Troup Artillery redux

30 April 2024

Fellow researcher Laura Elliott sent me a couple of lovely news clippings with further detail about the Troup Artillery on the Maryland Campaign of 1862. The first piece is from the the Athens, Georgia Southern Banner of 8 October 1862 reproducing a casualty list Captain Henry H. Carlton put in a letter to his parents:

The second is from the Banner of 1 October 1862 and has more details about some of the casualties; it was taken from a letter Corporal W A Hemphill wrote his father:

The Athens Guards, by the way, were Company K of the 3rd Georgia Infantry, also at Sharpsburg.

Thanks to Laura, I’ve had more names to look into this week.

While doing that I came upon this fine photograph of the surviving members of the Troup Artillery at their reunion in Athens on 20 July 1892 – 30 years after Sharpsburg.


(touch to enlarge)

That might be former Captain Carlton at the far right holding the sponge-rammer, and the man with the huge sideburns in the center of the picture beneath the battle flag is probably former Corporal Hemphill, then Mayor of Atlanta. The photograph was made by their own ex-Lieutenant C.W. Motes and was published in the Banner of 26 July 1892. This copy was posted online by the volunteers of RootsWeb.


That first piece is a little hard to read, so Laura kindly transcribed the casualties for us:

September 14 at Cramptons Gap
Killed, private John J Kinney, Serg’t John O Waddell mortally wounded, shot through the head and left on the field. Private Robert S. Thomas seriously though not dangerously wounded – shot through both legs; E. A. Lee, slightly, flesh wound, through the thigh.

September 17 at Sharpsburg
Killed – Private B R Carlton. Wounded – Lieut. C. W. Motes in side and shoulder, though not dangerous; Serg’t J. H. L. Gerdine, in thigh, dangerously; Private George B. Atkisson, breast and thigh, dangerously; W. H. P. Jones, in thigh, slight; E. C. Kinnedrew, very slight, in face; R. W. Pitman, shot through leg, not dangerous; R. W. Saye struck with ball, not serious. Privates Robert Moon, J. F. Murray and Corp’l J. M. A. Johnson badly bruised but now on duty.

Here are the soldiers of the Athens Guard mentioned by Hemphill:

George Graham, killed;
James Dorsey, shot through leg;
Dick Baxter, shot through the hand;
George Palmer, wounded;
George Daniel, wounded;
Henry Morton, wounded;
Ab Edge, well;
O’Farrell, also well.

The Troup Artillery members present at that 1892 reunion were listed in the newspaper:

Capt. H. H. Carlton, Athens, Ga.
1st Lieut. C. W. Motes, Atlanta, Ga.
H Jennings “ “
1st Lieut. A F Pope, Crawford, Ga.
J O Waddell, Atlanta, Ga.
J F Dillard, Crawford, Ga.
Howell Cobb, Corporal.
R K Pridgeon, Sergt.
A B C Dorsey, Q M Sergt.
J J Jennings, Athens, Ga.
Jesse Williams, Jefferson, Ga.
R W Pittman, Athens.
Robert Dicken, McNutt, Oconee Co.
E L Edwards, Covington.
E C Kinnebrew, Athens.
J W Hale, Winterville.
J T Hale, “
G B Atkisson “
Lee M Lyle, Middleton,
Corporal B F Culp, Athens.
H T Boneshell, Maxeys, Ga.
W J Jennings, Bethlehem.
Jas. J Jennings, Watkinsville.
W S Barrett, Ila, Madison Co. Ga.
E A Robertton, Atlanta.
D J Matthews, Bascobel.
W A Hemphill, Atlanta.
R W Saye “
T F Hudson, Athens.
F M Doster, Bascobel.
J E Bradberry, Athens.
J W Bradberry, Watkinsville.
Jesse Gann, Athens.
T S Richards “
Corporal J D Thomas, Rome.
John Lilly, Athens.
Thomas Jones, Athens.
Geo W Moon, “
Isaac Vincent, “
Obadia Vincent, “
J R Hale, ________
J W Ledbetter, [Joseph William Ledbetter, Madison, Co., GA]
O J Oliver, Atlanta.
A W Reese, Macon.
E W Porter, Athens.
J M Barry, “
T S Richards, “
Bob Flournoy “
D D Blackman, Atlanta.
G W Simmons, McNutt, Oconee Co.
J E Pittman, Athens.

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