Research Counting the Confederate Service Records of Black and Mulatto Men

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[19thGeorgia]

685

Noah Demery
Private
"mulatto" (census) "negro" (death certificate)
1st (Butler's) South Carolina Infantry
CSR, Census, SC Death Records

1850 Census

1860 Census

1910 Census

SC Death Certificate

 

[19thGeorgia]

686

Magdenien Procella
Private
"mulatto" (census)
Company C ("Natchitoches Rebels"), 18th Louisiana Infantry
CSR, Census

1860 Census
Natchitoches Parish, La.
This is the only Procelle/Procella in Natchitoches Parish with a first name beginning with M-

 

[19thGeorgia]

687

Jacob Masterman
Cook
"colored"
Company B, 1st (Charleston) Battalion South Carolina Infantry
Company B, 27th South Carolina Infantry
CSR
Discharged April 27, 1864.

 

[19thGeorgia]

688

William Davidson
Musician
"free man of color"
Company G, 1st (Olmstead's) Georgia Infantry
CSR

Proposed exchange of Davidson to the 18th Georgia Battalion:

"Battery Marion, February 9, 1864
Brig. General Thomas Jordan,
Chief of Staff & Assistant Adjutant General
[-of Beauregard's Staff, Dept. of SC, GA, & FL. Jordan was Chief of Staff, but not the AAG.]

General:
Having agreed to the exchange of Private J. H. Roberts, Company B, 18th Battalion Georgia Volunteers, for Musician William Davidson of Company G, 1st Regiment Georgia Volunteers, we make application for an order to effect the exchange. Private Roberts is at present on detached service in Savannah. Both he and Davidson have agreed to the exchange.

George D. Smith,
1st Lieutenant Commanding Co. B,
18th Georgia Battalion

Benjamin F. Cole,
1st Lieutenant Commanding Co. G,
1st Volunteer Regiment of Georgia

Note
Musician William Davidson is a free man of colour, was mustered into the company for the war....The Company is now with the Regiment and the Regiment Band is composed of white men while the band of the 18th Georgia Battalion are negroes. Davidson does not consent to the transfer, but he is of no use to the 1st Georgia and would be to the 18th Georgia making the transfer beneficial to the service.
B. F. Cole, Lt. Comdg. Co. G"


Endorsements on back (up the chain of command)-

William S. Basinger, Major, Commanding 18th Georgia Battalion:
"Approved."

Charles H. Olmstead, Colonel, 1st Georgia Volunteers:
"Approved and respectfully forwarded."

R. E. Colston, Brig. General, Colston's Brigade:
"Respectfully forwarded. I know of no authority under which a colored man can be enlisted or mustered into the Confederate service."

H. W. Mercer, Brig. General, District of Georgia:
"Respectfully forwarded."

John M. Otey ("JMO"), Assistant Adjutant General, Dept. of South Carolina, Georgia, & Florida (Beauregard's staff):
"Make exchange."
(my emphasis)

 

[east tennessee roots]

689

Marian (Marion) L. Townsend Free Man Of Color

Private, Company F 26th NC. At Gettysburg the 26th suffered the largest number of casualties for a single regiment. on both sides during the war. Company F was decimated. M.L. was killed on the 1st day. They are best known for their encounter with the "Iron Brigade's" 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment (which suffered the most casualties of any Union regiment at Gettysburg).

 

[east tennessee roots]

690

Private William P. Townsell (Townsend) Free Man Of Color & Private in Company F 26th NC. (brother to Marion Townsend, listed above). One of the few members of the 26th to survive the Battle of Gettysburg. He deserted from the Petersburg trenches July 15, 1864. Three years from the exact day he and his brother (KIA at Gettysburg) enlisted.

 

[19thGeorgia]

691

Linsey Fields
Musician
"black" (census)
Company K, 37th Tennessee Infantry
CSR, Census
Roll for May and June, 1862: "Left in hospital in Decatur, Ala., March last." No further record.
Fields probably died during the war as he does not appear in census records after 1860.

1860 Census

 

[lelliott19]

Has there been a breakdown of these posts recently?

The last one was at 650. I'll do one after we wrap up tonight and tag you.
692
R. Washington
Unknown rank/detail
"Free Negro"
Virginia
CSR
Comments: Appears on a Register of General Hospital Howard's Grove, Richmond, Virginia as R. Washington, Free Negro Va. Admitted November 25, 1863 for Variola (Smallpox). Returned to duty February 5, 1864.

 

[lelliott19]

693
T. Jackson
Unknown rank/detail
"Colored"
Colored Engineering Corps.
CSR
Comments: Appears on a Register of Jackson Hospital, Richmond, Virginia. Admitted April 11, 1865.

 

[lelliott19]

694
Tom Jackson
Messenger
Slave
Little Rock, Arkansas
CSR
Comments: Appears on Confederate Reference Card indicating he worked as a messenger in or near Little Rock, Arkansas in September 1862.

 

[lelliott19]

695
William Emory
Musician
"Colored Man -free"
Company I, 1st (McCreary's) South Carolina Infantry
CSR
Comments: Enlisted October 1, 1861 at Columbia, South Carolina. Recorded on Field and Staff Muster Roll dated Nov/Dec 1861 as Present or absent: "not stated" Remarks: "Colored man (free)" Recorded on Company Muster Roll dated Jan/Feb 1863 as "Absent. Absent on furlough." Attached to 4th Division, Jackson Hospital at Petersburg, Va July 26, 1863. Appears on a Register of Jackson Hospital, Richmond, Virginia as Jenkin's Brigade, wounded. Admitted June 20, 1864 for "V. S. [gunshot wound] left side face." Furloughed July 18, 1864 for 30 days.

 

[lelliott19]

696
William King
Musician (Drummer/Bugler)
Black
Company B, F&S, 20th Tennessee Infantry
CSR, census
Comments: Enlisted May 17, 1861 at Nashville, TN for 1 year. Recorded on Company Muster Roll dated Dalton, Georgia, June 20, 1864 as Private. Recorded on Field & Staff Muster Roll dated Sept/Oct 1864 as Bugler, present. Enumerated on the 1870 US census District 09, Haywood, Tennessee as Bill King, age 30, male, black.

 

[lelliott19]

697
Peter Campbell
Musician
Black or mulatto [specific racial designation not listed in Freedmen's Bureau records]
Company A, C, 22nd Battalion Georgia Heavy Artillery
CSR, Freedmen's Bureau Records
Comments: Recorded on Company Muster Roll for Company A, dated Sept/Oct 1862 as Musician, "Present." Recorded on Company Muster Roll for Company C dated Nov/Dec 1862 as Musician c, "Present." Recorded in Freedmen's Bureau Land and Property Records, Chatham County, Georgia, May 15, 1865. Records of the Register of land titles issued to freedmen Apr.-Sept. 1865; Unbound miscellaneous, page 30 as having 4 people in his family and entitled to 15 acres of land, Green Ridge Island Plantation, Chatham County, GA. [Black or mulatto; specific racial designation not listed in Freedmen's Bureau Land records.]

 

[lelliott19]

698
Joseph Larkin
Private
Black
Company F, L, I, 59th Virginia Infantry
CSR, census
Comments: Enlisted August 1, 1861 at Richmond, Virginia for the war. Appears on a List of Prisoners of War taken by the forces of Gen'l A. E. Burnside on Roanoke Island, Feb 8, 1862. Prisoners released on parole at Elizabeth City. NC, Feb 21, 1862. Recorded on Company Muster Roll dated Jan/Feb 1862 as "Present, prisoner on parole, await exchange." Recorded on Company Muster Roll dated Feb 28 to March 19, 1862 as present. Recorded on Company Muster Roll dated March/April 1863 as "Absent. Detailed for ord. duty by order of Secy of War Aug 30, 1862." Special Order No. 309 dated Dec. 30, 1863 in his file, orders him transferred to the Navy. Recorded on Company Muster Roll dated March 1, 1864 as "Deserted to the enemy Febry 16, 1864 from camp on John's Island, SC." Enumerated on 1870 US census for Lottsburg, Northumberland County, Virginia as Joseph Larkin, age 35, male, black; the only Joseph Larkin in Virginia for 1860-1880 census. [Race from census.]

 

[lelliott19]

699
Joshua Myers
Private
Black
Company I, 26th Georgia Infantry
CSR, census
Comments: Enlisted September 25, 1861 at Twiggs County, Georgia for 12 months. Recorded on Company Muster Roll dated September 25 to October 31, 1861 as present. Recorded on Company Muster Roll dated Nov/Dec 1861 as "Present. Nursing sick in camp." Recorded on Company Muster Roll dated Jan/Feb 1862 as present. Discharged May 7, 1862 "overage and the Co being filled to the maximum number." Received payment May 26, 1862. Enumerated on the 1870 US census for Stewart County, Georgia as Joshua Myres, age 35, male black; the only Joshua Myers in Georgia for the 1860-1880 census. [Race from census.]

 

[19thGeorgia]

700

Lewis M. Wiley
Private
"mulatto" (census)
Company B, 3rd North Carolina Infantry
CSR, Census
Enlisted in Duplin County, N.C., June 10, 1861. Wounded at Frazier's Farm, Va., July 1, 1862. Wounded during the Gettysburg Campaign, July 1863. Discharged for disability (wounds) March 28, 1864.

"dark complexion, dark eyes, black hair"

1850 Census
Duplin County, N.C.

1860 Census
Duplin County, N.C.

1880 Census
Jones County, N.C. (adjacent to Duplin County)

 

[19thGeorgia]

701

Robert N. Oakley
Private
"mulatto" (census)
Company H, 1st (Orr's) South Carolina Rifles
CSR, Census
Captured at Petersburg, Va., April 2, 1865. Prisoner of war at Point Lookout, Md. Released June 4, 1865.

1850 Census

1860 Census

1870 Census

 

[east tennessee roots]

North Carolina Confederate Pension application for Wiley Blackburn and written testimony of Alfred "Teen" Blackburn. While Wiley had no CSR with the 38th NC Infantry, he is briefly mentioned in the regiment's history

North Carolina Troops 1861-65, A Roster : Wiley Blackburn: Enlisted as a Black Servant. On 12/31/1861 he mustered into "B" Co. NC 38th Infantry. (Servant to Capt A.W. Blackburn)

 

[east tennessee roots]

Silas Green

Slave / Body Servant to Captain Henry J. Franklin

Company D 28th Virginia

The Virginia Pension Board questioned and discussed if Silas actually served as a servant or Confederate soldier. It was then recommended that he apply again as a soldier

View attachment 179673
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View attachment 179676

I recently found documentation on the service of the two men pictured on either side of Silas Bird in the photo in the previous post.

Ludwell Brown, like Silas, first applied for a Soldier's pension claiming service as a teamster. Veteran, Daniel Driscol vouches for Ludwell's service. Ludwell's application is unusually long (22 pages), for Virginia Confederate pensions. The writing is terribly faded and impossible to read on the actual application.

Gabe Hunt was interviewed in the WPA writer's project. He proudly tells of taking part in what sounds like a Veterans parade. He makes the boast of being the recipient of a "salute" from "General Lee". I speculate either General Fitzhugh Lee or General G.W.C. Lee. Gabe's name is on the pension rolls, he says he was drawing a pension, but I failed to locate one. He says he only served three months "building fortifications on the North Carolina coast". Gabe's death certificate, I believe was the most interesting find. Notice box #3-B. "If a veteran, name the war". The word "Civil" can be plainly read. Wish we could read the rest.

 

[lelliott19]

705
James Warwick
"Free Negro"
Hospital Employee
Emory Hospital, Emory, Va.
CSR
Appears on a list of employees on duty in Emory Hospital, Emory, Va. List not dated. <Filed with Miscellaneous.>