07/04/2021
The Fourth of July week holds a special signifgance in the family as my Grandma's Grandpa, Vincent Walter Lamb as 158 years ago he was involved in the Battle of Gettsburg, which, would lead to his eventual fate. He was born in 1817 in Burke County, Georgia to Elizabeth Grubbs (born about 1798 in Georgia) and Walter Vincent Lamb (born about 1798 in Georgia). He married Louisa Spann on Febuary 9, 1843. This was to be Josephine’s grandmother. In accordance with the Act of Congress of the 24th of April 1820 “an Act making further provision or the sale of Public Lands” he purchased 321.75 acres of property in the Madison, Florida area. We have a jar of dirt from this land as a rememberance to this day. At the time the War of Northern Aggression broke out, he was living on his property Madison, Florida. He was working as a Farmer. The Census records show he had no slaves. He had nothing to fight for but patriotism, and to protect what was his. Whatever his reasons were, at the age of 44, he signed up in the 8th Regiment, Florida Volunteers, Company K on April 1, 1862 in Taylor County. This was Captain Bobo’s Company. His rate of pay was $11.00 per month. I have copies of his signature from his Confederate Army service record, which, survived the war and is in the Florida State Archives. His enlistment records show that he was 5’ 5” tall, had fair skin, good eyes, dark hair, and was a Farmer. He then went to Lake City on foot, common for Confederate troops at the time. The 8th Regiment completed mustering up in Lake City, Florida and was shipped to Virginia in time for the Battle of 2nd Manassas from August 28 – 30, 1862. He spent some time sleeping in the snow, and came down with rheumatism. He fought at the Battle of Sharpsburg (known in the North as Antietam). Because of the rheumatism, he received a 30 day furlough because of this on September 24, 1862, and traveled home to recover. Immediately after his return, he fought at the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862. After this, he fought at the Battle of Chancellorsville from April 30 to May 6, 1863.
Then, the Army of Northern Virginia went north to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The 8th Regiment, Florida Volunteers, in the Confederate Order of Battle was assigned to General George Pickett’s Division, (under the direct command of Major General Anderson) and was to participate in the second most famous charge in military history, “Pickett’s Charge”. The 8th Regiment was under Brigader General Perry’s Brigade of the 1st Corps, and under the local command of Colonel David Lang. On July 2, 1863, Vincent’s regiment, with Company A in a forward position, attacked the center of the Union defensive line on Cemetery Ridge, advancing past the Nicholas Codori farm before being repulsed by troops from the Union II Corps. On the following day, July 3rd, the brigade under Colonel Lang supported Pickett's Charge, but failed to advance very far under heavy fire from Union Lt. Col. Freeman McGilvery's line of artillery. Vincent’s Company A was once again at the forefront of the assault. It is estimated that 500 Confederate soldiers, many from the 8th Regiment are buried on the Codori farm. It was the center line of the Confederate assault during Pickett’s Charge – and indeed, was where General Pickett commanded the charge from for most of the battle. Vincent’s regiment was attacked in one flank by the 2nd Vermont Brigade of Brig. Gen. George J. Stannard, losing about 60% of its 700 plus soldiers. Still present at Gettysburg the following day, we find records of him in Confederate Field Hospital No. 3, which was overrun by Federal Troops. He was there suffering from Rheumatism again. Taken prisoner, he was first moved on July 6th, 1863 to Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor (scene of the famous battle which Francis Scott Key when he wrote the “Star Spangled Banner”. Later, he was moved to the hellhole Union Prison camp Fort Delaware. There, he and 2,435 other Confederate Prisoners of War starved to death, died of malnutrition or from disease in the first 90 days. Vincent died on October 4, 1863.
In 1912, the Pea Island Prison Cemetery in Delaware flooded. When the Confederate prisoners of war were starved to death at the Union Prison called Fort Delaware, they were buried in the Pea Island Prison Cemetery immediately adjacent in a bend of the Delaware River. In 1912, Pea Island flooded, eroding the graves and exposing the remains of our dear, departed Vincent Walter Lamb and thousands of other brave Confederate soldier’s remains. The Governor of New Jersey spoke to the Governor of Delaware about the deplorable situation, and offered a little strip of land called Finn’s Point across the channel from Pea Island. The remains were disinterred, and moved to a field where a mass grave was dug for the remains. This is called a Columbaria. The Governor of New Jersey had installed a 75’ tall Obeleisk with four sides. There are large bronze plaques on each side naming all 2,436 Confederate soldiers at rest there. I have been lucky enough to visit his grave about four times. I have a friend who goes by on a somewhat regular basis and leaves flowers in front of his name on the plaque for me. Vincent Walter Lamb rests there today, away from us, but not forgotten. I have a jar of dirt from the Columbaria. It is my intent one day, perhaps at the Ceremony for the founding of the camp to inter these remains at a Memorial Marker in his honor at our family cemetery, Pinkston, along the Old Plank Road in Whitehouse.
Well into the next century, we see land transactions as the family came up from Narcoossee to sell off some of the 321.75 acres he had owned. Some of the land was donated, for example, the present day Lions Club sits on land donated by the Lammons family from what Vincent Walter had owned. If you click on the individual photo's most should have detailed captions, and if not, I can tell you probably what they are. Most of this is as Vincent Walter Lamb, Grandma's Grandpa, would have seen with his own eyes when it comes to the pictures around Gettysburg where he met his eventual fate. His grave is among the thousands of our Confederate dead who were unable to be brought home, and it is for that reason that this time of year I remember our valiant Vincent who went off to war to protect his home, and never saw it again. The photo's at Gettysburg are taken from the vantage point he would have most likely seen it from. The photo's of Fort McHenry show the part of the fort preserved as it was when he was held prisoner there after initially being captured at Gettysburg. If Facebook will let you, you can click on the individual pictures and it will tell you where they are looking at on the battlefield.
