Richardson guard. [from the Richmond Dispatch, June 23, 1896.] Muster-Roll of this Madison county Company.
The Roll.
Company ‘A,’ 7th Virginia Infantry, Kemper's Brigade, Pickett's Division, Longstreet's Corps, was organized at Madison Courthouse a few months before the John Brown raid, and was on guard [362] at Charlestown during the trial and execution of some of that notorious band. It was composed of young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, sons of some of the best citizens of the county. A large majority of them had been educated at some of the best high schools in the State, including the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Virginia. The company numbered about fifty-five, rank and file, at that time, and the first officers were John Welch, captain; William J. Cave, first lieutenant; H. W. Gordon, second lieutenant, and Nelson W. Crisler, third lieutenant.April, 1861, the company being recruited to about 100 men, thirty of whom were six feet and over in height, left Madison Courthouse, by private conveyance, for Culpeper Courthouse, thence by railroad to Manassas Junction, where, with nine other companies, drawn from the counties of Albemarle, Greene, Orange, Rappahannock and Fauquier, they formed the gallant 7th Regiment, with James L. Kemper for its colonel; Lewis Williams, lieutenant-colonel; Tazewell Patton, major, and C. C. Flowerree, adjutant.
The 1st Virginia Regiment and the 7th fought together at Bull Run, and were as twin brothers throughout the whole war, fighting side by side in every battle that either was engaged in.
Company A was reorganized at Yorktown, Va., in the spring of 1882, with the following officers: William O. Fry, captain; Thomas V. Fry, first lieutenant; William F. Harrison, second lieutenant, and George N. Thrift, third lieutenant; James Watson, first sergeant; W. B. Carpenter, second sergeant; R. W. Sparks, third sergeant; Catlett Conway, fourth sergeant; George R. Teasley, first corporal; Osmond Bradford, second corporal; R. A. Thomas, third corporal, and John W. Gully, fourth corporal, and the following privates:
Robert H. Aylor, died since the war; John W. Aylor, died since the war; James C. Blankenbeker; E. Frank Blankenbeker, dead; George M. Blankenbeker, dead; Jerome N. Blankenbeker, died in hospital; James N. Blankenbeker; James Burdette; N. W. Bowler, dead; Benjamin Bowler, dead; Thomas Bohannon, died in hospital; T. A. Bohannon; J. T. Bledsoe, dead; John J. Brown; Edwin Botan, wagon-master, now dead; Sinclair Booton, dead; A. W. Clatterbuck, killed at First Manassas; C. G. Carpenter; Robert E. Carpenter; John A. Carpenter; A. W. Carpenter; James H. Carpenter; H. L. Carpenter, dead; J. O. Carpenter, dead; John W. Carpenter, dead; Charles C. Conway; James O. Clore; R. W. Clore; James Clore, killed at Williamsburg, Va.; W. H. Clore, dead; John W. Collins; R. Z. Darnold; John W. Davis, died in hospital, buried in [363] Oakwood; C. W. Estes; William David Early, died since the war, lost an arm at Frazier's Farm; T. L. Evans, killed at Gettysburg; W. H. Fray; R. B. Faulkner; W. N. Ford, dead; John Ford; S. H. Finks, dead; M. F. Finks; William H. Gaar; W. W. Gooding, killed at Frazier's Farm; John W. Gully; G. W. Gullyhugh; William S. Hume; J. Booton Hill; J. H. Huffman; John Hunton; John W. Hawkins; James Harrison, died in hospital; Alfred W. Jones; E. O. Jones, killed at Gettysburg; John H. Jackson; George Jackson; John W. Keeser; John W. Layton, dead; John Lightfoot, dead; John H. Lillard; H. M. Lillard; John Leetch; W. J. Lacy; D. W. Lacy; James T. McClarey; T. J. Newman, seriously wounded at First Manassas, died since the war; T. W. Nicol; John W. Price; J. C. Rush; Thomas Rush; T. E. Rowzee, died since the war; John M. Reynolds; R. A. Seal, died since the war; John Story, killed at Frazier's Farm; C. Sisk; R. T. Snyder, dead; W. Sheppard, dead; R. S. Thomas; Edward Tatum, killed at Seven Pines; Robert Tansill, promoted to sergeant-major of the Seventh Regiment; William Watson, promoted to color-bearer of the Seventh Regiment; George Mason Wallace; Michael Wallace, courier with General Kemper; John W. Wayland; James E. Wayland; B. F. Weaver, transferred to the quartermaster department; E. F. Weaver, transferred to the quartermaster department; C. C. Yager, transferrred to the commissary department.
The original name of this company was ‘The Richardson Guards,’ named in honor of the then Adjutant-General of the State.
I am largely indebted to Lieutenant William F. Harrison, now a prosperous merchant at Madison Courthouse, Va., for assistance in getting up this roll of the old company. The original officers of the company were transferred to other branches of the service. Lieutenant N. W. Crisler was appointed quartermaster of Kemper's Brigade, with rank of major.
note—Captain William O. Fry, Lieutenant T. V. Fry, and Lieutenant George N. Thrift were each wounded several times, but died since the war. First Sergeant James Watson was killed at Boonsboro, Md. Second Sergeant W. B. Carpenter was killed near Drewry's Bluff. Most of those marked dead died from wounds. Nearly every man who remained with the company was wounded one or more times.