George Wilburn O'Kelley - Madison Co, GA Submitted by Charlotte Bond 2 Jul 2004 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ******************************************************************* O'KELLEY, George Wilburn Pvt Inf Co A Reg 16th Madison Co Greys GA Enlisted: 11 July 1861 Born: 11 Mar 1839, Oglethorpe Co GA Died: 1 Jul 1923, Winder, Walton Co, GA George Welborn O'Kelley 3 May 1863 - Wounded at Chancellerville, VA 10 May 1864 - Elected Jr. 2nd Lieutenant 6 Apr 1865 - Captured at Sailors Creek, VA 19 Jun 1865 - Released at Johnson Island --------------------------------------------------------- EDITOR: The following letter is concerning George Wellborn O'Kelley and Steven Charles O'Kelley and is part of our SERIES ON WAR HISTORIES Danielsville, Ga. Jan. 11, 1925 Mr. G. E. O'Kelley My Dear Cousin, And you are my first cousin despite the disparity in our ages. Your most welcome letter came to hand a few days ago, and I have waited until Sunday to reply to it. Now as to your Fathers' War Record. He and I were in the same Company, Regiment and Brigade in the Civil War-the only real war that people of the United States were ever engaged in. The Revolutionary War was as nothing compared with the Civil War. Your father was one year, two months and twenty eight days older than I. He was born in Oglethorpe Co. on the llth day of March 1839. I was born in Madison Co. on the 9th day of June 1840. He died on the lst day of July, 1923. 1 am still living and going about and filling the place in the courthouse that I have filled for more than twelve years now. I went into the clerks office on the first day of February 1877 and I have been out two years since that time. I am now filling the place of cominissioners' clerk. But back to your fathers' war record Your father and myself belonged to Company A, 16th Ga. Infantry Regiment. We went out under Capt. James S. Gholston. Our Regiment when it formed was under Col. Hon. Howell Cobb and very soon Howell Cobb was made Brig. General. Then our company was under Capt. H. C. Nash. Our regiment was under Col. Goode Bryan, and our Brigade was under General Howell Cobb and our Division was under Major General LaFayette McLaws and our Corps was under Gen. James Longstreet and Gen. R. E. Lee was our Army Commander. Your father and myself were in the first battles on the penensula in Virginia in Spring of 1862. The next hard battle that your father was in was Cramptons Gap and Sharpsburg, both in Maryland. That was in 1862 and we both were in the Battle of Fredricksburg on Dec. 13, 1863 and we both were in the Battle of Chancellosville on May 3, 1863 and both of us us were wounded in that battle. He quite severely and I not so badly. He did not get back to the command until in Feb. 1863 and he was with the command then to the end. I was wounded at the Wilderness. He was not in the Battle of Gettysburg. The campaign was during the time he was out. He lacked about a month of being out in the service four years. He at the close was an officer. He had received his commission as First Lieutenant a few days before we both were captured at the Battle of Saylors Creek. That was our last battle and a hard battle. At that battle he had three companies under his charge. I am quite busy now catching up with my records. When I get the opportunity I will write you more fuller. Your cousin with great respect, S. C. O'Kelley