Orange-Wake County NcArchives Military Records.....Jennings, James, Captain September 16, 1862
Civilwar  Company G, 11th Regiment, North Carolina Volunteers
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Carolyn Shank Carolynshank@msn.com August 6, 2007, 2:16 pm

A Soldier's Death And Burial : Capt. James Jennings
The Standard of Raleigh: Oct. 1, 1862
      A SOLDIER'S DEATH AND BURIAL: [Captain James Jennings]
   The news had arrived suddenly, and had fallen like a thunderstroke upon the 
hearts of those that loved him. Only a few days before, a letter from 
Wilmington had assured them of his health and welfare, -- then came a hurried 
rumor of his illness -- and then that he was dead-- and had died in the cars 
near Raleigh -- struggling to get home to them. 
   In the course of the night his body was brought up from the Railroad Depot, 
in a hastily constructed coffin, and carried at once to the graveyard to await 
burial, (it being reported that he had died of yellow fever) and there were 
assembled the next morning his old neighbors and friends to pay the last 
offices of respect to one who had given his life to the common cause.
   A group stood around the open grave,m into which a light wind was whirling 
a few yellowing leaves -- some were gathering near the wagon, containing the 
body -- and others loitered through the tall grass and weeds, among the 
graves, recalling the faces of those that lay below, -- but all were thinking 
of the broken-hearted mother and wife, and little one, whose arrival we were 
awaiting.
  "The only son of his mother, and she was a widow."
   We recalled his many excellent traits of character, and his poorer 
neighbors spoke emphatically of his open-handed kindness. "It seemed a 
pleasure to him to give," they said. And when we saw his childless mother and 
his widow bowed in wild and bitter lamentation together over the coffin that 
held all their hope and stay in life, while his blue-eyed, fair-haired baby 
girl stood by unconcious, looking down into her father's grave, there was no 
eye in the assemblage that refused to weep with them. the soft September 
sunlight shone on no sadder scene that morning. The kind hands of those who 
had known him from childhood gently lowered the dead soldier into his last 
resting place close by the graves of two of his children -- kind hands 
adjusted the closely fitting planks above him, and showered on them the heavy 
clods of clay -- ashes to ashes, and dust to dust and thus was buried, in the 
31st year of his age, CAPTAIN JAMES JENNINGS of Company G, 11th Regiment North 
Carolina Volunteers -- an honest, open-hearted and high spirited man, an 
excellent son to his mother in her declining years, a kind husband and most 
tender father. He was among the first to volunteer for the defence of the 
country, and was lst Lieutenant of the Chapel Hill "Light Infantry," in the 
famous 1st Regiment. In that eventful campaign, he bore himself so well and 
bravely as made it an easy matter for him to home at its close, to raise a 
company of his own. He acquired the reputation of being one of the best 
officers in his regiment; an excellent disciplinarian, his company was well 
drilled and well ordered, and so well taken care of, that with all his 
strictness, he was much beloved by his men. He had served also in the Mexican 
war, though onlly 18 years old-- and then, as on all occasions as a soldier, 
had done his work manfully.
    -- And now he has died in the service of his country, and though that 
country has many another gallant son to stand up for her in her hour of need, 
yet who shall supply his place to his mother, his wife, or his child. And this 
is the story of thousands.   

Additional Comments:
American Civil War Soldiers gives Capt. James Jennings residence at the time 
of his first enlistment as  Orange County, in company D, 1st Infantry Regiment.
He was commissioned on 6 Feb., 1862. His death of disease as given as 16 Sept. 
1862.  

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/orange/military/civilwar/other/jennings85mt.txt

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