Private Samuel Greenway

Pre War Life:

Born approximately in the year 1823 in Granville, North Carolina, Samuel Greenway lived there for his life before his enlistment, where he married his wife Mary Jane Parrot and had four kids, Sarah “Sally”, James, Sarah, and Solomon. Once he enlisted he left his large family behind to help in the war effort and never returned.

Civil War Military Service:

Greenway enlisted in the Confederate army on August 26, 1863 at age 40. He joined “G” company of the North Carolina 30th infantry as a private. After suffering a large loss of troops during the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863, the South was in need of troops to make up for the large amount of casualties. The Confederates solution to their shortage of troops was to change the age range for enrollment, which was extended from 17 to 50; although active service applied only for men between the ages of 18 and 45. Before this change the age range was 18 to 35. At age 40 this change enabled Samuel to join the war and help the Confederacy in its struggle to fight the strong Union force. After Greenway’s enlistment, his company was stationed in Warrenton, Virginia for around a month period with very little movement. Then they were called into action for the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station in Kelly’s Ford, Virginia.

Background of the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station:

After the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the Union and Confederate armies drifted south and for three months sparred with one another on the rolling plains of northern Virginia. Little was accomplished, however, and in late October General Robert E. Lee withdrew his Confederate army behind the Rappahannock River, a line he hoped to maintain throughout the winter.

Aftermath:

This plan did not work for General Lee as the Union took a victory under the control of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade. With a total of 1,670 Confederates killed, wounded, or captured; out of those the North Carolina 30th infantry was responsible for 6 killed, 31 wounded, and 156 captured as prisoners of war. With Samuel Greenway being captured as a prisoner of war, he was sent to the Old Capital Prison in Washington, DC on November 14, 1863. Greenway stayed in this prison until he contracted variola, also known as smallpox, which then they sent him to the U.S.A. General Hospital in Washington, D.C. on December 28th, 1863. Both Union Army and Confederate Army required the troops to be vaccinated against smallpox and re-vaccinated if necessary. However, these regulations were not met as the platoons and regiments were maintained by individual states. As a result many new recruits like Private Greenway had not been exposed to the disease or had not been vaccinated which resulted in many getting the disease and dying from it. Greenway stayed in the hospital until he passed away due to his sickness on December 31st, 1863.

1- "Samuel Greenway Life Story." Ancestry. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://www.ancestryclassroom.com/family-tree/person/tree/18979855/person/29780643014/story.

2- "Samuel Greenway: person, pictures and information." Fold3. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://www.fold3.com/page/637477765samuelgreenway/photos/47854516/.

3- "Gettysburg Casualties (Battle Deaths at Gettysburg)." HistoryNet. Accessed June 07, 2017. http://www.historynet.com/gettysburg-casualties.

4- Wood, Margaret. "Civil War Conscription Laws." Civil War Conscription Laws | In Custodia Legis: Law Librarians of Congress. November 15, 2012. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2012/11/civil-war-conscription-laws/.

5- "Rappahannock Station." Civil War Trust. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://www.civilwar.org/learn/civil-war/battles/rappahannock-station.

6- "30th NC Infantry." Civil War Trust. Accessed June 07, 2017. http://civilwardata.com/active/hdsquery.dll?RegimentCasualty?140&C&1&41&20.

7- Smallpox Deaths During The Civil War. Accessed June 07, 2017. http://www.rocketswag.com/medicine/disease-prevention/infectious-diseases/virus/small-pox/Smallpox-Deaths-During-The-Civil-War.html.

8- "Samuel Greenway: person, pictures and information." Fold3. Accessed June 07, 2017. https://www.fold3.com/page/637477765samuelgreenway/photos/47854629/.