PFC Henry Richard Dority Jr.

PFC Henry Richard Dority Jr. was born in Orange County, North Carolina on 30 Aug 1920. He was the only child of  Henry Richard and Carrie (Reeves) Dority. Carrie was was his father's 2nd wife. His father was a farmer with a farm near Banister, Virginia. Carrie was not well, she died of pulmonary tuberculosis in 1927. His father remarried later that year and had a daughter with Leslie Dean (Seamster) Dority. Henry senior had a stroke and died in 1939. Henry junior found work in a cotton mill but reported a 1939 income of only $144. 

It is likely the need for additional income that caused Henry to join the National Guard enlisting in F Company 116th Infantry in South Boston, Virginia. PVT Dority was serving with that unit when it was federalized in February 1941. He then trained with the regiment at Fort George Meade, Maryland, in the Carolina Maneuvers near Fort Bragg, North Carolina and at Camp Blanding, Florida before sailing with his unit to England in September 1942. The regiment underwent a period of intense training in England. We don't know why but PFC Dority died on 26 Dec 1943. 

PFC Dority rests forever in the Cambridge American Cemetery.

PVT Christian G. Ulrich

courtesy of Skip Farrow

PVT Christian G. Ulrich was born 2 Sep 1915 in Buffalo, New York. He was the 3rd of the 5 children born to Christian Frank and Margaret Mary (Pfaff) Ulrich. His father was a butcher to support his family at 61 Mineral Spring Road in Buffalo which was valued at $1000 in 1930. Young Christian left high school after 3 years and went to work as a fireman for the City of Buffalo School Department. 

Christian was drafted in December 1942. After completing his basic military training he was sent to England and assigned to the 116th Infantry. PVT Ulrich suffered a non-battle related injury and died on 15 Sep 1943. 

PVT Ulrich now rests forever in the Cambridge American Cemetery.

PVT John R. Adams

courtesy of Ginger Thrush

PVT John R. Adams (aka James R. Adams) was born 2 Jul 1842. We aren't sure when he enlisted but he was captured near Halltown, Virginia (now West Virginia) on 25 Sep 1864 while his unit, D Company 57th Virginia Infantry, was in the area. He may have changed units but was at one time a soldier in the 5th Virginia Infantry Regiment. He was taken to Camp Chase, Ohio where he died of disease on 15 Jun 1865. PVT Adams is buried in the Camp Chase Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.

PVT Willie Eugene Young

PVT Willie Eugene Young was born 15 Jan 1925 in Hardeman County, Tennessee. He was the 2nd of 5 children born to Eddie Simon and Mamie E. (Rhodes) Young. His father farmed to support the family. Willie would finish his education with the 6th grade and then continued farming with his father.  

Willie was drafted in February 1943 and after training was sent to England in April 1944 and assigned to B Company 116th Infantry. With only a couple of months of training PVT Young was a part of the amphibious assault on Omaha Beach. He was killed in action on 6 Jun 1944 as B Company landed on the beach.

PVT Young was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred with family in the New Union Baptist Church Cemetery in Toone, Tennessee.

PVT James Bourne

courtesy of Forgotten Sons

PVT James Bourne was born 20 Apr 1843 in the village of Hothfield in County Kent, England. He was the 6th of the 11 children of James Attaway and Martha (Gillette) Bourne. He immigrated with his mother and 7 siblings arriving aboard the Mediator in New York harbor on 19 Jan 1848. The family was soon living in Tazewell County, Virginia where father James was working as a laborer in 1850. In the 1860 census, recorded on 18 Jun 1860, father James reported that he was farming in eastern Tazewell county and that his farm was worth $1200 and his personal estate was $360. James undoubtedly farmed with his father.

Young James was only 18 when the American Civil War began in 1861 and we believe that he enlisted soon after although it is possible that he did not enlist until 1864, mustering with H Company 5th Virginia Infantry. He would then have been present for every engagement in which the regiment participated over the next 3-years. PVT Bourne was captured with many other soldiers of the 5th Virginia on 12 May 1864 at Spotsylvania Court House. Initially sent to the prisoner of war camp at Point Lookout, Maryland he was then sent to the camp at Elmira, New York. PVT Bourne died there of an inflammation of the lungs almost exactly 1-year after his capture. He was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery with other Confederate dead, now Woodlawn National Cemetery, by former slave John W. Jones who kept detailed records of all the burials.

PVT Peter W. Bridges

PVT Peter W. Bridges was born about 1828 in Gloucester County, Virginia. He was the eldest of 4 children born to Thomas and Sarah J. Bridges. The family farmed near Matthews, Virginia. 

Peter enlisted on 5 Dec 1863 at Matthews mustering with F Company 5th Virginia Infantry. PVT Bridges was with the unit at The Wilderness and at Spotsylvania Court House where he was captured with many others in the 5th Virginia on 12 May 1864 and sent with them to the Prisoner of War camp at Fort Delaware. PVT Bridges contracted small pox and died at Fort Delaware on 13 Apr 1865. He was buried on the eastern shore of the river in what is now the Finn's Point National Cemetery in Pennsville, New Jersey.

Brothers, Thomas Frank Bridges and Benjamin Franklin Bridges, served as a PVTs in Armistead's Battery, Virginia Light Artillery and survived the war.

1LT Jefferson William Obet Funk

1LT Jefferson William Obet Funk was born 30 Jun 1841 near Winchester, Virginia in Frederick County. He was the second of three children born to Christopher "Christian" and and Elizabeth (Arnold) Funk. His father worked as a bricklayer and was somewhat successful with real estate valued at $3296 in 1860 but the remainder of his estate was only $75. The family likely raised most of their own food. Christian did well enough that his oldest son was able to get an education and become a physician by 1860. Jefferson was likely pursuing a similar path in life.

Jefferson enlisted as a SGT in A Company 5th Virginia Infantry at Winchester on 18 Apr 1861, the day after Virginia voted for succession. He was commissioned as a 2LT a year later, on 23 Apr 1862. He fought with the unit until captured at Spotsylvania Court House on 10 May 1864. Sent to Morris Island, South Carolina on 15 Aug 1864 then to Fort Pulaski, Georgia (he was one of the "Immortal 600") on 15 Dec 1864 and then to Fort Delaware on 12 Mar 1865. 1LT Funk died there on 26 May 1865 of chronic dysentery. His body was recovered and he now rests forever in the Mount Hebron Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia.

Brother of COL John Henry Stover Funk.

PVT John E. Clemmer

PVT John E. Clemmer was born in 1835 in Augusta County, Virginia. He was the 9th of the 14 children born to John Cyrus and Diannah Virginia (Crick or Creek) Clemmer. His father farmed in Rockbridge County in what is referred to District 51 on the 1850 census but is actually Disctrict 6 (VI in the Roman numerals on maps of the time) that is in the area of Steele's Tavern just south of the Augusta County line. John Cyrus Clemmer died 29 Oct 1857. With his father dead and many of his older siblings married and having moved away from the family farm, John apparently made the decision to live with and farm for his brother William near to Staunton, Virginia. 

The whole country was moving towards war and, after the events at Fort Sumpter Virginia voted to succeed on 17 Apr 1861 and John and several of his brothers enlisted on that same day and mustered with D Company 5th Virginia Infantry on 25 May 1861. John was with the unit until 3 Jul 1863 at Gettysburg where he was wounded in the head. PVT Clemmer recovered from his wound and rejoined his unit in April 1864. It was not long before he was again involved in combat in the Battle of The Wilderness. Soon after the unit was caught in the Mule Shoe salient in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House and PVT Clemmer was captured with many other men from the 5th Virginia. Sent to Fort Delaware which was on Pea Patch Island in the middle of the Delaware River along the Delaware and New Jersey border, PVT Clemmer was held there until he succumbed to dysentery and died on 19 Mar 1865. As with many of those prisoners who died there he was taken across the river and buried in an unmarked grave at what is now Finn's Point National Cemetery in Pennsville, New Jersey.

Other family members served during the American Civil War as well. Brothers, Jacob Franklin Clemmer, George Lewis Clemmer, William Letcher Clemmer and Henry Clay Clemmer, also served as PVTs in D Company 5th Virginia Infantry. Brother Joseph Alexander Clemmer served as a PVT in H Company 14th Virginia Cavalry.

COL William Henry Harman

COL William Henry Harman was born 17 Feb 1828 in Waynesboro, Virginia. He was the second of the five brothers born to Lewis and Sarah Jane (Garber) Harman, all of whom would serve as officers in the Confederate States army during the Civil War. His father farmed in Augusta County. Like his brothers, William was given a private education. 

William left home to serve as a 2LT in the 1st Virginia Infantry Regiment during the Mexican American War. After his return he studied law and married Margaret Susan Garber on 26 Dec 1848. He began work as a lawyer and was elected Commonwealth's Attorney for Augusta County, Virginia in 1851 and held the position until the Civil War. 

William and Margaret had eight children. Their second child, Frances, died at the age of 2 of an undisclosed (or unknown) cause in 1850. Their eldest child, Kenton, died of a "sore throat" at the age of 7 in 1857. 

William was appointed Brigadier General of the 13th Brigade of Virginia Militia by Governor John Letcher on 10 Apr 1861. As such he was part of the plot initiated by former governor Henry Wise to preemptively seize the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry (now in West Virginia). After Virginia voted for succession on 17 Apr 1861, Governor Letcher approved the plan and BG Harman's troops under MG Kenton Harper captured the post on 18 Apr 1861. 

The 5th Virginia Regiment was organized there with COL Kenton Harper commanding and LTC William Harman as what would now be referred to as the executive officer. The regiment was assigned to BG Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's brigade (1st Virginia Brigade) and William's brother, COL Michael Garber Harman was initially the brigade's quartermaster and he was soon succeeded by their brother MAJ John Harman. The unit fought at First Manassas on 21 Jul 1861 where General Jackson received his nickname. William succeeded as commander of the 5th Virginia in September 1861 when COL Harper resigned. COL Harman commanded the regiment at the First Battle of Kernstown on 23 Mar 1862. He was not elected as Colonel of the regiment in the April 1862 reorganization of the Confederate army. Instead he served as an aide-de-camp to Brigadier General Edward "Alleghany" Johnson in the Valley Campaign in April 1862 and then returned home. 

He was appointed Assistant Adjutant General on 19 Feb 1864. He commanded a regiment of militia/reservists/home guard at the Battle of Piedmont on 5 Jun 1864. He survived that defeat and continued to serve. He was present to command CSA soldiers at the Battle of Waynesboro and was killed in action while attempting to rally his soldiers on 2 Mar 1865.

COL Harman's body was recovered and interred in Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton, Virginia. He is survived by numerous descendants. His brothers worked towards economic recovery for the region.