George was born in 1825 in Henrico, Virginia. He had dark hair and dark eyes, and was about 5' 11" tall. He married Mary Ellen Stevens, also of Virginia. They had eight children, the youngest of whom became my 2X great grandfather, Jefferson Monroe Powell, who was born in 1862. They lived in the "Western District" of Henrico County. George was a carpenter, which seems to be a common trade among my ancestors.
The rest of the story I pieced together, merging the historical facts with my documentation. All of the military records were found in the main branch of the Virginia Beach Library, where there is an excellent genealogy collection.
George enlisted in the 46th Regiment of the Confederate Army in August 1864, soon after the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg. The 46th Regiment, which was a part of what was known at the "Wise Brigade," defended the fort at the Crater during the siege at Petersburg.
The 46th fought at Sailor's (Sayler's) Creek, a day that became known as "Black Thursday." General Lee expressed admiration for the "Wise Brigade" for remaining intact through and after the Battle of Sailors' Creek. The 46th lost 40 men. The remaining 15 officers and 116 men were surrendered on April 9th, ending the war at Appomatox.
Robert E. Lee lost 7,700 men on that Black Thursday. I have no record of George after 1865, but I know that he died before 1870 at around the age of 40 (see update below). His military record shows that he was never paid for his duty as a soldier.
The 46th fought at Sailor's (Sayler's) Creek, a day that became known as "Black Thursday." General Lee expressed admiration for the "Wise Brigade" for remaining intact through and after the Battle of Sailors' Creek. The 46th lost 40 men. The remaining 15 officers and 116 men were surrendered on April 9th, ending the war at Appomatox.
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| The Hillsman House at Sailor's Creek was used as a Federal field hospital. There are still bloodstains on the wood floor upstairs. |
I have visited both of these battlefields, the Crater and Sailor's Creek. I once spent a whole afternoon at Sailor's Creek in my college days. My best friend Mark Lee and I drove out to the Hillsman House one day in his yellow Volkswagon "bug." We were the only humans within a mile or more that we could tell. We sat on a large boulder and looked out over the battlefield, quietly discussing the Civil War and imagining the long ago scene. It was such a peaceful, beautiful day. Suddenly, we were jolted by the sound of a loud gunshot from the nearby woods! We thought we heard it ricochet in the trees over our heads. We jumped off the rock and took off running for the car. I was scared at first, but then we started laughing hysterically at the thought of retreating with "Lee." I never imagined I had an ancestor who fought there.
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| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sailor's_Creek#/media/File:Appomattox_Campaign_Overview.png |
http://www.beyondthecrater.com/resources/np/postwar-np/nplt-19100807-richmond-times-dispatch-wise-va-brig-crater/
UPDATE ON GEORGE POWELL: September 18, 2017
I had previously concluded that George was killed at the Battle of Saylor's Creek in 1865 because I could find nothing about him after that date. Well... I found out in one of the history books at the public library that he survived the war! He was a POW, captured at Farmville on April 6, 1865, the date of the Battle at High Bridge (the same day as the Battle at Saylor's Creek). I'm not sure when the POW's were released, but his unit mustered out on April 9th, the day of the surrender at Appomattox. George missed the surrender ceremony by three days! On April 6, 1865, George (along with many others) took an Oath of Allegiance "near Farmville." (This oath was registered at Newport News on July 1, 1865).
From history.net:
"A former governor of Virginia, Henry Wise, led his brigade across the wagon bridge while the remainder of the units followed him or used the walkway on the trestle. Gordon took on the almost hopeless task of organizing the retiring troops by brigades. Though the Confederates still spoke in terms of “brigades,” the word had lost much of its meaning as many of them were smaller than a poorly outfitted regiment should have been. Not only were the units a shadow of their former selves, but most of the soldiers had been worn to a frazzle by the continuous marching, fighting and lack of food. Some of the men making their way across the wagon span were so exhausted that they fell asleep while walking only to be awakened when they hit the ground."
UPDATE: January 17, 2023
This update should have been made long ago. The mystery of George's death was solved with the cooperation of a cousin I met through Ancestry named Victoria Powell.
I had discovered Mary Ellen Stevens Powell's grave on Findagrave.com. She was buried at Brook Hill cemetery in Henrico, Virginia. I also saw a gravestone for "George Littleton Powell" with the same (estimated) birthyear for George James Powell, but "Littleton" was not the correct middle name. There was a George Littleton Powell buried there who was the son of George and Mary. There are many other Powells listed in the Brook Hill cemetery, some of whom I recognized as the children and grandchildren of George and Mary Ellen. I discovered many "Littletons" in the Powell family all over the state of Virginia, especially in southside Virginia and on the middle peninsula.
Victoria and her husband (my cousin, I presume) promised to go to the cemetery and look for the graves. She texted me a photo of the gravestones - and there they are! "George Littleton Powell" and "Mary Ellen Powell" are side by side. The dates on George's stone are 1825-1866, which fits the information I'd found on "George James Powell." I can't explain why the middle name is incorrect - "Littleton" was never on any of George's military documents. Perhaps Littleton was a family name and whoever ordered the gravestone made an assumption..?
Mary Ellen lived until 1901 at various addresses in Richmond.
... to be continued...?
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