Portrait of Captain John James Ward, Ward's Battery, Alabama Light Artillery

tdstepen

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Captain_John_James_Ward_Wards_Battery_CSA.jpg


Once a mayor of Huntsville,Alabama, Captain John James Ward raised Ward's Battery in Madison County,Alabama, in 1862. Ward's Battery served in the Army of Mississippi at Mobile,Alabama,in 1863 and was later transferred to the Army of Tennessee where the battery served in George S. Storrs' battalion at Kennesaw Mountain and other battles during the Atlanta Campaign.
One website has Captain John James Ward killed near Nashville,Tennessee on July 27,1864. I like this website because it has some official records of Ward's Artillery.
http://civilwarhome.com/wardbatalaart.htm
Captain John James Ward is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Spalding,Georgia.
The date of his death on the tombstone is July 20,1864. I checked a Civil War time line and found that the Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought on July 20,1864.
In the Confederate order of battle at Peachtree Creek, Ward's Battery is listed as having fought in that battle.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Ward&GSiman=1&GScid=35941&GRid=20841900&
 
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Once a mayor of Huntsville,Alabama, Captain John James Ward raised Ward's Battery in Madison County,Alabama, in 1862. Ward's Battery served in the Army of Mississippi at Mobile,Alabama,in 1863 and was later transferred to the Army of Tennessee where the battery served in George S. Storrs' battalion at Kennesaw Mountain and other battles during the Atlanta Campaign.
One website has Captain John James Ward killed near Nashville,Tennessee on July 27,1864. I like this website because it has some official records of Ward's Artillery.
http://civilwarhome.com/wardbatalaart.htm
Captain John James Ward is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Spalding,Georgia.
The date of his death on the tombstone is July 20,1864. I checked a Civil War time line and found that the Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought on July 20,1864.
In the Confederate order of battle at Peachtree Creek, Ward's Battery is listed as having fought in that battle.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Ward&GSiman=1&GScid=35941&GRid=20841900&
Near Atlanta on July 27, 1864, Brig. Gen. Mathew D. Ector was in Ward's redan directing artillery fire. A shell exploding inside the redan struck Ector in the left leg. A fragment from the same shell mortally wounded Capt. Ward. Maj. Gen. Samuel G. French called Ward "a most estimable gentleman and gallant officer". See Official Records (OR 38:3, pp. 904, 907 & 910.
 
Alan,
Thanks very much on the information on the death of Capt. Ward. I have not seen this before! I wish I knew what my Sylvester's role was with Ward's Artillery. Whatever it was he was in the battles around Atlanta.
 
This is the complete roster of Captain John James Ward's Battery,Alabama Light Artillery, recruited in Madison County,Alabama.
http://ranger95.com/civil_war/alabama/artillery/rosters/wards_bat_lite_arty_rost.html
On the roster is Sidney Sledge Darwin. His stepbrother,John Tyler Darwin,4th Alabama Regiment, was killed at Gettysburg on July 2,1863.
Sidney Sledge Darwin served until 1863 when he hired a substitute. My S.B.(Sylvester Brown Stephenson) is on the roster.
S.B. Stephenson's nephew would later marry Sidney Sledge Darwin's stepsister, Dolly Darwin, in Huntsville,Alabama in 1879.
 
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Members of Captain John James Ward's,Alabama Light Artillery, Madison Co,Alabama, who didn't make it home.
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~indiana42nd/campmorton.htm
Camp Morton,Indiana
Adams James E.,Ward's Bn.,Light Artillery,December 2,1863 AL
Rogers,Alexander W.,Ward's Bn,Light Artillery, March 6, 1865.
From the roster of Ward's Artillery in the previous message
They are buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery,Indianapolis,IN.
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~indiana42nd/Confederate_Burials_Crown_Hill_RevIV.pdf
 
Ward's Battery,Alabama Light Artillery
Private Joseph Dedman
died April 16,1865 from wound at Selma,Alabama
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSvcid=181987&GRid=64315885&
David W. McIlheny
Died July 22,1864
buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery,Macon Georgia
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=41&GSvcid=181987&GRid=63248023&
Private Nathan Renno
died July 9,1864
buried in Rose Hill Cemetery,Macon Georgia
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=41&GSvcid=181987&GRid=63269071&
 
Alvah A. Babcock
died Sept.15,1865
A New Yorker who served in Ward's Artillery,CSA. Captured by Union forces at Macon,Georgia in April,1865.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=1&GSvcid=181987&GRid=103301133&
Private Buck Hamlet
Wounded At Kennesaw Mountain and West Point Georgia.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSvcid=181987&GRid=64950166&
td
you have admirable detail of Ward's Battery
My GGdad was taken prisoner at Murphreesboro and I think taken to Camp Morton (his brother died at Murpreesboro, a week ++ later, from his wounds)
 
BlueGrayBlood,
I really didn't have that much on Ward's Artillery. I got lucky and found that picture of Captain John James Ward about two weeks ago. I did get lucky and find the 67 graves of Ward's Artillery on Find A Grave. It took me forever to find that roster list on Ward's Battery again on the web. That Camp Morton was a bad place to be sent. I guess your GGdad came home after the war. I wish his brother could have made it home.
 
td
Yeah
War is hell
James T Searcy a young cadet at the Military school, at Tuscaloosa (Univ of Alabama) and his brother Reuben
joined Lumsden's Battery, most were from the Tuscaloosa area. Their father, Reuben Sr was a doctor in Tuscaloosa
When Reuben (Jr) took cannonball shrapnel to the thigh and chest he lived for about ten days at the hospital, the Presbyterian church (no antibiotics, little pain meds) at Murphreesboro. James T surrendered to care for his brother They knew the doctor at the hospital and got word to their dad, but he couldn't get thru enemy lines. That is when James T decided to go to medical school (In New York city after the war if you can imagine.)

As soon as his brother died they shipped James T Searcy to Camp Morton, I believe.
After Camp Morton and a prisoner exchange I think he might have helped with the horses for Nathan B. Forrest.
He did not rejoin Lumsden's.
A pretty detailed account and history of Lumsden's battery is online with much taken from my GGDad's diary.

He became a doctor in the Tuscaloosa and Mobil area for many years, even treated Geronimo regularly at the Prison outside Mobile, later he turned the prison it into a hospital "Searcy Hospital". He developed the first working knowledge of PTSD in the area. (another long story...created the "Funny Farm" at Bryce Hospital Tuscaloosa)

My sister knows a lot of that by heart. She is in Atlanta and arranged with the church and adjoining cemetery in Murphreesboro where Reuben is buried, to place a CS cross at the grave site with a ceremony for the 151st anniversary.

I need to update my info a create a timeline.

This history is fascinating, time consuming and rewarding.
You have done a lot work finding the graves of Wards men. I hope you were able to place a note / description on each "find a grave" site. The relatives would be pleased. Maybe you could right a summary of the unit.

The photo was a great find! I don't know if any exist for my ACW relatives. I have not found any yet.

Fair travels down the historical roads.
BGB
 
BlueGrayBlood,
That is very interesting interesting about James Searcy and his brother Ruben in the war. I going to check out Lumsden's Battery. Your James Searcy was mentioned here:
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/how...-red-trimmed-artillery-uniforms.120015/page-2
They tried to tried to show a picture of him in his uniform,but it didn't work. That was cool about him being a doctor to Geronimo and PTSD ! When I get the chance, I will go back and place a note on each person of Ward's Artillery at Find A Grave
BGB, I hope to hear from you again down the road.
 

The one book on Lumsden's was by Maxwell (parts from James Searcy diary)
Alabama Lumsden Battery
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/alabama/company-f-2nd-alabama-light-artillery-battalion.htm

Full History of Lumsden Battery, eread and book search
https://archive.org/details/lumsdenbattery00littrich
http://civilwarhome.com/lumsdenbatalaart.html

also
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/26455/26455-h/26455-h.htm

http://www.amazon.com/dp/081735168X/?tag=civilwartalkc-20 "Cannoneers In Grey" by Larry J. Daniel

There are two editions of "Cannoneers In Grey"......In my opinion, I would recommend reading both.....I learned a lot from each edition!!....Daniels is a great author and does excellent research!!

other historical info from ehistory archived site
http://ehistory.osu.edu/uscw/features/regimental/alabama/confederate/alarty.cfm

Happy reading
BGB
 
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td
Thanks for the link of the picture of James T. Searcy
Awesome find
Here is a page from one of the books.
upload_2016-1-3_19-42-26.png
 

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