Posted on 09/10/2002 9:02:52 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
A Brookhaven unit that distinguished itself during the War Between the States will soon have a monument dedicated to its members in Railroad Park.
Roy Wooten, commander of the Brookhaven Light Artillery Sons of Confederate Veterans Chapter, said the historical marker is the result of several years of investigative and cooperative efforts.
The marker is being provided by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and its text was proposed by Elbert Hilliard, director.
"The Brookhaven Light Artillery has her history scattered all over the five states in which she served," Wooten said. "To the best of my knowledge, no real attempt to gather her history was made until just a few years ago. As a feat of fate, several 'baby-boomer' descendants of the unit's veterans began researching their Confederate ancestors about the same time. These 'sons and daughters' began to network and share information. From Dallas, Texas, to Washington, D.C., historical data is being found and shared."
In those years, said David Wooten, camp historian, the chapter has been able to compile some of the unit's history and convince the state's history department of the importance of honoring the unit locally for its contributions in the war.
The historical marker will be placed in Railroad Park at the intersection of Whitworth Avenue and Chickasaw Street. It is green with gold lettering.
"We wanted to put it at the railroad park because when the guns came in they were brought in by rail and when the unit left they left by rail," Roy Wooten said.
"Hopefully," David added, "one day we'll have a nice artillery piece to set there."
The Wootens said they wanted to make the public aware that their Confederate veteran ancestors are being honored at a special marker dedication ceremony Nov. 9. They are also hoping to line up a few family descendants as guest speakers.
Roy Wooten said he wanted to warn city residents not to be alarmed if they are startled that afternoon.
"We will be able to fire a cannon in the city," he said. "We got permission from the city to do that."
Brookhaven Light Artillery was formed May 11, 1861, with 104 enlisted men and four officers. It was led by Capt. James A. Hoskins, where the unit picked up the nickname of Hoskins' Battery.
It fought at and distinguished itself in fighting at Ponchatoula, Port Hudson, Woodville, Jackson, Yazoo City, Mechanicsburg, Demopolis, Chickamagua, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Ezra Church and Atlanta. It was never captured and surrendered at the end of the war in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in 1865.
Its most noted achievement may have come during the Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg campaign. Hoskins' Battery was stationed at Grand Gulf and the captain invented the armored car by loading two of his #12 cannon onto a boxcar and armoring its sides. The world's first "armored car" would roll out onto a bridge span and fire on the Union's shipping in the Mississippi River until the gunboats got its range. It would then retreat back to the shoreline. This tactic wrecked havoc with Admiral Farragut's fleet in 1863.
The unit was also commended several times by its generals for the excellence in which it conducted itself in engagements against the enemy.
Members of the Brookhaven Light Artillery:
Abner Ables, Andrew J. Adkinson, Willie Algood, James Allen, Jefferson Allen, Alex G. Ashe, Benjamin T. Atkins;
Joseph Barnes, Patrick Barnes, Isaac Barr, Christopher C. Barret, John W. Barton, John N. Baston, Asa A. Beatts, Mitchell Becker, Francis Bonner, Shelton Bonner, Elias Bowman, Nehemiah Bright, Granberry Britt, Mayberry Britt, Henry Burke, Raymond Burke, Patrick Burns, J.B. Bush, Asa A. Butts;
Peter Callahan, E.L. Callender, John Callender, Wm. J. Callender, Franklin Case, Green Berry Case, James Case, Jasper Case, Thomas J. Case, S.H. Chandler, Walter Clark, Levi W. Clines, Daniel W. Conway, Dennis Crane, E. Crane, Elijah Crane, John Cunningham;
James C. Dayman, Thomas O. Decell, John C. Deets, Maurice Drefus, William Duffee, George A. Duke, Esadore Deitch, Leon K. Dunn, Levi Dunn
Andrew Edwards, Darling Edwards, John Edwards, Victory Edwards,
Isaac J. Entrekin, Andrew J. Evans, James Evans;
Lewis Ferris, Joseph L. Foster, Edward Frank, Encharee Frank, John Fuller, Stephen Fuller, William Fuller, B.F. Furr, H.H. Furr;
James Gill, James M. Grafton, Wesley Graham, James A. Gressner, W.H. Griffith;
Patrick Hallard, L. Hardgrove, John C. "Jack" Hardy, John Hart, Malachi Hart, John Hash, M. Hash, William E. Henson, George Warren Hoskins, Henry C. Hoskins, James A. Hoskins, Zachary T. Hoskins, Thomas A. Hough, Joseph D. Hudson, William E. Hudson;
Henry V. Keen, William Keen, Preston Kees, George V. Kemble, Ben F. King, James W. King, Jepee King, John King, Green King, Martin King, Samuel King, William A. King, Frank Klotz;
E.L. Lee Sr., Michael Lewenthall, Edward Lewis, John Lewis, Mark Lewis, Thomas H. Lewis, Samuel Lofton, Thomas Lofton, John M. (W.) Lyles;
A.J. Manning, James M. Martin, Augustus E. Maxwell, Henry J. Maxwell, John S. Maxwell, William P. Maxwell, Robert P. May, D.E. McCashesn, A.D. McClendon, George M. McDaniel, John McGuine, Petey Miller, N.H. Mims, William Vann Minton, Daniel H. Mitchell, Robert Montgomery, A. Monssean, R.J. Morris;
Levi N. Netherland, William Newell, Chad Newfesh, Charles Newport, Hezekiah Nichols, John B. Noel;
James O'Connor, Henry O'Harra;
Thomas Patterson, Berry Peavy, Hassie Price, Uriaha Price, William Pryne, William J. Putnam;
Van B. Ratcliff, Edward C. Rathrock, Harry Rice, Watford Rice, G.R. Robertson, Louis Robinson, George W. Roby, Giv. W. Rodey, James Roseberry, Janus Roseenberry, Richard Row, Augustus Ruff, James Rutland;
John Saxon, A.L. Scarborough, Phillip Schoff, Edbed Edwin Seavy, E.E. Sigrest, Margil Sigrest, Robert M. Sigrest, Drury Slay, Anderson Smith, Conway Smith, Isham Smith, James F. (T.) Smith, Martin J. Smith, Milry Smith, Nathan Smith, Pleasant Smith, Rankin Smith, Wade Smith, Wiley Smith, William Henderson Smith, William J. Smith, William W. Smith, Willie Smith, Edward W. Smithwick, John Storm;
A.O. Taylor, Richard Thomas, Thomas Tiernay, William Topham, John Tounsell, John Turner;
Harry Vera;
Alfred Walker, Henry H. Walker, Isham Walker, James M. Walker, Jeremiah Walker, Ephran Watts, Edward Welch, Ford Wetcher, Fredrick Wetzel, Charles H. William, Creihton A. Williams, John P. Wilson, Marx Wolfe, Simon Womack, Samuel Wyman, Milton Jacob Whitworth
FReepmail to get on/off the list
Not if Sara Brady has anything to say about it.
I gotta start savin' - bookmarked for a later purchase : )
Kudos to the captain!
God Bless these men.
Bump.
free the southland,sw
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