behind AotW

Lieutenant James Matchett Taylor, Wake Forest ’59, of the 5th North Carolina Infantry served as Assistant Adjutant General to General Garland until the General was killed at Fox’s Gap on 14 September, then returned to his regiment as acting regimental Adjutant. At about mid-day on 17 September at Sharpsburg

Colonel Iverson, Twentieth North Carolina; Colonel Christie, Twenty-third North Carolina; Captain Garrett, Fifth North Carolina; Adjutant [J. M.] Taylor and Lieutenant [Isaac E.] Pearce, of the same regiment, had gathered up about 200 men, and I sent them to the right to attack the Yankees’ flank. They drove them back a short distance, but in turn were repulsed. These two attacks, however, had a most happy effect. The Yankees were completely deceived by their boldness, and induced to believe that there was a large force in our center.

He was Captain of Company G by Gettysburg in July 1863, where he was wounded. He was wounded twice more – at Spotsylvania Court House in May 1864 and at Cedar Creek in October. He was back with the 5th Infantry in December and probably appointed Major before he was surrendered on 9 April 1865 at Appomattox Court House.

He had been master and teacher at the Reynoldson (NC) Male Academy (later Institute) before the war, and briefly revived the school afterward, but he died there, young at age 28, in 1867.

That’s the former Reynoldson Hotel – the Academy’s dormitory – above, in a photograph hosted by Sally Moore Koestler. James M Taylor died in “the dormitory, on the second floor, in the front room on the North side.” Taylor’s face is from an 1866 photograph posted to the (NC) State Troops and Volunteers Facebook page by Fred Taylor, from his collection.