Major Jenkins, Company K

This soldier fell from his horse and was hospitalized for several months with a broken sternum and other injuries. He was never able to return to full duty. The McClellan saddle, designed by a United States Army officer, was in use during the Civil War.

Invalid — 107,891 / 94,112

Sworn Statement, W.H. Gray, MD, 19 April 1866
“[Major Jenkins] was severely injured by the falling of his horse while in the line of duty at Camp Mix near Fort Monroe, Va. about the month of January 1864. … He was in hospital several months, and being unable to perform either Drill, Guard, or Fatigue duty was detailed as Hospital Attendant.”

Examining Surgeon’s Certificate, James Williamson, MD, Portsmouth, Virginia, 20 November 1866
“disability resulting from a fracture of the sternum … is One Fourth (1/4) incapacitated for obtaining his subsistence by manual labor from the cause above stated …. This person received a fracture of the ‘breast bone’ by a fall from a horse whilst in the cavalry service. His post office is Norfolk, Va.”

Sworn Statement, Major Jenkins, 25 March 1867
“He enlisted at Norfolk, Va. on the 16th Dec 1863, and went with said Company to Camp Hamilton near Fortress Monroe. That whilst on drill, his horse became unmanageable and rearing up and fell upon his back catching the affiant under him and crushing his breast and right ribs and injuring him seriously his right shoulder. That he was never able afterwards to join the company in active duty, but spent his time in the hospital and around the camp, in some light service, till his discharge … he has been rendered altogether incapable of manual labor”

Sworn Statement, 2nd Lieutenant Charles H. Hart, 1 November 1868
“He was acquainted with Major Jenkins… the said Major Jenkins was injured while on drill, by the rearing & falling of his horse upon him & nearly crushing him to death. His life was despaired of for weeks afterward…. He was unable to speak aloud when I saw him last which was in November 1867 & at times he is troubled for breath … The horse fell upon him in such a manner as to crush his breast by the pommel of the saddle & the cantle of the saddle striking him in the stomach.”

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“Govrnt Blacksmiths’ Shop”

The Soldier in Our Civil War includes hundreds of drawings that were published in Frank Leslie’s Weekly Magazine as single-page illustrations and double-page spreads. Images that appeared alongside “Govrnt Blacksmiths’ Shop” included “Building Roads,” “In the Trenches,” “Scouts,” “On Picket,” “Battle of Milliken’s Bend,” “Teamster of the Army, “Cooking in Camp,” “Unloading Govt. Stores,” “Driving Govt Cattle,” and “Washing in Camp.” Artists under contract to Frank Leslie’s (and other magazines of the period) drew African American troops at camp and in battle, male and female workers engaged in various occupations, life on the home front, country sides and cityscapes, maps, and military action on land and sea.

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Arthur Nelson, Company F

During his service, the soldier assisted the regimental blacksmith by removing old shoes from the horses, paring their feet, and putting on new shoes.

Invalid – 723, 609 / 531,384
Widow – 974,229 / 735,329, Hannah Nelson

Deposition, Arthur Nelson, 17 May 1893
“fifty odd years … occupation, laborer when able to work”; post-office address, Lamberts’ Point Road, Norfolk, Va.
“Q: Do you know W.R. Drury?
A: Yes. he is the man that filed my new law claim. Soon after the new law claim I went to the office of Mr. Drury with London Hurdle and Alfred Felton as identifying witnesses to make my application under the new law. … Drury swore me by having me kiss the Book, at least I am not certain that I did so. W.R. Drury swore me by my holding up my hand. I do not remember that Drury swore Hurdle and Felton.
” Q: Do you know B.A. Richardson, Jr.?
A: I do not know him and never heard of him before. … I don’t know how Richardson’s name happens to be on my application.”

Deposition, Ephraim Jeder, 12 April 1894
about 73 years old; occupation, laborer; post-office address, 138 Queen St., Norfolk, Va.
“I have known Arthur Nelson … for the past 20 years. .. Some time in the latter part of June 1893 Mrs. Belva A. Lockwood asked me to be a witness for Arthur Nelson on an applicaiton for pension she had just written up and I signed that application by mark as I cannot write my name, and I then went to the office of R. Bagnall, Jr., N.P., on Church St the city. ….”
“Q: Do you know Jno. T. Wilson?
A: Yes, sir. He is a white man. He was in Mrs. Lockwood’s office when I signed that paper. And he was sitting by Mrs. Lockwood at the table on which she was writing and he was signing his name to a great number of papers but I cannot say whether or not he signed his name to Arthur Nelson’s application….”
“Q: Have you another name beside that of Ephraim Jeter?
A: Yes, sir. I am sometimes called Lasker…”

Deposition, Dempsey E. Ferebee, 16 April 1894
60 years old; occupation, minister of the gospel; residence and post-office address, 22 Lincoln St., Norfolk, Va.
I have known Arthur Nelson “well for the past 30 years. … I was a witness for him about a year ago on his application for pension executed before R. Bagnall, Jr. N.P. in his office on Church St. in this city. …”

Deposition, David A. Brown, 18 April 1894
39 years old; occupation, shoemaker; post-office address, 339 Church St., Norfolk, Va.
“Q: Do you know a colored man by the name of Arthur Nelson?
A: No, sir.
Q: Do you know one Dempsey E. Ferebee?
A: No, sir…”

Deposition, Humphrey McCoy, 20 April 1894
34 years old; occupation, porter; post-office address, 70 Willoughby St., Norfolk, Va.
“Q: Do you know Arthur Nelson the claimant?
A: No, sir….I am employed just across the street from where R. Bagnall Jr. office was at that time and he called me over to his office to attest the signature of someone and I wrote my name as it appears on [Nelson’s] papers.”

Deposition, John T. Wilson, 28 April 1894
50 years old; occupation, “collector”; post-office address and residence, 92 Clay Ave., Norfolk, Va.
“Q. Do you know a colored man named Arthur Nelson?
A: Yes, sir. I do.
[Wilson says that he remembers Nelson coming in to Lockwood’s office] “and I think I signed his applicaiton probably as a witness to his identity.”

Deposition, London Hurdle, 4 June 1896
65 years old; occupation, laborer; post-office address, Lamberts Point, Norfolk, Va.
“I have known [the claimant] since October 1862. I came inside the Union lines in October 1862 and I found the claimant at work in the Quartermaster Dept at Norfolk, Va. and we worked together in said Dept from said date until he (the clt) enlisted in Co. F, 1st USCC. He preceded me in service about a week.”
“In 1867 clt went to work for Geo. W. Jennings on his farm near Lamberts Pt., Va. and I went to work at the same place in 1868 and we worked there together for the following 20 years when Mr. Jennings died.”

Deposition, Beverly West, 4 June 1896
63 years old; occupation, brickmason; post-office address, 9 Hampton Court, Norfolk, Va.
“I was the Orderly Sergeant of Co. F, 1st USCC from its organiztation in December 1863 until its muster out of service Feby 4th 1866.”

Deposition, John Parsons, 4 June 1896
50 years old; occupation, laborer; post-office address, cor Maltby Ave & Princess Ann Road (Norfolk, Va.)
“I have known [the claimant] since in Dec 1863. I think we enlisted about the same time in Co. F 1st USCC in December 1863…. I have not known much of him since our discharge from service.
“I was with my company all the time during service …. I was not intimately associated with claimant during service — only knew him in a casual way as a member of the company.”

Deposition, Joshua Brickhouse, 6 June 1896
about 59 years old; occupation, blacksmith; post-office address, 4 [or 9?] Rhea’s Lane, Norfolk, Va.
“I knew Arthur Nelson, the claimant, who served with me … I did not know him prior to enlistment and I have not associated with him much since service.”

Deposition, Henry Fentress, 11 June 1896
52 years old; occupation, laborer; post-office address, Berkley, Norfolk Co., Va.
“I knew Arthur Nelson during his service in said company. I knew him well for seven or eight years before the late war but I have only seen him a time or two since our muster out of service with the company Feby 4, 1866.”

Deposition, William Fuller, 11 June 1896
62; no occupation; post-office address, Soldiers Home, Elizabeth City County, Va.
“I first met [claimant] after joining the company. I knew him well during service but have not seen much of him since our discharge from service.”

Deposition, Arthur Nelson, 13 June 1896
about 58 years old; occupation, laborer; post-office, Lamberts Point, Norfolk, Va.
“If Lieut. Garrett can be found he may remember that he took my house from me while we were still at Fort Monroe, Va. in the spring of 1864.
Q: Why did Lieut. Garrett take the house?
A: I can’t say. I was detached from the company to assist the regimental blacksmith, who was a white man. Don’t know his name. I was detailed to assist him in shoeing horses and I staid [sic] with him as his assistant until in the spring of 1865 when we got ready to go to Texas. Then I was put in charge of Major Sykes horses on the trip from City Pt., Va. to Brazos Santiago Texas and I attended to his horses after arriving in Texas while I was detailed to help London Hurdle in the Commissary Dept. in which I continued until I was muster [sic] out service.
Q: What duty did you do when assisting the regimental blacksmith?
A: I was employed in removing old shoes from the horses first in paring their feet and putting new shoes on their feet.”

Questionnaire (Form 3-402), Arthur Nelson, 12 March 1898
[married] yes, Hannah Nelson, Hannah Old
[where, when, by whom] 1859? Princess Anne Co., Va., married by consent of owners
[record] “no license granted in those days”
[previous marriage] no
[living children] Alex; Georgianna; Elizabeth; Sanderson [????]; Arthur; Cornelius … all over 22 yrs

Declaration for Widow’s Pension, Hannah Nelson, 30 October 1911
68 years old … she was married under the name of Hannah Old to said soldier at Princess Anne County, Va. … Also personally appeared London Hurdle residing at Norfolk, Va. … Alfred Felton residing at Norfolk, Va..”

General Affidavit, Hannah Nelson, 30 October 1911
68 years old; residence, Norfolk, Norfolk Co., Va.; post-office address, Lamberts Point Road, Norfolk, Va.
“… they were married with the consent of their owners in 1859 … she was sixteen years of age at the time of their marriage and had not been previously married … that all of their children are over the age of sixteen years … “

General Affidavit, London Hurdle and Alfred Felton, 31 Occtober 1911
[Hurdle] 81 years old; residence, Norfolk, Norfolk Co., Va.; post-office address, 9 Star Street, Norfolk, Va.
[Felton] 82 years old; residence, Norfolk, Norfolk Co., Va; post-office address, 40 Avenue A, Norfolk, Va.
“That they were both well acquainted with the claimant and and her late husband Arthur Nelson since 1862…. that they know that he was married to the claimant prior to the war….that they have both lived near to the claimant and her husband ever since they came back from Texas at the close of the war.”

Deposition, Hannah Nelson, 16 December 1911
about 68 years old; occupation, washing and housework; post-office address, Lamberts Point Road, Norfolk, Va.

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McClellan Saddle

“In 1859, the U.S. War Department adopted the McClellan Saddle. They remained the standard issue throughout the history of the horse cavalry. The saddle was simple and less expensive than most. It was light enough not to weigh down the horse, yet it was sturdy and gave good support to the rider and his gear.”

See the complete entry at “McClellan Saddle,” at Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, accessed April 11, 2021.

Saddlers made, repaired, and restored saddles, bridles, harnesses and other leather goods. Some had experience with leatherwork before joining the military; others became cobblers after their service.

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“The Baggage Train”

“From his time with the troops in Virginia, Homer became intrigued with the African American laborers who helped support the Union effort, particularly the men who loaded, maintained and  drove those large supply wagons. Here a couple of teamsters are taking a break. They’ve hitched a ride on the back of a wagon: one’s lighting up a pipe while the other still clutches his whip, this long strip of braided leather that the drivers referred to as ‘the black snake.’  For the most part ,and there are some exceptions, Homer’s wartime imagery presented African Americans in a fairly direct manner without the kind of distorted stereotypes prevalent in popular illustration and literature.  At the front, his most accessible models were the black civilians who labored in the Union camps as general laborers and cooks, laundresses or teamsters — all generally referred to at the time as ‘contrabands’ …  and thousands of the so-called ‘contrabands’ flooded the Union camps seeking freedom and also work and whenever possible, the Army employed them, particularly the able-handed teamsters whose job it was to handle the thousands of horses and mules. With his several visits to the front, Homer well understood the crucial role that these drivers played in supplying food, water, equipment and munitions and moreover he would have appreciated the skill with which the men drove the famously obstinate mules through the brambles and the thick mud.”

Elizabeth O’Leary, “Winslow Homer’s Virginia,” Virginia Museum of History and Culture, April 18, 2013 (1:02:40) . O’Leary’s lecture considers Homer’s works that were inspired by his wartime visits to Virginia. Several sketches, illustrations, and painting featuring African Americans are included. The segment about “The Baggage Train” begins at 19:00.

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