(1) John wrote: >>> I am looking to confirm the location of the prison where William David Argabright, 42nd Va., died in 1863. I believe it was Ft. Delaware, but can't find confirmation among existing sources that I have searched. His service record as I have compiled it is below. He does not have a separate CSR in the National Archives. Looking at Jamison's "They Died at Fort Delaware" I find one entry for Wm Arybandid, 5th AL Legion, died 3/3/64 to 3/18/64, which has the same date of death as William David Argabright. I am wondering if the Jamison entry could be the same soldier I am trying to identify. Any help would be appreciated. <<<
I examined the Fort Delaware Society database from which the Mrs. Jamison’s work “They Died at Fort Delaware” was compiled. The death of William ARYBANDID, no company, 5th Alabama Legion on the 3rd or 18th of March 1864 was extracted by Mrs. Jamison from NARA Tape 47. This microfilm roll from the National Archives contains hospital records for Fort Delaware. It does not contain records from 1863. I spoke with our “chief archivist” at Society headquarters just now. She examined our written database notes. Mrs. Jamison had noted that the name “Wm. ARYBANDID” was scratched through on the hospital roster but she wrote it down anyway so as not to lose it. I suppose that she shouldn't have published the name, but then we would not be examining this record if she had not.
Ken Jones’ online history of Hilliard’s Alabama Legion states that it was formed in June 1862 and that the Legion's 5th Alabama Cavalry battalion was taken away in December 1862 and merged with the 10th Alabama Cavalry regiment.
I next checked the NPS Index to the Compiled Military Service Records. There was no 5th Alabama Legion listed. I examined the alphabetical lists for the 5th Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, the 10th Regiment, Alabama Cavalry, the 5th Battalion, Alabama Infantry Volunteers, the 5th Battalion, Alabama Infantry Volunteers (Blounts), and the 5th Alabama Infantry. I did not find the surname “ARYBANDID” or anything close enough to warrant examination.
I will take it upon myself to examine NARA Tape 47 in the Society Archives & Library to confirm what Mrs. Jamison wrote and to see if I can make out any other variation of this name. That may take a couple of weeks to get "round to it".
(2) John provided the following extensive history suggesting that perhaps this might be the man listed in Mrs. Jamison’s “They Died at Fort Delaware”: >>> ARGABRIGHT, WILLIAM DAVID: Pvt., Co. B. 1860 cen. farmer, age 30, Pig Creek P. O., Franklin Co. Enl., age 34, 3/13/62 at Floyd C.H. Captured 6/2/62 Strasburg "on retreat from Harper's Ferry." Confined at Harrisburg, Pa., by 6/25/62 when sent to Fort Delaware, Del. Arrived there 6/26/62. At Fort Monroe by 8/2/62. Shipped from there to Aiken's Landing for exchange, arriving 8/4/62. Exchanged there 8/5/62. Present in unit 10/31/62 and 12/31/62. Died, disease, 3/18/63 in unspecified prison. No reason given for imprisonment, nor is it clear whether the prison was federal or Confederate. Postwar 1884 company roster says died of disease during war at unknown place and date.>>>
<<< 860/00/00 Cen Farmer, age 30, Pig Creek Post Office district, Franklin Co. [42Va: 10f]
862/06/02 Captured Strasburg [42Va: 4, WP Argabright]
862/06/25=862/06/26 POW at Harrisburg, Pa., by 862/06/25 when sent by train to Philadelphia and thence by ship to Ft. Delaware, guarded by detachment from 115th Pa. Inf, commanded by Lt. Col. Thompson. Arrived Philadelphia evening 862/06/25. Delivered to Ft. Delaware 862/06/26 [42Va: 168, 862/06/26] [42Va: 190a] [42Va: 4, WP Argabright]
863/03/18 Died, disease, in unspecified prison [42Va: 4, W.P. Argabright]
999/99/95 Died of disease during war at unspecified date and place [42Va: 2c4] [42Va: 23]. Postwar United Confederate Veteran roster says "died ___" [42Va: 35c]. Cards for this man found in NA CSR of WP Argabright. <<<
This surname [or anything even close to it except for ARYBANDID] does not appear in the Society database. The NPS Index to the CMSR confirms that records exist under the name of William P. ARGABRIGHT, Company B, 42nd Virginia Infantry. Records for "William D. ARGABRIGHT" were mixed in with this file.
What appears in the CMSR is at considerable variance from the time line and facts that John presented above!
The muster-in roll for Company B, 42nd Virginia Infantry dated 14 JUN 1862 shows that 34 year old William D. ARGERBRIGHT was enrolled on 13 MAR 1862 in Floyd County, Virginia by Lieutenant Abner Dobyns to serve for three years or the war. Strangely, there are two copies of a bounty receipt showing that this soldier received his $50 enlistment bounty. Both copies are dated 17 MAR 1862. One is signed by “William D. ARGABRITE” and the other by “William P. ARGABRITE”. The cursive script in each note is different enough to make clear that these are two separate records. Lieutenant Abner Dobyns is named in both. Except for the middle initial, both signatures appear to be by the same hand.
There are no other company muster roll records in this file until one made in 1864. The only records confirming his 1862 imprisonment at Fort Delaware are two Federal prison rolls. The first shows that he was captured at Strausburg on 2 JUN 1862 and delivered to Fort Delaware by Lieutenant Colonel Thompson, 115th Pennsylvania Volunteers. This record shows that he was sent from Fort Delaware. Both records show that he was delivered for exchange at Aiken’s Landing on 5 AUG 1862.
Next in the time line are three records proclaiming his death. The first is a clothing receipt roll for the 1st quarter of 1863 showing the name "W. D. ARGABRIGHT", Company B, 42nd Virginia Infantry. However, in the remarks sections is typed the word "dead". I didn't know they issued clothing to the dead! The second record is a “Register” which, according to the pre-printed footnotes at the bottom of the CMSR card, “Appears to have been compiled in the Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office from returns furnished by hospitals and by regimental and company officers.” This card presents his name as “William D. AROBRIGHT”, a private in Company B, 42 Regiment, Virginia Volunteers. It is undated and gives his date of death as “March 18” with the year left blank. It further states that he died in prison (unnamed) of disease. His effects were received on 11 OCT 1864. The second card documents a “Register of Claims of Deceased Officers and Soldiers from Virginia which were filed for settlement in the Office of the Confederate States Auditor for the War Department.” This record shows that a claim for “W. D. ARGABRIGHT”, a Private in Company B, 42nd Virginia Infantry was filed by Attorney William R. Drinkard on 16 JAN 1864.
And here comes the most interesting set of records in the same file!! A company muster roll dated 31 OCT 1864 and covering the six month period “April 30 to October 31, 1864” shows that Private William P. ARGABRIGHT, Company B, 42nd Regiment, Virginia Infantry was absent as a prisoner of war and had been captured on 19 OCT 1864 at Strausburg. It further stated that “Pay and allowances from March 1, 1863 to September 25, 1864 were forfeited by desertion.” There must be some court-martial records somewhere to back this up. The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Belle Grove just north of Strausburg was fought on 19 OCT 1864. Online regimental histories of the 42nd Virginia Infantry indicate the regiment was part of General Early’s command in 1864.
Federal POW records show that Private William P. AUGERBRIGHT, Company B, 42nd Virginia Infantry was captured at Strausburg on 19 OCT 1864, sent through Harper’s Ferry to Point Lookout POW camp in Maryland arriving there on 25 OCT 1864. His name appears on a roll of POWs released at Point Lookout from 12 MAY to 14 MAY 1865 after taking the Oath of Allegiance. This record indicated that he was a resident of Floyd County, Virginia and a farmer by occupation. But apparently he was not one of the oath takers!! Further down in the remarks section, this Oath of Allegiance list states that he was paroled and delivered for exchange on 28 MAR 1865. A second record confirms the he was paroled for exchange at Point Lookout on 28 MAR 1865 and delivered on 30 MAR 1865. He was one of 504 Confederate prisoners of war, including 4 surgeons, received at Boulware’s Wharf on the James River by Captain W. H. Hatch, Confederate Assistant Agent of Exchange on March 30, 1865.
Based upon the evidence presented in the Compiled Military Service Records, I would not conclude that Private William P/D ARGABRIGHT, Company B, 42nd Virginia Infantry from Floyd County, Virginia is the man listed in Mrs. Jamison’s “They Died at Fort Delaware”. William ARYBANDID, 5th Alabama Legion is likely to be a record error either in NARA Tape 47, or in Mrs. Jamison's reading of this entry. Information from the NARA special microfilm rolls pertaining to Fort Delaware often do not appear in an individual's CMSR.
The 31 OCT 1864 company muster roll tells us that William of the 42nd Virginia had last been paid by a Captain Saunders through 1 JUL 1862, and that all pay and allowances from March 1, 1863 through September 25, 1864 were forfeited because of his desertion. There are no company muster rolls in this CMSR showing that he returned to duty with Company B following his return to Confederate hands at Aiken’s Landing on 5 AUG 1862.
I don't know what to make of the 1Q 1863 "clothing receipt" for a dead man. The War Department “death record” should have been supported by a company or hospital muster roll entry confirming his death. There are none in the files. Given the subsequent 31 OCT 1864 Company B muster roll documenting his absence since March 1863 followed by his return to duty on 25 SEP 1864, March 18th [1863] could have been his date of release from an unnamed Confederate hospital. From there he would have gone home and been rounded up 16 months later by Confederate cavalry patrols in Floyd County. It is possible that following his exchange delivery on 5 AUG 1862 he was hospitalized and remained there until March 18, 1863. The claim filed by Attorney William R. Drinkard may be a 19th century case of “ambulance chasing” by Mr. Drinkard who picked the name off of a published list. Other records I have seen usually state that the claim is being made in behalf of a widow or parent with their name and place of residence stated.
I would go in search of Confederate court-martial records that might close the loop on this erroneous death record.
(3) John wrote: >>> He does not have a separate CSR in the National Archives. -- Cards for this man found in NA CSR of WP Argabright. <<<
Records for "William P." and "William D." appear mixed throughout this file. There are other variations in the surname as well within this Company B, 42nd Virginia Infantry record file. It appears that they all belong to the same man because separated into two or more groups based upon the spelling of the surname would create a record trail that is incomplete and confused. The only "fly in the ointment" that might suggest that "William P. ARGABRITE" and "William D. ARGABRITE" were two different men is the presentation of duplicate bonus payment documents. Does the 1884 post-war publication list these as two separate men in Company B, 42nd Virginia Infantry?
Your thoughts?
Hugh Simmons
Fort Delaware Society
Website: www.fortdelaware.org
E-mail: society@fortdelaware.org