Summers County, West Virginia - Biography of James Madison AYRES ********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ********************************************************************** ********************************************************************** The records for this work have been submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: , April 1999. ********************************************************************** ********************************************************************** Confederate Military History, Extended Edition, Vol. III, West Virginia, by. Col. Robert White et al, copyright 1899 by Confederate Publishing Company, reprinted 1987 by Broadfoot Publishing Company, Wilmington, NC, pg. 147-148 James Madison Ayres, of Hinton, W. Va., a gallant Confederate soldier identified with the record of Echol's brigade, was born in Greenbrier county in 1843. He is the grandson of John Ayres, a native of Rockbridge county, Va., who served with the Virginia troops in the war of 1812. Mr. Ayres was among the first to prepare for defense of the Old Dominion, enlisting April 11, 1861, in the Rock Point Grays, a company organized in Green- brier county, and assigned as Company G, and later as Company F, to that distinctively western Virginia regi- ment, the Twenty-second infantry. He was promoted corporal in the winter of 1861, orderly-sergeant in the summer of 1862, and sergeant-major on the battlefield of New Market. He subsequently served as sergeant- major and acting adjutant of the regiment until the close of the war. In July, 1861, he participated in the fight at Scary, W. Va., and subsequently took part in the prin- cipal engagements in that region and southwest Virginia, including Tyler Mountain, Cross Lanes, Cotton Hill, Lewisburg, Montgomery's Ferry, Big Sewell Mountain, Dry Creek, and Droop Mountain. He took part in the defeat of Sigel's Federal command at New Market in May, 1864, and soon afterward, being called to eastern Virginia, was at the artillery fight of Totopotamoy, and was eight days under fire at Cold Harbor, also participa- ting in the bloody repulse of Grant's army. He fought in the defense of Lynchburg against Hunter, and then marching down the valley, was engaged at Salem and Martinsburg, and, crossing the Potomac, fought at Sharps- burg; was under fire two days and nights at Maryland Heights, and was slightly wounded in the defeat of Wal- lace at Monocacy, but remained with his command and participated in the demonstration made by Early's army against the defenses of Washington, D. C. Returning to Virginia he fought at Leesburg, Snicker's Gap, Snick- er's Ford, Kernstown, Winchester, September 19, 1864; Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, and Rude's Hill, December, 1864. At the battle of Winchester his brother, William A. Ayres, color-guard of the Twenty-sixth battalion, was among the killed. After the close of hostilities Adju- tant Ayres resided in Greenbrier county until 1882,with the exception of two years or more in Craig county, and then made his home in Summers county. Here he soon attained a prominent position in the community, and in 1890 began an honorable official career as deputy clerk of the county court. In 1893 and 1894 he was chosen city re- corder of Hinton, and in 1896 he was elected county clerk for a term of six years. Mr. Ayres was married in 1870 to Belle W. Ingles, who died in 1881, leaving one son, J. William Ayres. In July, 1892, he was married at Hin- ton, to Priscilla F. Young.