| − | 1st<br /><br />To Magruder- Ewell Camp<br /><br />The following reminiscences of General John<br />Bankhead Magruder and of events in and<br />around Williamsburg, at the beginning<br />of the War are respectfully offered to the<br />Camp. In 1828, when I was appointed a<br />cadet at West Point I saw General Magruder<br />for the first time, he entered the Academy<br />in 1826. His forefathers were among the best<br />of the people in Virginia, he was of Scotch<br />descent, his Ancestors being of the McGregor<br />Clan, (among whom was Rob Roy) noted for<br />their skill in cattle lifting. The General told<br />a story that during his travels in Scotland<br />he enquired of some county man if he had<br />ever heard of the Magruders, a name evidently<br />derived from McGregor. The man replied in the<br />negative but when the General told him that the<br />name was really McGregor, the man said ok<br />yes, he had seen one hung for cattle stealing.<br /><br /><br /> 2nd<br /><br />-- the General made no further varieties [struck-through] enquiries.<br />In 1828 when I first saw him, he was one of the<br />most soldierly looking men in the Corps and<br />was much esteemed and respected. He was<br />the junior by two [struck-through] ^one years, at the Academy of<br />Generals Robert E. Lee and Joseph E. Johnson<br />and by two years of President Jefferson Davis<br />and of Bishop Polk, afterwards Lieutenant<br />General in the Confederate Army. The<br />latter joined the Church under the min-<br />istry of the Chaplain to the Cadets, Rev. Dr<br />James McElvaine, afterwards so well known<br />as Bishop of Ohio. A few cadets who became<br />members, at the same time and who ["and who" struck-through] were<br />generally seen following in Polks wake<br />and the party was dubbed by the other<br />cadets, “Polk and his tail.”? At this time,<br />1828, in appearance, in dignified bearing<br />and in soldierly bearing [struck-through] demeanor – and in<br />influence over his fellow cadets, there was<br />none to approximate to the standard as<br />Robert E. Lee. I remained at West Point<br />till 1836, and in these respects I never saw<br />his equal, there or else where. Joseph E.<br />Johnston, noted for his intellect & pleasant<br />address, gave at that time no premise<br /><br /> 3rd<br /><br />of the genius & practical ability & military<br />skill as a strategist, his subsequent career<br />developed. In 1865, he had more the appearance<br />of a soldier than any one I ever met in the<br />Confederate, or subsequently, in the Union<br />Army. This unflinching performance of whatever<br />he deeded his duty, disregarding self & unfriend-<br />ly criticism proved that he possessed the<br />highest order of physical, & that rarer virtue,<br />moral courage. About the time that of<br />General Magruder’s closing his career as a<br />cadet, the Corps was allowed by the<br />Superintendent to give a Fancy Ball,<br />a son of his Cooper, the great tragedian, was<br />a cadet at that time & through his Coopers<br />influence the lessees of the Park Theatre in<br />New York, lent the Costumes for the various<br />characters assumed. Among them was a<br />handsome, well formed cadet, representing<br />in proper Armor, a Knight Templar. Becoming<br />fatigued by its weight during the evening<br />he concluded to take the weighty armor off.<br />Some of the Cadets persuaded a raw, broad-<br />shouldered six-footer from the West<br /><br /> 4th<br /><br />to put it on, he got it all right except the<br />helmet of [struck-through] about which he was uncertain. He was<br />finally persuaded that the proper way to wear<br />it was to strap it around him just below the<br />small of his back & in this guise he<br />went strutting among the crowd, comprising<br />the elite of New York City, evidently enjoying<br />the admiring glances that were cast upon<br />him fore & aft. Mr. Cooper, who was present<br />declared this to be the best thing he saw<br />at the Ball. It is worthy of note that<br />this original Knight Templar, became<br />Afterwards a polished & popular Society<br />man; however this is an episode which I<br />hope will be pardoned.<br /><br />5th<br /><br />About this time General [Gustave Touten [correct spelling is Toutant]<br />de] Beauregard entered the Academy. In<br />the mean time, General Magruder had<br />been commissioned as an Artillery Officer.<br />as such he distinguished himself in<br />the war with Mexico & was known subse-<br />quently as Colonel Magruder, having been<br />brevetted for gallant conduct on the field.<br />He was fond of ladie’s society and by his<br />polish and courtliness made himself a<br />favorite. After the Mexican War he command-<br />ed Fort McHenry near Baltimore, visiting<br />a brother officer one day and being in<br />fine spirits, he told his friend who<br />enquired the cause, that he had just<br />left the Company of a well Known<br />Baltimore belle who during his visit<br />to her, looked intently at him for a<br />minute or two and then exclaimed –<br />“Colonel Magruder: I now know you<br />are a slandered man, common belief is<br />that you wear a wig and dye your<br />mustache. I can now assert that<br />this is not true.”? Hence the Colonel’s<br />good humors for he did both.<br /><br />6th<br /><br />He told me during our Civil War that<br />just before it began, General [then<br />Major] Pemberton, a Pennsylvanian, who<br />had married an accomplished woman<br />from Norfolk, visited his head-quarters<br />then in Washington and with great<br />emotion told him he came to ask his<br />advice, he had just received a letter<br />from his wife in which she told him<br />if he did not [struck-through] joined in the war against<br />the South, she would repudiate him;<br />by the same mail came a letter from<br />his mother, then living in Philadelphia<br />saying that if he did not take the<br />Northern side, she would disinherit him.<br />he then cried Colonel Magruder “What<br />Shall [underscored] I do?”? The Colonels reply was that<br />before solving so difficult a question, we<br />had better take a drink of brandy and water.<br />This they did and soon after the second<br />drink was taken, Pemberton started<br />for Richmond. In justice to his memory,<br />and I knew him well, I would say that though<br />unfortunate in his military career, the<br />South contained no man more loyal to its<br />cause and its Government, whether<br /><br />7th<br /><br />a native or not. The failure at Vicksburg in<br />1863, resulting in the Capture of his Army<br />were caused by his ignoring the Advice<br />of General Joseph E. Johnson, followed by<br />positive orders because of the strong desire<br />of the Confederate Government to retain, at<br />all hazards, the City of Vicksburg, and<br />his ^own wishes in that respect. I was on General<br />Johnson’s Staff at that time & came to this<br />conclusion on rea [struck-through] after reading the Communi-<br />cations between the different parties.<br />But [struck-through] Soon after the secession of Virginia<br />and the appointment of General Lee as<br />the Commander of its forces, I was made<br />a Major of Volunteers and assigned to<br />the command of the forces raised in Williams-<br />burg and its vicinity. Not long after, the [struck-through]<br />I having been appointed Lieutenant Colonel,<br />of the Volunteer Forces of Elizabeth City,<br />Warwick and York Counties were assigned<br />to me in addition to those of James City,<br />Yorktown being within the limit of my<br />Command. In a short time Colonel Mon-<br />tayne with a battalion of three Companies<br />was ordered to take command at Yorktown.<br />The only organized and armed company<br /><br />8th<br /><br />at first under my orders, was the Junior<br />Guards of Williamsburg. A section of<br />the Howitzer Artillery, under Colonel [struck-through] ^Lieutenant John<br />Thompson Brown, was ordered to Gloucester<br />Point on account of some demonstrations<br />made by Federal Gun Boats previous to<br />the arrival of Montaynes Battalion.<br />Lieutenant Brown threw up a small<br />earth works to protect his guns, which was<br />fired upon by one of the Gun Boats, but it<br />was soon driven off by the gallant and<br />skilful Howitzers. When this Lieutenant<br />Brown sent a dispatch to me for an infantry<br />force to support his guns and about the<br />same time I received a similar dispatch<br />from Captain Ap Catesby Jones [correct name is T. Ap Catesby Jones], stationed<br />at Jamestown, stating that there were<br />threatening appearances on James River.<br />I immediately responded by dividing<br />my force into three Corps, sending the<br />first Corps under Captain Henley, to the<br />aid of Lieutenant Brown, the second<br />under [ blank ] to Jamestown, retaining<br />the third for myself in case of need.<br />The entire command numbered some<br />forty three men, rank and file.<br /><br />9th<br /><br />The arrival of these reinforcements prevented<br />further attacks on the York River or<br />threatening demonstrations on the James.<br />Soon afterwards, Colonel Magruder was<br />made Brigadier General and ordered to the<br />Peninsula to take command. He made his<br />Headquarters at Yorktown and soon reduced<br />to order his some what heterogeneous Command,<br />adding to the defences of Yorktown. The rapid<br />movement of his forces produced an ^undue impression<br />on the Federal Commanders of their strength,<br />and after the battle of Bethel, they made<br />no further attempts to advance, until General<br />McClellan’s invasion. That Magruder’s judicious<br />management kept McClellans Army from<br />advancing up the Peninsula before the<br />arrival of Johnsons Army cannot be<br />disputed. In General Johnson’s “Narrative of<br />Military Operations”? page 111, he says<br />“This resolute and judicious course on the<br />part of General Magruder was of incalculable<br />value. It saved Richmond and gave the<br />Confederate Government time to swell that<br />officers handful to an Army. On page 487<br />in Appendix of Johnson’s Narrative, General<br />Johnson writes, in reference to the battle<br /><br />10th<br /><br />of Williamsburg, that Brigadier-General McLaws<br />“met the enemy near the line of ^little works constructed<br />by Major General Magruder’s forethought.”? This<br />statement of General Johnson’s that “this line of<br />little works”? was the result of General Magruders<br />forethought was a mistake. The lines were<br />proposed, determined on & in fact commenced<br />before General Magruder took command of the<br />Peninsula. Judge N. Beverly Tucker, the distinguished<br />^author and Law _ Professor of William and Mary, told [struck-through] ^described to me<br />within a short time after my removal to Williamsburg<br />in 1848, that the topography of the country imme-<br />diately north and south of the town and that<br />the distance between two deep creeks the Capitol ["and that...Capitol" struck-through]<br />he said that the waters of two deep creeks,<br />both heads of tide water, one flowing into the<br />York and one into the James at a distance<br />of only two miles apart, joined a narrow<br />passage then only roads through which were<br />the streets of Williamsburg-- This constituting<br />the strategic point on the Peninsula for<br />defensive purposes in land operations.<br />Bearing this in mind as soon as I was<br />appointed to command in 1861, I planned<br />a line of works, the right, commanding the<br />crossing at Tutters Neck, whe being assisted ["whe...assisted" struck-through]<br /><br />11th<br /><br /><br />and the left not far from Capitol Landing Bridge.<br />The ground was accurately surveyed by Professor<br />T.T.L. Snead. The main or central work I intended<br />to have placed in a commanding position near<br />[ blank ] house. General Lee who had just<br />been appointed Commander in Chief of the Virginia<br />Forces, visited Williamsburg on an inspecting<br />tour, went over much of the ground with<br />me, including Tutter’s Neck, approved of the<br />^general plan and sent his [struck-through] a young engineer officer<br />to locate the ["to...the" struck-through] ^Afterwards the distinguished Colonel Alfred<br />M. Rives [Early in the war, there was a Lt. Col. Alfred L. Rives] to locate and construct the necessary<br />works. By the regulations of the United States<br />Army, no subordinate Military Commander had a<br />right to interfere with the decision of an engineer<br />with regard to the location or construction of<br />defensive [struck-through] works of defence. In the exercise<br />of this right, Lieutenant Rives determined<br />to establish the center work at a point command-<br />ing the Yorktown and the main James City or<br />Glebe roads, and to extend the line on what<br />was known as the Vineyard Tract. The left being<br />some distance below the Capitol Landing<br />Bridge, the right remaining at Tutter’s Neck.<br />Preferring the line I first selected, I objected<br />to that of Col Lieutenant Rives as being so<br /><br />12th<br /><br />much longer but to no purpose. General Magruder<br />after he took command, approved of them<br />and ordered their completion: but he did<br />not originate them. At the conclusion of<br />the P ["At...P" struck-through] After the Seven days Battles around<br />Richmond in 1862, General Magruder was<br />ordered to Texas where he distinguished himself<br />at Galveston and by his capture of the Federal<br />Gun Boat, Harriet Lane, he was much liked<br />by the Texans. After the War he went to Mexico<br />where he was received with favor by the<br />unfortunate Emperor Maximilian & the<br />Empress Carlotta. When the French Army<br />left Mexico General Magruder returned to<br />this country and to Texas where he died.<br />Although he had to contend against adverse<br />fortune after the war, he declared that he<br />would not for all the laurels of Grant done<br />otherwise than to come to the aid and defense<br />of his State and his people, that his conscience<br />assured him that he had followed the path<br />of duty and honor, and come what may that<br />was enough for him. He was a humane<br />honorable man, above intrigue, or les ["or les" struck-through] a<br />brave, ^judicious and [struck-through] [although easily excited] a l ["a I" struck-through] and<br />in most respects a since ["in...since" struck-through] on the whole<br /><br />13th<br /><br />a successful soldier. I will close with an anecdote<br />illustrating his kindness of heart. Not long<br />after he went to Yorktown, a colored woman<br />applied to me as Commandant at Williamsburg<br />for the release of her husband, a free man who<br />had been impressed for labor on the fortifications.<br />She was accompanied by five small children<br />the youngest apparently the age of ^the martyr John<br />Rogers youngest, her appeal was well & touchingly<br />made. I had no authority to order the mans<br />release but advised her to go to Yorktown with<br />her children & make to General Magruder,<br />exactly the same she had made to me. The result<br />was her return accompanied by her husband.<br />Up to the Spring of 1862 when Williamsburg<br />was evacuated, there were occasional suspicions<br />& assertions with dis[struck-through]regard to the disloyalty<br />of some of our inhabitants but every investigation<br />and there were some searching ones, especially<br />by that energetic & efficient Officer, Captain<br />Richardson L. Henley, jailed to discover ^that any<br />treasonable act to [struck-through] or design to State or Confederacy<br />was entertained by any citizen of Williamsburg<br />so long as it was within the Confederate Lines.*<br />As there is no record that I know of, of the<br />Companies raised in 1861 in the counties<br /><br /><br />13½<br /><br />* at the outbreak of the War, some of the extrem-<br />ists of Williamsburg seemed to invest their<br />prejudices toward those who were less<br />enthusiastic than themselves; with the<br />veil of patriotism, which apparently led<br />them to suspect of disloyalty the above men[-]<br />tioned parties. This was followed by attempts<br />to have them arrested. This feeling gained<br />strength with time, until it almost amounted<br />to persecution of some of the inhabitants. Among<br />them was Travis Southall, who left Washington<br />for the purpose of entering the Confederate Army<br />was for no good reason,<br />^ & B.F. Marvin, who for a foolish expression<br />was arrested & sent to Salisbury Prison. The former<br />was detained ^in prison until an appeal from his mother<br />to President Davis obtained his release, and the<br />latter for eleven months. Southall on his release<br />went into service & was true to his colors until<br />the close of the war. Marvin was allowed to return<br />into Williamsburg, then in the Union Lines<br />& till the end of the war revenged himself by aiding<br />the families of Confederate soldiers who were<br />with their Commands. The best known of<br />these persons was L.J. Bowden & his brother,<br />whose arrest seemed particularly desired.<br />Mr. Bowdens house occupied by his old<br /><br />13½<br /><br />*and young daughter & his brothers family<br />a new and handsome house, was ordered by<br />General Magruder to be taken for a hospital,<br />on account of representations made to him,<br />but as soon as he heard the facts the order was<br />rescinded. But a plot was formed among the<br />privates of a Louisiana Regiment [influenced<br />no doubt by the tales they heard from the<br />young officers of the disloyalty of the Bowdens]<br />to attack the house, drive out the inmates,<br />break up the furniture, &c & do Mr. Bowden<br />some bodily harm. This came by accident<br />to my ears & I appealed to one of the young [struck-through]<br />officers, who acknowledged there was some<br />truth in it, but being remonstrated with, the<br />origin of the stories explained, & being informed<br />that any such attempt should be resisted<br />by the guards in Williamsburg, & of a<br />company of soldiers camped near there.<br />That the Messrs Bowden abandoned the<br />Confederate cause & became Union men,<br />when McClellan took possession, is not to<br />be wondered at.<br /><br />14th<br />James City, York, and [struck-through] Warwick ^the town of Hampton & City of Williamsburg, and Elizabeth<br /> City I think it well to mention their<br />names and their Captains, in James City Co. –<br />The James City Artillery, Captain Hankins.<br />A Company of Cavalry, Captain Gettig.<br />In Williamsburg, The Junior Guards, Captain<br />John A. Henley [Infantry]<br />Artillery Captain W.R. Garrett<br /> Artillery Captain [blank] Cosnahan<br />In the county of York<br /> Infantry Captain Sinclair.<br /> Infantry Captain Tinsley<br />In the County of Warwick<br /> The Warwick Beauregards. Infantry. Captain Curtis.<br />The town of Hampton and Elizabeth City Co.—<br /> The Washington Artillery<br /> The Wythe Rifles, Infantry Captain Willis<br /> The Hampton Grays. Infantry Captain Hudgins.<br /> Cavalry Captain ^J. Phillips<br />who as a soldier gained such an enviable<br />reputation both in Virginia and Texas<br />by General Magruders special request he<br />accompanied him to Texas.<br />The ten Infantry ^& Artillery Companies, constituted the<br />32nd Regiment as it was first organized.<br />The four Artillery Companies were detached<br /><br />15th<br /><br />from it and soon assigned to Artillery duties<br />leaving but six companies in the regiment.<br />An Infantry Company from Prince Edward Co.--<br />was afterwards assigned to it. Until the close<br />of the war the regiment was incomplete,<br />having but seven companies as the records<br />of the regiment were turned over to Colonel<br />Edgar Montayne when he was made Colonel.<br />I may have made some mistakes, which<br />perhaps some member of it may correct.<br /><br /><br />Magruder Reminescences<br /><br />BLAIR’S<br />“OLD BLEACH.”?<br />The Paper used in this Writing Tablet is<br />Probably the best in the world.<br />TRY IT!<br />Made from Pure Linen Cuttings.<br />Uniform price for 4 sizes:<br />Octavo, Note, Packet and Letter.<br />RULED OR PLAIN.<br />Two Shades only, White and Light Blue
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