Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-17
THE BOy>SOLDIERS.
p 80 whs tasiT Nalistsd snd Kept af
tas fssut uilh the right
Ing Men.
RicuNoyp. Va. May II. 1891.

TbaVe been out Of tho State for several
vseta, where Richmond papers could not
se oblalno !, bat 1 gather fgon the records
n some " ung Confederate soldiers puo-
Iished in last Sundays DIsPATcH, which L
sau. that you had inquired, who was
The Youngest Confederate soldier?" While
Ic.nnot claim that distinction for myself,
7 do claim to have been lone OF the boys "
during those days "that tried mems souls,'
and the souls of boys as well, as Is eyinced
hv the following record:
was born March 20. 1S47. Having lett
tbe Hillsboro' On. CD Military Academy 10
sbe fal! of 1862, while on my way home 10
hoo fine consent of my parents to enter the
arr,y- / was offered lieutenancy IN ON IN
fantrv regiment then recruiting at Garys-
bnrg' but declin,d it, fearing that the war
might end before L could get taste OF
active service at the front, and because L
nreferred 10 enter the cavalry service.
Finally gaining the consent OF my pa
,ants I mounted my own pet mare and lett
INV home. which had been in the Yankee
lines since the evacuation of Norfolk by
the Confederates, and crossing the Black
water river at Franklin enlisted for the war
ON the 25th day Of January, 1868, (aGed
4 fteen wears and ten months,) in Company
G of the Second North Carolina cavalry.
then on detached duty near Drewry's Blum.
The Second North arolina-famillarly
known during the war as the old two
horse with the Ninth, Ienth, Ihir-
teanth. and Fifteenth Virginia, at that
time composed the brigade commanded
nv General W. III. f. Lee. After partlci-
Mating in Longstreet's foraglng campaign
aronnd Suffolk and Smithfield aud fire.
ouent skirmishes with Dodge's and
Snears's cavalry, some of whom ransacked
nv fathers house in Gates county several
times. our detached squadron reJolned the
brigade at Culpeper, aud on June ., 1868,
was twice wounded within three hours IN
the great cavalry fight at Brand Station,
and would have been dubbed to death
with a musket by a brute but for the
friendly interference of a sergeant in the
S,vth Michigan cavalry. | spent four
weeks i'm Prince-StTeet Hospital, Alexan-
dria six weeks in the old Capitol at Wash
inpton, and was among the first lot or prl-
soners sent TO Point Lookout, where L
spent seven months.
was paroled at Camp Lee, Richmond.
in March, 1864. for sixty days. at the eGpl-
ration of which time relolned my COM
mand at Bowling Green, and was III every
fight participated In by Hamptons cayal-
rv from time TO time to within few days
~ the surrender of Richmond, including
White Oak Swamp, the Cabln-POlnt raid.
when we captured all of Grants beef cat
tIe Ream,s Station, Wilson and hautZ raid
mn the Danyille road, Blacks and Whites,
Hatcher's Run, DC.
In the early part of 1866, in command Of
n detail Of men, was sent to North caro-
lima TO ascertain the strength OF the enemy
in the upper Roanoke and Chowan rivers,
and to break up desperate gang OF rob-
4 Hnh n a
loesn and deserters from both armies
whose headquarters were on Flax Island,
IN the Chowan river. and who were terror
10 the good people of Murfreesboro' and
vicinity. Though my hat and clothing
were several times pierced by minle-balls
and I was once while riding at full speed
nearly buried with my horse by the explo-
sion of "A shell, l was fortunate enough to
receive only the two wounds above men
toned. | never misseda days duty except
while in prison, and the only turlough L
had was the one the Yankees gave me.
By the way, see that DR.. j. A. Wyeth
has called for contributions of personal
experiences of his fellow prisoners at
Camp Morton to confirm his statements
regarding prison life as recently published
in the Century Magazine. Why Is 1t not
GOOD idea TO call reinion of all Confede-
rate survivors who were confined In any
Federal prison, ana let Jnem FURNISH inc
details of life in the various prisons and
appoint committees from each to write
them upi
| suggest that such reiinion be held at
Richmond during the next State Fair or at
the unveiing of the private soldiers monu-
ment, or at Chicago during the Worlds
Fair. J' W. W.
HANOVER LIGHT ARTILLERY.
RICHMOND, Va, May Is, 1891,
| To NE Editor Of the DISPATCH:
notice in your Sundays paper that you
want the names of some of the youngest
| soldiers in the Confederate army.
| think l can claim to be among the
youngest. ..,,
/ enlisted in the Hanover Light Artillery
| CAPTAIN Washington Nelson, in May, 1852,
! AGED fourteen years and three months, and
| fought in the Seven Days fight around
| Richmond.
The battery was afterwards broken up in
| the Valley of Virginia, and | was then
| transferred to tho Lynchburg Artillery,
! Captain T. j. Kirkpatrick, in Colonel VIII
| liam Nelson's battalion.
was engaged az fredericksburg Deem
Der 49, 1862. the fight ut Winchester, and
! was captured at Gettysburg July 4, 1868,
and taken prisoner to Fort Delaware
where they nearly starved US to death-and
| held until the war ended.
| IJ.ppra