William Anglin, Civil War Soldier THE JOURNEY

I finally avoided enough technical difficulties to be able to scan and resize the pages from my Anglin records book to be able to tell William's story from the day he joined the 58th NC until he reached the battle grounds at Chickamauga, GA, on Sept. 20th, where he was wounded.  A couple of these pages were in my last post about him, but for the sake of making the story flow, I will repost them here. 

Each of the picture units I will put up here are from various sources, including books, online records - including those of the journals of his superior officers, and actual visitations we made to the sites, where I made pictures.  In this story, of the troop movements during training, and as Federal Troops advanced pushing them further south before they engaged them in major battle, you will see that the 58th NC zigzagged along what is now known as Interstate 75, which was not even a road back then.  More than likely they were following the roads of the time between the small towns that had built up along waterways and railroad tracks. In many cases, the railroad had become the new connection between the towns that used to be accessible only by wagon roads and waterways.  The maps from Google which I am posting here, show the railway lines that have changed very little since then.  During my research, I discovered what a major part the Railway played in every aspect of the movement of men and supplies.  In this part we will not get to the burial story.  We will only get him from Yancey Co, NC into TN and then south to Chickamauga, GA.  So let's begin, with the details I was able to find----

William Anglin was a member of Company G of the 58th NC Confederate Troops.  In recent days, it has become less politically correct to admit to being descended from a Confederate Soldier.  But it bears saying that many of these soldiers were conscripted or in danger of dying if they didn't join. I can't say whether William wanted to fight for the south or not.  Many of the younger men were fired up and ready to join.  But William didn't join when some of the other men in his county did. All I know, is that with Federal Troops quickly approaching, these men's lives were on the line.  Many of them had kin in Virginia, where Federal Troops already held strongholds, and where many of their grandparents' cousins had already joined ranks with the North. Some men, in the county, fled into the caves of the deep backwoods of Mt. Mitchell, and settled in to fight for their land and families, or ride out the war hiding those families preferring at high risk not to join at all. Some headed north to join approaching troops, because they didn't want to fight against them.  Some followed cousins and brothers and fathers and friends in hopes of defending what they hoped would be their own county...But whatever the decision, it was also dangerous to not choose.
 
CAPTAIN JOHN L PHILLIPS

NORTH CAROLINA TROOPS 1861 - 1865 A Roster
        Vol. XIV, INFANTRY
          57th-58th, 60th-61st Regiments
Below is a copy of the Title page from this book, which is one in a large set of books that lists the rosters of soldiers in NC.  From the Raleigh, NC Div. of Archives and History, 1998, this set of books resides at the Chickamauga Battlefield Library, along with the Fuller Gun Museum, in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.    One of the many park rangers, whose job it is to protect and inform visitors to the park, where the battle occurred, are happy to help you research, if you have names and info to guide them.  It only took the gentleman who helped us a few minutes to come back with scans of these pages which focused directly on the soldiers I was asking him about. 

On page 359 we find the record for Co. G, which includes Raborn B. Anglin and William Anglin, Jr.:



The lightly highlighted Anglin, William Jr. at the bottom left of the page, is our ancestor.

It reads:

 

"Born in Yancey County* where he resided as a farmer prior to enlisting Yancey County at age 34, July 11, 1862, for the war. Mustered in as Musician (Fifer). reported absent sick on company muster roll dated July 11, 1862 - February 28, 1863.  Returned to duty in March - April, 1863.  Deserted at Clinton, Tennessee. May 26, 1863. Reduced to ranks prior to July 1st, 1863. Returned to duty prior to September 20, 1863, when he was wounded at Chickamauga, Georgia. Died on October 5, 1863, of wounds. Place of death not reported."

 

Before I explain what the notes mean, notice the Raborn B. Anglin above him. This entry is for his younger brother, Raburn Breckinridge Anglin. It reads:

 

"Born in Yancey County* where he resided as a farmer prior to enlisting in Yancey County at age 29, July 11, 1862, for the war. Mustered in as Sergeant. reported present through April 30, 1863. Transferred to Company C of the regiment on June 1, 1863."

 

This entry says they enlisted on the same day, but another entry I found, indicated they enlisted a few days apart.  In fact, that entry said Raburn enlisted a few days earlier.  This is where finding as many documents as you can helps to iron out things.  The entry for their unit commander above, says that the unit was organized on July 11th.  So it appears they joined together.  I haven't followed the movements of Co. C, to which Raburn was transferred on June 1st.  It appears that Raburn changed units within days of his brother being reported as deserted, along with a whole lot of other men in the unit. I will explain that more as the story unfolds.

 

Technically, neither of the men were born into Yancey, Co. Only because Yancey didn't become a county until 1833, and both boys were born by 1832.  But while they were toddlers, in a family with 6 children at the time, the place where they lived became Yancey Co. NC. They would see 2 more sisters born before war was to tear their lives apart. 

I am not certain when William married Sarah Caroline McIntosh (Sally), but by the time he enlisted, he and Sally had 4 children, and possibly a newborn baby girl, or were expecting little Mary at the time. She was born in 1862. James their oldest lived til 1894, but Jona and Silas died as children??it seems.  They show up on one census and then don't the next.  I haven't found them as young adults, as farm laborors elsewhere, or anywhere else.  Family didn't even know they existed, so I have wondered if gravestones in the Anglin/Ball Cemetery, which don't have names and can't be ID'd exactly, might be them.  So much disease was prevalent that death was hitting many families very hard during this time. For now, that's all I know about them.

 

I play out scenarios in my head concerning whether William ever got to see baby Mary or not. No one I asked in the family seemed to know. But one thing is for sure. Her older brother, William's son Robert (Bob) John Anglin, lived to be my Great-grandfather.  

 

Both William and Raburn were farmers by trade.  I can't help but wonder if they were farming tobacco at that time. Did they take time to plant before leaving for war so family would be fed? Can you imagine, William worrying over Sally at home with several children, one of whom was a new baby, or maybe even unborn? Can you imagine hearing that the Northern Soldiers were coming right on the heels of them being enlisted, into the county - taking anything they wished from the families for the use of the soldiers?  Can you imagine how much they wanted to return home to protect them?  Some, who were accused of deserting, wrote letters home, saying they were cut off by both soldiers from the north and from the south, so couldn't come home, and couldn't return to their units.  Hiding, hungry, helpless. William was not one of these as far as we know.

 

Let's discuss his age--

 I entered 1826 from his stone in the Anglin/Ball Cemetery into my record before I found more records..

 
The 1850 Census for Yancey Co. shows William 21 and Sarah 23 with new baby James, who is 1.

  According to this, William would be born in 1829... or about age 33 to 34 in 1862. Since his tombstone says he was born in 1826.  Maybe a typo?  Number inversion?

 

"In the 1860 Census I find the family listed as Wm Angland, Jr., with his father listed above him, (next door) as Wm Angland Sr. with Elizabeth. There are two children listed here that I find no where else ever (Jona and Silas.) Brother Raburn Angland lives next door w his wife Sarah C." WCA  Little did they know their lives were about to be turned upside down.... but I didn't record the age from this record.

 

Another record of his enlistment stated that he didn't enlist until the 15th - a few days after Raburn:

"William was enlisted in Co. G, 58th. North Carolina Infantry Regiment. The unit was formed on July 11, 1862. Four days later, William enlisted on July 15, 1862. Records state he was 34 years old, and 5' 10" in height. His unit was mustered into service of the C.S.A. on July 24, 1862. Co. G. was sent to Johnson City, TN for drill instruction and received limited dry run training in the nearby local Tennessee mountains. The company received their first battle orders on or about Aug 26, 1862."WCA/JRW

So most records say age 34, therefore being born 1829, if we do the math. 

 

( I love the description of him.  And this record says exactly where the unit was sent from Yancey County.)

 

So in spite of the minor discrepancies, we know that this farmer, who must have known a little something about playing a fife, (flute), or music of some kind, left believing he was going to be in the same unit as his brother, and would be playing in the Fife and Drum Corp. The notes a Fifer played indicated what the calls and commands of the officers were, above the din of war.  Something that was unusual about all this was that at age 34, he was only months from being exempt from service.  In fact, if he actually was born in 1826 he would have been age 36.  One year older than the age for conscription.  He should have been able to bow out, in either case perhaps, but with Northern troops pressing in on them, and his brother being required to go no matter what, he enlisted.  If he waited 4 days, it suggests he may have had a difficult time making that decision. 

 

This scanned image from the same book, is of a plate shared by Mrs. J. C. Todd of Lenoir, NC as an example of how a Fifer would have been dressed. According to the Park Ranger to whom I spoke, they also would have carried weaponry.  He also explained to me that William would have been trained with a unit of men who played either the Fife or drums, and the cadence of the drums would sound the marching pace, but the fifes would sound the command.  A commander, on horseback, would have stayed behind the marching unit of infantry, the cavalry, the artillery and the unit playing the fifes and drums. When he called his command, the men in the midst of fire couldn't have heard the human voice making the calls. So the person leading the Music Corp had better hear him, and get it right. His unit would then, play the command.  This took hours of practice and precision, which we see began when the unit left  Yancey Co. NC and began drill in Johnson City, TN.

 

They had moved NW through the mountains, along a well used, but very mountainous path to just over the NC/TN line, eventually working toward the North Border of Kentucky and Tennessee, near the Cumberland Gap. They were expected to ward off the southward moving Federal troops from coming through a place in the Cumberland Gap, due only to their sheer numbers. congregating on that line.  They joined troops from Tennessee, but because of the proximity to the Kentucky line, it was learned that there were double agents suspected to be among their ranks. It set a bad Omen over them from the beginning.  Their leadership began to be suspicious of all the men coming out of NC. A lot is written about how difficult it was for the men to regain the trust lost because of a few.  Had the northern troops known how sick these men coming from various areas were becoming, they could have won the war on the TN/KTY border.  But perhaps the Northern troops were experiencing the illnesses too.

 

A third record is transcribed below: Notice that Raburn had begun as a 2nd Sgt. in Co. C, according to this record but was reduced to Private by 1864.  He was "paroled" in 1865 from Greensboro.  It appears he was taken prisoner and held for about a year.:

 

 

 On this list we find an 18 year old James G. Anglin,  a William Anglin who died in Macon, and another William who enlisted out of Boone, NC. Two of these men, also from Yancey Co, NC were in Co C with Raburn. Had they been transferred when Raburn was? Did that leave our William without familiar family around him? Could they still see one another on occasion?  I haven't sorted out who the other men belong to in the larger family, but it does attest to the Anglin family being larger than just our line. ( I believe it is James G. Anglin and the William Anglin who died in Macon who were also brothers.)

 

There is a notation on Our William's records that say he was MWIA. As it does with the cousin who died in Macon as well. I found the above information that gives explanation on a roster for  Cajun Confederate troops. It means MORTALLY WOUNDED IN ACTION. Not an immediate death, but one that comes as a result of the wounds over a course of days or months.

 

This occurred for William at Chickamauga - so how did he get to that fateful day? I was curious, so I read for days through the journals of his units, and a story emerged. Let me use maps to help us know how it happened. Beginning at the Cumberland Gap:

 

On this map, courtesy of Google, we can see that the 58th NC was doing drills and joining forces with TN troops where VA, Kty, & TN come together.  They are almost due North of Knoxville.  As more and more men arrive, they bring diseases - The units begin their surge south anticipating the congregation of Northern troops moving south as well, through Western NC and to the West of them, moving through TN. The 58th began a zigzag pattern of movement...I don't remember if I wrote down every town, but I am sure I picked up on most of the places where they changed direction..
They moved SW to La Follette, Tn. where the trains came in from the North. The train tracks cross modern day I-75 just SW of here.  They turned sharply SE and probably used the water to help transport them to an area where they camped just NW of what is now Norris Lake. They then changed direction again and moved down through areas near Norris TN, crossing what would be Modern I-75, heading to Clinton, TN.  (see map:)

By February 28, 1863, William has been sick for a long time. But he returned to duty by March/April musters. He was among the lucky ones - for now. At Delap TN, in Campbell Co, there is a cemetery record that indicates the worst of it took lives in the 58th camp. An Alice Coker helped a visitor searching for her ancestors find the graves of the men from the 58th. A record from Campbell Co. Gen Web's Cemetery Census reads as follows:
"From the visitor Coker learned that records showed members of the 58th Regiment of the Confederate Army of NC were buried at Delap....'The winter of 1862-1863 at Delay was a very harsh winter,' Coker found after doing more research. 'Over 1000 men came from Cumberland Gap where Tennesseans had joined the troops. (The regiment was formed at Camp Martin in Mitchell County, NC.) The regiment was assigned to guard Big Creek Gap.' ....Records show that a total of 50 men died while camped in the Jacksboro area."

According to Silver Threads 50 known are listed, but over 100 who died in the area are interred there.
Many men whose families could not understand where their Confederate soldier disappeared to, may have been buried in this cemetery after succumbing to severe illness.

But as the men began to re-enter ranks, it was deemed to be close enough to their home in Yancey, NC and Mitchell Co. that it was the last chance to give these men leave.  According to the report I read, with excerpts from the officers involved, it was thought that leave was given officially.  Men from the 58th were supposed to take 2 weeks to go home before the troops began their hard push south toward Chattanooga. Not all were given leave naturally, but those who had been sickest were thought to benefit from visiting with families.  One young man, let his men go, and discovered too late, that the leave had been rescinded. Among those men, now on an illegal leave, was William Anglin.  Rumors and some reports suggested that a few of the men who left, planned to join Northern troops. Some, including at least one of the Silver men who became entrapped by Federal troops moving south, found themselves unable to go home, nor to return to their own units fearing capture by the Northern troops amassing from every direction, and were reported as AWOL.  It appeared that William was also reported as AWOL, but returned to his unit within the time allotted and faced an investigation. 

Without the aid of "cell phones", or even "land lines and radios"..how were they supposed to know their leave was cancelled? Did William make it home and return, unaware of charges severe enough to almost get him hanged? Or did messengers, sent out, reach him before he arrived back in Yancey?  Somehow, William only received a reduction in rank, and lost his right to be in the Musicians Corp.  He now had to learn how to be a grunt and fast.  Without former training in that area, he must become an infantryman. Good with a gun, not a flute.  Most mountain men would have no trouble with the gun part.  But now, he would be out front where men's lives were definitely in jeopardy.  No less than many others, but what a shock, especially for someone who had done nothing but want to check on family, and perhaps see that baby. I believe there were at least 8 who were hanged because they weren't cleared of being traitors.  What a burden hanging over his very tired head! No pun intended.

Thus, by Clinton TN his record was marred, and an heir of mistrust hung over his head. Clinton is West of where I-75 runs SE toward Knoxville.

 

 

Here's  a close up: on modern maps, the Railroad goes directly from Clinton into Knoxville and back toward Mars Hill, or Asheville, NC.

 



From Clinton, the movement of the 58th got serious.  They covered a lot of ground around Oak Ridge, sagging SW to Kingston.  (From our Hawkwatch on Soddy Mtn/FlatTop, we can see the Kingston Steam stacks, on a clear day.) Kingston is just NE of what is now Watt's Bar Lake and NW of  Loudon.  Remember there were no Dams on these rivers at the time. It's difficult to know exactly if these men traveled at this point over land or by water. But they arrived to an encampment just West of what is now known as Fort Loudon Lake.  Another Severe change of direction toward the East.  Some time was spent here in preparation of heading into concentrations of northern troops heading into and already established near and south of Chattanooga. They were well aware of large concentrations of "enemy" moving in similar paths to their own, but further west.  But the northern troops arriving ahead of them, were already destroying Railroad connections, especially the one at Ringgold.  The station there was ....well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.  Suffice it to say that little town will play an important role in this story, later.

The zigzags stay East of the present path of I-75 from this point on until Chattanooga.  The 58th moved SW toward Lenoir City and to Loudon, then swung SE to the Tellico area. They swung West toward Sweetwater but abruptly began a more southerly track.

Please note that these maps are scans of pages from my book, so they contain a bit of repeat in the info on the pages.  But seeing the picture of these troops using waterways and Railways, much differently than we imagine in the 21st century is important to understanding William's story. We must see him having difficulty with food and water, with fresh clothes, and everyday life. They had been weakened by the illnesses, and there weren't vitamins for them to take.  This long hard trek was taking its toll.  Any chance to ride down a river on a barge, or catch a train was welcome.  But heavy rains were beginning to make the roads difficult to travel.  So they sometimes stayed off the roads for more than the obvious military reasons.

 The above map appears to have the men arrive directly into Chickamauga.  But in actuality, they passed further South to somewhere between Lafayette, Ga., and Chickamauga.  They set up camp, and were told to sleep, wake early and get nourished before moving out toward the battle grounds. What actually happened, was they were awakened to a command to move out.  They were being required to face the long day of battle without food.  They were much too tired from the long push from near Sweetwater South, to be going without food, but that is exactly what they had to do. That was critical, because during the last two days of marching, making the final push to arrive to the staging areas around the upcoming battle grounds, they had eaten little to nothing.  Someone wrote of a man saying he would have killed for a biscuit, he was so hungry.  And after the battle, it wasn't much better. Especially for wounded men left behind lying in the mud.

My heart ached already for the hardships William had suffered over these difficult months. But the next two days to 3 weeks of his life just are heart wrenching!! He is positioned after a long march into great numbers of men converging onto a major battle, without having the benefit of food that had been promised them for days.  They arrived on the 19th, the fateful day would be the 20th.
I am stopping here for now.  Part 2 we will discuss the battle itself.  Not in detail, but getting us through the day on the 20th, to understand in general where the 58th was and when during the day.  If there is anything to look forward to in this story, it is that these brave men pushed back the Federal Troops, and won the day.  Some say that they had something to prove.  But they did it at great cost. 

Following part 2, Part 3 will begin to discuss William's battle for life as a wounded warrior, he was moved with the hospital units ever further south, into unfamiliar places  until he could go no more. I may break part 3 into two parts. One that will deal with the story of Ringgold, and its amazing place in his story.  And then end Part 3 with the Story of the Confederate Cemetery, and the Railroad story that continues even to that beautiful place.   The railroad is the thread that weaves throughout this story, and I almost wrote the whole story out of Railroad documents about these years and in places along this route.  There are so many stories.  But also the medical records -- the place where I actually found the whole truth about why William would have been where all along the way after being wounded.  I had to rule out battles, hospitals, other wounded men, and men killed in train wrecks before I go to the truth.  But once I had dug through the records, I had satisfied myself, that the record most definitely indicates that he is indeed buried in the Confederate Cemetery as his stone in Yancey Co. NC indicates.  I can't place him at a specific stone yet in that Cemetery, but I can place him in the Hospital Section of burial plots.

I am so glad to actually be getting these materials on the blog.  I hope scanners etc continue to work so I can continue to post the materials with the pictures and visuals I have collected. It becomes more believable to most people.  There will be a couple of interesting side stories, so stick to it, and read --- don't scan the material.  It's your story, if you are a descendant of William Anglin, Jr., the Confederate Soldier.

Isaac Anglin, Revolutionary Soldier

I am interrupting my Saga on William Anglin, Civil War Soldier, to make a report on what I have just discovered about Isaac Anglin, the Revolutionary Soldier!  Isaac is William's Grandfather, and the first of our Anglin line to come to Burke/Yancey Co, NC. He was a member of the 12th Company, moving to the frontier as a defender of the "western" frontier, to make improvements on and provide protection to the pioneers and their families, including his own - onto land given in payment for fighting for the birth of our new nation.  Land, not money was paid the soldiers under Washington.  And these Virginia soldiers, who were being given a new location on the NC frontier, traveled together with their families to begin new lives as friends, comrades, and countrymen.

I just discovered a web page which identifies Isaac as a Continental Soldier, who fought at Valley Forge that rugged winter that was so cold, famous in books and paintings, where men stood by George Washington to defend freedom from England's rule.  What is given is Isaac's release from Service, after having served 3 years. 
WHAT A STORY!  Ck it out ~ Isaac's release.


Checking to verify I am making the proper connection, but am so excited to find this tidbit.  CW

One other thing I learned while researching tonight, was that the Anglin men often wrote their "i" with a loop and a very tiny dot. More often than not it looked like an e, and was very often written by others confirming a document as and e.  Thus both Anglin and Anglen will appear on the very same document in different hands. 
Always Learning! 

Much thanks to this page for the info!

The Family Link - Anglin Civil War Soldiers

Suel Anglin has left a new comment on your post "Civil War":

"Hello, I've enjoyed reading all of your information. I would like to add as a matter of interest that William and Raburn Anglin from the Cane River area were the uncles of the two other men you've mentioned. James and William who joined on the same day were also brothers. William and Rabe were brothers to their father, John William Anglin (1819-1898) from Jack's Creek. So there were two sets of brothers from Yancey county and both of the Williams did not survive."

Mr. Suel Anglin left the above comment on our last blog, and I felt it was worthy of adding to the blog for all to see.  The information he gives is true, and will help a number of readers understand the broad connection of the cousins, uncles, fathers, sons, who were all dedicating themselves to one another and their community by joining together, when called to do so.

In the years since Isaac Anglin came to Yancey County the family had grown through several generations, and since I am not well informed about the details of these extended families, I often don't make comments about them.  But it's necessary to know that these families are interconnected to see a much large picture.  And to understand the impact a war like the Civil War could have on a community like Yancey, or any other where so many were kin.  But these men had cousins and in-laws in multitudes of other family names as well, so the story takes on a new perspective, when we realize that the units formed from this community were mostly extended family.

The following is my response to Suel, (with edits) to whom I am most thankful for the comment.  And welcome more insight as we proceed down the path from these men joining the Civil War to the Battle at Chickamauga, where "our" William was wounded.  Suel's comment will help us understand that more than one William must be followed to understand the truth, and the whole story:

"You are so right Suel.  In an earlier post and to many family members, I have tried to explain this, but for the sake of simplicity as I discuss our William I haven't broken it down.  I will however post your comment and affirm it for the sake of those who are reading the blog.  Every time I try to include all the extended cousins, when explaining things to our family, I get confused looks.  It tends to be too much information.  My take is that, in fact there are so many extended cousins of all these men, that practically the whole unit was family, which makes the story both more tragic and more wonderful at the same time.  It makes for me, a story of courage and conviction that brings war on our own soil into perspective unlike the wars of modern eras.  It also makes me think a lot about the family that was left behind as their men were "forced" to leave.  The Anglin Legacy as a whole is  a blessing to my heart.  And I do want all the family to know there were many of our extended ancestry who were involved.  It actually goes way beyond NC. There are Anglin men who were involved in every state, from Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and beyond. And not all were Confederate soldiers.  It is always in the back of my mind, how true the statement is that the war pitted brothers and cousins against one another, often without them even knowing they were facing kin.  It boiled down sometimes to which faction reached them first to enlist or conscript soldiers, and less on what anyone believed about the political issues of the war. But for our men, their homes, families, lands, and heritage were on the line. It is important for all the soldiers of the Yancey and surrounding counties whose name was Anglin to know their connection.

This post war document, of surviving soldiers and their wives who were due benefits, includes a William B. Anglin, who was a member of the 29th NC, enlisted in 1864 and was also dismissed in 1864, but experienced Typhoid, Mumps and Measles while enlisted. This attests to the fact that many troops were weakened by illness, more than once during their enlistments. Many, like our own William, went into battle weakened from illness, lack of food, and long marches
without rest.  Here we have another William, but one who survived. Knowing the details helps us distinguish one from the other.

 

I wish I had more time to give to telling the story.  I had hoped to have been much further into what I know about the progress of the 58th NC by now. But I will continue to tell the story in the perspective of "our" William Anglin, because the story is to focus on the only man about whom I know the details. I have spent a lot of time tracing him, by the dates, so I could answer my own questions about where he was when he died, and to confirm that he is buried at Marietta. It is his story that I know how to tell. But welcome the comments of others, who may have insight along the way.  May I say that I was going to post the picture I have of the page out of a book at Chickamauga, which shows the men you speak of.  Perhaps now is a good time to include it.

 

Thank you so much for following the blog.  I will try to put more effort into posting the story, knowing there are some who are looking forward to knowing more.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Wilkerson"

The above pages and the one below were some of the first information we found about the Angin Civil War Soldiers.  This page from the noncommissioned Roster shows 2 of the Anglin men, and was found at the library at Chickamauga Battlefield. The one highlighted in yellow is "our" William Anglin, JR, Private. This information tells us he was wounded at Chickamauga, Ga, and died on Oct. 5, 1863.  The last statement that says where he died and thus is buried, is unreported. That statement began to haunt me.  I wanted to find this man.  His memorial tombstone in the family cemetery in Yancey Co, NC, states he is buried in Marietta Confederate Cemetery. * (see the Anglin burials page for more info.)  So someone had gone before me to find his grave.  But how could I find the timeline, that would lead me there?  What proof could I offer to readers?  I discovered the truth, partly in the records that showed the month by month movement of the 58th NC, and after he was wounded and separated from them, in the medical records of the movement of wounded soldiers, and where those records indicated wounded men would have been moved at certain dates along the way.  We start with these rosters, to trace the story.

The section of Anglin men listed below is from another roster found online. It includes some of the men to whom Suel Anglin refers above. The last entry is another reference to "our" William, which reiterates some of the information from above. There is a slight discrepancy in the enlistment dates, but this info tells us he was MWIA/Mortally Wounded In Action.  .

  Below the line on this page is information, a quote, I found from notes in an unrelated roster in another state, when I researched the meaning of the Initials listed in the Rosters, ie. MWIA, in our case. Upon further research I discovered it means he died from the effects of his wounds, at some time after being wounded

 

Civil War Casualty - William Anglin Part 1

Today is Memorial Day. All through the past year I have wished to tell the story of William Anglin's Military Record, and what led to his being buried in the Confederate Cemetery in Marietta, Ga.  There is so much to tell, as we begin with the day he joined to the day he died.  The story begins in Yancey Co, NC., includes how he became sick, and survived when many other's died, how he was accused of deserting while in the northeast counties of Tennessee and how while all this was going on, he had a new baby girl born back at home. Had he indeed deserted, he would have been hanged along with a number of men who were hanged, including a Silver cousin.  But the whole story written by an officer himself who had  given them leave to go home, tells another story all together.  When leave was rescinded, there were no cell phones to call them back.  So many of the unit never received the order to return to ranks immediately. Upon return in two weeks, William found himself facing a serious accusation of deserting. He didn't die when the sickness had killed several hundred others. He didn't get hanged when the desertion trials led to somewhere between 8 and 13 hangings.  He also didn't die on the trek south toward the looming Battle of Chickamauga from starvation, when they had so little to eat, and so little time to eat it. ( An interesting story is told of a young man who chased a rabbit into Yankee camp, on a promise to get his ailing brother something to eat. It was so comical to the opposing troops, that he somehow wasn't shot.  But since men on both sides were hungry, it's a wonder he wasn't shot for the rabbit.)
  The preservation of God followed William through the battle at Chickamauga as well.  Although, wounded, he didn't die. From September 20th to October 5th he managed to hang on, fighting for his life from military hospital to military hospital as they transported wounded troops by train ever farther south from the Tennessee border, toward Atlanta, as Northern troops pushed them.  He went from the  battlefield, to Ringgold, then by train to Dalton, and again by train to Marrietta.  Homes and businesses along the Railroad tracks were used for makeshift Hospitals all along the way. Care was minimal, due to the overwhelming need, but was the best available at the time. Doctors came from Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas to help. And some from South Ga and Florida. Nurses came from towns nearby and many volunteered.  At one point, it was recorded by the volunteers that the men ate stale bread and horse meat, slept on the ground, often muddy and cold, and the most relief was given when straw bales were dropped off wagons and someone trudged through the mud and shook it loose so the men could be lifted out of the mud and find rest. Some were kept in local homes along the way, but as they were treated, they often were loaded onto wagons, transported to the rail station, where they remained in pain and cold outside the station, waiting for train cars to make it through. Many hours he would have spent just waiting for someone to help him board a rail car. We don't know the extent of his injuries, if he endured the extreme hardship of an amputation, or was burned on the battlefield when the fires erupted as many were. I know if he were merely shot, he might have been sent back to duty soon, not moved a couple hundred miles from hospital to hospital. So I shrink when I think that he may have suffered incredibly before his death with no way to subdue the pain, little food or drink to give him strength, and staying often wet and or muddy, and cold.  But, finally, about 5 days after all the injured troops from the Chickamauga battles had arrived to the Marrieta hospitals, William could endure no more. He lost his fight to survive. 

How do I know this is what happened to him?  Well, his name is not on rosters of men somewhere, that say all these men were here, and here and here.  But instead, with men arriving and dying everyday, they became numbers, statistics and dates. But the records kept by the medical staffs and recorded in military fashion are definitive. It is possible to track the wounded from the 58th and know that by a certain date their troops began arriving to a certain location and also, that by a certain date they were all moved to a new location.  Knowing the date he died, tells me all.

There weren't enough wagons to get them all to help in time.  The wagons were stranded by the roadsides according to one book I read. In that day, men were moved on foot and by rail. Some on horses. It seemed as though no one was prepared to move masses of wounded men from battle fields to hospitals. Unlike the Revolutionary War, when families were often in wagons nearby, this war left families miles behind.  It was left to a medical corps to wait on someone to bring the wounded to them.
One young lady, went out with what food she could gather, with a man who had a wagon to see how they might help and found themselves moving men from stranded  wagons and carts, or from those laid across donkeys or carried by any means possible. Some were being carried on the backs of friends who took turns carrying comrades until they could no longer and traded with another who hoped to help.  What she didn't say was that these men carrying a comrade on their backs trying to get them to help, were often brothers and cousins, at least as it was in the 58th NC. We don't know how long William awaited help in the first place. Triage was given at a tiny building atop the ridge above Chickamauga. From there they were to be taken to Ringgold, to a massive tent unit.  Due to fires, rain and mud, the transfer wasn't so simple. We don't know how quickly he got the help he needed or the extent of his injuries.

 William was eventually given the military tag on his record: MWIA - Mortally Wounded In Action.  I had initially thought it meant Missing/Wounded in Action.  But I found where a doctor from Louisiana wrote out the information, and described the script. Upon further research, MWIA, definitely meant that it was because of his wounds, that he finally died.  But we don't know what those wounds were specifically.  After three weeks, most deaths were due to infections that set up, or pneumonia.  Some seemed to be from lack of nutrition to rebuild the body, and organs began to fail. None of the above seems fathomable to me. I simply can't imagine how he held on and went through all he did.

The more I knew of William, the more I cared about him. Loved him, appreciated his ability to hang on through sickness, and false accusation, and fight...only to be wounded and fight for life some more.  The courage and inner strength this man had to have brings me to tears. Literally. I stood at the Ringgold train station, and when the train came by, I could imagine him hopeful, aboard that train, wanting to find renewal at the next stop.  I read that the care given at Dalton was very good. He must have had reason to believe, but there was no rest for the weary. As Northern troops approached, the decision was made by the head of the medical staffs, that they would have to move the hospitals further south. So they boarded trains once more with all their wounded men and headed for Marrietta. From the battlefield, without having eaten a decent meal in two days by the way, to the Ringgold tents, to the hospitals nearby, to the Ringgold Train Station, through Tunnel Hill, to Dalton, a short stay in hospitals there, and once again to the Dalton Train station, and finally to Kennesaw where they took the men to various Marietta Hospitals.  In about 10 days he arrived to a new place of safety, but at what cost?
 A group of men coming later from a later battle outside of Ringgold, and some from Chattanooga, were put on a train that encountered fatal consequences at Tunnel Hill.  It took me some time and so much reading of medical reports, for months before I could determine if he was on board that train.  Because the troops who died there, and some who were buried from skirmishes after Chickamauga, were later reburied in the NC section of the Confederate Cemetery, I was initially unsure if William's cemetery lot was among the NC burials or was in the hospital section. It seemed unrealistic to think he wasn't in the NC section, but following the dates, the movements of wounded, and finding that he had to be alive and in Marietta no later than Oct. 1, knowing he died on Oct. 5th, according to his military record, meant he was not in the train disaster at Tunnel Hill. Nor had he died along the way and was among the many who were buried along the routes.  He was in one of the several hospital facilities near Marietta alive. Therefore, he would have been buried, where as men died, and went through the morgue in the large municipal building nearby, they were buried in the hospital section, long before bodies were transferred to the expanding Confederate burial grounds. The Hospital Section was originally an extension of the City Cemetery. It was much later that a decision was made to move the bodies of Confederate Soldiers there.  National cemeteries would not accept their bodies. And some sites were being desecrated. I was relieved to find out that he was at least somewhere that his burial was of some importance to someone. He was in fact buried in the same area where the doctors themselves may have been buried. They also fell victim to the stress and disease that spread through the camps.
 Somewhere, there is a book which gives many of those men's names. If I can find it, William's name may be there.  I believe someone before me found that list, and I believe he was on it, because he has a stone for memorial in the Anglin/Banks Cemetery, on the property at the old homeplace. Someone besides me has come to the same conclusion and may in fact know which is his lot. Yet there are no names of soldiers on the burial stones. As in Ringgold, I stood in the Confederate Cemetery feeling very much a part of his history, and sensing his presense, as a Train coming out of Marietta came very slowly by, having ceased blowing his horn as they passed, and again I cried.

  The connection to the railroad became like a link in a chain that bit by bit brought me to his resting place.  He would have rode the train a lot when they weren't marching to location early on. He would have taken the train home on his leave, before he understood the danger. He would have heard it passing as it ran right by all the hospital facilities.  For weeks on end he was joined to that train.
I have been looking through my book and I want to make every detail of his journey available to any who care.  My husband hates blogs, because if you begin at the beginning, but break the story into segments, it makes the information read backwards.  So although I want to blog the story in parts, I may also copy it to a page so it may be read in sequential order. I am just trying to decide how best to do this. Above, I have a tab for the Civil War, which is intended to make notes about all out ancestors who were in the Civil War.  So the details of the stories, can't all be put there. I believe William deserves the book that could be written about him. So I am considering dedicating a website to him.  But until I find a free option, I will have to settle for the blogs. 

McMahan Silver Connections

I wish I could share the photo posted today of the family of Greenberry Silver's son Thomas and his wife Nancy Silver, who was daughter of our ancestor Thomas Silver and his wife Ellendor. Obviously, Greenberry and the elder Thomas were brothers whose children, cousins, married. Not uncommon in the world at the time. But, Thomas, their son, is named for his mother, a McMahan. Without knowing I cannot discuss if he was from a former marriage, or if he adopted his mother's name, through divorce or birth.
But the photo, itself, is so fascinating for the following reasons:
it is a landscape size photo, extremely well done, circa 1890 to 1910...(without looking it up exactly) which includes the mountainous hills behind the small log home, in front of which the large number of family members stand.  There is a lovely picket fence around the cabin, and a real Conestoga wagon, fully "tarped" to the left of the house, like a modern RV might be parked today. LOL The log home has a traditional posted porch which runs the length of the house, and a lean to style add on to the back of the rectangular building, much like we see in the George Silver home still standing in Kona. There is one huge chimney on the home.

That photo is posted on the private page of Yancey Co. NC Genealogy page, hosted by Mike Shelton, by Paul Chrisawn.

Among the family members, Paul Chrisawn, notes "There are Wilson and Briggs men in this pic who married some of the McMahan girls. Dullie McMahan was my great great grandmother and she married Eddie Moore Wilson."

The Dullie he speaks of is listed among cousins listed in either, Aunt Marie's or Grandmother's Bible, which Teresa Jordan now possesses.  When I was early doing research on our Silver families, those notes more than any helped me put together the family structure. After finding it, and tying it to information in cemeteries. I was able to put together the tree which was the basis for my bringing our family history forward the two generations that connect us to all of them.

This information from Paul's post also mentions that Greenberry's son and his wife are named Thomas Silver McMahan and Nancy Silver.  It is possible to see there would be confusion, knowing that our direct ancestors were Thomas Silver and Nancy Ellendor. But we see that both the children were named for family members. Thomas for his uncle Thomas, and Nancy for her mother, Nancy Ellendor. An interesting connection for these two, beyond the fact that they were cousins. 

Paul notes that the family picture is from the Thomas and Nancy McMahan family home, and they are the elder persons at the center of the photo. It was located in the Bodwitch community. You might view this and other photos and information as it comes up by becoming a member of the Yancey Co Genealogy Facebook community. Joining is by request to the page, Mike Shelton.

Paul also gives their burial place as in the Robinson Cemetery in Yancey Co., NC.

I haven't looked back, but I feel sure I don't have this connection of Thomas Silver McMahan being Greenberry Silver's son. And I will not make it formal in my tree without more information.  But it is noteworthy.  I may find upon looking that there is a son named Thomas named among Greenberry's sons.  I will note this post there, if that proves to be so.
Why only note it? Because it helps me remember to do further research and allows that I not forget the research of another person, which allows me to question and resolve for myself a truth.  I am sure when I die there will be more notes needing resolution, than truths confirmed. But it allows for anyone interested to ck it out for themselves.

200 Acres on the Slate River, VA

I have placed the following information on the Anglin page previously, but today I wanted to discuss it a bit.  I noted that I found -

• Debbie Cossey Wasserburger records :"The earliest record of Adrion being in Virginia comes from the Commissioners Court of Albemarle County when on 12 Sept 1746 he and eight other men were ordered to keep their road open and clear to the courthouse. He received land patents in VA 1.) 7-20-1748, 165 acres on both sides of Slate River; 2) 3/3/1760 400 acres on Slate River and 3) 8-20-1760, 370 acres south of Slate River all being in Albemarle County, Virginia. Buckingham County was created from Albemarle Co in mid 1770."

                Note: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gabriel&id=I6456

• In "Rogers Work In Progress" Rebecca notes similar to the above but adds that he was granted 200 acres by George II. Also she adds that he was a member of the French and Spanish Royal Families, an Admiral in the French Royal Navy before coming to America in 1740. She also notes his occupations as becoming a plantation owner, and also a *constable. 

                   *Court records which sometimes mention his name, call him Constable.

As I was making my notes the evening I found this information, a severe storm hampered my being able to stay online, so I didn't finish the transcription, but the following is what I recorded. I love the old language of these documents.  Notice the flowery way they gave the property to Adrian and his heirs for the sum of 20 schillings...LOL. I can't relate to the value of 20 schillings, but it is often written, "schillings sterling," indicating they were pure silver. Loosely valued at an ounce of silver each, one could feasibly take the value of silver today and multiply it by 20, and know about what he paid for his land in relative terms.

I compared the dates - Adrian requested the court to grant his freedom from indenture in June of 1721.  Here we see he is purchasing this 200 acres in September of 1746.  So 25 years have past.   200 acres was considered a small parcel in those days, but was consistence with what a freed indentured laborer might purchase. And be quite proud of it. However, I don't believe this was his first purchase. It was, rather, additional lands, purchased, not as an humble free man, but to add to his  previous holdings. He is in fact has been well known as the constable at the time of this purchase.

  It always amazes me that documents of this age survive. I wish someday to have a copy of the original, if possible. But for now the online versions and my transcription will have to do.
I have the transcript for the Land Patent for 200 acres from King George. But I don't know the sources for the comment, above, about royalty,or admiralty. I don't discount it, I just don't have backing of my own. It's one of those wonderful tidbits that lead to more research, if I live long enough.

At the time of the Land Patent*, the county was known as Goochland. In fact a very large part of Virginia had been known as Goochland. This is another example of how large parts of the early colonies, were named under counties, divided into districts which often became smaller counties, which were divided and subdivided, in such a way that the county lines changed over the years, and the individual remained on the same land even though it seemed he moved about.  Not always so.  So as I find the records, I simply record it to leave the search for place to a later date.  I found and transcribed the following:

Land Patent to Adrian Anglin from King George II

It reads:

"Goochland County, Virginia

September 25, 1746

Adrian Anglin 200 Acres

George, the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all to whom these presents shall come, Greetings. Know ye that for divers good Causes and Considerations, but more especially for and in consideration of the sum of Twenty Shillings of good and lawful money, for our use, paid to our Receiver General of our Revenues in this our Colony and Dominion of Virginia, We have Given, Granted and Confirmed and by these presents for us, our Heirs and Successors do Give, Grant and Confirm unto Adrian Anglin one certain Tract or Parcel of Land containing Two hundred Acres lying and being in the County of Goochland on both sides of Slate River and Rocky Creek and bounded as followeth to wit. Beginning at a Pine Saaplin on the side of a Hill the lower side of the River and running thence new lines South sixty five Degrees West, one hundred and seventy eight Poles" (to be continued. storm>)

(Follow the links to the document and its transcription in whole, 2 ppg. above and at the bottom of the page.)

That is as far as I got, but it peaks my interest to know where that bit of land was. It was very common to tag a tree as a corner post. William Anglin, Adrian's great-grandson, was known to have inscribed the boundaries of his properties in Yancey Co. with his Initials, by carving them into trees.  But alas, that sapling no longer exists with any thing that would Identify it to me, that would say this is the place where Adrian marked his land's corner.  So unless the county plates would have it placed, I have to depend on the estimations of other research.  And there are persons who have put up such maps.  Maybe, one day I will take their map, and go see for myself.

My next post will be an airiel view of where the Covered Bridge at Philippi crosses the Tygart River.  Perhaps, I can check where the Slate River and Rocky Creek converge and do an aerial of that as well.  At least we will be in the general area?  That is how I will begin my quest to find "the Place" of one more Ancestor further back.  Jimmy and I are always up for a new trip.  I have never been to Virginia.

Perhaps, you can come with me one day, at least on a virtual trip.

Later,
Cynthia
* Much thanks to the online records of these documents.

Adrian Anglin's Will

Link to Will

By now, if you are reading the blogs, or looking at the site, you are becoming familiar with names.  I purposely repeat them, go back to them, and repeat the connections.  For it is only when you begin to see them and get to know them by repeated introductions, that you begin to make the connections. It happens when you are doing the research.  You see their names over and over, and a picture begins to emerge.  I want to make a short note today about Adrian Anglin.  Lately, several posts and updates to pages have been about William Anglin and his Tygart River Valley home, and how his homestead eventually became the County Seat of Barbour Co. W. VA, called Philippi. I have posted pictures of the covered bridge and the courthouse that were built there in the years since he died and his land belonged to others.  We have mentioned several times, how his son Isaac Anglin migrated to what eventually became Yancey County with his wife Nancy.  We noted that Isaac died within several years of arriving there at age 35, leaving Nancy and the children, and her mother to be the only ones remaining to appear on census records. And I noted that William had tried to help his father Adrian as much as he could before his death back in Virginia, at a time when there was no West Virginia, and Williams homestead was still listed as being in Virginia as well. This was the situation when Adrian died.  Before Anglin's Ford, but after William had built his fort on the land grant. William had returned to his father for a short few years between 1773 and 1777, and perhaps had been there some over the next 3 years, with his family, running the mill, until the estate was settled.
William was the first recipient listed on the Adrian's will. "I give and bequeath to my son William Anglin one shilling sterling and no more of my estate." Which was similarly given to several other married members of his family.

Adrian had been Constable of his town. He had owned a mill. He was intelligent and political. And a reader...
"Now, how do you know that?" you are thinking.
True research of ancestral individuals involves getting to know the people. Kind of like a detective doing an investigation.  Reading the records I find, instead of just marking the names, becomes valuable to know these people.
Adrian Anglin's will is viewable online at:

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kmparker/AnglinDNA/Gr3AdrianWill.htm

(note: Adrian had two wives, the first of which was William's mother. Many of the children listed descend from the second wife.)

The site includes the following statement: " A copy of Adrian's Will and the Inventory  and Appraisement of his Estate are to be found in the Library of Virginia, Assession Number 34126, Box 18, Folder 543: The Gravely Family Papers (Anglin- Athey Families)."

I am not sure if one may be ordered of if you need permission from the family, but I would like to see one day.  But in rereading the notes this morning, I rediscovered a statement written by the researcher, which took note of items within the inventory.

How the papers were found in the first place is a worthy read, but this is the info I wish to leave with our family at this time. It has always been rumored that the Anglin family came from French origins. In fact, many believed that Adrian was French.  I once told Aunt Marie, that I was searching through our Scotch Irish heritage, and she said: "you mean our Scotch-French heritage, don't you.?" I was puzzled, and researched the origin of the name.  It appeared to me that Adrian's indenture meant he came like many others by ship out of ports in London.  As had many Scotch or other European individuals, whose families lived for some time in England or Scotland, before moving on to America. I wasn't, just as many others weren't, sure there was evidence that Adrian was French.  Until, I read on page 9 on the "INVENTORY AND APPRAISEMENT OF HIS ESTATE"  notes that accompanied it:

" Since the early records of Buckingham County, Virginia, were destroyed in the courthouse fire in 1869, we believed that Adrian Anglin's will was lost forever, and we were surprised, overjoyed and puzzled when a copy of the will appeared in Walt Anglin's book The Anglin Families of Colonial Virginia. I eventually learned that Betty Neill sent it to Walt, but that Donald Price of Richmond, Virginia, had found it among a collection of family papers which had been given to the library of Virginia. Evelyn Williams gave me a citation to that Collection, and I sent a request to the library of Virginia for a copy of the will. I had never heard that an inventory and appraisal of Adrian Anglin's estate was also among the records, so I was surprised to receive that from the Library of Virginia along with the will. since I had long ago given up hope that anyone would ever find any corroboration of the hearsay concerning Adrian Anglin's French origin, I was astonished to see that the first item in the inventory was '40 French books.' "

Looking at a copy of the inventory, I can transcribe, that it actually says: " 40 French Books whole bound to a parcel torn ones." I can't transcribe the Olde English value. However on the next line it reads: "13 English Books whole bound with a parcel torn ones....1...0...0...? " the right side of the page didn't print. I will transcribe as many of the other items as I can to the Documents page, later.
They counted money in shillings, etc.

One last note: the names of those doing the Anglin Estate inventory. One of them we will see again, in Yancey County. The 3 persons making the lists: ? Matthews, Jack or Josh Ferguson, and Ephriham Lee.   The will itself was signed by, either the lawyer or witness,  Rolph Eldridge. The notable name is Ferguson. We will see it again in the story of Sarah Caroline Roland, Roland, Ray.  Because her firstborn daughter, Samantha Roland, married a Jeremiah Ferguson, with family roots that trailed those of our other ancestors. That is the kind of thing that leads me on a chase...to see if this Ferguson family has decendants in Yancey Co, one day. So far, it is becoming clear that many of the families of Yancey knew their neighbor's families for years back, into other states.  More on that when we discuss the Civil War and the hardship of knowing what side you were on. Hope your interest is peaked.
Bye for now.