Civil War service papers for
David Averett were found on
Fold3.com and are displayed below. Collectively, they demonstrate several facts about his service in the Confederate Army. David F. Averett (1837—1927) enlisted on 3 July 1861 and served through the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House on 9 April 1865. The records documented here begin in May 1863 and end in March 1865. There are gaps but they contain information that is new to me in my genealogy research.
According to the
FamilySearch.org website,
"Service records were kept for each Confederate soldier. Those records, or their abstracts, were compiled into individual files. Each envelope/jacket contains information and cross references to original records relating to the soldier … The records are in individual files, which usually include the following: a jacket-envelope for each soldier; a card or cards with abstracts of entries from original muster rolls, returns, rosters, payrolls, [etc.]; the originals of any papers relating only to the particular soldier."
The first part of this blog post summarizes what was found in that jacket-envelope for D.F. Averett.
1. The first card records that D.F. Averett, 1st Sergeant, Company A, 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment enlisted July 3, 1861 at Ft. Mitchell, Alabama for the duration of the war by a Captain Lawther. This information was repeated on most of the cards found in this file.
 |
| (Click images to enlarge.) |
2. The first card also indicates that Averett appeared on company muster roll for May — June, 1863. Prior to that time there is no information in this file. He was last paid through April 30, 1863 by a Captain Furrentine [surname difficult to read]. He was shown as "present" on that muster roll.
3. The second card indicates that he appeared on the company muster roll for July — August, 1863. He had been paid through June 30, 1863 by a Captain Dawson. Again, the muster roll shows him as "present".
4. The third card records that he appeared as "present" on the company muster roll for September — October, 1863. He had been paid through August 30, 1863 by a Captain Feagin.
5. There were no records in this file for November — December, 1863.
6. The fourth card records that he was "present" on the company muster roll for January — February, 1864. He had not been paid since August 31, 1863.
7. There were no records in this file for March — April, 1864.
8. Card 5 indicats that his name had been recorded as "absent" on the company muster roll for May — June, 1864 because he was wounded in action on 6 May 1864 and was recovering in the "general hospital". Unfortunately, the record does not show where this hospital was located. He had still not been paid since 31 August 1863.
9. Card 6 showed that his name had appeared on company muster roll as "absent" for July — August, 1864. He was apparently released from the hospital on or about 6 August 1864 and received a 20-day furlough from that date. He had still not been paid since 31 August 1863.
Two furloughs are documented in this material on cards six and seven (check this), covering a total of fifty days and it is likely that there were more. He apparently went home to Alabama during his furloughs, possibly starting the journey as early as 6 August 1864, and may have returned to duty as late as March 1865.
10. His name appeared on company muster roll as "absent" on the seventh card for September — October, 1864. He had been given a 30-day furlough either starting or ending on 28 October 1864. He was at last paid, presumably including his back pay, through 31 August 1864 by a Captain Sanford.
11. The eighth card documented that Averett had received a "severe" head wound on 6 May 1864 and that his name had appeared on a 5 March 1865 list from 6 May 1864 to 5 March 1865 documenting casualties sustained by the 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment.
This implies that his recovery took ten months and it seems obvious that he was lucky to have survived. From other sources of information, we know that he married Martha Ann Rebecca Timmerman (1845—1927) on 8 December 1864 while home on furlough.
In an earlier post on this blog, I discussed having found, I believe, the specific area at the site of the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia at which he received this wound. I also showed two pictures taken later in his life in which the wound to his forehead is clearly shown. The story that I heard growing up indicated that the skin healed and covered the hole in his forehead but that the bone did not. He is said to have allowed one of his very young grandsons sitting on his lap to probe the skin over the hole with his finger.
In the his wife's 1927 obituary, Martha Averett was quoted:
"Mrs. Averett in speaking of her marriage, the war, and her life, said to a friend a few months ago that she was proud of that scar in her husband's forehead for it showed that he was facing the enemy."
Her obituary will appear in a future post on this blog. If only there were some way to know what else she talked about during that conversation. Perhaps someone kept a diary and wrote down what he or she recollected from that day. Perhaps someone reading this blog some day will have old letters or family stories that might give more information about what she thought.
12. According to the ninth card, Averett was detailed, via S.O. [Standing Order?] #68/12, to the “Dept.” [?] and Army of Northern Virginia under General Robert E. Lee. on 16 March 1865.
According to Averett's obituary in 1927, which also appeared in my earlier post, he role was a sharp shooter until he received his wound, and was afterward attached to General Lee’s headquarters as a courier. Based on the ninth card, we now know that that assignment occurred on 16 March 1865. He would be so employed for not quite a month, because
Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House on 9 April 1865.
Parenthetically, I have questions about some of the information in this newspaper article. First, he was born in Georgia, not in Coosa County, Alabama. Second, Averett was wounded at
the Battle of the Wilderness, although battles were often called different names by the two sides (e.g., Manassas versus Bull Run). In fact, four different battles were fought in the area: Fredericksburg (December 1862, Confederate victory); Chancellorsville (May 1863, Confederate victory); The Wilderness (May 1864, inconclusive result); and Spotsylvania Court House (May 1864, also inconclusive). The
first “Battle of the Wilderness” might have been referring to the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville. I may be able to assess this with more certainty as my knowledge of Civil War history increases with reading and time. Third, Averett and his family moved to Louisiana from Alabama in 1877, instead of immediately after the end of the war. Still, he lived in Louisiana for fifty years, which is almost the same.
The documentation and transcription supporting the information in the summary above are displayed below. Some portions of the images downloaded from Fold3.com are overexposed and are difficult to read. I did the best I could by attempting to "enhance" the images with photo processing software. Although I am not an expert in doing this, I was eventually able to read most of the handwriting.
According to Fold3.com, the information and the service record images shown below are from Publication No. M311,
Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Alabama, National Archives Catalog ID 586957,
Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations, compiled 1903—1927, documenting the period 1861—1865, Record Group 109, State of Alabama, Roll No. 0240, Fifteenth Alabama Infantry Regiment.
Image 1 of 11: Envelope/jacket.
76
Averrett, D.F.
Co. A, 15 Alabama Infantry.
(Confederate.)
1st Sergeant 1st Sergeant
Card numbers.
1. 44582574
2. 2638
3. 2702
4. 2763
5. 2820
6. 2877
7. 2929
Image 2 of 11 (Card 1): May—June 1863.
Confederate
A 15 Ala.
D.F. Averrett
1st Sgt., Co. A, 15th Reg’t Alabama Infantry.
Appears on
Company Muster Roll
of the organization named above,
for May & June, 1863.
Enlisted:
When: July 3, 1861
Where: Ft. Mitchell, Ala.
By whom. Capt. Lowther
Period: War
Last paid:
By whom: Capt Furrentine[?]
To what time: Apl 30., 1863
Present or absent: Present
Image 3 of 11 (Card 2): July—August 1863.
Confederate
A 15 Ala.
D.F. Averrett
1st Sgt., Co. A, 15th Reg’t Alabama Infantry.
Appears on
Company Muster Roll
of the organization named above,
for July & Aug., 186.
Enlisted:
When: July 3, 1861
Where: Ft. Mitchell
By whom: Capt. Lowther
Period: War.
Last paid:
By whom: Capt. Dawson
To what time: June 30, 1863.
Present or absent: Present
Image 4 of 11 (Card 3): September—October 1863.
Confederate.
A 15 Ala.
D.F. Averrett
1st Sgt., Co. A, 15th Reg’t Alabama Infantry.
Appears on
Company Muster Roll
of the organization named above,
for Sept and Oct., 1863.
Enlisted:
When: July 3, 1861.
Where: Ft. Mitchell
By whom: Capt Lawther
Period: War
Last paid:
By whom: Capt Feagan
To what time: Aug 31, 1863
Present or absent: Present
Image 5 of 11 (Card 4): January—February 1864.
Confederate
A 15 Ala.
D.F. Averrett
1st Sgt., Co. A, 15th Reg’t Alabama Infantry.
Appears on
Company Muster Roll
of the organization named above,
for Jany & Feby, 1864.
Enlisted:
When: July 3, 1861.
Where: Ft. Mitchell
By whom: Capt Lawther
Period: War
Last paid:
By whom: Capt Feagin
To what time: Aug. 31, 1863
Present or absent: Present
Image 6 of 11 (Card 5): May—June 1864.
Confederate
A 15 Ala.
D.F. Averrett
1st Sgt., Co. A, 15th Reg’t Alabama Infantry.
Appears on
Company Muster Roll
of the organization named above,
for May & June, 1864.
Enlisted:
When: July 3, 1861.
Where: Ft. Mitchell
By whom: Capt. Lowther
Period: War
Last Paid:
By whom: Capt Feagin
To what time: Aug. 31, 1863.
Present or absent:
Absent
Remarks:
General Hospital. Wounded in action May 6, 64.
Image 7 of 11 (Card 6): July—August 1864.
Confederate
A 15 Ala.
D.F. Averrett
1st Sgt., Co. A, 15th Reg’t Alabama Infantry.
Appears on
Company Muster Roll
of the organization named above,
for July & Aug., 1864.
Enlisted:
When: July 3, 1861
Where: Ft. Mitchell
By whom: Capt. Lawther
Period: War
Last paid:
By whom: Capt. Feagin
To what time: Aug. 31, 1863.
Present or absent: Absent.
Remarks:
Furlough from Hospital for 20 days from Aug. 6, 64.
Image 8 of 11 (Card 7): September—October 1864.
Confederate.
A 15 Ala.
D.F. Averrett
1st Sgt., Co. A, 15th Reg’t Alabama Infantry.
Appears on
Company Muster Roll
of the organization named above,
for Sept & Oct., 1864
Enlisted:
When: July 3, 1861.
Where: Ft. Mitchell, Ala.
By whom: Capt. Lawther
Period: War
Last paid:
By whom: Capt. Sanford
To what time: Aug. 31, 1864.
Present or absent: Absent
Remarks:
On furlough for 30 days 28 Oct. 64.
Image 9 of 11 (Card 8): List of Casualties for May 1864 — March 1865.
Confederate
A 15 Ala.
D.F. Averrett
1st Sgt., Co. A, 15th Reg’t Alabama Infantry.
Appears on a
List
of casualties, of the 15th Ala. Reg’t., from May 6, 1864 to March 5, 1865.
List dated: Mar 5, 1865.
Date of reception of wound: May 6, 1864.
Place and character of wound: head, severe
Series 1, Vol. 36, part 1, page 1060
A.[?] Tillman, Copyist
1371
Image 10 of 11 (Card 9): Detailed to Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia.
Annett, D.F.
Sgt. Co A,
15th Ala. Reg.
Detailed
S.O. #68/12
Dept. & Army No. Va. Lee
Mar. 16/65
Image 11 of 11: Envelope/jacket.
77
Averitt, D.F.
Co. A, 15 Alabama Infantry.
(Confederate.)
1 Sergeant 1 Sergeant
Reference Envelope.
Cards file with
Averrett, D.F.
