Valuable war relic.
Muster roll of a Virginia Artillery Company. [Richmond times, May, 1890.]
It belonged to Major Boggs' Twelfth Battalion—Composed of North Carolinians and Richmonders—Interesting date.About a week ago a letter addressed to ‘the editor of the most prominent paper in Richmond’ was delivered to The Times. It [404] came from Mr. William J. Cooper, of No. 41 1/2 west King street, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He stated that he had an original muster roll of Company D, Twelfth Battalion Virginia Light Artillery, of which Captain Lewis H. Webb was in command, and wished to place it with the proper custodian. A letter from The Times resulted in an immediate reply from Mr. Cooper and the receipt of the document. He wrote that he wished to bestow it where it belonged. That many of his friends had been in the war, and ‘one of them who paid a long visit to your city at that time brought it with him and presented it to me to show the poor quality of paper’ which the people here had to use. The document is two feet ten inches long, and one foot ten inches wide—is printed and written on both sides. The names only run up as far as the letter M, and the paper was evidently removed from Richmond before it could be countersigned. Those who are familiar with the paper used during the Confederacy will see at a glance that the pay-roll is a genuine article of the real Confederate manufacture and stamp. It is of that texture and color resulting from a combination of straw and very common rags in its manufacture. Though twenty-seven years old, as it ran from August to October, 1863, the writing is quite distinct, and the signatures of the members of the company, some of which used the X mark style, can easily be deciphered. Everybody to whom the document was shown agreed that it was genuine. It will be deposited with the State Librarian for preservation. Reverend Frank J. Boggs is the man who is mentioned as Major of the Twelfth Battalion of Light Artillery. At the time the war broke out he was a member of the Virginia Methodist Conference, and was in charge of Union Station Methodist Episcopal Church on Church Hill, in this city. The Richmond Grays, of the First Regiment of Virginia, had its full complement of men, and a company of infantry, called the ‘Second Grays,’ was organized, and Rev. Mr. Boggs was elected captain of the company. He made a brave and efficient officer, and after the battle of Manassas, resigned his rank in the infantry to accept the command of the Twelfth Battalion of Light Artillery. The battalions of artillery on field duty with army corps were known by the name of their commanders—such as Cutshaw, Brander, Poague, Pegram and others, and heavy artillery was represented by numbers —Battalion Twelve was really infantry supporting heavy artillery. [405] They did duty at times in the field, were on duty at Wilmington, North Carolina, and served at Fort Harrison, below Richmond. When the city was evacuated they went out with Custis Lee's troops, and after the surrender Major Boggs unbuckled his sword, donned the uniform of a soldier of the cross, rejoined the Methodist Conference, and is now in charge at Suffolk, Virginia. He was a brave officer, and is greatly beloved as a parson. Of the particular company, whose muster roll is described, but little can be gathered now of the living members. The command was composed of men from Richmond county, Richmond city, and eastern North Carolina.
