The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-04
Confederate Record Of j. X. EARLY.

Awaiting patiently for my eighteenth
birthday to arrive on the 2Sth OF June
1861. and not being permitted by my
parents to volunteer for tho army be-
fore that time, l hastcncd TO equip
myself. and on tho at or AUGUST Of
that year j left my home for tho froat
and, landing at Manassas. found tho
eommand IN camp between Cub and
showed the marks OF the battle fought
q few days before on the 21st OF July.
The company j joined was the Old Do
minion Rifles, under tho command of
Captain Thomas NJ. Bowyer. and was
ono of tho companies that formed the
Iwenty-eighth virginia Regiment; I'M
ton was happily met on the occa-
sion BY my brother, Henry Il. Early,
who WAS anxious for me to join him,
who was u member OF the Same COM
pany. We tthe company soon broke
camp, with marching orders. The tlrat
mere We were morched by companies
to Munson,s and Mason'B Hill for out
post duty in front of Alexandria. We
We're on outpost duty until the follow
Ing November, when our company was
DETACHED from the resiment and sent
I" ni henmo oy,t Va 70 be drilled and
After remaining there somc two or
three weeks. we were ordered to the
went into camp: Our first winter quar-
ters were on Bull Run, just east of
Manassas; and We named the camp
Abandoned our winter quarters, and,
evacuatine Manassas, gave up that
territory and fell back on the south
sido OF tho Rappahannock River. in
culpeper County. AZ this point the
Captain Bower was sppplanted BY. the
election of our first lieutenant, John
Richard Johnson, rs captain. Captain
Bower was subsequently promoted to
ordnance department We were later
q think about tho first OF NIaS) sent
In the wind-up of the Seven Pines bat
tie. and subsequently, returned to
0rensn, Courthouse, and united with
warmly engaged in tho battle of Cedar
Run with Banks. Fremont and
heavy loss and '' With small loss to w our
army. In September Of that year our
battery marched into Maryland and
battle, and suffered such a heavy loss
In killed and wounded that after our
return, to Virginia the company was
divided. one-half going 10 the Latham
Battery and tho other bali to the Pur-
cell Battery from Richmond. Va. II
fell to my lot TO be assigned TO the
auarters-sa-a -were in Prince George
County, four miles southeast from Pc
tersburg; Va, having u. month or more
previously been one OF the companies
formed into n battalion OF four COM
panies called the Thirty eighth Vir-
giria Battalion of Artillery From the
battalion IL draft OF 100 picked men
was made tvoluntecrs). mounted and
armed as cavalry & being one of them),
and sent OF "A raidlng expedition to
Suffolk to capture n raidinE party of
the enemy. We returned without sue
cess, tho enemy having vamooscd he
fore our arrival. Tho battalion was
then ordered to North Carolina and
formed part of General Hoke's bril-
gade. and was prominent in the storm
Ing of Plymouth. and shared In the
capture OF a large supply OF provisions
for the entire garrison of $500 men,
After this our command was ordered
back to Virginia and took active part
IN the subsequent battles of Gcttys-
burg, Characteristic, Cold Harbor.
Second Manassas, etc
October %, 1912