Columbus County, NC - Wright Family Military Service Ceremony

Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm

This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by
Jason Bordeaux - bladencountyncgw@triad.rr.com

Confederate Ceremony Honors the Service of 18 Members of the Wright Family 
from Columbus County, NC

This unedited article was written for the Tabor City Tribune and The News 
Reporter (Whiteville) by Jason Bordeaux

        On Sunday, September 27th, 2009, over 50 descendants of Stephen & Millie 
Ann Wright gathered at the Stephens-Wright Cemetery in the Hardee Woods near 
Tabor City to honor the service of their Confederate ancestors and to 
commemorate the installation of new military headstones that were previously 
placed for each soldier.
        Capt. Todd Collins, Company D, 20th Regiment N.C. Troops, led the 
dedication ceremony along with 7 other men. Richard Wright of Tabor City 
scheduled the ceremony and asked Collins and his men to come. Also present 
from Company D were Pvt. Corbett Booth and Pvt. Jamie Vause. Present from 
Company K were Capt. Derrick Smith, 1st Lt. Mark Lewis, 2nd Sgt. Scott 
Eshelman, 3rd Sgt. Ken Massey, and Pvt. Darrell Hayes. All men are members of 
the Sons of Confederate Veterans, but the ceremony was a volunteer effort.
        The Stephens-Wright Cemetery is located off of Peacock Road (SR 1005) 
about 5.5 miles SE of Tabor City. Descendants drove to the cemetery, which 
is about 0.6 mile back in the woods, after attending the annual Wright 
reunion in Tabor City.
        Capt. Collins and his fellow soldiers marched into the cemetery shortly 
after 2 pm to begin the ceremony. Capt. Collins thanked Richard Wright for 
the honor of allowing his men to attend. Capt. Collins asked Richard to open 
the ceremony.
        Richard Wright noted that Stephen Wright Sr. (1800-1852) and Amelia Ann 
“Millie Ann” Fowler Wright (1802-1869) were the parents of 11 sons who served 
in the War Between the States. 3 sons-in-law and 4 grandsons also served.  
Of the 18 men who represented the family during the Civil War, 12 were 
honored with markers at the Stephens-Wright Cemetery. Others are buried in 
nearby cemeteries.
        Over the past 3 years, Layton Dowless of Whiteville and Jason Bordeaux 
of Randleman have erected military markers to honor the memory of the Wright 
soldiers who served.
        Capt. Collins asked Layton Dowless and Jason Bordeaux to say a few 
words. Layton stated that he was honored to have been allowed to erect 
markers in honor of these men. Jason noted that it was an honor to place new 
tombstones for those soldiers whose burial locations have been forgotten.  
Many had wooden markers and have never had a stone marker. The stone markers 
that do exist are very fragile - many are broken or worn down from the 
weather.
        Of the 18 men who served from the Wright family, it is remarkable that 
only 3 died during the conflict.
        Capt. Collins repeated the phrase “Lest We Forget” several times during 
the ceremony. He was reminding us that we should never forget those soldiers 
who came before us and served this country with honor.
        Capt. Collins and his men ended the ceremony with a salute of 3 shots 
from each soldier’s musket.

        The following soldiers were honored at the ceremony:

        * 2nd Lieutenant Isaac Wright (1819 - before 1870)  
          57th Regt Columbus County, 14th Brigade & 
          5th Regt Home Guard Columbus County
        * Private Zechariah Wright (1820 - before 1880) 
          Home Guard, Columbus County
        * Private McLennon Wright (1822-1893) 
          Home Guard, Columbus County
        * Private Isaac Fowler (1816 - after 1902) 
          Callihan’s Co, 8th NC Sr Reserves
        * Private James Calvin Wright (1825 - after 1902) 
          Home Guard, Columbus County & 
          Co H, 18th Regt NC Infantry
        * Private Richard Wright (1826-1876) 
          Capt. Buie’s Company of Rail Road Guards & 
          Co E, 2nd Regt NC Infantry
        * Private John Wright (1831-1912) 
          Co D, 14th Regt NC Infantry
        * Corporal William Berry Norris (1830-1910) 
          Co D, 26th Regt NC Infantry & 
          Home Guard, Columbus County
        * Private Kinyon Wright (1834-1914) 
          Co D, 20th NC Infantry
        * Private Amaziah Simmons (1821-1864) 
          Co E, 2nd Regt NC Infantry 
          Died at the battle of Spotsylvania Court House, VA
        * Private Stephen Wright Jr. (1836-1918) 
          Capt. Buie’s Company of Rail Road Guards
        * Private Fleet Cooper Wright (1838-1862) 
          Co D, 20th NC Infantry 
          Wounded at the battle of Malvern Hill, VA; 
          Died 2 months later of typhoid fever.
        * Private Simpson Wright (1842-1917) 
          Co D, 20th NC Infantry & 
          5th Regt Home Guard Columbus County
        * Private Hanson Wright (1843-1862) 
          Co D, 20th NC Infantry 
          Died at the battle of Malvern Hill, VA
        * Sergeant Manuel Wright (1843-1929) 
          Co D, 20th NC Infantry
        * Private Simeon M. Wright (1845 - ) 
          Home Guard, Columbus County
        * Private Doctor Franklin Wright (1846-1938) 
          Co C, 7th Battalion NC Jr Reserves & 
          Co I, 3rd Regt NC Jr Reserves
        * Private John W. Wright (1847 - ) 
          Co B, 7th Battalion NC Jr Reserves