behind AotW

After living in the neighborhood for more than 15 years, I finally visited the old St. James Cemetery just over a block from our house. It’s fairly small, maybe 200 yards square, and is tucked in among the homes in a quiet residential area. Established in 1873, it was company to a chapel of that name, which moved to a large, new, impressive church on the other side of our little town in 1902.

One of the most prominent stones is also accompanied by a Confederate flag and “Cross of Honor”. It marks the graves of Fountain Beattie (1840-1923) and his wife Annie (1846-1911). It’s in a family row ending with a burial in the 1960s. The dog and I returned last weekend to get some photos.

Fountain is probably one of “my guys”. I’m not absolutely certain he was at Sharpsburg in September 1862, but it is likely.

He is perhaps best known to students of John Singleton Mosby – the Gray Ghost – who operated as a “partisan ranger” across Northern Virginia for most of the War. Beattie and Mosby were privates and tentmates in the Washington Mounted Rifles, which became Company D of the 1st Virginia Cavalry in July 1861. By July 1862 Mosby was a Lieutenant and scout on JEB Stuart’s staff; Beattie was still a private with the 1st Virginia.

I’ve recently read a contemporary letter from Confederate trooper James K. Munnerlyn about what he saw in Maryland as part of the cavalry rear-guard of Lee’s Army on and after 9 September 1862.

Munnerlyn (above, in 1867) was a Private in Company F of the Jeff Davis Legion Cavalry: the Georgia Hussars. They were nominally part of Wade Hampton’s Brigade for the Maryland Campaign, but were often on independent duty, notably on the turnpike from Frederick to Baltimore on 7 and 8 September, and as the sole defense at Turner’s Gap til the afternoon of 13 September.

For your enlightenment, here’s the text of part of Munnerlyn’s letter, as transcribed and imaged from UNC, from their Southern Historical Collection:

I’m having too much fun pulling the string on one of my guys: Moses Luce of the 4th Michigan. I mentioned him in an earlier post about his alma mater, Hillsdale College. I got a great email from Hillsdale’s archivist, Linda Moore, with some quotes, a new photo, and a pointer to the college newspaper.

Hillsdale has digitized and posted online the Hillsdale Herald for the years 1878 to 1896. These are searchable, but displayed as page images (photos of the printed papers) – a digital historian’s dream. I’ve felt like a kid in a candy store.

As a prominent alumnus, Luce is referenced and discussed dozens of times in those years. Social gossip, event records, family history, and biographical information are all here. Tidbits from the paper have also suggested other avenues of reseach for confirmation or clarification. Great stuff.

I’ll be using this material to update our capsule biography soon.

Meanwhile, I have a mystery – take a look and see what you think …