Greenbrier County, West Virginia Biography of S. W. N. FEAMSTER. This biography was submitted by Sandy Spradling, E-mail address: This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm History of Greenbrier County J. R. Cole Lewisburg, WV 1917 p. 155-158 S. W. N. FEAMSTER. The third and youngest son of William Feamster (see previous article) was Samuel William Newman Feamster, who was born at the old home place on Muddy creek on February 21, 1836. He was willed by his father about 700 acres of the old original Feamster plantation, which has been in the family since 1775, and except for service away from home during the Civil War, he has spent his entire life on his home place and at his town house in Alderson. In June, 1877, he married Ann Elizabeth McClung, the daughter of Joseph McClung, Jr., and his wife, Mary Jane Mathews (see the printed work McClung Genealogy for her ancestry). There were born to Lieutenant and Mrs. Feamster eleven children. Lieutenant Feamster died at his town home in Alderson on April 18, 1915, and is buried in the old Baptist cemetery in Alderson. At the time of his death, there was published quite a lengthy article in the Greenbrier Independent, from which the following quotations are excerpts "Greenbrier sent no soldier into the great war between the States braver or more efficient htan Colonel Feamster. He left the county as a lieutenant in the Greenbrier cavalry, the first cavalry company to leave the county. His first service of importance was about Philippi and in Randolph county, where he was particularly active and alert in locating the enemy and keeping our general informed. Capt. Moorman being in bad health, Lieutenant Feamster was generally in command of the company. It was in this campaign that General McClelland is credited with saying of him: 'Newman Feamster can fight like the devil and run like the wind.' "During Early's campaign in the valley in 1864, Lieutenant Feamster was shot through the body and badly wounded, but, supported by one or two of his men, he stuck to his horse, riding about ten miles before he could receive attention. From this wound we believe he fully recovered and was soon at his post. His regiment (the Fourteenth cavalry) having, in March, 1865, been transferred to Beagle's brigade at Petersburg, he was on the retreat from Richmond and at Appomattox April 9, 1865, laid down his sword, and came back to Greenbrier with the proud consciousness of having faithfully done his duty as a soldier of the South, to which he was ever true and loyal. "As a citizen he was exemplary, as a neighbor he followed the example of the Good Samaritan, being ever ready to assist all in need out of recipients of his honesty. In all his dealings he was honest with his fellow man. As a friend he was almost without a peer; loyalty to his friends and helpfulness in bearing their bur-dens being one of his most prominent characteristics. "As a father, he was fond and indulgent and generous almost to a fault. As a husband he manifested the greatest love, respect and admiration. As a Confederate veteran, Camp Creigh had no more ardent or enthusiastic member, and its depleted ranks can ill afford to lose such a comrade. "Eight years ago, when attending that grandest of all Confederate reunions at Richmond, he was a prominent member of Ceneral White's staff, and in the general's stead had command of the West Virginia division. "Lieutenant Feamster was born February 21, 1836, and died April 18, 1915, and was therefore in the eightieth year of his life. He was a son of William and Patsey Alderson Feamster, and was born in the house in which he spent his married life, on his farm on Muddy creek, five miles from Alderson. He died at his town home in Alderson, on Sunday afternoon, April 18, 1915, at I :30 o'clock. "After the surrender at Appomattox, in April, 1865, where he was conspicuous to the last, Colonel Feamster returned to his home and engaged in farming and stock raising, and also dealt some in real estate in other parts of the state. "Colonel Feamster's funeral, perhaps, was the largest ever seen in Alderson." Lieutenant Feamster never asked for furlough, and one bit of his Civil war service which showed his valor and well befits him should be told in this article to make the same complete. Once, when he and three other Confederate soldiers were all the troops in Lewisburg, or in fact near it, a regiment or more of Yankee soldiers approached it from the west. Lieutenant Feamster's sister, Sabina, saw the Yankees coming down the hill and, knowing that he was in front of the old hotel, she ran quickly down the street, warning him of their approach, that he might escape towards the east. However, instead of running towards the east, as she and many others present expected, he boldly galloped towards the entire Yankee forces, yelling as he went, "Come on, boys," as though the town was fully garrisoned. The Yankees were taken so by surprise that he captured the advance guard and all the other troops turned and ran. They supposed they were being attacked by a large force, when it was merely one man, followed by three others, that being all the Southern soldiers in the entire country. This feat was witnessed by many of the town people, who have delighted in frequently telling it, and there are some yet living who saw it.