mgee@arkansas.net
Elmore Family History
Back to the GEEnealogy page
Back to Mike Gee's Home Page
During the Civil War Julius served in the 15th Arkansas Infantry. He was captured at the surrender of Fort Donaldson on the Kentucky / Tennessee border in Feb. 1862 and sent to prison at Camp Douglas, Illinois. He was imprisoned for seven months when he was traded for Federal prisoners at Vickburg, Mississippi. His unit was reorganized and sent to Port Hudson, Louisiana on the Mississippi River. The 15th Arkansas was under the command of Colonel Ben Johnson who lived on South Carolina Street in Magnolia, Arkansas. He had 293 officers and men. The 15th defended a 3/4 mile stretch of breastworks during the siege of Port Hudson which pitted thirty-eight thousand Federal troops against six thousand seven hundred Confederate troops. During the siege the confederate troops named this area Fort Desperate because of the numerous desperate charges mounted by the Federal troops. The Port Hudson garrison held for 48 days without relief from the outside. They were reduced to eating horses, mules, and rats. The 15th was the only unit that was on the front lines during the entire siege without relief. Casualties from all causes were 700 Confederate casualties and 9,000 Federal.
During the siege Julius was standing atop the breastworks when a Federal bullet struck him in the chest. He fell close to his Captain, James Frankline. Thinking him dead Captain Franklin ordered the troops nearby to pull him out of the way. But Julius was not dead or even wounded. He was in the habit of carrying a pocket Testament in his breast pocket. The Federal miniball penetrated almost through the small bible and Julius was only struck unconscious. The small bible had saved his life. He managed to bring the bible home with him after the war with the miniball still embedded inside.
After the surrender of Port Husdon the officers were sent north to a prison camp, enlisted men paroled. They came up the Mississippi River to the Arkansas border and joined General Dockery. They fought across southern Arkansas and surrendered in East Texas when the war was over.
Julius Glover Elmore, a private, was not paroled but was sent once again to a Federal prison camp. Later in the war he was paroled to work on a farm for a wealthy farmer and his wife who had no children. When the war was over they offered him all they had if he would stay with them but Julius wanted to come home. Some time after his arrival back home in Magnolia, Arkansas Julius and his father Charles went into a local saloon. A man named Hicks got into an argument with Julius and threw a beer glass at him. In the ensuing fight Julius stabbed Hicks with a knife and he died two days later.
In 1869 Julius was brought to trial for the indcident in the saloon. The trial was held in Magnolia. According to the family story Julius went to trial with a pistol in his boot. If convicted he planned to shoot his way out of the courtroom instead of going to prison for a fight he did not start. Julius was convicted but not imprisoned. Instead he was fined $10.00 and ordered to leave the state of Arkansas for one year. Julius left Arkansas and went to Texas where he worked on a farm somewhere along the Brazos River. In 1870 Julius had an illegitimate son who he named John. Nothing more is known about this first son of Julius Elmore.
Julius returned to Magnolia after one year and the 1870 census shows him living back home. In 1872 Julius Glover Elmore married Jane Dumas and established a farm on the edge of Big Creek Bottom 9 miles southwest of Magnolia. Julius and Jane had 14 children most of whom grew to adulthood on that farm. The children were never allowed to have cards or pistols in the house and during parties Julius never allowed drinking on the premises. After his marriage family came first.
Issue of Julius Glover9 Elmore and Jane Dumas Elmore:
mgee@arkansas.net
Elmore Family History
Back to the GEEnealogy page
Back to Mike Gee's Home Page