Saturday, February 04, 2006

 

Civil War Grave

Ran across a photo of a grave marker for William Wimberly (Iowa Cavalry), who died at the Battle of Brown's Mill in 1864: see www.battleofbrownsmill.org/UnionDeadMarietta.html and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Here's the site creator's summary of the turning point in the battle:

By late afternoon, two of [Union Brigadier General] McCook's brigade commanders were missing in action and his men were running out of ammunition. Calling his subordinate officers together, McCook declared the situation was hopeless. He was going to surrender.

"Gentlemen," replied Colonel James P. Brownlow of the 1st Tennessee Cavalry, "you can all surrender and be damned. I'm going out with my regiment."

When other officers echoed these sentiments, McCook relented and agreed Colonels Brownlow and Croxton could try to cut their way through the Confederate lines.

Abandoning dozens of dead and wounded, and all their artillery and ambulances, McCook's men quickly mounted their horses and headed south. As they crossed Sandy Creek, near Brown's Mill, McCook mustered up enough mettle to issue a final command. "This retreat must be protected," he ordered Colonel Joseph Dorr.

While McCook's column disappeared in the distance, Colonel Dorr's 8th Iowa Cavalry remained behind and continued fighting until the Confederates cut off their escape, compelling the entire regiment to surrender.

Comments:
I recently met a woman here in Knoxville with the first name Wimberly. She was named after her mother
s maiden name. Her family is from Georgia. One of her first comments about being a Wimberly was that her family laughed about the Wimberly Nose! And she had it! She resembled Aunt Jane, Mom, and some of the next generation. I plan to get to know her better and will pass on any interesting info. Any knowledge of Georgia kin?
 
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