Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/1251

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CONFEDERATE MILITARY HISTORY.
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K of this command, in which two of his brothers were also enrolled, he served during the remainder of the war. At first assigned to picket duty between Portsmouth and Petersburg, he subsequently participated in the battles of Seven Pines, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, Reams' Station, several engagements on the Rapidan, and all the fighting during the latter part of the war in the Shenandoah valley. At Appomattox he was present, but when the word surrender came down the line, he with other cavalrymen, made their escape and did not capitulate until subsequently at Richmond, where he was paroled April 16, 1863. After the close of hostilities he made his home at Norfolk, where he has since been engaged in the development of stone mining, and investments of various kinds, in which he has generally met with a notable degree of financial success. He is president and principal stockholder of the Cape Fear buff stone company, president of the Stone Mountain granite and timber company, and treasurer of the Stone Mountain railroad company. For ten years he has served the city as superintendent of the water works. December 28, 1868, Mr. Smith was married to Mrs. Hennie K. Vermillion, widow of Lieut. Dennis Vermillion, who fell at the battle of Malvern Hill. They have four children living: Arthur R., Blanche Livingston, wife of William Camp, of Norfolk; Herbert L., Jr., and Henry Garrett, the latter bearing the name of the father of Mrs. Smith, who was a prosperous farmer of Norfolk county. The two brothers of Mr. Smith who served in the Fifth cavalry, were Arthur R., who died in New Orleans in 1867, and Robert Worthington, who after the war was the proprietor' of the Ocean View hotel and died at Norfolk in September, 1895.

John Smith, of Portsmouth, a participant in both the Mexican war and the war of the Confederacy, was born in Norfolk county September 15, 1826. the son of James and Elizabeth (Cubbage) Smith, natives of Delaware. He was reared in the latter State, where his parents returned during his infancy. At the age of thirteen years he went to sea, and was employed ten years as a sailor, spending three years five months and sixteen days of this period upon the United States frigate Congress, under Commodore Stockton, and taking part in the service of that vessel in the Mexican war. After leaving the sea he followed the restaurant and hotel business in Norfolk and Portsmouth until 1861, when on April 20th, he entered the Confederate service as a private in the Old Dominion Guard, Company K, Ninth Virginia regiment. He served with his company at Pinner's Point, and was then detached and appointed ordnance gunner by the secretary of the navy. After the evacuation he went to Petersburg and for some time was employed in the transfer of heavy ordnance from that place to Danville. During the Seven Days' campaign he was in charge of an ordnance train under Colonel DeLagnel. In July, 1862, at the reorganization he was honorably discharged as over thirty-five years of age. Since the war he has been engaged in business at Portsmouth, where he is highly regarded as an enterprising and upright citizen. He has served in the city council at different times for fourteen years, and during two years held the position of chairman of the local Democratic committee. He is a member of Stonewall camp, United Confederate Veterans, and