CHAPTER I

PERSONAL—ORGANIZATION—ROLL OF COMPANY

After a lapse of more than forty years, I here record brief sketches of my experiences as a Confederate soldier, beginning about the 1st of May, 1861, and ending the 21st day of May, 1865, and some things since. Many of the occurrences herein related remain indelibly fixed on my memory through all these years and can never be effaced.

The scenes and events of the battles are burned into the faculty of recollection so deep that they remain more firmly fixed than any other events in my experience. Amidst the rush and roar and crash of battle, every fibre of the brain is intensified and highly wrought, and receives the scenes and events of the hour with the accuracy and permanency of the camera.

As to many of the dates, marches and camps, my memory has been refreshed by memoranda and data collected during the years, since the close of that memorable struggle, and by the perusal of wartime letters, and some assistance from old comrades.

I have headed these sketches "Personal Reminiscences," which I have designed to be a simple narrative of what I saw, heard and felt, without any desire to recount deeds of my own; but rather, at the solicitation of my children and others, that they may know something of my comrades and that I may leave to those who come after me some record of the part, inconspicuous as it was, which I took in that fierce and bloody conflict, my reasons, therefor, and my convictions and actions since. These things alone have prompted me to undertake this task.

I find already that the personal pronoun will appear in the narrative much oftener than I would wish. This seems unavoidable, according to the plan and scope designed.

I read sometime ago Gen. Fitzhugh Lee's life of Gen. Robt. E. Lee. When the book was finished, I remarked that I had a higher opinion of Fitz Lee than ever before, for the reason that his modesty caused him to leave himself out of the book, only a few times mentioning Fitz Lee's Brigade or Division incidentally, showing him to be a great man. I would like to do likewise, but this will be impossible.

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.