Not sure what to do now.

[magnoliasouth]

Hello all! I'm a new person here but have read these forums for a while now. There is just so much information here. I had considered asking my question before, but waited until I had exhausted my (albeit limited) ideas. Please bear with me here since I'm not sure what all I need to share for help.

Oh and yes, I'm willing to do lookups in the books listed below. Just send me a IM or post here.

Here is what I know about my Civil War ancestor (at least one of them) who is my 2nd great grandfather:

Thomas Gordon Walters b. 20 Sep 1841 d. 20 May 1914 in Sumter County, GA.

15 May 1862: Entered service Company D, 11th GA Artillery "Sumter Battalion"
4 Oct 1862: D is disbanded, transferred to B
2 Apr 1865: "Temporarily attached" to 4th Regiment GA Infantry, still in Company B though
6 Apr 1865: Surrendered at Sailor's Creek, VA.
9 Apr 1865: Paroled at Appomattox.
​

References:
The Appomattox Paroles April 9-15, 1865; 4th Edition. by William G. Nine and Ronald G. Wilson; book pg. 218.
The Sumter Flying Artillery: A Civil War History of the Eleventh Battalion Georgia Light Artillery, by James L. Speicher; book pg. 430 (his photo pg. 145).
Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations , compiled 1903 - 1927, documenting the period 1861 - 1865 (NARA) online images via Fold3.com beginning at http://www.fold3.com/image/20/30058630/​

As you can see, I'm not short on references to him, to include a rather amusing photo.

Quick story... on a whim, we visited Appomattox without even checking to see if it was open. To our dismay (and I do believe it was meant to be) it was the anniversary of the surrender and so there was a reenactment. I've never seen that before. Long story short (or not), also to my dismay I found that he was in the book that they use there to look men up, . I never ever expected to see him! I had no idea he was ever there. I knew he was a Confederate soldier and that was about it. Excited, I bought that book.

So! All that said, my questions are three:

1. Sailor's Creek. I cannot find is anything saying that the 4th GA was even at Sailor's Creek. I found that fact listed in the Sumter Flying Artillery book, but he does not even speak of that battle at all in his narrative.

2. How would I go about getting official muster roll copies? I have images of the carded records (as noted above) but I'd like to see the actual rolls, if possible. I'm not sure where to look for those.

3. In the same vein, how can I get copies of the Appomattox surrender paroles?

Please understand that I am totally new to the Civil War arena, and so please be patient with me. I am not familiar with historical military records of any sort, nor how it worked. Now present day is another story. Both my husbands have been career service men. LOL! I was married to my first husband throughout his entire career and my children are military brats.

Anyway, thank you to anyone who can direct me on finding these answers.

 

[Chattahooch33]

Sailor's Creek is tough due to the fact that by that time unit cohesion was almost non-existent. I've run into the same problem researching Wofford's Brigade. I had family in Cobbs Legion, Phillips Legion, and the 16th and 18th Georgia. This brigade was practically destroyed there and it was every man for themselves.

 

[CMWinkler]

Welcome, I'm sure folks here can help you.

 

[CSA Today]

Sailor's Creek is tough due to the fact that by that time unit cohesion was almost non-existent. I've run into the same problem researching Wofford's Brigade. I had family in Cobbs Legion, Phillips Legion, and the 16th and 18th Georgia. This brigade was practically destroyed there and it was every man for themselves.

I have the same problem for my great grand father in Co. G, 19th Virginia at Sailor's Creek.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Welcome.
Good luck with your research.
There are many knowledgeable people here that I'm sure will provide information.

 

[Nathanb1]

Thanks for all the good info. It will make the resident "detectives' " job much easier. Welcome to the forum and please be patient; as Ole says, someone will know.

 

[magnoliasouth]

Sailor's Creek is tough due to the fact that by that time unit cohesion was almost non-existent. I've run into the same problem researching Wofford's Brigade. I had family in Cobbs Legion, Phillips Legion, and the 16th and 18th Georgia. This brigade was practically destroyed there and it was every man for themselves.

I have the same problem for my great grand father in Co. G, 19th Virginia at Sailor's Creek.

Oh my gracious! I can't believe it but I think I can help you both! Me! Wow. I was just reading this last night:
http://books.google.com/books?id=QUIOAAAAYAAJ

On paper pg. 215 there is a list of officers that surrendered at Sailor's Creek.

Georgia 16th and 18th are mentioned. Several are listed as being in the VA 19th. Right column, last six lines and the next page left column, first few lines.

I seriously hopes this helps you both!

Also, thanks to you all for the warm welcome.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

Hello all! I'm a new person here but have read these forums for a while now. There is just so much information here. I had considered asking my question before, but waited until I had exhausted my (albeit limited) ideas. Please bear with me here since I'm not sure what all I need to share for help.

Oh and yes, I'm willing to do lookups in the books listed below. Just send me a IM or post here.

Here is what I know about my Civil War ancestor (at least one of them) who is my 2nd great grandfather:

Thomas Gordon Walters b. 20 Sep 1841 d. 20 May 1914 in Sumter County, GA.

15 May 1862: Entered service Company D, 11th GA Artillery "Sumter Battalion"
4 Oct 1862: D is disbanded, transferred to B
2 Apr 1865: "Temporarily attached" to 4th Regiment GA Infantry, still in Company B though
6 Apr 1865: Surrendered at Sailor's Creek, VA.
9 Apr 1865: Paroled at Appomattox.
​

References:
The Appomattox Paroles April 9-15, 1865; 4th Edition. by William G. Nine and Ronald G. Wilson; book pg. 218.
The Sumter Flying Artillery: A Civil War History of the Eleventh Battalion Georgia Light Artillery, by James L. Speicher; book pg. 430 (his photo pg. 145).
Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations , compiled 1903 - 1927, documenting the period 1861 - 1865 (NARA) online images via Fold3.com beginning at http://www.fold3.com/image/20/30058630/​

As you can see, I'm not short on references to him, to include a rather amusing photo.

Quick story... on a whim, we visited Appomattox without even checking to see if it was open. To our dismay (and I do believe it was meant to be) it was the anniversary of the surrender and so there was a reenactment. I've never seen that before. Long story short (or not), also to my dismay I found that he was in the book that they use there to look men up, . I never ever expected to see him! I had no idea he was ever there. I knew he was a Confederate soldier and that was about it. Excited, I bought that book.

So! All that said, my questions are three:

1. Sailor's Creek. I cannot find is anything saying that the 4th GA was even at Sailor's Creek. I found that fact listed in the Sumter Flying Artillery book, but he does not even speak of that battle at all in his narrative.

2. How would I go about getting official muster roll copies? I have images of the carded records (as noted above) but I'd like to see the actual rolls, if possible. I'm not sure where to look for those.

3. In the same vein, how can I get copies of the Appomattox surrender paroles?

Please understand that I am totally new to the Civil War arena, and so please be patient with me. I am not familiar with historical military records of any sort, nor how it worked. Now present day is another story. Both my husbands have been career service men. LOL! I was married to my first husband throughout his entire career and my children are military brats.

Anyway, thank you to anyone who can direct me on finding these answers.

Welcome from east Tennessee ! As already mentioned, cohesion in the Confederates ranks was pretty much broken down by April 6th. I found an after-battle report in the OR by a Massachusetts Light Artillery Major, dated April 5, 1865. I've highlighted where he mentions your ancestors unit. If he is saying they drove the Sumter Battery from this position and occupied it on the 2nd, your ancestor probably escaped and was captured on the 6th ? ( Just a theory )



OFFICIAL RECORDS: Series 1, vol 46, Part 1 (Appomattox Campaign)
Page 1078N. AND SE. VA., N.C., W.VA., MD., AND PA. Chapter LVIII.

Numbers 177.

Report of Bvt. Major Charles A. Philips, Battery E, Massachusetts Light Artillery.


HDQRS. BATTERY E, MASSACHUSETTS ARTILLERY,
April 5, 1865.

LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to make the following report of the part taken by this battery since the 30th of March:

The guns of the battery were in Fort Alexander Hays and remained there until the 3rd of April. In the forenoon of the 2nd of April in compliance with orders from General Tidball, I sent Second Lieutenant M. W. Page, with two detachments of cannoneers, to Fort Sedgwick, and from there they were ordered into the rebel battery, Numbers 27, across the Jerusalem plank road. This battery had been garrisoned by Battery B, Sumter Artillery, Georgia Volunteers, with six light 12-pounders. Besides the men from my battery, there were detachments from Battery C, First New York Artillery; B, First Pennsylvania Artillery, and Twenty-seventh New York Battery. The gorge of the battery being open, the men were exposed to a very severe fire from sharpshooters and from one 8-inch siege howitzers in Fort Virginia about 600 yards in our front,, as well as from several pieces of light artillery. These pieces were mostly silenced by noon. Lieutenant Page was wounded and obliged to leave the field about noon. We kept up a constant and apparently successful fire until night.

The behavior of the officers and men in the battery was excellent, I make especial mention of Privates Joseph burns and Thomas Jones. These two men were sent up with dinner for men at the guns. Upon reaching the front they volunteered for a charge upon Fort Mahone, and entered it among the first. They afterward returned to Battery 27 and helped work the guns. Private Joseph Burns was here severely wounded in the arm.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

CHAS. A. PHILLIPS,

Brevet Major, Commanding Battery E, Massachusetts Artillery.

 

[chellers]

Welcome from East Texas.

 

[kholland]

Welcome from Maryland. If anyone can help it is the "detectives" in this forum. Good luck.

 

[reading48]

Hello and Greetings from Penna.
I'm sure someone will find it...

 

[magnoliasouth]

I found an after-battle report in the OR by a Massachusetts Light Artillery Major, dated April 5, 1865.

WOW!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! That was helpful in so many ways, you've no idea.

It did shed some light on that, but led me to track his movements through VA in those final days, but that book right there is an amazing resource! Thanks to you, I discovered that he was at Gettysburg too! I can scarcely believe it. That book is a gold mine of information.

I have learned so much about what all they did. The actual reports! I'm just tickled to death about this. I'd buy you a drink if I could! lol!

 

[Union_Buff]

Hello there and welcome to CWT from New Zealand

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

WOW!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! That was helpful in so many ways, you've no idea.

It did shed some light on that, but led me to track his movements through VA in those final days, but that book right there is an amazing resource! Thanks to you, I discovered that he was at Gettysburg too! I can scarcely believe it. That book is a gold mine of information.

I have learned so much about what all they did. The actual reports! I'm just tickled to death about this. I'd buy you a drink if I could! lol!

Glad I could help in some way ! The OR is considered by many "The Bible" of Civil War research

 

[IcarusPhoenix]

OSU and Cornell both have fully searchable copies of the Official Records online, and archive.org has text versions you can get. If you want offline digital copies, I can give you a link to a torrent I built some months ago with all 128 volumes plus all 30 volumes of the Navy records in .mobi (Kindle) format.

 

[East Tennessee Roots]

WOW!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! That was helpful in so many ways, you've no idea.

It did shed some light on that, but led me to track his movements through VA in those final days, but that book right there is an amazing resource! Thanks to you, I discovered that he was at Gettysburg too! I can scarcely believe it. That book is a gold mine of information.

I have learned so much about what all they did. The actual reports! I'm just tickled to death about this. I'd buy you a drink if I could! lol!

Happen to recall your ancestor's artillery unit was attached to the 11th Georgia Infantry. I had a distant relative in the 11th. He wrote this in 1932, I believe. Thought you might like to see it.
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/lots-of-soldiers-from-georgia-in-the-anv.88236/#post-698831

 

[kel1985]

Hey and welcome to the boards from Pittsburgh. Great family history!!!

 

[magnoliasouth]

Again, thank you all, for the help and all the welcomes! This is very exciting.