Civil War Pension File of William J. McDANIEL; Whitfield Co., GA Contributed to the USGenWeb Archives by Mary Lu Johnson [hellomlu@bellsouth.net] Copyright. All Rights Reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ********************************************************* McDANIEL, WILLIAM J., CSA Co. B, Cobb Legion Cavalry Abstracted by Mary Lu Johnson Questions for Applicants to Answer STATE OF GEORGIA, Whitfield County} William J. McDaniel, of said State and County, hereby applies for the pension provided by Act of 1910, as amended by Act of 1919... 1. Wm. J. McDaniel, reside Dalton, Whitfield County, Ga. 2. Residence of this state since 1850. 3. Served Confederate States. 4. Enlisted April, 1862 at Atlanta, Ga. Co. G. Cobb Legion Cavalry 5. Remained until close of war 6. Surrendered Greensborough, N. C. 7. Was not with command when it was surrendered or discharged. 8. If you were not actually present, state... where you were. I was near Chester S.C. being dismounted and in search of mounts, two of us. a. Where was your command when you left it? Near Florence, S.C. I being placed on dismounted detail and outdistanced by mounted men. b. When did you leave the command? As above, immediately after Sherman passed Cheraw. c. e. For what cause did you leave. As stated above. Outdistanced by my mounted comrades. d. By whose authority did you leave? Placed on dismounted detail by Capt. McKensie of Jeff Davis Legion, in command dismounted. e. For how long was your leave granted? Not on leave. f. Why did you not return to your command after leave expired. Not on leave. g. In what way were you prevented? Rapidity of movement of mounted men and of line or communications. h. What effort did you make to return? Every reasonable effort. i. Were you captured during the war? No. j. If so, when/where/prison [left blank]. 9. Not drawing a pension from this State or the United States. 10. Never applied for pension and had it refused. /s/ W. J. McDaniel Sworn 23 Sept 1919, H. J. Wood, Ordinary of Whitfield County AFFIDAVIT: Levi C. Fields as witness in support of application of W. J. McDaniel. 1. Levi C. Fields, live Gordon County, Ga. 2. Known W. J. McDaniel since 1862. 3. W. J. McDaniel resides Whitfield County, Dalton Ga. since 1862 to my personal knowledge. 4. McDaniel enlisted 1862, Atlanta, Ga. Co. G, Cobbs Legion Cav. 5. Was with him from 1862 to end of war. 6. Served with company and regiment 1862 to 1865. 7. Surrendered 1865 Greensborough, N. C. 8. Was personally present at surrender. 9. If not, how came you there? [Left blank]. 10. Applicant not personally present with his command at surrender. 11. Not present due to being detailed to other duty. [Questions 12, 13, 14 answered do not remember/do not know all regard when/where/why/who authorized to leave command. /s/ L. C. Fields 24 September 1912, W. R. Rankin, Ordinary of Gordon County, Georgia. AFFIDAVIT: J. W. Bowie of Georgia, Whitfield County, Georgia, states he was a member of Co. B, Cobb Legion from July 1861 and enlisting at Atlanta, GA... now W. J. McDaniel now a citizen of Whitfield County Georgia was a member of Co. G. Cobb Legion Cavalry from May 1862 to close of war, doing service with the said Company. 23 Sept. 1919. /s/ J. W. Bowie SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATION: Before me, H. J. Wood, Ordinary of Whitfield County, Georgia, in explanation of incompleteness to his replies to question 7 and 8... W. J. McDaniel states under oath: As to why he was not actually present with his command when it surrendered... facts: Served under General Young in command of dismounted men on coast. Captain McKensie being second in command of the dismounted men. General Young leaving us under the command of Capt. McKensie at the time of the evacuation of Charleston, we were placed on rear guard with the mounted men of South Carolina Calvary, left to guard a bridge on the Wando River, to protect railway. At the end of a week we were withdrawn to Florence, S. C. Here Sherman intervened between us and Hardee and kept us back several days. Captain McKensie having mounted many of his men divided the command into two parts, mounted and dismounted. The dismounted men still remaining, fourteen in number, he told that he was going on a forced march and we would have to shift for ourselves but to get mounts if possible. A few minutes later General Black commanding cavalry that had been cut off by Sherman ordered us to report to Captain Baker of Colcox Regiment of South Carolina Calvary for the purpose of being mounted. Baker said he had dismounted men of his own and would mount us when he could. We then became scattered in a hunt for horses. We proceeded Northward in lots of twos and threes subsisting on the country. We were without an officer. We met Colcox returning in North Carolina and he offered to mount us if we would return to the coast with him. We went with him to Sumter and remained there a week without being mounted. He then told us to get on the train and go to Camden where he would meet us next morning. Colcox not appearing we proceeded from Camden towards North Carolina expecting him and his mounted men to overtake us. We were disappointed in this and undertook to go through to our own command, being cut off by Union forces and deserters. When near Chester S.C. we received confirmation of rumors which we had previously heard of the end of the war, and scattering, made our way homeward as best we could. I, Wm. J. McDaniel of the County of Whitfield and State of Georgia do solemnly swear this statement to be true to the best of my knowledge and belief. /s/ W. J. McDaniel Sworn... 23 September 1919 /s/ H. J. Wood, Ordinary, Whitfield County, Georgia