Confederate Pension Application of William W.
Barnes
Soldier’s Pension 1897.
Name- W. W. Barnes
County-Banks
Disability-Disease
Amount-$50.00
Approved 4/24/1897.
For Use of Applicants Who Have Not
Heretofore Drawn.
State of Georgia,
Banks County.
Personally appears W. W. Barnes of
Banks County, State of Georgia, who being duly sworn says on oath that he is a
bona fide citizen and resident of Georgia, and has been continuously since the
Third day of March 1833; that he enlisted in the military service of the
Confederate States during the war between the States, and served as a Private
in Company A, of 24th Regiment of Georgia Volunteers Cobb’s Brigade;
that whilst engaged in such military service, at the battle of South Mountain
in the State of Maryland, on the fourteenth day of Sept. 1863, he was disabled
as follows:
He was wounded in the left breast
and armpit by a bullet, and while confined to the hospital with his wound at
Richmond Va. he broke out with measles, and before they had dried in on him he
was sent, in an open freight car in the night, to Emory and Henry College in
the State of Virginia; about two hundred miles distant from Richmond, and when
he arrived at said college he relapsed with the measles, and the disease
settled in his hips; and for a time it was thought he would not live, and after
he showed signs of surviving his physicians at the said college told him he
would never walk again; he has never recovered from the disease in his hips
sufficiently to do any work being unable with his arm to lift any considerable
weight, and unable to stand even with the aid of a crutch or stick, nor can he
sit or lie in one position but a few minutes at a time; hence he is unable to
shoemake, make baskets, clerk, drive a team, saw, work with machinery, peddle,
teach school, or do any kind of farm or carpenter work.
Deponent desires to participate in
the benefits of the Act approved Oct. 24th, 1887, and the Acts
amendatory thereof, and makes application for the allowance to which he is
entitled for the year thereunder, ending October 26th, 1895.
Signed: W. W. Barnes [X his mark]
Sworn to and subscribed before me,
this the 4th day of June 1895.
T. F. Hill, Ordinary
Affidavit For Witnesses.
State of Georgia,
Banks County.
Personally appears before me the undersigned, Ordinary in and for said County J. H. Barnes, D. J. Murray and W. H. Meeks each of whom, being duly sworn according to law, severally say, under oath, that they are personally well acquainted with W. W. Barnes whose application is herewith presented for a pension, and that they served with him in the army, and from our personal knowledge he was injured by the service as follows:
He was wounded in the breast and armpit by a bullet as
we were charging the enemy at South Mountain in the State of Maryland on the 14th
day of Sept. 1863. While he was
confined to the hospital with his wound he took the measles and before the
disease dried in on him, he and a number of us, were ordered to be carried to
Emory and Henry College, and he started from the hospital at Richmond, Va., in
the night in an open freight car, arrived at the said College early next
morning, and very soon after arriving he lost consciousness and was not in his
right mind for some eight or ten days from relapse of the measles, and his life
was despaired of; and when he regained consciousness he complained of very
severe pains in his hips and back and was unable, for about six weeks, to stand
on his feet from weakness and pains.
The Doctors at the College told him that he would never walk anymore,
but while he never could keep up with his command yet he could and can now,
walk a little with the aid of a stick; he complains all the time, day and
night, with pains and weakness in his hips and back, he cannot plow, chop, saw,
hoe, drive a team, peddle, teach school, clerk, make shoes or baskets; he
cannot bear to ride in a wagon at all.
He does no work at all. We know
of no work he is able to do. The battle
in which he was wounded was at South Mountain in the State of Maryland.
We personally know the above stated facts. We were with him in the army and have known
him ever since. Applicant is
permanently disabled as stated and has been so to our certain knowledge ever
since 1863. We have no interest in the
recovery of a pension by him.
Signed: J. H. Barnes, D. J. Murry, W. H. Meeks
Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 12th
day of June 1895/
T. F. Hill, Ordinary
The Pension Department returned the 1895 Pension
Application to Thomas F. Hill, Ordinary of Banks County, on 21 June 1895 with
the following note:
“The proofs should be set out on more definitiveness
and particularly the course and continued existence of the disease-It must be
shown that the same has continuously existed since its inception-Proofs ought
to be made by physicians who attended and regularly prescribed for the
applicant for the time he has been diseased-Pensions cannot be granted on
opinions, nothing but facts will answer.
Richard Johnson, Com. of Pensions.”
Apparently the necessary documents from physicians
were resubmitted to the Pension Office as the Pension was allowed on 4/27/1897.
Note- Referencing “Cemeteries and Deaths in Banks County Georgia” by
Richard J. Chambers:
Hudson River Baptist Church
cemetery [located 200 yards over the Banks County line in Franklin County, Ga.,
visible from Hwy. 326 east of Commerce, Ga.]
Barnes, W. W.-3 May 1833 to 17 May
1925
Barnes, E. J. [Edna]-16 Oct. 1839-3
Oct. 1927
Transcribed 2006 by Jacqueline King