Andrew Jackson McCurry: Rebel

AJ and MM McCurry in two separate photos rephotographed together.

The best way to lay out what I found about Andrew Jackson McCurry, based on Census, courthouse, Civil War muster rolls and other records is to put it in a timeline.  So here is AJM and his life summarized by important dates.

James A. McCurry and Delilah Gilliam marry in Scott County, Virginia on June 25, 1838.  AJM is born in Greene County, Tennessee in 1839.  (I remember Dad talking about some ancestor who had a mill in Greene County, but James A. McCurry doesn't seem to be that ancestor.)  On October 8, 1856, AJM's father sold the Greene County, TN property and moves the family back to Scott County, VA, probably to a small settlement near Gate City, VA.

The 1860 Virginia Census describes the McCurry family as including James A., 53 years, blacksmith; Delilah, 40 years, housewife; William J., 21, farmhand; AJM, 19, farmhand; two younger girls and a younger boy.

On May 20, 1861, AJM and his brother William J. both joined the 37th Virginia Infantry (Confederate), Company D as privates at Estillville, VA (now Gate City, VA), enlisting for one year.  The 37th Virginia Infantry was probably organized in May 1861 in Estillville by prominent businessman Henry Clinton Wood who becomes captain of the unit and is reelected to that position in 1862.  So far, the story as my dad told it holds up except for the detail of AJM and his younger brother joining up together.  Instead, it was AJM and his older brother who joined Company D, also called the Davis Guards.  (I haven't found out why it was named that yet).

Here is a brief history of the 37th Virginia Infantry (Confederate) from a findings document at Virginia Tech:

"The 37th Virginia Infantry was organized primarily in Lee, Russell, Scott and Washington counties in the spring and summer of 1861. The regiment trained in Richmond, then spent the autumn of 1861 in the Shenandoah Valley area. In 1862, it participated in Jackson's Valley Campaign, then in the Seven Days' battles on the Virginia peninsula. At the Battle of Cedar Mountain, the regiment suffered heavy casualties. Later that fall, the regiment saw action at Antietam and was present at the Battle of Fredericksburg. The regiment also fought at both Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. In 1864, the 37th was only briefly engaged in the Battle of the Wilderness but was nearly decimated just days later at Spotsylvania Court House. The remainder of the regiment fought in several more major battles before being ordered to the defense of Petersburg in late 1864. At the time of surrender in April 1865, only 39 members of the regiment remained with the regiment."
http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/vt/viblbv00392.document

January 13, 1862 - the Bath/Romney Campaign

On February 18, 1862 both AJM and William J. re-enlist at Camp Mason and each is paid a $50 bounty.  I am not certain if Company D of the 37th Virginia Infantry participated in these battles in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign that happened just before and after the re-enlistment.  I will have to research this further by looking into each battle carefully.

March 23, 1862 - First Battle of Kernstown
http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/battles_trans.htm

AJM "on furlough (no date); present 3-4/1862" which I think means March and April, 1862

May 5, 1862 - William J. dies of disease at Staunton, Virginia. Staunton is about 2 hours south of where I live now.

AJM "At home on furlough, 15 days from 5/5/1862, AWOL, published as deserter"
Present 9-10/62 (September-October 1982?)
Deserted November 24, 1862

May 8, 1862 - Sitlington’s Hill

http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/battles_trans.htm

May 23, 1862 - Cedarville
http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/battles_trans.htm

May 25, 1862 - First Battle Winchester
http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/battles_trans.htm

In reading Civil War history, I learned that Stonewall Jackson was hated by his men as he took little thought for their health and well being.  This fits the story that AJM blamed his commander for his brother's death.  I understand that furloughs were rare under Jackson so I am not quite sure how AJM was able to leave under furlough at the start of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign.  From the records, it looks like he returned to 37th Virginia Infantry in September and October, 1862 but deserted in November of that year.  The records are not clear but it seems he was AWOL between May 20, 1862 and September, 1862 and then returned to his unit, finally deserting for good two months later.  The records are sparse and I need to find more data before I can say for certain.

But the bulk of the story my dad told me he heard from his grandmother about his grandfather holds up.

Next entry I will continue the Timeline with AJM's service as a Yankee.  I wanted to mention that the photograph above is a photo of a tintype that my brother, Mark H. McCurry, gave me.  I don't know where the original is or how Mark got ahold of it to make a copy to share. This is probably the image from which the oil painting of AJM and his wife was made.  I believe that Mark may have that oil painting. I'll ask him about the photograph and the painting.  Our father was greatly interested in family history and collected many things, most of which Mark was given by our mother in recent years.

signed, Jane McCurry Wood