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Born in Lexington Dist., S.C., on 3rd October 1821. Graduated from S.C. College in 1844. Lawyer & schoolteacher in Edgefield, S.C. Pvt., Co.H, 7th S.C. Inf.: 1861. Major: 15th April 1861. Lt-Colonel: 9th May 1862. Was dropped at the reorganization just few days later. He then served as a volunteer aide to M.C. Butler. “In camp near Manassas the preceding fall Seibels and [Elbert] Bland, who were close friends, had fallen into a dispute over one of Seibels’s moves during a chess game; heated words were exchanged and Bland ultimately demanded satisfaction. A three-man board of honor, which included the colonels of the Fifth South Carolina and Fifteenth Georgia regiments, failed to bring the matter to a resolution. When word of the proposed duel…reached Brig. Gen. Milledge L. Bonham, he ordered both officers arrested, but they slipped away and faced each other on 26th November.” “As the word fire was given the opponents wheeled and two pistol shots rang out on the stillness of the morning. Captain Bland stands still erect, commanding and motionless as a statue. Major Seibles remains steady for a moment, then sways a little to the left, staggers and falls into the arms of his second and surgeon. A hasty excamination is made. ‘Blood,’ calls out the second of Major Seibles. A nod of satisfaction is given and acknowledged by both seconds. Captain Bland retires on the arm of his friend, while the Major, now bleeding profusely from a wound in the chest, is lifted in the ambulance and carried to his tent. It was many months before Major Seibles was sufficiently recovered from his wound to return to duty. The matter was kept quiet and no action taken.” Moved to Montgomery, Ala., in September 1865. Married Anne Goldthwaite in 1868. Died in Montgomery in December 1899.
[Krick, Staff Officers In Gray, p.262; Dickert, History Of Kershaw’s Brigade, pp. 79-80.]
BLAND, Elbert
Native of Edgefield, S.C. “Elbert Bland was born in Edgefield County, S.C., and attended the common schools until early manhood, when choosing medicine as a
profession, he attended the Medical College of New York, where he
graduated with distinction. Ardently ambitious, he remained sometime after graduation, in order to perfect himself in his chosen profession. Shortly after his graduation, war broke out between the States and Mexico, and he was offered and accepted the position of Assistant Surgeon of the Palmetto Regiment, Colonel P.M. Butler commanding. By this fortunate occurrence he was enabled to greatly
enlarge his knowledge of surgery. At the close of the war he came home, well equipped for the future. Shortly after his return from the war he was happily married to Miss Rebecca Griffin, a daughter of Hon. N.L. Griffin, of Edgefield. Settling in his native county, he entered at once into a lucrative practice, and at the beginning of the late war was enjoying one of the largest country practices in the State. When the mutterings of war began he was one of the first to show signs of activity, and when Gregg's Regiment went to the coast in defense of his native State, he was appointed Surgeon of that Regiment. Having had some experience already as a Surgeon in the Mexican War, he determined to enter the more active service, and in connection with Thos. G. Bacon, raised the Ninety-Six Riflemen, which afterwards formed part of the Seventh South Carolina Regiment. Bacon was elected Captain and Bland First Lieutenant. Upon organizing the regiment, Bacon was elected Colonel of the regiment and Bland was to be Captain.” Captain, Co.H, 7th S.C. Inf. In the Fall of 1861 he fought a duel with Major Emmett Seibels, also of the 7th, over a disputed game of cards; see the entry for Seibels for full details. Lt-Colonel: 14th May 1862. “He was conspicuous on nearly every battlefield in Virginia, and was twice wounded--at Savage Station, seriously in the arm, from which he never recovered, and painfully in the thigh at Gettysburg. At the sanguinary battle of Chickamauga, on September 20th, 1863, whilst in command of his regiment, and in the moment of victory, he fell mortally wounded, living only about two hours. No knightlier soul than his ever flashed a sabre in the cause he loved so well, and like Marshall Nay, he was one of the bravest of the brave. He sleeps quietly in the little cemetery of his native town, and a few years ago, upon the death-bed of his wife, her request was that his grave and coffin should be opened at her death, and that she should be placed upon his bosom, which was done, and there they sleep. May they rest in peace.”
[Dickert, History Of Kershaw’s Brigade, pp. 282-284.]
The thumbnail photo is of the frock coat which Bland was wearing when he was killed.
I was given an original volume of the "War of the Rebellion Series" as a Christmas gift, a few years ago. Inside the book, on the flyleaf is the inscription: "Presented to Emmett Siebels by his friend Charles T. Pollard, Oct. 21, 1889." Also, the Confederate officer's button with the frag of grey cloth attachecd mentioned my reply in your "Artefacts" post, came from Lt. Col Siebels coat. There were about 40 of them in this lady's collection and several "War of the Rebellion" books. They are the Alabama 'Oak tree' State buttons. In another place inside my book, Emmett Siebels signed this his personal copy given him by C.T. Pollard.
Also, I was given a beautifully carved rendition of a gentleman's straight razor which was carved during the war by Lt. Col. Seibels. Being a 'woodworker'I carved two myself, just like Seibels' original & gave them to my 2 sons.
Do you know who Charles T. Pollard was? Do you have biographical info, war data etc., on him? I can't find anything on this man via an online search. This has perplexed me for about 7 years now. Might you provide a friend with a little help on Charles T Pollard? Thanks, Bill.
After reading your typically fine post, I'm now experincing a good case of 'ghost fear' :-) upon possessing Lt. Col. Seibel's uniform button, carved razor and signed book. Especially after reading how Siebel's shot his friend, and the "coffin" 'thing,' yikes!
Charles T. Pollard, a resident of Montgomery, was the Adjutant of the 61st Alabama Infantry. He may be the same person as the Charles T. Pollard, also of Montgomery, who was in the railroad business after the war.
He seems to be your best lead. I tried to pin him down in the 1880 census, but without success.
You may be able to find out more about the Montgomery man by contacting the main library in that town.
I found a site connected to a Pollard AL, that was named after a Charles T. Pollard who was an official with the L&N Railroad of which Bill mentioned Im sure. Seems its a tiny burg in Escambia County
__________________ It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.
Born in Anderson Co., S.C., in 1831. Son of John Blassingame. Raised in Alabama & S.C. At the age of 23 he moved west and worked as a clerk in a large dry-goods house in Kansas. When A.S. Johnston was sent into Kansas to quell the riots, Blassingame joined his forces "and for his bravery was promoted to the rank of colonel." After this he moved further west and settled in the Rockies. "Little of his frontier life is known..." On South Carolina's secession, "he rode all the way on horseback from Pike's Peak, a distance of 2,000 miles, and upon his arrival enlisted in Company K, Spartan rifles, of the Fifth South Carolina volunteers." Rose from Pvt. to Captain of Co.K. At the 1862 reorganization he joined the Palmetto Sharpshooters and served with them throughout the rest of the war. On 14th April 1864 a fellow-member of the Sharpshooters wrote of “Blasingame, come rolling in on extension “for marrying’. Don’t think it’s a very seasonable time for ‘matrimony’, but as Blasingame saw proper to celebrate those nuptials during his ‘indulgence’, I give him a hearty congratulation, and wish him all felicity and happiness in his conjugal life; and may his partner be a restraint on the wild and roving disposition of yore…” Captain at Appomattox. Post-war sheriff in Spartanburg, S.C., until the Reconstruction legislation forced his resignation. Elected county treasurer in 1877. Elected sheriff in 1880 and "displayed great bravery in defending a prisoner from a mob." "On August 16th, 1896, while guarding the house of a relative and neighbour during the temporary absence of the occupants, he was shot down in cold blood by a colored burglar, who narrowly escaped being lynched."
Born in Smithfield, Va., on 21st August 1841. 5’ 8”. Graduated from V.M.I. in 1861. Captain, Co.C, 15th Va. Inf.: 25th April 1862. Major: 19th August 1862. Wounded in shoulder and captured at Sharpsburg on 17th September 1862: “Captain [sic] Morrison fired all the cartridges in a dead man’s box and stepped a few yards away from the firing line where he picked up another and rejoined the fighting as was his habit. He shot two rounds and was preparing to fire the third one when something knocked him unconscious. About a minute later, he came around as four of his men lifted him onto a stretcher and started rearward with him. A projectile prostrated the stretcher party. The fragments splattered Charlie Watkins’ brains all over Morrison, causing him to release his grip and dump the captain while he struck the ground with a sickening thud. ‘Billie’ Briggs, another stretcher bearer, crashed to the earth with a broken thigh. The third man in the party lost the second and third fingers on a hand and the fourth one was also wounded. Within seconds, several men ran over to carry Morrison off, but he sent them back into the ranks, where they were really needed. The captain watched the regiment bolt into the woods near the Nicodemus farm, then very slowly hobbled and crawled to one of the huge haymounds near the West Woods. A mess of blood and brains from head to foot, the captain listened to his blood slosh over his feet as it rolled down his pants legs into his boots. Among the wounded in the hay stack, he found Lieutenant John Nussell [John Kerr Fussell]…he immediately tended to Morrison, whom he considered more seriously hurt than he. Nussell cut away Morrison’s right coat sleeve to stop the bleeding at its source. He discovered that the shell fragment had carried away the captain’s right shoulder joint.” Lt-Colonel: 24th January 1863. Exchanged in April 1863. Captured at Sayler’s Creek on 6th April 1865. Took the oath on 25th July 1865. Teacher & postmaster in Smithfield. Married Sarah A. Wilson in 1872. Died on 8th June 1932.
Born in Warrenton, Va., on 2nd August 1839. Son of John Ship & Lucy Blackwell Scott. At the age of 13 he attended Westminster College, Mo. After three years there he served as an engineer with the North Missouri railroad. Graduated from V.M.I. in 1859, “and was at once appointed assistant professor of mathematics. In this department and that of Latin he continued until the outbreak of the war…” Major, 21st Va. Inf.: June 1861. On 20th January 1862 he was assigned to duty at V.M.I. Served briefly as a private in Co.H, 4th Va. Cavalry, in the summer of 1863, “before returning to the Institute in August. Three months later his rigid personal code led him to attempt to resign over a silly matter of having taken one drink, but he was dissuaded, and fortunately too, for the Cadets liked and respected this stout, straight, but withal amiable commandant.” Described by a cadet as “a large man with close-trimmed black hair and beard, a solemn bearing and a deep voice. Although he was then but twenty-four years of age, I thought he was forty.” Wounded at New Market: “Then Ship, the perspiration standing out in great drops on his forehead, felt himself knocked to the ground when a spent shell fragment caught his left shoulder. He was only stunned, but he lay still for some time and was thought to be mortally wounded. Here the V.M.I. line faltered momentarily, yet the senior tactical officer…immediately assumed command and ran the boys forward the last thirty yards to the fence north of the orchard. The gap was closed.” Married Anne Alexander Morson on 19th August 1869, and had three children. Appears to have added the second ‘p’ to his surname after the war. Served on the staff at V.M.I. “for decades”. Also studied law at Washington College, and was admitted to the bar. In 1880 he was elected president of the Virginia agricultural and mechanical college, but declined the post in order to stay at V.M.I. Died in Lexington on 4th December 1917.
[Wise, The End Of An Era, pp.246-247; Davis, The Battle Of New Market, pp.53, 123, 178; Time Life Books, The Shenandoah In Flames: The Valley Campaign Of 1864, p.14; Riggs, 21st Virginia Infantry, p.91; Hotchkiss, Confederate Military History Of Virginia, p.1166.]
Born in Richmond on 3rd January 1841. Son of Wyndham Robertson & Mary Frances Trigg Smith. Attended Hanover Academy. Attended U.Va.: 1859-61. 2nd Lieut., Co.I, 48th Va. Inf.: 18th June 1861. Contracted typhoid in western Va. and returned to duty in January 1862. He took part in the Romney campaign, and this "wrecked his enfeebled health" and he was discharged before 21st April 1862. While preparing to go to Europe, he was offered an appointment as 2nd Lieut. of Engineers. He served as Assistant-Engineer to J.E.B. Stuart [Lieut. & E.O.: April 1863] until the latter's death; thereafter he served under Rooney Lee [Lieut. & E.O.: 29th May 1864]. The circumstances under which he became a member of Stuart’s staff are explained more fully by Robert J. Trout: “Had anyone told Frank Robertson, as he lay in his bed trying to recuperate from what had been diagnosed as pericarditis, that he would one day be galloping beside his visitor as an officer on his staff, chances are the sickly youth would not have believed it. Gen. ‘Jeb’ Stuart had come to call on Capt. W.W. Blackford and extended his visit to Blackford’s brother-in-law, Frank Robertson. Stepping into Robertson’s bedchamber, Stuart found him reading a medical journal and promptly told him to throw it in the fire. Stuart asked the youth questions about the campaign in western Virginia, to which Robertson was able to reply because he had been involved in the disaster. The interview, for such it turned out to be, ended with Stuart wishing Robertson a quick recovery as he exited the room.” In a letter he described his experiences at Brandy Station on 9th June 1863: “With my usual good luck I was obliged to run once more for my life, with a Yankee Orderly Sergeant right at my heels popping away at my back every jump of his horse – how he happened to miss me I can’t imagine, for a fairer mark or a more helpless one was never presented. I was riding Bostona and do what I could I could neither turn her to the right or left – nor could I draw my pistol. Every time I attempted to unbutton the pistol holster, she commenced blundering, absolutely it seemed on purpose, and I was forced to withdraw my hand to grasp the rein and hold her up – for at least two hundred yards this race kept up and I could see the fellow raise his pistol between his horses ears and take deliberate aim, but fortunately I was not even grazed, tho’ one of the balls cut a slight furrow in Bostona’s leg.” His health broke down again after the Gettysburg campaign, and he was furloughed for two months. While at home he suffered a relapse of rheumatic endocarditis, and only returned to duty in January 1864, and even then only drawing maps in Richmond. Took the oath in Richmond on 22nd May 1865. Married Stella Wheeler in 1868, and had 4 daughters. Farmer in Abingdon, Va., in 1899. Died on 10th August 1926. Buried in Sinking Spring Cemetery, Abingdon.
[Krick, Staff Officers In Gray, p.255; Trout, They Followed The Plume, pp.232-241.]
Last edited by bill_torrens; 12-17-2005 at 12:16 PM.
Son of Seaborn Jones. Educated at Georgetown University. Resident of Muscogee Co., Ga. Married Mary Louisa Leonard. Captain, Co.I, 20th Ga. Inf.: 23rd May 1861. Major: 30th August 1861. Lt-Colonel: 3rd April 1862. Colonel: 29th May 1863. Killed at Gettysburg on 2nd July 1863: “Colonel Jones was killed late in the action, not far from the captured guns, after the enemy’s forces were driven from the position and they had themselves opened upon it with shell from their other batteries, a fragment of one of which, glancing from a rock, passed through his brain. He had behaved with great coolness and gallantry. He fell just as success came in sight.” Pvt. Lokey of Co.B described it as follows: “I advanced up the hill to the right. In ascending to the right I passed Col. Jack Jones, of my regiment, lying on his back with about half of his head shot off.” In December 1865 Samuel Weaver, of Gettysburg, received “a letter from Mrs. Jones of Columbus Ga, saying to me that Col. Jones fell while making a charge on little Round Top – on [the] Snyder farm & was buryed about 150 yds. from the house under a cherry tree & was wounded in through the left side of his head. I went out to examine the graves on Mr. Snyder’s farm but I couldent find such a location as she described on Mr. Snyder’s place. I then went on the next farm a Mr. Slyder. There I found a cherry tree about 150 yds. from the house with two graves under it. I opened them both and in the one I found the remains of a soldier to answer the descriptions Mrs. Jones sent me, wounded in the left side of his head and the left lower jaw broken.” Jones’s widow eventually arranged to have the body shipped home, but the ship carrying it was lost at sea.
[Coco, Wasted Valor: The Confederate Dead At Gettysburg, p.108.]
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