Looking Back
Published 9:41 am Tuesday, December 13, 2016
- White tombstones in Bellevue Cemetery mark graves of soldiers who died near Danville during the Civil War.
By BRENDA S. EDWARDS
Contributing writer
Sixty-eight graves for Confederate soldiers buried in a small National Cemetery within Bellevue Cemetery were marked with funds secured by ex-Union soldiers in Danville.
White tombstones in Bellevue Cemetery mark graves of soldiers who died near Danville during the Civil War.
An article appeared in an 1897 edition of the Confederate Veteran Magazine about the men who fought for the South during the Civil War and either lost their lives during the battle of Perryville or from illness.
The magazine published with “the hope that their friends may be enabled to know their whereabouts and that they’re properly cared for.”
With the exception of two graves, all of the graves had headstones, made of freestone from Bedford, Indiana. They are uniform shape and size with name, regiment and state carved on them. Friends marked the two unmarked graves with marble headstones.
“Several years ago two or three ex-Union soldiers moved by a kindly spirit, took upon themselves the task of raising funds to furnish the graves with neat head-marks,” according to the article.
Capt. Boyle O. Rodes was the chief mover in marking the graves. Cost of the stones was about $400.
Prior to the new stones, the graves were marked with wooden crosses with names painted on them. The previous work was done by Confederate women of Danville and vicinity, and the women and ex-Confederate soldiers here contributed to the present markers.
About 400 Union soldiers also are buried with white marble headstones across the road from where the Confederates are buried.
A white tombstone for H.W. Hayden, who served with the 45th Regiment of Alabama, is among graves in Bellevue Cemetery. He died October 9, 1862.
During a visit to the cemetery by representatives of the Confederate magazine on October 9, 1897, they were greeted by a group of locals including Robert J. Breckinridge, an ex-Confederate, his wife and son, Morrison Breckinridge; Dr. M.D. Logan; Captains Boyle O. Rodes, R. Leslie Martry, and S.D. Van Pelt, all ex-Federals, and friends of the Confederates; and Van Pelt’s daughter, Nina Craigmiles Van Pelt.
A list of those buried in the Confederate section of the cemetery, listed by state, and day of death in 1862, with additions and corrections from military records in brackets, are:
Alabama
John Selph, 19th Infantry Regiment, Co. B, died October 15.
J.K. (R) Stephens, 19th Infantry Regiment, Co. K, died October. 18.
H. Smith, 23rd Infantry, Co. A, died November 10.
W. Larimer, not listed in Alabama records, died October 7.
T.J. Beckly (Beckley), 28th Infantry, died November 29 in Danville.
T.P. (T.B.) Bolling, 28th Infantry, Co. K, died November 12.
Welbur (William) M. Snow , 28th Infantry, Co. H, died October 3, in Danville.
J. Occletree, 29th (46) Co. A, died in Lancaster October. 12.
J.H. (John) Wilson, 33rd Infantry, Co. E, died October 26.
(Stephen) Russel, 33rd Infantry, Co. E, died November 5, after being in the Perryville battle.
J.A. Eastward (James A. Easterwood), 34th Infantry, Co. D, died October 16, in Danville.
J.A. (Jesse A.) Meadows, 34th Infantry, Co.D, died October 22.
S.P. (Seaborn) Ethridge, 39th Infantry, Co. B, died October. 3.
H. (Alick, Alexander) King, 39th Infantry, Co.D, died October 7.
P. Wilson, 42nd Infantry, died October 16, at the Danville hospital. He was captured October 8 during the Perryville battle.
H. W. Hayden, 45th Regiment, who died October. 9. (Research indicates that he may be Sgt. John W. Haden, 28th Alabama Infantry, Co. C.)
Pvt. J. P. (D.) Tucker, 45th Infantry, Co. B, died October 3. His unit was at the Perryville battle.
B.S. Hugley, (George S. Hugely) 45th Infantry, Co. D,
captured October 8, 1862, in Perryville. He died October 23, in the Danville hospital.
M.P. Asting (No one by this name served in Confederacy, however, an “M. Parting” was in a miscellaneous file. He was captured October 8, at Chaplin Hills, and died October 31, 1863, in the Danville hospital.)
Arkansas
A.W. Burns, 8th Infantry, Co.K, died November 12, died in the Danville hospital.
Private William Ames, 2nd Arkansas Infantry Battalion, Co. A, captured October 8, during the Battle of Perryville, and died a week later.
J. (James) Barrett (Barrent) , 6th Infantry, Co. A, died October. 9.
J.C. (James C.) Lowe, 8th Infantry, Co. H, was left sick on October 21 in Danville. No data of his death. (He was listed as being from Texas.)
H.F. Ravn (Henry F. Ryon), 8th Infantry, Co. G, died of disease on October 10 in Danville.
G.L. (George L.) Reeves, 8th Infantry, sent to hospital October. 1, and died August 31, 1863.
Florida
A.J. Beggs, 3rd Infantry, Co.B, died October 27.
William A. Dunn, 7th Regiment, Co. H, died November 11.
Georgia
4th Corporal W.S. Patten (William S. Peden), 42th Infantry Regiment, Co. B, died from fever October 6.
T. (Thomas) Harmon (Horman), 41st Infantry Regiment, Co. F, was captured at Perryville October 8, and died October 15, in the Danville hospital.
G. Thompson not listed in Georgia 42th Infantry. (George Thomison, 12th Georgia, listed as dying October 5, and a George S. Thomason, died of disease in Danville. Date not given.
J.B. (James P.) Hindman, 42nd Infantry, Co I, captured October 8 in Perryville and died from an illness October 26 in the Danville hospital.
J. (James) Mitchell, 52nd Infantry, Co. K, died October 15.
Jackson Warren, 54th Infantry, is buried in the cemetery, but no other information is available. However, Warren Jackson, 57th Infantry, Co G, “was left in Danville on October 9, the day after the battle.
Corporal C.W. McGrow (Cornelius McGraw), 56th Infantry, died in October in Danville.
M. (Norris) Compton, 65th Infantry, Co. A., died October 9. L.L. (Leonard C. ) Barnett, 9th Georgia Battalion Infantry, Co. B, died near Danville on October 20, from an illness. M. L. M. Hicks, 41st Regiment Co.K, died October 15, in Danville after an illness.
J. (Joseph) Wray, Smith’s Legion, Co. C, died November 7.
Louisiana
E. (Edward) Lambs (Lambis), 13th Infantry, Co.H, captured at Perryville October , he died later in October in the Danville hospital.
H. Dhoe (Henderson H. Dyce), 16th Georgia, Co. E, died Nov. 7.
B.D. Butler, 25th Infantry, Co. G. , died from illness on November 3, in the Danville hospital. C.C.D. Jenkins, 25th Infantry, Co. A, captured at Perryville October 8, and died October 31 in the Danville hospital.
Mississippi
S.A. Goodman, 2nd Infantry captured October 8, and died October 22 in Danville.
W.S. (William S.) Williams, 7th Infantry, Co. I, died September 30, from typhoid.
J.H. Williams, 7th Infantry, Co. I, died October 13, from a diseased lung and typhoid.
S.W. (Samuel W.) Stanley, 24th Infantry, Co. D, died September 27.
Lieutenant Tomlinson, 24th infantry. (No record found of his service.)
L.R. Dedlack (Deloch), 32nd Infantry Co. D, died October 14.
J.R. (J.B.) Courson, 32nd Infantry, died from an illness on October 7.
Corporal W.F. Hudgens (William F. Hudgeons), 37th Infantry, Co. H, died October 14.
W. (William) English, 41st Infantry, Co. C. (No other information found.)
W. (William B.) Henderson, 49th (34) Co. D, died November 3, after the battle in Perryville.
South Carolina
S.T. (L.T.) Bryan, 9th Infantry, Co.1, died November 2. D.M. (James M.) Faun, 10th (5th) Regiment, Co A, died September 28.
R.C. Hardee, 19th (10th) Infantry, Co. G., died October 23.
J.R. Smith, 19th Infantry, Co. B. (no other data found.)
J.R. Ashley (Ashbill), 19th Infantry, Co. A., died of disease on October 3. D. Darlen (Darling) Turner, 19th Infantry, Co. K., died October 3.
Tennessee
C.B. Burns (Byrns), 24th Infantry, Co. E, died of illness November 13.
Y.F. Husk, 37th Infantry, (no other information found.)
Spencer Husk, 37th Tennessee Infantry, Co. F, and died September 29.
W. (William T.) Helm, 37th Infantry, Co. B, died October 20.
E.S. Samlin (Eph Sumlin), 51st Infantry, Co. B, died October 7, 1862. Unit was at Perryville battle.
Others
E.C. Bevens, no information.
B.C. Horne, 27th Mississippi Infantry, Co. I, died September 27.
W.M. Packer, 8th Georgia Infantry, Co. F, died October 22.
E. Turner, of the 55th Virginia Infantry, died October 1.
F.J.C. Flity, (Joseph H. Clifty), 18th Texas Infantry, died October 7. He was listed under Florida as “command unknown”.
(Editor’s note: Additional research on states and regiments also was provided by Andy Bryant, of Alabama, formerly of Danville.)
