Personal Reminiscences of the War of 1861-5 / In Camp—en Bivouac—on the March—on Picket—on the Skirmish Line—on the Battlefield—and in Prison

by W. H. Morgan

ORGANIZATION AND ROLL OF COMPANY

In the year 1860, at Pigeon Run—now Gladys, Campbell County, Va.,—near where I was born and reared, the young men of the neighborhood, catching the military spirit that swept over the State and South immediately after the John Brown raid at Harper's Ferry the year before, organized a volunteer infantry company, "The Clifton Grays," named after a small stream near by, the name being suggested by my father, the late Richard Morgan.

At the organization of the company, Adam Clement was elected captain; Jos. A. Hobson, first lieutenant; H. H. Withers, second lieutenant; Jas. A. Connelly, third lieutenant, and R. M. Cock, fourth lieutenant. When mustered into service only three lieutenants were allowed. I was elected orderly sergeant, which position I preferred at that time.

The following is as complete a roll of the company as I have been able to make up from memory, and by the aid of old comrades from the beginning to the end:

CAPTAIN

Adam Clement; promoted to major; wounded and disabled at Sharpsburg, Md.

LIEUTENANTS

Jos. A. Hobson; retired at the end of the first year.

H. H. Withers; retired at the end of first year.

Jas. A. Connelly; missing at Gettysburg.

Jabe R. Rosser.

Robt. M. Cock; captured at Five Forks, Va.

ORDERLY SERGEANT

W. H. Morgan; promoted to first lieutenant and captain; captured at Milford, Va., May 21, 1864.

SERGEANTS

Thos. M. Cock; promoted to orderly sergeant; died since war.

E. M. Hobson; detailed as regimental ordinance sergeant.

E. G. Gilliam; badly wounded at Five Forks, Va.

Geo. Thomas Rosser.

Robt. M. Murrell.

Geo. W. Morgan; died since war.

CORPORALS

Ed. A. Tweedy; captured at Milford, on the 21st of May, 1864.

G. A. Creacy; wounded at Drewry's Bluff, May 16, 1864.

Chas. A. Clement; promoted to orderly sergeant; captured at Five Forks, April 5, 1865; died since war.

W. T. Tynes; killed at Five Forks, Va.

W. H. Hendricks; killed at Second Manassas, August 30, 1862.

Privates

Allen, Chas.; killed at Drewry's Bluff, May 16, 1864.

Allen, Reuben; died since the war.

Brooks, John J.; died since the war.

Bailey, Allen; killed at Drewry's Bluff, April 16, 1864.

Bailey, Miffram; killed at Williamsburg, May 5, 1862.

Bailey, Harvey; died near Yorktown, April, 1862.

Bateman, Abner; wounded at Plymouth, N. C., April 18, 1864; died since the war.

Barber, Silas; killed at Seven Pines, May 31, 1862.

Brown, Geo. A.; captured at Milford.

Brown, Jas. A.; captured at Milford.

Brown, W. Lee; wounded at Gettysburg and Milford on the 21st of May, 1864, and captured; dead.

Bell, Geo. W.; lost arm near Petersburg on March 30, 1865.

Blankenship, Chas. E.

Blankenship, Leslie C.

Cocke, Jas. B.; died since war.

Clement, Geo. W.

Creacy, Thos. C.

Caldwell, Daniel R.

Caldwell, Samuel; died since war.

Cary, Peter.

Callaham, Moses H.; captured at Milford, on 21st of April, 1864.

Callaham, Chas. M.

Dunnavant, Lee.

DePriest, Jno. R.; killed at Drewry's Bluff, May 16, 1864.

Daniel, John A; died since war.

Eads, Hairston; died since war.

Eads, William.

Elliott, Robt. A.; died since war.

Elliott, H. O.; color sergeant; killed at Second Manassas.

Franklin, Samuel T.

Franklin, Edmond L.; died since war.

Farris, Benjamin; killed at Williamsburg, May 5, 1862.

Frazier, John B.; now blind.

Gardner, John.

Hobson, W. H.; mortally wounded at Dranesville, Va., January, 1862.

Hobson, Nathaniel R.; died since war.

Hughes, Andy.

Hughes, Crockett; killed at Williamsburg, May 5, 1862.

Harvey, Richard C.; died since war.

Hall, Stephen; died since war.

Harvey, Thos. W.; died since war.

Hendricks, Joseph.

Holcome, Ellis H.

Jones, Robt. H.

Jones, Geo. W.

Jones, Joshua.

Jones, Jas. T.; captured at Milford, April 21, 1864.

Jones, J. Wesley; captured at Milford, April 21, 1864.

Jones, Chas.; killed at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863.

Jones, Walker; wounded at Gettysburg.

Jones, Jas. Chap.; lost arm at Gettysburg.

Jones, Linneous; killed at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863.

Jones, Robt. W.; wounded at ——.

Jones, Jasper; died since war.

Jennings, Monroe; died since war.

Kabler, Fred; captured at Milford, April 21, 1864.

Kabler, W. S.; captured at Milford, April 21, 1864.

Kabler, Jack.

Kelley, Len.; died since war.

Keenan, John; detailed as drummer.

LeGrand, Peter A.; died since war.

Layne, David; killed at Williamsburg, May 5, 1862.

Layne, John; died near Fredericksburg, January 1863.

Layne, Miffram; died since war.

Morgan, Robt. W.; wounded at Second Manassas and Gettysburg; captured at Milford; dead.

Moorman, Thos. E.

Martin, James; detailed as cook; died since war.

Monroe, John; killed at Drewry's Bluff, May 16, 1864.

Monroe, William; killed at Plymouth, April 18, 1864.

Monroe, William T.; captured at Milford, May 21, 1864.

Martin, Henry; killed at Second Manassas, August 30, 1862.

Murrell, Chas.; killed at Second Manassas, August 30, 1862.

Moore, Richard; died since war.

Murrell, Emory.

Matthews, William; died since war.

Mason, Maurice M., Jr.; killed at Gettysburg.

Miles, Chas.; shot accidentally; died since war.

Organ, Jas.; died since war.

Organ, John; killed at Williamsburg, May 5, 1862.

Pillow, Daniel; missing at Gettysburg.

Pillow, William; detailed as cook.

Puckett, John; died since war.

Phillips, Thornton; died in service.

Pugh, James.

Pugh, Nat.

Quilly, Michael.

Rosser, Walter C.; wounded at Williamsburg and Drewry's Bluff.

Rosser, Alfred S.; killed at Drewry's Bluff.

Rosser, Granville; killed at Williamsburg.

Rosser, Thos. W.; died since war.

Rosser, John W.; captured at Five Forks.

Rice, Joe; killed at Sharpsburg, September, 1862.

Roberts, Pleasant; deserter.

Rice, Alec W.; captured at Milford; died in prison; buried at Arlington.

Terrell, James; killed at Seven Pines, May 31, 1862.

Tweedy, G. Dabney; killed at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863.

Tweedy, Bennett; killed at Plymouth, July 18, 1864.

Tweedy, Ferdinand.

Tweedy, Joseph; died since war.

Tweedy, Robt. C.

Walthall, Isaac; company commissary; died since war.

Walker, Geo. W.; mortally wounded at Drewry's Bluff.

Wood, Wash. W.; killed near Petersburg, 1865.

Woody, Bruce; killed at Drewry's Bluff, 1864.

Wood, John; killed at Williamsburg, May 5, 1862.

Watkins, James L.; died since war.

Woodall, Jno. J.

Wilkerson, W. A.; captured at Milford, May 21, 1864.

Williams, Whit B.; wounded at Williamsburg; dead.

Wilson, Wm. H.; killed at Williamsburg, May 5, 1862.

Withers, W. S.; detailed as hospital steward.

Wingfield, W. H.; died since war.

Wood, James; killed at Seven Pines.

No doubt several names have been omitted, and others were killed or died from wounds and disease not now remembered. It has been impossible to give the number and names of all the killed and wounded in the battles in which the company was engaged. From three to five wounded to one killed is about the average, I think.

One man on this roll has "deserter" written after his name. He was a good soldier while with the company. Unfortunately he was a nullius filus; I suppose he thought he had nothing to fight for. We heard later he went to Ohio, where he drove a stage during the war. I have never heard of him since.

I wish I could mention by name each one of these men, what they did, and how faithfully they served their country; but time and space and lack of memory as to many interesting incidents will not permit this. I can only say that, with very few exceptions, they were good and faithful soldiers.

The uniform of the company was steel-gray, with cap of same color.

CHAPTER II
Enter the Service—Trouble about Arms—Cause
of Secession

The company was drilled from time to time, but was not armed until it entered the service about the 1st of May, 1861, at Lynchburg, Va., enlisting for one year. It was mustered into service by (then) Col. Jubal A. Early, as one of the ten companies of the Twenty-eighth Regiment of Virginia Infantry, Col. Robt. T. Preston, commanding. At that time there were about eighty-five men in the company, made up of the young men from several miles around Pigeon Run. I had one brother, Geo. W., called "Coon"; a brother-in-law, Robt. M. Cocke, and many kinsmen and connections in the company; the young Joneses, the Hobsons, the Baileys, and others were relations of myself or wife. We were all friends and neighbors, and many were former schoolmates. Most of them young unmarried men, many in their teens. I had been married not quite five months when the war came on.

None of the officers or men had any military education, but little training in drilling and none in camp life, and were all, officers and men, quite green and inexperienced in military affairs generally. But we all knew how to handle guns and how to shoot straight.

These young men made as brave and faithful soldiers as any in the army; always ready to do their duty, to go wherever ordered; standing firm in action. But I think none of them liked to fight just for the fun of it; I did not for one, I well know. It was of this class of men that the army of Northern Virginia was made up.

That army was composed of the very pick and flower of the Southern youth, and made a name and fame that will live always.

At the beginning of the war, at Manassas, Gen. G. T. Beauregard issued a general order, in which he said that strict military rules of discipline would not be enforced, that the general commanding would depend upon the good breeding of the men, rather than harsh military discipline, to insure good order and efficiency in the army. This kind of discipline prevailed all through the war. General Grant soon after he met Lee in the Wilderness said in a dispatch to Washington that the Rebel army was very hard to drive, so well was it disciplined. It was not discipline that made this army so effective, but rather the courageous and patriotic spirit of the men who carried the guns.