Throughout my life my father would relate some story his father had told him. I feel fortunate to recall these and hope I have not forgotten any he may have told me. My father passed away in 1987 and I really regret never sitting down with my father and "picking" his memory on details of his father’s war experiences. Ezekiel Townsend’s family originally came from around Townsend, TN, I am told. Some part of the family moved into northern Georgia around Ringgold, then later more south into Cobb County. They were a poor family. My grandfather enlisted in the 8th Ga. at Greensboro, Ga. on June 1, 1861. He was enlisted by Mr. A. Jernigan. I know from my father's stories that Grandpa participated in the battles of 1st Manassas, 2nd Manassas, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Petersburg, and Appomattox. I know that he had to have participated in others judging by his muster sheet records I obtained from the Georgia archives. His records indicate he was present for duty for most of 1864. The only gap is May and June of 1864 but I guess the whole Army of North Virginia was busy during that time for some officers to keep up proper muster sheets. He does appear on a receipt slip for receiving clothing on June 21, 1864. The Georgia archive records show him listed on more hospital muster sheets than any others. In the book To My Darling Wife From Your Loving Husband, the editor, H. Candler Thaxton states in the back of the book that my grandfather was wounded at Garnett's farm during the Seven Days battles. He surrendered at Appomattox but why his name does not appear on the original parole lists, I don't know. Now records list him in the 2^nd Edition Addendum of The Appomattox Paroles April 9-15, 1865. I often wonder if it could be that at that time in his life, not being able to read or write, would have contributed to some voids in his records? In his pension records he states that he lost the parole slip issued to him at Appomattox. I have to believe that he was at Appomattox since he states that fact in his pension records and it was verified by fellow comrade in arms, Robert A. Gentry, as his witness.

I know some people I have talked to are dubious of my grandfather's participation in the battle of Chancellorsville. This part of his war experience is very special to me because my grandfather through strange circumstances may possibly have been one of the few 8th Ga. Soldiers to participate in that battle. I know my father told me he was wounded at Chancellorsville in the left leg while crossing through a field. Grandpa states in his pension application he was wounded at Chancellorsville. At first I could not understand how he could have been there but after looking at the muster sheets I think I know what may have happened. On his muster rolls I obtained from the Georgia State Archives, one indicates he was admitted April 4, 1863 to General Hospital, Camp Winder, in Richmond, Va. for Debilitas. He was released from there and sent to Huquenot Springs on April 22. I know that General Lee was needing men at Chancellorsville and had requested them from Richmond. I think the strong possibility exists that he was sent, maybe along with others, to that area as a detached soldier rather than send him to his regular unit. On another sheet he is listed as being admitted with a gun shot wound on May 8, 1863 at C.S.A. General Hospital in Farmville, Va.. I don't know why he would have been taken to a hospital that was so far south? It is a mystery to me. When he was wounded in the battle, it may have taken the lapse of days to reach that particular hospital from the Chancellorsville area. Dad said that grandpa told him they dressed his wound with cotton and iodine. Some Civil War "experts" I have visited with said they could not believe the iodine part of the story. I found, however, other references to the use of iodine in Civil War medicine. After John Gordon was wounded at Sharpsburg (Antietam), his wife nursed him back to health. The doctor’s told her to paint his wounds with iodine. Iodine was found in supply among the medicines when the sunken ironclad Cairo was raised and salvaged for the Vicksburg National Battlefield. Grandpa’s wound could not have been too serious because he did not lose his leg and he did not stay in the hospital very long. He was released from that wound on May 20 then given a 30 day furlough to Camp Instruction in Georgia. He must have been required to report back somewhere in Virginia because one of the muster slips list him as being accounted for sometime during June of 1863. The slip states the date as not being actually known but he is included in the June roster. It also states that it is "not stated" of his present or absent status. He must have been sent forward to join his unit. I do know from my father that he did rejoin his unit because he was at the battle of Gettysburg.

In my youth I can remember my father telling me that my grandfather said he was not in Gettysburg but a little south of it. The only Gettysburg story I recall my father telling me was Grandpa’s unit was being harassed by Union cavalry and they were having to shift around quite a bit. My grandfather's legs were badly chaffed between them having not worn any underwear and doing a tremendous amount of marching in recent days. Also, a wound he received at Chancellorsville may not have completely healed and may have added to his discomfort. He reached a point to where he told a friend and fellow soldier that he could not move around fast anymore and thought it best to make out the best he could in one spot. The friend told my grandfather to stand up, drop his pants, and bend over. The fellow soldier reached down and picked up a hand full of fine dusty dirt from a nearby road and threw it between his legs and up his backside where it acted like a talcum powder. Grandpa was able to keep moving. I know now after having more knowledge of where the different units were during the battle that the 8th Ga. was located in the southern area of the Gettysburg conflict.

Another incident was when my grandfather's unit was moving along a road approaching the more heated area of battle when a shot rang out and a ball grazed the top of my grandfather's head. The others with him knew the shot came from a tree not too far distant. The sniper could not be seen so their officer had the company to fire into the tree. The Union soldier came tumbling out. I do not know when or where this event happened during the war. Among my many conversations with Warren Wilkinson, he stated by his research this incident could have happened during the Antietam campaign. He said Grandpa’s name appears on a list of wounded from that time and I believe he said it was a head wound. I never saw the list personally. My father told me and the old newspaper article I have from August 1937 states Grandpa was wounded at 2^nd Manassas. The campaign trip to Sharpsburg was close behind 2^nd Manassas makes me wonder if the two reference the same wound. Other stories are really fragments and some I have read as similar accounts by other soldiers. My father passed on to me about my grandfather picking up muskets on the battlefield and found that some of them had been loaded several times. "If I would have shot that thing, it would have blowed my head off", my father quoted Grandpa. Also he told me about the officers telling my grandfather's unit to aim low when firing which is a common thing I have read about. One cute story is that during the heat of battle sometimes you would hear a sharp twang or ring and realize that one of the men had accidentally shot his ram-rod, forgetting to extract it from the barrel in their haste. Dad mentioned about some men using rocks when they ran out of ammunition. (Probably from 2nd Manassas stories) I know my father told me about grandpa referring to the "Battle in the Clouds" (Battle Above the Clouds), nothing specific. One interesting one involves my grandfather being on a large ship or boat turning over in a river sometime during the war. My grandfather and others swam to safety but said many others drowned. I have no knowledge of when or where this could have taken place either. Lastly, my father told me that Margaret Mitchell interviewed my grandfather about his wartime experiences. My mother (still living) tells me that my father said Ms. Mitchell came to Birmingham from Atlanta by train and somehow knew about my grandfather and talked with him. I tried the Georgia Archives in order to track down the notes that Ms. Mitchell had to have taken in her interviews with these Confederate soldiers. They informed me that Ms. Mitchell was a very eccentric lady and destroyed just about all her notes and original manuscripts she had written. I know she published in an Atlanta newspaper some articles dealing with eyewitness accounts of soldiers during the Civil War. I do not know which Atlanta newspaper the articles appeared.

In my research, I noted that a soldier from Co. I by the name of J. Townsend was killed at 1st Manassas. (From letter dated July 28th, 1861 in the publication , To My Darling Wife From Your Loving Husband, I discovered in the census archives of 1850 of Cobb County, Ga. that a man named John Townsend had two sons. One was named John, possibly after his father, and the other was named Zekiel. Zekiel could have easily been recorded instead of Ezekiel because I know from family that my grandfather was called Zeke. Also, later when Ezekiel's first son was born, he was named John. The area of the census recording is correct in the area that my grandfather came from after his family moved south from the Ringgold, Ga. area. Since many brothers served in the same units together, I strongly believe that J. Townsend was my grandfather's brother. I do not recall my father telling me that his uncle was killed during the war, but the evidence is strong that is what happened. J. Townsend was killed so early in the war that his records possibly were never kept or lost later. Ezekiel Townsend is the only Townsend on the roster of Co. I of the 8th Ga. that I have found. I don’t want John Townsend to be forgotten in the great history of the 8^th Georgia.

I have to remember that my father was only 23 when his father passed away. During my father's youth, he may not have pressed his father for stories. I know I cannot back up some of this with hard evidence. I only have my father passing on to me what his father told him. After the war, Grandpa lived in Chattanooga, TN working for the railroad then later moved to the Birmingham, AL area and worked at an iron mill. Grandpa was a skilled puddler. I was told that meant he worked at the iron mill, pouring molten iron into molds. The only thing I have of my grandfathers is his reunion hatband that he wore. It is a red band with the words "Georgia Co. I" on it. There is also a pin on the band that has the initials "AA of I & SW" engraved on it. I believe the pin is from an iron workers organization. My father never said Grandpa had any hard feelings after the war. I know he said they were glad it was over. Grandpa and others were tired of it. My father mentioned that guerilla type fighting was being rumored after Appomattox but it was not carried out to their relief.