My Great Grandfathers (4)

   I have no desire in this document to debate the issues of the American Civil War. It is rather my purpose to share my ancestors participation in America's greatest war that would define this nation's future and how that war impacted the families.

Without judging the motivation for which a person would leave home and family and risk suffering the 'ultimate sacrifice', I honor their bravery and willingness to do so.

     Over the last few years I have (finally) become interested in my family history. My mother had done a great deal of pre-computer research on the Morgan side of the family and also knew many details about her paternal Hutchison ancestry . When we moved to Texas we were reasonably close to where the Hutchison clan migrated after the Civil War. Using the Church of the Later Day Saint's genealogical site and Texas resources I was able to flesh out my Hutchison ancestry. Since then I have joined Ancestry.com and greatly expanded my family tree! With the 150 anniversary of the American Civil War I decided to research specifically my great grandfathers' participation in the war.

      My great grandfather Rufus Grandville Morgan from Pulaski County, Virginia, was 21 on the eave of the Civil War. While many young persons, including two of my great grandparents, were anxious to answer the call to serve their country in the war, Rufus was apparently reluctant to do so. He instead married and started a family! Either because of the possibility of being drafted (and not being able to choose where he would be sent) or because a Union army was set to invade Pulaski County,  twelve days after the birth of his second son in February 1864, he enlisted in the Virginia Botetourt Light Artillery Battery.  The Battery was assigned to defend the New River bridge of the Virginia-Tennessee Railroad which was just a few miles from his home. He served for the remainder of the war.  

     There were no family stories of my father's grandfather, my great grandfather John Franklin Lackey from Rockbridge County, Virginia, having fought in the Civil War. It turns out that his story was indeed dramatic! He was drafted into a Virginia Infantry Regiment in March 1862 at the age of 35. He was called home in November 1862 because his wife and all three children had died of diphtheria. In Jan 1863 he enlisted in a Virginia Calvary unit. He remarried in November 1863 and served for the Confederacy until 1865.

 I knew because of a family story that my great grandfather Thomas Hutchison fought for the Confederate States. Living near Atlanta, Georgia, at age 16 he volunteered at the beginning of the war and served in Stonewall Jackson's Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, for three and a half years till wounded and sent home.

 Again from a family story it was known that my great grandfather James Polk Roth fought for the United States. Living in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, he joined the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry of the Army of the Potomac and served for three and a half years to the end of the war. There was a family story that after the war when my grandmother Anna Roth and my grandfather Harvey Hutchison were married, the two veterans met and remembered meeting between the lines one night at Gettysburg! I had been skeptical of this story but my research shows that they were both at the Battle of Gettysburg and, since it was not uncommon for the opposing sides to interact in between battles, it was indeed possible!

My Other Ancectors and Relatives Who Fought in the Civil War

     Initially my research was for my great grandfathers but it was obvious there were relatives of the age to likely have served. Many of the men in a county were assigned to the same companies and went marching off to war together leaving spouses, children and older persons to carry the load. The brothers of great grandparents (my great-great uncles) and sons of brothers of the great grandparents (my first cousins, twice removed) are direct ancestors. Brother-in-laws are not 'blood' kin but would have been close family relatives.

Rufus Morgan(CSA): two brothers and one brother-in-law(CSA).

John Lackey(CSA): two brothers, a brother-in-law and two sons of a brother(CSA).
John Lackey's second wife, Rebecca Leech, my great grandmother: brother-in-law(CSA), brother-in-law(USA)  and two sons of a brother (USA).

Thomas Hutchison(CSA): brother(CSA)
Thomas Hutchison's wife, Martha McLeary: brother (CSA Civil War, USA Spanish-American War)

James Roth(USA): I do not know of siblings of James or his wife Matilda Inu.

Summary

     Based on my research to date, all four of my great grandfathers served in the American Civil War, three for the Confederate States and one for the United States, and they all survived the war. I had six great-great uncles who all served for the CSA and all survived. I had four first cousins, twice removed (sons of great-great uncles) who fought in the war. Two served for the CSA, one of which was killed in the Battle of Chancellorsville. The other two cousins served for USA. One died late in 1865 which was likely war related. The other was mustered out due to ill health. I had three great-great uncles by marriage who served for the CSA. Two survived, one died in a Prisoner of War camp. A fourth great-great uncle by marriage served for the USA and was killed at the Battle of Vicksburg.

     Are there Civil War veteran ancestors that I do not know about? Of course that is a possibility. My  great-great uncle, John Wesley Morgan demonstrates the problem of confirming service in the war even if a man is of an age where he may have served.  I found three John W. Morgans and five John Morgans who served for the CSA. Yet none seemed to match. The other problem is missing family members. I have been unable to find any siblings of my great grandfather Roth or his wife. That could be correct but, given the trend for large families during the period, that seems unlikely.

     I do think that the number of fourteen direct ancestors plus four relatives by marriage having served in the American Civil War is close to the true number. If you would like to learn more detail about there persons please go to our blog:

The American Civil War and the Morgan/Lackey/Hutchison/Roth Family
http://civilwarlizanded.blogspot.com/

You have any suggestions, comments or corrections, please contact me at edmorgan2002@msn.com