James McCarty
Two Confederate Soldiers Buried Among Graves of Union Soldiers
(by Andy Bryant)
Two Confederate soldiers are presently buried in Camp Nelson National Cemetery; a National Cemetery where only Union soldiers are buried. The cemetery is located at 6980 Danville Road, Nicholasville, KY 40356. The reason these two Confederate soldiers are still buried there, when all of the other burials are Union solders, is best described in Camp Nelson National Cemetery’s own web page; quoted as follows:
... “By 1863, the Army had selected a small plot of land next to the hospital as a graveyard for the men who died at Camp Nelson. Life at the military camp was often harsh and men fell victim to disease and common illnesses. A total of 379 men were buried here, designated Graveyard No. 1, between June 1863 and July 1865. A second area, Graveyard No. 2, was later added; it is the present location of the national cemetery. According the cemetery records, approximately 1,180 men were buried here by February 1866.
After the end of the Civil War, the federal government initiated a program to locate and reinter Union dead in national cemeteries. As a result, in June and July 1868, a total of 2,023 remains were removed from areas in Kentucky such as Frankfort, Richmond, London and Covington and reinterred at Camp Nelson National Cemetery. Because of the camp’s significance as a USCT recruiting base, a large number of these soldiers are interred at Camp Nelson. The remains of Confederate prisoners of war originally buried at Camp Nelson National Cemetery were all removed, either to the Confederate lot in the cemetery at Nicholasville or local private cemeteries. With the exception of two graves removed from Covington and alleged to be Confederate soldiers, there are no Confederates interred at Camp Nelson.” ...
Ref: https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/campnelson.asp
It is my intention and purpose to Honor these two fallen Confederate soldiers by researching each of them and compiling a “family history” of their past lives; both civilian and military. By this, it is my hope that a more accurate account of their lives might help their decedents find out what happened to them.
The two Confederate soldiers are:
1. Pvt. James McCarty, Co. F, 2nd Battalion, Kentucky Mounted Rifles, CSA [Irish]
2. Pvt. John H. Brown, Co. G, 13th Tennessee Inf., CSA [German]
I will begin with Pvt. James McCarty of Co. F, 2nd Kentucky Mounted Rifles.
Pvt. James McCarty, Co. F, 2nd Battalion, Kentucky Mounted Rifles
His family linage is as follows:
Timothy McCarthy (Ireland) (1599 -)
7th great-grandfather
Donald McCarty (Ireland) (1620 - 1668)
Son of Timothy McCarthy (Ireland)
Maj. Dennis McCarty, Sr. (Ireland to Richmond City, Virginia, 1675) (1649 - 1694)
Son of Donald McCarty (Ireland)
Col. Daniel McCarty, Sr. Esqr. (Richmond, Va. to Laurel Co., Ky.) (1678 - 1724)
Son of Maj. Dennis McCarty, Sr. (Ireland to Richmond City, Virginia, 1675)
Capt. Daniel W. McCarty, Jr. (1707 - 1744)
Son of Col. Daniel McCarty, Sr. Esqr. (Richmond, Va. to Laurel Co., Ky.)
James McCarty (1730 - 1785)
Son of Capt. Daniel W. McCarty, Jr.
Pvt. Thomas McCarty (Whitaker's Batt'n., Mtd. Vols.) (Fauquier, Va. to Meade Co. Ky.) (1756 - 1828)
Son of James McCarty
Thomas Augustine McCarty (Fairfax, Va. to Bath Co., Ky.) (1774 - 1820)
Son of Pvt. Thomas McCarty (Whitaker's Batt'n., Mtd. Vols.) (Fauquier, Va. to Meade Co. Ky.)
William M. McCarty, Jr (1810 - 1880)
Son of Thomas Augustine McCarty (Fairfax, Va. to Bath Co., Ky.)
Pvt. James McCarty (Co. F, 2nd Battalion, Kentucky Mounted Rifles, CSA)
Is the son of William M. McCarty, Jr.
Civilian life:
Pvt. James McCarty is a son of William M. McCarty, Jr. and Mary "Polly" Ann Sorrell.
William and Mary had a total of 9 children. There were 5 boys (counting James) and 4 girls. All of these children were born in Bath County, Kentucky.
One of James’s brother, was Andrew Jackson McCarty who served with Co. C, Ficklin's Battalion., Kentucky Infantry. Another of his brothers was John Fletcher McCarty.
[I will tell more about him later in my family notations below.]
(Pvt.) James McCarty married a girl by the name of Mary Jane Purvis, who was the daughter of Matthew Purvis and Rebecca Gillespie. James and Mary had 3 children. There was a girl named Dollie McCarty. She was born in 1859 and died in 1870. She was only 11 years old.
They had a son named John McCarty. He was born in 1860 and died in 1900. John served in the Union Army later in his life. John died August 18, 1900 in Nicholas County, Kentucky; but he is buried in a military cemetery at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital East Cemetery Anacostia, District of Columbia, USA
Their last child together was a son named Thomas McCarty. He was born on January 5th, 1862. This was about 6 months before his father (Pvt. James) died from his wounds on July 25th 1864. Thomas died June 27, 1933 in Bourbon County, Kentucky.
Military life:
As the war between the stated began, men were joining both the North and the South. In Fleming County, Kentucky during the fall of 1862, on September the 15th, James McCarty decided to join the fight for southern independence. In that time period,
Gen. John Hunt Morgan and his raiders were there. It was at that time that James McCarty joined Co. F, 2nd Battalion, Kentucky Mounted Rifles, a unit part of Morgan's raiders.
Ref: http://kykinfolk.org/fleming/about.htm.
When he joined on Sept. 15, 1862, he was 24 years old and his wife, Mary Jane Purvis, was 23. Their daughter Dollie, was 3; their son John was 2 and their son Thomas was only 6 months old. Neither his wife nor any of his children would ever see him again.
Some of the information about the Confederate military unit that he served under can be noted in the following web site: http://morgans_men.tripod.com/units.htm :
... “Units under Gen. Morgan's Command
The following is a list of units that served under Gen. John Hunt Morgan. An ancestor that served honorably in any of the below units, either under the command of Gen. John Hunt Morgan or his brother-in-law, Gen. Basil W. Duke, qualifies a descendant for regular membership in Morgan's Men Association.” ... “2nd Batt. KY Mounted Rifles” ...
Another rescores description states; ... “The Kentucky 2nd Battalion Mounted Rifles was commissioned March 12, 1862 and completed its organization during the late fall. The unit was attached to the Department of East Tennessee, then the Department of Western Virginia and East Tennessee. It skirmished in various conflicts in the mountainous region of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Early in 1865 it disbanded. Research on this unit has proven to be quite difficult. There was also a Federal Unit referred to as the 2nd Kentucky Battalion. Additionally, a Federal Colonel named Thomas Johnson also fought in the same theatre and Gen. Morgan’s Cavalry did not leave very many records of their actions. For the early part of the war, the 2nd’s actions follow the path of the rest of the men of Morgan’s Raiders. Following Gen. Morgan’s death however, the 2nd remained in Kentucky and Tennessee and Western Virginia. They did not go with the rest of Morgan’s men to the Atlanta campaign.” ...
Ref: https://www.amazon.com/Historical-Kentucky-Battalion-Mounted-Regimental/dp/1519437242
It is now proven that Pvt. James McCarty was one of, “Morgan’s Men”, who served proudly!
1. He enlisted in Company F, Kentucky 2nd Cavalry Battalion on 15 Sep 1862.
2. He was admitted to “Seminary U.S.A. Hosp’l, Covington, Ky., from “Cynthiana”, on “Jun 14, 1864”, after being wounded on “Jun. 12, 1864 at Cynthiana”. He was diagnosed with “G. S. F. L. Left Extremity”. (gunshot to his front lower left abdomen). He is also recorded as, “Died Jul. 25, 1864”, and he was listed as, “age 26”.
After Pvt. James’ death, he is recorded as being buried at “Covington, Ky.” on “July 26, 1864” with a grave number of “304”. There is a section of this record that states “Remarks”. In line from James McCarty’s name is “1919”. [The “1919” signifies the number of the grave that he was buried in at Camp Nelson.]
The record listed as, “U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962
M McCarthy, Joseph - McCarty, Michael”, describes him as being buried in
“Grave No. 1919 S. G.” at “Camp Nelson, Ky.”.
“Name: James McCarty
Birth Place: USA
Death Date: 26 Jul 1864
Death Place: USA
Cemetery: Linden Grove Cemetery
Burial or Cremation Place: Covington, Kenton County, Kentucky, USA
Has Bio?: Y” ...
“
“James McCarty
Birth: unknown, USA
Death: 25 Jul 1864, USA
Burial: (2nd) Camp Nelson National Cemetery, Nicholasville, Jessamine County, Kentucky, USA
Plot: G, 0, 1919
Military: PVT, US ARMY
Find A Grave Memorial ID#: 969628” ...
Ref: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/969628/james-mccarty
The following is information regarding Pvt. James McCarty military battle that led to him being wounded and dying shortly thereafter:
I can find nothing about his time period between when he enlisted in Company F, of the Kentucky 2nd Cavalry Battalion on the 15th of September in 1862 and July of 1864. It would only be speculation on my behalf as to where he was and where he fought skirmishes.
Then in July of 1864, it is recorded on “Wikipedia” as; ... “Two Civil War battles were fought in Cynthiana (Ky.); the first on July 17, 1862, was part of a raid into Kentucky by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan; the second on June 11 and 12, 1864, resulted in defeat of Confederate forces on Morgan's last raid into the state.” ...
Ref: ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthiana,_Kentucky
The “Wikipedia” web site continues to describe the exact date and battle that Pvt. James (McCarty) McArthur was wounded and eventually died.
... “The Second Battle of Cynthiana included three separate engagements during the American Civil War that were fought on June 11 and 12, 1864, in Harrison County, Kentucky, in and near the town of Cynthiana. This was part of Confederate Brigadier General John H. Morgan's 1864 Raid into Kentucky. The battle ultimately resulted in a victory by Union forces over the raiders and ended Morgan's Last Kentucky Raid in defeat. Morgan's command had previously captured the town in the First Battle of Cynthiana, July 17, 1862.
At dawn on June 11, 1864, Brig. Gen. John H. Morgan approached Cynthiana with 1,200 cavalrymen. The town was defended by a small Union force under Colonel Conrad Garis, commanding five companies of the 168th Ohio Infantry and some home guard troops, about 300 men altogether. Morgan divided his troops into two columns which approached the town from the south and east, and launched an attack at the covered bridge, driving Garis' forces back towards the Kentucky Central Railroad depot and north along the railroad towards the Rankin House, which Federal troops used as a fortified position. Having no artillery in which to drive the Federals from their positions, the Confederates set fire to the town, destroying thirty-seven buildings and killing some of the Union troops.” ...
Ref: ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cynthiana
Pvt. James McCarty was mortally wounded on the date mentioned, June 11, 1864. His wife and his children would never know where, or when, he died. His mother, Mary Ann Sorrell died in 1864 also. Rest in Peace Pvt. James McCarty, I have brought you home.
James’ wife, Mary Jane was now a widow with 2 young children during wartime! One can only ponder how she must have felt.
As history records it, on April 29, 1866, almost 2 years since James had died from his wounds, she re-marries. As I mentioned earlier, Pvt. James McCarty had a younger brother (6 years) whose name was, John Fletcher McCarty. When Pvt. James died in 1864, John was 20 years old.
She married James’ younger brother, John Fletcher McCarty. Together, they have a total of 5 children; 4 boys and 1 girl. Their names are; Madison (1867), Joseph D. (1873); Greenberry (1875); Andrew Jackson (1876) and Elizabeth Ann (1880).
By Andy Bryant
Contacts
Marvin Allen  Bath County Coordinator |
| Sherri Bradley KY State Coordinator |
| Suzanne Shephard KY Asst. State Coordinator |
| Jeff Kemp KY Asst. State Coordinator |
