I87078: Moses CROWSON Rev. (6 Oct 1778

Notes

Census: 1820 Shelby Co., Alabama
Census: 1830 Shelby Co., Alabama
Census: 1840 Fayette Co., Tennessee
Census: 1850 Carroll Co., Mississippi, in the home of his son-in-law, John Pruden

Martha McMillan (Wife) b. 1780 in Tennessee Marriage: ABT. 1803 in Tennessee
Children:
Peggy Margaret Crowson b. About. 1803 in Giles Co., Tennessee
Richard Wood Crowson b. About. 1804 in Sevier Co., Tennessee
Sarah Crowson b. 27 Mar 1807 in Tennessee
John Jasper Crowson b. About. 1813 in Alabama
William Samuel Crowson b. 1814 in Giles Co., Tennessee
Mary Jane Crowson b. 1816 in Tennessee d. Feb 1878 in Florence, Texas + John B. Pruden (Husband) b. 1803 in Ft. Redstone, Washington Co., Penn
Henry P. Crowson b. About. 1818
Martha Crowson b. 1821

Moses was a Baptist Minister who helped organize churches in Alabama and Mississippi and served as a pastor for several of them. Although born in N. Carolina in 1778, he lived at various times in Alabama, Tenn. and Miss. with the family of his son in law, John Pruden. It is not known when or where he died.

Moses and Richard were mentioned in the will settlement of William Crowson in Montgomery, Alabama, dated 1816. Moses returned to Tennessee in 1830.

From the Flournoy Rivers manuscrips, published in the Pulaski Citizen

1895 -98; Moses was appointed guardian of William, Mary and Hightower

Crowson, orphans of William Crowson, 1814, page 512. In December 1815 Moses relinquished guardianship, as Gilly had remarried to Joseph Love.

By the marriage of Moses to Rhoda Aydelott Maroney they had no children of their own, however Moses become the guardian ofRhoda's daughter, who was also named "rhoda" - Shelby County Records, 4 August 1829, page 284. The bond of Moses Crowson as guardian of Rhoda Maroney, minorheir of Isaac Maroney, dec'd. Another entry states that Moses Crowson who has been appointed guardian of Rhoda Maroney, minor heir of Isaac maroney, dec'd is desirous of moving to Tennessee: also of removing said ward and her effects to Tennessee. Dated 9 Dec.1830.

Notes

22 May 1696: 11 Jun 1694, Rappahannock D&W 6-296: Be it known unto all men by these presents that I JOHN DOUGHTY of Essex County Planter by reason of an intermarriage between me and the widow Graves do give unto THE THREE CHILDREN OF FRANCES GRAVES NAMELY FRANCIS, RICHARD AND THOMAS GRAVES as followeth

Item one cow named Bowlden Locks with her female encrease marked with two crops two underkeels and a nick in each underkeel unto my son-in-law [stepson] Francis Graves and his heirs.

Item I give unto my other son-in-law [stepson] Richard Graves one cow named Good luck marked with two half spades taken at the upper side of the ear her and her female encrease forever

Item I give unto Thomas Graves one cow calfe called Merygold marked two crops and a hole in the left ear her and her female encrease forever as witness my hand this twenty second day of May 1694.
Wit: Chas. Rodes, John Maguffey.
John D. Doughty.

Notes

"Accidentally shot himself with shotgun while pulling it through barbedwire fence. Had just helped his pregnant wife get through fence." Father: John W. Jackson b: 9 Dec 1856
Mother: Nancy Elizabeth Banester b: 10 Nov 1862.
Children
Arthur Theora (Ora) Jackson b: 9 Feb 1900 in Toxey, Choctaw, Alabama, d. 1961 Longview, Gregg Co. Texas. After William Campbell died, Ora kept his children; Roy, Clarence, and Ruby most of the time. These were her half brothers and half sister. ^[S2153]

Notes

Gen. Richard Taylor (son of Pres. Z. Taylor) of St. Charles Parish, Louisiana was placed in command of the Louisiana Brigade, which included Maj. Chatham Roberdeau Wheat's notorious battalion of "Louisiana Tigers," and proved vital to Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's brilliant Shenandoah Valley campaign during the spring of 1862.

"When LSU was moved to choose a nickname, it chose that of the 1st Special Battalion under the command of Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat, the Louisiana Tigers, CSA.

The PROVING ground The Mexican War gave future civil war generals their first taste of combat by JOHN C. WAUGH: Chatham Roberdeau Wheat would one day lead a famous Louisiana battalion called "Wheat's Tigers" into battle for the Confederacy. He would fight and die in the Battle of Gaines' Mill, Virginia, in 1862. But that was still some 15 years in the future; right now, the young law student's attention was directed toward adventure in another conflict, the Mexican War of the 1840s. There, whether he lived or died, he would be a winner, a hero. In his own florid fashion, he wrote: "I would ask for no greater glory--while our spirits should wing their flight to a brighter & a better world where we should enlist under the captaincy of Great Michael and mingle with the hosts of Heaven--and...with Washington & the heroes that have gone before, hang out our banners from the battlements of Heaven & let the shout of our exulting voices ring from arch to arch of heaven's bright canopy."

"Roberdeau Wheat is a widely-known and favorite family hero. Reared as a southern gentleman, and given a fine education, he chose the life of a soldier from all the options open to him. Immensely popular everywhere he went, Rob was destined to be a great leader. A giant of a man, he was known for his gentleness and selfless consideration of others. The crowning glory of his life was as the commander of the fiercest battalion in either army in the War Between the States.

The eldest of eight children, Chatham Roberdeau Wheat attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA and entered the University of Nashville in 1842 where he studied law. Upon receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree, he relocated to New Orleans where he had hoped to be accepted in the law office of his cousin Thomas Wolfe. This did not work out as planned, so he went to Memphis to prepare for his admission to the bar.

While Rob was in Memphis, the President called for volunteers to defend the new state of Texas against the Mexican forces. Rob was the first man in Memphis to enlist and was elected Second Lieutenant in a cavalry company, the Eagle Guards. They were one of ten companies mustered in Jun 15, 1846, and organized into the First Tennessee Mounted Regiment where Rob was elected by his peers Assistant Second Lieutenant. In the spring of 1847 he was in Jalapa, Mexico and had been elected Captain. While recruiting he came down with yellow fever. The exact battles he participated in are unknown. His company was mustered out in May 1848.

Upon returning to his parents home in Nashville, Rob found his first love, Maria Cheatham, had become engaged to marry someone else. That fall he went back to New Orleans to finish his studies and was admitted to the bar in early 1849.

Rob soon became absorbed in the efforts to liberate Cuba from the Spanish. He recruited men to form a skeletal regiment. On board the brig Susan Loud, he gave a rousing speech in which he referred to his men as Soldiers of the Liberating Army of Cuba, for they were to sail without the sanction or protection of the U.S. government. Their U.S. flag was replaced by a Cuban flag and they were under the command of General Lopez. The troops were transferred to the Creole and continued their journey, landing in Cardenas. They took the town, but much to their dismay, they found the local citizens to be wholly apathetic to being "liberated" and unwilling to join the mere 600 Liberators against a fast approaching force of 3,000 Spanish troops. Both the Colonel and Rob were wounded, Rob's being a minor shoulder wound. They were chased by the Spanish galleon Pizzaro into Key West.

U.S. warrants for the arrest of all participants were issued on the grounds they had violated the Neutrality Act of 1818. But when the first trial, that of Judah P. Benjamin, produced a hung jury three times, ending in a mistrial, all charges were dropped. The only significant achievement for Rob in the fiasco was that he proved his genius in rallying and gaining the confidence of the most desperate and unruly men.

In 1851 Rob returned to Mexico to assist Carvajal in his revolution to establish constitutional reforms and promote trade with the United States. He directed Carvajal's artillery during the siege of Matamoras and was slightly injured in the attack on Cerralvo. Again drawing criticism from the U.S. government, the group was soon disbanded.

By July 1852 Rob was back in New Orleans practicing law and campaigning as an ardent Whig for his old commander, General Winfield Scott, who was running for President. Having become quite well-known himself, Rob was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives at the age of 26. He was described by a fellow New Orleanean as "...a noble fellow, young and ardent, indangerous emprize. He was a pet with the generals of the Mexican War. The ladies of the Crescent City frequently speak of his flashing, darkeyes, his frank ingenuous countenance, and his Herculean, but graceful frame. A favored mortal, who at his age, can win the confidence of roughsoldiers and arouse to palpitation and fluttering the swelling bosom of fairmaiden".

Finding politics too confining and dull, Rob was soon back in Mexico where he joined in Alvarez's fight against Santa Anna. In 1855 the governor of the State of Guerrero offered him a brigadier generalship. The appointment was made on April 10, the day after his twenty-ninth birthday. He later joined Garibaldi in Italy but was soon headed home with the outbreak of the War Between the States in his native land.

Arriving too late to receive a choice command position, Roberdeau set about raising a company of Volunteers to serve in the Army of Louisiana. He named his new company the Old Dominion Guards. They were joined by the Tiger Rifles and the Walker Guards, and soon by the Rough and Ready Rangers and the Delta Rangers, in the formation of a battalion. They lost the Rough and Ready Rangers, but acquired the Catahoula Guerrillas. All were under Rob's command. Most of Rob's recruits were gathered from the levees and alleys of New Orleans. They were described as "...the lowest scrapings of the Mississippi and New Orleans" who "neither fear God, man or the Devil." It was said that Wheat was the only man in the Confederate army who could handle so unruly a command as the Louisiana Tigers. This wild band of brawlers idolized their leader, who was described by General Jackson as "too brave ever to think of himself."

Given a Confederate Army commission of Major, Wheat took his men by train to Lynchburg and then to Manassas. On July 21, 1861, they were fully engaged in the Battle of Manassas. When they found themselves "in the face of a very large force-- some ten or twelve thousand in number," they suffered heavy casualties while crossing an open field. Rob and some of his men managed to reach cover behind some hay-stacks and were able to fire heavily on the enemy. Dismounting his horse to bring up the rest of his command, Rob was stuck by a rifled ball which passed from side to side through his body, piercing one of his lungs. Under Captain Buhoup, the Catahoula Guerrillas made a litter out of muskets and carried their beloved commander to safety while under intense fire. Rob protested, "Lay me down, boys. You must save yourselves." Buhoup and his men refused to desert him.

The Major was taken to a field hospital where the doctors shook their heads and warned him the wound would prove fatal. To this he replied, "I don't feel like dying yet."

"But there is no instance on record of recovery from such a wound," said one doctor.

"Well, then," came Wheat's response, "I will put my case on record."

Amazingly, Rob did survive and was able to rejoin his battalion at Manassas on September 14. When his men heard he was coming, they marched two miles to greet him, only to find he had stopped on the road because he was too weak to complete the journey. The following day, they made the same trek again to welcome their beloved major. By March of 1862, he was fully recovered.

While he was away, Rob found his Tigers had further built up their reputation and were greatly feared by men on both sides. They were regarded as "tigers...in human form" who, if not fighting the enemy, would get drunk and start a fight with another unit or throw a brawl amongst themselves. These repeated incidents probably cost Rob a much-deserved promotion.

In May they were ordered to join Stonewall Jackson at New Market. His first encounter with the Louisianans was to observe the regimental band striking up a waltz, and the men, Cajuns from the Bayou Teche country, began to dance. "Thoughtless fellows for serious work", he commented. He was very soon to change his mind about them. On May 23, 1862, Wheat's Battalion and the Marylanders fired into the Yankee pickets about a mile from Front Royal. The town was full of Yankee soldiers. They were soon routed by Wheat's Battalion, the Maryland Regiment and the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Louisiana. The Union soldiers literally ran in terror.

Jackson continued his famous Valley campaign, and in twenty days, the Louisiana troops marched over 200 miles, fought in five actions, three of which were severe, and several skirmishes.

The troops were then moved to Gaines' Mill where they met with McClellan's army. Under heavy fire, the Louisianans wavered and fell back. Furious at the setback, Rob rode forward to get a better view of the enemy's position. Over the protests of his men, he spurred his horse and rode within forty paces of the Yankee lines. Under a sudden volley, both he and his horse were struck. A ball had passed through his head. As he lay dying, he murmered, "Bury me on the field, boys."

Having lost two of their commanders in the battle, the Louisiana Brigade, for the first time in its history, broke and had to be withdrawn from the fight. Major Boyd rode up to a battle-weary Tiger who was openly crying.

"What's the matter?" asked Boyd.

"They have killed the old Major," sobbed the Tiger, "and I am going home.""
Source: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/4555/Rob5.htm

Notes

DAR Patriot Index Centennial Edition, Pg 3244: Wilson: David: b 4-11-1742 SC d 6-8-1812 SC m (1) x (2) Jane Morrow PS SC

There is also a David Wilson (may be yours) listed on Pg. 1001 in ROSTER OF SOUTH CAROLINA PATRIOTS IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION by Bobby Gilmer Moss: Wilson, David; He served in the militia and was at the fall of Charleston. Yearbook, 1897.

My Southern Family

Rev. Moses CROWSON

6 Oct 1778 - AFT 1862

ID Number: I87078

Notes

Sources

John D. DOUGHTY

ABT 1630 - BET 1704 AND 0000

ID Number: I20804

Notes

Sources

Elizabeth DUDLEY

ABT 1826 - ____

ID Number: I12120

Sources

Irvine HITE

ABT 1820 - ____

ID Number: I83757

Sources

Arthur Lafayette JACKSON

2 Nov 1879 - 2 Jun 1899

ID Number: I3339

Notes

Sources

Sir RICHARD Edward LACON Knt.

ABT 1450 - 1 Jul 1503

ID Number: I74474

Sources

John SANDERS

ABT 1710 - ____

ID Number: I58553

Sources

Martha Alma SANDIDGE

24 Feb 1885 - 10 Dec 1954

ID Number: I35778

Sources

Mary Adelaide SOULE

ABT 1840 - ____

ID Number: I49270

Sources

Maj. Chatham Roberdeau WHEAT C.S.A.

9 Apr 1826 - 27 Jun 1862

ID Number: I39099

Notes

Sources

Col. David D. WILSON

ABT 1800 - ____

ID Number: I33408

Notes

Sources