A post for the 4th of July, 2019.

The Civil War and its Toll on our Virginia Family

After a while studying family from Washington and Wythe counties in southwest Virginia, you begin to note that many of the men enlisted in the Confederate Army in the early 1860s, and in fact a great many of our relatives enlisted as privates in Company H of the 37^th Virginia Infantry. In 1861 the 37^th had 846 men; at the end there were 2 officers and 39 men left to surrender. 30% were disabled at Gettysburg, and many from our families and their neighbors were captured at Spotsylvania and spent time at Fort Delaware in the Delaware River along with about 33,000 men, though not all were there at once. Rations were short, but the men were allowed to buy food if they could and to fish from the Delaware. Records show that Fort Delaware received more care packages than other prisons. More than 2500 died there, about half from smallpox, and hundreds more from malaria, typhoid, and dysentery. Some are buried in Finn’s Point, New Jersey. There were 600 men placed in boats under Confederate shelling for retaliation for that number being placed in Charleston; these are known as the Immortal Six Hundred.

So many families from this area had the proud tradition of having a family member serve in the Overmountain Boys at Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War that secession was not an easy decision made in that area. In fact it was a couple of weeks before Virginia seceded from the Union compared to several other states, mainly because the western Virginians were not quick to leave a country so many of their fathers and grandfathers had created. Company H formed in August (secession was in April) and called themselves the Kings Mountain Rifles. Over 60% of Company H men were farmers, and 10% more were farm laborers. One of their first actions was to climb a mountain in pouring rain, walk the center of a creek to a river in complete darkness, holding on to the man in front of them, and after marching in water up to their chests find that they were too late to join the intended company they were supposed to join. Only a seasoned soldier could tell us how often the things they did had just such outcomes. Here is a list of battles, however, most with fatal consequences for both sides fought by the 37^th before and during 1862:

Fought on 8 Jul 1861 at Laurel Hill, WV.

Fought on 12 Jul 1861 at Staunton, VA Hospl.

Fought on 4 Jan 1862 at Capon Bridge, Morgan County, V.

Fought on 15 Jan 1862 at McDowell, VA.

Fought on 15 Jan 1862.

Fought on 1 Mar 1862 at London Bridge, VA.

Fought on 23 Mar 1862 at Kernstown, VA.

Fought on 20 Apr 1862 at Pike County, KY.

Fought on 25 Apr 1862 at Port Republic, VA.

Fought on 3 May 1862 at Strasburg, VA.

Fought on 6 May 1862.

Fought on 8 May 1862 at McDowell, VA.

Fought on 8 May 1862.

Fought on 10 May 1862 at Spotsylvania Court House, VA.

Fought on 15 May 1862.

Fought on 24 May 1862.

Fought on 25 May 1862 at Winchester, VA.

Fought on 30 May 1862 at Front Royal, VA.

Fought on 1 Jun 1862 at Strasburg, VA.

Fought on 1 Jun 1862 at Winchester, VA.

Fought on 1 Jun 1862.

Fought on 1 Jun 1862 at London Bridge, VA.

Fought on 2 Jun 1862 at Woodstock, VA.

Fought on 2 Jun 1862 at Winchester, VA.

Fought on 2 Jun 1862 at Strasburg, VA.

Fought on 3 Jun 1862 at Strasburg, VA.

Fought on 4 Jun 1862 at Strasburg, VA.

Fought on 4 Jun 1862 at Middletown, VA.

Fought on 5 Jun 1862 at Port Republic, VA.

Fought on 6 Jun 1862 at Winchester, VA.

Fought on 6 Jun 1862 at New Market, VA.

Fought on 8 Jun 1862 at Port Republic, VA.

Fought on 9 Jun 1862 at Mt Jackson, VA.

Fought on 15 Jun 1862.

Fought on 21 Jun 1862 at Newtown, VA.

Fought on 27 Jun 1862 at Gaines' Mill, VA.

Fought on 28 Jun 1862 at Gaines' Mill, VA.

Fought on 1 Jul 1862 at Seven Days Fight.

Fought on 15 Jul 1862.

Fought on 1 Aug 1862.

Fought on 9 Aug 1862 at Cedar Mountain, VA.

Fought on 10 Aug 1862 at Cedar Mountain, VA.

Fought on 15 Aug 1862 at Manassas, VA.

Fought on 15 Aug 1862.

Fought on 20 Aug 1862.

Fought on 22 Aug 1862 at Rappahannock River, VA.

Fought on 25 Aug 1862 at Rappahannock River, VA.

Fought on 27 Aug 1862 at Manassas, VA.

Fought on 28 Aug 1862 at Manassas, VA.

Fought on 28 Aug 1862 at 2nd Manassas, VA.

Fought on 29 Aug 1862.

Fought on 30 Aug 1862 at Fort Monroe, VA.

Fought on 1 Sep 1862 at Richmond, VA.

Fought on 1 Sep 1862 at Manassas, VA.

Fought on 1 Sep 1862.

Fought on 2 Sep 1862 at Newport, KY.

Fought on 2 Sep 1862.

Fought on 10 Sep 1862 at Cunninghams Ford, Rappahannock River.

Fought on 12 Sep 1862 at North Mountain Station, VA.

Fought on 15 Sep 1862 at Manassas, VA.

Fought on 15 Sep 1862.

Fought on 17 Sep 1862 at Sharpsburg, MD.

Fought on 19 Sep 1862 at South Mountain, MD.

Fought on 20 Sep 1862 at Army Of Potomac.

Fought on 23 Sep 1862 at Manassas, VA.

Fought on 28 Sep 1862 at Sharpsburg, MD.

Fought on 28 Sep 1862 at Manassas, VA.

Fought on 15 Oct 1862 at Rappahannock Station, VA.

Fought on 15 Nov 1862 at Fredericksburg, VA.

Fought on 27 Nov 1862 at Mine Run, VA.

Fought on 1 Dec 1862 at Fredericksburg, VA.

Fought on 15 Dec 1862 at Fredericksburg, VA.

Fought on 15 Jan 1863 at Manassas, VA.

Fought on 16 Jan 1863 at Rappahannock River, VA.

Fought on 15 Apr 1863.

Fought on 1 May 1863 at Chancellorsville, VA.

Fought on 2 May 1863 at Chancellorsville, VA.

Fought on 3 May 1863 at Chancellorsville, VA.

Fought on 5 Jun 1863 at Cashtown, PA.

Fought on 23 Jun 1863 at McConnellsburg, VA.

Fought on 27 Jun 1863 at McConnellsburg, VA.

Fought on 30 Jun 1863 at Bloomfield, PA.

Fought on 1 Jul 1863 at Gettysburg, PA.

Fought on 1 Jul 1863 at Burnt Cavern.

Fought on 2 Jul 1863 at Gettysburg, PA.

Fought on 3 Jul 1863 at Gettysburg, PA Hospl.

Fought on 3 Jul 1863 at Gettysburg, PA.

Fought on 3 Jul 1863 at Fairfields, VA.

Fought on 4 Jul 1863 at Gettysburg, PA Hospl.

Fought on 4 Jul 1863 at Gettysburg, PA.

Fought on 5 Jul 1863 at Waterloo, PA.

Fought on 5 Jul 1863 at Gettysburg, PA Hospl.

Fought on 5 Jul 1863 at Gettysburg, PA.

Fought on 14 Jul 1863 at Falling Waters, MD.

Fought on 1 Aug 1863 at Carlisle, PA.

Fought on 16 Oct 1863 at Magoffin County, KY.

Fought on 14 Nov 1863 at Martinsburg, WV.

Fought on 14 Nov 1863 at Cumberland Gap, TN.

Fought on 27 Nov 1863 at Payne's Farm, VA.

Fought on 27 Nov 1863 at Mine Run, VA.

Fought on 28 Nov 1863 at Mine Run, VA.

Fought on 29 Nov 1863 at Mine Run, VA.

Fought on 5 Dec 1863 at Mine Run, VA.

Fought on 12 Dec 1863 at Rapidan River, VA.

Fought on 15 Dec 1863 at Scott County, VA.

Fought on 10 Feb 1864 at Russell County, VA.

Fought on 15 Apr 1864 at Wilderness, VA.

Fought on 5 May 1864 at Wilderness, VA.

Fought on 6 May 1864 at Wilderness, VA.

Fought on 8 May 1864.

Fought on 10 May 1864 at Spotsylvania Court House, VA.

Fought on 12 May 1864 at Spotsylvania Court House, VA.

Fought on 12 May 1864 at Old Wilderness Tavern.

Fought on 12 May 1864 at Ny River, VA.

Fought on 15 May 1864 at Old Wilderness Tavern, VA.

Fought on 17 May 1864.

Fought on 20 May 1864 at Spotsylvania Court House, VA.

Fought on 30 May 1864 at Sullivan County, TN.

Fought on 2 Jun 1864.

Fought on 3 Jun 1864 at Richmond, VA.

Fought on 15 Jun 1864 at Russell County, VA.

Fought on 10 Jul 1864 at Monocacy, MD.

Fought on 10 Jul 1864 at Frederick City, MD.

Fought on 14 Jul 1864 at Washington, DC.

Fought on 20 Aug 1864.

Fought on 19 Sep 1864 at Winchester, VA.

Fought on 22 Sep 1864 at Fisher's Hill, VA.

Fought on 23 Sep 1864 at Strasburg, VA.

Fought on 24 Sep 1864 at Strasburg, VA.

Fought on 25 Sep 1864 at Harrisonburg, VA.

Fought on 15 Oct 1864 at Winchester, VA.

Fought on 15 Oct 1864 at Fisher's Hill, VA.

Fought on 15 Oct 1864.

Fought on 19 Oct 1864 at Strasburg, VA.

Fought on 19 Oct 1864 at Cedar Creek, VA.

Fought on 20 Oct 1864 at Woodstock, VA.

Fought on 14 Dec 1864 at Bristol, TN.

Fought on 8 Feb 1865.

Fought on 15 Feb 1865.

Fought on 15 Mar 1865.

Fought on 23 Mar 1865 at Fort Stedman, VA.

Fought on 25 Mar 1865 at Fort Stedman, VA.

Fought on 1 Apr 1865 at Amelia Court House, VA.

Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Richmond, VA Hospl.

Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Petersburg, VA.

Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Jackson Hospl, Richmond, VA.

Fought on 4 Apr 1865.

Fought on 6 Apr 1865 at High Bridge, VA.

Fought on 6 Apr 1865 at Sailor's Creek, VA.

Fought on 6 Apr 1865 at Farmville, VA.

Fought on 6 Apr 1865 at Amelia Court House, VA.

Fought on 6 Apr 1865 at Burkeville, VA.

Fought on 12 Apr 1865 at Amelia Court House, VA.

Fought on 27 Apr 1865.

Our fourth great grandfather, David Rosenbalm, did enlist in Company H of the 37^th Virginia. He mustered out at Fort Delaware as did many of our captured cousins.

On the roster for the 37^th Company H was another David Rosenbalm, who was injured with a severe head wound from a minie ball, an “improvement” in weaponry first shown to great effect in the Civil War. It caused increased amputations as bones were shattered more than the plain round shot; a hit to blood vessels often was lethal. David was back in service at the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864 where he was captured and sent to Fort Delaware. He died there and was buried in New Jersey. He was probably a cousin of our David, none of whose children were killed in the war.

Other Rosenbalms in Company H. and therefore likely our distant kin were

                                   George W., wounded and placed as a guard in Lynchburg, VA

                                   Isaac, died of wounds from Manassas in 1862

                                   Three James Rosenbalms, one captured in Spotsylvania in 1864 and
                                   sent to Fort Delaware;

                                    one sent to hospital and then discharged, the other likely survived

                                    Matthias, died from wounds 1863

                                    Parker, lost an eye and had bad sight in the other

                                    Russell, likely survived

            Snodgrasses who were in Company H, 37^th Virginia, two were in Co. D and Co. F

                                    David G.. captured, sent to Fort Delaware, released on oath 1861

                                    Hugh, killed in action 8/62 at Manassas

                                    James, killed in action 8/62 at Manassas

                                    James C., captured at Spotsylvania, sent Fort Delaware, d. 1864

                                    John H., captured at Spotsylvania sent Fort Delaware, released 1865

                                    Thomas, killed in action 1863

                                    William, captured at Spotsylvania, died of smallpox 1865

                                    William, survived

                                    William M. captured at Chancellorsville, exchanged, recaptured at
                                    Spotsylvania, survived Fort Delaware

            Souths in Company H 37^th Virginia Infantry

                                    Clark, our 2x ggf I will cover at a later time; he was a POW

                                    David Columbus. Clark’s brother, captured ,survived Fort Delaware

                                    Jesse Francis, Clark’s brother, captured at Fort Stedman 1865                                                 John Clayborne, a distant cousin, survived Fort Delaware

            Vestals in Company H 37^th Virginia Infantry

                                     James Robert, our 3x great uncle, wounded and died 1862

                                     John C. discharged for illness

                                     Loderick, captured at Spotsylvania,survived Fort Delaware

                                     Neal Henry, another 3x great uncle survived

                                     Thomas J., captured at Spotsylvania, survived Fort Delaware

            There were nine Wideners on the roster, all cousins to one degree or another

            Wrights in Company H 37^th Virginia

                        In addition to our 2x great grandfather, James Hand Wright, who was wounded at Gettysburg,

                        captured and hospitalized at Davids Island, NY, there were eight other Wrights, four of whom

                        were wounded and one killed in action        

There were nine living Confederate veteran Rosenbaums counted in 1897 in Wythe County, but I could not get access to a book on the company from Wythe County that would have had most of our ancestors.

I don’t know which Rosenbaum or Rosenbalm it was exactly because the first name was not given, but the soldier came from Company H of the Virginia 37^th. You can already see clearly he had been surrounded during his service by cousins. In February of 1864 Rosenbaum was in trouble for about the fifth time for deserting to go back home to southwest Virginia, presumably to check on his family and affairs since he seemed to turn back up for duty afterward. This time, though, he was in real trouble and faced a court martial which convicted him and sentenced him to death. The conviction should have said 2/3 majority of the court concurred, but Rosenbalm’s sentence said only that a majority concurred. During wartime the courts martial had been reduced to only three members, so a majority of three was actually 2/3. Howard, who wrote this story into a memoir some years later, was asked to make a case for Rosenbaum on this point of it not saying a 2/3 majority. He agreed to do that even though he thought it would not work. Communication from the Judge Advocate-General of Lee’s staff finally came down that the point had been sent to Richmond. No stay of execution was ordered, and it was scheduled. Battle warmed things up, and Howard ran into the assistant to the Judge Advocate General, E.L. Moore. He asked him how they were going to carry out the sentence mid-battle, so Moore set it a week later, in writing on an old envelope. The day came for the execution, March 10^th. Rosenbalm was blindfolded, stood upright as friends sang a hymn, the half of the loaded muskets fired. Rosenbalm prayed that he be received into that better land. Howard was riding that evening and decided to see if the coming storm had impeded the burial detail into a too-hurried burial; Rosenbalm had been buried under an oak that was as yet not leafed out, looking to Howard “ghostly in the moonlight.” Attached to the wooden marker was a paper that read ‘murdered by usurped military authority.’ (Howard, 261) Some days later an order arrived suspending the execution. We can only imagine the damage to morale in the tightly knit family that was Company H, 37^th Virginia Infantry.

I am writing this on July 4, 2019, as we pause to remember those who fought to free us from British tyranny, and how difficult it has sometimes proved to remain one nation.

Resources

American Civil War Regiments available on Ancestry.com as well as several other Civil War resources they have for members.

Howard, McHenry. Recollections of a Maryland Confederate Soldier and Staff Officer Under Johnston, Jackson, and Lee.  Online version accessed at https://archive.org/details/recollectionsam00howagoog/page/n284 and published in 1914.

Rankin, Thomas. 37^th Virginia Infantry. Lynchburg: Howard, 1987.