Thursday, December 27, 2012

Colonel Charles Harvey Denby of the 80th Indiana Infantry Regiment: my 2nd cousin 5x removed

Charles Harvey Denby

Charles Harvey Denby was born at Mount Joy, Botetourt, Virginia on June 16, 1830.  He is my 2nd cousin 5x removed.  He was the eldest son of Nathaniel and Jane Denby.  His father Nathanial Denby, my 1st cousin 7x removed, was a Virginia ship-owner, interested in the European trade.  Nathanial was appointed to a post at Marseilles, France, that was similar to that of a Consul-General, but then known as Naval Agent of the United States.  After his appointment, Nathaniel Denby took Charles with him to France. There Charles learned to become fluent in the French Language, an act that would later help his diplomatic career.

Charles was educated at Tom Fox Academy in Hanover County, Virginia.  He later attended Georgetown College in Washington D. C, and finally the Virginia Military Institute, where he graduated with high honors in 1850.  In 1853, Charles and his family relocated to Evansville, Indiana.  Prior to the Civil War, Charles was a Lawyer.  After the Union defeat at Fort Sumter, he raised a volunteer company that guarded the powder magazine near Evansville, Indiana.  Denby's volunteer company would become Company A of the Indiana 42nd Infantry Regiment.  

Charles officially enlisted as a Lieutenant Colonel in Company S, Indiana 42nd Infantry Regiment on September 12, 1861.
 

National Flag of the Indiana 42nd Infantry Regiment

Regimental Flag of the Indiana 42nd Infantry Regiment

The Indiana 42nd Infantry Regiment completed its organization in Evansville, Indiana on October 9, 1861.  Denby's first engagement with the Indiana 42nd actually took place in September of 1861 before the Unit completed its organization.   Denby led four companies up the Green River to protect the first lock at Calhoun, Kentucky.  The Indiana 42nd was attached to Colonel William H Lytle’s Seventeenth Brigade, Third Division, First Corps, of the Army of the Ohio.  The Seventeenth Brigade also included the Indiana 88th, the Kentucky 15th, the Ohio 3rd and 10th, and Captain Cyrus Loomis' 1st Battery of Michigan Light Artillery. 

On October 8, 1862, Lieutenant Colonel Denby was wounded twice during the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky.  He was shot once in he lip and once in the leg.  Two bullet holes were shot through his coat.  His horse was also shot from under him and killed.  The Indiana 42nd Infantry Regiment was involved in some of the heaviest fighting during the Battle.  The Regiment lost about 145 killed and wounded, about one third of its entire force.  Lieutenant Colonel Denby was reported as serving with great valor and distinction and was well liked by all the men of the Indiana 42nd.

Following the Battle of Perryville, for gallantry in action, Charles Harvey Denby was appointed as Colonel of the 80th Indiana Infantry Regiment on October 21,1862.


Flag of the Indiana 80th Infantry Regiment


Charles remained in Command of the Indiana 80th Infantry Regiment until January 17, 1863 when he was compelled to resign on a Surgeon's certificate due to the wounds he sustained during the Battle of Perryville.

Following his resignation, Charles resumed his Law Practice in Evansville, Indiana.  He identified with the Democratic party, and was an active participant in its campaigns.   Although he was never a candidate for political office, he was repeatedly a "delegate at large" from Indiana to the Democratic National Conventions.

Following the election of President Grover Cleveland, Charles, was appointed as Minister to China on May 29, 1885.


Charles H. Denby while Minister to China

Denby's stay in China, covered three Presidential administrations and part of a fourth.  His career as Minister to China was marked by the unbroken confidence of the Chinese authorities.  To him, more than to any other foreign representative, they turned in their problems and difficulties, and by his advice they were largely guided in their relations with other powers.  He was one of the few foreigners to have conferred on him the “Order of the Golden Dragon” an order of great antiquity and distinguished honor which fell only to the greatest men of the Chinese empire.  The most important event to transpire during his tenure as Minister was the Chinese-Japanese war.  Denby took a prominent part in the peace negotiation, acting as a representative of Japan while our minister in Japan represented China.  Their preliminary talks led to a formal negotiation for peace.

During his stay in China, Denby wrote the following response to an inquisition about his time as Lieutenant Colonel of the Indiana 42nd Infantry Regiment:

The following is a letter from Col. Denby to Capt. S. F. Horrall:

U. S. Delegation at Peking China
Charles Denby, Minister
 
June 12, 1892


Capt. S. F. Horrall, Washington, Ind.

SIR AND COMRADE:  I can not write of the 42d Regiment Ind. Vols. without praising it.  It was a splendid body of men, - were disciplined, gentlemanly, properly drilled and steady and brave in action.  It was the easiest regiment in the world to get along with.  I loved it and all its members, and as far as I know, it repaid me with absolute devotion.  I write this to you from Peking, China.


Respectfully,


Charles Denby, Minister
 
After thirteen years of service, he tendered his resignation to President McKinley in August of 1898.  

In September of 1898, Denby was appointed as a member of the commission to inquire into the conduct of the war with Spain.  Charles was especially well thought of by President William McKinley.  The two were in close consultation in 1899 and 1900 over the Philippines and Boxer trouble during which time he was appointed as a member of the Philippine Commission.  


Denby was able to draw a pension for his service to the Union during the Civil War.


Pension paper for Colonel Charles H. Denby


Charles returned home to Evansville early in the year 1900, where he resumed his law practice and devoted himself to literary studies.  An acquaintance of Denby's, John Fendrich of the Fendrich Cigar Company, chose to name a cigar after him.  Charles never accepted any royalties for use of his name because he thought the brand wouldn’t last, much less sell.  This cigar is still in production today and is manufactured by the National Cigar Corporation in Frankfort, Indiana under the name “Charles Denby Invincibles.”


Inside label from an old Charles Denby cigar box



Advertisement for Charles Denby Invincibles


Current band for Charles Denby Invincibles

Charles lived an additional 39 years following the end of the Civil War.  On January 13, 1904, Charles was in Jamestown, New York for a speaking engagement, when he was suddenly stricken with heart failure.  He battled the illness all night but finally succumbed to death around 8:00 a.m.  His body was returned to his home of Evansville, Indiana where he was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.



Grave of Charles H. Denby


Here's my relation to Charles:



An interesting side note:   Charles Denby's son, also named Charles Denby was also a United States Representative to China.  Another son, Edwin Denby, served as the 42nd United States Secretary of the Navy.

Edwin Denby

Edwin was born in Evansville, Indiana on February 18, 1870.  He attended public school until the late 1880's when he accompanied his father to China.  He worked in the maritime customs service from 1887 to 1894.   He then returned to the United States and enrolled in college at the University of Michigan, where he studied law and played football.


Edwin Denby on the 1896 University of Michigan Football team

At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Edwin volunteered to serve in the United State Navy. He was a gunner’s mate third class aboard the U.S.S “Yosemite”.   Following the conflict, he was honorably discharged August 23, 1898.   Edwin was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives in 1903.  In 1904, he was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 1st congressional district to the 59th, 60th and 61st Congresses, serving from March 4, 1905, to March 3, 1911. Denby served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Naval Affairs.

In the 1910 General Election, Edwin was defeated by Democrat Frank E. Doremus and resumed his law practice in Detroit.  Edwin Denby enlisted as a Private in the United States Marine Corps in 1917 when the United States entered into World War I.  He achieved the rank of Major and was discharged in 1919.



Edwin Denby in uniform

When Warren G. Harding became President in March 1921, he appointed Denby as Secretary of the Navy. During the crisis of mail robberies in 1921, Denby issued orders that Marines should be put in mail trucks and rail cars as protectors of the U.S. Mails.  In his stirring order "To the Men of the Mail Guard", Denby impressed upon his former service the importance of the high duty entrusted to them: "If two Marines are covered by a robber, neither must put up his hands, but both must immediately go for their guns. One may die, but the other will get the robber, and the mail will get through. When our Corps goes in as guards over the mail, that mail must be delivered, or there must be a Marine dead at the post of duty. There can be no compromise..." Within days, the robberies stopped, and there was not a single delivery of the mails disrupted while Marines stood the watch.


Edwin Denby shaking hands with his predecessor, Josephus Daniels

Edwin Denby while serving as Secretary of the Navy


Denby was forced to resign in 1924 following the Teapot Dome Scandal, a scandal that involved the misappropriation of naval oil reserves.   Denby was persuaded by Interior Secretary Albert Fall to transfer oil leases controlled by the Navy to the Department of the Interior.  Fall later sold the leases to his friends, hastening public awareness of the Teapot Dome scandal.  History has shown his innocence.  His actions in signing control of the oil leases over to the Secretary of the Interior were a result of concerns that the Navy would misuse the oil reserves.  He seems to have genuinely thought that he was protecting the oil reserves and the people's ownership of them.  Following his resignation, Edwin returned home to Detroit where he resumed his law practice.   He died just days before his 59th birthday on February 8, 1929.

Below is Edwin Denby's Obituary from the Ellensburg Daily Record, February 8, 1929:

EDWIN DENBY, FORMER NAVY AIDE, IS DEAD
Heart Attack Is Fatal to Man Who Resigned in Oil Scandal.
{By The Associated Press.}
   Detroit, Feb. 8. - Edwin Denby, former secretary of the navy and one of the figures whose political careers were abruptly terminated by the Teapot Dome scandal, died at his home in the Whittier apartments here this morning. Death resulted from a heart attack.
   Following his resignation from the cabinet, the "sea going secretary of the navy" as he was termed, returned to Detroit and resumed his banking, industrial and legal activities.
   Denby arose as usual shortly before 8 o'clock this morning but complained of feeling ill. A physician was summoned but before he could arrive the former navy secretary was dead.
   After riding the crest of a wave of accomplishments that carried him to the cabinet of President Harding, Edwin Denby was drowned politically in the flood of oil scandal that boiled from the naval oil leases at Teapot Dome.
   One of the most popular men ever to sit as a member of an American president's cabinet, Denby virtually was compelled to resign the secretaryship of the navy in 1924 as part of the cabinet clean-up demanded when the country became aroused over the leases which led to the indictment for the conspiracy of Albert B. Fall, former secretary of the interior, and the oil men, Edward Doheny and Harry F. Sinclair.
Innocence is Claimed
   Unfortunate acquiesance rather than deliberate participation was the most for which Denby was blamed. He always insisted that his part in the leasing of the naval oil reserves was proper and for the best interests of the country.
   "Had I not taken the action I did," he said in a public address after he had resigned from the cabinet, "I would have been false to my trust and culpably negligent in the performance of my duties."
   Detroit, Denby's home town, long will remember Denby's return from Washington after he had quitted the cabinet with the gossip and condemnation of a nation sounding in his ears. He was feted as a hero, a day of celebration being climaxed by a great public banquet at which representative citizens sat and by their presence and by their words bespoke complete confidence in him.

Marines Express Confidence
   Tears glistened in the Denby eyes as he heard eulogistic words spoken that night. He all but broke down when three members of the Marine Corps - the branch of the service in which he enlisted as a private and rose to be a majority - walked up to him unannounced, saluted, spoke a few words of regard and confidence, turned on their heels, and marched out of the banquet hall.
   Whatever the nation may have thought, Denby never lost the esteem and faith of his townspeople. He had been out of the cabinet only a few months when he was chosen chairman of a $5,000,000 building program campaign of the Y.M.C.A.  He resumed his banking, industrial and legal connections and was strongly urged as a candidate for the United States senate.
   Denby's service to his country was full and varied. It ran the gamut from "gob" in the navy and "Devil Dog" in the Marine Corps to head of the navy department. His career, begun in his home state of Indiana, carried him to China, through the University of Michigan Law School, to fame as a Wolverine football star, to the decks of the U.S.S. Yosemite during the Spanish-American war, the Michigan legislature, to the national house of representatives, to important positions in Detroit's motor industry and to the cabinet.
   Denby was born in Evansville, Ind., Feb. 18, 1870, the son of Charles and Martha Fitch Denby. His father for many years was United States minister to China.



Edwin Denby is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.


Grave of Edwin Denby

Back of Edwin Denby's Grave Marker

Here's my relation to Edwin:


Friday, December 21, 2012

The "Gordonsville Grays" Company C, Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment: Full Ordnance Sergeant Andrew Jackson Blackburn, my 2nd cousin 4x removed

Flag of the Gordonsville Grays

The Gordonsville Greys were originally organized in Orange County, Virginia in 1859 when the Governor of Virginia, John Letcher, called for 50 State Militia units to be mustered into temporary service as a consequence of John Brown’s raid at Harper’s Ferry.  This terrifying experience showed the lack of military preparedness in Virginia.  As a result, new militia companies started springing up all over Virginia. 

A Military Convention convened in January of 1860 to advise Virginia's General Assembly on how to improve the 1858 Militia Law.  Legislation was passed on March 30, 1860 that incorporated many of the Military Council’s suggestions, particularly those in regards to supply and logistics.  Less than three months later, the Gordonsville Grays were organized and received the above flag from the ladies of the community. 

The Gordonsville Greys, along with two other organized militia companies comprised of Orange County men, the Montpelier Guard and Barboursville Guards, proceeded to Harper's Ferry and were enrolled into the service of the State of Virginia on May 9, 1861.


Drum of the Gordonsville Grays, currently on display at the Museuem of the Confederacy

Pressure from the previous month's cannonade at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina caused the citizens of Virginia to move rapidly with a vote on seceding from the Union.  On May 23, 1861, the Ordinance of Secession was approved by the Orange County electorate with a vote of  853 to 0.  

A Regiment was soon authorized to be organized from the Companies coming from the North Central and Northwestern region of Virginia.  This Regiment was first designated the 4th Virginia Infantry Regiment, but quickly changed to 13th Virginia Infantry Regiment when it was discovered another Regiment had already been assigned the 4th's designation.  The Montpelier Guard, senior by virtue of having been organized earlier, became Company A, while the Gordonsville Grays were assigned as Company C. and the Barboursville Guards as Company F. 


Flag of the 13th Virginia 

The Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment completed its organization during the summer of 1861 with men from Winchester and Culpeper, Orange, Louisa, and Hampshire counties.   Ambrose Powell Hill was appointed as the unit's Colonel.  An unidentified soldier from the Virginia 13th had the following to say about A. P. Hill:


"Our colonel was A.P. Hill, who had won a fine reputation in the old army, and was one of the most accomplished soldiers with whom I ever came in contact, who was the idol of his men, and who, by his gallantry and skill, steadily rose to the rank of Lieutenant General, and fell, mourned by the whole South, on that ill fated day, at Petersburg, which witnessed the breaking of his lines and the virtual fall of the Confederacy."

A. P. Hill

The Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment is one of the few Regiments from the Civil War that produced Three Generals from their ranks.   Along with A.P. Hill, other notable commanders of the Virginia 13th who were promoted to the rank of General include, James A. Walker and James Barbour Terrill. 

Colonel A.P. Hill was promoted to Brigadier General on February 26, 1862 and given command of a Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia.  The command of the 13th Virginia now fell to James A. Walker, who was promoted from Lieutenant Colonel to the rank of Full Colonel.  James B. Terrill was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.


James A. Walker

Colonel Walker commanded the Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment through the Battle of Chancellorsville.  In May of 1863, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and transferred to the Stonewall Brigade, where he commanded Stonewall Jackson's former troops.  Following Walker's departure the command of the 13th Virginia was passed to James B. Terrill, who was promoted to Full Colonel.


James Barbour Terrill

Terrill was killed in action at the Battle of Totopotomoy Creek or Battle Bethesda Church in Hanover County, Virginia on May 30, 1864, a few days before the bloody Battle of Cold Harbor.  James B. Terrill's brother, William R. Terrill was a Brigadier General in the Union Army.  William R. Terrill was killed in action at the Battle of Perryville Kentucky.   James B. Terrill had already been nominated for the rank of Brigadier General. The Confederate Senate confirmed his appointment the next day, May 31, 1864. 

Chaplain of the Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment, Reverend J. William Jones, had the following to say about the regiment:


"The Thirteenth Virginia infantry gave to the Confederacy three generals, who were its original field officers: A. P. Hill, who rose to the rank of lieutenant-general, one of the most accomplished, skillful and successful soldiers the war produced; James A. Walker, who commanded the Stonewall brigade until he was severely wounded at the "bloody angle" at Spottsylvania Court House, May 12, 1864, and afterward led Early's old division to Appomattox Court House; and J. B. Terrill, who was promoted only a short time before he was killed at Bethesda church in June, 1864, and would have won higher distinction had his noble young life been longer spared."

The Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment served with Elzey's Brigade prior to his injury and with Jubal Early in the Shenandoah Valley.

On July 25, 1861, the Army of the Shenandoah was reorganized and the Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the Fourth Brigade, General Richard S. Ewell's Second Corps, Army of the Shenandoah, under the command of Brigadier General Arnold Elzey.


Brigadier General Arnold Elzey

The Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment, while attached to Elzey's Fourth Brigade, participated in Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign that took place in the Spring of 1862.

General Elzey was shot through the head and seriously wounded at the Battle of Gaines's Mill on June 27, 1862.  His wound kept him from active field command for the rest of the war.  Following Elzey's injury, the Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment was attached to the Army of Northern Virginia.  While attached to the Army of Northern Virginia, the 13th Virginia participated in every engagement from the Seven Days Battles, which took place in mid 1862 through the bloody Battle of Cold Harbor, which took place in mid 1864.  

After the Confederate victory at Cold Harbor, the Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment was attached to Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson Early's Corps, where they participated in the Early's Valley Campaign that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October 1864.  Jubal Anderson Early is my 3rd cousin, 5x removed.


Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson Early

Following the Valley Campaign, the Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment took part in the Defense of Petersburg, Virginia.  The Siege of Petersburg took place between June of 1864 to April of 1865.  Andrew Jackson Blackburn was wounded in action in a Battle that took place on April 3, 1865 near Fort Mahone. 


Third Battle of Petersburg by Currier and Ives



Andrew Jackson Blackburn was born in Henrico County on January 15, 1835.  He is my 2nd cousin, 4x removed.  Prior to his enlistment, he was a farmer by trade.  Andrew enlisted as a Private in the Gordonsville Grays, which would later become Company C, Virginia 13th Infantry on April 17, 1861.


1st Muster for Andrew

He was promoted to Full Sergeant on May 15, 1862. 


Muster Roll showing Andrew had been promoted to Sergeant

Andrew was wounded in a Skirmish near Fredericksburg, Virginia on May 4, 1863.


List of Wounded soldiers from Smith's Brigade

On February 1, 1864, Andrew was promoted to Full Ordnance Sergeant. 



Muster Roll showing Andrew's promotion to Full Ordnance Sergeant

For the period of time between March and September of 1864, Andrew was on detached service "threshing wheat".  He returned to duty on September 25, 1864.


Muster Roll showing Andrew's detached service

Andrew was captured in a Skirmish near Piper's Mill in October of 1864.  He was later exchanged and returned to duty.   The Virginia 13th Infantry Regiment participated in the defense of Petersburg, Virginia.  On April 3, 1865, Andrew Jackson Blackburn was wounded 6 times and lost a leg near Fort Mahone.  He was taken prisoner and later released on parole on April 24, 1865.


Parole of Honor for Andrew Jackson Blackburn

Andrew Jackson Blackburn lived an additional 42 years following the end of the Civil War.  He died in Richmond, Virginia on December 5, 1907.  He was 72 years old.  Andrew is buried in Richmond's Historic Hollywood Cemetery.


Grave of Andrew Jackson Blackburn

Here's my relation to Andrew:

Andrew Jackson Blackburn (1835 - 1907)
is your 2nd cousin 4x removed
Absalom Blackburn (1811 - 1879)
Father of Andrew Jackson
Absalom Blackburn (1784 - )
Father of Absalom
Absalom Blackburn (1766 - 1854)
Father of Absalom
Josiah Blackburn (1790 - 1857)
Son of Absalom
Sarah Jane Blackburn (1831 - 1896)
Daughter of Josiah
Samuel Henry Conway Jr. (1868 - 1936)
Son of Sarah Jane
Eunice Maud Conway (1895 - 1981)
Daughter of Samuel Henry
Robert William Lewis (1913 - 1990)
Son of Eunice Maud
Joyce Elaine Lewis (1948 - )
Daughter of Robert William
Chip Stokes
You are the son of Joyce

Monday, December 17, 2012

The North Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment at Battery Wagner: Six Paternal Confederate Cousins

Six members of my family served in the North Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment.  All six men are on my father's side of the family.  Two served in Company G, while the remaining four men served in Company H. Five of these men came from the same family (Nowell) and were related to each other in their lifetimes.  The Nowell's wouldn't share a common relation to the Overman's until my Great Grandparent's, Joseph Warren Nowell and Sarah "Sallie" Elizabeth White were married in 1911. 


North Carolina's Civil War Flag


The North Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment was organized in Wilmington, North Carolina in September of 1861.  The unit was initially stationed at Roanoke Island until the Island was captured by Federal Forces in February of 1862.  Following it's capture, the unit was exchanged for Federal prisoners and mustered back into Confederate Service.  The unit was then assigned to Brigadier General Thomas Lanier Clingman's Brigade, which consisted of  the 8th, 31st, 51st, & 61st North Carolina Infantry Regiments.  Thomas Lanier Clingman is my 4th cousin, 6x removed.


Brigadier General Thomas Lanier Clingman, C.S.A

The North Carolina 31st would remain attached to Clingman's Brigade for the duration of the war.  While attached to the Brigade, the North Carolina 31st participated in the Battle of White Hall in Wayne County, North Carolina.  Following it's action at White Hall, the Brigade was ordered to Charleston, South Carolina where they were engaged in several minor battles and skirmishes.  The North Carolina 31st participated in the Battle at Battery Wagner, a Battle where severely outnumbered Confederates routed the attacking Federals. 


Plan of Fort Wagner aka Battery Wagner

In 1863, the Union command laid out a plan to take back Charleston Harbor.  After his successful amphibious assault on Port Royal, Virginia and a long range artillery bombardment that led to the swift capture of Fort Pulaski, Georgia, Union Brigadier General Quincy Gillmore was tasked with leading a campaign against the city of Charleston. 

Gillmore's plan called for support from several U.S. gunships.  With their support, Gillmore would lead an attack to seize Morris Island so that he could use it's position to place heavy rifled guns on Cummings Point.  These guns would be used to neutralize the Confederate Battery at Fort Sumter.  Once Sumter was out of play, the Federal Navy could move freely in the Confederate waters and the Army could move in and capture Charleston, the birth place of the rebellion.


Battery Wagner during the Civil War


Morris Island was protected by a small but strategically located Confederate earthen fort called Battery Wagner that was manned by 1,620 men under the command of Brigadier General William B. Taliaferro.


Brigadier General William Booth Taliaferro

Gillmore believed that the shot-torn beach in front of Battery Wagner could be crossed and the fort taken.   On July 10, 1863, Gillmore's forces landed on the southern end of Morris Island and quickly pushed back the small Confederate force that was defending that part of the island.  The Union troops failed to capture all of Morris Island.  The Confederate defenders of the island were quickly reinforced.  Twelve Confederate soldiers were killed in this skirmish compared to the loss of 339 Federal soldiers. 

The Union command felt they could finish off the small Confederate force on July 11th.  In an early morning attack, Union Brigadier General George Strong commanded the 7th Connecticut, 76th Pennsylvania, and 9th Maine to advance upon Battery Wagner.  They were repelled with heavy losses. 

Following the unsuccessful Union attack, Gillmore spent nearly a week ordering 41 Union guns to be positioned toward Battery Wagner.  At about noon on July 18th, the Union cannon emplaced at Morris Island and seven Union gunboats began to bombard Battery Wagner.  The bombardment lasted more than seven hours. 

Facing the Union bombardment was a Confederate force equipped with 14 heavy guns, mortars, and carronades, and field pieces situated amongst a well laid out fortress, designed to withstand modern rifled artillery fire.

At 7:30 p.m., a force of 6,000 Union soldiers from two Brigades began to advance upon the Fort.  These units were commanded by General George C. Strong, and Colonel Haldimand S. Putnam. 


Union Storming of Fort Wagner, by Alison and Kurtz

At the vanguard of the Union force was the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, U.S.C.T. (United States Colored Troops).  This was the first unit in the Federal Army comprised entirely of African Americans.  This Federal Infantry Regiment gained fame in the 1989 film "Glory".  The film depicts Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the commander of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, U.S.C.T and their valiant, yet unsuccessful attack on Fort Wagner.



Union Colonel Robert G. Shaw, Commander of the Massachusetts 54th Infantry

As the bombardment ended and the Federal forces advanced closer to Battery Wagner, the Confederates inside quickly left their bombproofs and began to man the guns of the fort.  Infantry men began to lay down withering sheets of musket fire towards the advancing Federals.   Despite the deadly cannonade and musket fire, men from the 54th Massachusetts scaled the earthen walls of Fort Wagner and descended into the Fort.  There they engaged the Confederates in bloody hand-to-hand combat.  Colonel Shaw yelled "onward boys! onward boys!" as he climbed one of the sandy ramparts of the fort.  He was quickly shot through the heart and killed.  Confederate reports claim Shaw's body was pierced by as many as seven bullets. 

The 31st North Carolina Infantry Regiment, which had been completely captured during the Battle of Roanoke Island and later exchanged, were slow to come out of their bombproof and take their position on the southeast bastion of the Fort.  The failure of the North Carolina 31st to take their position led to a small amount of success by the 6th Connecticut Infantry, who attacked the Confederate's weakest point. General Taliaferro quickly rounded up the soldiers to take their position.  The 48th New York Infantry began to advance behind the lines of the 6th Connecticut.  Confederate sharpshooters from the 51st North Carolina and the Charleston Battalion began to fire deadly volleys into the advancing Federals. 

As the 48th New York Infantry continued to advance up the ramparts along with the 6th Connecticut, Confederate Artillerymen fired canister shot into the ranks of the remaining Union Infantry units, causing them to halt their advance and begin the Federal retreat.  The Federal assault was now in disarray.  Lack of Federal reinforcements caused the attack to crumble.  Confederate reinforcements from the 32nd Georgia Infantry began to arrive.  The fresh troops swept over the bastions, killing and capturing any remaining Federals. 

By 10:00 p.m, the Battle concluded with heavy losses, mostly Union.  The total casualty number for the Union was 1,515 (246 killed, 880, wounded, 389 captured).  Confederate casualties numbered 174 (36 killed, 133 wounded, 5 captured).  The casualties for the North Carolina 31st Infantry's participation in the action at Battery Wagner numbered 30 (7 killed, 31 wounded, 1 missing).  Included in the Union casualties were General George C. Strong, who was mortally wounded in the thigh by grape shot as he tried to rally his men.  Colonel Haldimand S. Putnam was shot in the head and killed in the salient while giving the order to withdraw.  Colonel John Lyman Chatfield of the 6th Connecticut was mortally wounded.  The 54th Massachusetts's Colonel, Robert Gould Shaw, was killed upon the parapet early in the action.


Fort Wagner the day after the Union Assault


Following the Battle, Federal soldiers sent in flags of truce from their Army and Navy, and asked to bury their dead and care for their wounded.   General P.G.T. Beauregard, commander of the Confederate force in Charleston, complied and allowed a truce to last until 4:00 p.m.

General Gillmore and his Union troops settled into their positions on Morris Island where they began a lengthy and costly siege that finally led to the Confederate abandonment of Morris Island on September 7, 1863. 

After their participation in the Battle of Fort Wagner, the North Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment was ordered north, where it took an active part in the battles at Drewry's Bluff and Cold Harbor.  The NC 31st  later endured the hardships of the Petersburg siege, both on the north and south of the James River. In 1865 it fought its last Battle at Bentonville.  Very few soldiers from the NC 31st surrendered with the Army of Tennessee.

Below are brief biographies of all six of my relatives who served in the North Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment:

Company G

Jonathan Nowell was born on August 3, 1820 in Johnston County, North Carolina.  He is my 3rd cousin 5x removed.  Jonathan previously served in Company B, North Carolina 14th Infantry Regiment and was featured in a previous entry.  Prior to his service in the Civil War, he served as Deputy Sheriff of Wake County, North Carolina.  Jonathan was also a veteran of the Mexican War.  He enlisted as a Private in Company G, North Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment at Petersburg, Virginia on April 13, 1864 for the duration of the war. 


1st Muster Roll for Jonathan in the NC 31st

Present and Accounted for through December, 1864. 


Muster Roll showing Jonathan was present and accounted for through December of 1864

Jonathan Nowell lived an additional 43 years following the end of the Civil War.  He died in Asheville, North Carolina on December 22, 1909.  He was 88 years old. 


Below is Jonathan's obituary from the Asheville, NC paper:

OBITUARY - December 23, 1908



 A VETERAN OF THE MEXICAN WAR DEAD


Asheville, N.C. , Dec. 23-  JONATHAN NOWELL, aged 88 years, veteran of the Mexican and Civil War and who sought to enlist for the Spanish-American war, died at the home of his son, Charles Nowell, at West Asheville early yesterday morning. He retained full possession of his faculties up to a short time before his death.
 Mr. Nowell was a deputy sheriff of Wake Co this state, when troops were mustered in for the Merican War and enlisted to Company I, of the 12th Regiment composed almost entirely of North Carolinians and saw much active service during the campaign in Mexico. He participated with General Scott's army in the attack upon the walled heights of Chaputepec and was one of the intreped detail which hewed a hole through the castle walls through which the troops entered the forti-fications. In speaking of this incident, the old veteran related that many men were shot down by his side while they were working on the walls, adding " The Mexicans stopped shooting when our men began to pick them off every time they poked their heads over the wall to shoot at us ".
 
When War Between the States broke out Mr. Nowell enlisted in the 14th NC Regiment and served throughout the war, seeing much active service with his regiment.  When war was declared against Spain, the doughty old veteran still full of fight, again sought to enlist for active service in Cuba but was rejected on account of his age.
 
Mr. Nowell was born in Wake County, N.C., on August 3, 1820 but for many years past had been a resident of Buncombe county. He was the last of the Mexican war veterans in this county.


Jonathan Nowell is buried in the Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church Cemetery in Asheville, North Carolina.


Grave of Jonathan Nowell

Here's my relation to Jonathan:



Benjamin Franklin Overman, Jr. was born in Pasquotank County, North Carolina on February 17, 1837.  He is my 4th cousin 6x removed.  I previously wrote about his father, Benjamin Franklin Overman, Sr.'s service with the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment.  By the outbreak of the Civil War, Benjamin Senior had relocated to Florida.  Benjamin Junior would join his father in Florida after the Civil War.   Benjamin Junior had previously served in Company I, North Carolina 17th Infantry Regiment.  He enlisted as a Private in this Company prior to May 1, 1863 for the duration of the war.

Muster Roll showing Benjamin's service with the NC 31st.

Following the Civil War, Benjamin joined his father in Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida.  He lived an additional 28 years following the end of the Civil War.  Benjamin Died in Pensacola, Florida on January 26, 1893.  He was 55 years old .  His burial location is not known at the time of this entry.

Here's my relation to Benjamin:



Company H

Addison, Jeremiah and Jesse Nowell were brothers.  Each of these men served in Company H, North Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment.

Addison J. Nowell was born in Wake County, North Carolina in 1835.  He is my 3rd cousin 5x removed.  Addison enlisted as a Private in Company H, North Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment on July 15, 1862.  Company records indicate he deserted on November 27, 1864. 


Muster Roll showing Addison's desertion

He also served in Company A, Mallett's N.C. Battalion (Camp Guards).  Addison is listed as "Town Commissioner" in the 1870 Federal Census and as a "Preacher" in the 1880 Federal Census.  Addison J. Nowell lived and additional 20 years following the end of the Civil War.  He died in Wake County, North Carolina in 1885.  He was 50 years old.  His burial location is not known at the time of this entry.


Jeremiah James Nowell was born in Wake County, North Carolina on January 5, 1832.  He is my 3rd cousin 5x removed.  J.J. resided in Wake County, North Carolina prior to his enlistment.  In a letter dated November 22, 1862, J.J. wrote a letter to the Confederate Secretary of War in Richmond.  J.J. offered his services as a clerk.  It is not known whether his services were ever accepted.


J.J.'s letter to the Secretary of War

He enlisted as a Private in Company H, North Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment on June 17, 1863 for the duration of the war.  He was 30 years old at the time of his enlistment.  J. J. was listed as Present and Accounted for during the March - April, 1864 Muster Roll.


Muster Roll for J.J.

J.J. deserted on November 27, 1864.  The reason for his desertion is not known.


Muster Roll showing J.J. had deserted

Following his desertion, J.J. returned home and became the Sheriff of Wake County, North Carolina.  Jeremiah James Nowell lived an additional 17 years following the end of the Civil War.  He died in Wake County, North Carolina on August 15, 1882.  He was 50 years old.  J. J. is buried in Raleigh's Historic Oakwood Cemetery. 


Nowell Family Plot in Oakwood Cemetery


Closeup of the Nowell Marker


Close-up of J.J.'s Grave Marker


Jesse Robert Nowell  was born in Mark's Creek, Wake County, North Carolina on August 16, 1841.  He is my 3rd cousin 5x removed.  Jesse resided in Wake County, North Carolina prior to his enlistment.  He enlisted as a Private in Company H, North Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment on October 14, 1861.


1st Muster Roll for Jesse

Jesse was promoted to Ordnance Sergeant on September 15, 1862. 


Roll of Honor showing Jesse's promotion to Sergeant

While serving as Ordnance Sergeant, Jesse had to make some difficult requisitions.  Below is a special requisition signed by Sergeant J. R. Nowell for a coffin for a soldier killed in action.




Jesse was captured near Fort Harrison, Virginia on September 30, 1864.  Following his capture, he was turned over to the Provost Marshall General at City Point , Virginia on October 1, 1864. 


Register showing Jesse had been captured

Jesse was committed to the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, DC on October 6, 1864. 


POW Roll for Jesse

He was transferred to Fort Delaware Prison on October 23, 1864. 


POW Roll for Jesse while at Fort Delaware

Jesse was released after signing the Oath of Allegiance on June 17, 1865. 


Jesse's Oath of Allegiance

Following the Civil War, Jesse returned home and became Deputy Sheriff of Wake County.  Jesse Robert Nowell lived an additional 32 following the end of the Civil War.  He died in Wake County, North Carolina on January 18, 1897.  He was 55 years old.  Jesse is buried in the Willis Nowell Family Cemetery in Wendell, North Carolina.


Grave of Jesse Robert Nowell

Due to the fact that Addison, Jeremiah and Jesse are brothers, I'm only providing one relationship chart

Here's my relation to Jesse:




William Henry Nowell  was born in Wake County, North Carolina in 1818.  He is my 3rd cousin 5x removed.  I've previously written about William in the Elmira Prison Camp Entry.  William enlisted as a Private in Company H, North Carolina 31st Infantry Regiment on September 28, 1863.  He was 45 years old at the time of his enlistment.  William was captured near Gaines Mills at the Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia on June 1, 1864.


POW Roll showing William's capture

Following his capture he was confined at Point Lookout, Maryland on June 11, 1864. 



POW Roll showing William's confinement at Point Lookout

William was transferred to Elmira Prison, New York on July 12, 1864.  William Henry Nowell died at Elmira Prison on August 29, 1864 of "acute bronchitis". 


POW Roll showing William died at Elmira

He is buried in the Confederate Prisoner Section of Woodlawn National Cemetery in New York.


Grave of William Henry Nowell

Here's my relation to William: