Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 20.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

That company followed you as lieutenant colonel, colonel, brigadier-general, and major-general during almost the entire war, and you know, perhaps, better than any person living, the character of its service; and the men who survive will be glad to meet again an officer whose ringing voice has so often been heard by them in command, and one who, while frequently ordering them into action, never sought to do so from a safe distance, and most frequently went forward to show them what to do and how to do it.

It is hoped that you may be able to be present, and thereby add to the enjoyment of the occasion by all the other participants.

Very truly and respectfully yours,

Yours, very sincerely,

In extending you this invitation I beg to say that I consider it not only most fitting but most desirable that you, the last colonel of the ‘Old First,’ should come to this reunion, and give the old soldiers of your command, who may be present, an opportunity to see again a gallant officer who never failed to lead his regiment properly, and who also, as a kind and considerate commander, endeared himself to his men.

It is hoped, Colonel, that you will come. Company D often responded to your call; will you not now respond to this call of its survivors?

Respectfully and truly yours,

Such sentiments, coming from an old and faithful comrade, are grateful to me now. I can assure you that nothing would afford me greater or more real pleasure than to be with you all at your reunion, to meet those with whom I had the honor of being associated in the glorious old Army of Northern Virginia, when patriotism and principle were the motives that actuated all the sons of our Southland; when hardship, danger, and suffering created a mutual respect, esteem, and love for each other that will endure as long as old veterans of that army will survive. But circumstances render it impossible for me to be with you on that interesting occasion, as I am just getting over a very severe attack of the ‘grippe,’ and am not well enough to leave home; yet I can't get over the words of your letter, saying that Company ‘D’ often responded to my call, and the appeal for me to respond to the call of Company ‘D’ is almost irresistible, and if it were possible, I would surely be with you, to testify my high regards for Company ‘D’ personally, and also my appreciation of the company as the bravest and most efficient body of men that any regiment can boast of.

My kindest regards and best love to all the surviving members of your grand old company who may meet with you. May a merciful Providence continue to bless and prosper them in the future as in the past. One of our best and honored citizens is the Rev. Dr. Hopkins, a brother of that gallant and true soldier, an honored member of Company ‘D,’ Lieutenant Warren Hopkins, who has crossed the dark river and is now resting from his labors.

All honor to the memory of such heroic men, and while I would enjoy being with the survivors, I could with you drop a tear to the memory of those who have answered their last roll call here and are now sleeping sweetly in the bivouac of the dead. In my humble opinion as the years roll on, the highest type of American manhood, in this the evening of the nineteenth century, is the Christian ex-Confederate soldier.

Again wishing you and your comrades a very happy time, and many more interesting reunions.

I remain your friend and comrade,

I hope that it may be in your power to meet with the survivors of the company, of which you were an officer during the first year of the war between the States, and believe that the occasion will be an enjoyable one to you, and I take pleasure in communicating the invitation and beg to add my expression of personal and individual good wishes, and subscribe myself

Your friend,

Please express to the surviving members my regrets, and accept for yourself my thanks for the kind expressions in your letter.

Yours very truly,

I would like to meet with my old comrades and have the pleasure of taking by the hand some of the bravest men Virginia or any other country has ever given birth to. Is this a boast? No; it is the truth verified on many a bloody field by the duty performed, by being called on by Stuart, Lee and others wherever there was a hard fight to be made, where none but the brave could go, where none but the stoutest could stand. Nobly, nobly did that old company perform every duty, meet every danger in the field, on the march, leading the advance or covering the rear, half fed, half clothed, sometimes contending with foes ten to one, and whether successful or forced from the field by sheer numbers we compelled the praise of friends and foes, and in the last act of the bloody drama led the last charge at Appomattox.

It was my duty to act as orderly sergeant in the terrible campaign of ‘64. It opened on the 5th day of May. On that morning I reported one captain, two lieutenants, three sergeants, three corporals and sixty-four men and horses for duty. On the 7th, near Todd's Tavern, we lost seven men. First was the generous high-souled Lieutenant Tom Edmondson, the soldiery Sergeant Pat Miles, the laughing-eyed, fun-loving Joe Baker, the quiet, brave Hiram Pendleton, killed; Sergeant Charles Dulaney, Privates Jake Schwartz and Charles Fields, wounded. On the 8th brave soldiers Rufe Williams, killed; Frank Catron and John Sanders, wounded. On the 9th, Andy Catron and Henry Jones wounded, and on the 12th, Findley Harris and William Hale, captured. On the 15th another one was lost, wounded or captured, the name being so defaced I can't tell who it was. On the 28th, E. W. Roe was killed; Corporal T. W. Colley, wounded. At Louisa Courthouse, a few days after, I am satisfied we saved the division from defeat, and later on the evening of the same day, at Trevillian's, held the key to our position until Fitz Lee could make his flank movement, which resulted in a victory over Sheridan and his cavalry corps.

Twenty-four men of First Squadron, Companys ‘D and K’ (Company K were from Maryland) at Mrs. Stewart's Tavern, Little [51] River Turnpike, above Germantown, the morning after the second battle of Manassas, captured one captain, one lieutenant and fifty-four privates of the Fifth Regulars, U. S. A., a company commanded by General Fitz Lee before he resigned and joined his mother State.

In the whole of the campaign, from the Rappahannock to the James, for about sixty days (for it lasted longer with the cavalry than with the infantry), we had no rest. The horses, half fed and moving day and night, were continually breaking down. As a consequence the company steadily went down in numbers, and on July 1st I reported one captain, one lieutenant, two sergeants, one corporal and ten men for duty. I wish I could recall the names of the men, but as there were sixteen horses reported unfit for duty, it is impossible for me to tell who was reported for duty. The captain was yourself, Lieutenant, Vic. Litchfield, Sergeants, Dave Fields and myself, Corporal, C. M. Waldron. Never was any set of men called on to perform the same amount of duty in that length of time, and when we moved into the hot pine woods near Petersburg, about the first of July, the company was worn to a frazle and nothing was left but courage. And in all of this time, if we were advancing the first squadron was in front, if retreating it was in the rear. I remember on several occasions when danger presented itself in some unexpected quarter, the regiment would be halted and we would be moved to the threatened point. Who can blame any man from being proud and even boasting that he was a member of such a company? Who that has heart in him but what would be willing to stand by one of this old company in good as well as evil report? Who that has a soul but would make any reasonable sacrifice to meet with these gallant men now turning gray, their numbers growing less every year? Oh! am I a child, for I am crying because I can't come?

And now, captain, give my love to all the boys, officers and men. They all seem like brothers to me. I hope you will have a good meeting and a good time. I could write all day, but perhaps I am taking up too much of your time and will close by asking Heaven's King to bless all the living wherever they may be, and to the brave spirits who have crossed over the river. God grant that they may be now resting under the shade trees.

Truly and fraternally yours,

You begun your service in the Confederate army as a member of that company and remained with it and the regiment to which it belonged, if I recollect aright, for more than a year, and whilst after your service with us was terminated, you attained great renown; yet I believe that the discipline and service in the First regiment were fit schooling and preparation for the broader field in which you acted, and for your achievements which have become a part of the history of that great war. And I also believe that you cannot fail to feel an interest in the company in which your name was enrolled at the beginning of the war, and I assure you that the survivors of our old company will be gratified to have you come, and as one of them, answer to the first roll call since the day of Appomattox.

Respectfully and truly yours,

I hope this will find you well, acknowledge the receipt and I will send you my photo. Send me yours, please. I send you a paper also. Remember me to the boys.

Yours truly,

It would give me great pleasure to meet the ‘boys’ of your old command. How I would love to shake the hand of that tall, good natured orderly-sergeant who made me feel so good as we marched out of the woods to surrender. We did not know but that you would eat us up on the spot, for you were the first armed Confederates we ever saw, and when that miserable fellow shot Sergeant Guinn after we had surrendered, we made up our minds that we were gone up sure enough.

But we soon learned the situation and found that we were captured by the brave First Virginia. But about the orderly. As I came out of the woods with fear and trembling, in front of me was your orderly. I also was an orderly. When he saw my rank he ha! [55] ha-ed! out a good natured laugh and said, ‘there comes the orderly.’ I tell you captain that made me feel good. I see by the Year book of our church that we have a congregation at Bradley's schoolhouse, and the Elder's name is Brown.

Give my regards to all the ‘boys.’ I may plan a ‘raid’ through your neck o'woods some day. If I do, look out.

Kindest regards,