The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-20
t'ire the following Interesting story was
pubiished:
BRAVE OLD SOLDIERS
THE COLLEY FAMILY
Father and Two Sons Who
Fought for South Living at
Advanced Ages.

| Last week. in the department devot-
ed to the jeweled cross contest. we
published n letter from Mr.. Thomas
! ". Cooley. who Is now Commissioner
of the Revenue in Washington
county. and who was n member of
Company u. First Virginia Cavalry A
part of the letter read as follows.
My father, G. NJ. Cooley. who was
born on the 18th day OF November
1913 is yet living. He was wagon
master of the Forty fifth Virginia In
fantry, under General John 3. Floyd
In the State Line service, until 1T was
taken from the State service and mus
tered into the regular Confederate SER
We. From that time until the end of
the war he was purchasing agent for
the Confederate government He
bought horses and mules in Southwest
had some thrilling adventures in Ten
nessee among the truly loyal" dodg
ing the "bushwackers," etc.
Il was born on the 50tl day of No
vember, 1897, and volunteered on the
9TH day of April, 1861, in the WASH
ington Mounted Rifles, under Captain
w. e. Jones, afterwards General w. E.
Jones. We were attached to the
First Regiment Virginia Cavalry about
the 1st of June. 1861. at Win
chester, Va. General j. e. s. Stuart,
the prince of cavalrymen. was our
first colonel, served with this regi-
ment until was wounded at Haw's
Shop, on the 2Sth OF May, 1864. losing
my left foot"
My brother, w. L. Colley. was born
in the year 1899. He entered the SER
vice in 1861. He was with my father
in the State Line scr NTH the
spring of 1869, when Il Com
pany D, First Virgins and
served to the end OF i a..i. He
was twice wounded.
1--WE are all three still in the land
of the living"
We to-day present group picture
of this remarkable family of Confede-
ture are the three Confederate SOL
diers mentioned above-C. NJ. Colley.
aged 90; Thomas w. Cooley, aged co.
w. l.. Colley. aged 81: the young man
is FitZhugh Lee Colley, son of Tho
mas w. Colley, who died year ago,
aaed rs, and tho little baby in the
char is Robert Lee Colley, son of
Fitzhugh and reat-grandson of the
b'nse old Confederate soldier who is
now 80 years Of age. The little baby
died In March last, aged years.
family in the State?
Mr.. Daniel IT. Colley. of No. 215 South
Cherry Street. this city, is son of
Thomas w. Colley.
Sketches of other aged veterans who en-
tered the contest are here reproduced as
they originally appeared in the Confedcr-
ate Column while the contest was on:
Ninety-One in March.
Editor of The Times-Dispatch:
Sir,-I have been reading the letters of
the old and young Confederates in your
valuable paper, and wish to enter my
name in the list as the Oldest Confederate
soldier in the service.
was born In Richmond March 3. 1915.
which makes me nlnety-one years old last
March. L enlisted in the Thirty-frst
Battalion. Virginia Cavalry, under Cap
tain William McGruder. and was detailed
as expert horseman at Navy Hill, and
served under Major Wren at Monroe
Park in 1852. / was paroled at Washing
ton. Ga, with Major Maynard, and went
from there to Mobile, then to New Or
leans, New York. and back to Richmond.
am now living in this city. and would
be glad to see any Of my old Confederate
friends. Very truly yours.
JOS. C. ("Uncle Joe'D HALEY.
1872 North Twentieth Street, Richmond,
Va, October, 1906,