Private James Madison Gunn was one of 9 children born to
James William Gunn (b 1791) and Harriet Quick. His Grandfather and Grandmother
were both born in Scotland. His father was born in North Carolina and his
mother was born in South Carolina.
Pvt. Gunn was born in 1834 in Alabama. He died in 1897 and
was buried in Maud, Bowie County, TX. He and his wife Nancy Ann Westbrooks had
12 children, most of whom were born in Smith County, MS in the community called
Gunn (now White Oak), MS. His wife Nancy died in 1885 and was buried in the
Dukes Cemetery in Gunn, MS.
In the late 1850s the family moved from MS to Livingston
Parish, LA. We believe they moved there to provide lumber and labor to the
railroad that was being built through the area in the late 1850s between New
Orleans and Jackson, MS. He enlisted into the CSA from that Parish.
Pvt. James Madison Gunn is believed to have lost two
brothers in the Civil War.
Private
James Madison Gunn and the Civil War
27 May 1861. All of LA and the
southern portions of MS and AL were designated as Department 1 of the C.S.A.
MG David E. Twiggs, 71 years old, was assigned as Commanding Officer of this
geographical region of the War Department with his headquarters in New
Orleans.
Major training grounds for CSA troops in LA:
The first major camping and training ground for CSA troops
in Department 1 was at Camp Walker. It was established at the Metairie Race
Course in New Orleans. Because of the thousands of troops entering the camp,
along with wagons and horses, the Camp was a breeding ground for disease as the
spring and summer rains fell. Later that year most of the soldiers were moved
several miles north of New Orleans to Camp Lewis, which was near Carrollton.
Camp Lewis was a temporary facility until a better training camp could be built
78 miles north of New Orleans in the piney woods of St. Helena Par. This was
Camp Moore. Most of the soldiers arrived in Camp Moore, from Camp Lewis, by
train. The New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad (now called the
Illinois Central Gulf) which had been constructed in the area between 1854 and
1855 was used to transport the troops.
The Landrum Guards unit was organized in Shreveport in Sept
1861 and was comprised primarily of Irish railroad laborers. These men had
been imported to build the railroad to Marshall but were soon left stranded
when the contractor went bankrupt. They then hired themselves out to the
Confederacy as foot soldiers for the going rate of $40.00 per month. There was
also a Scotch Rife Guard and a Polish unit that served as part of the LA
Infantry.
Summer of 1861, 1st Battle of Bull Run. The
Grey forces won the 1st Battle of Bull Run (Manassas). That battle awakened
the North to the task ahead. It stiffened their resolution to suppress the
rebellion.
15 March 1862, Enlistment.
James Madison Gunn was 26 when the Civil War began and had been married to
Nancy Ann Westbrooks for 8 years, since 1854. They had 3 children. He
enlisted into the C.S.A. on 15 March 1862 at Amite Springs, LA.
James Madison Gunn was listed upon induction as
"28 years old, 5' and 11" tall, with dark complection, light eyes,
dark hair, and a farmer." By the time he enlisted to serve the "War
Years", the LA forces were filling up fast with volunteers. All the
physicians and students at LSU School of Medicine had volunteered,
thus forcing the school to close during the war. Other institutions did the
same.
Camp Moore. It is not known for
how long James Madison trained at Camp Moore prior to being sent to VA or how
the traveled to VA from LA. But, the CSA in VA was fully engaged by 1862.
The LA forces were distributed as follows in the Spring of
1862 (19,152 men):
Regiment
of Artillery (regulars), 740 men
Regiment
of Infantry (regulars), 1,033 men
1st
-19th regiments of LA Volunteers, 14,949 men
Wheat's
Battalion, 415 men
Dreux's
Battalion, 480 men
14
companies transferred to the CSA service for state service, 1,231 men
4
CO. of Orleans Artillery (to protect the MS River mouth), 304 men
Livingston Parish LA, where James Madison lived,
contributed 754 men to the cause. He was enlisted by Captain Singletary of the
9th Regiment of LA Volunteers (Infantry). The 9th Regiment was organized by
Richard Taylor as Colonel, E.G. Randolph as Lieutenant Colonel, and N.J. Walker
as Major, and was mustered into service on 6 Jul 1861. It was immediately
ordered to VA. This regiment consisted of the following volunteer units, James
Madison was in Co G (Coyell Guards).
Bossier
Volunteers- Cpt Hodges, lLT Huges, 2LT Crawford, Jr, 2 LT
Hancock
Bienville
Blues- Cpt Pierce, 1LT Eagan, 2LT Ardis, Jr, 2LT
Theuis
Brush
Valley Guards- Cpt Gray, lLT Cook, 2LT Milton, Jr, 2LT Potts
DeSoto
Blues- Cpt Williams, lLT Bennett, 2LT Jackson, Jr.,
2LT Sutherland
Colyell
Guards- Cpt Gardner, lLT Dunn, 2LT Schneltory, Jr., 2LT
Gardner
Jackson
Grays- Cpt Cavanaugh, lLT McCranie, 2LT Kidd, Jr., 2LT
McBryde
Washington
Rifles- Cpt Richardson, lLT Slocomb, 2LT Mager, Jr., 2LT
Wadsworth
Moore
Fencibles- Cpt Capers, lLT Blackman, 2LT Grigsby, Jr., 2LT
Blackman
Stafford
Guards- Cpt Stafford, lLT Gordon, 2LT Waters, Jr., 2LT
Cummings, Jr
Milliken
Bend Guards- Cpt Peck, lLT Shadburne, 2LT Reading, Jr., 2LT
Williams
23 May 1862, James Madison Gunn's
1st battle engagement, Front Royal, VA. Apparently he didn't actually fight
as he was counted as "absent, and sick" on the roll call roster.
25 May. James was still absent and sick when the Battle at Winchester, VA
occurred. 9 June. James was sick through the battle at Port Republic, VA
on this date. Why was James Madison Gunn sick for three or more weeks? Some
insight into this can be learned from eyewitness accounts of the time:
"In mid-April, 1862, 2/3 rds of the men of the
CSA forces near Manassas are without tents. Each day, disease sends hundreds
of our troops to the rear of our lines. The men are working in rain, standing
in mud without shelter, fire or sufficient food. Exhaustion is rampant. Roads
are bad, and ambulances are in short supply. Richmond is rapidly becoming the
hospital center of the South."
June 1862, The War of Seven Days
didn't help anyone's health either. On the 24th of June 1862, James Madison
was finally well and present in his first major engagement, the Battle of Cold
Harbor. The Union General McClelland was accumulating forces at Fort(ress)
Monroe, VA, outside of Washington, D.C. for quite some time. He was amassing
forces for a major attack on Richmond, the capitol of the South. The regiments
of LA and other states were rapidly being assigned to the Manassas area to
block General McClelland's movements. Because of this rapid deployment,
supplies were dangerously low. Combined with terrible weather, Camp Bartow, a
field hospital outside of Richmond, VA, was becoming a painful scene of human
mortality due to disease, especially among troops from NC, GA, AL, & MS.
Casualties during the spring and early summer of 1862.
On the 16th of June BG Wise reported that "25% of my entire command of
1,700 men are ill." At Front Royal on the 23rd of May, James Madison's
9th regiment lost 42 enlisted men. On the 9th of June, during a retreat from
Winchester, the regiment lost 36 enlisted and 4 officers. At Cold Harbor
(Gaines Mill) 15 enlisted men were wounded and four were killed. Within 7
days, the 9th regiment was again in fierce combat at Malvern Hill (1 July).
Here 10 enlisted men were either wounded or killed. James Madison was present
at both engagements.
Army of the Potomac, CSA, when James Madison
Gunn enlisted. The CSA forces protected Richmond comprised the
1st Corps, Army of the Potomac. The commander was General Beauregard. His
headquarters was at Manassas, VA. There were 4 divisions under his infantry
command.
James Madison was in "i" Corps, or 1st Corps, of
the Army of the Potomac, 4th Div., 3rd Brigade, 9th LA Infantry. Brigade 3 was
the Louisiana Brigade as it was composed entirely of troops enlisted from that
state. It contained the 6th LA, 7th LA, 8th LA, and 9th LA Infantry
regiments. This was the force structure of the Army of the Potomac in January
1862 just prior to when James Madison arrived from LA, after his enlistment in
March 1862. His brigade was already in combat in VA.
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, CSA
1st Division, under the command of
MG VanDorn and was composed of 3 brigades: Brigade # 1- Cmdr. BG Bonham, Brigade
# 2- Cmdr. BG Early, Brigade # 3- Cmdr. BG Rode
2nd Division, under the command of
MG Smith. It also had 3 brigades.
3rd Division,under the command of
MG Longstreet. It had 3 brigades.
4th Division, under the command of
MG E. Kirby Smith. James Madison Gunn was in this division. It was composed of
the following three brigades: Brigade # 1- Cmdr. BG Elsey, Brigade # 2- Cmdr.
BG Trimble, Brigade # 3 (Louisiana Brigade)- Cmdr. BG Taylor. 1st Corps
("i" Corps), 9th Louisiana Infantry Regiment.
June 1862, Reorganization of the Army of the
Potomac. In June 1862, prior to the Seven Days War, the CSA forces
were again rearranged. James Madison was now assigned to Jackson's Corps,
commanded by MG Thomas J. Jackson. Thomas Jonathan Jackson, or Stonewall
Jackson, was a graduate of West Point. He earned his name at the 1st Battle of
Bull Run where his troops stood against the union forces like a "stone
wall". His army and Robert E. Lee's army defeated Gen. George B.
McClelland in the Seven Days War battle near Richmond. In Aug 1862 he defeated
the Army of Gen John Pope, thus assuring a confederate victory at the second
Battle of Bull Run. On May 2, 1863, while leading his forces at
Chancellorsville, VA, Jackson was accidently shot and fatally wounded by one of
his own men (Hardy Gunn told his son Anthony that James Madison Gunn was a
witness to the accidental shooting of Gen. Jackson).
Jackson's Corps on the 10th of Aug 1862 had 19 staff
officers, 369 infantry officers, 11 artillery officers, 4,392 infantry
soldiers, 236 artillery solders= 5,897 present for duty. But at the same time
he had over 6,000 solders that were absent from duty- wounded, killed or sick.
With Jackson's Corps were MG John Magruder's Corps and BG James E.B. Stuart's Calvary.
During the Seven Days War, James Madison was assigned to Jackson's Corps,
Ewell's Divison, 8th brigade, 9th LA Regiment.
Jackson's Corps, the Army of the Valley
District
Whiting's
Division-
Cmdr. BG Whiting : 1st Brigade- The Texas Brigade- Cmdr. BG John Hood, 2nd,
and 3rd Brigades
Jackson's
Division-
Cmdr. MG Jackson
Ewell's
Division
- Cmdr. MG Richard Ewell, 4th Brigade- BG Elzey & BG Jubal A. Early, 8th
Bde- Cmdr. BG Richard Taylor Col Seymour & Col Stafford, 6th, 7th, &
8th Regiments, 9th LA Regiment
Hill's
Division
The following account by an eyewitness account
of the Battle of Malvern Hill gives some insight as to what James Madison met
up with as a foot soldier.
"I have never seen a battlefield where
there was such frightful mutilation of bodies as there was at Malvern Hill,
owing to so much artillery having been used by the enemy. Many were cut
entirely in two. Some were headless, while fragments of bodies and limbs were
strewn about in every direction. With little or no molestation by either side,
details from both armies mingled on the field for the purpose of removing the
dead and wounded that remained."
Field Hospitals. The
field hospitals were overflowing. Over 17,000 wounded men were in field
hospitals north of Richmond after the Seven Days War. The hospitals in VA were
filled with the dead and dying. The hospital yards had cots with the wounded
lying there waiting to be seen by a physician. Many, realizing the severe lack
of ambulances at the front lines, began the long trip to Richmond on foot.
Many died along the way. Then the rains came. The roads became deep stick
masses of red mud. The supply wagons and ambulances bogged down, and the men
began to die from exhaustion. Of the 55,000 men in the CSA forces at the 2nd
Battle of Manassas on the 19th of August 1862, 1,481 were killed and 7,627 were
wounded. The only bright side of the entire summer of 1862 was the first
organized use of an "effective field ambulance system by the Army."
The 2nd Battle of Manassas was called the "high noon of the Southern
Effort" as the CSA went down as a force from there.
August 1862, James Madison Gunn, "sick or
wounded". James Madison was either "sick or
wounded" at Malvern Hill in July or sometime prior to the 10th of Aug
1862. On the 10th of Aug he was listed as absent and sick for the battle at
Slaughter Mountain. He was still sick for the 2nd Battle of Manassas on 19
Aug, Chantilly on 22 Aug, Harper's Ferry on 15 Sept, Sharpsburg on 17 Sept, and
for the first Battle of Fredericksburg on 15 Dec.
BG Taylor was wounded during the Seven Days War and was
replaced by BG Harry Hays since BG Taylor was an "invalid." It is
also interesting that Cpt Singletary, who enlisted James Madison into the Army
in Mar 1862, and LT Jackson, both of the 9th LA Regiment were AWOL on the 14th
of Aug 1862 during the Battle of Cedar Creek.
30 July 1862. Col
Stafford, 9th LA Inf, 8th Brigade, Report Number 256 (to Div.
Commander, MG. R.W. Ewell): Headquarters 8th Brigade
"Sir, In compliance with instructions from
division headquarters requiring a report of the part taken by this brigade in
the late battles before Richmond, I have the honor to make the following
statement of facts therewith: Owing to the illness of BG Taylor the command of
the brigade fell upon Col I.G. Seymour of the 6th LA Regiment. On the
afternoon of Friday, the 27th ultimo, in the charge at Cold Harbor (Gaines
Mill), Col Seymour was shot from his horse and died a few minutes later. I
then took command of the brigade, and was ordered by Gen Trimble to form the
troops in line of battle near the edge of the wood; this was done. It soon
after became dark and no further movements were made. The brigade remained on
the ground that night, and the next morning, the 28th, was ordered to advance
in pursuit of the enemy, who was retiring. On this and the 2 days following we
continued to advance steadily forward.
The enemy, on arriving at Malvern Hill, there
made a stand and prepared to resist out farther advance. The brigade was first
ordered to form in line of battle near the road on the left; very soon,
however, our position changed to a wheat field nearby. This movement also
countermanded, and our position again changed to a ravine near the enemy's
batteries. At dusk an order was brought (we then being under orders of Gen
Whiting and supporting his division) to charge forward on the battery. This
order was given by an officer unknown to myself or any of the officers of my
command. Three of the regiments- the 6th, 7th, and 8th LA- advanced as
ordered. It now being night, this order was not heard or properly understood
by the 9th LA, and no advance was made by that command.
This charge resulted in the loss of some
valuable lives. After the charge the brigade, being somewhat scattered, was
withdrawn to a gate and order restored. Leave was obtained of Gen. Ewell for
the men to get water at the church. Again advanced, and remained at the gate
(near the ground previously occupied by them) during the night. A portion of
the brigade, however, remained on the field from which the charge was made and
there stayed the remainder of the night. Accompanying this report is forwarded
a list of the casualties of the brigade in the 2 engagements in which it was
actively engaged, viz, that of Cold Harbor and Malvern Hill, as furnished by
the regimental commanders. I am, sir, very respectively, your obedient servant,
L.A. Stafford, Colonel, Commanding, 8th Brigade,
Capt. G. Campbell Brown"
General Hospital No. 20, Oct 1862. The
first notice in the C.S.A. war records of James Madison was absent and sick
following the Seven Days War was the appearance of his name on the register of General
Hospital No. 20. This was 25 Oct 1862. Within a day or two he was
transferred to General Hospital No. 60, almost 4 months after the Seven Days
War in July. It is thought that he was not injured during his battle engagements
in June and July because his status for these battles was listed as
"p". "p" status was for soldiers who were present and
unhurt for the battle. "w" status meant wounded; "s.w.",
severly wounded; "a.s.", absent sick; "a.w.", absent
wounded, "a", absent without leave (AWOL); "a.d.", absent
on detail or duty by order; "a.f.", absent on furlough or
satisfactorily.
Since James Madison was listed "a.s." for the
remaining conflicts in 1862 in which his regiment was engaged it is assumed
that he was admitted into General Hospital No. 20, not the result of wounds,
but because he was otherwise sick.
General Hospital at Camp Winder, Nov 1862. On the
8th of November 1862 James Madison was admitted to the General Hospital at Camp
Winder outside of Richmond, Virginia where he was diagnosed as having debilitis
(weakness). He was probably physically exhausted. Apparently his illness was
of such severity that he remained as an in-patient until Jan 1863. He was
discharged on 22 Jan 1863 via a surgeon's certificate. His discharge from the
Army read as follows:
"I certify, that I have carefully examined
the said Private J.M. Gunn of Cpt. Singletary's company and find him incapable
of performing his duties as a soldier because of (?hypertrophy) of the heart and
general debility. He has been unable for duty since the first of May(?) last.
Signed, Rich. O'Leary, Cpt., 2nd Division, Winder Hospital, Ward # 2."
It is difficult to read the last portion of his discharge
certificate but it appears as if he couldn't even perform his duties back in
May 1862. If this is true then he may have performed non-combat functions
during the Seven Days War. It was difficult to determine if the certificate
said May but it did read the 1st of "_" last, which had to be in
1862.
NOTE: James Madison Gunn's grandson, Will Gunn of Atlanta,
TX, stated in the 1970s that James ". . . did not go to the front lines as
he had all he could do doctoring the wounded." Stories by other
descendants reinforce the suggestion that James was a doctor during and after
the Civil War.
CHRONOLOGY OF THE CIVIL WAR for Pvt James
Madison Gunn, 9th Louisiana.
1861. 26 Jan, LA seceded from the
Union
·
April,
Civil War begins, New Orleans falls to Union Forces
·
July,
9th LA Infantry, Co G, Cmdr by Captain John S. Gardner, "The Colyell
Guards", mustered at Camp Moore and was sent to VA
·
MAY,
James Madison Gunn's Land Patent (Deed) was filed at the Greensburg, LA, land
office- Cash Certificate, #4911 & 4882
1862 15 March, Enlisted into
CSA at Amity Springs, LA, Co G, 9th LA Inf.
·
30
April, Paid by Cpt Boyd
·
May-June,
On CO. G Muster Rolls , absent/sick for several days
·
23
MAY, Battle for Front Royal VA
·
25
MAY, Battle for Winchester VA
·
9
JUNE, Battle of Port Republic
·
24
JUNE, Present for the Battle of Cold Harbor
·
30
June, Paid by Cpt Goodman
·
30
Jun-1 Nov, Intermittently on Co. G. Muster Rolls.
·
1
July, Present at the Battle of Malvern Hill
·
10
Aug, Absent or Sick the the Battle at Slaughter Mountain
·
19
Aug, Present at 2ND Battle of Bull Run (MANASSAS)*
·
22
Aug, Present at the Battle at Chantilly
·
15
Sept, Present at the Battle at Harpers Ferry
·
17
Sept, Present at the Battle for Sharpsburg
·
25
Oct, Transferred to Gen. Hosp. No. 20, the Receiving & Wayside Hosp. or GH
9) in Richmond VA.
·
1
NOV, Paid by Cpt Hardy
·
8
NOV. Admitted by the registrar into Camp Winder Gen. Hosp., Richmond,
diagnosis of Debilitas
·
NOV/DEC,
Appeared on and off- muster rolls of Co. G.
·
20
NOV, Received a clothing allowance from the company
·
15
DEC, Absent or sick for the 1st Battle of Fredericksburg
·
30
Dec, Paid by P.S. Sandy
1863 1-31 Jan, Sick the entire month. 29 JAN.
Pvt Gunn was discharged from Winder Hospital. He was transported to Tangipahoa
Parish, LA.
James Madison Gunn was
discharged from the Army for medical reasons (Surgeon's Certificate),
hypertrophy of the heart and general debility (weakness). He was discharged at
Amite Station, LA, Tangipahoa Parish LA.
James Madison Gunn's home post
office box was listed as Oldfield, LA in Livingston Par. One part of his war
record lists him enlisting at Denham Springs, and another part states that he
enlisted at Amity Springs.
Was James Madison Gunn a Doctor during the War?
The stories of James Madison being a doctor (by Will Gunn)
probably stem from his time spent in the Civil War hospitals. He may have
served as a medic on the field or learned a great deal of practical medicine
from being assigned to help other patients while he was hospitalized. He
probably even helped the physicians on duty during his convalescence, which
both hastened his recovery as well as gave the hospital a desperately needed
extra pair of hands.
Today based on his practical medical experience, James
would more likely be referred to as a first-aid specialist, an EMS medic, or as
a physician's assistant. In the 1860s in MS many laymen "hung their
shingle (advertised)" after only a brief period of apprenticeship with a
physician. James (Jim) Hawkins, son of Harriet and Charles Franklin Hawkins,
lived with James Madison and his third wife, Mollie and remembers James as
being most certainly a country doctor in AR (see the history of James Hawkins
in this book).
Reference: "The Civil War in LA" by John
Winters, LSU Press, 1963, "Military Record of LA" by Napier Bartlett,
LSU Press, 1964; "Field Services at the Battles of Manassas", by H.
Cunningham, U. Ga.a Press, 1968; "War of the Rebellion, Official Records
of Union and Confederate Armies", series 1-12; Civil War Records, CSA,
U.S. Archives; U.S. Census, Livingston Par LA, 1860; US Census, Smith Co MS,
1850, 1860 and 1870.
