Monroe-Jasper County GaArchives Military Records.....Waldrep, George Washington March 17, 1938 Civilwar 32nd Regiment ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Liz Robertson http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00013.html#0003232 May 7, 2007, 3:14 pm County's Oldest Veteran COUNTY'S LAST VET OBSERVES BIRTHDAY. (Monroe Advertiser, March 17, 1938. File submitted by Jane Newton, transcribed by E. Robertson) GEORGIE W. WALDREP, MONROE COUNTY'S SOLE SURVIVOR OF WAR BETWEEN THE STATES CELEBRATES 90TH BIRTHDAY. George Washington Waldrep, only remaining Confederate veteran in Monroe County, celebrated his 90th birthday last week. Mr. Waldrep was a member of the 32nd Regiment. He was conscripted into service at the age of 16, at the last of the War Between the States, when the Confederacy in dire need of men, drafted boys from 16 to 18 and men from 50 to 60. All the men between 18 and 50 had already gone to war. For several years, Mr. Waldrep said, he and a brother of 12 had run their farm, the three older brothers having gone to defend the Southland. Two of these brothers were seriously wounded, one having a shoulder shattered leaving his arm permanently useless, the other being wounded in an arm and a leg. The third brother was in prison over a year. So long had it been since they heard from him that he was given up for dead. Then one day he came staggering in, emaciated from his long period in prison, where he had been given barely enough food to sustain life. "Never", Mr. Waldrep declared, "has anyone seen a tramp so ragged so black, so dirty. His clothes were simply strings, his feet were bare." After he was drafted, Mr. Waldrep said, he was sent to Macon for training and from there to Milledgeville. He stood guard while the men of his regiment were resisting Wilson's raid. His health gave way, and he was sent home on furlough. A lad of 16, frightened and sick, he made his way slowly home, through a country infested by the enemy. Barely had he reached there, when Sherman came down. Too ill to go further, he wanted to hide out at home, but his mother sick with anxiety over the older boys, and frightened to distraction lest this boy fall into the hands of the ruthless Yankees, forced him upon a horse and away. Mr. Waldrep says Sherman's forces were everywhere, Yankees, thousands and thousands of them - that how he got through he scarcely knows, but that he did reach Jones county and friends there who assisted in hiding him out. Following Sherman's march to the sea, Mr. Waldrep again made his way home. Soon after that came the surrender Mr. Waldrep at the age of 90 is still hale. Each day he walks or rides over his farm located about four miles from Forsyth on the Indian Springs road. He has been married twice, first, in his early manhood to Miss Clotilda Goodman, and to them six children were born. His second marriage was to Miss Martha Dillard in 1892, and to them there were born six children. These dozen children are still living, as well as a number of grandchildren. Mr. Waldrep is the 'pet' of the Cabaniss Chapter at Christmas, on Valentine Day, on birthdays he is never forgotten, and for the past several years has been the special guest of honor at the barbecue dinner given on Memorial Day. Additional Comments: [Added by transcriber-E. Robertson: George Washington Waldrep was the son of L. J. and Delphia Waldrep. the 1860 Census for Jasper County, page 318 shows the following family: L. J. Waldrep Age 55 Farmer born in South Carolina Delphia Age 46 Born in Georgia Clichee Age 20 " Martha A Age 17 " Nancy Age 14 " G. W. Age 12 " James T. Age 10 " Sarah A. Age 8 " 1880 Monroe County G. W. Waldrup Age 30 Farmer C. L. Waldrup Age 27 Wife H. C. Waldrup Age 1 Son Monroe County Cemetery Records: Waldrep Cemetery, Rte. 42 near Boxankle Road Lot 1 Waldrep C. L. Goodman Bn. Jan. 22, 1859 Died Aug. 1, 1892 Lot 2 Waldrep George Washington Bn. Mar. 10, 1848 Died Jan. 6, 1946 Pvt. Ga. Inf. CSA 3 Waldrep Mattie Dillard Jan. 12, 1868 Nov. 26, 1954. 4 Waldrep Frank, Dec. 9 1895 Dec. 21, 1895. son of G. W. and Mattie 5 Waldrep George Apr. 30, 1892 Sept. 2, 1892. 6 Waldrep Little Grace Mar. 28 Apr. 10, 1891. 7 Waldrep Clotie Ruth, July 25, 1892 Dec. 1, 1895. dau. of J. T. and Rebecca] File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/monroe/military/civilwar/other/waldrep345gmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 4.8 Kb