Quitman County GaArchives Military Records.....Civil War From "The Quitman Echo" Civilwar ************************************************ 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: Donna Eldridge DonnaEldrid@aol.com July 2, 2004, 3:31 pm Civil War From "The Quitman Echo" THE CIVIL WAR In 1860 the total population of Quitman County was 3,499 and 1,625 were Negroe slaves owned by 167 slaveholders. There were twenty owners who owned more than twenty slaves each. James Harrison with 62 slaves was the largest slaveowner. Other large slaveholders were Edgar C. Ellington, T. L. Guerry and Levi Mercer. In January 1861 Dr. Lewis P. Dozier and Edgar C. Ellington, the two delegates from Quitman County to the Secession Convention, voted with the majority to secede from the Union. Shortly after the secession of Georgia, military preparations began in Quitman County for the war which was soon to come. A military company made up of largely Georgetown men and known as the Georgetown Rifles was commissioned on February 6, 1861. The captain of this company was Joel E. Smith and the Lieutenants were Samuel Thatcher and Samuel Wallace. Among the non- commissioned officers were F. M. Bledsoe, James B. Harrison and J. W. Mercer. This small company of less than fifty men was furnished in March with fifty muskets and bayonets by the State of Georgia. When word came that Fort Sumpter had been fired upon, military preparations were stepped up and a company was organized from the entire county to take the place of the Georgetown Rifles. This company was known as the Quitman Grays and there were seventy-four men on the roster. Senator T. L. Guerry was elected Captain, L. P. Dozier first Lieutenant and F. M. Bledsoe Lieutenant. A special messenger, W. P. Jordan, a lawyer and school teacher of Georgetown, was dispatched to advise Governor Brown in Milledgeville that the Quitman Greys had been organized. By the end of May 1861, the dress uniforms for the Quitman Greys were completed and the men were eager to leave for the scene of action. On July 3, 1861 at Atlanta, the Quitman Greys were mustered into the Confederate service as Company I of the Eleventh Georgia Regiment of Volunteer Infantry. The Starke Guards were organized in Quitman County in August 1861. They were under the command of Captain Peter Brenan. R. T. Cochran, R. A. Fontaine and Joel Crawford were lieutenants. The Guards became Company F of the 61st Georgia Regiment and served for three years in the Army of Northern Virginia. May 26, 1862 a letter was sent to Adjutant General Wayne advising him of the formation of the Independent Battalion of Quitman County. It was signed by M. A. Smith, Major Com'ding. In the 811 District the officers were: Captain W. P. Jordan, 1st Lieut. C. N. Sheats, 2nd Lieut. A. M. Benton and Ensign J. W. Mercer. In 1195 District the officers were: Captain Lewis E. Holliman, 1st Lieut. Jasper N. Hill, 2nd Lieut. ______ Phipps and Ensign Uriah McCullers. In 1196 District the officers were: Captain Columbus C. Willis, 1st Lieut. J. A. Proctor, 2nd Lieut. E. B. Darden and Ensign John Teel. In 1197 District the officers were: Captain Laban Owens, 1st Lieut. Arthur Avery, 2nd Lieut. Samuel R. Ogletree and Ensign Jonathan Colley. In 1863 the Quitman Guards were organized for local defense also. There were forty-three members under the command of Captain T. L. Guerry who by then had retired from the Confederate service. The Guards were enrolled by Colonel E. C. Ellington of Quitman County who was serving in the state forces. Quitman County was never invaded by the enemy although Federal troops did briefly visit the county shortly after the surrender. In April of 1865 a detachment of Federal Cavalry under the command of Major General Benjamin H. Grierson arrived at Eufaula. They crossed the Chattahoochee and camped at Harrison's Mill on Tobanana Creek near the site where the Cuthbert Highway now crosses the creek. The troops remained for several weeks but committed no damage since they were under orders not to molest private property. On one occasion a soldier stopped at the Oliver home and asked for a piece of dry bread. The young Beau Oliver, advised him that this was not possible, the family cook always made theirs with water. Until well into the twentieth century Confederate veterans were the respected leaders of the community. The veterans organized the Quitman County Camp of the United Confederate Veterans as a fraternal body, the last surviving members of which were James Avra, Mose Herrington and Luke Johnson. The LeGrand Guerry Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy was organized in the early 1900's. The leading spirit in the organization was Mary Guerry Morris, who was the daughter of T. L. Guerry for whom the chapter was named. Mrs. F. M. Bledsoe who died in 1954 at the age of 101, was the last surviving Confederate widow in the County. Rep Luther C. A. Warren from Quitman County introduced two bills in the House of Representatives in 1869 that are believed to pertain to the war years. Mr. Warren reported a bill granting amnesty to all crimes committed in the State of Georgia prior to June, 1865. He also reported a bill to authorize his Excellency to issue his warrant to the Treasurer for a sum sufficient to purchase an artificial limb. "The Quitman Echo - Quitman County, Georgia" - Jacquelyn Shepard (pages 18-19) Additional Comments: Transcribed and submitted by Donna Eldridge with permission from Jacquelyn Shephard File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/quitman/military/civilwar/other/nmt17civilwar.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/gafiles/ File size: 6.1 Kb