USA > Virginia > Albemarle County > Albemarle County > Memorial history of the John Bowie Strange Camp, United Confederate Veterans, including some account of others who served in the Confederate Armies from Albemarle County > Part 11
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was in command of the company. The chief service rendered there was working with pick and shovel making forts and breastworks in anticipation of a Federal attack.
In November 1864, while he was still under eighteen years of age, he joined the cavalry company of which his father had been captain. This company was known at home as the Cum- berland Troop. In the field it was Company G, Third Virginia Cavalry, Wickham's Brigade. He joined the company as pri- vate near New Market, Shenandoah County, Virginia. He was sent with his command on a raid into West Virginia. Return- ing, he went into winter quarters in Orange County, Virginia. .
He returned to General Lee's forces in the early spring of 1865, but saw no fighting until the retreat from Richmond be- gan. He was in the battle of Five Forks and a number of en- gagements, more or less important, between Richmond and Farmville. Passing within a few miles of his home, he ob- tained leave of absence for a day or two to go home and get a fresh horse. He went home, obtained a new mount, and started to rejoin his company, but did not reach it. The surrender oc- curred before he got to the command.
He was never wounded and never captured.
The war being ended, he returned to his home to share with his people their poverty, and to help in the building again of their shattered fortunes.
George Perkins, as a Confederate veteran, became a member of the John Bowie Strange Camp of Confederate Veterans and was honored by a term of service as Lieutenant Commander of the Camp. His life, of great energy, of high tone, of marked achievement, of lofty ideals, of supreme devotion, was a splen- did contribution to his country in the trying years of recon- struction and through the happier times of returning prosper- ity and complete re-establishment of governmental, commer- cial, professional, economic and social order.
He was a devout Christian, a faithful elder in the Presbyte- rian Church, eminent lawyer, a valued citizen, a loved and hon- ored comrade. In private life he was an exemplar. In public life he measured up to the highest standard. All who knew him delight to do him honor.
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JAMES PERLEY.
BY JOHN W. PERLEY.
James Perley was the son of James and Elizabeth Perley, and was born in Alexandria on July 3rd, 1833. The family moved to Fredericksburg in 1839, and after a two years' resi- dence there came to Charlottesville, where the remainder of his life was spent.
Upon the formation of a local military company, known as the Monticello Guard, Mr. Perley enlisted and soon rose to the rank of sergeant, serving with the company when it was called to Charles Town upon the occasion of the execution of John Brown.
Accompanying the Guard to Manassas on April 16th, 1861, where it was merged into Company A, Nineteenth Virginia Regiment, Garnett's Brigade, Pickett's Division, Mr. Perley served continuously to the close of the war, participating in all the battles of the Nineteenth Virginia Regiment and was a true and brave soldier. He was captured at Sailor's Creek, a few days before the surrender and carried to Point Lookout, and was there when the war closed.
In 1855 Mr. Perley married Miss Mary Jane Mooney, of Al- bemarle County, and to this union were born six children- James Vincent, Annie E., John W., Charles M., Mary V., and Rosa Lee. In 1867 he entered the furniture and undertaking business in Charlottesville, succeeding John B. Dodd. The business grew steadily and in 1885 had reached such propor- tions that Mr. Perley decided to form a partnership, admitting his sons to the business, under the firm name of James Perley & Sons, and continued as directing head of the concern un- til his death on January 10th, 1915, having reached the ripe age of 82 years.
Throughout his long life Mr. Perley was active in all public efforts to advance the welfare of the community, and took a . deep interest in the affairs of his church.
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WILLIAM PERLEY.
William Perley was born in Alexandria, Virginia. He came to Charlottesville in 1841 and engaged in the drug business. He was a member of Company A, Nineteenth Virginia Infantry, and served during the war. He was a brother of Sergeant James Perley of the same regiment, and fought a good fight for the Confederate cause. He died at the Soldier's Home in Richmond, Virginia, in 1892.
R. C. PITMAN.
R. C. Pitman enlisted at Harper's Ferry in May, 1861, as a corporal in Company F, Thirteenth Virginia Infantry, and served throughout the war. He resided near Ivy Depot, his oc- cupation being that of a millwright. He was a fine soldier in a noted regiment.
JAMES M. POATES.
James M. Poates resided near Batesville, Virginia, and en- tered the Confederate army as a member of the Fluvanna Ar- tillery. This company was afterwards consolidated with. an- other company of artillery, and he was sent to West Virginia as enrolling officer, where he remained until the close of the war.
HENRY DANIEL PORTER.
BY R. P. VALENTINE.
Henry Daniel Porter was born in Louisa County, Virginia, April 10th, 1838, a son of Joseph and Susan (Daniel) Porter. He entered the Confederate army in 1861, and was a member of Company K, Second Virginia Cavalry, Rosser's Brigade, and served through the war, being present at the surrender at Ap- pomattox in 1865.
In 1865 he married Miss Mary B. Payne of Linden Hall, Fluvanna County, Virginia. He resided in that county as a
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farmer until 1887, when he moved to Charlottesville and was superintendent of the first car line of that city. He was a man of unusually fine qualities, of a genial disposition, and esteemed by all who knew him. He was regarded as a man that could be counted on at all times. He was a member of the first Bap- tist Church of Charlottesville and died in 1896. Three children survived him: Mr. H. P. Porter, Miss Lula and Miss Anna Porter, all living at this time in Charlottesville, Virginia.
D. J. PURVIS.
D. J. Purvis enlisted in the army from Missouri, in the cav- alry service, and was wounded in the arm. After the war he resided in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he engaged in the mercantile business until his death.
OSCAR REIERSON.
BY HIS FRIEND, W. R. DUKE.
Oscar Reierson, the son of John N. and Henrietta (Waly) Reierson, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, October 29th, 1837.
His father spent two years examining North America, being sent out from Norway by an association looking to emigration. He selected as the most desirable spot for a home the then Re- public of Texas (1843).
The following year he brought out his family, together with some two hundred Norwegians. They settled in the county now known as Henderson.
In 1858 Oscar Reierson left home to attend the University of Virginia, where he was graduated in 1862. In July, 1862, he enlisted in Captain George T. Ferneyhough's Independent Cav- alry Company. After the Second Battle of Manassas the com- pany was incorporated in White's Independent Thirty-fifth Bat- talion.
Oscar Reierson served through the war and for some years
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practiced law in Charlottesville, Virginia, the firm being Blakey & Reierson.
He was a genial gentleman and much loved by his friends.
He died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Poindexter Drane, on May 10th, 1913, and was buried in Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky.
JOHN A. RIX.
John A. Rix resided on the south side of the county of Albe- marle, and enlisted in Company G, Forty-ninth Virginia Infan- try. He was a faithful soldier of the Confederacy. After the war he was an active member of John Bowie Strange Camp. He was a good citizen.
JOHN S. ROBSON.
John S. Robson was a student in Charlottesville at the begin- ning of the Confederate War and enlisted as a private in Com- pany D, Fifty-second Virginia Infantry. A fine soldier, and served four years.
T. H. ROTHWELL.
T. H. Rothwell was a son of Benjamin C. and Harriett C. Rothwell, and served with the reserves around Richmond, Vir- ginia. After the war he was engaged in business in Charlottes- ville. He died in that city.
JOHN A. SHACKELFORD.
John A. Shackelford lived in Albemarle County, near Char- lottesville. He enlisted at the age of forty-five years as a pri- vate in the Albemarle Artillery, and served until the close of the war. After the war he engaged in farming.
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Z. N. SHACKELFORD.
Z. N. Shackelford was born and reared in Spottsylvania County, Virginia. He enlisted at the age of seventeen years in the Fifty-fifth Virginia Infantry, which was a part of Hill's Di- vision, and engaged in many noted battles of the Civil War. He was captured in the early part of 1862 and confined at Point Lookout for eleven months. After being exchanged, he served in the Confederate army until Lee surrendered at Appomattox.
After the war he moved to Albemarle. County, Virginia, where he engaged in farming until 1890, when he moved to Charlottesville and engaged in the grocery business, which he conducted successfully until his death, which occurred very suddenly. on May 5th, 1906.
Mr. Shackelford was a man of sterling qualities. Quiet in de- meanor, he possessed many friends and few enemies, and his life was that of the typical soldier who followed the leadership of Jackson and Lee, always the gentleman and good citizen.
HORACE SHIFLETT.
Horace Shiflett enlisted in the Fluvanna Artillery at the com- mencement of the Confederate War, and served until the close of hostilities. He lived in Charlottesville after the war and died at the Soldier's Home in Richmond, Virginia. He was an ed- ucated and cultivated man, and highly respected by all who knew him.
GEORGE A. SINCLAIR.
George A. Sinclair, son of George and Ruth Sinclair, entered
. the Confederate army as a member of Colonel John S. Mosby's command, and served with distinction to the close of the war. He was for twenty years engaged in the mercantile business in Charlottesville, and was also active in social life and church work.
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CHARLES G. SKINNER.
Charles G. Skinner enlisted in the Confederate army as a pri- vate in Company A, Seventh Virginia Cavalry, and served three years. He resided in Charlottesville, Virginia, and engaged in the mercantile business.
J. MASSIE SMITH. BY C. W. ALLEN.
John Massie Smith, son of Captain John Massie Smith of Nelson County, Virginia, and Jacintha Tazewell Rhodes of Al- bemarle County, Virginia, was born August 29th, 1843, and died the 10th day of October, 1909, at his residence at Shadwell, Al- bemarle County, Virginia, in the 67th year of his age.
In 1861, young Smith, then less than eighteen, and a student at Columbia University, volunteered for duty in the service of the Confederacy, entering the war with the Albemarle Rangers -Tenth Virginia Cavalry-and with this organization he par- ticipated in more than thirty of the hardest battles of the war. He was intrepid and fearless and always ready for action, however perilous, and these qualities brought him many spe- cial details, the duties of which often exacted a courage and daring of which many good soldiers were incapable. Filled with patriotic fervor and love for his native land, he exempli- fied the spirit and morale of the best product of the South.
Two years after the surrender, May 21, 1867, young Smith the veteran, married Miss Nellie Timberlake of Charlottesville, and as a result of this union five children were born, two of whom died early. The other three still survive, namely: Rosa Bibb, now wife of Judge Wm. F. Rhea of Richmond; Edward Massie Smith and Miss Sallie Willie Smith-the two latter re- siding at Shadwell.
After the war Mr. Smith purchased and resided upon a por- tion of the farm at Shadwell once owned by Peter Jefferson, and upon which Thomas Jefferson was born. With the excep- tion of a few years during which he served as Secretary of the
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House Committee on Claims and Elections, Mr. Smith spent the remainder of his life there. His wife preceded him to the grave, and they now lie side by side in the cemetery at Char- lottesville.
In his domestic life Mr. Smith was genial, kindly, indulgent and patient with his family, beloved by his neighbors and friends, and always exhibiting a due regard for the opinions and feelings of others. In the broader field of the citizen, he was endowed with a clear conception of duty to his community, his state and the national government. His mind was vigorous and filled with useful information, and few men were so well equipped to understand and appreciate the effect of the trend of public events. He was modest and retiring in disposition but withal kept pace with the movements of the times in which he lived. He was a man of deep convictions, of sincere and exalted pur- pose, a good citizen, brave soldier and a true patriot.
J. W. SMITH.
J. W. Smith resided near Crozet, Albemarle County, and en- listed in the Confederate army in April, 1864, as a corporal in Marquiss' Battery of Artillery and served until the close. His occupation was that of a plumber.
THOMAS H. SMITH.
Thomas H. Smith, at the beginning of the Confederate war, enlisted as a private in Company B, Nineteenth Virginia Infan- , try, and resided in Charlottesville, where he was engaged as a . grader.
· W. J. SMITH.
W. J. Smith enlisted in the Confederate army in 1862, and served three years. He was detailed for special service under Major Richards at Gordonsville, and after the war resided at Charlottesville, Virginia.
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JOHN SPOONER.
John Spooner enlisted in the Confederate army as a cor- poral in Carrington's Battery of Artillery, and was afterwards promoted to sergeant. He was captured at Spottsylvania Court House on the 12th of May and remained a prisoner to the close of the war.
GUSTAVUS WALLACE SPOONER.
BY REV. GEORGE H. SPOONER.
The subject of this sketch was born at "Montebello," the old home place adjoining the grounds of the University of Vir- ginia, December 6th, 1827. In 1852 he was married to Miss Dorothy Durrette of North Garden.
He entered the Confederate army in May, 1861, as sergeant in Company B, 19th Virginia Infantry, and served two years. He was a faithful soldier.
Shortly after the war he began his business career in the city of Charlottesville as an associate with J. M. Lobbin in the hard- ware business. Later he was the senior member of the firm of Spooner & Norris; and still later, of the firm of Spooner & Keller. In the early eighties he established the architectural and construction company of G. W. Spooner & Son, associating with him his eldest son, M. M. Spooner. This firm designed and constructed a number of public and private buildings in the city.
He was a steward in the Methodist Church, a member of the city council, and at one time city engineer.
He died September 6th, 1904, leaving the legacy of an hon- orable record, a lofty character and a respected name in places of duty and service.
W. M. THOMAS.
W. M. Thomas enlisted in 1861 in Company K, Forty-fourth Virginia Infantry, and served during the entire war. He was originally from Fluvanna County, but subsequently moved to Overton, Albemarle County.
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WILLIAM BEVERLY TOWLES, M. D.
BY P. B. BARRINGER.
William Beverly Towles was born at Columbia, Fluvanna County, Virginia, on the 4th day of March, 1847, and died at the University of Virginia, September 15th, 1893. He was the son of Dr. William B. Towles and Harriett Washington John- son his wife. His father was a prominent physician in Flu- vanna, who later moved to Cumberland County, and it was here that young Towles was raised.
During the early years of the War between the States he was attending the local schools of that county and then a high school in Buckingham. Soon, however, the alarums of war began to call louder than the bells of peace, and in the fall of 1863, when about sixteen years of age, he entered the Reserve Corps of the : Confederate Army, usually called "The Home Guard." With a command hastily called together by Colonel Baker of Farm- ville, he aided in the defense of the Staunton River Bridge in Charlotte County, and here for gallantry was made sergeant, notwithstanding his youth. His next duty was guarding the eastern end of the "High Bridge" over the Appomattox River near Farmville. Soon, Colonel Baker, seeing the end near, dis- banded his command in spite of the protests of his young hot- spurs. Young Towles went to his home not far away, and mounting a horse set off with a favorite negro to join Colonel Mosby, only to find that that officer also had surrendered. Much chagrinned, he had to return and surrender. This was a pro- found shock to the great-grandson of Colonel Oliver Towles of the Sixth Continental Line of the Revolution and the grandson of Major Oliver Towles of the war of 1812. But this was war.
Young Towles entered the University of Virginia in 1867, and received the degree of M. D. on June 1st, 1869. He prac- ticed in Missouri for a time, but in 1872 was appointed Demon- strator of Anatomy in the University of Virginia under Pro- fessor John Staige Davis. Here he served so satisfactorily that · on the death of Dr. Davis in 1885 he was elected as his suc- cessor. Although like his predecessor, a gifted lecturer, he also maintained that human anatomy could be taught only on the
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cadaver, and made the dissecting hall the chief province of his · work. He nobly mintained the traditions of this famous school of anatomy and added new lustre to its name. For some years he also taught in the University of Vermont Summer School of Medicine.
The writer first knew Dr. Towles in 1876, and he was even then a man of striking characteristics; but it was in his later years that he developed into a man of marked dignity and dis- tinction. While agreeable and courteous to all, his system of human classification was unique. To him the world consisted of his friends, on the one hand, and the rest of mankind on the other; and no man was ever more steadfastly loyal to his friends.
T. A. TRICE.
T. A. Trice was born at Frederick's Hall,' in Louisa County. He was the son of T. N. and Mary Moon Trice. He entered the Confederate service at the age of seventeen years in Dance's Battery of Artillery, where he remained until the close of the war. Foregoing his anticipated college education, he set to work to restore the ravages the war had made on his home af- fairs. In 1892 he moved to Charlottesville, where his services on the police force were highly appreciated. For several years he was Chief of Police in that city.
JOHN UTZ.
John Utz entered the Confederate army as a member of Com- pany B of the Culpeper Minute Men, Thirteenth Virginia Regi- ment of Infantry. He was transferred to the cavalry service, where he distinguished himself for bravery. In an engagement with the enemy in the streets of Orange Court House he re- ceived severe saber cuts in the head, which disqualified him from further active service. He engaged in the carriage busi- ness in Charlottesville after the war, and was a man highly es- teemed for his worth and service in the city.
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CHARLES HENRY WALKER.
BY JOHN W. WALKER.
Charles Henry Walker was born at Louisa, Virginia, July 29th, 1845, and was a son of John W. and Martha (Hughson) Walker. His father was a railroad contractor of the firm of Mason & Walker. His maternal grandfather was Samuel Hughson of the Green Springs section of Louisa County. His paternal grandfather, Austin Walker, lived in Piedmont, Vir- ginia, and was the father of a numerous family.
. As a boy Mr. Walker attended John P. Thompson's private school at Louisa, the famous old Dinwiddie School at Green- wood, Virginia, and was a student at the Crenshaw school in Amelia County when, in 1863, at the age of eighteen, he en- tered the Confederate army as a member of the command of Colonel John S. Mosby, known as Mosby's Battalion.
On August 13th, 1864, while taking part in the capture of a wagon train at Berryville, Mr. Walker was seriously wounded while in the forefront of a charge on a body of infantry that had taken refuge behind a stone wall. He was within a few feet of this wall when a minnie ball from an enemy musket shat- tered his left arm. Eight months later he was not sufficiently recovered to return to his command.
A few years after the close of the war he came to Charlottes- ville to enter business. He soon took a position with T. J. Wertenbaker. In January 1875 he established himself at Rec- tortown, Virginia, in a mercantile business which he conducted with a large measure of success for twenty-two years. His capital outgrowing the needs of his own business led to his or- ganizing, in association with D. P. Wood of Warrenton, the business of D. P. Wood & Company. Also, in 1889, he estab- lished with J. E. Wood the business that is now the Charlottes- ville Hardware Company. In 1897, retiring from the Rector- town business, he came back to live in Charlottesville, and joined the John Bowie Strange Camp of Confederate Veterans. He was thrice chosen commander of the camp but declined to serve the third term though unanimously elected. He was ap- pointed city treasurer and filled' that office by successive elec-
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tions until his death. He was a director in the Albemarle Na- tional Bank and in various other enterprises. He was an elder of the Christian Church for about twenty years and Superin- tendent of its Sunday School for a number of years. In every- thing bearing upon the material or moral progress of the com- munity he took an active part. His last residence was the hand- some old colonial home of Ex-Governor Gilmer.
He was married in Danville, Virginia, in May, 1873, to Ro- berta Carroll, who was born in Albemarle County, the daugh- ter of Major Andrew Carroll and Mattie C. (Payne) Carroll. She was a faithful companion until her death in July, 1911. On December 10th, 1912, he married Mrs. Mattie (Terrell) Wills, the daughter of N. A. Terrell, and widow of F. Cary Wills.
Mr. Walker's benefactions were many and probably no man who ever lived in the city helped more people. He died March 21st, 1917.
C. M. WAYT.
C. M. Wayt was a resident of Charlottesville, Virginia, at the beginning of the war, and enlisted in Company A, Nineteenth Virginia Regiment of Infantry. He was a fine soldier .. He en- gaged in business after the war, and was book-keeper for the Bank of Albemarle. He was highly respected as a man and citizen.
W. DYER WHEELER.
W. Dyer Wheeler was the son of Bryant and Elizabeth Wheeler and entered the Confederate army as a member of Company K, Second Virginia Cavalry. He was distinguished for his gallantry and fine soldierly qualities. He was wounded four times. He came from Fluvanna County to Charlottesville, where he was actively engaged in business. He was highly es- ' teemed as a man and citizen.
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JUDGE JOHN M. WHITE.
BY WM. F. LONG.
Judge John M. White was born in Norfolk County on the 16th day of November, 1846, and died at Charlottesville on the 6th day of March, 1913. When he was sixteen years old he en- tered the Confederate army and was a member of Company G, Forty-third Battalion of Cavalry, under Mosby's Command, and served until the close of the war.
After the war he entered the University of Virginia and studied law under Professor John B. Minor. After leaving the University Judge White married Miss Gay Leake, the daughter of Honorable Shelton F. Leake, and commenced the active prac- tice of his profession in partnership with Mr. Leake under the firm name of Leake & White. He took an active part in poli- tics and was for several years chairman of the Democratic Party in his county and also a member of the State Democratic Committee. In 1885, he was elected county judge, which of- fice he held by successive elections until the adoption of the constitution of 1904, when he was elected judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, which office he held until his death.
While he was county judge the Miller Manual Labor School of this county came under his jurisdiction and the welfare of that institution was his greatest care and pride. He was presi- dent of the board of trustees under the Samuel Miller deed for the benefit of the Agricultural School of the University of Vir- ginia.
From 1895 until his death Judge White was president of the Peoples National Bank, which under his able guidance and di- rection became one of the leading banking institutions of Vir- ginia.
For more than ten years Judge White was a member of the vestry of Christ Church and was regular in his attendance, al- ways taking an active interest in the proceedings. For many years he occupied the position of treasurer and for nearly three , years was the senior warden of the church.
Some years after the death of his first wife he married Miss Hilah White, whose beautiful and lovely life came to an end
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