Elijah Jones Roberts (1842-1903), His Life, Family, and Remarkable Civil War Experiences

After you have read about the life of Elijah Jone Roberts as a young man I think you will be as amazed as I was at the courage, perseverance, and faith it must have required to try and survive such odds. He did survive to marry and raise children in a different world than he had grown up in and with memories that couldn't be forgotten.

Early Life in Alabama

This is the life story of Mike's (my husband) great-great-grandfather, Elijah Jones Roberts, who was born on 1 February 1842, in Georgia. Both his father William D. Roberts (1819-1874) and his mother, Elizabeth Willingham (1824-after 1861) were born in Georgia.  They married in Lincoln County, Georgia on 4 August 1840, and lived there until migrating to Alabama with their two young sons, Elijah and William T. who was born in 1844.  By 1850 the Roberts family was living in Cropwell (also known as Coosa Valley), St. Clair County, Alabama and in 1858 William received a land patent from the General Land Office for 80 acres in St. Clair County. Elizabeth's parents, Isaac and Sarah Jones Willingham, and her brother John Jones Willingham and his wife Jane C. Roberts Willingham had also moved to Coosa Valley. Jones Willingham's wife Jane was the sister of William D. Roberts. The 1850 census shows all three families as neighbors. It was not uncommon for many families, related or unrelated, to migrate together for safety, to share food, and help each other with any problems such as repairs, accidents, or illnesses, and this was most likely the case with the Roberts and Willingham families.  The 1860 St. Clair, Alabama Census shows the Roberts family with a third son, John born in 1851 and a daughter, Mary born in 1854 - both born in Alabama. The 1860 Agriculture Census shows that the Roberts family was doing very well on their farm with over 400 acres, horses, oxen, cattle, swine, sheep and a bounty of produce. William's father Elijah Roberts and his family had joined the other families in Cropwell by 1860. I have been unable to find Elijah's first wife who was the mother of William and Jane. I did find his second wife, Sarah Ann Bivin, who was about 16 years old and Elijah was 51 years old when they married in 1846. They had five children born between 1847 and 1859 making Elijah 64 years old when his last child was born. He lived to see all of his children grown and died in his 90s.

Marriage license in Lincoln County, Georgia
for William Roberts & Elizabeth Willingham

The year 1861 was the beginning of the end of a way of life for everyone in the south and every family would know grief, loss, and uncertainty for their future.  The war was rampant with the men torn between excitement and dread and the women were simply fearful. A secession convention was held in Montgomery, Alabama on February 18, 1861, and Jefferson Davis was sworn in as the President of the Southern Republic.  Then on April 12, 1861, came the bombing and capture of the U.S. garrison of Fort Sumter. The Civil War had begun!

Confederate Soldier

At 19 years old, Elijah J. Roberts wasted no time before enlisting in the Confederate States of America on 4 June 1861, in Cropwell, St. Clair County, Alabama. Many young southern boys thought this would be an adventure and could hardly wait to join the Rebel cause fearing the war would be over before they had a chance to prove themselves and defend their states rights. Elijah Roberts enlisted as a Private with Co. F, 10th Regiment of the Alabama Infantry by Capt. John H. Forney. His enlistment was for the duration of the war. The duration of the war! At the beginning many of the volunteers expected the war to be short and bloodless and had no problem signing up for 90 days which is the longest they thought it might last.  They expected to be back on their farm in time to get the crops harvested and be ready to plant for the next season. Many women were left at home alone with young children while their sons and husbands joined the fight. Fortunately for Elizabeth Willingham Roberts, her husband was 42 years old and past his prime for war. She had another son, William who would be of age to enlist, without parental permission, in a year if the war lasted that long. I can only imagine the heartache and worry of seeing your son or husband or both go off to war and the fear of being alone without your husband's comfort, support and guidance during such terrible times. These women had to be strong - there was no other choice.

Company Muster Roll
Enlistment

The 10th Alabama infantry was organized at Montgomery in May 1861 under Colonel John Horace Forney, Lt. Colonel James Benson Martin, and Major John J. Woodward. Many men from St. Clair County were in Co. F of the 10th Alabama infantry regiment and called themselves the "Coosa Valley Guards." The regiment went to Virginia a month later. There they were brigaded under Gen. E. K. Smith with the 9th and 11th Alabama, 19th Mississippi, and 38th Virginia. It saw no active service for several months and stayed near Manassas and Centerville with Gen. Wilcox in command.

Flag of the 10th Alabama Infantry

A large part of the story of Elijah J. Roberts's life will be focused on the Civil War because it must have changed him from a naive and free-spirited young man to one who wanted to make the most of each day he was given with loved ones. The challenges of camp life - away from your home and family for the first time in your life, living outdoors in all kinds of weather, often without enough food, clothing, shoes, or blankets to keep you warm - living with suffering and death all around, not knowing when or if it will ever end, and worst of all not knowing if you will survive.

Battle of Dranesville, Virginia

On December 20th, Gen J. E. B. Stuart was leading a mixed brigade of infantry, which included the 10th Alabama, with wagons to forage the area around Dranesville in Loudon County, Virginia. They ran into a Union brigade whose mission was to clear out the Rebel scouts and pickets. The brigades formed battle lines and a brief firefight ensued for about two hours until Gen. Stuart ordered a withdrawal. Private Elijah J. Roberts had experienced his first battle and survived unscathed.

Battle at Dranesville

By March 1862, at 18 years of age, William T. Roberts was finally old enough to enlist with Co. F, 10th Regiment Alabama infantry and join his older brother Elijah who had just been appointed 2nd Sergeant. It was probably bittersweet for Elijah to have his younger brother going into battle with him. His thoughts must have been focused on a feeling of responsibility to help keep him out of harm's way as well as comfort in having his brother at his side.

The Peninsula Campaign (March-July 1862) was a major Union operation which started in southeastern Virginia with the intent to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. It would encompass many battles between the Union army and the Confederate States Army. Elijah fought in the four major battles of this campaign -- Seige of Yorktown, Battle of Williamsburg, Battle of Seven Pines, Seven Days Battles. William fought in all but the Battle of Williamsburg.

Siege of Yorktown, Virginia

The Siege of Yorktown (April 5-May 4, 1862) against Maj. Gen. McClellan's army was the first engagement the brothers experienced together and the first of the Peninsula Campaign. The regiment's position was shelled but most of the men never left their fortifications. The Union forces outnumbered the Confederates by about 86,000 troops but Maj. Gen. Magruder fooled McClellan into believing his small force was enormous. He kept up widely a scattered artillery barrage and paraded one battalion unit out of a clearing in an endless circle fooling McClellan into thinking Magruder had more troops than he actually did. McClellan failed to initiate any successful attacks. The Confederate army withdrew and slipped away during the night headed for Williamsburg.

Headquarters of Gen. Magruder in Yorktown

Battle of Williamsburg, Virginia

According to the Muster Roll of Co. F, 10th Alabama, William T. Roberts was absent sick at the Battle of Williamsburg, Virginia on May 5, 1862, but Elijah was there. Elijah's regiment was part of Gen. Wilcox's brigade that defended Ft. Magruder against Gen. Hooker's troops. For the South, the defense of Williamsburg was a means of distracting the Union which allowed most of the Confederates to withdraw toward Richmond. 

Battle of Seven Pines, Virginia

The Battle of Seven Pines (May 31-June 1, 1862) was the closest the North had gotten to Richmond. Elijah and William were together in battle again and they survived without injury. Both sides claimed victory but neither side accomplished much and the result was inconclusive. The most significant incident of the battle occurred when the commander of the Confederate Army Gen. Joseph E. Johnston was seriously wounded and was replaced by Gen. Robert E. Lee for the remainder of the war.

The Army of Northern Virginia was created by Gen. Robert E. Lee in June 1862 when he was named commander over the Confederate forces in the Virginia Peninsula after Johnston was wounded at Seven Pines. He reorganized the Army of Northern Virginia into two corps. Gen. James Longstreet, who usually held the enemy in front, was given command of the I Corps. The II Corps was under the command of Gen. Stonewall Jackson, a master of daring flank marches and surprise attacks.  The 10th Alabama would remain in Longstreet's I Corps, Brig. Gen. Richard H. Anderson's Division, and Brig. Gen. Cadmus M. Wilcox's Brigade in every engagement until the Battle of Gettysburg.

Battle of Gaines' Mill, Virginia

The Battle of Gaines' Mill, fought on June 27th was the third battle of the Seven Days Battles which was a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862. It was the largest and most intense battle of the Seven Days and was a clear victory for the Confederates. The Seven Days Battles under the command of Gen. Lee led to the victory of the Peninsula Campaign and the withdrawal of the Union army from the Peninsula.

Both Elijah and William were wounded in the Battle of Gaines' Mill. Elijah would be furloughed for several months and would be absent for the battles of White Oak Swamp, Second Battle of Manassas, and Antietam. William's wounds must have been minor because he was back in action at the Battle of Second Manassas (Bull Run), August 28-30, 1862 where he was again wounded. This time he too was furloughed for several months. An excerpt regarding the action late in the day of June 27th from The Photographic History of the Civil War by Francis Trevelyan Miller: "From every waiting field-piece the shells came screaming through the air. Volley after volley of musketry was poured into the flanks of the marching Southerners. The hillside was soon covered with the victims of the gallant charge."

E. J. Roberts hospital
muster roll

E. J. Roberts wounded

Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia

In December 1862 the Roberts brothers returned to the battlefield for the first time after being wounded. It was the Battle of Fredericksburg (December 11-15, 1862) which was a bloody battle and the 10th Alabama was situated in Marye's Heights where the decisive battle was fought on December 13th. It was a great victory for the Army of Northern Virginia. The Richmond Examiner described it as a "stunning defeat to the invader, a splendid victory to the defender of the sacred soil."

Confederate fortifications at Marye's Heights

While the winter in the camps gave the armies time off for some rest and recuperation, there were difficulties with so many soldiers being in one place for a long period. Food would become scarce, clean water was not always available, and disease ran rampant, killing more men than


battles. On the more pleasant aspects of winter camps were letter writing, card games, storytelling, religious services, and camaraderie. They were very creative in building their shelters to stay warm and dry depending on materials available in the area. "We then rake up dry leaves and fill the dog house about ten inches deep with the leaves, which makes us a good warm bed." --Private John W. Stevens, 5th Texas Infantry.

Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia

The first battle of 1863 for Elijah and William was the Battle of Chancellorsville (April 30-May 6, 1863) in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. A chaplain in Jackson's command who knew the area well told Lee and Jackson of a country road which would lead around the Union right.  On May 1st Lee decided on a brilliant but bold plan with great risk. Lee decided to divide the army by keeping Maj. Gens. Anderson & McLaws divisions of only 17,000 troops to face Gen. Hooker's 73,000 Union troops while Stonewall Jackson and his corps marched across the Union's front to attack their exposed right flank - it required quick and quiet maneuvering by Jackson's corps. On the morning of May 2nd, the 10th Alabama commanded by Wilcox and other regiments under Anderson and McLaws divisions successfully provided the diversion needed for Jackson to get into position at Gen. Hooker's right flank about 5:30 p.m. Most of Hooker's men were sitting down for supper or playing cards, with rifles unloaded and stacked. Suddenly, deer, foxes, and rabbits were bounding out of the woods. Next was the crack of musket fire and the frightening scream of the "Rebel Yell!"

Gen. Jackson's "Chancellorsville"
portrait, taken at Spotsylvania County
farm on April 26, 1863, seven days
before he was wounded.

Later that evening Stonewall Jackson with some of his staff rode out to determine if a night attack was possible by the light of the full moon. They were mistaken for Union cavalry by men of the 18th North Carolina Infantry and Jackson was hit with friendly fire. His left arm was badly shattered and had to be amputated. There was hope that he would recuperate and return to his army as many other amputees had recovered. His general health was poor and on May 7th he contracted pneumonia and died on May 10th. His death was a devastating loss to Gen. Lee and the entire Confederate army.

Battle of Chancellorsville, May 2, 1863-Jackson's flank attack

Battle of Salem Church, Virginia (Part of Chancellorsville Campaign)

On May 3rd, Elijah and William with Wilcox's brigade were engaged in another brief battle at Salem Church which was on the road between Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg. They delayed Brook's Union division from traveling to Chancellorsville until other brigades could join them and drive back the Union forces. They could not break the Confederate line. The fighting on this day was some of the most furious of the civil war. 21,357 men were lost that day in three battles which ranks only behind the Battle of Antietam as the bloodiest day of war in American history.

After the loss of Gen. Stonewall Jackson, Gen. Lee reorganized the Army of Northern Virginian again but into three corps this time - each with three divisions. First Corps was commanded by Lt. Gen. Longstreet with divisions commanded by Maj. Gens. McLaws, Pickett, and Hood. Second Corps was commanded by Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell with divisions commanded by Maj. Gens. Early, Johnson, and Rodes. Third Corps was commanded by Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill with divisions commanded by Maj. Gens. Anderson, Heth, Pender. The 10th Alabama infantry was now in the Third Corps, Anderson's division, and Wilcox's Brigade.

The great success at Chancellorsville gave Lee confidence that his army was a force to be reckoned with and they could take the war to the north in Pennsylvania and the Army of the Potomac would follow. This would help guarantee the safety of Richmond and relieve some pressure on war-ravaged northern Virginia. There was also the chance that the northern politicians would be more likely to give up their position of continuing the war. The long but optimistic journey began on June 3, 1863, for Elijah, William, and over 75,000 other Confederate soldiers marching north through the Shenandoah Valley and across the Potomac River into Union territory. It was nine days before Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker discovered that the Army of Northern Virginia was no longer on the other side of the Rappahannock River and made plans to strike Richmond - this would have called Lee's bluff.  However, President Lincoln insisted that Hooker pursue the Confederate army and protect Washington. Hooker obeyed the command and headed north but he was relieved of his command three days later and replaced by Maj. Gen. George Meade.

Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Gettysburg was a little crossroads town which fate chose as the scene of the bloodiest and most crucial engagement in the Civil War and perhaps in American history. The Confederates were unaware that a force of Union cavalrymen already occupied Gettysburg. A. P. Hill's Third Corps was in Cashtown about eight miles west of Gettysburg.  Maj. Gen. Henry Heth sent Brig. Gen. Pettigrew to town to search for supplies - specifically shoes. As they approached Gettysburg on June 30th, they noticed the Union cavalry arriving south of town. An unplanned engagement between the advance party of Confederate infantry troops and the pickets of a Union cavalry division started the Battle of Gettysburg.

Gettysburg - view from Seminary Ridge

Some of A. P. Hill's Third Corps troops were engaged on the first day just west of town on the Chambersburg Pike but Anderson's division, which included Elijah and William with the 10th Alabama, arrived too late to take part in the fighting on July 1st. Generals Lee and Meade were more than a dozen miles away when the first shots were fired on that day.

Gen. Lee's Headquarters

On July 2nd, the second day of battle, Gen. Lee's plan was to lead a general assault on both of Meade's flanks and the center of the Union line. Longstreet's First Corps would attack the left flank diagonally to force the Union to roll up toward Cemetery Ridge. The attack sequence would begin with Maj. Gens. John Bell Hood's and Lafayette McLaws's divisions, followed by Maj. Gen. Richard H. Anderson's division of Hill's Third Corps focusing on the center line. Ewell would attack the right flank as soon as he heard Longstreet's guns. From the Wilcox's Brigade monument at the Gettysburg National Military Park:

July 2. "Formed line here in forenoon. The 10th and 11th Regiments taking position on the right after a severe skirmish with the Union outpost. Advanced at 6 P.M. and broke the Union line on Emmitsburg Road capturing two guns and pursuing rapidly took many prisoners and six more guns. At Plum Run was met by a heavy fire of artillery and fresh infantry and being unsupported after severe losses fell back without being able to bring off the captured guns."

Monument to Wilcox's Brigade at Gettysburg

July 3rd, the third and last day of battle at Gettysburg. Lee's instincts and estimation of Meade's situation failed him in his plan for the battle on this day. Since Lee had been unable to turn Meade's right or left flank he reasoned that the Union's center must be vulnerable. Lee did not give much weight to the fact that the Army of the Potomac was now fighting to defend their own soil and the Union morale was at a peak. With this in mind, Lee decided that Longstreet should make a massive frontal assault on Cemetery Ridge - the Union center -  while Ewell once again attacked the right flank at Culp's Hill. Longstreet had argued with Lee about this plan and told him that the frontal attack was certain to fail due to the Union strength on Cemetery Ridge. Lee agreed to substitute two of A. P. Hill's divisions for the assault with Longstreet in command. The attack would be made by Pickett's division of Longstreet's corps plus some from all three of A. P. Hill's divisions, more than 13,000 men. A massive artillery bombardment aimed primarily at the Union guns on Cemetery Ridge would precede the infantry advance from Seminary Ridge. Lee pointed to a copse of chestnut oaks near the ridge and directed the infantry to march toward that feature. Meade anticipated Lee's main attack would be the center and overnight moved numerous artillery and additional batteries to cover the front of the Union center.

Pickett's Charge (see Wilcox's Brigade)

At 1 p.m., approximately 150 Confederate guns along a two-mile line began an artillery bombardment which was answered by about 80 U. S. cannons and was probably the largest artillery duel ever witnessed. The battlefield was covered by dust and smoke so dense that little could be seen except flashes from gun muzzles. About 3 p.m., the cannons quieted and long gray lines of the Confederates moved out from Spangler's Farm and Seminary Ridge toward the copse of trees almost a mile away at Cemetery Ridge. Pickett's Charge, as it has become known in history began. The 13,000 Confederates marched across the open fields with their battle flags fluttering. It must have been a solemn but impressive scene. The Union batteries on Little Round Top and Cemetery Hill opened fire at once. From Cemetery Ridge the Union infantrymen had to hold their fire until the enemy was in closer range. They paid silent tribute to the magnificent courage of the Confederates as they continued to march forward closing each gap in the line as men fell. As soon as the Confederate lines reached the Emmitsburg Road the batteries of Hancock's II Corps unleased their guns with devastating results. Longstreet had been right - it was sheer suicide. A few hundred men in Gen. Lewis Armistead's brigade of Pickett's division, temporarily broke through the line at a point called the "Angle" where they were locked in hand-to-hand combat. More than 7,000 lay dead or wounded in the field between the two ridges. From the Wilcox's Brigade monument at the Gettysburg National Military Park:

July 3. "Took position west of Emmitsburg Road in support of artillery. Soon after Longstreet's column started an order was received to advance and support it but smoke hiding the oblique course of Pickett's Division the Brigade moving straight forward found itself engaged in a separate and useless conflict and was promptly withdrawn."

Aftermath Gettysburg Battle

General Lee met the survivors as they slowly returned to Seminary Ridge. "This was all my fault," he said to them, and added: "It is I that have lost this fight, and you must help me out of it the best way you can." Late on the evening of July 4th Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia began the long journey back to Virginia.

Historians have written volumes about every detail regarding the Battle of Gettysburg. It was definitely a turning point made even more significant due to the Confederate's surrender to Grant's army at Vicksburg on July 4th. After the war, General Pickett was asked why the Confederates lost at Gettysburg. He replied, "I always thought the Yankees had something to do with it."

Union & Confederate veterans shaking hands at reunion to
commemorate the 50th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg.

Civilian Casualty at Gettysburg Battle

There are so many stories about the sacrifices and contributions of ordinary private citizens in their struggle to survive this hell that changed their lives. The story below is about a young woman who was doing something to help her family at a special time in their lives but under unusual circumstances.

     When the Battle of Gettysburg broke out, 20-year-old Jennie Wade was at the home of her sister, a Mrs. McClellan, who lived on Baltimore Street at the foot of Cemetery Hill. There was a new baby in the McClellan home and Jennie was helping her sister with its care. 
     There was no heavy fighting in the immediate area but a Federal picket line did run behind the little brick house. There was intermittent skirmishing between it and Confederate outposts in the town proper. 
     On the morning of the third day, while Jennie stood in the kitchen kneading dough, a bullet pierced two wooden doors and struck her in the back, killing her instantly. The cries of her sister and mother attracted Federal soldiers who carried Jennie's body to the cellar. Later she was buried in a coffin some Confederate soldiers had fashioned for an officer.
     Jennie was engaged to a Cpl. Johnston Skelly who, unknown to her, had been wounded two weeks earlier in the Battle of Winchester. News that he had died in Confederate hands came several days after the Southern army had withdrawn from the Gettysburg area. 

Jennie Wade House

A monument marks her resting place, as well as a perpetual American flag that flies day and night. The only other woman to claim that honor is Betsy Ross. (https://www.gettysburgbattlefieldtours.com/jennie-wade-house/)

After Gen. Dorsey Pender was killed at Gettysburg Wilcox was promoted to major general and assigned command of Pender's division in Hill's Third Corps. The 10th Alabama would now be under the command of Brig. Gen. Abner M. Perrin's Brigade.

Battle of Bristoe Station and Mine Run, Virginia

The Battle of Bristoe Station on Oct. 14, 1863, and the Battle of Mine Run on Nov. 30, 1863 were part of an offensive plan by Meade who had been criticized for not aggressively pursuing and defeating Lee's retreating army. The casualties were low and nothing gained by either side. Mine Run was Meade's last chance to carry out a strategic offensive before the arrival of Ulysses S. Grant as the general-in-chief the following spring.

A little trivia: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's son Charles Appleton Longfellow was severely wounded in the Battle of Mine Run. Longfellow wrote the 1863 poem "Christmas Bells", which became the carol I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia

The first engagement for the 10th Alabama in 1864 was the Battle of the Wilderness which was May 5th-7th and was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee. The Wilderness was a dense woodland and the skeletons of men killed in the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863 greeted the soldiers as they advanced through the woodlands. Imagine the thoughts of horror in the minds of these men as they march passed this grisly scene.

Remains of soldiers in the Wilderness, 1864-1865

A great loss occurred when Longstreet was severely wounded in the neck by friendly fire from a Virginia regiment who believed the mounted officers were Federals. Strangely, this happened in the same area where Stonewall Jackson had been mortally wounded by his own men almost a year to the day. Longstreet would survive but be on leave for about six months. Maj. Gen. Anderson sent his Confederate troops out of the woods and toward the Union defenses of Brig. Gen. Mott's brigade supported by artillery on Brock Road. The forest had given the Confederates valuable cover but soon sparks from exploding shells set fire to the tinder-dry woods, trapping the wounded soldiers, many of whom were burned alive.

A. P. Hill's Third Corps which included the 10th Alabama with Perrin's Brigade was attacked and pushed back on the Orange Plank Road by Getty's IV Corps and Wadsworth's V Corps but two of Longstreet's divisions arrived and drove the Union corps beyond their entrenchments. The leading unit was Brig. Gen. John Gregg's 800-strong Texas brigade. Gen. Lee, relieved and excited, waved his hat over his head and shouted, "Texans always move them!" Lee's enthusiasm caused him to start advancing with the brigade but the Texans quickly stopped him and told him they would not go forward until he moved to a less exposed location. Being a Texan I had to add this to the story!

"Lee to the Rear"
Monument at the Wilderness Battlefield-National Park

The casualties and losses were large, especially for the Union, but the results were considered inconclusive and described as a draw. Lee learned that Grant would not back down as his predecessors had and would always be on the offensive. The Union was gaining in strength and the Confederacy was quickly becoming unable to replenish their losses with supplies or men.

Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia

Fighting occurred off and on from May 8th to May 21st at Spotsylvania. Jubal Early replaced A. P. Hill as Third Corps commander due to Hill being ill and Brig. Gen. William Mahone was put in command of Anderson's division after Anderson was ordered to take over Longstreet's First Corps after he was wounded at the Wilderness battle. Elijah and William had a new division commander and their brigade - Perrin's Brigade - would be called to fight in a part of the battle that would forever be remembered as the most relentless, murderous and intense exchange of fire and hand-to-hand combat ever seen in a Civil War battle.

The first two nights - May 8th and 9th - the Roberts brothers were kept busy building earthworks more than 4 miles long and at one point the earthworks jutted out in a horseshoe shape. These earthworks were reinforced with timber and guarded by artillery. The only weakness in Lee's line was an exposed salient (bulge) known as the "Mule Shoe" which extended more than a mile in front of the main trench line.

The 10th Alabama regiment was not involved in any major action on May 10th or 11th. May 11th was a quiet day other than a few skirmishes. Grant was making plans to attack the Confederates weak point on the Mule Shoe. Lee received some intelligence reports that gave him reason to believe that Grant was planning to withdraw and move toward Fredericksburg. Lee ordered that the artillery guns be moved from Johnson's division in the Mule Shoe to be ready to attack Grant's movement if he should withdraw. This was a major mistake! Confederates heard movement during the evening but had no way of knowing if the Union army was planning an attack or a withdrawal.

May 12, 1864 - Assault at the Bloody Angle 

Map insert: Green arrow points to the Bloody Angle where the 10th Alabama was fighting with Rodes division. Mahone's division is shown with an arrow on the map moving from the far left flank of the Confederate line to the Bloody Angle.

Early on the morning of May 12th Hancock's assault was delayed due to a rainstorm but the action began at 4:35 a.m. and hit the Confederate line at its weakest point and crashed through the earthworks. Despite this breakthrough, the Union did not immediately take advantage of the situation and for a short time were held back by the Confederates.

About 6 a.m. Grant sent more reinforcements and as one brigade after another slammed into this line of fighting it became known as the "Bloody Angle." William Mahone brought in two of his brigades - Perrin's Brigade (8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 14th  Alabama) and Harris's Brigade (12th, 16th, 19th, 48th Mississippi) hurrying back from the extreme left flank to come to the aid of Ramseur's brigade (Rodes division). Perrin was killed. It started raining heavily and the earthworks became slippery with water and blood. Fighting continued at the Bloody Angle all day and into the night - finally stopping around 12 a.m. on May 13th - neither side gaining an advantage. The entire landscape was flattened and all the foliage destroyed from the intensity of firepower. A 22-inch stump of an oak tree at the Bloody Angle was completely severed by rifle fire. Bodies had piled up on the breastworks four and five high - some men were shot so many times that they were not recognizable.

Loss and a Prisoner of War  

The aftermath of the fighting at the Bloody Angle

On this day the Union casualties were about 9,000 and the Confederate casualties were about 8,000. The Confederate loss includes about 3,000 prisoners captured in the Mule Shoe.

Sadly, William T. Roberts was killed and Elijah captured at the Bloody Angle. With such chaos, I wonder if Elijah knew about William. I can't imagine that Elijah would not know that his brother was killed and then to be sent away to a prison camp and unable to contact his family. He was listed on the September and October 1863 Company Muster Roll as missing in action on May 12, 1864. The Roberts family had to be devastated to received news of the death of one son and not really knowing the fate of their oldest son. Elizabeth Roberts, their mother, died sometime between 1860 and 1870. She was on the 1860 census but not on the 1870 census. It is possible that she died in childbirth with her last son Pinkney who was born in 1861 and never knew the heartache of losing her son in the war. I have not found any records regarding the date of her death.

Elijah's status as a prisoner of war is easy to follow based on his Confederate service records from the National Archives. He was captured May13th at the Bloody Angle and taken to a Union POW camp at Belle Plain Landing, Virginia. From what I have found, this seems to have been a holding camp until the prisoners could be shipped off to a camp in Northern territory.

Confederate prisoners at Belle Plains in1864
waiting to be transferred

The next record dated May 18th states that Elijah appeared on a POW roll at Point Lookout, Maryland, having been transferred from Belle Plains, Va. Point Lookout was one of the largest and one of the worst Union POW camps. They lived in overcrowded tents and shacks with no barracks to protect them from the weather. As was the case with most POW camps, Union or Confederate, there was never enough food, clothing, fuel, housing, and medical care. Chronic diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid fever became epidemic while smallpox, scurvy, and the itch (a chronic severely pruritic dermatosis) had become quite common. Elijah was here for about two months before being transferred again on August 15th.

Arrival at Point Lookout
May 18, 1864

Point Lookout, Maryland POW Camp

Elijah arrived in a camp located in Elmira, New York on August 17, 1864. In July 1864, the Federal government converted Camp Rathbun, which had been built in 1861 as a meeting point for the Union army, became a prison camp for captured Confederates. The prison population increased from 4,500 in late July to 10,000 by fall - extremely overcrowded. Elijah faced the same conditions and problems here as he had at Lookout Point. The winter of 1864-65 was harsh and even the toughest struggled to survive each day. On St. Patrick's Day of 1865 the Chemung River flooded, filling their tents and barracks with almost two feet of water. In the 12 months that the camp existed 2,970 of the 12,100 prisoners died. The camp was called "Hellmira" by the prisoners.

Elmira, NY Prison Camp aka "Hellmira"

Paroled at Elmira Prison-sent
to James River for exchange.
March 14, 1865

Received at Elmira Prison
August 17, 1864

Elijah spent seven months in Elmira, NY before being paroled and sent to the James River for a prisoner exchange on March 14, 1865. He was admitted to General Hospital, Howard's Grove, Richmond, Virginia on March 19th.

The records state that Elijah was furloughed on March 25th for 30 days. As we know from history, two weeks later, on April 9, 1865, Gen. Lee surrendered to Lt. Gen. Grant at Appomattox and President Lincoln was assassinated on April 14th and died the following morning from his injuries.

The 10th Alabama was present when Gen. Lee surrendered at Appomattox and there the regiment furled its colors forever - 10 commissioned officers and 208 men of the 10th Alabama were witnesses to this moment in history. Of the 1429 names on its rolls, nearly 300 fell in battle or died of wounds, about 180 died of disease, and 249 were discharged or transferred.

Furloughed
March 25, 1865

Elijah's rank was listed as Private in all of the Prisoners of War records which were inaccurate because he was promoted to Sergeant in 1861 and he maintained that rank until the end of the war.

A Family of Soldiers

There were four other family members who enlisted with Co. F, 10th Alabama at later dates. Two brothers who were Elijah's and William's first cousins - James E. Willingham enlisted on 1 October 1862 (18 years old) and Robert T. Willingham enlisted on 1 September 1863 (18 years old). Two more brothers who were the brothers of Elijah's and William's mother Elizabeth - Randall D. Willingham enlisted 1 October 1863 at 23 years of age and John Jones Willingham enlisted 1 February 1864 at 37 years of age - getting a little old for this kind of action. Now to confuse you more......John Jones Willingham was the father of James E. and Robert T. Willingham. Robert T. and Randall D. Willingham were at Appomattox when Gen. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Lt. Gen. U. S. Grant.

R. T. Willingham - POW
Appomattox Court House, April 9, 1865

These six close relatives fought side by side in many battles but the two most intense were the Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Spotsylvania. Only four of these men returned to their regiment after the assault at the Bloody Angle in Spotsylvania. Unlike today, the family members rarely knew where their loved ones were or when they were fighting. Letters from the family did not always make it to the intended destination because of the constant movements of the armies and paper was hard to come by and expensive for the men wanting to write home to loved ones. John Jones Willingham probably had the unfortunate responsibility of sending word home regarding the fate of his two nephews, Elijah and William. His brother Randall Willingham was wounded just two weeks later at the Battle of Hanover Junction on May 25th. All but William returned home to rebuild their farms, marry, have children, and carry on with their lives.

R. D. Willingham* paroled;
surrendered Appomattox Court House,
April 10, 1865

After the War

And now the rest of the story about Elijah's life after the war. He married Lydia Corilla (or Corrilla) Reynolds in March 1865 - the same month he was furloughed. Lydia was the daughter of Daniel T. Reynolds (1821-1894) and Susan Ann Cliff (1819-1895) and was born 20 Jan 1846 in Calhoun County, Alabama. Their first child, George Thomas, was born 22 February 1866 in Cropwell and by 1870 they had 4 children, George, age 4, Ella, age 3, Emma, age 1, and Elizabeth, age 2 months. In 1870, all of the Roberts, Reynolds, and Willingham families lived in close proximity to one another. Elijah and Lydia owned 100 improved acres and 20 unimproved acres along with 6 horses, 2 milk cows, 10 swine and the farm had produced 75 bushels of winter wheat, 300 bushels of Indian corn, 10 bales (450 lbs. each) of cotton, and 25 pounds of butter. Elijah's and Lydia's fathers were doing well by 1870 but the war had cost them dearly regarding the values of their personal estate as well as the means to rebuild what they had lost.

Elijah and Lydia were blessed with a very large family of 12 children, 4 sons, and 8 daughters who all but one survived to adulthood which was remarkable for the 19th century. Their ninth child Rannel Roberts was born about 1878 - he was two years old on the 1880 census but after that, I found no other records on him so I assume he died before the 1900 census - 1890 census records were destroyed by a fire in 1921. Most of their children had very large families also. Elijah and Lydia had 60 grandchildren, 32 were born before Elijah died and all were born before Lydia died. Can you imagine a Roberts family reunion?


Elijah was 61 years old when he died on 28 February 1903 in St. Clair County. I suppose it may sound young by today's statistics but not so unusual for that time period. He cheated death many times before he was even 23 years old under the most unimaginable circumstances and conditions. Lydia lived 24 more years after Elijah died. She died at the age of 80 years on 12 Jan 1927 in St. Clair County. They are buried at Roberts Mill Pond Family Cemetery along with three of their children and two grandchildren. There are three graves with markers that simply say "Baby Roberts" - one of these might be Rannel but these three will remain mysteries.

Elijah Jones Roberts Grave

Lydia Corilla Reynolds Roberts Grave

Descendants

Mike's great grandmother Alice Mae Roberts, the seventh child of Elijah and Lydia was born 26 August 1873 in St. Clair County, Alabama. She married Dee Jefferies Wilkins (1871-1938) on 27 September 1896 in Eden, St. Clair, Alabama. Dee and Alice moved to Texas not too long after they married. They had nine children and all were born in Texas. Their seventh child, Nelda Mae Wilkins (1905-1990) was Mike's grandmother. She married Leroy Trice Zeigler on 23 Mar 1929 in Longview, Texas. Their oldest child, Margaret Alice Zeigler is Mike's mother. Nelda Mae and the Wilkins family is a story for another day.

Alice Mae Roberts Wilkins, daughter of
Elijah Jones Roberts

I asked my mother-in-law, Elijah and Lydia's great-granddaughter Margaret Zeigler Hilliard, about the Roberts family and she knew very little - even about her own grandmother Alice Mae Roberts, other than she was from Alabama. She didn't know any ancestors before Alice or even their names.  Nelda was a wonderful storyteller but she never mentioned any tales of her grandfather and his Civil War experiences.  I'm sure Elijah's children knew about his part in the war but maybe Elijah and Lydia just wanted to put it behind them and focus on their future. Margaret, like her mother, tells great family stories and I love hearing her tell them - it seems she always comes up with one I haven't heard before. I have thought a lot about why these family stories were lost or maybe they were never even shared with the descendants. Like so many veterans of our time, it was too difficult to talk about and they probably thought no one could even begin to understand the horrors of war.

Nelda Mae Wilkins Zeigler, granddaughter of
Elijah Jones Roberts

My hope was to get this written and published by Memorial Day as a tribute to honor and remember those who died serving in the military. I found this description of the history of Memorial Day on CNN website:
"Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans -- the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) -- established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen John A. Logan declared the Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country."
The passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971 by Congress made it an official holiday. Most of us have family members or know someone who served our country and they should be remembered for the sacrifices they made whether it was with their life or with time that they will never get back.

*The military card has R.L. Willingham - clerical error. It is in Randall D. Willingham's records.


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Elijah J. Roberts, compiled military record (private, Company F, Tenth Infantry), Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama, micropublication M311 (Washington: National Archives), roll 0198.
https://www.fold3.com/image/8691374

E. J. Roberts, compiled military record (private, Company F, Tenth Infantry), Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama, micropublication M311 (Washington: National Archives), roll 0198.
https://www.fold3.com/image/8691313

William T. Roberts, compiled military record (private, Company F, Tenth Infantry), Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama, micropublication M311 (Washington: National Archives), roll 0198.
https://www.fold3.com/image/8691461

John J. Willingham, compiled military record (private, Company F, Tenth Infantry), Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama, micropublication M311 (Washington: National Archives), roll 0200.
https://www.fold3.com/image/7846900

James E. Willingham,  compiled military record (private, Company F, Tenth Infantry), Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama, micropublication M311 (Washington: National Archives), roll 0200.
https://www.fold3.com/image/7846925

Robert T. Willingham, compiled military record (private, Company F, Tenth Infantry), Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama, micropublication M311 (Washington: National Archives), roll 0200.
https://www.fold3.com/image/7847045

Randall D. Willingham, compiled military record (private, Company F, Tenth Infantry), Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama, micropublication M311 (Washington: National Archives), roll 0200.
https://www.fold3.com/image/7847006

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