Life in Dixie during the War Part 3

For many of the foregoing facts concerning the troops from DeKalb, I am greatly indebted to Mr. Robert F. Davis, who went with DeKalb's first company, and who, after braving the perils of the war, came off unscathed.

He still lives near Decatur, and is an elder in the Presbyterian Church.

I greatly regret my inability, even if I had the s.p.a.ce, to give the names of all the soldiers who went from DeKalb, and to tell of their deeds of bravery and endurance. It has not been intentional that many are wholly omitted. It has been my privilege to see but one muster-roll of our county troops--that of Company K, 38th Georgia Regiment, kindly furnished by Mr.

F. L. Hudgins, of Clarkston, a brave soldier who was in command of the Company when Lee surrendered. This muster-roll shows that out of the 118 names, forty-six were killed (or died), and seventeen were wounded; that its first Captain, William Wright, resigned, and that three other Captains by promotion were all killed, _i. e._, Gustin E. Goodwin, George W. Stubbs and R. H. Fletcher. Indeed, in nearly every instance, promotion in this Company meant death upon the battle field. And can we wonder that both the commissioned and the noncommissioned fell, when some of the princ.i.p.al battles in which they were engaged bore such names as Cold Harbor, Malvern Hill, Second Mana.s.sas, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Winchester, Gettysburg, The Wilderness, Spottsylvania Courthouse, Mechanicsville, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, Louise Courthouse and High Bridge?

In memory of the dead, for the sake of the living and for the descendants of all mentioned therein, I copy the muster-roll of this company:

_Company K., 38th Georgia Regiment_:

Captain William Wright--resigned July, 1862.

1st Lieutenant Julius J. Gober--Died July 26th, 1862.

2nd Lieutenant Gustin E. Goodwin--Promoted captain; killed August 28th, 1862.

3rd Lieutenant George W. Stubbs--Promoted captain; killed July 24th, 1864.

1st Sergeant John S. Johnston--Killed June 27th, 1862.

2nd Sergeant W. R. Henry--Promoted to 1st Lieutenant; lost a leg December 13th, 1862.

3rd Sergeant J. A. Maddox--Killed at Wilderness, May 5th, 1864.

4th Sergeant F. L. Hudgins--Promoted 1st Sergeant; wounded at Malvern Hill; shot through the body at Gettysburg.

5th Sergeant E. H. C. Morris--Promoted 3rd Lieutenant; killed at Second Mana.s.sas, August, 1862.

1st Corporal F. M. Ga.s.saway--Killed at Second Mana.s.sas, August, 1862.

2nd Corporal J. M. Walker--Died in camp.

3rd Corporal W. A. Ward--Died in camp.

4th Corporal James L. Anderson--Wounded at Mana.s.sas and Spottsylvania court house.

John H. Akers--Killed at Second Mana.s.sas, 1862.

A. W. Allman--Killed at Cedar Creek, October 19th, 1864.

John Adams--Died in camp.

Enos Adams--

Isaac W. Awtry--

W. A. Awtry--

H. V. Bayne--Disabled by gunshot wound. Still living.

Allen Brown--

Lewis Brown--

Killis Brown--

William M. Brooks--

H. M. Burdett--

J. S. Burdett--

John S. Boyd--

James E. Ball--Killed at Gettysburg, July, 1863.

W. H. Brisendine--

L. R. Bailey--Transferred to Cobb's Legion.

John E. J. Collier--

James Collier--Died at Charlottesville, Va., 1862.

Z. J. Cowan--

J. J. Cowan--

G. G. Cook--

James E. Chandler--Killed at Sharpsburg, Md., September 17th, 1862.

W. B. Chandler--Died in camp, May 31st, 1863.

John W. Chandler--Killed at Second Mana.s.sas, August, 1862.

W. A. Childress--A physician in Atlanta.

J. H. Childers--

J. M. Dowis--Killed at Coal Harbor, June 27th, 1862.

W. H. Ellis--

John Eunis--

R. H. Fletcher--Promoted Captain; killed in 1865.

A. M. Gentry--Died at Savannah in 1862.