Jehu Williams

Jehu Williams

Mr. Patrick Sullivan

Quick Facts

Place of Birth:

Lynchburg, Virginia

Date of Birth:

June 24, 1834

Place of Death:

Lynchburg, Virginia

Date of Death:

October 17, 1906

Unit: Company B, Virginia 2^nd Cavalry Regiment; Company G, 11^th Virginia Infantry Regiment              
Rank: Captain          
Enlisted: May 1861 and 1864                                            
Mustered Out:  1865
Photo Credit/Donated by: Mr. Patrick Sullivan  
Sources: Ancestry; Find-a-Grave; Newspaper.com; 2^nd Virginia Cavalry Regimental History

Jehu Williams was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, to Jehu and Susannah Williams on June 24, 1834.            

When the Civil War came along, Williams initially enlisted as a private in Company B, 2^nd Virginia Cavalry Regiment in May 1861. He was soon promoted to the rank of captain and assigned to the Confederate commissary department. Williams served as a quartermaster under General Jubal Early during the organization of Lynchburg volunteers in 1861. After six months, he was sent to Manassas Junction as a quartermaster for another five months. Returning briefly to Lynchburg, Williams also served at Petersburg Landing before resigning from the army in 1862.           

In 1864, Williams again enlisted with the Confederates, this time joining Company G of the 11^th Virginia Infantry Regiment. In heavy fighting on April 1, 1865, he was captured by victorious Union soldiers at the Battle of Five Forks. Williams was a prisoner of war at Point Lookout, Maryland, for three months before being paroled.           

After the war, Williams became a well-known merchant, owning a coal, wood, ice, and grocery business in his hometown of Lynchburg. He died in Lynchburg on October 17, 1906, at the age of 72.