Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 25.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

Rockbridge second Dragoons. [from the Richmond, Va., Dispatch, June 6, 1897.]

A short history of the Company—Its roll.

The Rockbridge Second Dragoons was organized in the lower end of Rockbridge, principally in the vicinity of Brownsburg, and was mustered into service April 21, 1861. The officers at that time were John R. McNutt, captain; Robert McChesney, first lieutenant; John A. Gibson, second lieutenant; Dr. Z. J. Walker, third lieutenant. They were ordered to West Virginia (then Virginia), where Lieutenant McChesney was killed, probably the first man killed on Virginia soil. His tragic death occurred near St. George, Tucker county. Lieutenants Gibson and Walker were promoted to be first and second lieutenants by vacancy, and John Y. Anderson was made third lieutenant.

At the reorganization in 1862, after first year's service, John A. Gibson was made captain; James A. Strain, first lieutenant; James Archibald Lyle, second lieutenant, and James Lindsay, third lieutenant. The company was then doing service in Major William L. Jackson's battalion, composed of the following companies: Churchville Cavalry, from Augusta county; Charlotte Cavalry, from Charlotte county, and Rockbridge Second Dragoons, from Rockbridge county.

The 14th Virginia Cavalry was organized in 1862, and these three companies were assigned to it, the Dragoons becoming Company H. Captain John A. Gibson was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and promotions were made in the Dragoons as follows: James A. Strain, Captain; James Lindsay, First Lieutenant; William M. Sterrett, Second Lieutenant; Z. J. Culton, Third Lieutenant, who died in Salem while the regiment was in winter quarters near that town the winter of 1862-‘63. A. B. Mackey was elected to fill Lieutenant Culton's place. Lieutenant Mackey was killed near Moorefield, Hardy county, on the retreat from the burning of Chambersburg in 1864. William N. Wilson was elected to supply the vacancy caused by his death. At the surrender the company was officered as follows: Captain, [178] James A. Strain; First Lieutenant, James Lindsay; Second Lieutenant, William M. Sterret; Third Lieutenant, William N. Wilson.

This company holds undisputed the unique position of having probably the first and the last man killed on Virginia soil. Lieutenant Robert McChesney was the first, being bushwhacked in West Virginia, and James H. Wilson and Samuel B. Walker were, killed at Appomattox on the 9th of April, 1865, several hours after the terms of capitulation had been signed by Generals Lee and Grant.

The following is a list of the dead and living who at any time during the war served in the company: William Adams, James Y. Anderson, John Y. Anderson, Samuel B. Anderson, Jacob H. Anderson, Robert Anderson, H. W. Bagley, D. S. Black, William Black, A. M. Brown, Charles B. Buchanan, William Brownlee, Jno. Brownlee, S. Balser, James Breedlove, Thomas Chittum, John Chittum, Z. J. Culton, Joseph Culton, John Campbell, William Davis, L. P. Davis, David Dice, George W. Dice, John Dice, Archibald Davis, Andrew Ervin, James B. Firebaugh, James W. Firebaugh, Henry Firebaugh, Taylor Ford, Alexander Ford, Isaac Friend, Robert Fulwiler, Henry A. Green, C. P. Green, John H. Greiner, C. C. Greiner, Granville Greiner, James L. Glendy, J. W. Gibson, John A. Gibson, J. Samuel Gibson, Howard Houston, N. B. Hull, James M. Huffman, John Huffman, Lorenzo Hill, John Hanger, Charles W. Irvine, John Johnston, John M. Kirkpatrick, Joseph Kennedy, Hugh Kennedy, David Kennedy, Joseph Kinnear,W. B. F. Leech, James Lindsay, H. T. Lindsay, John Lowman, James A. Lyle, William A. Lyle, John H. Lyle, James Lockridge, Isaac Lotts, Jacob Ludwick, W. R. Lackey, H. A. Lackey, A. B. Mackey, John W. Mackey, Gideon Marks, H. Rudd Morrison, John R. McNutt, Josiah McNutt, J. J. McBride, Samuel C. McMaster, Samuel Mines, John McKinsey, B. F. McClung, D. B. McClung, James A. McClung, John T. McClung, A. A. McClung, Henry (Little) Mackey, John Henry Mackey, A. A. Moore, Jas. McChesney, Robert McChesney, John K. Moore, William A. McCutchan, N. B. McCluer, Ananias J. Miller, John L. Morter, A. H. Moore, David H. McCray, Thomas Norcross, W. A. Norcross, Chas. Newton, James W. Ott, Frank Ott, William H. Parrent, Marion Parrent, Samuel G. Pettigrew, W. L. Patterson, H. Wm. Patterson, Cyrus Patterson, Nimrod Patterson, David Pultz, Wesley Paxton, Abner Paxton, John A. Paxton, Brenard Pinkerton, Fay Pinkerton, Harvey Payne, Chris. Palmer, W. W. Runnels, James Runnels, Samuel [179] T. Rhea, James A. Strain, Samuel P. Strain, William A. Sandridge, Jacob H. Shaner, John N. Stoner, D. H. Stoner, William M. Sale, Robert Sale, Samuel W. Short, John Sheridan, John N. Snider, James H. Snider, Thomas Sensabaugh, James Smiley, Andrew Smiley, Robert Sterrett, Daniel Swisher, James Swisher, Wm. W. Smallwood, Alexander Stuart, S. W. Stuart, J. G. Stuart, William M. Sterrett, Samuel W. Sterrett, H. L. Terrill, James Terrill, F. H. Templeton, Arch. Taylor, William Taylor, Howard H. Thompson, John F. Tribbett, William Vines, A. H. Weir, William N. Wilson, Thomas M. Wilson, M. D. Wilson, Samuel N. Wilson, John Edgar Wilson, John W. Wheat, James Withers, H. A. Withers, John H. Whitmore, William Wright, John R. Wright, J. Alpheus Wilson, Robert Wilson, John Welsh, Matthew X. White, William A. Walker, Cyrus Walker, Dr. Z. J. Walker, Alexander Walker, Samuel H. Weir, Arch. Withrow, James H. Wilson, Howard Wilson, Samuel B. Walker.

Killed—A. A. Moore; Robert McChesney, bushwhacked near St. George, Tucker county, in 1861; Andrew Ervin, killed at Bratton's farm; Howard Houston, in battle, 1864; James Lockridge in battle in 1863; A. B. Mackey, at Moorefield, W. Va., in 1864; H. Rudd Morrison, in 1862; John F. Tribbett, at Monocacy in 1864; Samuel B. Walker and James H. Wilson, April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Courthouse; M. X. White, shot by Hunter's command near Lexington, while a prisoner, in 1864.

Died During War—Samuel B. Anderson, Jacob H. Anderson, Robert Anderson, Charles B. Buchanan, Z. J. Colton, William B. Firebaugh, Henry Firebaugh, Joseph Kinnear, Robert Sterret, Alexander Stuart.

The following died in prison: H. W. Patterson, Cyrus Patterson, John Henry Mackey, Gideon Marks, William Brownlee, William Black. Wesley Paxton was drowned in the Kanawha river in 1862.

The 14th Virginia Regiment was in Jenkins', afterwards McCausland's, Brigade, and did service in West Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley, and around Richmond. It was composed of three companies from Greenbrier, one from Augusta, one from Charlotte, one from Upshur, one from Rockbridge, and a large portion of two others were from this county (Captain William A. Lackey's and Alexander M. Peck's), the remainder of these two companies being from Roanoke, Pulaski, Montgomery and Highland counties. It was among the best mounted regiments in the service, and the discipline and their soldierly bearing were noticeable. James Cochran, of Augusta [180] county, was Colonel; John A. Gibson, of Rockbridge, Lieutenant-Colonel; B. F. Eakle, of the Greenbrier White Sulphur Springs, Major, and Edward S. Roe, of Orange Courthouse, Surgeon. It was one of the regiments out of four that raided Pennsylvania to enforce the order of levying a tax of several hundred thousand dollars on the cities and towns of that State, as compensation for the burning of the mills and barns in the Shenandoah Valley by Sheridan in 1863. They burned Chambersburg because the Council of that city refused to pay the levy of $150,000. The regiment surrendered at Appomattox in 1865.