USA > Virginia > City of Norfolk > City of Norfolk > History of Norfolk County, Virginia and representative citizens, V.1 > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74
100
HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
manding that J. H. Wingfield. of Portsmouth, is an avowed secessionist and that he takes every oppor- tunity to disseminate his traitorous dogmas much to the annoyance of his loyal neighbors, and that on one occasion at a place of worship, while the prayer for the President of the United States was being read, his conduct was such as to annoy and disgust the loyal portion of the congregation. and believing a wholesome example is necessary for the benefit of Mr. Wingfield in particular, and the class in this community he rep- resents in general, men of education and ability, who use the talents God has given them for the purpose of stirring up strife against the government of the United States, it is therefore ordered that the Provost Marshal arrest Mr. J. H. Wingfield and that he be turned over to Colonel Sawtelle, to work for three (3) months cleaning the streets of Norfolk and Portsmouth, thus employing his time for the benefit of that government he has abused, and in a smail way atone for his dis- loyalty and treason.
By command of BRIG .- GEN. E. A. WILD, GEORGE H. JOHNSTON, Capt. and A. A. G.
HEADQUARTERS 18TH ARMY CORPS, DEPARTMENT OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA, FORTRESS MONROE, March 1, 1864.
The remainder of the sentence imposed by Brig .- Gen. Wild upon the Rev. Mr. Wingfield is remitted. He will be sent to Capt. Cassel's at Fortress Monroe for custody.
His punishment is remitted not for respect for the man, or for his acts, or because it is unjust, but because its nature may be supposed to reflect upon the Christian Church, which by his connection with it has been al- ready too much disgraced. .
ยท By command of MAT .- GEN. BUTLER, A. F. PUFFER, Capt. A. D. C.
The names of Butler and Dunmore are im- perishable insignias of infamy to the people of Norfolk County.
POST BELLUM OR RECONSTRUCTION TIMES.
The "Red Rock" days came upon the peo- ple of Norfolk County after Appomattox.
The tyranny of Butler, Viele and Wild, was reinforced by the swagger of the carpet- baggers and the boasts of the insolent negroes.
Confederate soldiers bearing the honora- ble parole of Gen. U. S. Grant were arrested and dragged before the provost marshal to have the buttons cut from their war-worn uniforms in the presence of gaping, motley
-
crowds of negroes and whites. . No despot's sceptre ever struck more crushing humiliation to a brave and proud people than these uni- formed cormorants in the name of Republican government. They used the camp followers to gather the "spoons" and rifle graves for their pockets. The new Constitution was the nest of fraud, which laid the burdens of taxa- tion to enrich the coffers of carpet-baggers, who hood-winked their negro allies with the cry of "40 acres and a mule" from the contis- cated property. Intelligence, worth and virtue were silenced under the hideous rule of ignor- ance and vice. Plunder under the forms of law was the aim of the ravenous schemers, who cried aloud in the name of loyalty to liide their booty.
The most contemptible of all the crimes in these unhallowed days was the shackling of our captive chieftain Jefferson Davis, and the indignation in every Southern home is aptly expressed in the editorial of the Norfolk Day Book of Tuesday evening. June 19, 1868: "No man, except with a dead soul, like that of the Tribune, can read the account of the shackling of JEFFERSON DAVIS, without feel- ing his bosom heave with emotion and indig- nation. The monstrosity of the order was well calculated to astound the political victim, the embodiment of the lost cause, and make him grasp for breath, and clutchi his throat with the bony fingers of liis right hand, his wasted figure towering to its full height, swelling with indignation and shrinking, not in terror, as is said, but in the indignation of liis courageous manhood, from the sight of the rattling shack- les. Properly did lie characterize the orders wlien, losing temporary control of his feelings. he shouted, -. They are orders for a jailor- a hangman-which no soldier wearing a sword should accept. I tell you the world will ring with this disgrace. The war is over, tlie South is conquered. I have no longer any country but America, and it is for the honor of America, as for my own honor and life. that I plead against this degradation. Kill me! Kill me!' he cried passionately, throwing
IOI
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
his arms wide open. and exposing his heart. 'rather than inflict on me, and my people, through me, this insult. worse than death.'
"He resisted with all his strength, it is re- ported, the effort of the smith to place thie shackles on his feet, until at last overcome they were fastened on. When the order was accomplished, Mr. Davis lay for a moment as in a stupor. Then. slowly raising himself. and turning round, he dropped his shackled feet to the floor. The harsh clank of the strik- ing chain seems to have recalled him to 1 sense of his situation, and dropping his face into his hands, he burst into a passionate Hood of sobbing, a manly outburst of feeling. sway- ing to and fro, and muttering at brief intervais 'Oh, the shame, the shame!' .And yet there are ghouls and ravens in the garb of humanity, who will chuckle over this description, eitlfer as a sensational story, or. if true, justify the unnecessary outrage, and the unjust and in -. human order.
-
----
"The South, however. will view the state- ment by which the iron entered into the soul of the embodiment of her cause. as a shackling of herself, which was the foreshadowing of that political shackling. which the radical Thugs in Congress are now seeking to rivet upon her limbs, led on by the bloodthirsty men that control the legislation of the coull- try .. The clank of those fetters will resound through the future for centuries to come, and the biting irons will take their place beside those which once bound the limbs of the great GENOESE."
Another episode which aroused the ire of oui people was the conduct of conquering he- rocs. ( ?) in regard to the memorial window in Trinity P. E. church, Portsmouth, Virginia.
The following extracts from letters written here in -1868 show the condition of the minds of Southerners on the subject.
From a letter dated April 14, 1868,-
* Sunday we were all much surprised on going to church to see a magnificent memorial window in the middle south window. It represents Virginia weeping for her sons. A female figure is leaning on a mont-
ment, and inscribed on the monument: "To the mem- ory of James G. Hodges, Bristoe B. Gayle. Alexander B. Butt, Frank N. Armistead. William H. Cocke. Will- iam H. Bingley, St. Julien Wilson, Stephen A. Cowley. A. Dulaney Forrest, who died during the years 186t and 1865 in defense of their native State, Virginia, against the invasion by the U. S. forces."
On the upper part of the window is the face of an angel. with outstretched wings, and it is the most beautiful thing. I ever saw. The Yankee pew-holders took offense at the word invasion, I suppose, and yes- terday your father received the following communi- cations, which I think you would like to see. Yout will see that no reason is given for their withdrawal. One of the "dissatisfied." in a conversation with your father, expressed the hope that there will be some alter- ation made in the window so that the Navy Yard people may return. But I reckon they will wait a long time for that. Not one member of the whole congre- gation will ever give their consent to have one word erased-not if the whole Yankee nation would come to see us. All this took place yesterday. This morn- ing Mr. J. E. rented one of the pews vacated by "Their Honors." Captain H. thinks he will take another. and I reckon that Mr. N. will take one. Mr. G. says he will increase his pew-rent 1oo per cent. We do not know by whom the window was presented to the church. We at first thought it was our old pastor. but we hear now that he did not. The donor wishes his or her name to be kept secret. Captain Rodgers says in his letter: "I regret very much to leave Trinity Church. but as I cannot with propriety continue to be a member of its congregation. I beg leave to withdraw from it and give up my pew." H. Newell. chief engi- neer, wrote: "Circumstances compel me to withdraw from the congregation of Trinity Church. You will please consider my pew vacated."
Commander Pattison writes: "I regret the neces- sity that compels me to relinquish my pew in Trinity Church from this date." Capt. George H. Cooper says : "Owing to circumstances I respectfully resign the pew taken by me in Trinity Church." He only rented it last Saturday. Some are afraid that the military are. carrying such a high hand that there will be an order sent to have the window taken out. but I reckon they will have to do it themselves, for not one of us would lend a hand.
From a letter dated April 30, 1868.
Since I last wrote you we have been in a real stew. first on account of the memorial window, which it was thought the military would order to be removed. Yesterday I heard that they thought it was a matter with which they had no right to interfere, and there- fore no notice would be taken of it. To-day we learn that an order had been issued for its removal. but that the officers of the Navy Yard had protested against it and the order had been countermanded.
It is no more than they should have done, as they were the ones to kick up such a fuss about it. I shall be much surprised if the matter remains quiet. * * * Two of the officers took their pews again and the
6
:02
HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
other officers also, as they heard that a cover had been placed over the inscription, which was really the case. Our dear old pastor, who presented the window to the church, was so disturbed to think that he had given offen-e, when his only object was to give a pleasant surprise, that he had a piece of black cloth placed over the inscription. That. again, caused the "Rebel" blood to rise and a young Confederate sollier removed the cloth. for which everyone condemn, him. as it was placed there by the dopor, and the Confederate was not a resident of this place and had no right to med- die with it at all.
Your father asked Captain Cooper. when he told him that they had heard that the inscription had been covered. if they took their pews with the knowledge that the cloth had been taken off. He said they were aware of that. But the next day he returned to say that he and Lieutenant Hammersly would retain their pews, but the other officers declined taking theirs. Citizens of the city have come in and rented the vacated pews.
From a letter dated May 16, 1868.
Since I wrote you last the Yankees have com- pelled us to take out of our church our beautiful memorial window. They actually (so we hear from various sources, and Father Plunkett says he read the order at the ,Navy Yard ) received an order from Wash- ington from the Secretary of the Navy to close the Navy Yard gates if the window was not removed be- fore Saturday night. Of course the throwing of a thousand or more . men out of employment was cal- culated to bring on a horrible state of things, and fears were entertained that the church would be torn down. That would have roused the Southerners, who as it is are much excited, and our dear old pastor concluded that the best way to preserve the peace would be to take the window out. but we all hope that the time is not far distant when it can be put back again. * * *
We have learned through Father Plunkett that an appropriation had been made by the "Best Govern- ment 'in the World" for the repairs of the Hospital building and the sea-wall. but afterward orders had been received to suspend the work until it was known what would be done with the window.
HEADQUARTERS SUB. DISTRICT OF NORFOLK' AND PORTS- MOUTH.
NORFOLK. V.A., April 18, 1868. To the Vestrymen of Trinity Church. Portsmouth, Vir- ginia.
GENTLEMEN : Information having. reached these headquarters that a memorial window has been placed in your church. commemorative of the dead of your church "who fell during the late rebellion." in lan- guage which has given offense to the Union sentiment of some of the attendants of the church. causing some U. S. officers to relinquish their pews and withdraw from the church, the Major Commanding desires you to furnish him with an exact copy of the inscription on the above window for his information.
Very respectfully. your obedient servant. E. W. STONE, Lient. and A. A. G.
An exact copy was ordered to be furnished by the register, also a copy of the following resolution :
Resolved. That the vestry of the church disclaim any intention in permitting the erection of the memorial window lately placed therein to give offense to any per- son or persons attending upon the services of the church.
It seems from the above that the window was removed from the church in May, 1868, and was replaced in September, 1870, with the inscription changed to read as follows :
Given through respect for the Patriotism of the Dead and from sympathy with their bereaved friends by their old pastor on Easter Sunday. 1868.
And so the beautiful memorial window re- mains to-day and the truth of the unholy in- vasion of Virginia by U. S. forces will be re- membered as long as her mountains hold to their foundations or her rivers empty into the sea
Take down your memorial window, Tenderly take it away, Lay it aside as a relic : In its place put another of grey.
In lient of the gorgeous colors Which glowed in the sun of May, Let a cold light fall on the chancel. Through a window of modest grey.
Let it have no word of inscription ; Never a hint of the fray ! Let it cast into the church a twilight, Tender and soft and grey.
Then will the simple tribute Even the ruthless stay, And make them feel all the glory Of the soldiers who fell in grey. --- James Barron Hope. To the congregation of Trinity Church, Portsmouth, Virginia.
On the 16th day of March. 1869. Maj. Gen. George Stoneman, commanding the First Military District. Virginia, removed all of the old magistrates elected by the white people of Norfolk County and appointed men who could subscribe to the iron-clad oath in their places. The presiding justice. W. H. C. Lovitt, not
--
103
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
having been removed with his colleagues, re- signed, and F. W. Lemosey was selected under the new regime of reconstruction. The mili- tary commander also removed other county officers at the same time. Maj. Sainuel Ether- idge, sheriff, was removed and Thomas W. Mahew appointed in his place. Griffin F. Ed- wards, elected clerk of the County Court al- ; saw them charge in line of battle never ap- proach a Confederate cemetery without taking turned out by military edict and J. P. Hodges . off our hats in homage to the devoted braves who ever walked straight into the jaws of death without flinching." The Confederate private infantryman is the typical hero of the South. The Old South has grand memories and the New South has splendid anticipations. The spirit which moved the Old leads the New South.
most unanimously by the white voters, was appointed in his place. Capt. W. Scott Syke., county surveyor, was also removed by the same power and Benjamin B. Chandler ap- printed in his place. The term of Capt. V. O. Cassell. the attorney for the Commonwealth. expired on the Ist of January, 1869, and on the Igth a military edict named J. H. Reming- ton of New York to fill the office-and soon
It is that spirit which seeks truth through followed the enfranchisement of the negroes. : roughest paths and heeds no danger in its pur- suit. It is that spirit which warmed the hearts and steeled the nerves to bear the burdens of both the Old and the New South. My ideal hero embraced it with superb unselfishness.
Even now some of the evils of the reconstruc- tion period still fester in the body politic; but the struggle of the Anglo-Saxon will go on until every vestige of negro rule will be blotted out.
These reconstruction times were bitter days to those in whose bosoms throbbed Southern hearts. The yoke was heavy and strong : but it chastened the soul and made our people strive for new fortunes on industrial lines. The Confederate soldiers took the lead in agri- cultural and commercial pursuits : and the great development in the fields of Norfolk County and the splendid commercial growth of her cities are testimonials of Anglo-Saxon perseverance and power.
Confederate War. The New York Sun argu- ing against the increase of the regular army and comparing the material of the contending armies said "The Confederate rank and file were composed wholly of raw men, and in the first two years of the war, volunteers. Yet what an infantry they were! Those of us who
Some would say he should be Robert E. Lee, whose great heart and lofty leadership enchained the everlasting affection of the South.
Some would say he should be "Stonewall" Jackson, whose magic power so often awakened the wonder of the world.
Some would say he should be Jefferson Davis, whose polished manhood held with un- yielding nerve the pearl of Southern pride.
Some would say he was among the hosts of cavalrymen and artillerymen, who flashed their swords and pulled their lanyards in battles often won.
Norfolk County, including its two cities. sent the flower of its manhood to the army of the Confederate States; few except the old Yes! These are the jewels of the South, and there are honors and memories for them ; but I would take away the stars and trimmings and titles, for there was charm and inspiration in them. men and boys remained at home. Its artillery and cavalry companies made high marks in the game of war. Its sailors were as brave as Nelson's. Its infantry was unexcelled in the corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. I would eliminate, too, the higher grades of The sons of Norfolk County shared the dan- service. gers of every war from the colonial wars. to The purest spirit, the deepest love. the the Spanish-American War; but none with greatest hero, the noblest manhood, was in the the patriotic unanimity and enthusiasm as the
infantry private of the South.
104
HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
He was reared when the "irrepressible con- flict" quickened the pulse of the people. He was inspired by the intellectual gladiators of the South.
He gloried in the heroism of his ancestors. who had won the Republic from England. He shouldered the burdens of his convictions, he grasped his musket for his cause, he inhaled the smoke of battle, he felt the sting of the bullet, he bled from shot and shell.
He dared'to die when he could foresee his unurned ashes scattered on the soil of his enemies.
Where is loftier heroism?
Where is nobler patriotism ?
Where is truer manhood?
Where is grander chivalry?
Where is a more ideal hero?
For principles, he bore the heaviest cross.
For principles, he courted an unknown grave.
He touched elbows in the unwavering line of charge.
He gained victory with the point of the bayonet.
He dauntlessly rushed over earthworks.
He stood like a "stone wall" on the field. He was strongest in battle.
He was gentlest in victory.
He was most powerful in the face of menace.
He was tenderest to the captured.
His pride was grand, his bravery exalted, his hercism majestic!
His marvelous simplicity of conduct was consonant with his beauty of heart!
His life in camp was characterized by praiseworthy endurance.
He met his privations with the calmness of a philosopher.
He 'enjoyed the pastimes of his tent with the guilelessness of a child. .
He doted on his faded uniform and jeered at the "slick" silk hat, even on the head of a Confederate Congressman.
When the first year of his service had passed, he was bright with hope.
Fort Sumter had fallen and Manassas had emblazoned his bayonet with glory!
The second year passed, with 564 battles and engagements, including Shiloh, the Seven Days' battle, which made the dark waters of the Chickahominy run red, Second Manassas and Fredericksburg, and his prowess was proved to the civilized world.
The third year passed, with 627 battles and engagements.
It saw his pride at the highest and his hope brightest when, fresh from the victories of Chancellorsville, he invaded the soil of Penn- sylvania.
Alas! for human hopes!
Gettysburg turned backward his footsteps and started anxiety in his breast.
How long could these bloody years last ? Surely, not longer than seven, as his an- cestors' revolution had cost!
Then the fourth year passed, with 779 bat- tles and engagements.
His anxiety was over.
He saw the inevitable end.
Hope of success was gone.
It was only a question of the days he might be spared before the bullet pierced his heart.
He saw the end before the statesmen in the Capitol at Richmond even surmised it. He knew overwhelming numbers would crush out the soldiery of the South.
His comrades were falling, and no recruits came to fill their places.
He saw the end and felt it in the summer of 1864, but his allegiance to the army, his duty to himself and his family bade him go almost daily to a hopeless slaughter. and often he marched to battle for his personal honor, with- out the slightest hope for his country's inde- pendence.
Can you imagine heroism more sublime than the private infantryman's who held the front lines of the Confederacy during the last half of 1864. and the winter and spring of 1865?
Around Petersburg, along the disastrous line of retreat to Appomattox, and even there.
:
105
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
he shouldered his musket and yielded ready obedience to the order for a charge, until his matchless commander said his duty to his coun- try had been "faithfully performed," and fur- ther resistance would be a useless sacrifice.
He had enlisted as a private, he fought as : private, and then he returned to private life to battle for bread.
His country was lost, but a dauntless spirit directed him in the evolution to another citizen- ship. He guided' the plow, wielded the axe, and did whatever his hand found to do, with the same unassuming fortitude which marked his career in the army.
He inspired courage in the young. He gave life to the weak, and grappled the new order of things with masterly mind.
Napoleon said : "True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life in whatever shape they may challenge him to combat."
The infantryman not only felt as the illus- trious warrior when he uttered this sublime sentiment, but he has demonstrated its truth by rising superior to all the evils of disaster, imbuing his associates with that resolute en- durance which made him the breakwater of the Confederacy, and has made the bone and sinew of progress and prosperity of the New South.
As his is the glory of the past, so his is the strength of the present. Whenever you find him, whether laboring on your streets, building your ships or tilling your fields, pause and lift your hat, for the Confederate private infantry- man is the typical hero of the South.
He is entitled to the absolute respect of the grandest in the land. Already many stately granite shafts commemorate our hero leaders, but shall there not be one higher by an hundred- fold and a thousand times more beautiful in design than any of these, dedicated to the in- fantry privates of the South ?
Aye! I wish a shaft of burnished gold could lift its head from Virginia's valley, in which sleep the remains of Lee and Jackson, in memory of the private infantrymen of the Confederacy, emblazoning their glory to com-
ing generations, for their heroism is the grand- est type of all the thousand bloody fields which? have heralded Southern valor.
The private infantrymen were lowest in rank, yet highest in their loyalty to the finest sense of honor the human mind can conceive --- grandest in humility, greatest in sincerity, pur- est in purpose ; and never.can temples of fame enshrine the memory of knightlier souls! The names of such heroes should be handed down to posterity.
The organizations and rosters of Norfolk County's soldiers are given in the history of Norfolk County. 1861-65. by John W. H. Porter of Portsmouth, from which for the most part is compiled the followingalphabetical list of the gallant men embodied for the blood- iest war in which Americans were ever en- gaged. Many names not given in this list may be found in the roll of comrades of the several Camps of Confederate Veterans, in the succeed- ing chapter.
SOLDIERS AND SAILORS.
A.
Ashbury. John-Private in Co. C. 6th Va. Inf. Abdell, Thomas F .-- Private in Co. D. 6th Va. Inf. Austin, Martin-Private in Co. D. 6th Va. Inf.
Absolem. Thomas-Private in Co. D. 6th Va. Inf. Adams, Thomas S .- Private in Co. D, 6th Va. Inf. Archer. Robert L .- Private in Co. G, 6th Va. Inf. Det. div. prov. guard.
Arrington, Peter-Private in Co. G, 6th Va. Inf. Prom. sergt .- maj.
Anderson. John T .- Private in Co. H, 6th Va. Inf.
Abdell. William H .- Private in Co. H. 6th Va. Inf.
Atkinson, Junius A .- Private in Co. H. 12th Va. Inf. Anderson, Charles-Private in Co. H. 12th Va. Int. Trans. to Huger's Battery, 1862.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.