Augusta County: "A Large Family of Confederate Soldiers," by Unknown, 1915
Summary: Short piece on Augusta County family with many Confederate veterans
Many prominent families of the South were fully represented in the Confederate army, but the record of one family of Augusta County, Va., can hardly be equaled. The Richmond Times-Dispatch some years ago referred to this family as having the largest representation known in the army of the Confederacy. The record is taken from Waddell's "Annals of Augusta County," as follows:
"James Bell, of Long Glade, had seven sons, of whom six served in the Confederate army. Alexander died of disease contracted in the army; Addison was killed at Chancellorsville in 1862; Luther died from disease in the service; William was severely wounded at Kernstown in 1862; Daniel was wounded at Gettysburg; Frank was also wounded; Samuel, the youngest son, was too young to join even the home guard. The first, second, fifth, and sixth brothers were members of Company C, 5th Virginia Regiment, Stonewall Brigade. The third brother belonged to the 52d Regiment, and the fourth to the Liberty Hall company, 4th Regiment.
"The Bell boys came from fighting stock. An uncle, William Bell, was killed in the Revolutionary War; Capt. David Bell served in the War of 1812; James Bell served in the 5th Virginia Regiment and died at Swift Run Gap. His son, Brownice Bell, of the 25th Regiment, was taken prisoner and died at Fort Delaware in 1863.
"John Bell, brother of James and son of Capt. David Bell, had seven sons, all of whom entered the Confederate service. David, Company C, 5th Regiment, died in the hospital at Lynchburg; Elisha, Carpenter's Battery, was wounded at Antietam; William, Company C, 5th Regiment, was wounded at Cedar Creek; Alexander, of the same company, was taken prisoner at Antietam and died at Fort Delaware; Henderson, of the same company, was severely wounded at Gettysburg.
"Thomas Bell, a third brother, had two sons in the same regiment, one of whom, Thomas M., was mortally wounded at Chancellorsville, and the other, James A., died of wounds received at Kernstown. A cousin, Thomas A., was killed at Spottsylvania Courthouse; another cousin, Thomas R, was mortally wounded at Hatcher's Run; while his brother John served in Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry.
"Thus we have the extraordinary record of eighteen of the descendants of James and Agnes Bell serving in the Confederate army, most of them in the same company of the 5th Regiment. Five were killed in battle or died of wounds, while six died of disease contracted in the army."
Bibliographic Information: Source copy consulted: Confederate Veteran, Vol. 23, p. 57, 1915
