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take it, nor to hold one that they did not hold it.’
After participating in the battles of the
Wilderness and
Spottsylvania he was killed in an encounter with
Warren's corps, near Bethesda church, May 30, 1864, and was buried by the enemy.
Brigadier-General William Terry, whose worthy record is identified with that of the Stonewall brigade, which he commanded in 1864 and 1865, was born in
Amherst county, Va., August 14, 1824.
He was educated at the university of Virginia and graduated in 1848.
The next three years he devoted to teaching and the study of law. After his admission to the bar in 1851, he made his home at
Wytheville, and was engaged in .the practice during the succeeding decade, also for a time editing the
Wytheville Telegraph.
He was lieutenant of the
Wythe Grays at the time of the
John Brown affair at
Harper's Ferry, to which point he went with his company in 1859.
In April, 1861, he was again at
Harper's Ferry, and was assigned to the Fourth Virginia regiment,
Jackson's brigade, as first lieutenant of his company.
He participated in the brilliant service of his regiment at the
first battle of Manassas, and in the spring of 1862 was promoted major, in which rank he served with credit on the fields of
Gaines' Mill and
Malvern Hill.
He was with
Jackson's corps in the famous campaign against
Pope, was wounded in the battle of
Second Manassas, July 28th, and was mentioned for gallantry in the report of
General Taliaferro.
In the same rank he commanded the Fourth regiment in the tattle of
Fredericksburg, after the wounding of
Colonel Gardner; also at
Chancellorsville, where his command lost 140 men out of a total of 355; and at
Gettysburg and Payne's Farm.
Promotion rapidly followed, to colonel of the Fourth regiment to date from September, 1863, and to brigadier-general after the
Wilderness and
Spottsylvania campaign, in which he participated with credit.
On May 21st he was assigned to the command of a brigade formed from the survivors of the Stonewall brigade and the brigades of
J. M. Jones and
G. H. Steuart, who had escaped from the disaster of May 12th at the ‘bloody angle.’
In this capacity he took part in the fighting on the Cold Harbor line, and the defense of
Petersburg, and commanded his brigade during
Early's campaign in the Shenandoah valley, participating
