. In this he resembled the great leader whose immortal name has gilded with imperishable glories the cause in defense of which William Boswell Selden laid down his life. His remains were generously restored to his family by General Burnside, and sent home in care of Dr. Cole, of the Confederate army, when all that remained of the youthful hero was deposited in the family vault at Cedar Grove Cemetery amid the tears of the community, which recognized in his person its first costly sacrifice to our fruitless struggle for independence. James Barron Hope. R. K. SIMPSON, OF WARREN COUNTY, VIRGINIA; MAJOR, 17TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Robert H. Simpson was born July 26, 1826, near Front Royal, Warren County, Virginia. He was the third son of Samuel Simpson, who spent almost half a century in the in- struction of youth, and was well known as a most successful and popular teacher. His mother was the eldest daughter of Hon. Jared Williams, who was for a number of years member of Congress from the Frederick District of Virginia. 476 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. The subject of this notice was endowed by nature with talents of no common order, and a wonderfully retentive memory. His parents were in straitened circumstances, owing to heavy losses as security for friends ; and thus an early struggle with poverty better prepared him to fight the battle of life. Even in childhood his habits were grave, serious, and correct ; his discharge of duty conscientious and complete. He attended school in Front Royal, where his diligence, strict adherence to rules, and rapid progress made him a favorite with his teachers ; while his courage, kindness of heart, and high sense of honor rendered him no less popular with his schoolmates. Some of the friendships then formed remained unbroken through life. His fondness for study was remarkable. When other children of his age were engaged in childish sports, he would generally be occupied in reading histories, biographies, travels, etc. For novels he cared but little. Each year added new treasures to this store, until he developed into one of the best informed men of his section. Another marked trait of character was his devotion to home. His local attachments were very strong, and clustered in their fullest warmth around the old family homestead. Each rock, tree, and flower there was dear to him, and in after-life he made many sacrifices to prevent its falling into the hands of strangers ; and when upon his death-bed, away from home and kindred, his heart fondly turned to the home of his birth, with a longing for one more glimpse of the blue mountain beneath whose shadow his youth had passed, and where he now sleeps beside a gallant younger brother, who fell at second Manassas. In July, 1842, he entered the Virginia Military Institute, and in 1845 graduated with distinguished honor, standing fourth in a class of twenty. His own inclinations and the wishes of his friends now pointed to the study of law, as best suited to his mind and attainments. But he felt he was needed at home : his parents were old and infirm ; his younger brothers and sisters yet to be educated; and, acting R. H. SIMPSON. A77 from this sense of duty, he banished from his mind all antici- pations of eminence in the profession he would have chosen; and, in two months after his graduation, he entered upon the arduous duties of a teacher's life, to which duties he devoted himself entirely and successfully until l86i, when new and sterner duties called him from them and from his home. The first rumor that Virginia had seceded closed his school-room, and placed him at the head of his company, the " Warren Rifles," with which, in advance of orders, he pro- ceeded to Winchester, on the morning of April 17, 1861, and there reported for duty, being among the first, if not the very first company, to enlist in Virginia's service in this hour of her trial, — a step which neither Captain Simpson or his gallant company ever regretted. Moving on to Charlestovvn, he there awaited the arrival of other companies, and with them, at dawn the following day, entered Harper's Ferry, while the fires kindled by Government employes were still burning. Soon after this he was ordered to Alexandria, in charge of certain military stores for troops at that point. Passing by his home, he and his company were enthusiasti- cally received, and presented with a beautiful flag by the ladies of Warren. The pledges there made of unswerving fidelity to the cause "now lost," were never forfeited by him- self or men. Remaining in Alexandria until its evacuation, he fell back with the other troops there stationed to Manas- sas, where his company became a part of the 17th Virginia Infantry, a regiment which subsequently earned an enviable reputation on many a hard-fought battle-field. On the 1 8th of July, 1861, Longstreet's Brigade, of which the 17th Regiment was a part, was stationed at Blackburn's Ford, on Bull Run, and fought the battle of that name. Here Captain Simpson and his company were under fire for the first time, — and though this battle was but a skirmish as compared with many fought afterwards, it demonstrated that these men had in them that sterner metal which makes the genuine soldier. Longstreet's Brigade was not actively engaged in the battle 4/8 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. of July 21, though Captain Simpson and his company had a sharp skirmish with the enemy on the west side of Bull Run. From this time until the evacuation of Manassas, Captain Simpson bore his part in the duties of army-life incident to that period of the war, and proceeded with the army under General Johnston to Yorktown. At the battle of Williams- burg, May 5, 1862, the brigade, then commanded by General A. P. Hill, bore a conspicuously gallant and effective part, in which Captain Simpson fully shared, his company losing heavily, he himself making a narrow escape, a ball striking one of the centre buttons of his coat, and glancing, passed through his clothing, inflicting a slight flesh wound upon his right breast and side. At the bloody battle of Seven Pines, Longstreet's old brigade, here commanded by General J. L. Kemper, was again in the hottest of the fight, charging over the enemy's works and through the magnificently equipped camp of Major-General Casey. Here the enemy's fire was very de- structive, ending the career of many a gallant soldier. The loss in Captain Simpson's company was again severe, and he made another narrow escape, receiving a slight flesh wound in the left arm near the shoulder. After this battle the brigade remained in camp near Richmond until General Lee inaugurated that splendid campaign which drove McClellan from the Peninsula. During it. Captain Simpson and com- pany were under fire at Gaines's Mill and Malvern Hill, but not actively engaged, except at Frasier's Farm. This battle was opened by Kemper's Brigade, without support on right or left. Charging for nearly a mile through wood and swamp, they encountered a very heavy force of infantry, lapping and extending to their rear on either flank, with twelve twelve- pound Napoleons in their immediate front. Yet, such was the impetus of this charge, that these guns were taken. But now there was poured upon this isolated brigade so terrible a con- centric fire from front, right, and left, and soon from the rear also, that it became impossible to hold them, and the brigade was forced to retire, having sustained a terrible loss. Captain i?. H. SIMPSON. 479 Simpson, with seventy other officers and men of his regiment, were captured. While this brigade was here in great part sacrificed, it was not in vain. It exhibited an example of fear- less courage, developed the enemy's position, and enabled General Lee to form his lines and achieve another brilliant victory. Captain Simpson was imprisoned at Fort Warren, where he was well treated, and exchanged just in time to assume com- mand of his company at the second battle of Manassas, where it was again his fortune to be in the thickest of that fight, and where again his loss was heavy, including a brave younger brother, a member of his company. Captain Simpson was himself severely wounded, and could not rejoin his command for some months, and hence was not present at the battles of South Mountain and Sharpsburg, where his company bore their accustomed gallant part, though that short five months' campaign from Williamsburg to Sharpsburg had reduced their numbers to three or four men and not one unwounded officer. In October, 1862, Captain Simpson was promoted major of his regiment. Colonel Corse having been promoted to a brigadier- generalship, a new brigade was formed for him, of which the 17th, his old regiment, became a part, and was attached to Pickett's Division. This division, at Fredericksburg, was in line and under fire, but not engaged. The winter of 1862 was passed in winter quarters near Guiness's Station. In the follow- ing spring it formed a part of the command under Longstreet which invested Suffolk. During this investment, Major Simp- son, in command of his regiment, had a sharp skirmish with a force of cavalry and infantry nea/ White Marsh, and partici- pated in a subsequent spirited fight between White Marsh and Dismal Swamp, where an attack of the enemy was repulsed with considerable loss. When Longstreet retired from Suffolk, Corse's Brigade acted as rear-guard. Arriving last at Richmond, it was occu- pied for a week or more, after the army had started upon its northern campaign, in watching raiding parties of the enemy between Richmond and Gordonsville. Then starting 48o INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. northward, it proceeded as far as Winchester, where it was halted to await the arrival of the army, then in retreat from Gettysburg. From Winchester General Corse was ordered eastward to occupy Manassas and Chester's Gap, in the Blue Ridge. The 17th Regiment was ordered to Manassas Gap. Moving in that direction, it encountered the enemy's cavalry in force some four miles west of this Gap, when there occurred one of the most disproportioned and spirited fights of the war, during which the enemy were driven some two miles in the direction of the Gap. In this fight Major Simpson lost his horse, but was soon remounted upon one captured from the enemy. The 17th held the enemy in check where they had been driven until next morning, when, Longstreet's Corps having passed through Chester's Gap, it was relieved by troops from another corps and rejoined its division. Soon after the division's arrival at Petersburg, General Corse's Bri- gade was ordered to Saltville to protect that point from a threatened raid of the enemy. From thence it was ordered into East Tennessee, where for a month or more it re- mained under the command of General Sam. Jones, who was in charge of that department, having occasional skirmishes with the enemy. The brigade then returned to Virginia, and, soon after arriving at Petersburg, the 17th Regiment was ordered to the Black Water line, and remained there during most of the winter, going into winter quarters at Ivor Station. In February, 1864, the regiment rejoined the brigade, which, during the winter, had been with Longstreet in Tennessee, and with it proceeded to North Carolina, and became a part of the forces there operating under General Hoke. Was present and bore its part in the investment of New Berne by that officer, previous to which, however. General Corse's command drove a force of the enemy from their camp on Bachelor's Creek, capturing a number of prisoners and large supplies. Butler's appearance between Richmond and Peters- burg put an end to this investment when everything was about ready for an attack, and caused a hasty move of General Hoke's whole command northward. During this entire period, sub- R. H. SIMPSON. 481 sequent to the fight at Manassas Gap, Major Simpson was with his command. Upon arriving in Virginia, the 17th and 30th Virginia Regiments were ordered to Ameha County to arrest the progress of General Kautz, then raiding in that direction. Two companies of the 17th Regiment were stationed at the raih'oad bridge across Flat Creek, on the Richmond and Dan- ville Road ; our company, the Warren Rifles, in command of Captain Simpson's gallant successor, Captain F. W. Lepew, at a county bridge across the same stream some four hundred yards above the railroad bridge. This stream is narrow and deep, with no ford in that locality. Major Simpson was in command of these three companies. About dawn of the fol- lowing morning, General Kautz, with his cavalry and a battery, sought to force a passage across this county bridge, which had boarded sides, and during the night had been barricaded with rails about its centre. The bluff was on the side of the enemy's approach, and down it the road had worn into a kind of gorge. General Kautz made repeated charges down this gorge and upon the bridge ; but each time thirty rifles, in the hands of Blue-Ridge mountaineers familiar with their use from childhood, poured upon him their deadly fire until, finally, he sought an exit some other way, in doing which he was met and roughly handled by General Hampton. We doubt if such disproportion in numbers existed in any other successful fight during the war. The enemy's killed, wounded, and captured numbered more men than were engaged upon the other side, though a number of that other side here fought their last fight. On the following day, this company was drawn up in front of the regiment and publicly complimented by its com- manding officer. The following Christmas brought them a more substantial compliment from the ladies of Amelia, in the shape of a bountiful supply of creature comforts for the inner man. In the enjoyment of this latter compliment Major Simpson did not live to participate. Two days after this fight, at the battle of Drewry's Bluff, where Butler was so badly whipped. Major Simpson, while in the successful charge upon the enemy's works, received a ball through his knee, fracturing 31 482 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. the bone so badly as to necessitate amputation from this wound. He died in Richmond, on the 9th of June, 1864, mourned by all who knew him. His devotion to the Confed- erate cause never wavered for a moment, and his faith in its ultimate success was undimmed at his death ; and it may have been well that he was spared the heart-burnings felt by his old company and comrades at Appomattox. Major Simpson, though dead, has left behind him an envi- able reputation. As a man, he was high-toned and honorable ; as a friend, steadfast and true; a devoted son and brother; a faithful, able, and gallant soldier, fitting up to the full stature of a genuine manhood. His life is a record of unswerving integrity, strict adherence to duty, unflinching courage, and refined affection. He died as he lived, in the performance of what he believed was right; and this very hastily-written and imperfect sketch does his memory but poor justice. Smith S. Turner. HENRY GOODRIDGE SPEED, PRIVATE, 1ST NORTH CAROLINA CAVALRY. Henry Goodridge Speed, youngest son of John Joseph, and Anna Strachan Speed, was born at Roseland, Granville County, North Carolina, August 19, 1845. He received his primary education at the " Belmont Select School," and in 1862 entered as a cadet the Virginia Military Institute. The •writer of this notice, then on his way to the Institute, met :Speed for the first time at Lynchburg, and traveled with him, and many others who were hastening to become " Rats," to Lexington. Speed was the life and soul of the party, ready and anxious for any adventure which promised fun and amuse- ,ment, and provided there was a little danger so much the better. When we arrived at Lexington, as a matter of course we be- HEXRY GOODRIDGE SPEED. 483 came legitimate prey for the old cadets ; many of whom im- agining that a residence of twelve months at the Virginia Military Institute supplied all deficiencies of mother wit, would, upon the announcement of the arrival of a new cadet, immediately proceed to his quarters to amuse themselves with his greenness. Many of those who came to Speed on this occasion for wool went away shorn. So brilliant were his repartees, and so confounded his would-be tormentors at having the tables turned upon them in this unexpected and unprecedented manner, that we, his more timid comrades, escaped with comparatively slight punishment. He became at once a universal favorite, and when, at the end of a year, he severed his connection with the Institute, there was not a man in the battalion who was not distressed at his going. After leaving Lexington, he joined the 3d Virginia Cavalry, and in the spring of 1864 was transferred to the 1st North Carolina Cavalry. On the 21st of August, 1864, in an engage- ment at Poplar Spring Church, near the Petersburg and Wel- don Railroad, he received a shrapnel-shot in his heart, and his spirit took its flight for the happy mansions prepared by a kind and merciful Father for those who die in defense of the Right and of Truth. One of his last acts is illustrative of his character; his appli- cation for leave of absence had been approved, and he was preparing to visit his friends and relations at home, when a comrade received information that his wife v/as at death's door, urging him to come at once if he would see her alive. Speed, with his usual generosity, immediately gave his furlough to his comrade, and it was whilst serving in this comrade's stead that he met his death; thus crowning a life of honor and nobility with an act of which an angel might be proud. He was recommended for promotion, but was killed before he could receive the fruits of his gallant conduct on many a hard-fought battle-field. Three bosom friends left the Virginia Military Institute together, gallant, noble, chivalrous. Charlie Haigh died lead- ing his regiment to victory at the battle of the Wilderness ; 484 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. his peer, Gardner McCance, manfully serving at his piece, sank to rise no more, and Henry Speed, whilst serving for a friend, received a bullet through his heart. Freely, cheerfully, and without a murmur, gave they their lives for what they thought the " right." "Their praises will be sung In some yet immoulded tongue, Far on in summers that we shall not see." In the veins of Henry Goodridge Speed there mingled some of the best blood of Virginia and North Carolina, and who can say that his ancestors were not honored by their descendant? Had it been the wish of his Almighty Father that he should have lived a longer life, the man would have proven worthy of the youth. Peace be to thy ashes, noble, generous Henry Speed ; no truer knight ever buckled on armor or laid lance in rest than thou ; long will it be ere the flowers of our dear Southern clime cease to bloom o'er thy grave ; and long, long will it be ere thy virtues are forgotten by thy friends. FRANCIS W. SMITH, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA ; LIEUTENANT-COLONEL OF ARTILLERY. Francis Williamson Smith, eldest child of James Marsden and Anne Walke Smith, of Norfolk, Virginia, was born in that city, November 12, 1838. His paternal grandfather, Francis Smith, Esq. (from Lancashire, England), emigrated to Maryland before the Revolution (in which struggle he sided with the colonists), and afterwards removed to Norfolk, where (in 1 799) he married Anne, daughter of James Marsden, of the Marsdens of Manchester, England. Their son, James Marsden Smith, married Anne Walke, daughter of Thomas Williamson, FRANCIS W. SMITH. 485 of Norfolk, whose father was of " The Brook," Henrico County, Virginia, and from this marriage came the subject of this notice. His childhood passed eventless in the quiet of home, not without indications, such as children give, of the quickness of mind which he afterwards showed. Of this whole home- life, we here say no more than that its atmosphere of calmness and love gave free scope to the boy's powers, and permitted his nature to develop itself freely, — a thing always of perma-. nent influence in moulding men's characters. In 1847 he entered the Norfolk Academy, where he received his prepara- tion for college. The Academy (which has played a not un- important part in the educational history of the old city) was at that time under the control of Mr. F. W. Hopkins, a man of considerable mental culture and force; but he resigning soon after, the principalship of the school passed into the hands of Mr. John B. Strange,* who was an able teacher, and had much to do with forming the youth of that generation. The cur- riculum of the academy was extensive and the instruction accurate. In mathematics (Mr. Strange's department), pupils went through with the differential and integral calculus ; in the ancient languages (under Mr. R.,B. Tschudi, since deceased), there was a thorough study of Juvenal, Tacitus, Homer, and Sophocles, according to the (somewhat defective) system then prevalent; the English branches were faithfully taught by Mr. G. W. Shepfield, assisted by Mr. (now Reverend) Robert Gatewood ; and French by a cultivated Frenchman, M. Mar- nin ; and later by M. Odendhal. The pupils were organized into a military corps, to which instruction was regularly given by Messrs. Strange and Gatewood, and which attained a creditable skill in manoeuvring. * Mr. Stranj^e, who was a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, after- wards removed to Charlottesville, and then to Gordonsville. When the war began he was made lieutenant-colonel of the 19th Virginia Regiment, became colonel in 1862, and was killed while gallantly leading his men in an engage- ment during the retreat from Maryland, 1862. Many of his old pupils and friends will join the writer in paying this tribute to him, as faithful teacher, brave soldier, and true-hearted man. 486 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Young Smith took position immediately on entering the Academy as one of its best students, and annually carried off the highest honors of the school. The examinations, held annually in February, were intended to be serious and real, and were in fact momentous occasions to the youth destined to exhibit their attainments to the admiring or pitying public. The elite of the city assembled to witness this annual trial of sons and brothers, and the failures or successes were gen- erally known and discussed. Colonel Strange was inexorable in laying bare the intel- lectual structure of his pupils, and had what they regarded as the very bad habit of calling on gentlemen in the audience without premonition to conduct the examination, — selecting, for example, one who had made his studies in Paris to ask questions in French, and the author of a work on analytical geometry to elicit the facts of that branch of mathematics from the hapless youth engaged with it. The delivery of prizes at the end of the week was neces- sarily a grand affair, the first-prize boy occupying for the time the position of senior wrangler at Cambridge, and being the hero of the occasion. This honor fell five successive years to the subject of this notice, a«id he left school in 1853 justly rewarded as one of the most brilliant boys who had ever gone from it. In July of this year he became a cadet of the Virginia Mil- itary Institute, at Lexington, and though very young (under fifteen), entered the third class without difficulty, and grad- uated (in 1856) with the first honors of the institution, his class number being 2412.4, while the cadet standing next to him received but 2096. During his last year here he was appointed an acting assistant professor. From the Institute he went to the University of Virginia (October, 1856), and graduated the first session in Greek, Latin, mathematics, and natural philosophy. The next ses- sion he took the remaining schools necessary to the degree of master of arts, and would undoubtedly have passed the degree examinations but for a severe attack of typhoid fever. FRANCIS IV. SMITH. 487 which obh'ged him to relinquish his studies. Virtually he achieved the University master's degree in two years, a per- formance the infrequency of which sufficiently attests its diffi- culty. In 1858 he went to Europe, in company with his uncle, General F. H. Smith, Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute, and, after a general tour of five months in England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, through the kindness of his friend, Hon. John Y. Mason, then Minis- ter of the United States at the Court of Paris, obtained from the French Minister of Instruction a permit to enter the en- gineering school, — L'Ecole Imperiale des Fonts et Chaussees. He had already been designated as Professor of Applied Me- chanics in the Virginia Military Institute, and these studies were entered on by way of preparation for this position. Though interrupted after he had pursued them one year, they served a purpose of which he had no thought at the time. The course of instruction in this celebrated school is one of the most thorough in the world. The session begins in November and ends in April, and during the intervening time, from April to November, students are required to travel and examine bridges, railroads, and at the opening of the session in November to lay before the board of instructors the results of their observations, each in 2i Journal dc voyage. The matter thus presented forms in part the basis of instruc- tion for the session. The number of members of the school is limited, and applicants are required to be graduates of the Polytechnic School at Paris, or to have equally good prepa- ration. Mr. Smith was examined by the instructor-general of the school on analytical geometry, calculus, mechanics, architecture, and chemistry, and would have been admitted as full member, but preferred entering as a foreigner (though he thus forfeited the right to a diploma), inasmuch as he could thus accomplish the course in two years, the ordinary time being three years. He attended the first year's course, comprising railroads, common roads, applied mechanics, bridges, mineralogy, and political economy, at the expiration 488 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. of which (1859) he was called home by a domestic affliction, and never returned to the school. On reaching Virginia he was elected Assistant Professor of Mathematics in the Military Institute of that State, and en- tered on the duties of the position, which, however, he did not retain long. The same summer he was induced to accept the Professorship of Chemistry and Mineralogy in the " State Seminary of Learning" of Louisiana, being made at the same time commandant of the corps of cadets, with the rank of major (the school being a military one).* He entered on his new duties in January, i860 (having first gone to Paris to select topographical and mathematical plaster casts), and remained till the secession of Virginia (April, 1861), when he resigned, and went first to Montgomery, Alabama, to tender his ser- vices to the Confederate Government. He resolved, however, soon after reaching Montgomery, to return to his native State, of whose forces General R. E. Lee had now been ap- pointed commander. Accordingly, the seat of government of the Confederate States having been transferred to Rich- mond, he repaired to that city, offered his services to Virginia, and received a captain's commission, with the ap- pointment of military secretary on General Lee's staff, the genefal's headquarters being then at Richmond. During this time General Beauregard made application to General Lee (in a letter dated June 20, 1861) to have Captain Francis Smith transferred to his command at Manassas, where (as he expresses it) "he might be very useful as a staff officer with me, or as a brigade inspector." General Lee did Captain Smith the honor to decline the offer, and retain him in his service. It was not until correspondence on the subject had ceased between Generals Lee and Beauregard that he knew of the attractive prospect that had been opened to him, and how narrowly he had missed sharing in the glory of the first great victory. In July of this year, having been recom- * At the same time, General W. T. Sherman was elected Principal and Pro- fessor of Engineering. When Louisiana seceded, he resigned and went to Ohio. FRANCIS W, SMITH. 489 mended for promotion by General Lee, he received from Governor Letcher the commission of major in the Provis- ional Army of Virginia, and was attached to the 41st Virginia Regiment, then stationed at Norfolk. The following Novem- ber he was detached from his regiment, and sent by General Mahone to command the battery at Sewell's Point. This post, at the outer defense of Norfolk, was an important one. The battery consisted of thirty-six heavy guns, manned by four artillery companies,* with the 41st Regiment (about eight hundred men) as infantry support, the whole under the command of Colonel Chambliss. The position was exposed to constant fire from the shipping which lay in Hampton Roads, as well as from the battery on Fort Calhoun (Rip Raps) ; and this desultory combat was kept up till March, 1862, when the Confederate steam-ram Virginia attacked the United States steamer Minnesota, and the ships Congress, Cumberland, and St. Lawrence. The brilliant victory of the Virginia is too well known to call for description here. The Sewell's Point battery took part in the conflict, and by its fire disabled the United States steam-frigate Roanoke, which was advancing to the assistance of the Federal fleet. The next month (April) the evacuation of Norfolk was determined on, and the work of dismounting guns commenced. Before the preparations were completed, however, information of the intended movement was given the enemy by a deserter, and fire was opened on the battery (May 7) by the Monitor and a frigate, backed by a large fleet, which kept just out of range of the Confederate guns. Though the best guns had been removed, the garrison, under Colonel Chambliss, returned the enemy's fire with spirit, suc- ceeding barely in making indentations on the casing of the Monitor, which lay at the distance of fourteen hundred yards, and unable to reach the other vessels. During the bombard- ment the men's quarters were riddled by balls, and the * Norfolk Blues, Captain Grandy; Manchester Artillery, Captain Weisiger; Raglan Guards, Captain Manning; Southampton Artillery, Captain Kretlow. 490 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. major's quarters set on fire, and the proximity of the fire to a magazine rendered it necessary to remove the ammunition to another, under a continuous cannonade. Finally, the ap- proach of the Virginia from the navy-yard at Gosport forced the attacking fleet to withdraw. Throughout the engagement Major Smith directed his command with a cool intrepidity which won for him the respect of the men, and heightened the confidence which his military skill and firm discipline had previously produced. Before the evacuation of Norfolk, not having been re-elected by his regiment in consequence of his detachment from it, he had tendered his services to General Mahone as volunteer aid, and he now accompanied him on the retreat, and served with him in the battle of Seven Pines and on the Chickahominy. Here he remained till June 22, when he received a commis- sion as major in the Confederate States army. He requested permission to report to General Jackson, but was ordered to Drewry's Bluff, where he remained till June, 1864, under the immediate command of a naval officer, Captain S. S. Lee. His earnest wish to be with General Jackson, founded not only on the prospect of brilliant service under that com- mander, but also on his affection for his old instructor, led him to make a second application for transfer, in March, 1863, which was also refused. Again, after the battle of Chancel- lorsville (May, 1863), he made an effort to exchange com- mands WMth an old friend and comrade who commanded an infantry regiment, and who felt at the time physically unequal to the march into Pennsylvania. The Department declined to permit the exchange, and in three weeks from that time his friend fell on the battle-field in the first engagement in the enemy's country. Other like attempts to produce a transfer failing, Major Smith remained in command of the batteries at Drewry's Bluff, having under him a battalion of four com- panies.* During his stay here of two years there was no * Norfolk United Artilleiy, Captain Kevill; Johnston's Artillery, Captain Eppes ; Neblitt's Artillery, Captain Coleman ; and one company of the South- Side Artillery, commanded successively by Captains Jones and Drewry. FRANCIS W. SMITH. 491 general engagement. On the 5th of May, 1864, thirty-four gun-boats came up the river and landed three or four regi- ments, which advanced as if to attack the works. The whole care of the defense devolved on Major Smith, who arranged his small force so as to cover the entire line of breastworks. The enemy, however, did not attack. This was Butler's first demonstration on the South-Side (May 6). A {c\w days after (May 10), a severe battle was fought, in which our forces at first drove the enemy, and then coming on their breastworks, were obliged to retire with loss. Then followed a long stay in the trenches under heavy fire of artillery. Altogether, the responsibility resulting from the importance of the post, and the continual possibility of attack, made the service an arduous and wearing one, and the com- mandant's physical system was, perhaps, more severely taxed than it would have been in a more active field. In June, 1864, he was ordered to erect batteries at How- lett's Farm, opposite Dutch Gap, where General Burnside had entrenched himself. Here he had under him four bat- teries and six companies, his immediate commander being General Pickett. At this post the service was hard. The rations which Government was able to provide were insuffi- cient in quality and quantity, and Major Smith would not fare better than his men. There was, however, no lack of cheerfulness in the camp. He had gone there resolved, as he says, to make the place a desirable one. The society was pleasant; he speaks in the highest terms of the soldierly and gentlemanly qualities of the commanding general. Moreover, the activity of the enemy relieved the garrison from fear of stagnation. In the month of June, General Butler made his most serious advance on Richmond on the South-Side. At the beginning of the movement (June 16), Major Smith was enabled to render an important service to his commanding officers. General Pickett had been directed to hold the line, supported by Longstreet's Corps under General R. H. Ander- son. The two generals, making a reconnoissance with a long cavalcade of staff officers, under the volunteered guidance of 492 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Major Smith, who knew the country, and it being necessary to know where our line of skirmishers was, the major offered to ascertain, rode forward with his couriers, came upon a party in the woods whom he at first supposed to be our men, dis- mounted to examine them with his glass, soon discovered that they were enemies, and remounted and rode away under their fire in time to save Generals Pickett and Anderson and their staff from capture. The party in question formed the enemy's extreme left. In the engagement which immediately followed, his horse was killed, but he escaped unhurt. Some days later, the battery at Howlett's Farm was un- masked and did good service, damaging the enemy's fleet, with small loss to the garrison. The summer and autumn of this campaign were marked by frequent engagements of a like nature. In February of the next year. Major Smith had a gratifying recognition of the efficiency of his battery in the effort made by Colonel Anderson, of the artillery, to secure his promotion. This officer, though stationed on the opposite side of the river, marked him in a distinguished manner, and urged his promotion as strongly as he could under the circumstances, not being in the same immediate command with him. It was, however, not till two months later that he received his commission as lieutenant-colonel, just before the evacuation of Richmond. A {q\v days before the evacuation he obtained leave of ab- sence of several days, in order to remove his family to a place of safety. After he had escorted them as far as he could go, his anxiety in respect to his command caused him to return before his leave had expired. Saturday, April i, he crossed the swollen Chickahominy in spite of the remonstrances of persons present,* reached his command at daylight next morning, and on Monday, in obedience to orders, he joined the retreating column with his battalion, which he conducted as infantry. He had a presentiment that he would not live through the march. Physically, he was not in the best condition. His * A few hours later, the river had risen so that no one could cross. FRANCIS IV. SMITH. 493 service had been unintermitted : since February, 1862, he had never allowed himself a longer respite than four days, and his health was further impaired by insufficient nourishment. He set out on the march with the conviction that he would not survive a wound received under such circumstances, and on the morn- ing of Wednesday (April 5) he expressed (seemingly without depression) to a gentleman near him the belief that he would be killed that day. Towards the close of the day, at twilight, the command being then near Amelia Springs, a report of the advance of General Sheridan caused some confusion in the column ahead. Colonel Smith advanced with his battalion, and in the firing which ensued his horse was killed, and he him- self wounded in the groin and leg. He requested not to be left, and so traveled all night, his calm and cheerful tone pro- ducing on some of his men who were wounded at the same time the impression that his hurt was not very severe. This night march was no doubt injurious to him. When he reached Amelia Springs next morning, the surgeon who was with him told him there was no hope of life. The last hours he spent calmly, sustained by religious trust, in sending the last mes- sages to his family. At nine o'clock the enemy appeared, and his friends left him to join the retreating army. Some of his men remained, and ministered as they could to his comfort. At noon (April 6) he died. Thus was taken away one of the most brilliant and promis- ing of the sons of Virginia. Having everywhere distinguished himself, Colonel Smith might have hoped for a career of hon- orable usefulness. Soon after the war, before his death was known, the superintendency of the Louisiana State Military Academy was offered him. This position had been pressed on him during his stay at Drewry's Bluff"; but he would not leave the army. There and elsewhere was the prospect of a most successful professional career. Instead of such useful- ness and fame, he leaves us the heritage of his virtue and devotion to honor. Prof. C. H. Toy {In University llcniorial). 494 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. \ J. B. STANARD, OF ORANGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA; PRIVATE, CO. " D," CORPS OF CADETS. Jaqueline Beverly Staxard was born in Orange County, Virginia, in 1845. In January, 1863, became a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute. On the nth of May, 1864, the corps of cadets received orders from General John C. Breck- inridge to form a junction with his forces near Staunton, for the purpose of checking the advance of the Federal forces under Sigel down the Valley. They did so. On Sunday, the 15th, the battle of New Market was fought, of which a description has been given in this book. In that battle seven of the brave boys from the Virginia Military Institute lost their lives. Stanard was one of these. Stricken down by the fatal ball during the advance of his command, he lived for some time. Sent messages to his mother, telling her "I fell where I wished to fall, fighting for my country, and I did not fight in vain. Tell my mother I die with full confidence in my God, — my loved ones must meet me in heaven." As he caught the distant cry of victory from our soldiers, his trembling soul breathed itself to rest in a fervent " Thank God !" The Avords of his companion and room-mate (Wise) beau- tifully portray his last hour: " He passed through 'the valley of the shadow of death' with a heavenly smile upon his face. Oh, may my last end be like his !" His body, buried at New Market, was removed after the war to the vault at the Virginia Military Institute, where it now lies with those of his companions who fell with him. EDWARD B. STARKE. 495 EDWARD B. STARKE, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA ; ADJUTANT, 7TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Edward B. Starke, son of W. E. Starke, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was born in 1S43. He entered the Virginia Mili- tary' Institute in 1859, ^"^ soon became a great favorite among his comrades, besides taking a good stand in his class, when, in April, 1861, Governor Letcher ordered the corps of cadets into service. Cadet Starke was assigned to duty as a drill- master at Culpeper. At the first battle of Manassas he vol- unteered, as was the case with all the cadet drill-masters then connected with the army, and fought with distinguished gal- lantry, receiving quite a severe wound. He was shortly after- wards appointed adjutant of the 7th Virginia Infantry, and served in this capacity until the day of the battle of Seven Pines, May 31, 1862. In that hotly-contested fight, he fell mortally wounded, leading on a company of his regiment which had faltered to storm the breastworks of the enemy. The members of the third class who went into the army with the corps in 1861 were prevented from resuming their studies by the demand for their services ; yet so signal were their services as officers and soldiers, that immediately after the war the Board of Visitors ordered that honorary diplomas be awarded them. But five of the bravest were gone, — Colonel Petway, Majors Latimer and Thompson, Lieutenants Johnson and Starke, all having laid down their lives before reaching manhood, save only one, ]\Iajor Thompson, and he was spared to pass his twenty-first year only to be killed in the last, hope- less hours of the retreat to Appomattox. Of this little band of boy heroes, none was better beloved, none purer or braver, than crallant Eddie Starke. 496 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. BENJAMIN F. STEWART, OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; LIEUTENANT, 40TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Benjamin F. Stewart, son of William P. Stewart, of Oak Grove, Westmoreland County, Virginia, entered the Virginia Military Institute on the 13th of October, 1853, in his six- teenth year. Graduated in 1857, ^'^"^ after teaching a year received an appointment as assistant professor of French and assistant instructor in Tactics at the Institute, and occupied this position until the beginning of the war. Entered military service as lieutenant in the 40th Virginia, and served with this command until the last year of the war, when he was killed. NOLAN STONE, OF NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI; SERGEANT, CO. " B," 1ST REGIMENT EN- GINEERS, A. N. v. Nolan Stone, sixth son of Dr. C. H. and Mary G. Stone, was born in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1845. In 1863 he left home to join the Confederate army, and was in service for a i^w months at Mobile, Alabama. During the autumn of 1863 he received an appointment as cadet in the Virginia Military Institute, reported for duty in December, and con- tinued at the Institute until April, 1864, when he resigned for the purpose of entering the army. While a cadet he showed a great aptitude for languages and military tactics. Immediately after his resignation he connected himself with Co. " B," I St Regiment Engineers, A. N. V. Being young. Col- onel Talcott deemed it better to have him enrolled as a bugler; performing his duties promptly, he attracted the attention of NOLAN STONE. 497 Captain Baldwin of Co. " B," who, finding him an efficient drill-master, by special request had him appointed a corporal in his company. He was with his regiment during the whole of the campaign of 1864, and was highly esteemed for his strict attention to duty. In the fall of this year he was pro- moted sergeant, just after his company had been assigned to pontoon duty at Chaffin's Bluff, on James River. Having con- siderable skill in the management of boats, acquired during boyhood. Sergeant Stone was well fitted for this duty, and rendered distinguished service on several occasions when the bridges were washed away by floods. The first lieutenant of his company, Charles W. Babbit, says of him, — " He never shirked his duty by day or night ; was with his regiment during the memorable retreat from Richmond ; suffered and endured the privations of that week with all the fortitude of a good soldier. He was one of the detail who fired the stage-road bridge at Farmville, on the 8th of April, and was one of the eight out of twenty-six who reported back to duty on that morning ; was present next day at the surren- der, having the honor to be one of the eight thousand who followed their noble old commander to the end of the war. The Virginia Military Institute can proudly enroll his name in her Memorial." After General Lee's surrender, he found his way to Rich- mond, being in wretched health at the time. Here he met his eldest brother, Dr. Henry Stone, and together they worked their way to their home in Natchez. Broken in health, his body worn out with the arduous services he had undergone, his quick and sensitive mind crushed by many disappoint- ments in attempting to obtain employment, death came to rid him of trouble. He died on the 21st of January, 1867, with diphtheria, aged twenty-one years. He was living in Loui- siana at the time of his death, but was buried at Natchez, Mississippi. 32 498 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. - * JOHN B. STRANGE, OF FLUVANNA COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; COLONEL, I9TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. John Bowie Strange, son of Colonel Gideon A. and Har- riet J. Strange, was born in Fluvanna County, Virginia, in 1823. His father served as captain in the war of 1812, and afterwards was an active justice of the peace in Fluvanna •County, which county he also represented for a number of years in the Virginia Legislature. On the nth of November, 1839, young Strange was sent to the Virginia Military Institute. In the first graduating ■class of that school, 1842, he received his diploma as third distinguished graduate. In addition to this high standing in liis studies, he had attained distinction in the military depart- ment, being the first adjutant of the corps of cadets. After graduation Mr, Strange was for some years a pro- fessor of mathematics in the Norfolk Academy. Becoming eventually principal of that school, he gained for it great repu- tation, placing it at the head of the academies and high schools in the State. Between 1854 and 1856, Professor Strange founded the Albemarle Military Institute, which he conducted with great success until the inception of hostilities in 1861. Having been, in 1859, appointed brigade-inspector of the 3d Brigade, 2d Division, Virginia militia, composed of the regi- ments in the counties of Amherst, Nelson, Albemarle, Flu- vanna, Louisa, and Goochland, he was prepared at the moment Virginia assumed a hostile attitude to take up arms. Ap- pointed lieutenant-colonel of the 19th Virginia Infantry in April, 1861, immediately after the ordinance of secession, and soon afterwards promoted colonel, he was stationed with it at Culpeper Court-House, and was occupied in drilling and pre- paring this regiment for service until ordered on to Manassas, just before the memorable battle of July 21, 1861. In this battle Colonel Strange fought gallantly, having already, in JOHN B. STRANGE. 499 the words of tlie commanding general, Beauregard, "gained the reputation of being brave, intelligent, and faithful in the discharge of his duties." Stationed at Centreville, Fairfax Court-House, and Munson's Hill, until the army fell back to the Peninsula, Colonel Strange was engaged in many skir- mishes, but received no hurt. At Williamsburg his regiment captured the Excelsior Battery, belonging to Sickles's Brigade. In all the battles around Richmond, extending from Seven Pines to Malvern Hill, Colonel Strange fought with distin- guished gallantry. At second Manassas he commanded his brigade; passing over into Maryland then, he was for some time at Frederick City, Maryland, thence on with the army to Hagerstovvn; and at South Mountain, September 14, 1862, he fell mortally wounded, having previously in the same battle received wounds in his right foot and side, which had disabled him from keeping his feet, but which did not prevent his cheering on the noble men of his command. Calling to them to advance, the fatal ball passed through his heart, closing instantly his career of usefulness and dauntless bravery, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, after having passed unhurt through thirty-two pitched battles, besides numerous skir- mishes. His body fell into the hands of the enemy, and its resting- place was unknown to any of the family until several years after, when, through a lady who had cared for the grave, its locality was made known, and the body was moved by the Masons of Norfolk, Colonel Strange having been one of that order, to the cemetery at Charlottesville, Virginia. This very brief and imperfect outline of Colonel Strange's life cannot be better supplemented than by the following esti- mate of his character from the pen of his friend Colonel Ed- mund Pendleton, of Botetourt County, Virginia : " My acquaintance with Colonel John Bowie Strange com- menced on the I ith of November, 1839, when we reported for duty as cadets of the Virginia Military Institute, then about to commence its career as a State military school, under the con- trol of its able young superintendent, Colonel (now General) 500 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Francis H. Smith, assisted by his devoted and distinguished coadj utor, Maj or (now Colonel) John T. L. Preston, as professor of modern languages. We were then boys of sixteen, of nearly the same age, of like temperaments and tastes, and were, there- fore, naturally and mutually drawn towards each other. We were from the beginning to the end of our cadet-life occupants of the same room, members of the same section, and in daily and intimate association. My opportunities for forming a cor- rect estimate of his character, moral as well as mental, during this period of his life, were therefore unusually good ; and it is a pleasant duty to me to record what I learned of him during the three years of our intimate association, ending on the fourth day of July, 1842, when we received our diplomas as graduates of the school. After that date our paths of life diverged, and I do not remember to have seen him but twice : once amid the storm of battle beneath the sulphurous canopy of Gaines's Mill, on the afternoon of June 27, 1862, as with flashing eye and gallant mien he led his noble regiment into the thickest of the fight, and once again, about ten days be- fore his death, in the early days of September, 1862, when chance threw us together for a half-hour during one of the brief intervals between the glorious victories of that memora- ble campaign, and when we were permitted, in a few burning words, to recall the pleasing associations of our youthful days, and mingle our hopes and fears for our beloved South. We then parted, with mutual embraces, to address ourselves to the stern duty of the hour, not without the presentiment that this might be, as indeed it was, our last meeting on earth. " If Thomas Carlyle's definition of a man of genius (namely, a man capable of taking infinite pains) be correct, then Colonel Strange might not inaptly be accounted a man of genius. Without being endowed with a poetic temperament or an affluent imagination, he possessed a vigorous understanding, clear faculties of perception and discrimination, strong logical power, and an unwavering love for the acquisition of knowl- edge. In moral qualities he stood pre-eminent. In that ' chastity of honor which feels a stain as a wound,' in cool. JOHN B. STRANGE. 501 dauntless courage amid dangers, in transparent truthfulness of soul unclouded by falsehood or deception, he was a very- Bayard. Even in his youth he exhibited, in a marked degree, a supreme and inflexible devotion to duty ; a moral attribute of the highest quality, rarely found in men even of mature character. In his tender infancy he had been deprived by death of the fostering care and watchful control of an affec- tionate father, and left to wander, without paternal guardian, among the pitfalls and snares which ever beset the path of youth. But, as when a tender vine is deprived of the support to which it has clung it sometimes is seen to develop a latent power of self-support, so the deprivation in his case seemed to strengthen and stiffen the tender elements of his moral char- acter, and made him brave, self-reliant, and independent. His first official act as a cadet was illustrative of these qualities. When, on the nth of November, 1839, the youthful band of raw and undisciplined cadets marched to the Institute hill to relieve the squad of soldiers under Captain David E. Moore, who had up to that time guarded the arsenal and other public property there, it fell to the lot of young Strange to be the first to go on post as a sentinel. I doubt if he had ever seen a soldier or held a musket in his callow hands before. The business was as new to his comrades as to himself, and of course he was the object of the careful observation of all. I well remember, as if it were an event of yesterday, how promptly and resolutely he obeyed the first order to duty, how impressed he seemed to be with the dignity of his new position, how erectly he held his musket with bayonet fixed, and how soldier-like was his posture. These things seem small in themselves, and yet they were the straws which indi- cated the course of the current ; the genuine symbols of his moral character. From the solid merits which he exhibited whilst I knew him so intimately I formed high expectations of his achievements in later life when his powers should be ma- tured. What they actually were rpust be told by those who knew of them. It is gratifying to me to know of this friend and companion of my youth, that when our native State called 502 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. for her defenders, he was among the first to obey the sum- mons, and that though he fell, he fell at the post of duty, and sleeps in the honored grave of a soldier who died in defending the liberties of his country." WILLIAM D. STUART, OF STAUNTON, VIRGINIA ; COLONEL, 56TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. William Dabney Stuart, the eldest son of Thomas Jeffer- son Stuart and Martha M. Stuart, was born in Staunton, Vir- ginia, on September 30, 1830. He was descended from a Scotch-Irish family, which settled in Augusta County in 1738. Their progenitor, Archibald Stuart, having been engaged in one of the rebellions in Ireland, was compelled to fly for safety to America. He remained secluded in the western part of Pennsylvania for seven years, when, in consequence of some act of amnesty, he was enabled to send to Ireland for his wife and children. Shortly afterwards he removed to Augusta, then a wilderness, and acquired large landed estates. Archibald Stuart died in 1761, leaving four children, viz., Thomas, Benjamin, Alexander, and a daughter, Mary, who married Benjamin Hall. This Benjamin Hall was the father of Judge John Hall, of North Carolina, and of Dr. Isaac Hall, an eminent physician of Petersburg. Alexander Stuart left a number of children, among them Judge Archibald Stuart, of Staunton, who was the grand- father of Colonel William D. Stuart. Another son, Judge Alexander Stuart, of Missouri, was the father of the Hon. Archibald Stuart, of Patrick, who was often in public life, as member of House of Delegates, State Senate, Conventions of 1829-30 and 1849-50, and also served several terms in Con- gress. This Archibald Stuart was the father of General James Ewell Brown Stuart, commonly known from his initials as Jeb Stuart, the cavalry officer. WILLIAM D. STUART. 503 The father of the subject of this memoir, Thomas J. Stuart, was a man of fine abilities, and served frequently as a member of the Legislature from the county of Augusta. William D. Stuart received his early education at the Academy at Staunton, and at the age of seventeen, in July, 1847, entered the Military Institute. In his studies here he distinguished himself throughout the course, standing third in his class on general merit when he graduated, July 4, 1850. After his graduation he was appointed assistant pro- fessor in the Institute. While acting in this capacity he was closely associated with General T. J. Jackson, and a firm friendship sprang up between them, which continued during life. About the year 1853, Mr. Abbott, of Georgetown, D. C., who had been in charge of a large classical school in that city, died, and Mr, Stuart was invited by the patrons of the school to take charge of it. He accepted the appointment, and went to reside in Georgetown. Whilst there he formed the acquaintance of Miss Frances Harris, a native of Lou- doun County, and soon afterwards married her. The fruits of this union were three children, two daughters and a son. After spending two years in Georgetown, Mr. Stuart was invited to take charge of a classical school in Richmond, Vir- ginia. Desiring to return to his native State, he removed to Richmond, and continued in charge of a flourishing school in that city until the commencement of the war. In May, 1861, he was appointed first lieutenant in the Pro- visional Army of Virginia, and in the course of a few weeks promoted lieutenant-colonel in Colonel Thomas P. August's regiment. While he held the office of lieutenant-colonel the command of the regiment devolved on him, in a great meas- ure, as Colonel August's health disqualified him generally from active service. While in command of that regiment, he participated gallantly in the fight on the Peninsula, when Butler was repulsed at Big Bethel. When the 56th Regiment was formed, as it was made of companies and fractions of companies from a number of coun- 504 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. ties, Governor Letcher felt at a loss to select a colonel for it, and allowed the officers to designate the man of their choice. With almost perfect unanimity they chose Colonel Stuart, and he was appointed. He remained in command of that regiment until his death, and shared all its perils, and partici- pated in all its triumphs. It is proper to add that, when General Jackson was ap- pointed to his first command, he immediately wrote to Colonel Stuart, who was then in charge of his school in Richmond, offering him a place on his staff as quartermaster. In his letter he stated that he was sorry he could offer nothing better, but said that whenever an opportunity oc- curred he would look to his promotion. He further stated that, when he (Jackson) was called into service. Colonel Stu- art was the first man to whom he looked for assistance. After the battle of Antietam, in which Colonel Stuart had greatly distinguished himself. General Jackson was very de- sirous of having him promoted to the office of brigadier, and he would have received the appointment but for the fact that his health had given way under the exposure, privations, and fatigue of the first Maryland campaign, and he was compelled to go to his home in Staunton to recruit. The necessity for having a brigadier was so urgent, that it was indispensable to make the appointment before Colonel Stuart was sufficiently restored to take the field, and thus he failed to receive it. His military history, from the time of his recovery till the battle of Gettysburg, is simply that of the army of Northern Virginia. In this great battle, July i, 2, and 3, 1863, he was mortally wounded, was carried to Staunton, where he died in about three weeks. On the day of his burial a letter came addressed to him, the object of which was to ascertain whether his condition was such as to enable him to accept the office of brigadier-general, and enter at an early day upon active service. We close this meagre and imperfect sketch with an extract from a letter of his uncle, the Hon. Alexander H. H, Stuart. He says, — FRANCIS M. SUDDOTH. 505 " It only remains to say that a purer, braVer, nobler gentle- man never lived. I watched over him from his infancy, and if there was anything in his conduct or his character, from his childhood to his death, which was unbecoming a high- toned gentleman, I certainly never saw it or heard of it. He was universally esteemed and beloved, and, though a man of positive character, of high spirit, and outspoken, he had no enemies. He was to me almost as a son, and I shall never cease to mourn his untimely end. Had he lived, he would have established a reputation which would have been a rich legacy to his family," FRANCIS M. SUDDOTH, OF FAUQUIER COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; ADJUTANT, 24TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. F. M. SuDDOTH, son of James F. Suddoth, of Morrisville, Fauquier County, Virginia, entered the Virginia Military In- stitute in August, 1852, and graduated in 1856, third distin- guished in a class of thirty-three; taught from this time until the beginning of the war, when he entered the army, and became the adjutant of the 24th Virginia Infantry. While stationed at Gloucester Point, in 1861, he became a prey to disease, and died before opportunity occurred for rendering active service. 5o6 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. R. D. B. SYDNOR, OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; SECOND LIEUTENANT, CO. "B," 40TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Richard Downing Boardman Sydnor, the subject of this sketch, was born at Heathsville, Northumberland County, Virginia, on the 19th of November, 1842. He was the youngest son of the late Thomas S. Sydnor, a gentleman of wealth and standing, and was reared in ease and affluence. He enjoyed the advantages of good instructors, attending school at Northumberland Academy. He early showed a strong inclination for military pursuits, and, though unprepared, by appointment entered the United States Naval Academy at the age of fourteen years. His want of the requisite preparation was so great a drawback to him that he left that institution, and, after attending school in the county a year or two, he went to the Virginia Military Institute, where he graduated in 1862. The commencement of hostili- ties found Boardman at this school, and with other cadets he went to Richmond and for some time performed duty as drill- officer for the troops that were pouring into that city from every point. When his services were no longer needed there, with his friend and room-mate, Lewellyn Crittenden, he re- turned to his home in Richmond County, and the two volun- teered in the " Totuskey Grays," afterwards Company " B," 40th Virginia Regiment. Boardman performed faithfully all the duties assigned him, and for the young soldier they were of no light kind, his regiment, during all of 1861 and part of 1862, doing duty on the outposts on the Potomac, or about Fredericksburg. Of delicate constitution, he was attacked by typhoid fever, and for long weeks his life seemed to hang on a thread. He, however, rallied and returned to his command. Upon the reorganization of the army, he was elected second lieutenant of Company " B," his brother being captain. J?. D. B. S YD NOR. 507 He was yet in delicate health ; and, when it was thought that hostilities were about to commence on the Chickahominy, he left hospital in Richmond, where he had been staying, having the chronic dysentery, and at once rejoined his com- pany. In the fight at Mechanicsville, Captain Sydnor, Lieutenants Brockenbrough and Jones, of his company, all having been wounded, the command devolved upon Lieutenant Sydnor. And gallantly and nobly did he, a youth not yet twenty, dis- charge the duties of his position. In the charge upon the enemy's works at Gaines's Mill, the color-bearers of the 55th and 40th Virginia and himself were striving who should first reach the works, as they approached. " Hand me that flag," said he to the color-bearer of the 40th, Sergeant Yeatman ; " I want to plant it in the works !" " I'll put it there, sir," was the reply. At that moment a bullet struck the wrist of the color-bearer of the 55th, and the flag fell ; but ere it touched the ground, Lieutenant Sydnor had seized it, and, climbing over the very muzzle of the cannon, he entered first the enemy's works, planted there the flag, and received the surrender of several Yankee soldiers, one an officer. On Monday evening, June 30, in the dreadful charge which was so terrific in its list of mortality in the " Light Division," while leading on his men, as he mounted a fence, a bullet pierced his breast, and, still waving his sword, another struck him in the thigh, breaking the bone, and as he lay upon the ground, before he could be removed, a fragment of shell tore off the flesh on his hip. Thus suffering from three wounds, he was removed to Richmond, and though every attention was bestowed, though skilled surgeons exhausted their science, and fair women gently administered to his every want, he yielded to the fell conqueror as calmly as one who lies down to sleep, on Tues- day, July 22, 1862. Without a murmur or a complaint he bore the suffering; confidently he looked beyond the pains he had to endure 5o8 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. here, to a better land, where he should be free from them all. A member of his company, who was in almost every battle fought by the Army of Northern Virginia, said of him, that he was the bravest boy he ever saw. He sleeps in Hollywood ; and to his friends it is a sad pleasure to know that his grave is once a year decked with spring flowers by the fair daughters of the dear Old Dominion for whose honor and independence he laid down his life. W. H. TABB, OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA; CAPTAIN, 1ST VIRGINIA INFANTRY. W. H. Tabb, son of A. M. Tabb, of Portsmouth, Virginia, entered the Virginia Military Institute in August, 1857, but held his cadetship only for a few months. Entered service in 1861, becoming a captain in the ist Virginia Infantry, and was killed in the battles around Richmond, in June, 1862. THOMAS S. TAYLOR, OF FRANKLIN COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; CAPTAIN, CO. " D," 24TH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. On the 4th of October, 1861, Captain Thomas S. Taylor, of Franklin County, Virginia, died of typhoid fever, near the Confederate lines of operations on the Potomac, in the twenty- fourth year of his age. Similar announcements, so common in that harvest of death, awakened, in many instances, but a sigh, to be silenced in the rushing tide of mighty events ; the dearest and bravest sinking to their last repose, while sur- THOMAS S. TAYLOR. 509 viving friends were only allowed to drop one tributary tear to their memories. The life and death of this extraordinary young man, how- ever, deserved at the hands of his friends more than a mere passing notice of his virtues. The unwritten history of such contains the gems that are brightest, though soonest dimmed, which that dark era in the chapter of human events evolved. It can be but deeply regretted that youth, genius, virtue, and hope, in fact, all that dignifies the human character and adorns life, should perish in the early dawn of rising aspira- tion. Yet such man finds to be his destiny " in the black- lettered list of ills" prepared for him, and he can only wonder at the mysterious dispensation of Providence, and silently reverence and adore this mighty power, humbly trusting that in the event all is mercifully ordered for his good. These re- flections, the purity of Captain Taylor's life, the philosophic firmness and Christian resignation with which he met death, could but soften the anguish felt by many stricken hearts that bemoaned his departure. They knew that their loss was his gain. Thomas Skelton Taylor, son of Christopher C. and Julia Taylor, was born in Franklin County, on the 19th of August, 1 837. Manifesting at an early age uncommon promise, as soon as he arrived at the proper age he was sent to the Virginia Military Institute, matriculating on the 2d of August, 1854. Soon his position in that valuable school indicated that he was destined to occupy a high place in the great drama of life. He graduated on the 4th of July, 1858, and, the country being at peace, his attention was turned to the study of law. After spending some time at the school of Judge Brockenbrough, in earnest application to prepare himself for its practice, he lo- cated at Franklin Court-House, Virginia. Though he entered upon the practice of his profession at a very early age, and at a bar of much more than ordinary ability, yet his manly modesty, his attention to business, and the fine sense by which he was characterized speedily secured him the notice of the public, and began to throw into his hands a handsome share 5IO INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. of professional emolument. He soon attracted the attention of a gentleman in the profession, much his senior in years, with whom he formed a partnership, upon highly honorable terms, by which his independence, at the very threshold of his professional labors, was absolutely secured. We hope it is no breach of decorum to allude to the tender regret with which his memory is cherished by the gentleman in question. It could not be otherwise, for he had a full and perfect view of the fine qualities by which the noble nature of his friend was adorned. A few months after his location at Franklin Court- House, General Hairston, afterwards Colonel Hairston of the C. S. A., was commissioned brigadier-general, under the reor- ganized militia system. Looking for the proper man to fill the position of brigade-inspector, young Taylor, then barely two-and-twenty, was selected. Though but a boy of slight form and of very youthful appearance, he entered upon the discharge of his duties in such a manner as to command the profound respect of men old enough and brave enough to be veterans in any service. During the winter of 1 860-61, when upon a second reorganization of the militia, with an eye to the portentious aspect of affairs. General Early received the com- mission of brigadier-general of militia, he reappointed Colonel TAYLOR'(to which rank he was then entitled) as his brigade- inspector. As the mighty events of that period were develop- ing themselves with wonderful rapidity, the patriotism and noble ambition of this young soldier were fully awakened. Very soon we find him exhorting his countrymen in pubhc speeches, and by his own example, to enlist in defense of the general welfare. In a few weeks a company is raised, of which he is unanimously elected captain, and at the head of which he takes up the line of march for the tented field. Here let us pause and reflect a moment upon the good fortune that has seemed to attend the subject of our memoir thus far, and upon the mutability of human affairs. Profes- sionally his prospects were bright; he was going into the field with a thorough military education, in command of as brave a company as the service could boast. Young life seemed to THOMAS S. TAYLOR. 511 woo him with her fairest visions. If he fell, he intended it should be at the post of duty and honor. If he was spared, numerous friends, he knew, there were gladly to greet him home, and a grateful public who had already perceived and acknowledged his merit, to award to him the meed of praise due those honors to which a high and generous soul like his might well aspire. But, alas! the promiseand the generous ambition are forever eclipsed in death, and the laurel blooms to be plucked by other and more fortunate hands. It is, how- ever, a consolation to know that while he lived he seemed to taste none of the bitters, but only of the sweets of life. Upon reaching Lynchburg, the place of rendezvous for the troops from his section of the State, his company was assigned to the 24th Regiment Virginia Volunteers, and immediately ordered to Ivlanassas, then the theatre of war. In the camp the manner in which he discharged his duties was fully attested by his superiors in rank, for upon being carried from his tent, after he became too ill to remain there longer, to the house of a kind and generous family, to whom he was unknown, they supposed, from the attention paid him by officers of high rank, that he himself was an officer of distinction. Such, if his life had been spared, he assuredly would have been. But his greatest glory, and the most conclusive proof of his fine sense and noble heart, is to be found in the benevolent, but just and firm course he adopted in the government of the men immediately under his command. No captain, in any army, ever united more skillfully the " fortiter in re" with the " suaviter in modo." The result was, he was almost idolized by his men. Confiding in his skill, his courage, and his kindly performance of duty, they would have followed him to the cannon's mouth, and have shielded him from danger with their own bodies. Had he been so fortunate as to have been in battle, he would certainly have distinguished himself During the battles of the 18th and 21st of July, his company was posted on the right. He remarked to a very intimate friend, " If the attack is upon this part of our lines, as soon as I get a chance I'll charge the enemy to his teeth; I'll win a general's 512 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. belt or fill a hero's grave." Such, doubtless, was his purpose, for he was not given to vain boasting, and he would have said this only to a most intimate friend. The enemy, however, came not to the right, and instead of falling upon the field of battle, where he would have chosen to meet death, he was destined to give up his life to the ravages of a fatal disease. He suffered but little. Conscious of the near approach of his end, he spoke of death with the utmost composure, and expressed a firm reliance upon the promises and consolations of the gospel. He declared his willingness and readiness to die, and a trusting hope of salvation through the atoning merits of his Redeemer. Life's fitful fever over, he sleeps in the family burial-ground alongside of those he dearly loved. JAMES B. TERRILL, OF BATH COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; BRIGADIER-GENERAL, A. N. V. James Barbour Terrill, fourth son of William H. Terrill, was born near the Warm Springs, in Bath County, Virginia, on the 20th of February, 1838. His early education was such as was then usually obtained at the best primary schools of his county. In the year 1854 he was admitted as a cadet into the Virginia Military Institute, where he graduated in 1858; immediately after which he entered the Law School of the Hon. John W. Brockenbrough, in the town of Lexington, and in the summer of i860 commenced the practice of law in the courts of his native county. In 1859 the Hon. Henry A. Wise, who was then Governor of Virginia, conferred upon him the appointment of major of cavalry. Whilst on a visit to his relations in the eastern part of the State, in April, 1861, the Convention of Virginia passed the ordinance of secession, whereupon he immediately dashed off to Harper's Ferry and joined the little army of Virginia which so promptly took JAMES B. TERR ILL. 513 possession of that important post. He was occupied there in drilling both officers and privates for several weeks; after which he proceeded to Richmond, and tendered his services in the military department to His Excellency Governor John Letcher, then the patriotic, able, and efficient Executive of the State, who without unnecessary delay delivered to him the commission of major, and assigned him to duty in the 13th Regiment Virginia Infantry, of which Lieutenant-General A. P. Hill was the colonel, General James A. Walker, lieuten- ant-colonel. Major Terrill, immediately after his appointment, pro- ceeded to join his regiment, which numbered at that time upwards of a thousand men. He soon, by his gallantry and general deportment, won the esteem and confidence of both officers and men of the command to which he was attached, and this feeling strengthened among them until the day of his untimely death. He acquired the reputation of being one of the bravest of the brave. His clarion voice, encouraging his men, was frequently heard above the din of battle ; and when asked by his friends (as he frequently was) how it was that he acted so fearlessly in time of action, his reply invariably was, " I never think on such occasions of being killed." He was with his brave regiment at the first and second Manassas fights ; first and second Fredericksburg ; at Cross Keys and Port Republic ; at Cedar Run and Slaughter's Mountain, in Culpeper County, Virginia. When General Lee invaded Maryland, Colonel Terrill (for he had held this rank since the promotion of Generals Hill and Walker) was left in charge of the post at Winches- ter. In this as well as in all the constant and active service in which he was engaged, during the whole course of his mil- itary career, he showed distinguished ability. So numerous were the engagements in which he and his gallant " old Thir- teenth" took part, that it would be next to impossible to specify them ; but it can be said with perfect truth that, when- ever he and they appeared on the field of battle, there was no " child's play," and little or no ammunition wasted ; and 2>l 514 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. just here it may be proper to state that the writer was in- formed by a gentleman who was present that the brave and gallant General Early, on the day of the first battle of Fred- ericksburg, remarked that "the 13th Regiment Virginia In- fantry was never required to take a position that they did not take, or to hold one that they did not hold." We come now to the closing campaign of Colonel Ter- rill's life. In the winter of 1863-4 General Lee's army was in winter quarters on the south side of Rapidan River, in Orange County, the Federal army, under Grant, holding the opposite bank, immediately in General Lee's front. In April, 1864, began the great campaign of the war. In this campaign Colonel Terkill and the invincible 13th were destined to im- mortalize themselves. At the Wilderness and at Spottsylva- nia Court-House they crowned themselves with glory, as did many others of our " boys in gray." After the first-mentioned battle, they were in the front rank in the assault made upon the enemy to retake the position lost by the capture of General Edward Johnston's Division. Colonel Terrill was among the first to mount the breastworks abandoned by the enemy. Grant moving from Spottsylvania Court-House in the direc- tion of Richmond, General Lee, taking an inner line, threw himself in Grant's front, and offered battle at Hanover Junc- tion, which was declined. The Federal army continuing its move. General Lee forced them into battle at Cold Harbor, inflicting upon them terrible punishment. The general result of this notable battle belongs to history. We give only what relates to the last day in the life of the brave soldier whose name stands'at the head of this sketch. There is a place in Hanover County called Bethesda Church, some three or four miles below Mechanicsville, and probably about the same distance north of Cold Harbor. Near this church a detachment of Grant's army had taken position, and intrenched themselves. It was deemed expe- dient to dislodge them from these breastworks, in pursuing the plan of General Lee's movements, and General Ramseur JAMES B. TERR ILL. 515 was intrusted with the duty. He, with Pegram's Brigade and some other Confederate forces, in the afternoon of the 31st of May, 1864, commenced the assault, and was met by a tremendous and deadly fire from the enemy. The " old Thir- teenth" held their own in the charge, but their colonel fell mortally wounded at the first or second fire. Two other ofifi- cers commanding in succession Pegram's Brigade, to which the 13th was attached, being shot down in the course of a few minutes, the adjutant-general discovering Colonel Ter- RiLL upon his hands and feet struggling to rise, informed him that the brigade was without a commander, whereupon he rose to his feet, staggered along the line, took his position as commander of the brigade, waved his sword, and gave the command, " F'orward !" A moment more, and he fell dead, shot through the brain within a few feet of the enemy's breastworks. Immediately the attacking forces gave way, and retreated, after a fearful slaughter on their part. A de- tachment of the 13th, sent in after nightfall to recover General Terrill's body, were captured by the enemy, and it remained on the field for six days, with a slight covering of loose sand. When recovered, taken to the field hospital, and carefully ex- amined by the surgeons, they were all of the opinion that the first wound (that in the body) would have been necessarily mortal. What a thrilling yet melancholy spectacle was ex- hibited by him in his last moments, — a dying man leading a forlorn hope in battle ! It so happened that on the same day, and perhaps while General Terrill was engaged in that last of his many con- flicts with the enemies of his State and country, his nomina- tion as brigadier-general by the President wa's unanimously confirmed by the Senate of the Confederate States Congress ; but it is sad to think that he died without being aware of the tardy honor conferred upon him by a Government whose cause and whose existence he had so often periled his life to sustain. 5i6 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. \ C. W. TERRY, OF LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA; PRIVATE, VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Charles W. Terry matriculated at the Virginia Military- Institute in July, 1859, being sent there under the guardian- ship of Mrs. M. M. Otey, of Lynchburg. Entered service in 1 86 1, and was killed at the battle of Seven Pines, May 31, 1862, in the nineteenth year of his age. LEWIS M. THOMAS, OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY, KENTUCKY; ASSISTANT ADJUTANT-GENERAL, STAFF GENERAL B. H. HELM. Lewis M. Thomas, son of John J. Thomas, was born in Christian County, Kentucky, on the 20th of June, 1839. During the spring of 186 1, being called by business to Vir- ginia, he went there for the purpose of transacting it. During his stay, the near approach of hostilities becoming evident, he determined to enter the Virginia Military Institute for the purpose of perfecting himself in the infantry drill, of which he already had some considerable knowledge. Entering the Institute in the latter part of May, 1 861, he remained for some months, and was then sent as a drill-master to the Valley of Virginia. While here. General Garnett appointed him aid-de- camp, with the rank of first lieutenant. During the retreat consequent upon the battle of Laurel Hill, Lieutenant Thomas was placed in command of the rear-guard of the retiring army, with instructions to hold the enemy in check as long as possible and at all hazards. Only one piece of artillery^ a twelve-pounder, was assigned him for this pur- LEWIS M. THOMAS. 517 pose; but with this he was enabled to carry out his instruc- tions perfectly. While the enemy were chargin^r up the hill upon which he had taken position with his little band, the steepness of the declivity made it impossible to depress his gun sufficiently to bear upon the assaulting party. Seeing this, Lieutenant Thomas, his gun having been double-shotted with canister, with the assistance of three of his men, ele- vated the trail of the piece and fired. This shot created such havoc among the enemy that their advance was checked until time had been given to effect the retreat of the Confederates. But the brave men who had assisted Lieutenant Thomas lost their lives by the recoil : they could not, nor did they, ex- pect anything else. As if providentially, his life was saved; knocked senseless, he was carried from the field by his men, who supposed that he had been killed. But he had received no dangerous hurt: was simply stunned. Honorable mention was made of this circumstance in the official report of this campaign, and a captain's commission issued him for gallant conduct. Soon after this, at the request of Colonel (after- wards General) W. A. Quarles, Captain Thomas was trans- ferred to the Department of the West, and assigned to duty as instructor of tactics to the troops at "Camp Cheatham," Robertson County, Tennessee. After the organization of these troops, December, 1861, they were ordered to Clarks- ville, Tennessee. Captain Thomas went here with them, and was appointed adjutant of the post, which position he held until a few days before the battle of Fort Donelson, when he was left in command by General Floyd, with orders to super- intend the removal of a large quantity of provisions belonging to the Government which were stored at this point. Having sent off as much as he could obtain transportation for, he dis- tributed the remainder to the poor in the vicinity. Rejoining the army under General Albert Sidney Johnston, at Corinth, Mississippi, he took an active part in the battle of Shiloh. Immediately after this battle he was appointed assistant ad- jutant-general on General B. H. Helm's staff; but before he was enabled to enter upon his duties he was stricken down by 5i8 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. typhoid fever, superinduced by exposure and the unhealthy position of the camp at Corinth. After a short ilhiess he died, on the 19th of May, 1862. Captain Thomas's career, though brief, — only six or eight months, — was one of great promise. He had evidenced his bravery as a soldier and his efficiency as an officer, and had been rewarded by such office as attested the approbation of his superiors and the confidence of his men. JAMES W. THOMSON, OF CLARKE COUNTY, VIRGINIA; MAJOR, HORSE ARTILLERY, ROSSER'S DIVISION, A. N. V. James W. Thomson was born at Berryville, Clarke County, Virginia, on the 28th of October, 1843. He entered the Vir- ginia Military Institute in i860, where his education was soon interrupted by the commencement of the late war. He promptly offered his services for the defense of his State, and was employed as drill-master until just prior to the battle of Manassas, in which he acted as volunteer aid-de-camp to General T. J. Jackson. For important service rendered in this action he received a flattering letter of recommendation from that general. In the fall of 1861 he was elected second lieutenant of "Chew's Battery" of Horse Artillery, and in February, 1864, succeeded to the command of the company. During the, same year, he was promoted, and commanded, with the rank of major, a battalion of horse artillery attached to Rosser's Cavalry Division until his death. Thomson was, by his early training and disposition, well fitted, even at the age of seventeen, when he entered the ser- vice, for the peril and hardships of a soldier's life. He was always devoted to out-door sports, and became, by constant practice, a perfect master of the horse. Tall and athletic^ with a nature bold and daring, frank and generous in disposi- THOMAS B. TREDWAY. 519 tion, — tliese qualifications, united to great physical strength and powers of endurance, presented a combination of soldierly traits possessed by few. As a commander of artillery, he was remarkable for the prompt and daring manner of handling his guns. When his guns were not in action, it was frequently a habit with Thomson to join in the cavalry charge, and on such occasions attracted attention by his dash and almost reckless gallantry. It was while leading charges of this kind that he was wounded in the arm, on the 5th of April, 1S65, and on the day following was killed. A gallant attack was made on this day by General Rosser upon a brigade of Federal infan- try, which had succeeded in gaining the front of Lee's army, near Farmville, and during the fight a charge was made by Bearing's Brigade. A desperate encounter ensued, resulting in the rout of the enemy, but at a great sacrifice of life ; and General Bearing, Colonel Boston, and Major Thomson all lost their lives. Major Thomson acted in this fight with conspicuous gal- lantry, and fell where he was always found when duty called, — at the head of the column. By his fall, his family and nu- merous friends sustained an irreparable loss, and his State was deprived of one of her most gallant sons. Colonel R. Preston Chew, THOMAS B. TREDWAY, OF PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VIRGINIA; SERGEANT, VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Thomas Booker Tredway, son of Judge William M. Tred- wa3% of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, was born in Banville, Vir- ginia, on the 13th of August, 1844. In the month of April, 1 861, being not quite seventeen years of age, he joined a volunteer company organized at Pittsyl- vania Court-House, where he then resided. This company, 520 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. early in the next month, was ordered to Yorktown and at- tached to one of the regiments of Virginia infantry, under the command of General John B. Magruder, and remained in this department about twelve months. Young Tredway partici- pated with his command in all service during this period, acting gallantly in the battle of Bethel. In the spring of 1862 he was discharged from the army on account of his extreme youth, and sent to the Virginia Mili- tary Institute, at which school he remained until the spring of 1863, when he rejoined his old company at Suffolk. Soon after his return he was made a sergeant in his company; with this company he served through the summer campaign of 1863, and passing with it through into Pennsylvania, he was mortally wounded, and left on the field at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863. Left alone, he soon died of his wounds, it is supposed. No tidings were ever received of him. He was not quite nineteen when he died, — not old enough to have accomplished a great deal ; death prevented the fulfill- ment of great promise. E. S. TROUT, OF STAUNTON, VIRGINIA; CAPTAIN, CO. " H," 52D VIRGINIA INFANTRY. The subject of this memoir, Captain Erasmus Stribling Trout (the eldest child of the Hon. Nicholas K. Trout and Matilda Stribling Trout), was born April 15, 1844. In early boyhood he attended the Staunton Academy, where he evinced a marked aptitude for the acquisition of knowledge. Subsequently he became a student of Mossy Creek Academy, where he prosecuted with commendable zeal and gratifying success the more advanced studies. He was only seventeen years of age when the late civil war occurred. With all the earnestness of his nature he became interested in the Confed- E. S. TROUT. 521 erate cause, and would at once have entered the Confederate army, but he was restrained by friends, who feared that his deh'cate constitution could not withstand the hardships and exposures of field-service. He was sent to the Virginia Mili- tary Institute in 1861, with the view of completing his studies, and with the hope that the admirable physical training there enforced would render him somewhat robust. He remained at the Virginia Military Institute until the corps was disbanded, in July, 1 86 1. Without delay he attached himself to the 5 2d Virginia Infantry in the capacity of a drill-master, wherein he displayed great efficiency. He returned to the Virginia Military Institute in January, 1862, when the Institute was opened by order of the Governor of Virginia, He was a member of the corps of cadets when the latter was ordered to march with General T. J. Jackson's army to Franklin. When he left the Vir-ginia Military Institute he entered the ranks of the 5 2d Virginia Regiment. Colonel James H. Skinner, then commanding, appointed him the sergeant-major of the regiment. "For conspicuous gallantry in the battle of Cedar Mountain," August, 1862, he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant in Co. " H," 52d Virginia Regiment. After the battle of Sharpsburg he was further promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. During General T. J. Jackson's brilliant Valley campaign, in 1864 (in which the 52d Virginia Regiment acted a most conspicuous part), he was commis- sioned captain of Co. " H." He was present with and participated wfth his regiment in all the battles fought by Pegram's Brigade, from Cedar Moun- tain till the close of the war, with one exception, when sick- ness compelled him to be absent. He was in command of the 5 2d Virginia Regiment at the surrender of the army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court-House, and signed the parole for the men of his regi- ment. What more honorable record could be made of a soldier than that his name is enrolled with that patriotic band who followed their noble chieftain. General Robert E. Lee, 522 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. through many of the dangers and vicissitudes of a four-years' war, and, in the trying hour of military disaster, was still at his post of duty? Upon his return home, after the surrender, he at once engaged in business, as a druggist, with all his usual ardor. Very soon it became evident that the exposures of the war had made most serious impressions upon a constitution natu- rally delicate. Consumption attacked his lungs, and he most rapidly declined. Though a great sufferer, he bore his troubles with manly fortitude up to the close of his life, October 20, 1866. Thus ended the earthly career of a noble, generous, and gallant youth ! Though it was not his privilege to die upon the field of battle " with his back to the field and his face to the foe," yet he was no less a victim of the war, — as its hard- ships and discomforts developed and hastened the march of the disease which closed his mortal life. Young, gifted in mind, of a manly, noble nature, he has left a name and a record which will be honored as long as manly worth and virtue are appreciated. Dr. A. M. Fauntleroy. SAMUEL TYLER, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA; FIRST LIEUTENANT, C. S. TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS. Samuel Tyler, son of John H. Tyler, Esq., was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1843. After a preparatory education in the Richmond day-schools, he entered the Virginia Military Institute, in June, 1861. Remaining there only long enough to become familiarized with the drill, he received an appointment as drill-master, and was ordered to report for duty to General Garnett at Laurel Hill. Here he performed the duties of his position until the fatal battle in which General Garnett lost his C. F. URQUHART. 523 life, participating in this fight and in the terrible retreat which ensued. Going home after this on a short furlough, he re- ported to General Jackson, and was for several months in com- mand of a company of infantry. Was then transferred to the engineer corps and assigned to duty with Colonel Rives, act- ing under whom he assisted in the construction of the fortifi- cations at Drewry's Bluff. Receiving a commission as first lieutenant in the Topographical Engineers, he remained in that service until the close of the war. But though Lieutenant Tyler had escaped amid the chances of war, passing unharmed through battle, the long- continued exposure necessitated by his duties had done sure work, so undermining his constitution that at the close of hostilities he was left with his lungs permanently diseased. Lingering for two years, he died on the 8th of May, 1867, in his twenty-fourth year. He died as he had lived, a Christian soldier. C. F. URQUHART, OF SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; MAJOR, 3D VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Charles Fox Urquhart, the subject of this memoir, was born at Oak Grove, Southampton County, Virginia, the resi- dence of his father, Ansalem B. Urquhart, on the 1 2th of May, 1838. After the usual preliminary education and training, he entered the Virginia Military Institute in July, 1857, where he graduated in the summer of i860. Soon after returning home, though surrounded by all the luxuries, comforts, and conveniences in life, so well calculated to seduce us into habits of indolence and sloth, yet, with that energy and spirit so char- acteristic of his paternal ancestors, of whom it has been said " that they would have felt that they had but imperfectly dis- charged their duties as good citizens did they not contribute 524 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. something to the common fund of public prosperity," he, with a view to the prosecution of civil engineering, — a study- to which he had given no little of his time and attention whilst at the Institute, — announced his intention of going to South America, where it will be remembered a feverish excitement was then prevailing on the subject of railroads. Before, how- ever, his arrangements were fully completed, the long-agitated political troubles between the North and the South seemed about to culminate in a resort to arms. A soldier by profes- sion, a Virginian to the core, he hesitated not as to the direc- tion in which his path of duty lay. He relinquished his South American project and calmly awaited the action of his State, through her convention then about to assemble, which he knew would decide her destiny. When the tocsin of war sounded, the first company organized in his county elected him by acclamation their first lieutenant. It may not be out of place to state that at the same time he was tendered the cap- taincy, but declined in deference to what he considered the prior claims of an older alumnus of his alma mater. This company, afterwards known as Co. ** D," 3d Virginia Infantry (Colonel Pryor), occupied that region of country lying on the James River, known as Day's Neck, until the spring of 1862, when it was ordered across to the Peninsula, where it first saw active service. From this time forward Lieutenant Urouhart took part in every engagement in which his company or regi- ment participated, including Yorktown, Williamsburg, and Seven Pines, where he was promoted captain, the seven days' battle around Richmond, the second battle of Manassas, Har- per's Ferry, and Sharpsburg. At the second battle of Manassas, Captain Urquhart was promoted major, and was in command of his regiment when that fatal bullet was sped wh4ch cut down, — colors in hand, — at Sharpsburg, September 17, 1862, one of the most devoted, gallant, and heroic officers in the Confeder- ate army. Since entering the service to the day of his death Major Urquhart had never, from any cause, been absent a single day from his post. To say that his whole career was marked C. F. URQUHART. 525 by a brave and courageous bearing, by gallant exploits, by an unselfish patriotism, and by an unswerving devotion to duty, is but to affirm what every surviving soldier of his regiment will cheerfully attest. Nor was it on the battle- field alone that he excited the admiration of his comrades and won the plaudits of his superiors ; but, ever mindful of the privations and hardships of his subordinates, ever ready in attendance upon the sick and with encouragement for the weary and despondent, it was in bivouac and on the march that those good qualities of head and heart were recognized and appreciated ; 'twas then that the genial sunshine of his soul shone out so resplendently as to elicit that sad and touch- ingly beautiful tribute to his memory, embraced in a series of resolutions passed by his late comrades in arms soon after his death. But for their length and the limits assigned to this paper, I should introduce them here, as furnishing the most fitting eulogy of the dead hero. The subject of this memoir was about the middle size of men, and possessed more than ordinary personal advantages. His figure was erect and graceful; his bearing calm, dignified, and even grave, but his manner upon being approached was ever easy, affable, and agreeable. Perhaps I cannot more appropriately conclude this meagre and imperfect sketch of Major Urquhart, than by transcrib- ing a few sentences from a letter written by a soldier of his command, from Winchester, Virginia, announcing the sad intelligence of his death to the family : ..." The major was killed in the battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland, on the 17th inst, whilst nobly leading his regiment, colors in hand. We were unable to recover his body. His old company have lost the best friend they ever had ; the regiment, one of its most reliable and trusted officers, and the service, one of the noblest, bravest, best men that ever walked God's green earth. There was no one save my brother whom I loved more sincerely, living, or mourn more sin- cerely, dead." R. W. BURGES. 526 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. \ WILLIAM M. WALLER, Jr., OF AMHERST COUNTY, VIRGINIA; FIRST LIEUTENANT, CO. "E," 2D VIR- GINIA CAVALRY. William M. Waller, Jr., son of William M. Waller, was born in Amherst County, Virginia, in 1829. In July, 1848, he entered the Virginia Military Institute, and graduated in 1852. Was afterwards occupied in farming, until 1861, then the first sound of the war-bugle found him a volunteer in Captain Whitehead's Cavalry Company, from Amherst (afterwards Co. " E," 2d Virginia Cavalry), serving during his first year as or- derly sergeant. At the reorganization of his company in 1862, he was elected first lieutenant. The modesty and diffidence of his youth, so well remembered by his old classmates, adhered to him in after-life, and prevented him from seeking a higher position, which he might have attained. Let the chronicle of his alma mater enroll high his name among the modest, kind- hearted, brave, and true, who shed so much lustre on the Confederate arms. History will blaze with the exploits of the great Jackson, but the brightness of his fame will not cast into the shade the noble deeds of his old pupils who, in the discharge of their duty, fell for "the cause." Of this number was he of whom we now write. He fell while executing Gen- eral Jackson's orders, and by the successful execution of these orders helped in no small degree to perfect his commander's strategy, and to enable him to whip in detail the armies of Fremont at Cross Keys, June 8, and Shields at Port Republic, June 9, 1862. At dawn on the morning of the 9.th of June an order was sent to Colonel T. T. Mumford, commanding cavalry of division, by Major R. L. Dabney, A. A. G., "for a trusty officer to be detailed to command the cavalry videttes, who will cover the infantry rear-guard of Ewell's Division, now in front of Fremont, and who will withdraw and join General BARKSDALE WARWICK. 527 Jackson, now engaging Shields near the Lewis House." To Lieutenant Waller was assigned this delicate and important manoeuvre. The officer commanding the rear brigade of Ewell's forces, supposing the whole of the mounted forces had crossed the bridge, applied the torch to it. Well supplied with combustibles and unexploded shells, it was impassable in a few seconds. The enemy pressing forward, soon drove Waller and his videttes back to the bridge, when, to his horror, he was fired upon by his own army, who supposed him to be of the enemy's cavalry. Between Scylla and Charybdis, indeed ! He stood for a moment, conscious that he could not swim, then, scorning to surrender, he boldly dashed into the river. His horse floundered and fell, he was thrown off and drowned in the face of both armies. Thus died this noble soldier. Virginia's Ploratius Codes, he not only emulated the bravery of the Roman hero, but died in the execution of his duty. A statue was erected to Hora- tius in the Comitium, while yet alive, and other honors were rendered to him. Virginia can do no such honor to this her son, who gave his life for her, but better still, in the hearts of his brothers in arms, in the hearts of all the true, his name is enshrined as the pure and fearless patriot, the brave and gen- erous soldier, the modest and unaffected gentleman. BARKSDALE WARWICK, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA; AID-DE-CAMP TO GENERAL H. A. WISE. Barksdale Warwick, son of Corbin and Margaret E. Warwick, of Richmond, was born in that city on the 20th of June, 1844. His mother was a Miss Bradfute, great-grand- daughter of Colonel Byrd, of Westover, of historic note as the founder of Richmond, His ancestors have ever held the highest social position. In March, 1861, he entered the Vir- 528 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. ginia Military Institute, but was only there for a few weeks. During the next month the cadets were ordered into service as drill-masters, and, after having performed efficient duty, were disbanded early in the summer, being allowed to elect between going into the army and returning to the Institute as soon as duties could be resumed there. Barksdale War- wick, though only sixteen years old, could not be persuaded to remain out of the army. With all the ardor of a young Southerner, he felt that his country needed his services. He at once joined General Wise in West Virginia, first as a drill- master, and was shortly afterwards attached to his staff as first lieutenant, and served in this capacity during the whole war, participating in all the hard service, marches, and battles of Wise's Brigade, in Western Virginia, around Richmond, on the Peninsula, in South Carolina, and around Petersburg, in all cases showing distinguished courage and coolness. His commanding officer makes special mention of his calm bravery in carrying orders, under a galling cannonade, at Williamsburg, in the summer of 1863. Passing through all the dangers of war unhurt, save by the fall of his horse in a charge upon the enemy near Charles- ton, South Carolina, he was reserved to become a victim just the week before the surrender of General Lee's army. The circumstances of his death are recounted in the following let- ter of General Wise, with which this brief sketch will close : " Richmond, Virginia, August 3, 1865, " To Byrd Warwick, Esq. "Dear Sir, — Your letter of May 5, ultimo, did not, by some mischance, reach me until within the last few days. I now take mournful pleasure in supplying the note, which you say was burnt in the conflagration of Richmond, commemo- rative of the glorious death of your noble brother, Lieutenant Barksdale Warwick. " On the 29th of March last I was ordered, by Major- General B. R. Johnson, to advance my brigade on the mili- tary road, from its forks with the Boydton plank-road to BARKSDALE WARWICK. 529 Gravelly Run, a branch of Rowanty Creek. I was instructed to fight any force of the enemy I met, and informed that I would meet with no number of force which I could not brush out of my way. The brigade was promptly moved forward in line of battle, guiding by the centre, the military road, the centre and the line at right angles to it. The 34th and 46th Regiments were on the right, leading through a dense pine thicket, and the 26th and 59th were on the left, leading through a heavy growth of red oak and chestnut timber, with an undergrowth of stunted black-jacks, leafless, with low and thick branches. Within six hundred yards of the order to move forward, in these woods, Ave met three corps of the enemy, at least twenty-five thousand strong, which we imme- diately attacked, and the outer lines of which we drove some two hundred and fifty to three hundred yards, when we struck the main lines of the enemy at a sharp angle on the left, and diverging from left to right from twenty to fifty paces. "As we drove the enemy, the movement forward became slower and slower. I was pressing on the men with the words, ' Drive into them, boys ! drive into them !' when your brother at my side, on the right of the 26th, to the left of the military road, smiled and exclaimed, ' Let me cry charge, General Wise ! let me cry charge !' ' Cry charge ! my brave boy,' I replied, and he shouted, ' Charge !' and bounded across the road to my right, and reached where Lieutenant McDow- ell, of the 46th, was, and was shouting, 'Charge! charge!' with a bright smile on his face, when he was struck in the forehead and instantly killed. He did not seem to fall, but sat down on a fallen log, and his head fell back against a tree, with its full expression of the ' gandin certaniinis' on it. Lieutenant McDowell took off his watch, and I sent it to his mother. "Thus died Barksdale Warwick. No knight ever be- haved more bravely ! No brave ever died a more beautiful death ! After the surrender at Appomattox, two officers of the Federal army, one a surgeon, supposing that he was my son, came to me to inform me that he had been honorably 34 530 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. buried, and his grave marked. The surgeon said that he was the most beautiful corpse he ever saw ; that the color and the smile were still on his face, and he was sitting as he was left, as if in repose, and with hardly a stain of blood or of earth on his person. He was to me as a son. I loved him as if he had been mine. He had been with me from the beginning of the war, and never failed in duty to his country, or in rev- erence and obedience to me. He was gentle and amiable and genial, and yet indomitable in courage and pluck, and his bravery was as natural and unaffected as his death was beau- tiful. After what has happened, we ought not to wish such spirits still alive, to suffer the humiliation of submission. " Yours truly, Henry A. Wise." WILLIAM E. WATKINS, OF HALIFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; ORDERLY SERGEANT, ALRIGHT's BAT- TERY. William E. Watkins, son of Samuel P. Watkins, Esq., was born in Halifax County, in 1844; in August, i860, be- came a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute, where he remained until the corps went to Richmond, in the spring of 1 86 1, to serve as drill-masters. When the corps was dis- banded, young Watkins, though under age, enlisted as a pri- vate in Alright's Battery, — an artillery company from his native county. With this battery he served during the whole war, having for his soldierly qualities been made orderly ser- geant. The severe service of the last campaigns of the war brought on disease which proved fatal, taking him home just a few months after hostilities had ceased. One of his comrades says of him, " He was a noble boy, much beloved among us." JOSEPH C. WHEELWRIGHT. 531 JOSEPH C. WHEELWRIGHT, OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY, VIRGINIA; PRIVATE, CO. " C," CORPS OF CADETS. Joseph Christopher Wheelwright, the third son of Dr. Frederick D. and Maria L. Wheelwright, was born in West- moreland County, Virginia, November 26, 1846. His father, one of the most public-spirited and honored citizens of the county, embraced with ardor the Confederate cause, at the inception of hostilities being one of the first to volunteer in the 20th Virginia Cavalry, then forming; and afterwards, at the instance of friends, accepting the appoint- ment of surgeon in the same regiment. His two eldest sons, Thomas and Frederick, inspired by like patriotic enthusiasm, though both under age, volunteered at the same time, and served throughout the war with marked gallantry and effi- ciency. Joseph Christopher, then but fourteen years of age, was, with the utmost difficulty, restrained from joining his brothers in the ranks, and, as the war progressed, chafed sorely under this restraint. His heart was in the field. His school was a prison to him. But he recognized and accepted the authority and wisdom of his parents in keeping him to his studies and the varied duties of home, which devolved upon him in the absence of his father and elder brothers. He was ever a duti- ful and loving son, and a devoted brother, helpful, sympathiz- ing, and industrious; and though study was a task to him, he was ambitious to improve himself, and applied all the powers of his mind to whatever he undertook, never putting a subject aside until he had mastered it thoroughly. His character, like his appearance, was most engaging. Bright and joyous in aspect and disposition, there was an in- genuousness and modesty in his demeanor, joined to a quiet manliness of bearing, which impressed all, old and young 532 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. alike, with singular interest and attraction. His impulses were all pure and noble. From childhood remarkable for truthfulness and unselfishness, a striking sincerity and gen- erosity continued to be prominent traits of his nature. He was ever ready to sacrifice himself for the comfort of those around him. With a natural insensibility to fear, he always bore physical pain without complaint. His courage was tested not only by numberless incidents of his boyhood, but on those frequent occasions during the war when civilians would be called out to check and repel marauding parties of the enemy. Among other incidents was the following: A vessel had been seized by a band of traitors, with the intent of carrying her out of our waters and de- livering her over to the Federals. A small party of citizens, hearing, at the last moment, of their design, determined to frustrate it. In this they succeeded, though many of them were unarmed, while their opponents, much superior in num- ber, were armed to the teeth, and, being in possession of the vessel, resisted from her deck with desperate determination. The attacking party rowed out to her in a small boat, and boarded her under heavy fire from the outlaws, rescuing the vessel from them in a hand-to-hand conflict. Young Wheel- wright, against the remonstrances of the senior members of the party, insisted upon sharing in this attempt, and through- out the engagement evinced a coolness under fire, and such courage and daring in scaling the vessel, as contributed greatly to the success of the enterprise, and evoked the unbounded applause of his older companions. The frequent disturbances in the neighborhood, and the consequent interruption to his studies, together with his eager and unconquerable desire to join the army, decided his parents, finally, to send him to the Virginia Military Institute, where his martial tastes might be indulged under proper training and discipline, and his general education be progressing at the same time under the auspices of that high-toned institu- tion. He was, accordingly, entered as a cadet, in August, 1863. His parents fondly hoped that he, at least, might be JOSEPH C. WHEELWRIGHT. 533 kept out of danger, while his brothers were incurring all the risks and chances of war. Vain, alas, the hope ! " Man pro- poses, God disposes." His brothers passed honorably, but unscathed, through the contest, while he, whose safety was thus thought to be secured, was speedily called to lay down his life for his mother State. But a few months had been spent in the walls of this fancied asylum, when the cadets were summoned to the field. Promptly and gladly they re- sponded to the summons. Roused before daybreak, on the nth of May, 1864, by the heart-stirring long roll, quickly they made ready, and, after four days' hard marching in rain and mud, they met the enemy at New Market. General Breckinridge, though outnumbered three to one by Sigel, would have held them in reserve; but it had to be otherwise. The first line broke under the withering fire, right into the gap rushed this gallant band of boys, and with a constancy, steadiness, and valor unsurpassed by veterans, did their part nobly in changing the tide of battle. Victory was theirs; yet " Sadly, through tears, they tell How, in their beauty, fell The martyred seven. Freed by the battle-tlirust, Rose their bright souls from dust, Bearing a nation's trust, Blood-sealed, to heaven." Among these, the bravest of the brave, young Wheel- wright, fell. One of the foremost in a desperate charge, he received the fatal wound. His comrades bore him from the field. He was carried to Harrisonburg, where he was kindly received in the hos- pitable home of Dr. Newman, whose family ministered to his comfort with the most tender solicitude. The best medical skill proved unavailing. He sank rapidly under the effects of his wound, and died on the 2d of June, 1864. His attending physician. Dr. Thomas M. Lewis, testified that he bore his sufferings with the most heroic patience, fortitude, and resigna- tion, and that he requested him to inform his father " that he 534 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. knew he was going to die, and had made preparation for death ; that he felt that God had forgiven his past sins, and that he would be saved through the blood of Jesus." D. C. Wirt. J. W. V^ILLCOX, OF CHARLES CITY COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; SERGEANT, CHARLES CITY DRAGOONS. The subject of this brief memoir, J. Westmore Willcox, son of Dr. Edward Willcox, was born in Charles City County, on the 3d of August, 1838; and was mortally wounded in the cavalry engagement at Trevillian's Station, in Louisa County, Virginia, on the nth of June, 1864. The old maxim, ''Dc mortitis nil nisi boniiui,'' is frequently too true. In this case it is not the design of the writer to lavish praise where it is not due, but rather to collect facts and state them fairly. Young Willcox entered the Virginia Military Institute in August, 1856, having just attained his eighteenth year. After studying at the Institute for three years, he returned to his home, and devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, winning the love and respect of all who knew him, by kindness of heart and courtesy of manner, dignified by conscientious and undeviating rectitude. When the war began he was a member and first corporal of the Charles City Dragoons. Impatient, however, to join in the contest, upon application, he was appointed adjutant of the post at Fort Powhatan, under the comrhand of Captain Cocke, at a time when it was daily expected that a fleet would find its way up James River. By his officer-like bearing and gentlemanly deportment, he won the esteem and confidence of both officers and men. He had held this position but for a short time, when it was / LEWIS B. WILLIAMS. 535 abolished. Instead of returning to his home to brood over the loss of an easy berth, he repaired at once to the Peninsula, rejoined his former command as a volunteer without pay, performed efficient services as a scout, and was conspicuous in a cavalry engagement with the enemy. Naturally sensitive, and endowed with a high sense of honor, he became restless and dissatisfied with a position that entitled him to privileges which the private in ranks could not enjoy. After a brief respite, he connected himself perma- nently with the company. His amiability of character and soldierly qualities endeared him to his comrades. A vacancy shortly occurring, he was elected second sergeant, and as such served with distinction through both Maryland cam- paigns, participating in every fight in which his division (Fitz. Lee's) was engaged. But little is known of the incidents attending his death. He was wounded while his comrades were retiring after an effort to dislodge the enemy from a strong position. Left on the field, he fell into the enemy's hands, but was recaptured and sent to a hospital at Gordonsville, where he died in a few hours. " Brief, brave, and glorious was his young career." LEWIS B. WILLIAMS, OF ORANGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA; COLONEL, 1ST VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Colonel Lewis B. Williams was the son of Lewis Wil- liams, Esq., of Orange Court-House, Virginia. During his seventeenth year, July 15, 1851, he matriculated at the Vir- ginia Military Institute, and pursued successfully his studies until he graduated, in July, 1855, having attained excellent academic standing, and held the highest military office in his class. After graduation, he was appointed Assistant Professor 536 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. of Mathematics and Assistant Instructor in Tactics, with the rank of captain. Having performed the duties of this posi- tion for three years, Colonel Williams studied and entered upon the practice of law, being fairly started just as the war came. Raising a company at once, he hastened to Harper's Ferry, and reported for duty ; was shortly afterwards ap- pointed lieutenant-colonel of the 7th Virginia Infantry, in which position he served with distinguished gallantry during the campaigns of 1 861 and early '62. At the reorganization of the army he was elected colonel of the ist Virginia In- fantry ; at the battle of Williamsburg, was severely wounded and taken prisoner. He was killed in command of his brigade as he led them in the grand charge on the heights of Gettys- burg, July 3, 1863. Colonel Williams was a man of remarkably brilliant mind, fine figure and presence, brave as a lion, — possessing, in fact, peculiar qualifications as an officer and soldier. His promo- tion was an expected fact, but his life had been laid down ere he could gain higher position. N. CLAIBORNE WILSON, OF EOTETOURT COUNTY, VIRGINIA; MAJOR, 28tH VIRGINIA INFANTRY. Nathaniel Claiborne Wilson was born at Fincastle, Botetourt County, Virginia, on the 12th of September, 1839. His father was Colonel George W. Wilson, of Botetourt; his mother, Mrs. Susan M. Wilson, was the daughter of the late Hon. N. H. Claiborne, of Franklin County, Virginia. He entered the Virginia Military Institute on the 3d of August, 1857; remained during two sessions, and then entered the Law School of the University of Virginia ; graduating in i860, he obtained a license, and commenced the practice of his profession in the fall of that year, at Newcastle, Craig A^. CLAIBORNE WILSON. 537 County. In April, 1861, he organized and was elected cap- tain of the Craig Rifles. At the first call for Virginia troops, he marched his company to Lynchburg, and thence to Rich- mond. From the latter city his company was ordered to Manassas Junction, and was here incorporated in the 28th Virginia Infantry. At the battle of Manassas, July 21, 1861, Captain Wilson's company came in contact with the regi- ment of Colonel Wilcox, of the Federal army, and succeeded in wounding and capturing Wilcox. In the melee seven of the Craig Rifles were wounded. At the reorganization of the army, in 1862, Captain Wilson was elected major of the 28th Virginia. At the battle of Seven Pines, Major Wilson re- ceived a slight wound in the face, but was kept from duty only a few days. Participating in the battles around Rich- mond, in the storming of the enemy's works at Gaines's Mill, he was shot through the thigh by a Minie-ball. So severe was this wound, that he was kept from his command for several months, being prevented by it from being present at the second battle of Manassas, or in the first Maryland cam- paign, — the only service in which his regiment participated without his presence until the glorious and desperate charge of Pickett's Division, in which he met his death. As soon as he recovered from the wound received at Gaines's Mill, Major Wilson reported for duty at Richmond, and, being still lame, was assigned to duty by the War Department at Camp Lee ; but he preferred active service, and rejoined his command, which in a short while was ordered to North Carolina. During this campaign Major Wilson commanded his regi- ment. After the siege of Washington, North Carolina, the 28th was ordered to Hanover Junction, Virginia, where it re- mained until ordered to proceed with the army into Mary- land and Pennsylvania, in July, 1863. On the morning of the 3d of July, when other brigades had faltered in the attempt to storm a position of the enemy at Gettysburg, held with one hundred and twenty pieces of artillery by the flqwer of the Northern army, Pickett's three Virginia brigades were drawn up in front of it, and the order to advance given. In that ad- 538 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. vance of fifteen hundred yards, perhaps the grandest charge of modern times, many of Virginia's noblest sons went down. Major Wilson was of this number. Acting as lieutenant- colonel of his regiment, when the command " Forward !" was given, he stepped in front of the left wing of his command, and called to his men, ''Nozv, boys, put your trust in God, and follow inc f Keeping in advance, he led the charge, until one-third of the field had been crossed, then fell, pierced by a grape-shot. Taken immediately to the division hospital, he died in fifteen or twenty minutes; his last words, " Tell my mother I died a true soldier, and I hope a true Christian^' spoken to his friend, the chaplain of his regiment, in that in- terval. His body was wrapped in his army blanket and buried near the fatal field, his comrades being unable to pro- cure a coffin. Before his death he had asked to be buried in the old burying-ground at home. As soon as it was possible after the war, his remains were disinterred, and borne to the resting-place of his fathers. Major Wilson had been a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church South for some years previous to his death, and strong was his trust in God. In his diary, found on his person after death, was found the following, the last sentence he ever wrote : "jlitly 3. In line of battle, expecting to move forzvard every minute. With our trust in God, zve fear not an eartldy enemy. God be with usT' As a fitting conclusion to this sketch, we extract the fol- lowing paragraphs from a letter of the Rev. P. Tinsley, chap- lain of the 28th : " Major Wilson exhibited in every relation the utmost purity and rectitude of character, and his deportment, both in his official actions and in social and private life, were en- tirely consistent with the Christian hope that he expressed to me as well as to the men who bore him from the field. For some time .previous to his death he had manifested an in- creased interest in religion, as was evident from his Scripture reading and his attendance upon religious service. There was p. H. WORSHAM. 539 no reasonable labor or sacrifice that the officers and men of his regiment would not have suffered in his behalf, so strongly- had his many virtues — and especially his gallantry on every field and his heroic courage — attached us to him. " He died calmly. His features were not distorted, but as placid and natural as if quietly sleeping in bivouac, with his comrades around him. After using every effort to procure a coffin, it became necessary to bury him in his military over- coat, with his army blanket for his coffin and his shroud." . P. H. WORSHAM, OF DINWIDDIE COUNTY, VIRGINIA ; SERGEANT-MAJOR, 3D VIRGINIA CAVALRY. Patrick Henry Worsham was born at " Oldenplace," Din- widdie County, Virginia, on the 2d of August, 1837. He was the second son of Dr. Henry C. Worsham, an eminent physi- cian and surgeon of Dinwiddle, who represented his county with distinction in the State Legislature from 1861 to 1865. His paternal grandfather. Captain Ludson Worsham, was pri- vate secretary to General Nathaniel Greene during the Revo- lution, and had conferred upon him the rank of captain at the battle of Guilford, North Carolina. His mother, whose maiden name was Judith M. Bland, was a descendant of Richard Bland. He was also closely connected with John Randolph of Roanoke. In 1853, young Worsham entered the Virginia Military In- stitute, his previous education having been received at home and at Hampden-Sidney College. Entering the fourth class, at the end of the session he had attained excellent standing, — twelfth on general merit in a class of forty-one. During the next year he received a very severe fall, which nearly cost him his life, and necessitated his return to his home. Returning, 540 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. after some time, he endeavored to pursue his studies ; but his system had received so great a shock that he was incapaci- tated for study and military duty, and was again forced to go to his home. Before he had recovered from his injuries, his class had made such progress as to make it impossible to overtake them. He therefore determined to study law. In furtherance of this plan, he entered the law school of the University of Virginia, and took one year's course; and then, upon the advice of the late Judge Gholson, took a second course, under Judge John W. Brockenbrough, LL.D., at Lex- ington, from whom he received his license to practice law. He returned to his home in May, i86i, attended Dinwiddie Court on the third Wednesday of the same month, addressed the grand jury, and entered as a practitioner of law at that court. Early in May he joined the cavalry company from his county, "Dinwiddie Troop," Company "A," 3d Virginia Cavalry, went with it into service in the Peninsula, and was soon appointed sergeant-major of his regiment. In this posi- tion he served with gallantry and distinction during the Penin- sula campaign. On the retreat, being engaged in a skirmish at Williamsburg during a day and night, he contracted what was familiarly known as the camp fever. He was carried to Rich- mond, where he remained several days, then to Petersburg, to the house of Mr. John Dodson, a connexion, where he lingered, cared for in the kindest manner, nearly three weeks, and died on the 5th of June, 1862, in the twenty-fifth year of his age. In service just one year, Mr. Worsham had given evidence of his worth as a man and soldier. His colonel, William M. Field, says of him, " He was an honest man, a high-toned gentleman, and a brave soldier. Requiescat in pace !" T. C. WRIGHT. 541 T. C. WRIGHT, OF WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA^; SERGEANT-MAJOR, 37TH NORTH CAROLINA INFANTRY. Thomas C. Wright, son of Dr. Thomas H. and Mary Wright, was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1846. The war coming on while he was a mere boy, he was sent to the Virginia Military Institute to prepare to take his part in the service of his country. He entered this school in Sep- tember, 1862, and having familiarized himself with the drill and military discipline, in obedience to what he considered his sacred duty, he resigned early in 1863, and enlisted as a private in the 37th North Carolina Infantry. With this regi- ment he served faithfully until the following winter, when, for his good qualities and soldierly conduct, he was appointed sergeant-major of the 37th. Through the arduous campaign of the spring of 1864 he served efficiently, discharging his duties as a man and a soldier in a manner that won the esteem of officers and comrades. But he was not destined to see the end. Just on the threshold of the age which would justify his countr)' in demanding his services; just where she could ask him to begin, there had he finished his duty nobly. Ere the time came when he would have to render her the service, he had gladly hastened to perform it ; nay, more, he had laid down his life for her. On the 7th of May, 1864, in his eighteenth year, at the great battle of the Wilderness, he was mortally wounded. Taken from the field of battle by slow stages to the North Carolina Hospital in Petersburg, he lin- gered for a fortnight in great suffering, borne with the fortitude of a Christian soldier, until the 26th of May, when he died. " Early in 1863, five of us were together in one room at the dear old Virginia Military Institute, — generous, open-hearted Charlie Haigh, brave as a lion, without fear and without re- proach, Cowardin, Badger, and poor Tom Wright, the gayest 542 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. of us all. Before a twelvemonth had passed, all five were in the army: four had become officers. Three of the comrades served to the end, with honor to themselves and credit to the institution that had fitted them for their duties. The other two sealed with their blood their devotion to cause and coun- try. Charlie Haigh and Tom Wright, room-mates, friends, officers of the same regiment, in the same week death came to them !" He of whom we are now writing, while he had not attained to the age when, under ordinary circumstances, the true char- acter of the man shines forth, had by the troublous times been developed, and had shown of what metal he was made. The generous, impulsive boy, by the stern necessity of war, had Ijecome the brave, true, and faithful soldier, so trained in endur- ance that he could bear the terrible agony of his death-wound uncomplainingly. His friends lost a true-hearted, noble com- rade. He gained the warrior's crown. DISCOURSE ON THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF LIEUT.-GENERAL THOMAS J. JACKSON, (C. S. A.) LATE PROFESSOR OF NATURAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHILOSOPHY IN THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE. BY FRANCIS H. SMITH, A.M., SUPERINTENDENT OF THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE. Read before the Board of Visitors, Faculty, and Cadets, July I, 1863. WITH PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTION IN HONOR OF THE ILLUS- TRIOUS DECEASED. {Published by order 0/ the Board of Visitors.) The providential arrangements by which the Virginia Mili- tary Institute has been prepared and fitted for the great work devolving upon it, in the momentous struggle through which our country is now passing, is one of the most marked indica- tions of the favor and blessing of God to it and to our country. Ushered into being at a time of profound peace, — when nothing seemed so improbable as the existence of civil war, — when the necessity, or even utility of a military school seemed scarcely to have been conceived of by its founders, — every step in its history, from its inception to the present moment, indicates the directing and controlling hand of God, which has brought it into existence, — shaped its policy and animated its energies for the distinctive work to which He has called it. By its necessary organization as a public guard to the State 543 544 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. arsenal, its niilitary character was distinclively defined. With strong temptations, from the current of pubHc opinion, to adapt its system of studies to the ordinary college curriculum, it has been kept, by the force of circumstances, strictly to the scientific course prescribed for military schools, — so that it has been hemmed in as it were, by causes over which it could ex- ercise no control, to a work seemingly unnecessary, but which the experience of the last two years has shown to have been most effective for the cause of our oppressed country. See the wonderful evidences of public confidence, in the liberal support given it by our State authorities — the no less obvious appreciation of its worth, not as a school for niilitary knowledge so much as a school for discipline, by its patrons — in the constantly increasing demand for the benefits of its system of government. See how State after State in our Southern Confederacy — some enthusiastically, others reluc- tantly, but all firmly — has taken up the system of military schools, thus following the lead of Virginia. First, South Carolina, with its well-endowed and well-managed schools at Charleston and Columbia; then Georgia, at Marietta; Ken- tucky, at Frankfort; Tennessee, at Nashville; North Carolina, at Charlotte and Hillsboro' ; Louisiana, at Alexandria; Arkan- sas, at Little Rock ; Florida, at Tallahassee, — then Texas ; and finally, Alabama, in the thorough reorganization of its State University at Tuscaloosa, upon the model of this institution. And thus has each Southern State- been led, by an unseen guidance, to a work of preparation for the crisis of our country, — so that, when the cry, " To anus T was heard, the alumni of these various military schools rallied around the standard of the country, and prepared the untrained bands of freemen for the dreadful conflict in which they were so soon to be engaged. Thus has Providence, through agencies which have been quietly and noiselessly operating through a period of twenty-four years, raised up a class of educated officers, to meet the first onset of the trained and disciplined armies which our Northern foe hurled against us. It is not my purpose to argue here the value of such provi- LIEUT.-GEN. THOMAS J. JACKSON. 545 dential pre-arrangemcnt, or the necessity for it, or how much our country owes to the noble heroes who have made them- selves and their country illustrious by their deeds, and yet have not had the advantages of the education which military schools supply, — whose lessons have been acquired in the school of the soldier, on the field of battle, and in the camp. But it does not detract from the merit or honor of these to say that our struggle would have been a very different one had we not had the well-trained teaching and discipline of military schools, in our Lees and Johnstons and Jacksons ; our Beaure- gard and Longstreet and Polk and Bragg and Hardee and Pem- berton; the Hills and Ewell and Early and Magruder, and many other general officers of distinction from West Point; in our own Rodes and Garland, and eight other general officers ; our sixty colonels, fifty lieutenant-colonels, fifty majors, one hundred and fifty captains, one hundred general and regi- mental staff officers, and one hundred and fifty subalterns from the Virginia Military Institute; and in the hundreds of other officers of various grades and high distinction from the several military schools of the South. The testimony of our own Washington, conclusiv^e as it is, will be received with au- thority on this point. In his last annual message to Congress, December 7, 1796, he thus recommended the establishment of a military academy : " The institution of a military academy is also recommended by cogent reasons. However pacific the general policy of a nation may be, it ought never to be without an adequate stock of military knowledge for emergencies. The first would im- pair the energy of its character, and both would endanger its safety, or expose it to greater evils, when war could not be avoided. Besides, that war might not often depend upon its own choice. In proportion as the observance of pacific maxims might exempt a nation from the necessity of prac- ticing the rules of the military art, ought to be its care in preserving and transmitting, by proper establishments, the knowledge of that art. Whatever argument may be drawn from particular examples, superficially viewed, a thorough 35 546 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. examination of the subject will evince that the art of war is both comprehensive and complicated; that it demands much previous study ; and that the possession of it, in its most im- proved and perfect state, is always of great moment to the security of a nation. This, therefore, ought to be a serious care of every government; and for this purpose, an academy, where a regular course of instruction is given, is an obvious expedient which different nations have successfully employed." (U. S. Doc. Foreign Rel., vol. iii. p. 3 1-2.) When we contemplate the interior organization and history of the Virginia Military Institute, we are no less struck with the providence which has guided the administration of the school. Although its operations have been steadily expand- ing, and the number of its professorships greatly enlarged, no resignation has ever taken place in its Faculty since its organ- ization in 1839; and no dcatJi has occurred in the corps of in- structors or professors during this long period, until the heavy calamity which has clothed a nation in sorrow and mourning, when our own illustrious Jackson fell. The same mind which originally conceived the plan, and enforced the practicability of such a military school, and gave its matured wisdom to the deliberations of the first Board of Visitors, still continues to direct the important department of instruction to which he was called on the nth of November, 1839. The venerable and faithful officer, whose annual visits have known no omis- sion for twenty-three years, still serves as our adjutant-gen- eral, and gives us to-day the wise counsels which have directed us through this long period. And when the war broke out, it was no less a providence that the Governor of the State was one who had been born and reared in our midst, who knew intimately the character of the institution, was acquainted with the peculiar qualifications of all its ofificers, and was the better able to appreciate the nature of the work before him, and to avail himself of the institution in the way best calcu- lated to promote the public good. It was thus, by the sagacity of Governor Letcher, that the corps of cadets was ordered to Richmond, and organized at Camp Lee into a camp of instruc- LIEUT.-GEN. THOMAS J. JACKSON. 547 tion, in which fifteen thousand troops were drilled and prepared for the part taken by them in that first great victory of Ma- nassas. It was he that selected General (then Major) T. J. Jackson for one of his earliest appointments as a colonel of volunteers, and ordered him to the command of Harper's Ferry, where, with a large number of the alumni of this insti- tution, and with a detachment of cadets, he organized and gave efficiency to his Stonewall Brigade. It was thus, too, that, forewarned by the John Brown raid. Governor Wise in- structed the superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute to detail a competent officer to prepare and publish a work on military tactics for the use of our volunteers and militia; and that under this order our Southern soldiers, as they rallied around the standard of the country, were supplied with " Gil- ham's Tactics," as a hand-book for the field. And thus, step by step, we may trace the hand of God in the successive instru- mentalities which He had used, and by which He has made this school an important agent in the stupendous conflict now calling forth the full energies of our people. But the spirit of war is antagonistic to the genius and spirit of religion : and although it is a maxim of Christian prudence, " in peace prepare for war," war itself must be counted one of the direst calamities with which God afflicts a nation. What suffering and cruelty result from it ! How the heart and the conscience and the sensibilities are deadened ! how the morals of the young are corrupted, and how varied and sad the train of evil, even when war has ceased, and peace once again re- turns with its blessings to the land ! 'How great the restless- ness of the young, — the disregard of human life and human interests ! Vice and immorality and irreligion stalk through a land when once war (and that civil war) falls upon it. The " feints" and " disguises" and " snares" and " stratagems" of the soldier are made the basis for many a " device" of the Evil One, by which to entrap the unwary youth, — so that, while the Virginia Military Institute has, under the providence of God, been prepared for the great struggle of our revolution, and to be used in it for the accomplishment of much that was good, it 548 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. would seem as if this could only be done by endangering all that was "pure" and "lovely" and " good report" in the school itself; and that germs of evil had also to be developed, which would well-nigh neutralize all that was hopeful or good. And just here, when such thoughts were gaining access to the minds of the friends of the young, God has, by a myste- rious providence, presented to the yonng soldier such a model of a Cliristian soldier in the life and deatli of Lieiitenant-General T. y. jfackson, which has scarcely a parallel in the annals of Cliris- tian lieroisni, ivith the design and purpose, as we liumbly trust, of directing the hearts of the young — ajid especially of the young men of this institution — to acknozvledge Hint whom their illus- trious professor honored, and to teach them, by his example, that true greatness rests up07i a ti'uthful submission to the will of God, as He is revealed to us in His Son jfesus CJirist. Let us contemplate the lesson thus presented to us. Born in the county of Harrison, Virginia, of a large and most influential family, the early boyhood of Jackson, if not oppressed by poverty, was a continual struggle, from the straitened circumstances of his family, caused by the loss of security money by his father, then a practicing lawyer in that section. Schools of an ordinary grade were inaccessible to his means ; and such instruction as he received was obtained in the midst of the severe demands for his labor on the farm, with the additional and most serious drawback of bad health and a feeble physical constitution. Thus were the years of his boyhood and early youth passed. We may picture to ourselves that manly and conscientious and thoughtful though delicate boy, now running the furrow, now planting the grain, now harvesting the crop or tending the cattle by day, and in the intervals of labor snatching up his grammar or geogra- phy or history, and thus laying the simple but solid founda- tion to that education he was soon to receive. These trials and struggles of early boyhood, in its thirsting after knowl- edge, present a sublime spectacle, while there can be no doubt that the discipline which Jackson thus underwent in his western home, while laying in the rudiments of a plain LIEUT.-CEN. THOMAS J. JACKSON. 549 English education, constituted an important element in the development of those qualities which have added such lustre to his name. In the winter of 1841-42 he became aware that a vacancy- existed from his district in the United States Military Acad- emy at West Point. He was at once fired with the desire to secure the appointment. He was conscious of the great num- ber of applicants, and of the difficulties in the way of success. He knew he was poorly prepared for the severe and advanced studies of the Academy; but, nothing daunted, he resolved to make the effort, and, trusting to that providence whose guidance he ever acknowledged and sought, he started for Washington. His journey was a difficult one; partly on horseback, partly on foot, and partly by the public convey- ances, he reached the national capital, and laid his petition in person before his immediate representative, the Hon. Samuel L. Hays. The manner of the youth, his earnestness, his reso- lution, his hopefulness, all spoke for him. These were his credentials ; and the result was, he returned to his home with his warrant in his pocket, — his first public j'eward to honest effort in tJie patli of duty. On the 1st of July, 1842, he was admitted a cadet in the United States Military Academy. His class was a large and distinguished one. Generals McClellan, Foster, Reno, Stone- man, Couch, and Gibbon, of the Federal army; and Generals A. P. Hill, Pickett, Maury, D. R. Jones, W. D. Smith, and Wilcox, of the Confederate army, were among his classmates. He was at once brought into competition with young men of high cultivation; and although it is doubtful whether he had seen a French book in his life, or a mathematical book except his arithmetic, he was assigned to the fourth class, and entered upon the study of algebra, geometry, and French. At the end of his first year, in a class of seventy-two, he stood 45 in mathematics, 70 in French, had 15 demerit, and was 51 in general merit. Such a standing would have discouraged an ordinary youth. Not so with young Jackson. He knew his early disadvantages. He was rather encouraged that he could 550 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. sustain himself at all; and, stimulated by this hope and confi- dence, he pressed forward to the work of the next advanced class. Here the studies were more abstruse and more com- plicated; but when the examination came round he had risen to i8 in mathematics, 52 in French; was 68 in drawing, and 55 in English studies; had 26 demerit, and was 30 m general merit. In the second class a new course of studies was presented to him. Having completed the pure mathematics, French, and English, he had now to enter upon the study of chemis- try and natural philosophy ; and we see the upward and on- ward march of this resolute youth in the result of the year, which placed him 11 in natural philosophy, 25 in chemistry, 59 in drawing, with 710 demerit for the year, and in general merit he was 20. In July, 1846, his class graduated. In the studies of the final year he was 12 in engineering, 5 in ethics, II in artillery, 21 in infantry tactics, ii in mineralogy and geology, 7 demerit for the year, and his graduating standing, including the drawbacks of his previous years, was 17. When we examine the steady upward progress which char- acterized his academic life, from 51 in his first year to 30 in his second, then 20, and finally 17 in ^f-w^r^/ standing, we can understand the remark of one of his associates, when he said that had Jackson remained at West Point, upon a course of four years' longer study, he would have reached the head of his class. And the lesson which his academic career presents is, that what he lacked in early previous preparation he made up by extra diligence and unceasing effort, while resolute de- termination to do his duty caused him to have but 48 demerit, with the strict discipline of West Point, in a course of four years. It was scarcely possible for a young man to have entered upon a course of studies for which he was less prepared, from want of early preparation, than he was. Accustomed to the labor of the field, the change in his habits of life would have unsettled any ordinary man ; but the resolute purpose to ac- complish what he had undertaken, and thus to vindicate the LIEUT.-GEN. THOMAS J. JACKSON. 551 confidence of his fi-iends, animated him through all his diffi- culties, and crowned him with the honors of a graduate, and with the commission as a brevet second lieutenant of artillery, on the 1st of July, 1846. Lieutenant Jackson immediately reported for duty with his regiment, the ist Artillery, and was soon after assigned to Magruder's Light Battery, then serving in Mexico. On the 3d of March, 1847, ^^ ^^'^^ promoted to a second lieutenant, and on the 20th of August of the same year to the rank of first lieutenant. On that day the battles of Contreras and Cherubusco were fought, and for " his gallant and meritorious conduct in these battles" he was brevetted a captain. The battle of Chepultepec was fought on the 13th of September, and he was brevetted a major of artillery for " gallant and meritorious conduct" in that battle. Thus, in the brief period of fourteen months, he had risen from a brevet second lieuten- ant of artillery to the rank of a brevet major of artillery, — a suc- cess without a parallel in the history of the Mexican war. His division commander thus notices his conduct : " The advanced section of the battery, under the command of the brave Lieu- tenant Jackson, was dreadfully cut up and almost disabled." ..." Captain Magruder's field battery, one section of which was served with great gallantry by himself, and the other by his brave lieutenant, Jackson, in the face of a galling fire from the enemy's intrenched positions, did invaluable service pre- paratory to the general assault." Captain Magruder, in his official report, makes the follow- ing reference to him : " I beg leave to call the attention of the major-general commanding the division to the conduct of Lieutenant Jackson, of the ist Artillery. If devotion, indus- try, talent, and gallantry are the highest qualities of a soldier, he is entitled to the distinction which their possession con- fers." It is a singular coincidence that this report of Captain (now Major-General) Magruder was addressed to one who has abundantly verified its accuracy in his own disastrous defeat at Chancellorsville. Captain (now Major-General) Joe Hooker, of the Federal army, was the division adjutant- 552 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. general through whom Captain Magruder's report was trans- mitted. It is not surprising that when the Board of Visitors of the Virginia Military Institute were looking about for a suitable person to fill the chair of Natural and Experimental Philoso- phy and Artillery, the associates of this young and brave major of artillery should have pointed him out as worthy to receive so distinguished an honor. Other names had been submitted to the Board of Visitors by the Faculty of West Point, all of them distinguished for high scholarship and for gallant services in Mexico, General McClellan, General Reno, General Rosecrans, of the Northern army, and General G. W. Smith, of the Confederate army, were thus named. But the peculiar fitness of young Jackson, from the high testimonials to his personal character, and his nativity as a Virginian, satisfied the Board that they might safely select him for the vacant chair, without seeking candidates from other States. He was therefore unanimously elected to the professorship on the 28th of March, 185 1, and entered upon the duties of his chair on the ist of September following. The professorial career of Major Jackson was marked by great faithfulness, and by an unobtrusive, yet earnest, spirit. With high mental endowments, teaching was a new profession to him, and demanded, in the important department of instruc- tion assigned to him, an amount of labor which, from the state of his health, and especially from the weakness of his eyes, he rendered at great sacrifice. Conscientious fidelity to duty marked every step of his life here; and when called to active duty in the field, he had made considerable progress in the preparation of an elementary work on optics, which he proposed to publish for the benefit of his classes. Strict, and at times stern, in his discipline, though ever polite and kind, he was not always a popular professor ; but no professor ever possessed to a higher degree the confidence and respect of the cadets, for his unbending integrity and fearlessness in the discharge of his duty. If he was exact in his demands upon them, they knew he was no less so in his own respect for, LIEUT.-GEN. THOMAS J. JACKSON. 553 and submission to, authority; and thus it became a proverb among them, that it was useless to write an excuse for a report made by Major Jackson. His great principle of gov- ernment was, that a gc7ieral ride shotild not be violated for any particular good; and his animating rule of action was, that a man could ahvays accomplish what he willed to perform. Punc- tual to a minute, I have known him to walk in front of the superintendent's quarters during a hard rain, because the hour had not quite arrived when it was his duty to present his weekly class reports. For ten years he prosecuted his unwearied labors as a pro- fessor, making, during this period, in no questionable form, such an impress upon those who, from time to time, were under his command, that, when the war broke out, the spon- taneous sentiment of every cadet and graduate was, to sc^'ve under him as their leader. The habit of mind of Major Jackson, long before he made a public profession of religion, was reverential. Devoutly recognizing the authority of God, submissiveness to Him as his divine teacher and guide soon matured into a confession of faith in Him, and from that moment the " triple cord," " not slothful in business, fox'cnt in spirit, soi'ing the Lord,'' bound him in simple and trustful obedience to his Divine Master. With such a spirit animating a resolute, earnest, and fearless soldier, whose whole life had been one continual struggle with difficulties, this was the character, and this was the man, fitted of God, and trained by His providence, to be one of the leaders of our armies in the momentous struggle which opened upon us with the year 1861 : and there was not an officer nor a cadet of the institution that did not feel it to be so. He left the Military Institute on the 21st of April, 1861, in command of the corps of cadets, and reported for duty at Camp Lee, Richmond. Dangers were thickening rapidly around the State. Invasion by overwhelming numbers seemed imminent. Norfolk, Richmond, Alexandria, and Harper's Ferry were threatened. Officers were needed to command at these points. The Governor of Virginia, with the sagacity 554 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. which has been before noticed, nominated Major Jackson as colonel of volunteers. His nomination was immediately and unanimously confirmed by the Council of State, and sent to the convention then in session. Some prejudice existed in that body from the supposed influence of the Virginia Mili- tary Institute in these appointments, and the question was asked by various members, Who is this Thomas J. Jackson? A member of the convention from the county of Rockbridge, Hon. S. McDowell Moore, replied, " I can tell you who he is. If y oil put jfackson in coniniand at Norfolk^ lie will nci'cr leave it alive, itnless you order him to do so!' Such was the impress made upon his neighbors and friends in his quiet life as a pro- fessor at the Military Institute. His nomination was unani- mously confirmed by the convention, and his military life fully vindicated the opinion of Mr. Moore. From this moment commenced a military career so remark- able, that military history scarcely presents one more illustrious. I leave to the pen of the historian the delineation of the great events which marked these momentous years of his life. We all know how he sustained the honor of our arms when he com- manded at Harper's Ferry; how gallantly he repulsed Patterson at Hainesville; the invincible stand he made with his Stonewall Brigade at Manassas. We know the brilliant series of successes and victories which immortalized his great Valley campaign, — first defeating Milroy and Schenck at McDowell, and pursuing them to Franklin ; then assailing Banks at Front Royal and Winchester, and driving him, discomfited, across the Potomac ; his masterly retreat in the face of three opposing columns; his defeat of Fremont at Cross Keys, and then of Shields at Port Republic, — thus giving security and peace to his own Valley. We know his rapid march to the Chickahominy ; how he turned the flank of McClellan at Gaines's Mill ; his subsequent victory over Pope at Cedar Mountain ; the part he bore in the second great victory at Manassas ; his investment and capture of Harper's Ferry ; his rapid march and great conflict at Sharpsburg. And when his last conflict came, and he had conceived and executed a movement which, for bold- LIEUT.-GEN. THOMAS J. JACKSON. 555 ness, daring, and celerity, exceeded any of his brilliant career, he is, by the mysterious providence of God, cut down by wounds from his own men, and, after a week of suffering, borne with the submission of a Christian hero, breathed out his spirit on Sunday, the loth of May, 1863, on the very day appointed by his commander-in-chief as a day of thanksgiving for the great victory at Chancellorsville, to which he had so largely contributed, and in which he had sacrificed his life. It was to the great leader of the army corps, indeed, a day of thanksgiving to God. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be unto God, ivho givctli lis the victory throng] i our Lord jfesus Christ ^ And now I ask, Was not General Jackson a great man? Was he not a truly great man? If so, what was the main secret of this greatness? Different answers will be given to this question, from the point of view from which his character is contemplated. I know that he was brave and resolute and vigilant and indomitable and rapid, and that these great quali- ties of a soldier generally give success in military operations; but to my mind, the great principle that underlaid these capi- tal qualities, and was the animating spirit which gave effect to them, was his simple faitli and trust in God. It was this spirit that gave "strength" to him in his "weakness." It was this that made his resolute will invincible, — caused him to be "valiant in fight," and gave him the power "to turn to flight the armies of the aliens." And his men partook of this spirit. They had faith in Jackson, because Jackson had faith in God. Believing in the righteousness and justice of our cause, he had entire confidence that God would vindicate the right, and in His own good time give us deliverance. He was, in a word, a Christian hero, who counted himself but as an instrument in God's hands to do the work to which He had appointed him; and therefore, in the midst of his greatest achievements, his spirit was that of the inspired penman, when he said, — " We got not this by our own sword, neither was it our own arm that saved us; by Thy right hand and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou hadst favor unto us." 556 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. "The Lord hath appeared for us: the Lord hath covered our heads, and made us to stand in the day of battle." " The Lord hath appeared for us : the Lord hath over- thrown our enemies, and dashed in pieces those that rose up against us." " Therefore, not unto us, O Lord, not unto. us, but unto Thy name be given the glory." And therefore it is, that while we bless God that He has given us such a leader, and count it an evidence of His favor to our beloved country, and an earnest of our ultimate success, that He has raised up for us such a champion for our cause, we turn from the work he has achieved for our country to con- template the lesson which his life and death present ; and we repeat, that by the mysterious providence which has taken him away in the midst of his usefulness, God has raised up for the young soldier such a model of a true Christian hero as to teach, by an illustrious example, wherein true greatness lies, and to lead the young men of this new Confederacy to honor that God whom it was the highest glory of this great and good man to have loved and served. Young men of the Virginia Military Institute ! Would you honor the memory of one who has added such lustre to this school, follow him as he followed Christ. Would you strive for earthly glory, remember that great as his fome is, he "counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowl- edge of Jesus Christ our Lord." Are you at times discouraged by the difficulties thrown around your paths, — contemplate this manly youth, strug- gling with trials more serious than fall to the lot of most young men, and, encouraged by his resolute example, buckle on the armor for the conflicts of life. Do temptations assail you, remember that by his teaching all things are possible to a resolute will. Resist them as he would have resisted, and then the most precious monument that can be reared to his memory by this institution will be the record of those who have been led by his example to the service of Him whom he recognized as the captain of his LIEUT.-GEN. THOMAS J. JACKSON. 557 salvation. And then we shall all see, in living lights, not only the leadings of that providence by which this institution has been trained and fitted for the great struggle through which we are now passing, but by which its precious young men have been made more useful here, and prepared for honor and glory and immortality hereafter. Adjutant-General's Office, Virginia, May II, 1863. Sir, — By command of the Governor, I have this day to perform the most painful duty of my official life, in announcing to you, and through you, to the Faculty and cadets of the Virginia Military Institute, the death of the great and good, the heroic and illustrious, Lieutenant-General T. J. Jackson, at fifteen minutes past three o'clock yesterday. This heavy bereavement, over which every true heart in the Con- federacy mourns with irrepressible sorrow, must fall, if possible, with heavier force upon that noble State institution to which he came from the battle-fields of Mexico, and where he gave to his native State the first years' service of his modest and unobtrusive but public-spirited life. It would be a senseless waste of words to attempt an eulogy upon this great among the greatest of the sons who have immortalized Vir- ginia. To the corps of cadets of the Virginia Military Institute, what a legacy he has left you ! what an example of all that is good and great and true in the character of a Christian soldier ! The Governor directs that the highest funeral honors be paid to his memory ; that the customary outward badges of mourning be worn by all the officers and cadets of the institution. By command. W. H. RICHARDSON, • A djutan t- General. Major-General F. H. Smith, Supt. Virginia Military Institute. GENERAL ORDERS, ) No. 30. ) Headquarters Virginia Military Institute, May 13, 1863. It is the painful duty of the superintendent to announce to the officers and cadets of this institution the death of their late associate and profes- 558 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. sor, Lieutenant-General Thomas J. Jackson. He died at Guinea's Station, Caroline County, Virginia, on the loth instant, of pneumonia, after a short but violent illness, supervening upon the severe wounds re- ceived in the battle of Chancellorsville. A nation mourns the loss of General Jackson. First in the hearts of the brave men he has so often led to victory, there is not a home in the Southern Confederacy that will not feel the loss, and lament it as a great national calamity. But our loss is distinctive. He was peculiarly our own. He came to us, in 1851, a lieutenant and brevet major of artillery from the army of the late United States, upon the unanimous appointment of the Board of Visitors, as professor of natural and experimental philosophy, and instructor of artillery. Here he labored with scrupulous fidelity for ten years in the duties of these important offices. Here he became a soldier of the Cross, and as an humble, conscientious, and useful Christian man, he established the character which has developed into the world-renowned Christian hero. On the 2 1 St of April, 1861, upon the order of his Excellency Governor Letcher, he left the Institute, in command of the corps of cadets, for Camp Lee, Richmond, for service in the defense of his State and country ; and he has never known a day of rest until called by Divine command to cease from his labors. The military career of General Jackson fills the most brilliant and momentous page in the history of our country, and in the achievements of our arms, and he stands forth a colossal figure in this war for our in- dependence. His country now returns him to us, not as he was when he left us. His spirit has gone to God who gave it, — his mutilated body comes back to us, to his home, to be laid by us in the tomb. Reverently and affectionately we will discharge this last solemn duty, and " Though his earthly sun is set, Its light shall linger round us yet, Bright — radiant — blest." Young gentlemen of the corps of cadets : The memory of General Jackson is very precious to you. You know how faithfully, how con- scientiously, he discharged every duty. You know that he was em- phatically a man of God, and that Christian principle impressed every act of his life. You know how he sustained the honor of our arms when he commanded at Harper's Ferry ; how gallantly he repulsed Patterson at Hainesville ; the invincible stand he made with his Stonewall Brigade at Manassas. You know the brilliant scries of successes and victories which immortalized his Valley campaign, for many of you were under his standard at McDowell, and pursued the discomfited Milroy and Schenck to Franklin, You know his rapid march to the Chickahominy ; how he turned the flank of McClellan at Gaines's Mill ; his subsequent LIEUT.-GEN. THOMAS J. JACKSON. 559 victory over Pope at Cedar Mountain ; the part he bore in the great victory at second Manassas; his investment and capture of Harper's Ferry; his rapid march and great conflict at Sharpsburg ; and when his last conflict was passed, the tribute of the magnanimous Lee, who would gladly have suffered in his own person, could he by that sacrifice have saved General Jackson, and to whom alone, under God, he gave the whole glory of the great victory at Chancellorsville. Surely the Vir- ginia Military Institute has a precious inheritance in the memory of General Jackson. His work is finished. God gave him to us and to his country. He fitted him for his work, and when his work was do.ne he called him to himself. Submissive to the will of his heavenly Father, it may be said of him, that while in every heart there may be some mur- muring, his will was to do and suffer the will of God. Reverence the memory of such a man as General Jackson. Imitate his virtues, and here, over his lifeless remains, reverently dedi- cate your service, and your life if need be, in defense of that cause so dear to his heart, — the cause for which he fought and bled, the cause in which he died. Let the Cadet Battery, which he so long commanded, honor his mem- ory by half-hour guns to-morrow, from sunrise to sunset, under the direc- tion of the commandant of cadets. Let his lecture-room be draped in mourning for the period of six months. Let the officers and cadets of the Institute wear the usual badge of mourning for the period of thirty days ; and it is respectfully recom- mended to the alumni of the institution to unite in this last tribute of respect to the memory of their late professor. All duties will be suspended to-morrow. By command of Major-General Smith. A. GO VAN HILL, A. A. V. M. I. [Extract from the Report of the Superintendent, June 22, 1863.] DEATH OF LIEUTENANT-GENERAL THOMAS J. JACKSON, PROFESSOR OF NATURAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHILOSOPHY. The progress of the war which our vandal foes arc waging upon us with such savage ferocity continues to swell the list of the alumni and ex-cadets of this institution who have fallen in the battles of the country. I append a list of those who have been killed or died in service, and also of those who have been wounded in battle. This 560 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. list shows at what costly sacrifice the Virginia Military Institute is return- ing to the State its debt of gratitude. C pq c "o U c U ►3 i '5 0. U ;3 u > < I 3 18 18 8 14 4 11 22 19 20 20 13 86 85 Total 4 36 22 IS 41 40 13 171 This table, from the nature of the case, is doubtless very incomplete, as no returns have been received from the army of the Mississippi and that of the Trans-Mississippi. But this institution has met with an irreparable loss in the removal of one of its most honored professors, while his death has covered the na- tion with sorrow and mourning. Lieutenant-General Thomas J. Jack- son, Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, after having been severely wounded at the battle of Chancellorsville, died at Guinea Station, on the loth of May, of pneumonia. His remains having been brought back to the Institute by the order of the Governor, were re- ceived and buried with military honors. The military escort was com- manded by the commandant of cadets, Major Scott Ship, one of his former pupils. It was composed of a regiment of infantry, of which the corps of cadets constituted eight companies, one company composed of detached members of the Stonewall Brigade, and one company of con- valescent soldiers from the hospital. The Cadet Battery, which he had so long commanded, and which constituted a part of the original Stone- wall Brigade, serving with him at first Manassas, was the artillery escort. A squadron of cavalry of Sweeney's Battalion, Jenkins's command, many of the members being from General Jackson's native section, opportunely arrived in Lexington in time to form the cavalry escort, and thus complete the military honors provided- for an officer of his rank by the Regulations. The body was borne on a caisson of the Cadet Bat- tery, drawn by four horses, and led by servants of the Institute, acting as grooms. I communicate herewith the orders from the adjutant- general and from these headquarters, announcing this great calamity to the officers and cadets of this institution. As appropriate to the relations sustained by General Jackson to this institution, and the brilliant military career which has added such lustre to his name and to his country, I have prepared an address, commemo- LIEUT.-GEN. THOMAS J. JACKSON. 561 rative and illustrative of his life and character, which I propose to deliver to the corps of cadets, in the presence of the Board of Visitors, on some appropriate evening of the week. I deemed it my duty to specially detail one of the professors, Lieu- tenant-Colonel James W. Massie, to escort Mrs. Jackson to her home in North Carolina. In this connection, it is proper that I should statd what is already known to the Board of Visitors, that when the war broke out every pro- fessor and assistant professor of the institution entered the military ser- vice, in the various departments of duty to which they were called, and continued in the discharge of these duties until required to resume their special duties here, by the order of the Governor and Board of Visitors, upon the reopening of the school in January, 1862. The Board of Visitors responds, with mournful satisfaction, to the sug- gestions and observances of the Institute in honor of the memory of the lamented Thomas J. Jackson. The superintendent, both in his an- nual report and in his discourse to the assembled cadets, evinced the affection and esteem with which he was cherished by the brethren of the Faculty, and paid a just tribute to the lofty character and heroic services of the illustrious deceased. It was fit that the public lamentation should find its most touching ex- pression at the Institute, whose reputation he as a professor had con- tributed to extend, and from which he had gone forth to fight his country's battles, to return again to his academic labors after the enemy had been expelled and subdued. The death of Lieutenant-General Jackson was deplored as a personal bereavement by the army, and smote the Confederate heart with the weight of an inconsolable sorrow. Such was his varied experience, and in so true a sense was he a philosopher, hero, and Christian, that there is not a trial or emergency of military or even civil life for which due provision may not be derived from an appeal to his example ; nor any position of distinction or influence to which his example does not furnish incentives to aspire. He was taken away in the nine-and- thirtieth year of his age, "having so much dispatched the true business of life, that the eldest rarely attained to his immense knowledge, and the youngest enter not into the world with more innocency. Whosoever leads such a life, needs be the less anxious upon how short warning it is taken from him." Resolved, That the chair of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, so long and honorably filled by Lieutenant-General T. J. Jackson, be here- after designated by the name of its first and illustrious professor.. 36 BATTLE OF NEW MARKET, VA. MAY 15, 1864. During the war, the Virginia Military Institute was re- quired, by the order of the supreme authority of the Govern- ment, to be kept in full operation, as a means of supplying educated officers to meet the casualties of the service. The corps of cadets was composed, for the most part, of those who were below the age for military service. Still, the orders of the Governor directed that this well-organized body of young men should be held in reserve, ready for active duty in the field, should their services be specially required in defense of the Valley of Virginia. Under these orders, the superintendent of the Virginia Mili- tary Institute was called upon by Major-General J. C. Breckin- ridge to send the battalion of cadets to Staunton, in anticipation of an advance up the Valley of Virginia, under Major-General Si<^el, with a force much superior to that under the command of General Breckinridge. Orders were immediately given to Lieutenant-Colonel S. Ship, commandant of cadets, to march to Staunton with four companies of cadets, organized as infantry, and a section of artillery, and to report to Major-General Breckinridge. The command reached Staunton on the 12th of May, on which day the following general orders were issued: Headquarters Valley Department, Staunton, Virginia, May 12, 1864. GENERAL ORDERS, 1 No. I. J I. The command will move to-morrow morning promptly at six o'clock, on turnpike leading to Harrisonburg. 562 BATTLE OF NEW MARKET VA. 563 The following order of march will be observed : Wharton's Brigade. Echols's Brigade. Corps of Cadets. Reserve forces. Ambulances and medical wagons. Artillery. Trains. 2. The artillery will for the present be united, and form a battalion under command of Major McLaughlin. The trains will move behind the artillery in the order of their re- spective commands. 3. Brigadier-General Echols will detail two companies under a field- officer as guard for the train. By command of Major-General Breckinridge. J. STOTTARD JOHNSTON, A. A.-G. Reaching New Market, about forty miles from Staunton, on Sunday the 15th, they came in contact with the enemy just after mid-day. The advance of the Confederate army was made in two lines, the corps of cadets occupying a central position in the second line, which was about six hundred yards in rear of the first. During the formation of the line of battle, they were under the cover of a range of hills running parallel to the line. As the first line, in advancing, reached the crest of one of the parallel lines of hills in front, the enemy falling back to their position as we advanced, a sharp artillery fire was opened upon this line ; but the range being imperfectly secured, the line suffered no damage. By the time the second line reached this crest, the range had been better secured, and six or seven of the cadet battalion, including Captain Hill, were wounded by a shell. Passing this crest, our lines were in the bottom between this crest and the enemy's position, and then they threw off knapsacks and prepared for a vigorous contest. The two lines advanced steadily, the interval between them being constantly reduced, and a sharp musketry was kept up by the enemy, which was returned by the first line. While this musketry firing was going on, a constant artillery fire was kept up by the enemy upon our lines, and cadets Cabell, 564 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Jones, and Crockett were instantly killed by a shell, before any fire was returned by the second line. The two lines con- tinued to advance, until, reaching a house on the table-land in front, the battalion of cadets was divided by this house, the left wing passing to the left of the house in irregular order, the right wing marking time, after passing the house, until the left wing came up, the whole line being exposed to a heavy musketry fire. The first line, receiving the heavy fire first, was lying down, and was then joined by the second line, when the battery in front opened heavily with grape and canister; and it was at this point that most of the cadets were wounded. Colonel Ship was knocked down at this point. A little con- fusion arose at this time; but order was immediately re- established by Captain Wise, who took command during the temporary disability of Colonel Ship. Our line now returned a sharp fire, the cadets advancing as they fired, until reaching a fence very near and in front of the battery which had kept up so deadly a fire upon our lines. Here the cadet battalion sheltered itself by the fence for a short time, keeping up a sharp and effective fire upon this battery, and after a brief interval, d.uring which a severe fire was kept up on both sides, a general advance of our whole line was made, which resulted in the capture of the battery and the general rout of the enemy. The corps of cadets, two hundred and fifty strong, paraded two hundred and twenty-three muskets. The infantry bat- talion was organized as follows : A Company. Captain Henry A. Wise, Jr., Assistant Professor, Commanding. Cadet Captain, C. H. Minge. " 1st Lieutenant, W. C. Hardy, " 2d " W. Morson. " 1st Sergeant, E. M. Ross. " 2d " W. F. Duncan, " 3d " J. Douglass. " 4th " H. Wood. BATTLE OF NEW MARKET VA. 565 Cadet 1st Corporal, L. Royster. " 2d " Robt. Brockenbrough. " 3d " G. K. Macon. " 4th " S. F. Atwell. B Company. Captain Frank Preston, Assistant Professor, Commanding. Cadet Captain, C. W. Shafer. " 1st Lieutenant, G. W. Gretter. " 2d " Levi Welch. " 1st Sergeant, A. Pizzini. " 2d " H. W. Garrow. " 3d " W. M. Patton. " 1st Corporal, T. G. Hayes. 2d " J. B. Jarratt. " 3d " Patrick Henry. " 4th " B. W. Barton. C Company. Captain A. Govan Hill, Assistant Professor, Commanding. Cadet Captain, S. S. Shriver. " 1st Lieutenant, T. D. Davis, absent on furlough. " 2d " A. Boggess. " 1st Sergeant, J. A. Stuart. 2d " L. C. Wise. " 3d " A. F. Redd. "4th " W. Martin. " 1st Corporal, H. H. Dinwiddie. " 2d " J. Wood. " 3d " J. James. " 4th " R. Ridley. D Company. Captain T. Robinson, Assistant Professor, Commanding. Cadet Captain, B. Colonna. " 1st Lieutenant, J. F. Hanna. " 2d " F. W. Claybrook. 1st Sergeant, W. H. Cabell. " 2d " W. Nelson. " . 3d " C. Ethcridge. " 4th " J. R. Echols. " 5th " W. Gilham. 566 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Cadet 1st Corporal, O. A. Glazebrook. " 2d " J. R. Triplett. 3d " Alfred Marshall. " 4th " John Wise. Casualties. Killed. Cadet W. H. Cabell, Virginia, 2d Class, ist Sergeant, D Company. S. F. Atwell, " 3d W. H. McDowell, N.C., 4th J. B. Stanard, Virginia, 4th T.G.Jefferson, " 4th H. J. Jones, " 4th C. G. Crockett, " 4th J. C. Wheelwright, " 4th Corporal, Private, A B D B D B C Woimded. Lieutenant-Colonel S. Ship, Commanding Corps of Cadets. Captain A. G. Hill, Commanding C Company, Assistant Professor. Cadet Captain S. S. Shriver, Virginia, ist Class, Captain, C Company H. W. Garrow, Alabama, 2d Class, Sergeant, B Company. " J. A. Stuart, Virginia, 2d Class, ist Sergeant, C " L. C. Wise, " 2d " Sergeant, C " " G. K. Macon, " 3d " Corporal, A " J. S. Wise, " 3d " " D " D. S. Pierce, " 3d " Private, D H. C. Whitehead, Virginia, 3d Class, Private, B , 3.4*A/VuJtt.. G. Spiller, " H. J. Meade, W. D. Buster, J. R. Triplett, J. Preston Cocke, " J. F. Bransford, " F. L. Smith, Jr., G.^Gar^fett, M. Marshall, Mississippi, W. Dillard, E. D. Christian, S. T. Phillips, E. H. Smith, W. P. Watson, P. Johnston, J. N. Upshur, T. W. White, 3d 3d 3d 3d 4th 4th 4th 4th 4th Virginia, 4th 4th 4th " 4th 4th 4th 4th 4th A A A Corporal, D Private, A B B B B D B B A A B C D BATTLE OF NEW MARKET, VA. 567 Cadet P. W. Woodlief, Louisiana, 4th Class, Private, B Company. C. H. Read, Jr., Virginia, 4th " " C " " E. Berkeley, " 4th " " D " " R. A. Pendleton, " 4th " " C " C. C. Randolph, Virginia, 4th " " C " " F. G. Gibson, " 4th " " A " " J. D. Darden, " 4th " " B " E. S. Moorman, " 4th " " D " J. S. Merritt, " 4th " " C " C. H. Harrison, " 4th " " A " " J. J. Dickinson, " 4th " " D " " C. D. Walker, " 4th " " C " J. Imboden, " 4tli " " D " Recapitulation. Killed Wounded Total killed and wounded . . • 56 The battle of New Market resulted in a complete victory to the Confederate cause. Major- General Breckinridge, in acknowledging the services of the corps of cadets, said " that his small force made it necessary to use this young battalion, and had he not used them very freely, the result might have been very different." The cadets returned to Staunton after the battle, with in- structions to report at Camp Lee, Richmond. Many of them, as they marched into Staunton, were without shoes or socks, these having been lost in the charge through the plowed fields, which were heavy with the recent rains. Their journey to Richmond was a continued ovation. At every depot ladies had collected, with refreshments, and the joyous greetings with which they were received on reaching Richmond showed how fully their services had been appreciated. The Governor of Virginia presented them with a battalion State flag, commemorative of the battle of the 15th of May. The Confederate Congress, then in session, passed an unani- mous vote of thanks for their heroic gallantry, which was formally presented by Mr. Speaker Bocock, and these expres- 568 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. sions were in harmony with the general sentiment of the country, which regarded their conduct, on this eventful day, as marked by a spirit and courage not excelled by veteran corps. The muster-roll of the cadet battalion was taken by Gen- eral Hunter when the Federal army took possession of Lex- ington. The following rolls of companies have been made up by cadets then members of the corps, and contain only names of privates, officers and non-commissioned officers having been given : Company A. Adams, R. A. Ashley, Anderson C. J. Binford, R. J. Bowen, W. Buster, W, D. Butler, W. H. Campbell, I. Cocke, P. Cousins, R. H. Davis, A. Finch, Foster, Garrett, W. Gibson, F. G. Goodykoontz, E. A, Harrison, Harrison, C. Hatton, Hayes, W. C. Hiden, P. B. Hill, J. M. Howard, J. C. Hubard, W. J. James, F. W. Jessie, Larrick, J. S. Lewis, Company B. Akers, R. C. Ale.xander, W. K. Mallory, E. S. *McVeigh, N. Meade, H. J. Mohler, D. G. Morgan, P. Page, Payne, A. S. Pendleton, R. A. Perkinson, Smith, C. H. Smith, F. Smith, E. H. Spiller, G. Spiller, W. H. Temple, R. C. Turner, Thompson, K, Watson, W. P. White, White, J. Wingfield, Wingfield, J. Wood, Wood, P. Woodruff, B. T. *Yarbrough, W. S. Bayard, N. J. Bransford, J. F. \V<.i^.i BATTLE OF NEW MARKET, VA. 569 Brown, H. C. *Carmichael, J. Carmichael, W. S. Christian, E. D. Clarkson, J. H. Cocke, J. L. Cocke, J. P. Cocke, W. Corbin, J. P. Crank, T. J. Crockett, C. G. Cullen, S. Corling, C. T. Darden, J. D. Dillard, J. Faulkner, C. J. Garrett, G. T. Garrett, V. Grasty, W. C. *Hankins, M. *Happer, R. W. B. Harris, W. O. *Ha\vks, A. W. Hundley, C. IB. Hupp, R. Jefferson, T. G. Johnson, P. Jones, Kemp, W. Adams, R. *Blankman, J. S. Blundon, R. M. Booth, S. W. Buffington, E. S. Chalmers, W. M. Crawford, W. B. Crichton, J. A. Davis, J. Davis, L. Dunn, J. R. Early, J. C. Ezekicl, M. J. Kirk, W. M. Lee, G. T. Leftwich, E. C. Mason, S. B. McDowell, W. H. Morson, A. A. Penn, J. G. Perry, W. E. S. Phelps, T. K. Phillips, S. T. Powell, J. J. Preston, J. B. Richeson, J. V. Raum, G. E. Redwood, W. F. Roane, J. *Tackett, J. F. Tabb, J. Taylor, J. E. Tunstall, R. Tardy, A. H. Turner, E. L. *Veitch, W. Walker, C. P. Washington, L. Wesson, P. M. White, W. H. Whitehead, H. C. Woodlief, P. W. Company C. Fry, H. W. FuUon, CM. Goode, H. S. Goodwin, J. H. Harrison, W. L. Jones, W. S. *Lamb, W. Langhorne, M. D. *Lee, R. *Martin, T. S. Maury, McGavock, J. W. Merrit, J. L. 570 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Minor, J. H. T. Mitchell, S. T. Morson, J. B. Noland, N. Overton, A. W. Page, P. *Patton, J. R. Pendleton, W. *Price, F. B. Randolph, C. C. Read, C. H. Ricketts, S. C. Roller, P. W. Rose, G. M. Rutherford, J. M. Shields, J. H. Shriver, H. Allen, D. Arbuckle, A. A. Bagnall, J. S. Barney, W. H. Baylor, J. B. Beattie, W. F. Bennett, W. B. Berkeley, E. Cabell, R. G. Clark, G. Coleman, J. Crews, B. F. Crenshaw, S. D. Crockett, H. S. Dillard, W. Dickinson, J. J. Eubank, W. M. Gray, J. B. Hamlin, E. L. Haynes, L. C. Harvie, J. B. Harvie, J. S. Hannah, J. S. Horseley, J. Imboden, I. Jones, H. J. Company D. Slaughter, W. L. Smith, W. T. Taylor, B. Taylor, C. Taylor, W. C. Tate, C. Thompson, P, Tomes, T. J, *Toms, A. C. Turner, C. W. H. Upshur, J. N. Walker, C. D. Waller, R. E. Walton, W. T. Wheelwright, J. C. nVilson, D. C. B. Kennedy, W. H. *King, D. P. Knight, E. C. Lee, F. T. Letcher, S. H. Lewis, N. C. Locke, R. Lumsden, W. J. Marks, C. H. Marshall, M. McCorkle, J. W. McClung, T. W. Moorman, E. S. Nalle, G. B. W. Peirce, D. S. C. Preston, T. W. Radford, W. M. Reveley, G. F. Seatons, S. H. Sowers, J. F. Stanard, J. B. Skaggs, L. B. Stacker, C. Stuart, A. H. H. Tunstall, J. Tutwiler, E. M. BATTLE OF NEW MARKET VA. 571 Venable, W. L. White, T. W. Ward, G. W. Wilson, R. Webb, J. S. Wimbish, L. W. Welford, C. E. Witt, J. S. Wharton, J. E. Wood, M. B. The asterisk before names indicates those who were not in the battle, being left to guard the Institute buildings. As an appropriate close to this description of the battle of New Market, we insert the following poem : THE CADETS AT NEW MARKET. To that brave band of young heroes, the cadets of the Virginia Mili- tary Institute, boys in years, patriots in their devotion to the South, and veterans in their soldierly skill and daring, these lines, commemo- rative of their gallant defense of the Valley of Virginia in the battle of New Market, on the 15th of May, 1864, are respectfully inscribed •. Onward they come, they come ! 'Mid the wild battle-hum Fearfully chanted, — Boys in their youthful prime, Flowers of a radiant clime, Veterans in soul sublime. Firm and undaunted. Rushing the die to throw, That the wide world may kftow Who saved the Valley ; When, like an angry tide Up the broad mountain-side, Swept the proud foeman's stride Fresh from the Rally. Oh, the grand charge they made ! Through the walled esplanade Armed to resist them ; 5/2 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Ready with blood to buy Freedom and liberty, Ready to dare and die, God to assist them. Fresh on each forehead fair, Sealed with a mother's prayer Fervently spoken, Hope's sunny trace and smooth Gleamed with the dew of youth, Types of the stainless truth Not to be broken. Right through the leaden storm Pressed every fair young form Mantled with glory : Never a heart dismayed. Never a faltering blade. Though with each step they made. Their footprints gory. Woe, to our startled foes ! As their young voices rose 'Mid the fierce thunder ; Armed with the shield of Right, Davids, in that stern fight. Coped with Goliath's might To the world's wonder. Sadly through tears we tell How in their beauty Yell The martyred seven ; Freed by the battle-thrust. Rose their bright souls from dust, Bearing a nation's trust, Blood-sealed to Heaven. Shall we their deeds forget To whose sweet memories yet Proud tears we render ? BATTLE OF NEW MARKET, VA. 573 Lost to a world's renown, Ripe for a fadeless crown, Early their sun went down In radiant splendor. High on the roll of fame Live every glorious name Through coming ages ; Let the bright record won By the proud duty done Shine through all time upon History's pages. Long live the V. M. I., Cradle of chivalry ! Fame's golden portal ; While War's alarums sound, When Peace and Joy abound, Still to her name redound Glory immortal ! Cornelia J. M. Jordan. MEMORIAL POEM. BY JAMES BARRON HOPE. [Read before the Board of Visitors, Faculty, and Cadets of the Virginia Military Institute, July 4, 1870.] I SPEAK to-day no word of buried hates, But, of set purpose, turn with mournful eyes To the dark days when the malignant Fates Unloosed the bonds which bound the league of States And flung a tempest o'er our troubled skies. Which spread and deepened as each angry flash Was followed by thick darkness and the thunder's crash. Its roar was heard through all the listening land ; No spot exemption from its wrath could boast. Men most remote from the surf-beaten strand Stood like those miners who, on Cornwall's coast, Beneath the Channel, hear the watery host Of billows seething in their rocky beds, With many a moan and sob, far up above their heads. As the storm rose the tide of passion swelled. So that each hamlet and sequestered vale The angry billows in their rage beheld, — Mad waves up inlets by the gales impelled, — Before which came at last one tattered sail : ^geus-like our hopes went down as lead ; That mournful sail was black, — our Theseus-cause was dead ! 574 MEMORIAL POEM. 575 Among the episodes of those dark years In which our State was bastioned by her graves, There is a picture that in flame appears, — A flame that one man's reputation sears, — A reputation which no soldier saves, By palliation. His the Cossack's soul, And now his name is struck from Fame's fair muster-roll ! Upon an ever-memorable day, Here, Alva-like, his torch he lighted, and Your walls, which then gave promise to grow gray With useful years, were given to the brand : A flame shot up which startled all the land, — Gave a new horror to the tragic scene Which sought to rank this School with things which once had been. One morn in its embattled pride it rose, Virginia's banner floating o'er its walls ; The next day's sun a smoking ruin shows. Its chiefest treasure snatched away by foes. But here my curtain o'er the picture falls, — In charity, all details I refrain Save this: Hubert's great bronze was on the spoiler's train. 'Twas then that men grew sick at heart to see These lofty walls rise bare, and black, and tall, Stripped of their pomp like some gigantic tree Upon whose crest the lightnings spread their pall, Leaving it blasted and prepared to fall. Thus seemed this School. But one man saw it stand Renewed, baptized in fire, an honor to the land ! Strong in his faith, unconquerable will Enabled him, with all a prophet's ken. To see new battlements adorn this hill When the grim ruins saddened other men : And those who can contrast the now and then Best comprehend the courage of that mind Which saw success achieved, when youth's brave eyes were blind. 576 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Fain would I pause to tell how day by day He toiled to rear these walls in all their pride; Fain would I pause a tribute fit to pay Those earnest men who toiled on at his side ; But for his sake, and theirs, I must elide The eulogy which strives my lips to part, — Unspoken though it be, 'tis warm in every heart ! And having scratched out with his sword's keen point That sad word, " failure," which, alas ! has put So many enterprises out of joint, He stamped his heel down upon ''if" and " but," The stones were quarried and the timber cut. And here we see beneath our native sun These massive walls which show how well the work was done. They are Virginia's ornament and pride. Upon them, mother-like, her eyes are bent ; Her children love them from the water's side Up to these mountains, whose superb ascent Gives a fit site for such a monument As this, which rises here, august and vast, Each wall historic in its blazons of the past ! Each wall with frescoes of its own appears Painted by Memory, till the panels blaze With pictures which wake triumphs, or wring tears ; And each grand scene grows grander as Ave gaze, Grander and wider, in the splendid rays Which dreaming Fancy, that Salvator, flings O'er battle-pieces where fair Glory spreads her wings. See there ! An April sun shines on the scene ! Behold ! It lights the mountain-tops ! See ! it invades All the hushed valleys, — purple-hued and green. And tender in their variegated shades, — With beams that glitter like a squadron's blades, — MEMORIAL POEM. 577 See how they flash out in fantastic play On a long line of steel above a line of gray ! Beardless the chins that proud battalion shows, Health on each cheek and vigor in each limb, And splendid courage on each forehead glows, — Each eye speaks out the language of a hymn Such as sung Korner e'er his own was dim; The patriot's valor warms each youthful breast; Their State flag waves them on ! Hope's plume is o'er each crest ! Hark the command ! The stirring drums break out In martial clamor, and with cadenced beat, The serried column takes the mountain route. Tears come to woman's eyes, — tears proud and sweet ; For woman, when a sacrifice is meet. Sends up her prayer, and then looks on the steel Unshaken by the axe, or yet the hideous wheel. Destined to march full many a weary mile. Destined to bleed on many a stricken field, The column plunges in the dark defile ; Taught how to strike, but never how to yield. Too many sleep, each on his cloven shield ! The music dies. They go. A thoughtful man Rides stern and silent with the disappearing van. III. Three years have passed. May tints the orchards' trees ; The valleys all are carpeted with grass. The intervening years like storms on seas Have fringed the beach with wrecks, and theirs, alas ! Are thick about them. Like a broken glass Our broken fortunes multiply despairs. But still we strive like knights who fight with splinters of their spears. New Market's slopes before them sinking down. Those gallant boys march on to fill one grave, 37 578 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Or conquer in the battle. Stern and brown Their boyish faces; but ne'er Scythians drave Their chariots with dark eyes more bright and brave Than those of yon superb yet tattered band, Ready to die, facing the foe, sword clutched in hand. Heavy the odds ! But when did youth count odds? The fight sways forward, now reels back again ; In such a scene, we understand how gods Flew from Olympus, or the angry main, To thunder in fierce shocks on Ilium's plain, — The battle-fever maddens like new wine ; To act red Epics out is more than half divine ! The dust of a long march is on their brows. And though they form beneath a withering fire, They need no battle-speaker to arouse Their splendid courage, or their hearts inspire ; As comrades fall it only rises higher. Ship goes down wounded, but with flaming eyes The line sweeps on, — " Avenge him !" thunders Wise. Two hundred muskets go into that fight. Two hundred heroes dash upon the foe. Lost in a canopy of smoke from sight. Straight at two batteries valiantly they go, — Two hundred arrows shot from battle's bow ! And there behold ! Virginia, see thy sons ! Thy youthful warriors now are masters of the guns ! Two hundred went, but came not back. Alas ! One-fourth their number lie upon the plain : — Young Cabell's life-blood dyes the trampled grass, Boy Stanard's pours out in a crimson rain, McDowell seeth not his home again ; But polished Preston 'scapes war's fierce alarms To die at last within my Alma Mater's arms. Give, if you will, the tribute of your tears ; But, friends, remember theirs is glorious sleep ! 579 MEMORIAL POEM. What mariner, beset by toils and fears, Should envy those who slumber in the deep? What vet'ran soldier should o'er heroes weep? What Mother-State or Mother-School despair. When inspiration such is borne on every air? Their sleep is made glorious, And dead they're victorious Over defeat ! Never Lethean billows Shall roll o'er their pillows. Red with the feet Of Mars from the wine-press So bitterly sweet ! Sleeping, but glorious. Dead in Fame's portal, Dead, but victorious, Dead, but immortal ! They gave us great glory, — What more could they give ? They have left us a story, A story to live And blaze on the brows of the State like a crown. While from these grand mountains the rivers run down, While grass grows in grave-yards, or the Ocean's deep calls, Their deeds and their glory shall fresco these walls ! Fain would I mention every separate name. The homage of my heart bring to my lips ; But such an extract from the roll of Fame, Who keeps the record at her finger-tips. Would be like Homer's mighty list of ships. Five-score now sleep. Three hundred bear their scars As decorations from the crimson hand of Mars. So, when I bring some hero's figure in The frescoes which I paint upon your walls, 58o INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. 'Tis as a type of all. It were a sin To slight the valiant dead upon whose palls The reverential tear-drop proudly falls ! Each name I call is but the foam set free Upon the billowy crests of one wave-broken sea. V. Look there ! A gen'rous enemy might weep To mark those ragged, worn, and hungry men Facing their death. They stagger as they keep Their line of battle. They are one to ten : The hunters track the lion to his den, — A trampling charge ! Artillery rends the skies ! Alas ! at Sailor's Creek the gallant Crutchfield dies ! His, all the learning of your varied schools. Polished by travel and improved by thought, His life, shaped by the Decalogue's pure rules, With manly virtues was all richly fraught. This noble life his Mother State he brought ; And when some Clarendon our hist'ry writes. His name will shine, a star among our Falkland knights. VI. Long is the list of those whose names appeal For place within these rude cartoons of mine, — Knights made upon the field by Glory's steel, Whose names, like ever-burning planets, shine. Stars in our Southern Cross, ne'er to decline; But in a poem of the skies all flames Could not be called, nor yet in mine all their bright names. The two brave Pattons and the Aliens true. The valiant Crittenden and Chenowith tried, Frank Smith, and Strange, and Edmonds rise to view, And gallant Mallory standeth side by side With the " Boy Major" who superbly died. MEMORIAL POEM. 38 1 And Selden crowns the noble list of dead ! Silent I stand. My heart uncovered as my head. Mark yonder General spurring to the front ! At Boonsboro' his scattered column flies ; That form has faced full many a battle's brunt ! He rallies them ! See victory in his eyes ! And now, O God ! the splendid Garland dies ! No knightlier soldier ever fell in mail. Roll all your muffled drums ! Let all your trumpets wail ! VII. The sky grows darker, and the end draws near, With each new day some lamp of hope goes out, Each bloody sun sets on some bloody bier : We rarely drive the enemy to rout, Nearer and nearer comes the foeman's shout, The blooms of victory in the Valley fade. Saved not by Early's genius or great Jackson's shade ! Again behold ! the overwhelming foe Sweeps on like billows of the mighty sea, Or ice-blocks of the Arctics' grinding floe, When by the sudden summer thaw set free. The brave grow braver and the timid flee. At Winchester, e'en Fate, with hurried eyes, Pauses to shed one tear where low a hero lies. Crowned by Fame. Rich in a people's thanks, That soldier sleeps, where mountains watch his grave. Like sentinels set round the James' banks, Which, as it were, in homage to the brave, Stills for a moment its impetuous wave, Then rushes on ; and as the Severn bore ^ Great Wycliffe's dust, this bears his name from shore to shore. As our great river glideth swiftly down, Singing its song to mountain-side and plain, 582 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. In rustling grain-field and tumultuous town, Who listens long may hear, in clear refrain. The hero's words at Chancellor's again : Above the vocal stream they ring out high. And, as of old, we hear his stirring battle-cry. On to th' Atlantic the dark current leaps, Another river now its volume swells ; Bright Chickahominy from its marshes sweeps, Eager to hear the story that it tells : Then Appomattox the swift tide impels On t'ward the sea, which pauses in its flow To hear the proud command, " Charge over friend or foe !" VIII. But there are others who have claimed a place Within the hearts of Mother-School and State : Men who have stood serenely face to face With Death himself, and whom benignant Fate Has left us, still heroically great, — They live, to bid their country find surcease From her great troubles in her victories of peace. Mumford and Cutshaw, early friend of mine, And Walter Taylor, on whose brow we see A civic wreath. Lane, worth a nobler line. Terry and Walker, both may claim to be Men who have bravely borne their destiny. But when your Washington on canvas spreads Your great Round Table, he will paint a multitude of heads. A July midnight ! Silence on our host ! The lonely sentry in the starry light Slow paces on his solitary post And thinks, perchance, with dreamy, fond delight, Of the dear sleepers in his home to-night ; MEMORIAL POEM. 583 In fancy sees his bright-eyed boys at play, — Alas ! that sentry never sees the dawn of day ! The city's clocks are on the stroke of five ; Cocks crow in distant farm-yards. All is well ! None dream that presently two hosts shall strive Upon that spot as though some dev'lish spell Had called up demons from the depths of hell. A sudden flame ! A muffled roar, and — then An awful silence for one moment comes again. Oh ! there is wreck of bastion and redoubt ! And sudden death for soldiers in their sleep ! Then hid in smoke, with wild, triumphant shout, The storming columns through the sulphur sweep. To take the lines it is not theirs to keep. But would you see that wild, impetuous rush ? Go, mark the canvas lit by Elder's magic brush ! Apollo shoots his blazing arrows down ! Two armies now are struggling for the prize ; Each fights as a brave king would for his crown. Red in his blood full many a hero lies : White faces stare up blindly at the skies. In Jackson's stirrups, through the war-cloud dun. Here comes Mahone ! Thank God ! the Crater fight is won ! Write down his name in letters of red gold ! Sing it in ballads, which shall never cease ! Till time shall end the story will be told ; How he took fame in fee, and not by lease, — How great he was in war, how great in peace ! But poor the picture of this humble line Beside the marble cut by gifted Valentine ! X. And last of all I humbly speak the name Of one who dead still lives; whose history flows 584 INSTITUTE MEMORIAL. Like a white plume above the crest of Fame ; Whose fair renown forever spotless shows Bright as some orb which on the gazer grows As from the bosom of a stormy sea, It climbs to float in Heaven's star-lit infinity. The valiant, thoughtful, Christian man who rode. Sad years ago, forth with the youthful band Of school-boy heroes, from this calm abode. Comes back to day. I see his conquering brand Keen as Durandal. His uplifted hand. As Cromwell earnest ; as Napoleon swift, His was Goliath's force, with David's God-sent gift. Before his image as before some saint's, In silence only eloquent I stand Gazing upon his glory, fancy faints ; But, could I hold my heart within my hand, Then I might hope to make you understand All that I feel but cannot put in speech, — His battles sing for him, his private virtues preach. Heap lace upon colossal bronze, and fling Velvet on statue cut by Angelo, But ask me not to picture battle's king. Nor mark the avalanche which leaped below. Nor paint the lightning whose wild flash and glow With its great splendors dazzled Fame's own eye, Alas ! that Jove by his own thunderbolt should die ! " Die !" did I say? No ! Stonewall Jackson sleeps, Nor was my heathen image fit. It went Wide of the mark. His sainted memory keeps Its hold on us as that of pure knight bent Upon the Quest. Full-armed he left his tent. With preparation of the Gospel shod. To find the Grail and Everlasting life with God. MEMORIAL POEM. 585 XI. A modern painter on his canvas throws A wonderful effect. His awe-struck hand The form celestial of his subject shows By a great shadow. Beautiful and grand His picture speaks a name all understand. I know my work by his is poor and tame, But by a shade I bring to view another name. No need to speak it, and I speak it not ; Your lips all utter it in nightly prayers. My little children never seek their cot Ere they have begged their heavenly Father's cares For him who lives, — last of the Cavaliers ; And oft they tell, in accents grave and sweet, How our great Captain vanquishes defeat. XII. My song is done. With our fair Troy a wreck, Young brothers here, .^neas-like, we stand, But on Time's sea there floats for us a deck. The oars invite us and the sails expand, To bear us from this desolated strand. The past, Creusa-like, no more is ours, But then the Tuscan Tiber has its unplucked flowers ! Like the great hero, let us onward go. A golden planet hangs o'er Ida's steeps,* Gilding the waters with a splendid glow, Higher tlie star of Hope its pathway keeps, The keen prow to the calling billow leaps, — The future has its green, enameled sods ; Seek these — with Lee and Jackson as your household gods.