SPECIAL
CSA UNITS OF WALTON COUNTY, GEORGIA:
In the book “Wayfarers in Walton” (A History of Walton County Georgia 1818 – 1967) published in 1967 by Anita B. Sams there are comments about several units formed in Walton County for service during the war:
1. Walton Infantry was an early unit organized under George Thomas “Tige” Anderson who requisitioned supplies for his 73 men; he became a Confederate General and this unit (Company H, 11th Regiment) was then under the command of Captain Matthew Talbot Nunnally who was killed at Gettysburg, PA2 July 1863;
2. Georgia Volunteer Cavalry (Company D, 2nd Regiment) was organized under young Captain William D. “Willie” Grant who eventually was made “superintendent of works” to prepare for the defense of Atlanta where later Grant Park was named for him;
3. Walton Guards, also known as the Hillyer Rifles (Company C, 9th Regiment) was a corps of Cavalry organized under Captain George Hillyer with 55 men which later was part of Georgia Volunteer Infantry; he became auditor of State Road and later organized the State Road Battalion;
4. Walton Blues was a unit headed by Captain Enoch E. McCollum who died from measles in TN 7 July 1862;
5. Walton Sharpshooters (Company G, 35th Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry) was organized by Captain William S. Barrett; had to resign due to ill health 11 June 1862;
6. Walton Tigers were under the command of Captain J. T. Mitchell; resigned 21 July 1862;
7. Walton Rangers were under the command Captain W. S. R. Hardman, M.D.;
8. Joe Brown Rough and Ready (Company F, 16th Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry) were under the command of Captain John H. D. McRae; released from Johnson’s Island, Ohio 19 June 1865;
9. Sunny South Guards were a company under Captain Harrison L. Williams and his 50 men were assigned to guard the coast of Georgia;
10. “Light Duty Men” were under Captain Eugenius Arnold in January 1865 and were disabled, frail and battle scarred men of Walton County.
11. In addition to the groups organized in Walton County, there is another group shown “Clark County Rifles” which lists members who were from Walton County.
This document attempts to provide an overview of some details from recorded excerpts from in this book. For the serious researcher, there are more letters from several of the Walton County men back to their families about the experience of battle. Some of the most distressing details involve the casualties for the units and injuries and imprisonment. War was a grueling affair for all involved.
With the 1860 Presidential election, plans began to be developed that would determine the future of the State of Georgia at the secession convention. Among the 295 delegates to the convention were three prominent citizens of Walton County: George Spence; Willis Kilgore; Henry Dickerson McDaniel. At the conclusion of the convention on Mary 23, 1861, secession was the result. A call was issued to “arms” to prepare for the conflict. The secession conventions and the military operations of these units are shown in great detail in Part I, Chapter 3, “The Ways of War” beginning on page 115. To get a better understanding of the units’ involvement in the many battles, it is recommended that you read this section of the book. (There is a copy at the W. H. Stanton Library in Social Circle, Walton County, Georgia; or a limited number of copies are available for purchase at the Welcome Center in Social Circle.)
As in most parts of the south, Walton County was an agricultural community with farming cotton as the primary crop. However, there was some diversity of occupations in the local community: stage driver, Waggoner, trader, confectioner, blacksmiths, wheelwrights – this is just a partial list. Several of these occupations played a part in supplying equipment for the conflict: William Watkins, a blacksmith in Monroe made rifles; Rufus. J. Hughes, owner of R. J. Hughes and Company in Monroe, made the harness used by the Confederate government. Others contributed as their skills allowed.
It should be noted that many of the details of the southern part of the conflict were lost during the war when waste numbers of records were destroyed in battle. However, correspondence between soldiers and their families provide some insight to the struggles of the war, both on the battlefield and at the homes across the south. This document seeks to give a brief outline based on accounts from the Walton Blues and Tigers of the action from soldiers. More details can be found in the above referenced book.
Part
of 42nd Georgia Regiment:
Both the Walton County Blues and Tigers were attached to the 42nd Georgia Regiment under Captain William D. “Willie” Grant. Departure for service began in March 1862 and eventually the groups went to Atlanta about February 1863. From reading the record for these two units, it appears that they fought together in a number of battles: Chickasaw Bluffs; Champion’s Hill, Missionary Ridge, Resaca, New Hope Church, Kennesaw, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Nashville, Bentonville. Both units surrendered at Greensboro. It was also noted that Walton County men fought in 10 states during the war. Confederate commander John B. Pemberton described the conduct of this regiment at the Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs “behaved with distinguished courage and steadiness throughout” the engagement. The northern troops were under the command of Sherman. The following is a summary of the campaign’s statistics: Pemberton’s men suffered 207 losses (63 dead, 134 wounded and 10 missing), while Sherman’s suffered 1,776 (208 dead, 1,005 wounded and 563 wounded), eight times as many losses despite a numerical advantage of over two-to-one in soldiers at the battle.
The Walton County Blues were headed by Captain Enoch E. McCollum. In “Wayfarers” there is a recollection written in 1925 by James Madison Brown who was a private in Company G, 42nd, Georgia regiment in McCollum’s Company. He left Monroe in March, 1862 and went to “Big Shanty” where the company was mustered into service and he was assigned his first duty. He gives a record of his service beginning with his assignment to guard a bridge over the Tennessee River and with Lieutenant W. B. Mechare in command. He was successful in his duty when a General came through the guards and then started lighting matches as he rode across the bridge and Brown made him halt and he was praised for following his orders. Brown was in battles in Tazewell, TN; Cumberland Gap; Frankfort, KY; Vicksburg, MS – Chickasaw Bay. Brown ends his reflections with: “After Vicksburg there were 16 more battles that the 42nd Georgia regiment was engaged in and I can truthfully say I was never absent from my command without leave from the 12th day of March (1862) to the surrender.”
The Walton County Tigers were headed by Captain J. T. Mitchell. This unit was involved in many of the battles during the war. Lt. James Monroe Gresham provides “A Partial History of the Walton Tigers” beginning on page 660. He gives many details of the unit and changing leadership during the war. The following is his description of the battle at Baker’s Hill in Mississippi.
In mid-May 1863 Walton troops were in Mississippi bivouacked with General John C. Pemberton’s troops. The General had been ordered to march toward Clinton MS so that the troops might be united with General Joe Johnson. Pemberton delayed. Lieutenant James Monroe Gresham described the conflict in one short sentence: “Grant attacked Pemberton before he got up in the morning and routed him before he could form a line of fight.” The confidence of the troops in Pemberton was badly shaken by the results of this battle as the unit fell back and General Ulysses S. Grant was closer to Vicksburg as a result.
Another record from Gresham: on Friday 19 August 1863 there was a summer thunder storm over the Atlanta, Georgia area. Several of the Walton County Tigers were struck by lightning with two seriously injured. Lieutenant Gresham and Private J. R. H. Clegg were injured and hospitalized. While in the hospital, Gresham learned that his father was dangerously ill while serving with the militia at Poplar Springs, Georgia. Gresham “wrote myself a furlough, signed it up by all officers, and went home afoot” to check on his father. His father was home “safe but sick abed.” William Gresham, his father died on 4 October 1864.
Gresham continues his discussion: In Tennessee in October 1864 while on a scouting expedition with other members of the Walton Tigers, they surprised a squad of enemy cavalry and after a sharp battle the Federals were routed and the Walton troops took away a “prize captive – a side of bacon.” The next information is about his capture. The battle began on 15 December 1864 at Nashville, Tennessee between General John B. Hood and General George T. Thomas who were protecting Nashville. Late on the afternoon of the 16th orders were given for a retreat and the troops split – some going right and some going over a hill which included Gresham. At some point in the battle, Gresham had put on a pair of Yankee pants which almost got him killed. The captors demanded that he remove them and as he was complying another Yankee with a group of prisoners came and ordered him to “fall in.” Thus, Gresham became a Prisoner of War on 16 December 1864 at Nashville, Tennessee. He reached prison at Johnson’s Island, Sandusky, Ohio at 6 p.m. 22 December 1864. He wrote a “Short sketch of prison life on Johnson Island Ohio” describing his time at the prison which describes his march and transportation to the prison and how he returned to Georgia after his release 16 June 1865. (A transcript of that sketch is attached.)
Notes:
1.There is another book, “I Fear I Shall Never Leave This Island – Life in a Civil War Prison” by David R. Bush which uses letters between prisoner, Captain Wesley Makely and his wife, Kate to describe the effects of the prison upon the soldier and his family.
2. Friends of Johnson’s Island is working to preserve the site: http://johnsonsisland.heidelberg.edu/
Prepared by Annette M. Wade, Historian of the James Monroe Gresham Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Social Circle, Walton County, GA.