AUTHOR'S NOTES

The working title of my book in progress is "Hurrah for Georgia", the greeting given by General Richard Ewell to the Brigade on their timely arrival at the battlefield of Gaines Mill, their baptism of fire. The deeper I dig into the subject, the more I find on the brigade, its service, and its members. In answer to all those who ask when my book will be available, I'm afraid I have years of research in front of me; so please don't expect to see it published anytime soon. I will certainly post a notice on these pages when there is news of publication plans.

In honoring the Lawton-Gordon-Evan's Georgia Brigade, it is by no means my intent to diminish the outstanding service of other Georgia units that fought in the Civil War in both the eastern and western theaters. I leave it to others more qualified than I to pay them their due.

Finally, my own interest in the Lawton-Gordon-Evans Brigade can be traced to the service of my ancestor, James David Brantley and his younger brother Nathaniel Green Brantley.

James Brantley enlisted as a private in the Ware Guards (Company D of the 13th Georgia, later reorganized as Company F of the 26th Georgia Regiment). He was appointed 2nd Sergeant on September 25, 1962 and was wounded and captured at Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864. Although captive, it is recorded that he received appointment as 1st Sergeant on May 19, 1864. He was imprisoned at Point Lookout, Maryland and at Elmira, New York, before being paroled and then exchanged at City Point, James River, Virginia on February 13, 1865. He returned home to Georgia, where he was again paroled on May 20, 1865. The nagging pain of an ill-healed wound in his foot drove him to drink and caused him to walk the remainder of his life with the aid of a cane.

The younger brother of James David, Nathaniel Green Brantley also enlisted as a private in the Ware Guards at the tender age of 14 in July 1861. He served until his one year enlistment expired on July 22, 1862, when he was refused reenlistment and discharged for being underage following the reorganization of the regiment. He returned home and enlisted in Company G of the 4th Georgia (Clinch's) Cavalry. After sharing a premonition of his death with his family, Nathaniel was captured on Sept. 2, 1864 at Fairburn, Georgia during skirmishes with Sherman's troops after the fall of Atlanta. He was shipped via Nashville to the Union prison at Camp Douglas in Chicago, arriving on November 1, 1864. He subsequently died of illness due to exposure on February 14, 1865 and is buried in the Confederate mound at the Oak Wood National Cemetary in Chicago.

Thank you for visiting these pages. I hope you found them interesting and useful. Your comments and suggestions are very much welcome.

Chris J. Brantley

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Last Update: August 13, 1999