Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. Transcribed by Barbara Kawamoto. Col. Elias Faison Shaw, Patriot "Our Heritage" By Claude Moore Lt. Colonel Elias Faison Shaw, one of the heroes of the Confederacy, volunteered for service in May 1862, even through he was a married man, the father of eight children, a practicing physician, and the owner of more than 20 slaves. He fought valiantly throughout the war and was mortally wounded on March 31, 1865. Elias Faison Shaw was born on May 12, 1822, on a plantation between Cross Creek and the Cape Fear River, which is now in the City of Fayetteville. He was the son of John and Frances Faison Shaw, and a grandson of Coin Shaw, who migrated to Cumberland County from the Isle of Jura, Scotland, in 1747. He had two brothers; the Rev. Colin Shaw and Henry Faison Shaw; and one sister, Mary Ann (1815-1870) who married Richard Miller (1794-1850) and lived in Duplin County. When he was quite young his parents moved to Sampson County where his mother died and his father moved to Georgia. Very little is known about the early education of Elias Faison Shaw except that he spent much time with his Faison relatives and that they supervised his schooling. He attended and was graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. On May 12, 1847, he was married to his cousin, Arabella Faison, the daughter of William and Susan Moseley Faison. They settled on a plantation four miles north of Turkey, where he became a planter and a practicing physician. I have his Medical-Account Book in my museum, which indicates that he had a large practice and that his charges were quite modest. Dr. and Mrs. Shaw had the following children: William Faison (died in infancy in 1848), Eugene (1850-1887), Susan Frances (1851-1866), Mary Josephine (1854-1862), Martha Faison (1856-1869), Matthew Faison (1858-1935), Annie Amelia (1861-1885) and Maria Stuart (1863-1935). Eugene O. Shaw migrated to Arizona where he did some mining, there and in Mexico. He was elected sheriff of Pima County, Arizona in 1886. In 1887, he returned to North Carolina to regain his health, but died on October 9, 1887, at Smithville and was buried at Elliott in Sampson County. Matthew Faison Shaw went as a young man to Arizona with one of his boyhood friends, William H. Moore, and later, they married sisters. He was appointed deputy sheriff of Pima County, Arizona, when his brother was sheriff. He later was elected sheriff, was appointed supt. Of the Arizona State Prison, and was chief of police of Tucson, Arizona, for a time. He married Miss Sarah Smith and had to sons: Eugene and Matthew Faison, the latter of whom is now living in Tucson, Arizona. Annie Amelia Shaw married Curtis Ivey Thomson and lived near Turkey. They had three children: Eugene, Walter, and Arabella. Maria Stuart Shaw married John Clinton Holmes and lived near Clinton. She was the first telegraph operator in Clinton. They had two children: Annie Shaw and Fannie Sillers. Fannie married James W. McIntyre and lived in Wilmington. After the death of Dr. Shaw, Mrs. Shaw was married on December 8, 1867, to Thomas Kenan Bryan (1829-1890). They had two daughters: Arabella, who married Tobot Stamps, and Harriet, who married J. F. Mann. When North Carolina seceded from the Union, the young men from Sampson County were among the first to volunteer to defend the Confederacy. Dr. Shaw’s brother-in-law, Lt. Col. Franklin J. Faison, was mortally wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor in June 1862. In May 1862, Dr. Shaw organized Company "C" of the Fifth Cavalry, which was known as the 63rd N.C. Regiment. This company was organized at the stables of William A. Faison, near Turkey, where they camped while being organized. He was elected captain of the company. Captain Shaw went with his company to Camp Wyatt at Fort Fisher where they trained and did patrol duty. In writing to his wife in August 1862, he said, "I would like to see all of you at this time, but duty prevents me of this privilege. Camp life is anything but pleasant. I have the consolation of knowing that I am engaged in a great sacrifice of ridding my beloved South of its enemy and protecting you and our dear children." Col. Peter Evans of Chatham County was made the commander of the Fifth Cavalry, which was composed of 10 companies of about 1,000 men. In the fall of 1862, Captain Shaw’s company joined this command at Garysburg. They did patrol duty on the Roanoke River, guarding the bridge at Weldon, and on December 13, 1862, they aided in the attack on Plymouth. Early in 1863, they were sent to Goldsboro to help stop the Federal advance on the railroad there. In May 1863, the Fifth Cavalry was sent to join General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. On January 17, 1863, they took part in the Battle of Middleburg, Virginia, and later they took part in the last Charges at the Battle of Gettysburg. After the latter battle, they had several skirmishes with the enemy in protecting the lines of retreat. Captain Shaw was decorated for gallantry and was promoted to major of his battalion. Major Shaw took part in the fighting at Bristol, Va. Later in the winter, his regiment was sent home to recruit men and horses. In April 1864, they reassembled at Henderson and were sent to northern Virginia and attached to the brigade of Gen. John B. Gordon. This command was on the move until the Army of Northern Virginia settled at Petersburg, and the long siege began. Major Shaw was promoted to Lt. Colonel in October 1864. The official records state that these men lived mostly on parched corn. Colonel Shaw as mortally wounded at the Battle of Chamberlain Run on March 31, 1865, while leading a charge. He was buried near a stream, and later, his body was exhumed and re-interred in the Faison Cemetery, at Elliott in Sampson County. ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. 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