The Death of A.P. Hill

Where Hill Fell Marker
Southwest of Petersburg on the northwest side of Boydton Plank Road (US 1) less than a mile northeast of Airport Road and the intersection with Interstate 85
Petersburg, VA 23803

Ambrose Powell Hill was born on November 9, 1825 in Culpeper, Virginia. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1842, and was commissioned as an officer in the 1st U.S. Artillery. Hill served in Mexico during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) during the closing stages of the war. Following the war, Hill went on to serve against the Seminoles in Florida, and with the U.S. Coastal Survey in Washington, D.C. In March 1861, Hill resigned from the United States Army to join the Confederate cause.

Hill served with distinction in a number of the major campaigns and battles of the Civil War including the Peninsula Campaign (March – July 1862), the Second Battle of Bull Run/Second Manassas (August 28 – August 30, 1862), and the Battle of Antietam (September 17, 1862). During his service with the Confederate Army, Hill had two feuds with Confederate generals James Longstreet and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. The latter feud resulted in Hill being arrested for neglect of duty during the 1862 Maryland Campaign. He was reinstated prior to the Battle of Antietam.

Hill was plagued with bad health throughout the second half of 1864 and early in 1865. He returned to the army in time to participate in the Siege of Petersburg. During this time, Hill continued to battle health problems. On April 2, 1865, Hill was riding close to the front lines with a staff officer and was shot dead by a Union soldier. The soldier was part of the Union force that had broken through the Confederate defensive lines at Petersburg. Hill died at age 39, just seven days before Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House.

Below are two links with more information on A.P. Hill along with two photos that I took of the marker in 2009:

http://www.stonesentinels.com/Petersburg-West/Where_Hill_Fell-S49.php

http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/a-p-hill

MW

North Carolina at Appomattox Court House

North Carolina Monument at Appomattox Court House
111 National Park Dr.
Appomattox VA, 24522
(Follow the signs for the North Carolina Monument trail)

In 2009, I had the opportunity to visit numerous historic sites in Virginia while stationed at Fort Lee. If you are a regular reader of my blog then you know that I have been adding photos from past trips over the last couple of years. While looking through some old photos this past spring, I came across my photos from Appomattox Court House National Historical Park in Virginia. Appomattox Court House is known for being the site of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.

In the tradition of my blog, I decided to cover individual locations and monuments from the park that are often overlooked by visitors. Being a good descendant of a family that has lived in North Carolina for hundreds of years, I decided to cover the history of the North Carolina Monument. The monument was erected in 1905 by North Carolina veterans. The monument sits on the site where the last volley of the Army of Northern Virginia was fired during the Battle of Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The monument also memorializes the contributions of North Carolina Confederate troops over the span of the war. The monument recognizes the Confederate troops of North Carolina as the ""First at Bethel, farthest to the front at Gettysburg and Chickamauga, and last at Appomattox."

The North Carolina Monument is one of the sites associated with the park that is classified as one of the "places beyond the village." This monument along with a few other places is outside of the Appomattox Court House village area of the park. The monument can be accessed via a marked and improved trail.

Below are two links with more information on the North Carolina troops at Appomattox and the monument, as well as a few photos that I took during my 2009 visit to Appomattox Court House:

https://www.nps.gov/apco/learn/historyculture/places-beyond-the-village.htm 

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/appomattox-station/appomattox-station-history/the-battles-of-appomattox.html

MW

Colonel Lawrence Allen House

Colonel Lawrence Allen House
39 S. Main St.
Marshall, NC 28753

The Colonel Lawrence Allen House is located in historic downtown Marshall, North Carolina. The house was built in 1849, and is the oldest building on Main Street. The home was built by Colonel Lawrence Allen who served as the first Clerk of Court for Marshall. Allen would go on to serve as an officer in the Confederate Army. He was later involved in the Shelton Laurel Massacre on January 18, 1863 in which 13 accused Union sympathizers were executed in Shelton Laurel, NC.

The home stands as a reminder of the divided loyalties of the residents of western North Carolina leading up to the American Civil War. A Civil War Trails marker out front of the house discusses an incident that occurred around and in the home in the early days of the war. The marker reads:

On May 13, 1861, voters gathered here in Marshall, the Madison County seat, to elect a delegate for the Secession Convention to be held in Raleigh. The citizens were divided in their loyalties. Sheriff Ransom P. Merrill and others were later described as “husawing for Jeff Davis & the confederacy,” while men of different opinions were shouting for “Washington and the Union.” One witness later noted that “a good Deel of Liquor had been drank that day.” When a dispute broke out between some Unionists and the sheriff, Merrill drew his pistol and shot and wounded Elisha Tweed, Elisha’s father and former clerk of the superior court, then shot Merrill with a double-barreled shotgun and killed him. The Tweeds later joined the 4th Tennessee Infantry (U.S.), but Neely died of fever in 1862. The voters elected secessionist J. A. McDowell to the state convention.

The local “war within a war” had escalated in the mountains by January 1863, when Unionists from the county’s Shelton Laurel community were deprived of salt. A band of 50 or 60 Union soldiers and civilians raided Marshall, taking salt and other provisions and wounding Confederate Capt. John Peek. The raiders also ransacked the house in front of you, the home of Col. Lawrence M. Allen, 64th North Carolina Infantry. Two of Allen’s children, who were lying in the house desperately ill at the time, afterward died.

Confederate troops marched on Shelton Laurel to “put down the insurrection” and recover property taken from Marshall. Meeting resistance, the Confederates summarily executed at least 13 prisoners, men and boys, in what became known as the “Shelton Laurel Massacre.”

Below are a few links with more information on the Colonel Lawrence Allen House and the town of Marshall, along with some photos that I took during my 2011 visit to the hometown of my Ward ancestors:

https://www.visitmadisoncounty.com/who-we-are/town-of-marshall/colonel-lawrence-allen-house/

http://www.visitmadisoncounty.com/wp-content/uploads/Marshall-Walking-Tour-flyer-size-PDF.pdf

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/19/murder-in-the-mountains/?_r=0

http://www.mwhistoryexperience.com/2016/01/madison-county-courthouse.html?m=0

MW

Violet Bank

Violet Bank 
326 Royal Oak Ave.
Colonial Heights, VA 23834

The land upon which Violet Bank sits was obtained by Thomas Shore in 1777. The first home on the property was built in 1778. During the American Revolution, the house and land served as the headquarters of the Marquis de Lafayette at the beginning of the 1781 summer campaign in the American South. The home was also witness to some of the military actions associated with the April 25, 1781 Battle of Blandford or Battle of Petersburg. The 1781 summer campaign eventually resulted in the defeat of the British army under Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown.

The original home on the property was destroyed by fire in 1810. The current home was built in 1815 by Thomas Shore's widow, Jane Grey, and her second husband. Violet Bank served as General Robert E. Lee's headquarters from June 8, 1864 to November 1, 1864. On July 30, 1864, Lee received word at Violet Bank that Union troops had detonated 8,000 pounds of explosives under Confederate positions in Petersburg. This action initiated the Battle of the Crater.

Below are the links to three websites with more information on Violet Bank, as well as some photos that I took during my 2009 visit:

http://www.colonialheightsva.gov/facilities/facility/details/Violet-Bank-Museum-44 

http://www.richmond.com/real_estate/richmond-neighborhoods/article_be4c9928-be36-11e2-b01e-0019bb30f31a.html

http://www.colonialheightsva.gov/index.aspx?NID=499

MW

Stonewall Jackson Shrine and Chandler House

Stonewall Jackson Shrine and Chandler House
12023 Stonewall Jackson Rd.
Woodford, VA 22580

General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was a legendary Confederate commander. He served with distinction at a number of early battles in the American Civil War, and received his nickname at the First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) on July 21, 1861. During this battle, Jackson and his troops stood like a stone wall against Federal assaults. Jackson's military career and life came to an end following the Battle of Chancellorsville (April 30 - May 6, 1863) where Jackson was mortally wounded by friendly fire on May 2, 1863.

The Stonewall Jackson Shrine and Chandler House is located in Woodford (Guinea Station), Virginia. This site commemorates the location where Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson died on May 10, 1863. The Chandler House once served as the plantation office for Thomas C. Chandler's plantation Fairfield. During the Battle of Chancellorsville, wounded Confederate soldiers were brought here for treatment, including Jackson. Jackson received surgery to have his left arm amputated from gunshot wounds and rough treatment while being evacuated from the battlefield. Doctors also discovered that he was ill with pneumonia while receiving treatments for his wounds. The bed where "Stonewall" Jackson spent his final days is located in the Chandler House.

The plantation office (Chandler House) is the only remaining building from Thomas C. Chandler's 740-acre plantation. The Stonewall Jackson Shrine and Chandler House is maintained by the National Park Service. The hours of operation for the Jackson Shrine and Chandler House vary depending on the season of the year. I would recommend contacting the park to see if the house is open prior to your visit.

Below are two links with more information on this historic site, along with some photos that I took during my 2009 visit to the Stonewall Jackson Shrine and Chandler House:

http://www.nps.gov/frsp/learn/photosmultimedia/shrines.htm

http://www.virginia.org/listings/Museums/StonewallJacksonShrine/

MW

Madison County Courthouse

Madison County Courthouse
2 N. Main St.
Marshall, NC 28753

The Madison County Courthouse was built in 1907 in Marshall, NC. The courthouse is a two-story, Classic Revival style building which was constructed by the Smith & Carrier architectural firm from nearby Asheville. The courthouse sits on the Marshall Main Street Historic District which includes buildings dating back to 1849. A marker in front of the courthouse explains that during the Civil War, the Dixie Highway passed in front of the land upon which the courthouse was built. This marker is only a small reminder of both the Union and Confederate forces that once passed through and fought in this area. Marshall, as you will see in future posts, was a highly divided area during the Civil War. Western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee were considered hotbeds for pro-Unionist activity during the war. The residents of Madison County were caught in the midst of this civil war within the American Civil War.

I visited Marshall with my father in 2011 following my return home from the Middle East. The town of Marshall is significant in my family because it is the home of numerous generations of my father's family. While in town, we had the opportunity to visit a number of locations associated not only with the history of the region, but also associated with my family.

Below are two links with more information on the Madison County Courthouse, along with some pictures I took during my 2011 visit:

http://www.visitnc.com/listing/madison-county-courthouse

http://www.visitmadisoncounty.com/wp-content/uploads/Marshall-Walking-Tour-flyer-size-PDF.pdf

MW