Cadets of the Georgia Military Institute
Much
has been written over the years about the role that the cadets of the Georgia
Military Institute (GMI) played in the latter days of the Civil War. They did indeed distinguish themselves
in battle against some of the Union's
best and most seasoned infantry and cavalry. These were school boys, ages
16-18, from mostly wealthier families from all over
Georgia,
Tennessee,
South
Carolina,
and Alabama,
who in May 1864 were pressed into the service of the Confederacy. Indeed
one of the cadets of Co. A, Julius L. Brown, was the son of then
Georgia
governor Joseph E. Brown. The GMI was located in
Marietta,
GA
and was a fine military school with excellent discipline. The cadets were
splendidly drilled and exhibited courage in action that would have been the envy
of many regular army units. They
were commanded by Maj. Frank W. Capers of the school and in May of 1864 were
assigned to serve under General Hood in the army of General Joseph E.
Johnston. They became known as "Caper's Battalion."
They saw their
first action on the
14th of May, 1864,
when ordered to fill a gap in the line at the battle of Resaca. They took
their positions behind a rail fence and soon came up against the 9th
Illinois
Mounted Infantry. Lt. James S. Oates stated in his memoirs, "It was during
the advance of that day that we came in contact with the Georgia Cadets, from
the Military Institute in Marietta,
who had come out from the woods at Resaca and formed their line behind a rail
fence. After a volley from the cadets, which killed several of our men,
our regiment charged them."
They fought throughout the remainder of the
Atlanta
Campaign and were involved in a number of battles with
Sherman’s
troops as
he marched to Savannah.
One of the actions that are often sited when the cadets of GMI are spoken of is
their part in the defense of the bridge crossing the
Oconee
River
south of Milledgeville. It was November
24, 1864.
The bridge was defended by an unlikely assemblage of this and that. The
defending force consisted of the 4th KY mounted infantry (the Orphan Brigade),
commanded by acting Major, Capt. John Weller, a group of convicts in prison garb
from the Milledgeville penitentiary on one flank and a battalion of cadets from
GMI on the other.
Quoting Capt. Weller:
"The
convicts were dressed in prison garb, and were hardened in appearance, but calm
and brave. The cadets were, of course, very young, some of them certainly
not over fourteen years of age. The Federals advanced their line of skirmishers,
and firing commenced. The bravery of the school boys was the glory of this
fight. Several of their number were carried off wounded
and dying. I can never forget the looks of one little boy as four convicts
carried him on a stretcher to the rear. His handsome young face, with
the
flush of fever on it, and the resolute expression of his eyes, indicated
that he fully realized the situation."
The southerners were vastly out
numbered but acquitted themselves proudly and succeeded in delaying
Sherman's
march to Savannah.
The cadets were outstanding in their part and performed with great
valor.
This is an excerpt from the rather lengthy report of Maj. Gen.
Henry C. Wayne, found in the Official Reports (OR's)
reflecting upon, amongst other things, the cadets of the GMI.
S.
C., S.
GA.,
MID. & E. FLA., & WEST. N. C. [ChAP.
LXV.]
Report of Maj. Gen. Henry C. Wayne, Adjutant and
Inspector
General,
Georgia
Militia.
STATE OF GEORGIA, ADJT. AND INSP. GENERAL’S
OFFICE
Milledgeville, February
6, 1865.
To
Major Capers I am under the greatest obligations. His qualifications for
military command are of the highest order, and entitle him to a prominent
position. They have been brilliantly illustrated by the Corps of Cadets, whose
gallantry, discipline, and skill equal anything I have seen in any military
service. I cannot speak too highly of these youths, who go into a fight as
cheerfully as they would enter a ball-room, and with the silence and steadiness
of veterans.
"The Georgia Cadets were the last organized Confederate
soldiers on duty east of the Mississippi river, and their last service, as the
first, was on provost duty, guarding the city of Augusta, Ga., and the
Confederate arsenals and army stores of that city. They obeyed the last
order of a Confederate officer, Major-General Lafayette
McLaws. That order was issued after the
surrenders of General Lee and General Johnston and was dated May
1, 1865,
and they served under that order till the
20th of May 1865...
"SPECIAL ORDER. - headquarters,
Augusta,
Ga
May
1, 1865.
The battalion of Georgia Cadets will proceed at once to the city hall, in the
city of Augusta,
taking one day's rations with them, and will bivouac there until further orders,
for the purpose of preserving order in said city. They will suppress all
disturbances and will make such details for the preservation of order and
property as may be called for by Major Henry Bryan, Inspector general.
Upon the zeal and honor of this battalion rests the good name of
their state
and the safety of Augusta.
"On
the
20th of May, 1865,
the battalion was disbanded, and the cadets returned to their respective homes.
Thus the boy soldiers of the South, and of
Georgia,
were the last to do duty in the cause of the Confederate States of
America.
In their manhood they have made good citizens, and are now fast passing from the
active scenes of life forever."
Respectfully submitted,
ROBERT L. RODGERS Historian of Georgia Cadets'
Association
Atlanta,
Ga.,
December
25, 1905.
Four
of these cadets, all found on the roster of Co.
B, were Schley
County
boys. Here is what I have been able to find on them.
Seaborn
Montgomery, Jr.
Fourth Sergeant, Cadet Montgomery, of Ellaville,
Schley Co., is mentioned in an article about Caper's Battalion of GMI Cadets in
a May
4, 1890
edition of The Atlanta
Constitution. This is a brief excerpt from a very lengthy article.
........"They were taken sick, and died, and went to their long home, to rest
from war. Poor boys, they were cut off
in life early, but they did
their duty up to the death as men. Of those who died after they went on
furlough, I remember Johnnie McLeod, of Emanuel county; Seab. Montgomery of Schley county, and Edmond Jordan, of
Washington
county............... The article was authored by
Judge Robert L. Rogers, one of the cadets. Seaborn Montgomery, Jr. is buried in
Ellaville
Cemetery.
A photo of his marker, contributed by Richard McCrory
can be viewed at https://sites.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ga/schley/photos/tombstones/ph1183seabornm.jpg
Ophilo
V. Lamar
Private, Ophilo
V. Lamar, Ellaville
Ga.
1850
Sumter Co. Census 30th Dist. 25
Sept., 1850
513
153 Thomas C. Lamar 29 M physician
Mary 21
F
Mary 3
F
Orfillo V. 1
M
CENSUS YR: 1860
TERRITORY: GA COUNTY: Sumter
DIVISION: District 27 -
Americus
REEL NO: M653 PAGE NO: 467
REFERENCE: Enumerated by
A. N. Bruce
3 786
792 Lamar T.
C. 36
M
Physician
20,000 50,000
GA
4 786 792
Lamar M.
E. 28
F
GA
5 786 792
Lamar Orpila
11
M
GA
X
6 786 792
Lamar Charles
W. 8 M
GA
7 786 792
Lamar
Imogene 5
F
GA
8 786 792
Lamar
Peter 3
M
GA
9 786 792
Lamar
John 3/12
M
GA
1870 Sumter Co. Census, page 13 27th Dist., City of
Americus,
6
June 1870.
115/115 Andrews, Lewis F.W. 65 M W Physician/Editor
Penn
Mary E. 38 F W Keeps House 4000 2000 Ga
Lew L. 2 M W
GA
Lamar, Orfilo V. 21 M W Bookeeper ---
800 Ga
Charles W. 18 M W Farmer
GA
Imogene 15 F W At Home
GA
Peter 12 M W At School Ga
1930 Muscogee Co.
Census, GMD 773 Columbus Precinct 7, April 8, 1930,
sheet
6B.
1309/63/98 Lamar, O.V. Head O 9000 R MW 80 M 30 Ga(all)
Sallie W. Wife FW 73 M
22
Thomas B. Son MW 40 S
Name: Orfila V Lamar
Death Date: 24 Dec
1933
County of Death:
Muscogee
Certificate: 29429
Burial location is
unknown.
T.
Green Cheney
Private, T. G(reen) Cheney,
Ellaville,
Ga.
T.G.
Cheney was a brother of Dr. John N. Cheney, a very influential citizen of Schley
Co. Their father W.W, Cheney moves
the entire family and their house from Oglethorpe in 1858 to a location believed to be 4 miles
east of Ellaville, to escape a smallpox epidemic in that town. What follows is a transcription of T.G.
Cheney’s pension application from 1905..
QUESTIONS
FOR APPLICANT
State of Georgia
Schley County
T.G. Cheney of
said state and county, desiring to avail himself of the Pension Act (Section
1254, Code), hereby submits his proofs, and after being duly sworn true answers
to make to the following questions, deposes and answers as
follows:
1. What is your name and where do you reside?
T.G. Cheney, Schley
County,
Georgia
2.
How long and since when have you been a resident of this state? all my life
3. When and where were you
born? Lawrence
County,
March
7th 1847
4.
When and where and in what company and regiment did you enlist or serve?
June 1864 at Marietta,
Ga.
in Co.
B, Battalion of Cadets
5.
How long did you remain in such company and regiment? one year
6. When and where was your
company and regiment surrendered and discharged? May or
April 1865 at Milledgeville,
Ga.
7.
Were you present with your company and regiment when it was surrendered? I
was
8. If not present, state specifically and clearly where
you were, when you let your command, for what cause and by whose
authority? I was present
9. How much can you earn per
annum by your own exertions or labor? Very
little
10. What has been your occupation since 1865? Dentist
11. Upon which of the following grounds do you
base your application for pension, viz: first
"age and poverty," second, "infirmity and poverty," or third, "blindness and
poverty"? 1st & 3rd
12. If upon the
first ground, state how long you have been in such condition that you could not
earn your support? If upon the second, give a full and complete history if
the infirmity and it's extent? If upon the third,
state whether you are totally blind and when and where you lost your
sight? Five years--unable to make my support on account of my eyesight
failed
13. What property, real and personal, do you possess, and its
gross value? No property
14.
What property, real or personal, did you possess in 1894, 1895, 1896,1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1902, and what disposition,
if any, by sale or gift, have you made of same? owned (?) no property
15. In what county did you
reside during these years, and what property did you then return for
taxation? Schley
County,
Ga., return no property
16. How were you supported
during the years 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1902? By my
family
17. How much did your support cost for each of those years,
and what portion did you contribute thereto by your own labor or income?
support $100.00. I contributed very
little.
18. What was your employment during 1898, 1899,
1901, and 1902? What pay did you receive in each year? Dentist--very little
19. Have you a family? If
so, who composes such family? Give their means of support? Have they
a homestead, or other property? Their ages and how employed? wife and daughter. Daughter is Millina.
20. Are you receiving any pension? If
so, what amount and for what disability? No
21. Have you ever made
an application for pension before? one
last-
22. How many applications have you ever made and under what
class? Only this class & ???? fail to reach commissioner
T.G. Cheney
Sworn to
and subscribed before me this the 23rd day of August 1905.
P.E. Taylor,
Ordinary of Schley
County.
QUESTIONS
FOR WITNESS
State of Georgia
Stewart County
O.V. Lamar of said
state and county, having been presented as a witness in support of the
application of T.G. Cheney for pension under section 1254, Code, and after being
duly sworn true answers to make to the following questions, deposes and answers
as follows:
1. What is your name and
where do you reside? O.V. Lamar,
Richland,
Ga.
2.
Are you acquainted with T.G. Cheney, the applicant; if so, how long have you known him? Yes--we were raised as
neighbors.
3. Where does he reside, and how long and since
when has he been a resident of this state? at
Ellaville,
Ga.--all
his life
4. When and where and in what company and regiment
did he enlist, and how do you know? Co.
B, Georgia Battalion of Cadets
5.
Were you a member of the same company and regiment?
Yes
6. How long did he perform regular military duty?
We were in service about one year.
7. When and where was his
command surrendered? At Milledgeville in April '65 in my
recollection.
8. Were you present when it
surrendered? Yes.
9. Was applicant present?
Yes.
10. If he was not present, where was
he? He was present. When did he leave his command? Never left it. For what
cause? No answer. By what authority he left? No
answer. How do you know all of this? I was there & we were
together--sleeping under same blanket.
11. What property, effects or
income has the applicant? From everything I learn, he has no property nor income.
12. What property, effects or
income did the applicant possess in 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1902,
and what disposition, if any did he make of same? I do not now of any
property he possessed during the years noted or any income.
13. Has he conveyed away any of his property in the last four years;
if so, what was it, and to whom? If he had any
property, I never knowed it.
14. What is
applicant's occupation and physical condition? He practiced dentistry for
a time, but his health was such that he could not continue in
business.
15. Is the applicant unable to support himself by labor of any
sort; if so, why? From his appearance, I would say that he was incompetent
to support himself or to do any labor.
16. How was he
supported during the years 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1902? I have understood that some relative was
contributing to his support.
17. What portion of his support for these
four years was derived from his own labor or income? I should say
none.
18. Give a full and complete statement of the applicant's physical
condition that entitles him to a pension under Section 1254, Code? By
reason of his age & poverty in family & poverty, he is unable to support
himself by his own exertion or labor.
19. Who composes family? What
property have they? Children's
age and their earning capacity? Has wife & one child
(daughter)--I do not know of any property they possess.
20. What interest
have you in the recovery of a pension by this
applicant? None
whatsoever.
O.V. Lamar, Witness
Sworn to and subscribed
before me, this, the 8th day of Sept. 1905.
Phil E. Taylor,
Ordinary.
AFFIDAVIT OF PHYSICIANS
State of
Georgia
Schley County
Personally came before me J.R. Jordan and B.L.
Bridges, both known to me as reputable physicians of said county, who being
severally sworn, say on oath that they examined carefully T. G. Cheney,
applicant for pension under Section 1254, Code, and after such personal
examination say that his precise physical condition is as follows: His physical condition is such as to
render him unable to make a support for self, cause being from infirmity &
loss of eye sight, and that we have no interest in said pension being
allowed.
J.R. Jordan, MD
B.L. Bridges, MD
Sworn to and
subscribed before me, this, the 8th day of Sept. 1905
Phil E. Taylor,
Ordinary.
1860 Schley Co. Census
146
CHANEY, W.W. 40 M farmer
Sarah 50
F
John N. 14
M
Greene H. 13 M
Mary C. 7
F
BROWNING, Harrison
24
M farming
Dr. T.G. Cheney's date of death and place of burial is unknown
to me.
Newton
Clark Stevens
Private, N(ewton) C(lark) Stevens,
Ellaville,
Ga.,
AKA "Dick" Stevens.

The information contained here is
contributed by Judith Gresham judo53@chartermi.net Much of it was supplied to her by Donna Corales Lowry and her mother Gloria Stevens Corales.
1. NEWTON CLARK5 STEVENS son of
Hampton Stevens and Attalissa Sparks was born 18 March
1846 in Harris County, GA, and died 28 January 1909 in Ama, LA. He
married (1) ANNIE WEST 03
December 1879
in Sumter
County,
FL. She was born Abt. 1858 in AL,
and died Bef. 1886. He married (2) MARY ANNA LANDRY 20
January 1886 in At the home of her brother Julian Landy in Thiboduax, LA, daughter
of SIMON LANDRY and MARY CHESTNUT.
She was born 22 September 1863 in Crevasse Settlement, Darrow, LA, and died 17 April 1954 in New Orleans,
LA.
From
the Marion
County News dated 11-8-1889
Mr.
N. C. Stevens of Darrow La,
is here visiting relatives. He is
the brother of Hamp Stevens and Messrs. Stevens of
Putnam. He left
Marion
County
15 years ago.
Obituary
of Dr. N.C. Stevens : From the " Ascension Parish Chief"
newspaper of February 1, 1909.
"
The announcement of the death of Dr. N. C. Stevens, which appeared in the New Orleans papers of the 29th ultimo,
carried a pang of sorrow and regret to the hearts of many of the residents of this parish who will recall him as a
highly esteemed and respected citizen and physician of the community for a
number of years. Dr. Stevens
formerly resided in the village of Darrow, where he
built up a successful and lucrative practice and acquired a prominent position
in public affairs. He served on the
school board and at the time of his removal from the state was Chairman of the
Democratic parish committee. He was
happily married to Miss Anna Landry, daughter of the late Widow Julien Landry, who for may years after the death of her
husband and up to the time of her own passing away was a well-known resident of
that portion of the sixth ward commonly known as Crevasse
Settlement.
Having
acquired a comfortable competence, Dr. Stevens temporarily abandoned the
practice of his profession and moved to Florida,
where he purchased land and embarked in fruit culture with a view particularly
of establishing an extensive orange grove.
Inclement weather and other unfavorable conditions rendered this venture
unsuccessful, and the doctor subsequently returned to
Louisiana
with his family and resumed the practice of Medicine, locating at Ama in the parish of St.
Charles,
where he continued to reside up to the time of his death. He manifested the same patriotic
interest in public affairs in St.
Charles
that he had previously done in Ascension, and became there, as he was here, a
prominent and much respected citizen.
He
had been in ill health for many months, but insisted upon attending to his
professional duties until further exertion was impossible. He was taken to the New Orleans
Sanitarium and subjected to an operation in the hopes of prolonging his life,
but the relief was only temporary and he passed away on the 28th of January, a
few days after his return home from the city. The remains were brought to
Donaldsonville on Saturday, January 30, and laid to rest in the Catholic
cemetery [ ERROR:
actually, Protestant
Cemetery],
attended by the bereaved widow and children and other sorrowing relatives and
friends to whom the sincere sympathies of The Chief are
extended.
Dr.
Stevens was a native of Georgia
and his age at death was 62 years."
Pension:
After his death, his wife Anna Landry applied for and received his Civil War
pension.
More
About NEWTON
CLARK
STEVENS:
Burial:
30
January 1909,
Protestant
Cemetery,
Donaldsonville,
LA
Education:
1875, graduated
from the University
of Maryland
School
of Medicine, Baltimore,
MD
Military
service: Bet. 1862 - May 1865, Attended
Georgia
Military Institute (20 mi. from Atlanta)
and with other cadets served in the Civil War. These cadets were said to be the last
troops east of the Mississippi
River
to give up their arms.
Marriage
Notes for NEWTON
STEVENS and ANNIE WEST:
From
the Marion
County Patriot dated 12-13-1879
N.
C. Stevens of Leesburg, Florida married on the 3rd of December 1879 to Annie
West in Sumter County, Florida
Notes
for MARY ANNA LANDRY:
She
was born September
22, 1863
in "Crevasse Settlement", Darrow,
LA
during a raid by Doyal's Home Guard on a Federal troop
at Darrow.
Her father was a member of Doyal's Company but
was probably not strong enough to fight with the other Confederates that
night.
Mary
Anna Landry was still a minor when her father's mother, Rosalie Justine (Braud) Landry died on December
20, 1883. Her father had died in 1865 and Anna and
her only surviving sibling, Julien Omer Landry, were
the heirs to 1/3 of her grandmother's estate. On January
10, 1884
Anna was legally emancipated so that the estate could be settled, and in this
way became one of the owners of "the Ascension Parish" property that is still
owned by Stevens heirs today.
Burial:
18
April 1954,
Protestant
Cemetery,
Donaldsonville,
LA
Marriage
Notes for NEWTON
STEVENS and MARY LANDRY:
From
an Ascension Parish Newspaper (name of periodical unknown) in February,
1886:
"STEVENS
- LANDRY. At
Thibodaux,
La.,on Wednesday,
January 30, 1896. Dr.
N.C.
Stevens to Miss ANNA LANDRY of Ascension.
Dr.
Stevens, who came to Ascension nearly two years ago, from Florida, and located
himself in Darrowville for the practice of his
profession, has established an enviable reputation as a physician and public
spirited citizen, and is widely esteemed.
His chosen bride is the daughter of the late Mrs. Julien Landry, a most estimable and attractive young lady,
greatly admired by all who know her.
The marriage took place at the residence of Mr. J. O. Landry, the bride's
brother, and the couple have taken up their residence at the Doctor's home in
Darrowville, where we hope they will reap the choicest
blessings that can attend the union of loving hearts and
hands."
Child
of NEWTON
STEVENS and ANNIE WEST is:
i. WILLIAM
WEST6 STEVENS, b. February 1882; d. 25 August 1885, Pickens County,
AL at the age of 3 years, 6 months.
Children
of NEWTON
STEVENS and MARY LANDRY are:
ii. AMELIA
FLORIDA6 STEVENS, b. 26 August 1887, Wildewood, FL; d. 10 September 1959, New Orleans,
LA.
Notes
for AMELIA FLORIDA
STEVENS:
Amelia's
middle name, Florida, was chosen by her father. She was born in
Florida
during the period that her father and mother were attempting to operate an
orange grove. Amelia Stevens never
married.
Occupation:
initially was trained to be a school teacher, but in her later years she was
Postmistress of the Ama, LA Post Office which she
maintained in her family's home..
iii. ROSALIE
STEVENS, b. 12 December 1888, Acscension Parrish, LA;
d. 19
December 1888.
2.
iv.
LAWRENCE
HAMPTON
STEVENS, b. 30
August 1890,
Darrow,
LA;
d. 10
March 1979,
New
Orleans,
LA.
3.
v. ANNIE WEST STEVENS,
b. 19
February 1893;
d. 04
April 1989,
Shreveport,
LA.
vi. MARTHA
LILLIE STEVENS, b. 18 October 1895, Elkhorn, LA; d. 07 August 1983, San Antonio,
TX.
Notes
for MARTHA LILLIE STEVENS:
"Bebe" never married.
She left Louisiana
in September of 1921 to teach school in San
Antonio,
TX. Her best friend at the
Louisiana
Normal
in Natchitoches,
LA
was Charlie Ross, who was sent to live with her aunt in
San
Antonio
after her mother's death. Charlie
Ross was terribly lonely in San Antonio, got a teaching application for BeBe and sent it to her; BeBe filled it
out and mailed it in, and before she knew it, she had been accepted for a
teaching position in the San Antonio Public School System and was on her way to
Texas.
vii. NEWTON CLARK STEVENS, JR., b. 15 August 1898;
d. 07 November 1959, New Orleans, LA; m. EUPHROSINE PETIT, 26 October 1946,
Louisiana
viii. DAVID
HAROLD STEVENS, b. 05 July 1900, "Rock House" Ama,
LA.
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