Lt. William Grissom Dekle Jr - Ancestor of Rob Atkinson

     William Dekle Jr. was born on 1 April 1832 in Thomas County, GA, the youngest son of Thomas County Sheriff William Grissom Dekle, and Bethany Hollingsworth. The Dekle family traces its roots back to Prussia. The Hollingsworths were Pennsylvania Quakers who migrated to Savannah, GA, before Revolutionary War, (the one in 1776). President Jimmy Carter's ancestors were Pennsylvania Quaker immigrants as well and their tale is aptly told in his novel The Hornet's Nest. But that's another story, another war.
     In the spring of 1862 William enlisted as a private in the Decatur Infantry, Company F of the 50th GA Volunteer Infantry. He was elected Lt in June of that year. The 50th, under the Command of Colonel William Manning, spent the summer recruiting and organizing and joined the Army of Northern Virginia for the first invasion of the North in the fall of'62. William and his regiment would both meet their fate September 14th 1862 at South Mountain.
     The 50th Georgia was part of Drayton's Brigade and passed through the town of Boonesborough, MD, about noon on 14 Sep 1862. Originally ordered to a position in Turners Gap, Drayton's Brigade was redirected to Fox's gap, a mile to the south. It had been the scene of intense fighting that morning. General D. H. Hill had four brigades, including Drayton's align along the Old Sharpsburg Road where it passes through the gap. Once in position they were to execute a left wheel driving the Union troops from the field and the woods to the south. Drayton's brigade was to serve as the "hinge" for the maneuver. General Roswell Ripley was in command of the operation. Somehow his brigade and two of G.T. Anderson's moved too far down the west side of the mountain and lost contact with Drayton.
     When musketry indicated that Drayton's brigade was under attack General Anderson attempted to make contact but found a large body of Union troops blocking his path. By the time Anderson fought his way through to beleaguered Drayton it was too late to help. Meanwhile General Ripley had moved entirely off the mountain and was not engaged at all that day.
     General Drayton ordered the 50th and 51st GA regiments to take up a position on the Sharpsburg Road, on the east side of the mountain. Phillips' Legion and the 3rd SC Battalion took up a position in a field to the south of the road, The Georgians immediately began taking fire on their left flank from a well positioned 17th Michigan Infantry. This was the musketry heard by General Anderson. William, then 3rd Lt, fell in the initial volley. The 50th and 51st were routed, suffering massive casualties. The South Carolinians and Phillips' Legion had to fight their way out of the woods to the south, also taking heavy casualties.
     Lt. William Grissom Dekle Jr. was buried in an unmarked soldier's grave on the field where he fell. He left a wife and two children. When his wife, Susan Donaldson Dekle, died in 1911, by her request she was buried in an unmarked grave because her husband was buried on the battlefield without a marker for his grave.

2nd Lt. Samuel Wood Taylor, from Union Parish, LA, mustered into his brother's (Capt. Jordan Gray Taylor) Company C (Phoenix Rifles), 17th LA Infantry, on 30 Sep 1861, at Camp Moore, LA. When the unti departed Camp Moore in Nov 1861, they traveled south to Camp Chalmette, just oustide of New Orleans. In late February, the regiment left south Louisiana by railroad headed towards Corinth, MS, arriving on March 2. They camped at Corinth, and then moved forty miles north to Henderson Station, TN, for a week of picket duty before returning to Corinth. They then fought at Pittsburg Landing (Shiloh) from 6-7 April 1862, and departed for Vicksburg, arriving on 7 May 1862. The unit manned the garrison there during the yankee bombardment of 1862, during which time Lt. Taylor was wounded. The unit was initially deployed as skirmishers during the Battle of Chickasaw Bluff, north of Vicksburg, between December 26-29, being the first of the Southern Army to exchange fire with the approaching yankees; during the main battle, they helped to repulse and defeat General W. T. Sherman's assault on the Confederate entrenchments. As a result of his wounds, Lt. Taylor resigned on 1 Feb 1863. His letter of resignation, dated 12 Dec 1862, states that on 23 Sept 1862 his leg was badly fractured and ankle dislocated, that he was incapacitated for any military duty and in constant severe pain. He is buried at Beulah Cemetery, north of Farmerville, Union Parish, LA.

LtCol Thomas Hamilton Boggs - Ancestor of Myron Smith

      Thomas Hamilton Boggs was born on 6 May 1823 near Liberty, SC, and was the son of Thomas Gilliland Boggs and Eleanor Hamilton Boggs. He married his cousin, Martha Ann Hamilton Boggs, and they had eight children. Their ancestors can all trace their roots back to some of the first Scots-Irish settlers to put down roots in the Carolina backcountry. Thomas Boggs was a member and deacon of the Carmel Presbyterian Church near Liberty, SC. In addition, he served as Justice of the Peace and superintendant of the Union Sabbath School. In early 1861, he entered the Confederate Army. He helped organize the 5th SC Rifle Battalion, which later evolved into the 2nd SC Rifle's (Moore's Regiment). Col John V. Moore, of Anderson District, who would die of wounds on 3 Sep 1862 at Haymarket, VA, commanded the regiment. At first, Thomas Boggs served as a major in the regiment but later was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. LtCol Thomas Hamilton Boggs participated in the Battle of Fair Oaks/Seven Pines, which took place from 31 May - 1 Jun 18562 near Richmond, VA, and was seriously wounded in that engagement. He was sent home to recuperate, and, while there, became seriously ill with typhoid fever and died on 6 Jul 1862. His body was laid to rest at the Carmel Presbyterian Church near Liberty, SC. At the time of his death, LtCol Boggs was survived by his wife and eight young children, ranging in ages from five months to fifteen years.
      Descendants of LtCol Thomas Hamilton Boggs still have his original commission as a LtCol in the 2nd Regiment of SC Volunteer Rifles, which was signed by Francis Pickens, the Governor of SC, on 12 May 1862. The descendants also have an original letter written by LtCol Thomas Boggs from the battlefield near Richmond, VA, describing some deaths of the battle in which his unit was involved. His wife, Martha Boggs, died 7 Jan 1892, and was buried beside Thomas Boggs at Carmel Presbyterian Church.

2nd Lt. James Wesley Merritt - Ancestor of Toni Richard Turk & Robert Turk

      James Wesley Merritt was not a slaveholder, nor was he an advocate or defender of that system. He fought to defend his homeland from an invader. Reportedly there wasn't a slaveholder among the men of the 34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry - "Witcher's Nighthawks."
      James Wesley Merritt served in the War Between the States as a 2nd Lt. with Co. D., 34th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry. This unit was the "point of the spear" of J.E.B. Stuart's forces during the invasion of Pennsylvania. They were a part of the northern-most intrusion of a major Confederate force during the War. They laid siege to Harrisburg, and they were later a part of the third day of the battle at Gettysburg where they sustained 70% casualties. Gen. Stuart presented the 34th Battalion with a battle flag for their action.
      The 34th Battalion was a part of the cavalry not surrendered by Gen. Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Courthouse. After that event they removed to serve with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston in North Carolina. At the end of hostilities in North Carolina his unit laid down their arms, but a capturing Yankee unit forced Merritt to place his left hand against a tree and then shot a minie ball through it for his having raised arms against the Union. He was maimed for life. See hand in picture.
James Wesley Merritt's two brothers also saw service during the War Between the States. Reuben served with the Cherokee Artillery from Rome, Georgia and with the Forrest Escort. William also served with the Cherokee Artillery. At the end of the War William was also a lieutenant.
      Following the War, Merritt made his way back to Georgia where he married and then made the decision to remove to Texas. He was told that if he ever needed help he was to tell people that Orin Beck was his uncle and General Nathan Bedford Forrest was his cousin. The genealogical record of his descendants is preserved online at Ancestry.com.