While my great-great-grandfather, Douglas Nelson Wigfield, was too young to serve during the war, having been born May 3, 1856, two of his older brothers, James Arthur and William Henry, enlisted in the Virginia Cavalry. And despite the fact the Douglas' father, Thomas Smith "Captain" Wigfield, was too old to serve in the regular army, he was able to drill a group of volunteers in preparation of battle. Even Douglas' three older sisters each married Confederate officers!

Pvt. James Arthur Wigfield, 7th Virginia Cavalry

On 15 June 1861, James Arthur Wigfield, then 19 years of age, enlisted for the duration of the war, in the Seventh Regiment of the Virginia Cavalry at Harpers Ferry, Va. (now W. Va.), his recruiting officer having been Capt. Robert S. Ashby. Less than a year later, on 1 May 1862, his younger brother, William Henry "Billy" Wigfield, not yet 18 years of age, enlisted in the same regiment and thereafter they served together as privates in Company A of that Regiment.

James Arthur Wigfield served with his regiment through all of its campaigns until 2 Feb. 1864, when he was captured by a Federal patrol which then was ranging through Fauquier Co., searching for Col. John Singleton Mosby and his Rangers.

Following his Capture, he was sent to the Old Capital Prison, Washington, D.C., where the records show that he was admitted as a prisoner of war, 19 Feb. 1864. At the time of his admission, he was suffering from pneumonia and was placed in the hospital.

On 5 March 1864 he was transferred from the prison hospital to the main prison and was held there until 13 June when he was sent to Fort Deleware Prison, arriving there 17 June 1864. He remained at Fort Deleware Prison until 21 June 1865 on which date he was released after signing an Oath of Allegiance to the United States.

Pvt. William Henry Wigfield, 7th Virginia Cavalry

William Henry Wigfield enlisted for the duration of the war in the Seventh Regiment, Virginia Cavalry, at Conrad's Store, Va., 1 May 1862, his recruiting officer having been Capt. Fletcher. He lacked one month of being 18 years of age. He was assigned to Company A of that Regiment and thus joined his older brother, James Arthur, who had enlisted the year before, on 15 June.

William survived the several changes and reorganizations of his regiment and remained with it until the collapse of the Confederacy in April 1865. Upon the surrender, he was classified by the U.S. Provost Marshall General at Winchester, Va., as a Prisoner of War. On 4 May (3 years and 3 days after his enlistment) he was paroled.

Thomas Smith "Captain" Wigfield

Although Thomas Smith Wigfield generally was addressed as "Captain", his name thus far has not been found on any Confederate army roster. However, one of his daughters, Ann Charlotte Wigfield Shackleford, upon applying for membership in the Bowen-Martin Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy on 24 July 1915, stated in part:

"My father, Thomas S. Wigfield, in 1860, drilled a company and took them to Leesburg, Loudoun Co., Virginia. He being to old for further service, turned his men over to Col. Eppa Hunton, who comanded the 8th Va. Regiment." Mrs. Shackleford was admitted to membership 28 July 1915, undoubtedly on the basis of her application.

Capt. Joseph Henry Nelson, 43rd Virginia Cavalry

Joseph Henry Nelson, my great-great grandfather's second cousin by blood, was also his brother-in-law by marriage, having married Douglas' sister, Mary Elizabeth Gay Wigfield, on 8 Jan. 1866.

Joseph Henry Nelson served to the end of the war as an officer of the 43rd Virginia Cavalry, commanded by the brilliant guerrilla leader, Col. John Singleton Mosby. This band of Southern patriots operated behind the lines of the Northern armies, generally in the northern Virginia counties of Fauquier and Loudoun.

He was with Col. Mosby in March 1863, when he penetrated the lines of the Northern army on a dark and stormy night and captured the sleeping Brig. General Stoughton, together with two of his officer-aides, 30 men, 58 horses and much equipment. Maj. General J.E.B. Stuart, in a General Order dated 12 March 1863, commended Mosby and his men for their spectacular achievement.

Bradshaw, J. Douglas. The Wigfield and Nelson Families of Fauquier Co., Virginia. Richmond: Dietz Press, 1986.

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