Looking for my Grandfather

[A_Whitlock]

Hello!

New here. Been a minute since I've been a member of an online forum… but it gives me some nostalgia.

My 4x great grandfather died fighting for the grays. He died July 20, 1863 between Vicksburg & Enterprise. He was captured at Vicksburg July 4, paroled July 7, and died July 20. His grave is not documented.

His name was Private Alvin Whitlock, Capt. Douthat's Company / Botetourt Virginia Light Artillery.

One of my genealogy goals is to have a good, well-informed guess where he might be buried. I've been informed there are a number of unknown confederate graves in Enterprise. It seems one of his colleagues from Capt. Douthat's managed to find his way into that specific cemetery—but no other Virginians are documented from what I can tell. The unit history for Capt. Douthat's indicates two deaths in the aftermath of Vicksburg. They've found the one buried in Enterprise, which leaves just my poor Grandpa Alvin.

I'd love to stop by his grave at some point and tell him how things have gone. Maybe that's a pipe dream…

I've got ancestors who died on both sides of the war. My mother's got a lil rebel in her, and my dad's got Mayflower ancestors. My dad's 3x great grandfather died for the Union of "chronic diarrhea" in Morganza, Louisiana in 1864.

Anyway! Happy to meet you all.

 

[lupaglupa]

I went through all of Alvin's records at Fold3. It's very interesting that they put his place of death that way - between two places. That raises so many questions for me! Was he on a wagon and they found him dead but didn't know where he died? Did he fall behind ill and they assumed he died? Did they not bury him?

I checked the pension records in Virginia and did not find his widow Barbara on the list. Do you know what happened to her?

 

[A_Whitlock]

Barbara died in 1888… I did find some of pension papers on Ancestry/Fold3. Will edit this post with more info soon!

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

Hello!

New here. Been a minute since I've been a member of an online forum… but it gives me some nostalgia.

My 4x great grandfather died fighting for the grays. He died July 20, 1863 between Vicksburg & Enterprise. He was captured at Vicksburg July 4, paroled July 7, and died July 20. His grave is not documented.

His name was Private Alvin Whitlock, Capt. Douthat's Company / Botetourt Virginia Light Artillery.

One of my genealogy goals is to have a good, well-informed guess where he might be buried. I've been informed there are a number of unknown confederate graves in Enterprise. It seems one of his colleagues from Capt. Douthat's managed to find his way into that specific cemetery—but no other Virginians are documented from what I can tell. The unit history for Capt. Douthat's indicates two deaths in the aftermath of Vicksburg. They've found the one buried in Enterprise, which leaves just my poor Grandpa Alvin.

I'd love to stop by his grave at some point and tell him how things have gone. Maybe that's a pipe dream…

I've got ancestors who died on both sides of the war. My mother's got a lil rebel in her, and my dad's got Mayflower ancestors. My dad's 3x great grandfather died for the Union of "chronic diarrhea" in Morganza, Louisiana in 1864.

Anyway! Happy to meet you all.

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/97644864

 

[Stryker65]

Hello!

New here. Been a minute since I've been a member of an online forum… but it gives me some nostalgia.

My 4x great grandfather died fighting for the grays. He died July 20, 1863 between Vicksburg & Enterprise. He was captured at Vicksburg July 4, paroled July 7, and died July 20. His grave is not documented.

His name was Private Alvin Whitlock, Capt. Douthat's Company / Botetourt Virginia Light Artillery.

One of my genealogy goals is to have a good, well-informed guess where he might be buried. I've been informed there are a number of unknown confederate graves in Enterprise. It seems one of his colleagues from Capt. Douthat's managed to find his way into that specific cemetery—but no other Virginians are documented from what I can tell. The unit history for Capt. Douthat's indicates two deaths in the aftermath of Vicksburg. They've found the one buried in Enterprise, which leaves just my poor Grandpa Alvin.

I'd love to stop by his grave at some point and tell him how things have gone. Maybe that's a pipe dream…

I've got ancestors who died on both sides of the war. My mother's got a lil rebel in her, and my dad's got Mayflower ancestors. My dad's 3x great grandfather died for the Union of "chronic diarrhea" in Morganza, Louisiana in 1864.

Anyway! Happy to meet you all.

I am currently providing a service to look into Virginia histories -- https://civilwartalk.com/threads/an...-service-histories-can-help-with-that.219227/ -- would you like me to look for his records? They're easily accessible (for me) and free (for me), so it wouldn't be a problem if you're interested.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Below is an extract from an online history of the Botetourt Artillery.

...'On July 7 and 8 Major Fry of the 20th Ohio paroled the majority of the Botetourt Artillery. A total of 130 men of the Artillery were paroled; 21 of this number were paroled within one of the local hospitals on July 11, 1863. Pemberton's army was to be exchanged at Enterprise, Mississippi and the Virginians would have to march 154 miles east to reach the site. It took them nine days to get there two men died during the journey. The death toll for the Botetourt Artillery during this campaign was 41men dead.'...

Considering the dates shown in this extract, and if he died on Jul. 20, seems he died when the parolees of this unit reached Enterprise, MS (not along the way).

It appears the main cemetery in Enterprise where Confederate soldiers are buried is the Enterprise (or Odd Fellows) Confederate Cemetery. The following link shows a list of known Confederate soldiers buried in this cemetery, as well as a marker for an Unknown Confederate soldier buried there:-

Facebook

www.facebook.com

Unfortunately, wherever Pvte. Whitlock is buried, it appears he may lie in an unmarked grave.

 

[DixieRifles]

I went through all of Alvin's records at Fold3. It's very interesting that they put his place of death that way - between two places. That raises so many questions for me! Was he on a wagon and they found him dead but didn't know where he died? Did he fall behind ill and they assumed he died? Did they not bury him?

I've asked these questions when searching for records in West Tennessee. Jackson Tenn has graves of several unknowns.
My conclusion was there were many trains that passed thru this town and some wounded were left there because either (a) the soldier's condition worse that they decided it was better to leave him in better care or (b) the soldier's died on the train.
If this soldier was being transferred be wagon that would have been torture. Ambulances Were designed for the comfort of the injured but a wagon wasnt.

Here is my list of those who died at Enterprise by they may rest under headstones marked UNKNOWN.
The soldier from the Virginia artillery is at the bottom of the list: No. 236.

{Edited to add}
There are 2 soldiers listed.

72 BUMGARNER P. M.
236 YOUNG Lewis W.

ENTERPRISE CEMETERY

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

Hello!

New here. Been a minute since I've been a member of an online forum… but it gives me some nostalgia.

My 4x great grandfather died fighting for the grays. He died July 20, 1863 between Vicksburg & Enterprise. He was captured at Vicksburg July 4, paroled July 7, and died July 20. His grave is not documented.

His name was Private Alvin Whitlock, Capt. Douthat's Company / Botetourt Virginia Light Artillery.

One of my genealogy goals is to have a good, well-informed guess where he might be buried. I've been informed there are a number of unknown confederate graves in Enterprise. It seems one of his colleagues from Capt. Douthat's managed to find his way into that specific cemetery—but no other Virginians are documented from what I can tell. The unit history for Capt. Douthat's indicates two deaths in the aftermath of Vicksburg. They've found the one buried in Enterprise, which leaves just my poor Grandpa Alvin.

I'd love to stop by his grave at some point and tell him how things have gone. Maybe that's a pipe dream…

I've got ancestors who died on both sides of the war. My mother's got a lil rebel in her, and my dad's got Mayflower ancestors. My dad's 3x great grandfather died for the Union of "chronic diarrhea" in Morganza, Louisiana in 1864.

Anyway! Happy to meet you all.

Welcome.

 

[A_Whitlock]

Barbara died in 1888… I did find some of pension papers on Ancestry/Fold3. Will edit this post with more info soon!

 

[A_Whitlock]

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And here is his daughter—my 3x great grandmother, Sarah.

Sarah was just a girl when her father died in the war. She went on to get married and have children, but then her husband died of pneumonia in 1892. She packed up the kids and moved to ND, where her (son or) nephew (not sure which) took a job with the railroad.

She raised a lot of children—including two orphans—and was supposedly quite a force of nature. She's definitely my favorite ancestor. Wish I could visit Alvin's grave and tell him what an amazing woman his daughter turned out to be—but I'm not optimistic.

 

[on again]

And here is his daughter—my 3x great grandmother, Sarah.

Sarah was just a girl when her father died in the war. She went on to get married and have children, but then her husband died of pneumonia in 1892. She packed up the kids and moved to ND, where her (son or) nephew (not sure which) took a job with the railroad.

She raised a lot of children—including two orphans—and was supposedly quite a force of nature. She's definitely my favorite ancestor. Wish I could visit Alvin's grave and tell him what an amazing woman his daughter turned out to be—but I'm not optimistic.

View attachment 561915

Here is her memorial find a grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/152001163/sarah_ellen-weeks you can scan her picture to it Good luck!