Captain Milton Hall Harman, CSA

As a military historian, I have long been interested in my family’s role in America’s wars, and there have been many of them. The most fascinating of these, however, are my Civil War ancestors, for the simple reason that I can visit the battlefields where they fought and, in some cases, retrace their steps. I’ve done this on several occasions, at Manassas, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Spotsylvania. I have also located the graves of three of my ancestors, and am currently in the process, with my brother, of marking one of them. Fortunately, that one unmarked grave lies in Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery, whose excellent records allowed us to pinpoint his exact resting place. The ancestor for whom I have the most available information is Captain Milton Hall Harman of Montgomery County, Virginia. Born in 1838, Milton was 22 years old when he enlisted in the Confederate Army on April 17, 1861. He was assigned to Company G, the “Liberty Hall Volunteers,” of the 4th Virginia Infantry Regiment. The 4th Virginia was part of the First Virginia Brigade which was led by Colonel Thomas J. Jackson. The brigade eventually became known as the “Stonewall Brigade,” after its famous first commander. Jackson always insisted that the name “Stonewall” belonged to the brigade, not to him, saying they performed the deeds for which he received credit. Milton must have shown some leadership potential since he was enrolled as a Second Sergeant. He saw combat at First Manassas, the famous Valley Campaign, the Seven Days, Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. I do not have his promotion dates to hand, but during that time he was promoted to lieutenant and then to captain. He was killed in action on May 3, 1863, at the Battle of Chancellorsville, not far in time and space from where Jackson, now commanding the Confederate Second Corps, was mortally wounded. Like Jackson, Milton Harman was also mistakenly killed by “friendly fire.” When I first researched Milton Harman, I believed him to be a resident of Rockbridge County or its immediate environs. I thought so because the “Liberty Hall Volunteers" were mustered in Lexington and “Liberty Hall” refers to the building of the same name at Washington College (now Washington & Lee University). Many men of the company were students at the college, but Milton does not appear to have been a student since his name does not appear on the roll of student volunteers. That roll (see photo) is preserved on a memorial plaque at the university and notes that there were 106 volunteers who were not alumni of the college. Their names are recorded in the Rockbridge Roll of Honor at the Rockbridge County Courthouse. I discovered this last when doing the work for this assignment. My assumption that Milton Harman was from Rockbridge was partially based on the fact that many of my other Civil War ancestors served in Company B, 4th Virginia Infantry, which mustered in Montgomery County. It turns out that Milton was also from Montgomery County, so there is a mystery here which I intend to get to the bottom of as soon as possible. I had been aware of his service in Company G since I first discovered our familial connection years ago but had never seen his county of residence stated until now. While searching online, I found Milton Harman’s listing on Find a Grave (findagrave.com). There I found a photo of his gravestone as well as the location of the family cemetery in which he is buried (see photos). I was delighted to find that the cemetery is located quite close to me and partially dismayed that I had not known of it before. According to the listing, he was awarded the Medal of Honor (presumably from the Confederate government) for his service and, as he had no wife or children, his pension and effects were claimed by his mother, Mary Catherine Hall Harman. The site also notes that a local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy was named after him, but I have been unable to confirm this since the UDC’s website restricts such information to members and the headquarters in Richmond did not answer their telephone. I do, however, intend to visit the Library of Virginia, where the Confederate soldiers’ records are held and try to confirm this new information. Those records are not available electronically. I plan to visit Milton Harman’s grave next week. I am connected to Milton Harman through my maternal grandmother, Helen Hall Rushbrooke, originally from Montgomery County. I found it interesting that Milton’s middle name was Hall, as I am connected to both the Halls and the Harmans. Milton and I are both descended from Adam Harman, who is credited with being the first European settler in the Mississippi Valley, although I consider that just a bit of a stretch, since he settled in Virginia’s New River Valley which is, technically, part of the Mississippi River System. According to the Find a Grave listing, we are also descended from Revolutionary War soldiers Asa Hall and Jacob Harmon (Harman?). I have heard the name Asa Hall but have no further information on either at this time. Those names do, however, offer new avenues for research! I’m pleased with the information derived from this assignment. I’ve been aware of my connection to Milton Harman since 1996 or so, but now I know more, and I’m excited to visit his grave and perhaps leave something. I think it’s important for me to do so. Link to Find a Grave Listing: CPT Milton Hall Harman (1838-1863) - Find A Grave Memorial

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