Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-02-14
THE VIRGINIA
RIRLEMEN" BRAVE
Company "B" Third Virgin
la Regiment Volunteers.
THE CHARGE AT GETTYSBURG
Originally she Marion Rinrs. &c Re.
orgnuized Under Name of "yirgan.
ia Rincmen"-aa Was Organised In
Portsmouth and Had MOST
Eventual Military Career-The Or.
dinanco of Secession.

In the virginia Rifiemen" Ports
mouth added another page to its proud
history. for furnishing brave men to
go to the front in the days which
tried mems souls" and what this COM
pany did is told below, being from the
pen of our townsman the Hon. John
w. II. Porter. and found In his history
Of Norfolk county:
This company was originally the
Marion Rifles, which was organized In
Portsmouth about the year 1856. and
was one of the original companies In
the Third Virginia Regiment At the
breaking out OF the war 1t responded
to the call of Governor Letcher and
turned out with about eighty men on
the goth Of April, 1861. The officers
were: Captain. Johannis Watson; First
Lieutenant. William C. Taylor: Second
Lieutenant. George w. Hutchins: Third
Lieutenant, Alex. C. Mathieson.
The company was mustered into SER
vice with the rest of the Portsmouth
companies, and on the 21st of April
was sent to the Naval Hospital Point,
doing there its full share of duty and
responding willingly to every call made
-uPnn-it, On the 18th of April the Yir-
ginia convention passed the ordinance
OF secession, but directed that it be
submitted to a vote OF the people on
lection.
On that day the Marion Rifles were
still on duty at the Hospital batteries.
ana the first fifteen men, as their
names came on the roll. were allowed
to go to the Courthouse to vote.
Those men were opposed to the State
seeding from the Union. and fourteen
cation OF the ordinance of secession
Before their return to camp the news
mad arrived there as to how they had
voted, and Col. Roger A. Pryor, who
was then commander OF the Third
Regiment and of the post. became fu.
r1ously angry, refused to allow any
more men from that company to go to
those who had voted, had them put
In confinement In the lower rooms OF
the hospital building.
An election was being held, but Col.
Phyor did not seem willing that any
one In the command should vote who
entertained different views from his
own He telegraphed that night to
Governor Letcher that he had put the
men In confinement for voting against
the ordinance of secession and asked
what he should do with them. Gov
ernor Letcher telegraphed back to re-
lease them Immediately; that the cleo
ton was intended to be free one, and
every citizen had right to vote as he
chose. Col. Pryor released the men
and next day disbanded the company
upon the charge Of "dlsloyal conduct"
and turned its guns over to a Peters
burg company which had been armed
with boarding pixies.
Many conservative men disapproved
of this proceeding. and regarded 1t as
an attempt on the part OF Col. Pryor,
at the very outset OF the Southern
Confederacy. to suppress the right OF
suffrage and perhaps that officer him
self subsequently regretted his ill-con-
sdered action. 1t lost to the Confed-
eracy and Virginia the services OF
more than fifty men. who would doubt
less have proved themselves good SOL
diers. They had followed the lead of
Governor Letcher. though opposed to
leaving the UH4eH,- In so doing had
acknowledged that their allegiance
was due first to the State. They
voiced their sentiments by their votes,
but would have yielded their support
to the sovereign authority OF the
State, as thousands of others did who
felt that she was doing wrong in Sc
ceding.
On the 9Th Of June. about thirty OF
the old members OF the company. with
few additional recruits. reorganizcd
the company under the name OF Vlr-
ginia Rifiemen. and elected the follow
ing officers: Captain. Alonza B. Jor-
dan: First Lieutenant. William C.
Taylor; Second Lieutenant. George w.
Hutchins: Third Lieutenant. Vernon c.
Grant; First Sergeant. Alex. C. Mathie-
son; Second Sergeant. Robert Guy;
Third Sergeant. Thomas Gleason;
Fourth Sergeant Daniel T. Brownley,
First Corporal. Robert A. Hutchins:
Second Corporal william Outen: Third
Corporal Robert Walton: Fourth Cor
poral, VIM. Lumber.
The next day. June 7th. 1851. the
company left Hospital Point with the
regiment for Burwell's Bay, in Iele Of
Wight county. The following Septem-
Der Lieutenant Taylor resigned on ac-
count OF difficulty with Col. Pryor
and on the l3th OF september Capt
Jordan resigned TO take position In
the corps OF engineers.
Lieutenant Grants appointment as
quartermaster OF the regiment created
another vacancy. and Capt. John w.
II. Wrenn was elected Captain. Sec
ond Lieutenant Hutchins was pro-
NOTED to First Lieuieeant and Ser
gcants Mathieson and Guy were elect
ed Second and Third Lieutenante
Capt. Wrenn resigned early in 1862.
Lieutenant Hutchins was elected Cap
tain. Lieutenants Guy and Mathieson
were again advanced one grade each.
Sergeant Thomas Gleason was elected
Third Lieutenant and Sergeant DanIei
T. BROMLEY became First Sergeant.
The above we're the officers OF the
company at the beginning Of the cam
paign around Richmond in 1862
Colonel Hutchins was wounded at
Frazier's Farm June 30. 1862. but subse-
quently rejoined his company. He was
with 1t at Gettysburg July 3. 1863. while
under Smelling from Federal batteries
on Cemetery and Round Top Hills.
The Third Regiment was In Kemper's
Brigade. Pickett's Division. and was
kept lying down in line OF battle from
10 a. m. to p. m. under scorch!ng