Civil War In Mathews County

Civil War In Mathews County (HM1F3C)

Location: North, VA 23128 Mathews County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 27.948', W 76° 26.659'

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Inscription

Confederate Units and Leaders

Fort Nonsense is a conspicuous reminder of Mathews County's Civil War history. When war broke out, men between the ages of 21 and 45 were mustered for service in the 61st Virginia Militia Regiment. Company H became known as the Mathews Light Artillery. This unit, commanded by Capt. Andrew Armistead, was assigned to Starke's Battery on the Piankatank River. Company E, under Capt. Robert E. Hudgins, was mustered on October 31, 1861, and was sent to Gloucester Point. Both units disbanded when the Confederates abandoned Gloucester Point on May 4, 1862. Many other Mathews County men served in the 5th Virginia Cavalry, the 26th Virginia Volunteer Infantry, and the Confederate Navy.

Two Mathews County natives rose to prominence during the war. James Henry Lane (1833-1907) was born at Mathews Court House. Upon graduation from Virginia Military Institute and the University of Virginia, he taught mathematics and tactics at VMI. After leading North Carolina regiments, Lane was promoted to brigadier general in 1862. His brigade saw action from Fredericksburg to Appomattox.

Sally Louisa Tompkins (1833-1916) of Mathews County was known as the "Angel of the Confederacy." She operated Robertson Hospital in Richmond, Va., from July 1861 until the end of the war. Tompkins, who was the only woman to hold a position as a commissioned officer in the Confederate army, was appointed captain of cavalry on September 9, 1861.

(captions)
(lower left) Last Mathews Confederate veterans, March 31, 1931. Top left to right: Elkanah Diggs and William S. Burroughs. Front left to right: John A. Lewis, Walter R. Stoakes, Major Giles B. Cooke, and John Wesley Minter. Courtesy Mathews County Historical Society
(upper right) Gen. James Henry Lane Courtesy VMI Archives; Capt. Sally Louisa Tompkins Courtesy Virginia Historical Society
Details
HM NumberHM1F3C
Series This marker is part of the Virginia Civil War Trails series
Tags
Year Placed2014
Placed ByVirginia Civil WarTrails
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, October 5th, 2014 at 12:51pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 372274 N 4147526
Decimal Degrees37.46580000, -76.44431667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 27.948', W 76° 26.659'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 27' 56.88" N, 76° 26' 39.54" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)804
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1140-1198 Windsor Rd, North VA 23128, US
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