Professional Documents
Culture Documents
MINTON
By Kevin Whitehead
Introduction
In this work I have attempted to compile, research, and document the extensive military history of the ancestors of Samuel F. Minton. The work has been at times fascinating, exciting, and rewarding. I hope others will look through and realize just how active this family has been through every major conflict before and including the Civil War. There can be little doubt that this is an incomplete list. Historical nuclear families are difficult to complete and dead ends prohibit further research. I planned to limit this work to grandfathers and uncles but have also included cousins if research was successful.
Andrew Lewis served in the French & Indian War as a colonel as well as the Revolutionary War as a brigadier general. Lewis defeated Cornstalk at the Battle of Point Pleasant which crippled the Indians ability to continue the war.
Logan the Orator was an Iroquois leader whose family's murder was the cassus belli to the Indians. Logan was a reluctant participant but due to repeated killings of his family by whites he did so.
Joseph Love Esther Love Richard A. Steele Jane ? Bailey William Isaac Minton Samuel Minton. Married to Mary Teas.
Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Joseph served in Capt. John Lewis' (cousin of Andrew Lewis) Company of Volunteers which was recruited out of Botetourt County, Virginia. He was wounded at the Battle of Point Pleasant. Little is know about his Revolutionary War service but he did appear before a Virginian county court to successfully secure reimbursement for expenses and supplies accrued during his time under General Nathaniel Greene in the southern theater of the War. He later settled in what is now Kingsport, Tennessee before being driven out by Indian to Wythe County, Virginia. In the early 1800's he moved to Long Cane, South Carolina where he died in 1804.
Nathaniel Greene was one of George Washington's most trusted generals. Although he enlisted as a private, Greene quickly rose and was eventually sent south to take command of the Colonials there. While in the south he was able to stop British general Lord Cornwallis most notably at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse which crippled the British army, despite achieving the victory.
Dubbed the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion was skilled at using hit and run guerilla tactics to terrorize and occupy the attention of the British army in South Carolina. His knowledge of the back country enable Marion to organize his small army in an instant, attack an outpost or supply line and instantly melt back into the populace.
Wilhelm von Knyphausen was the commander of the troops from the German region of Hesse who were employed as mercenaries by the British. The Hessians were well trained professional soldiers who saw action in several of the battles in which our ancestors fought. Around five thousands Hessians remained in America after surrender. Free land and the overpopulation in Germany led many to this choice.
The Woffords
The earliest Wofford found with certainty is William Wofford (abt 1620-1655, 7x Great Grandfather to S.F.M.), not to be confused with later persons with the same name. He was born in Cumberlandshire, England and died in St. Mary's, Maryland which is the far south-eastern county which forms a peninsula. It was first settled by British Catholics under Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore who were seeking refuge from persecution in Protestant England. The first arrivals came in 1634. The Woffords lived in Maryland for 3 generations before moving to the Union District of South Carolina. The Union District became Union County in 1798 with the town of Unionville (later shortened to Union) being the county seat. Another William Wofford (17281823, 3x Great Grandfather to S.F.M.) made the move south and later died in Georgia.
Born in 1728, William Wofford moved with his extended family into the northeast corner of Georgia around 1783 following the Revolutionary War.. They settled on Nancytown and Wofford's Creek and founded Wofford's Settlement. During the Benjamin Hawkins 1798 survey that drew the boundary between the Cherokees and the State of Georgia it was found that Wofford's Settlement was on Cherokee land. Due to Wofford's influence he was allowed to remain there on a strip of land called Wofford's Tract. William died in 1823 and is buried at his home site which is now on the campus of Toccoa Falls College.
Benjamin J. Wofford (1745-1815) Brother of William Wofford. Served as sergeant in William Wofford's South Carolina Line unit. Died in Huntsville, Alabama James Wofford (1743-1815) Brother of William Wofford. Served in Colonel Benjamin Roebuck's command at the Fall of Charleston, South Carolina.
Joseph Wofford (1744-1830) Brother of William Wofford. Commanded as a captain a regiment of regular troops from the Fall of Charleston to the Battle of Ninety-Six. Participated in the back country guerrilla fighting of Tories versus Whigs. Was captured in his cabin by a force of Tories and was to be hung in the front yard but his wife, Martha, pleaded and convinced the Tory captain to spare him due to her being in labor. The child born was Benjamin Wofford (1780-1850), founder of Wofford College. He died and is buried in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The Andersons
The Andersons are one of the most traceable lines in our family history. Despite the name evolving through different spellings and the Dutch practice of the husband using the first name of his father after marriage. Its earliest form is Jochemsen, then to Andriessen, to Andriesen, then anglicized to Anderson. The Andersons are an interesting line because they were original settlers of New Amsterdam. As a result of the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-1667) the Dutch governor Peter Stuyvesant surrendered the town to the English who renamed it New York. The Dutch who lived in the city were forced to take an oath of loyalty to remain in the town and most did while at the same time taking English spellings of their name. The first of the Anderson line we know to be correct is Andries Jochemsen (16071674). He was born in Leeuwarden, Netherlands and emigrated around 1630.
Inslee Anderson was born in New Castle County, Delaware in 1759. He had four older brothers who served in the Revolutionary War but due to his age Inslee himself did not serve. Inslee instead served as Adjutant of Arthur St. Clair's army during the Northwest Indian War. Following the Revolution England ceded the Northwest Territory (Modern day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan,and Wisconsin) to the US but it was still heavily populated by the native tribes of which included the Miamis, Shawnees, and Delawares. Inslee Anderson was killed at the Battle of St. Clair's Defeat in what is now extreme western Ohio.
Enoch Anderson (1755-1824) was a Captain in Haslet's Delaware Regiment under General Washington. He served in 13 battles great and small and describes the night after crossing the Delaware, "Night came on, there was no house we dare go into; we had no tents. I had no blanket even and must make no fire. Some had blankets however. The night was very cold. I kept myself tolerably comfortable by walking about, but was very sleepy and could not sleep for the cold." At right is an illustration of a private in the 1st Delaware Regiment which Enoch led. William Anderson (1762-1829) was a major on the staff of the Marquis de Lafayette and served at the Battles of Germantown and Yorktown with the New Jersey Continental Line despite being less than twenty years old. Was elected four times to congress from Pennsylvania. Later served as Inspector of Customs in Philadelphia. At right is his grave in Philadelphia.
John Goode Henderson was born March 30, 1754 in Albemarle County, Virginia. It is known that he was a Revolutionary War veteran but unclear where and with whom he served. His service made him eligible to enter the 1825 Land Lottery that the state of Georgia held to distribute land ceded by the Creeks but apparently did not win a plot. He was a trustee of Hebron Presbyterian Church (at left) in Franklin County though he lived in Jackson County. According to his war record he was known as Smoking Johnny.
Other Randolphs include William's brother Henry (1753-1832) who was present at Valley Forge and nephew John R. (1759-1815) who was in the Virginia Continental Line and later served under General Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812.
Aaron and William married to Violet Alexander and Esther Love respectably
The Steele family in America originated with John Steele (1680-1729) who emigrated from Ireland. He first settled in Philadelphia. His son James (17141751) was born in New Castle County, Delaware. His son Aaron (1740-1795) was also born in Delaware but eventually moved to the Abbeville District (also known as the Ninety-Six District) of South Carolina. William (1763-1821) was probably born in South Carolina. Little is known about their Revolutionary War service but they were probably in the South Carolina militia which was raised extensively through the district. They are both found in the DAR records. At left is the grave of William Steele at the Old Stone Church Cemetery in Clemson, South Carolina.
William McIntosh was born 1775 in Southern Georgia to Senoya, a Creek woman and her Scottish husband, William McIntosh. The Creek nation traces their lineage through their mother so the younger William was considered fully Creek and a legitimate chief. The pro-American McIntosh opposed the Red Stick faction of the Creek Nation and allied with the Americans when the Creek War became intertwined with the War of 1812. The Battle of Horseshoe Bend crippled the Red Sticks. After the War the Creeks passed a resolution to sentence death to any person guilty of ceding land to the US. After signing the 2nd Treaty of Indian Springs in 1825 he was assassinated at his home on the Chattahoochee River.
Nathaniel Wofford was born in 1766 in Spartanburg County, S.C. The family (as mentioned earlier) moved several times before settling in Habersham County after the Revolution. It is said that Nathaniel married Lydia Hopper, daughter of a hated tory, which caused the family to move to Georgia. He served as a major in the 476th Battalion of Georgia Militia during the War of 1812 and Creek War. In 1833 Nathaniel and family members moved to Cass County onto land won by his father in the 1833 Georgia Land Lottery. They settled into the area known as Wofford's Crossroads. Nathaniel then served as Justice of the Inferior Court of Cass County. Nathaniel in some circumstance was caught up in the Indian Removal of 1838-9 and ended up dying and being buried in Arkansas. The grave at left is an In memory of marker at Wofford's Crossroads Baptist Church.
1A. Benjamin Wofford (1823-1846) enlisted to fight in the Mexican War (1846-48). He died while on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico, probably from disease, and was buried at sea. The marker at right is an In memory of marker at Wofford's Crossroads Baptist Church.
1B. Charles C. Wofford (1825-1809) was Corporal of company A in the 10th Battalion Georgia Cavalry which was a militia unit. After the war he moved to Oklahoma and is buried there.
1C. Nathan T. Wofford (1830-1862) enlisted in 1861 as a Jr. 2nd Lt. He was wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines and was later elected 1st Lt. He was killed at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December of 1862. His unit was behind the famed stone wall at the battle and inflicted heavy casualties on the assaulting federal army. He was originally buried on the field but was moved to the nearby Confederate Cemetery in 1892.
1D. James W. Wofford (1831-1864) was a son of the above John Wofford. He enlisted into Company F of the 40th Georgia Infantry in 1861 as 2nd Lt. and was promoted to 1st Lt. He was captured at Vickburg and exchanged to return his unit. He was killed at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain by a cannon shell.
A member of the prestigious Anderson family, James M. was born in New Castle, Delware in 1782. By the time of the War of 1812 he was living in North Carolina and enlisted at Maysville, Haywood County. He enlisted into the 43rd U.S. Infantry and served under a Colonel N. Long. He is described as being 5'8' with blue eyes, 29 years old, and a hatter by trade. He later moved to Gilmer County, Georgia and is buried at Ebenezer Cemetery on Hwy 52 with much of his family.
Alexander Porter (1744-1835) 4x Great Uncle of Samuel Minton. Served in Captain Jame White's company of North Carolina Militia out of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Grave at right. Robert Randolph (1787-1866) 3x Great Uncle of Samuel Minton. Details of service unknown. William B. Randolph, Jr. (17961881) Brother of Robert above. Limited details but he did serve in Captain R. Gamble's Company of Virginia Militia. Grave at right.
4. James Grant (1828-1847) enlisted at the age of 19 probably in the same unit as his brothers. Little information is known except that he died 1847.
At right is Brigadier General Robert Milner Echols who led the 13th Regiment of Infantry. He died from falling from his horse at National Bridge, Mexico. Echols County, Georgia is named in his honor.
George B. McClellan was called upon by President Lincoln following the disaster at 1st Manassas to rebuild the army and go on the offensive to capture Richmond. His first effort is called the Peninsula Campaign on the Virginia Peninsula. Despite having a much larger army he convinced himself that he was outnumbered and was going to be annihilated and any moment. His army made it to seven miles from Richmond but was unable to take it. He was later given command of the Army of the Potomac to stop the Confederate advance into Maryland. He fought to a stalemate at Antietam but a frustrated Lincoln removed him for not crushing the enemy with once again his superior numbers. In 1864 McClellan was the Democratic challenger to Lincoln and lost with 45% of the popular vote.
Thomas Stonewall Jackson was given command of five Virginia regiments and soon came to command a corp in Lee's army. Whether on separate campaigns or under Lee, Jackson's corp was usually used as shock troops who were put into the most dangerous movements and locations within battles and almost always came out victorious. At the Battle of Chancellorsville, perhaps the two general's greatest victory, he was mistakenly fired upon by a North Carolina regiment who thought they were federal cavalry. Jackson's arm was amputated but he also came down with pneumonia Because of his weakened conditioned he died several days later.
Joseph E. Johnston began the war as the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia until his near fatal wound during the Peninsula Campaign. R. E. Lee took over command and held it for the duration of the war. Upon recovery Johnston was sent to the western theater where he did very little to help at Vicksburg and instead blundered around eastern Mississippi. Upon Bragg's resignation, Davis had little choice but to appoint Johnston in his place just in time to begin the Atlanta Campaign. An expert at defensive tactics, he failed to arrest Sherman's advance and was replaced at the gates of Atlanta.
1. Robert L. Sellers (1828-1867) was born in Haywood County, NC. He enlisted into Company H of Smith's Legion in the spring of 1862. The Legion was stationed at Cumberland Gap and Loudon, Tennessee before being merged with the 65th Georgia. At this time he was in the hospital in Knoxville but did not return in time and was labeled a deserter. He rejoined in May of 1863 and was wounded in the arm at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain necessitating amputation above the elbow which ended his service. Post war life in unknown.
At right is a picture of the trench lines occupied by John K. Jackson's brigade at Kennesaw Mountain of which the 65th Georgia was a part of.
3. Isaac Marion Sellers (1841-1887) was born in Haywood County, NC and also served as a private in Smith's Legion. Transferred to Company H of the 65th Georgia but deserted April 26, 1864 just as the army was leaving winter quarters to begin the Atlanta Campaign.
Married to Lydia Ann Grant, then Alice Bradley, then Edith Grizzle
At left is the battle flag of the 18th Georgia while under John Bell Hood's command.
Marmaduke S. Swann
and the 18th Georgia at Gaines Mill
In early 1862 when brigades and divisions were still being formed, the 18th Georgia were matched with the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas Regiments under a General Wigfall. Wigfall resigned soon after and Colonel John B. Hood of the 4th Texas was promoted to lead what became known as Hood's Texas Brigade (despite containing the 18th Ga and later Hampton's South Carolina Legion). Their first major action was in Robert E. Lee's first battle with the Army of Northern Virginia. With the federal army on the outskirts of Richmond, Lee attacked the well positioned federals. He asked General Hood if his men could break the line. I'll try answered Hood. The Confederates stormed out of the woods and up Gaines Mill and broke the federal line as they would several times throughout the war.
Marmaduke S. Swann
and the 18th Georgia at 2nd Manassas
After driving the federal army off the Virginia Peninsula, Lee turned his attention to another federal army moving south from Washington under General John Pope. Pope began the battle by unsuccessfully attacking the Confederate left commanded by Stonewall Jackson. The attacks failed but the next day he tried again despite the fact that General Longstreets corp had come up and were now in position to threaten the flank of the federal army. After the federal attacks were again repulsed, Longstreet's entire corp, including the 18th Georgia, slammed in the federal left and crushed it. The 18th Georgia played a pivotal part Longstreet's attack. Despite losing 19 killed and 114 wounded, including Marmaduke Swann and 3 color bearers, the 18th captured the flag of the 10th New York who lost more men than any other federal unit in one battle. They also captured 4 cannons after charging 2 artillery batteries.
Marmaduke S. Swann
and the 18th Georgia at Antietam
Following Lee's victory at 2nd Manassas, he began to plan his first invasion of the north. The two armies met again at Antietam on September 17, 1862 which would become the bloodiest day in American history. The battle began with a large assault on the Confederate left. The fighting focused in a cornfield which was fully grown. Attacks and counterattacks, which included the 18th Georgia, swept through the cornfield. Artillery firing case shot and canister rip through as hand to hand fighting occurs all morning. A federal infantryman writes, Every stalk of corn in the northern and greater part of the field was cut as closely as can be done with a knife by the rifle and cannon fire. Hood described his division as, Dead on the field. The 18th Georgia lost 101 of the 176 men that were active in the battle. There are no records saying whether or not Marmaduke Swann had recovered and was present for this battle but the lack of records saying otherwise makes it safe to say he was present.
Marmaduke S. Swann
and the 18th Georgia at Fredericksburg
At Fredericksburg, the 18th Georgia found itself in the location of one of the most lopsided engagements of the war. Being pushed by Lincoln and the federal government, new federal commander Ambrose Burnside rushed into battle. The Confederate center held a position behind a stone wall beside a sunken road that overlooked almost 600 yards of open ground that sloped downward toward the town. The federals made several assaults but the four-deep ranks of Confederates and wellconcealed artillery batteries decimated the attacks. Prior to the battle the brigade was taken over by T.R.R. Cobb of Georgia. During the assaults, Cobb was hit in the hip by a shell fragment and bled to death. His replacement was William T. Wofford (cousin 4x removed from Samuel Minton) who led the brigade almost to the end of the war.
Following the war, Swann returned to his saw and grist mill and built a number of bridges in the Gilmer County area. At the age of 40 he under went cataract surgery but went blind soon thereafter. He is died in 1910 and is buried at Ebenezer Baptis in Gilmer County.
Robert R. Grant (1831-1899?) was born in DeKalb County. He enlisted as 1st Lieutenant of the 36th Georgia Infantry in company I. The unit saw limited service until the Vicksburg Campaign where the entire unit was captured after the surrender of the Confederate garrison. Robert tendered his resignation due to being a supernumerary officer which was accepted in 1864. He was captured in Nashville, Tennessee and was released from Johnson's Island prison in Ohio in 1865.
Andrew Jackson Jack Grant (1842-1933) was also born in Cass County (Now Bartow). He enlisted as a Corporal in the 36th Georgia Infantry. He was captured at Vicksburg but after he was paroled he rejoined the unit. At the Battle of Missionary Ridge he was struck by a shell in the left arm. His arm was amputated above the elbow.
Picture at top right is the historical marker where Philips' Legion trained in Big Shanty, Georgia. Picture at bottom right is the Battle of South Mountain
1. Jesse Blackwell (1825-1882) was born in Hall County, Georgia before the family moved to Texas. He enlisted in company E of Philips' Legion as a private. He was captured at the Battle of South Mountain, Maryland in 1862, exchanged, the promoted to corporal, then 5th sergeant. He furloughed home in early 1864 but did not return to duty and was listed as absent without leave. He died in Rusk County, Texas in
3. James Wesley Blackwell (1829-1863) was also born in Hall County. He joined the Ragged First 1st Texas Infantry, one of the most prestigious regiments in the war and part of Hood's Texas Brigade. Records has him listed as a scout for General Hood. He was wounded at 2nd Manassas and discharged from service a few months later. After being discharged he returned home where he died soon thereafter.
Below is the painting Ragged Old First by Don Troiani depicting the 1st Texas Infantry in the cornfield of Antietam.
Joseph Monroe Anderson was born in Gilmer County, Georgia in 1843. In 1862 he enlisted as a private in company G of the 39th Georgia Infantry who were called the Gilmer Lions. The unit saw limited action until the Battle of Champions Hill and Vicksburg where the unit was captured. After being exchanged they were active again around Chattanooga. He was captured in Dalton, Georgia and tried as a spy but was acquitted. He remained imprisoned in Chattanooga for the rest of the war.
Picture top right is the Lion of Atlanta which sits within the unknown Cofederate section Picture at bottom right is a reunion of the 43rd. It is unknown who is in the picture.
John A. Hopper (1825-1863) Great 3X Cousin of Samuel Minton Hopper served as Captain of company E in the 8th Battalion Georgia Infantry. He died in Yazoo City, Mississippi of fever on June 11, 1863.
William T. Wofford (1824-1884) Great 4X Cousin of Samuel Minton Elected to represent Cass County (now Bartow) at the Georgia secession convention where he voted against leaving the union. When secession passed he organized the 18th Georgia and was elected colonel. He rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Army of Northern Virginia under Longstreet. He was wounded at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House. He was the last commander to surrender a significant amount of Confederate troops east of the Mississippi. He is buried in the Cassville Cemetery.
Ensley M. Anderson (1841-1864) Great, Great Cousin of Samuel Minton Sergeant of the 1st Georgai Partisan Rangers who eventually became the 6th Georgia Cavalry. The unit was under Alfred Iverson and Joseph Wheeler and fought numerous battles including Sunshine Church, Georgia.
James W. Anderson (1845-1864) - Great, Great Cousin of Samuel Minton It is not known what unit this person belonged to but there was a James W. Anderson in the 1st Georgia Infantry out of Dahlonega. James died in January 1864.
The End