Supplies for Company A,
5th Virginia Cavalry

L. Roane Hunt & Mary Barnett

When the 5th Virginia Cavalry was reorganized in the Spring of 1862, Company A was formed from the  Gloucester Light Dragoons of the old Virginia Militia.  John W. Puller was elected Captain of the Gloucester Light Dragoons on November 19, 1859, and May 7, 1861,¹ when they enlisted in 5th Virginia Cavalry at Gloucester Court House.  The Gloucester men spent their first year of service at Gloucester Point, attached as a cavalry squadron to the 26th Virginia Infantry.  They also maintained an outpost in Guinea.² 

In the latter part of 1861, Company A was sent to York County and stayed at the “Half Way House” on the main road from Yorktown to Hampton.  (See Map.³)  A. S. Hughes, a member of the 5th Virginia Cavalry, Co. A, gave an inter­esting account of the early months of this group.⁴ 

“Entering the army April, 1861, we carried the first cannon to Gloucester Point and there camped for nearly a year, doing picket duty at various places while there.  The latter part of 1861, we were transferred over to Yorktown, Virginia, across the York River, by means of schooners only staying there a short while before we were transferred to what was known as the “Half Way House” between Yorktown and Hampton, near Bethel Church, where the first battle was fought.  While stationed at this point, we destroyed a number of boats on Back River to prevent negroes from escaping and going to the Yankee Army.  We also destroyed a Grist mill to prevent its use by the Yankees.”

“During the engagement of the MERRIMAC and MONITOR in Hampton Roads we were ordered to attack by land, driving the Yankees out of a town which is now known as Newport News, Virginia, there, defeating them.  C. J. Ware lost his hat in this engagement.  In charging the enemy at this point the ground was so soft, very little headway could be made.  We were then ordered back to Bethel Church and at this time General Magruder came up with his troops and, thinking we were the enemy, came very near firing on us.  We were ordered again to the Half-Way-House with General Magruder and his troops, engaging the enemy, defeat­ing them and causing them to retreat to Hampton under the protection of ships.  We then camped at Bethel Church for pickett duty at Sawyer Swamp, Floating Bridge and Bennet’s Store.  At this point the enemy engaged us for battle and we fell back to Yorktown Virginia.  At this point General Magruder was ordered to dismount and give countersign, thinking he was one of the enemy and it was also at this place did Lieutenant Ray, of the James City Cavalry was badly wounded.  The steady advancing of the enemy caused us to fall back into Yorktown proper. 

Capt. Junius Brutus Browne 5th Va. Cav., Co. A

There, we formed into line of battle but were ordered to retreat to Gloucester Point.  Yorktown, having been surren­dered to the Yankees, we kept on to King and Queen Counties. Having reached the Half-Way-House between Richmond and Petersburg, we were ordered to Richmond for general duty for some time.  At this place, we were given Lances with our flags and they called us the ‘BUTTERFLY REGIMENT.’”

In December, 1862, John W. Puller was pro­moted to Major, and on December 18, 1962, Junius Brutus Browne was promoted and assigned Captain of Company A.⁵  He had served this group at the rank of Lieu­tenant since November 19, 1859.  This unit went on to participate in much of the war activities and were present in the final event at Appomattox, VA.

Thomas Benjamin Rowe, born in 1818, en­listed in Company A on July 22, 1861, but was dis­charged for overage on July 15, 1862, at the age of 43.⁶  He was a farmer and operated the Freeport Wharf and Store on the Piankatank River.  Portions of the store accounts now belong to Mrs. Mary Barnett that refer to various supplies that were charged to individual members of company A.  The accounts consist of money due Captain Browne and paid to him contained in two small booklets made of small sheets of paper sewn together as a binding.  A photo-copy of the booklet, opened to the first two pages is presented on page 18 in its actual size.  Some of the lines were marked “Pd.”  Also, there were lists of payments and other entries of payments in the booklets.

The tables presented include only the charges due Captain Browne and were derived from the two booklets.  The full names and identification were derived from the book entitled, “5th Virginia Cavalry” by Robert J. Driver, Jr., and the federal census for 1850 through 1880 that has been published by Cy Rilee. 

First two pages of Booklet: Memorandum Book For Cap. T. B. Browne

Company A consisted of Gloucester men that were related to each other by family, marriage, and neighbors in various communities.  Captain Browne married Emily Roane in 1851, who was a sister of George Alvin Roane of Company A.  George married Margaret Booth immediately after the war on December 7, 1865.  They had one daughter, but George died in 1868.  George’s widow then married John Henry Leigh, also from Company A.  Mary Booth, sister of Margaret, married William Burnett Catlett of Company A.  Margaret and Mary were nieces of Robert Munford Sinclair of Company A.  Robert Sinclair was a brother to John Sinclair and a brother-in-law to Lt. James Christopher Baytop, both of Company A.

There were six Leavitts from Gloucester enlisted in Company A of the 5th Vir­ginia Cavalry: Edward A., William R., William Franklin, John William, James A., and Wyndahm H. Leavitt.  Although Wyndahm’s death was recorded as February 14, 1865, ⁷ he was listed in the marriage records in his marriage to Bettie A. Pointer on February 11, 1875 and he was a long time resident of the county.  Many of the Leavitts were distinguished citizens in county affairs after the war.

 While the Gloucester men of the 26th Virginia Infantry waited at Gloucester Point and South of Richmond to fight for about two and a half years, the Company A of the 5th Virginia Cavalry were on the move.  They were killed and captured along the way and many were captured upon their home visits.  In the Fall of 1862, they were in Maryland, and then they crossed over into Northern Virginia where Hugh A. South was captured in October, 1862, in Warrenton. ⁸  In 1863, two men were captured in Gloucester: Peter B. Hughes in January and James B. Hughes in November. ⁹  In May 1863, Charles H. Harper and Christopher Marriott Swan were captured at Thompson’s Cross Roads near Chancellorsville. ¹⁰  In October John W. Puryear was captured at Upperville near Culpeper. ¹¹ 

Thomas Benjamin Rowe

In the first three months of 1864, the men of Company A received furloughs to rest their horses and themselves and to visit their homes.  Their instructions were to meet at Orange Courthouse on April 1.  This was the time of raids by the federal troops into King and Queen, Gloucester, and Mathews Counties. ¹²  John R. Lamberth, Thomas E. Lamberth, and Adrian Summerfield Lawson were captured in King and Queen County.  Two men were killed in Gloucester: Francis A. (Frank) Covan and Vincent D. Edwards.   Fourteen men were captured in Gloucester: D. T. Biggs, William Burwell Catlett, Atwood C. Chapman, Robert J. Clements, Marcellus J. Cochew, Robert J. Coleman, James Monroe Dobson, Elijah F. Dutton, Maris Vernon Kerns, Thomas R. Leigh, Willoughby Wingfield Mason, William J. D. Pointer, John Hairstron Seawell, and Thomas B. Stubblefield.  Later in 1864, William Peter R. Leigh was capture in King and Queen County and William Jefferson Jeremiah Thrift and John W. Thurston were capture in Gloucester. 

In the Spring of 1864, Henry C. Hughes was captured at Ellicott’s, Stephen Decatur Rowe was captured at Yellow Tavern, and Theodore W. Thrift was captured at Hanover.  In the Fall, Joseph F. Diggs, William C. Diggs, Richard Henry Hogg, James Lee Philpott, Samuel Duval Pointer, George Alvin Roane, and Emanuel Jones Thurston were all captured at Luray on September 24, 1864. ¹³  Cincinnatus J. Ware was killed in upper King and Queen County in November, 1864. ¹⁴ 

In the Spring on April 4, 1865, James Christopher Baytop and James S. Gwynn were captured at Dinwiddie Courthouse, and John H. Hogg, Andrew J. Sale, and Samuel C. Shield were captured at Five Forks.  On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered at nearby Appomattox.  Many of the men of Company A of the 5th Virginia Cavalry enlisted in the War as experienced soldiers, and consequently, they were assigned a very active part in the war activities for its full duration. ¹⁵ 

References:

1. Driver, Robert J., Jr., 5th Virginia Cavalry, H. E. Howard, Lynchburg, VA, 1997, Pg. 245.

2. Smith, Elizabeth Page, Steadfast Faith: The Proving Years, Fine Books Division, William Byrd Press, Richmond, VA, 1990, Pg. 12.

3. Driver, Robert J., Jr., 5th Virginia Cavalry, H. E. Howard, Lynchburg, VA, 1997, Pg. 23.

4. Smith, Nellie Shackleford, Reminiscences: Confederate Soldiers of Gloucester County, Virginia, Sally Tompkins Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy, of Gloucester County, Virginia, Pg. 54-56.

5. Driver, Robert J., Jr., 5th Virginia Cavalry, H. E. Howard, Lynchburg, VA, 1997, Pg. 189.
   Ibid. Pg. 250.

6. Ibid. Pg. 228.

7. Ibid. Pg. 40-42, 255.

8. Ibid. Pg. 220.

9. Ibid. Pg. 51, 215, 257.

10. Ibid. Pg. 62-65, 245.

11. Ibid. Pg. 71-72.

12. Ibid. Pg. 87-89.

13. Ibid. Pg. 263.

14. Ibid. Pg. 105-108.