Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 30.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

[161]

Elliott Grays of Manchester, Va. [from the Richmond, Va., times, November 28, 1902.]

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Roll of, with history of the Company. Names in bronze of Chesterfield troops on monument at Chesterfield C. H.

Judge William I. Clopton and Captain James A. Lipscomb, of Manchester, this morning left for Chesterfield Courthouse to superintend the placing of the figure of the Confederate soldier on the monument at that place. The monument will be unveiled some time next year. On each side of the monument bronze plates will be placed, containing the names of the members of the companies of Chesterfield county and Manchester, who fought in the Civil war.

Judge William I. Clopton, who was one of the commanding officers of the Manchester Artillery, has been appointed chairman of the special committee to inspect the rolls of the different companies to see that persons who did not serve in the war, or who deserted, shall not have their names inscribed on the plates.

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Certified list.

A certified roster of the Elliott Grays, Company I, Sixth Regiment, Virginia Volunteers, Mahone's Brigade, has been furnished the Confederate monument committee of Chesterfield county, of which Judge Clopton is chairman. This list was furnished by Captain John S. Whitworth, who is now master mechanic of the Norfolk and Carolina Railroad at Norfolk, upon request of Judge Clopton. With the exception of about one or two, every member of this company was wounded during the Civil war. There are now only between thirty and forty of the gallant little band now living.

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Roster of the Company.

The following is the complete list of men and officers who actually served in the war, and whose record is without a discreditable word:

Captain John S. Whitworth, Lieutenants Emmett J. Mann, Henry Fitzgerald, James D. Craig. [162]

Sergeants William Walsh, James F. Roper, William F. Bass, Abe Fitzgerald.

Corporals Andrew A. Waugh, William J. Anderson, George B. Bass, George Tolby.

Privates A. Adams, M. L. Adams, George C. Anderson, James S. Baird, W. B. Bowman, Thomas F. Brown, J. D. Bockwell, Leroy Bass, G. W. Browder, W. E. Browder, Thomas Browder, J. W. Browder, James H. Belcher (transferred to navy September 16, 1862), William Brooks, William Caudle, T. B. Cersley, J. T. Cottrell, John A. Cersley, T. W. Crow, James W. Cersley, W. D. Craig, E. Chandler, Richard Cottrell, J. W. Craig, John Duck, Henry D. Eggers (transferred to navy November 1, 1862), John E. Eggers (transferred to navy November 1, 1862), James Edmunds, William Evans, Michael Foster, William Foster, J. W. Harding, P. Hardgrave, M. Holland, R. J. Hancock, Richard Johnson, Henry A. Jordan, T. W. Jones, R. J. Lufsey, B. F. Lipscomb, William M. Mays (killed at Spotsylvania Courthouse), Joseph F. Moore (killed at Spotsylvania Courthouse), J. L. Maxey, J. W. Moore, Henry Marx, V. W. Nosworthy, J. T. Owens, Joseph H. Perdue, R. L. Pollard, E. B. Pierce, C. R. Pollard, Frank Puckett, Charles H. Rushbrook, W. S. Smith, John Smith, Robert I. Sadler, Charles C. Swan, Jeter Snead, Joseph Snead, W. J. Stywald, S. E. Sizer (killed second Bull Run, 1862), J. W. Stegal (killed at Petersburg, June 22, 1863), Talton Tibbs, J. Booker Tibbs, George A. Thadford, William H. Tolby, W. M. Taylor (killed at Sharpsburg), John Taylor, Robert Taylor, William Walthall, Thomas J. Waymack, Andrew J. Wells, Daniel Wren, William Young, Samuel W. Pollard, Henry H. Pollard, Beverley Smith, Emmett Gill.

Transferred to the navy, Benjamin Crowfield (killed at Crater), John Ryan, Isaac Thompson, Robert Tarrance, W. H. Kidd, Lewis Kidd.

Musicians, Charles W. Mosby, William S. Crawford.

A number of men deserted during the war. Some were captured and brought back under guard, but some were never caught.

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History of Company.

The company was mustered into service May 9, 1861, and was ordered to proceed to Norfolk at once, without arms. It was assigned to the Naval Hospital, and put in charge of a battery of sixteen 32-pounders. The company remained here until Norfolk was evacuated, when the company left Manchester.

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[163]

Armed with boarding pikes.

When the company left Manchester each man was armed with a bowie knife.

After being at Norfolk a few weeks the men were armed with boarding pikes—that is, a wooden pole about eight feet long, with a spike in the end of it, and at the close of six months they received in addition old bore muskets, the locks of which had been changed from flint and steel to percussion.

It was with these poor weapons that the dauntless few faced the splendidly-equipped troops of the North in the seven-days' fight around Richmond. It was not until almost the end of the war that they received the Enfield rifles.

The company served with distinguished valor in nearly all of the engagements of Northern Virginia, and was one of the few companies that had representatives at the surrender at Appomattox. It was stationed on the right of Mahone's Brigade, forming a line of battle when the order to surrender was received.

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Best Drilled Company.

During the time that this company was stationed at Norfolk it became the best-drilled company in the regiment, and on several occasions won prizes from the other companies. Among the trophies captured by this company was a very handsome silk flag, which was given by the ladies of Norfolk for the best-drilled company at that place. This company did all its drilling by signs and tap of the drum.

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First man wounded.

Henry A. Jordan, now justice of the peace in Manchester, was the first man in this gallant company to be wounded. He was shot in his left leg while skirmishing in White Oak Swamp and seriously wounded, from which wound he has never entirely recovered.

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First killed.

Charles Rushbrook, of Manchester, was the first man killed in the company. He was shot down at Malvern Hill.

When this company was first organized and mustered into service Louis F. Bossieux was captain, but after being at Norfolk a short while he resigned, in 1862, and Third Lieutenant John S. Whitworth was elected captain, which position he filled with honor and distinction all through the war. At Petersburg he was shot, the ball going [164] in at his neck and coming out his back, under his shoulder blade. Captain Whitworth still has the bullet, which he keeps as a memento of the war.

At present there are only two men living in Manchester who went entirely through the war with the company. They are Messrs. M. L. Adams and George C. Anderson.