Jul 1, 2016 Orange County Review
At some point we will take a look at those who may have fought in the American Revolution, those who may have served as laborers for the Confederacy and moving forward the stories of those who would fight for freedom for all Americans in all wars in which the United States of America was involved. For now, we will continue to look at the men of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) born in Orange County, VA. Note: This is not a discredit by omission of any other men or women regardless of ethnicity who fought for freedom. However, there are some stories that simply have not been told and some folks who have never been adequately recognized. We know that inquiring minds want to know!
Private Henry Willis, Co. A, 22nd USCI (Infantry) was born in Orange County, VA in 1836 an enlisted for a one-year term on September 30, 1864. The 5’ 8 1/2" 28-year-old signed up for duty in Washington, D.C.
According to Willis’ military files, he suffered severely from epilepsy though it is likely that until he joined the army and received exacting medical care that the condition had not been diagnosed. The army surgeon recommended a medical discharge stating that the epilepsy attacks "occurred as often as once a week." Pvt. Henry Willis was discharged at Camp Casey, near Alexandria, VA Dec. 24, 1864.
We find a Henry Willis of the correct age and birthplace married to an Annie (no maiden name) born 1847 also in Virginia living in Alexandria in the census records of 1870, 1880, 1900, and 1910. Could this be Orange County’s native son? Hopefully, there will be more to come.
Private James Ellis, Co. E, 45th USCI was born in Orange County, VA in 1843. The 5’9" 21-year-old enlisted for a three-year term July 12, 1864 in Wheeling, WV. The location of the enlistment raises a number of questions yet unanswered. The one that screams at me is, "What was a young black man, presumably an enslaved man from Orange County, doing in Wheeling, WV?" I checked a map and found that Wheeling is 331 miles from Orange, 291 miles from Washington, D.C., 113 miles from Fairfield County, Ohio (where many of the slaves emancipated by Lucy Quarles in 1842 relocated) and 59 miles from Pittsburgh, PA.
The 45th USCT was organized at Philadelphia—still a significant distance from Wheeling—between June and August 1864, then four companies moved to Washington, D.C. in July of that same year, performing garrison duty at Arlington Heights, VA, until March, 1865.
Private Ellis mustered out at Brownsville, TX Nov. 4, 1865 along with the other men in his company including Corporal Sawney Grimes, a fellow Orange County, VA native.
A brief examination of additional records suggests that James married a woman by the name Jane, born about 1851 also in Virginia and lived out his life in Henrico County, VA. It has been determined that a claim for a military pension was filed as an invalid in 1890 and by his widow in 1899. Perhaps, these will tell us a bit more about Private Ellis.
Upon closing the research on this Pvt. Ellis for now, I discovered an excellent article about the 212 black men from West Virginia who fought with the 45th. Stay tuned!
Until next week, be well.