Capt. Richard Thompson Powell
Military Unit
Co. B, 8th SC Infantry
Military Rank (Date of Rank and whether by appointment, elected or promotion)
2 Lt - - Elected – May 13, 1862
1 Lt –Promoted – July 19, 1862
Captain – Promoted - August 1, 1862
1861
April 13, 1861
Enlisted April 13, 1861 at Florence, SC
April 13, 1861 to 30 June 1861
Sick in Hospital since 30 June
July 22, 1861
CSA General Hospital, Charlottesville, Virginia with the measles
Returned to duty on August 20, 1861
1862
March 15, 1862
He was in Chimborazo Hospital No. 5, Richmond, Virginia with diarrhea
July 19, 1862
Capt Promoted July 2, 1862
1 August 1862.
Promoted to Captain on 1 August 1862
Nov-Dec 1862
Under arrest or confinement ( no explanation for arrest or confinement)
1863
July –August 1863
Absent on furlough wounded at Gettysburg, PA, 2 July 1863
July 20, 1863
He was in general Hospital No. 4, Richmond, Virginia
V S L. Thigh (My interpretation >>V? Shot Left Thigh)
July 27, 1863
Hospital No. 4 furloughed him for 40 days
1864
May – June 1864
Absent at Hospital sick since May 24, 1864
May 28, 1864
Jackson Hospital, Richmond, Virginia
His name appears on morning report – no explanation
Sept 13 1964
On September 13, 1864 he was captured near Opequon Creek, Winchester, VA by the 1st Brigade, 3rd Calvary Division on Berryville and Winchester Pike.
Released on Oath of Allegiance June 16, 1865 G. O. 109 (page 22)[1]
 |
Oath of Allegiance |
Capt. Richard Thompson Powell remained a "prisoner of War" for a total of 9 months 3 days being released from captivity 2 months 6 days after the war ended on April 9, 1863. When he signed his Oath of Allegiance he was imprisoned at Johnson's Island Prison, Johnson's Island, Ohio. That's a one-way trip of over 500 miles back home to Chesterfield.
1865
April 9, 1865 - Gen. Robert E. Lee surrenders his Confederate Army to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant; Appomattox Court House in Virginia.
Capt. Powell military file consists of 82 pages; most of the latter pages in the file consists of requisitions for his troops and pay stubs for his service.
Capt. Powell survived the war and returned home to Chesterfield County, South Carolina. After returning home, he married and had two known children – a son W. T. Powell (b.1876) and a daughter M. W. Powell (b. 1878). The last record found for him and his family in the 1880 Census where his wife and two children are listed by initials for their names.
Had it not been for progress, his grave-site may have been lost forever. In 1974, the SC Department of Transportation discovered 3 graves that were in the right away for expansion of SC Highway Number 9 just east of Chesterfield. The 3 graves – Richard T. Powell, Drury Boatwright and Lavica Gulledge - were re-interred at Pine Grove Baptist Church Cemetery on July 10th, 1974. Richard T. Powell's grave is marked with a Confederate Monument – no dates.
Richard was born about 1841 to Thompson B. Powell and his wife Mary Boatwright. He is listed as age 9 in the 1850 population census for Chesterfield County, SC and age 24 on his Oath of Allegiance dated 16 June 1865. Richard is a grandson of Lewis Boatwright and his wife Sarah Lundy.
________________________________
[1]
Ancestry, "Civil War Service Records" database, (http://www.fold3.com
: accessed 31 May 2012), entry for Richard T. Powell, Capt.; 8th SC Infantry
(SCVI); Confederate. < http://www.fold3.com/image/#20|73872493>
Capt. Powell had quite the term of service: disease, wounded, captured! Glad it has a happy ending with him returning home safely.
ReplyDeleteColleen,
ReplyDeleteYes, a lot happened in those 4 short years. I just wish I could find more about him after the war. I still need to review land records in Chesterfield.
Charlie
I really like how you covered his service in a time line format. Such a great way to get the big picture.
ReplyDeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your question.
I subscribe to Fold3.com
Next I get out my yellow legal pad.
Find my Civil War ancestor on Fold3.
Go through the entire record and extract all pertinent data from the files to include dates, place and event or what happened.
The sheets on Fold 3 are not in orders so you end your search with a group of dated notes.
I then arrange all these notes by date thus giving you a great timeline of his military career for that time span.
Hope this answers your question. Good luck in your research.
Charlie