Private Charles Houston

Pvt. Charles Houston

Pvt Charles Houston was born in Franklin County, Virginia in 1841. When he was six years old, he was sold as part of a group of slaves, to Dr. Nathan Houston and taken to his plantation four miles from Tuscumbia, Alabama. Mary Jackson, his future wife, was also among the slaves who were sold together. She was 11 years old at that time.

Charles Houston and Mary Jackson were married at a barbeque on the Houston plantation, on July 4, 1858. There were no official public records for marriages between enslaved persons, but in his official deposition regarding Mary’s request for Charles’ veteran’s pension, Dr. Houston testified that the couple were married by a “colored preacher” on his plantation. Prior to and during their marriage, and before Charles joined the Union Army, Mary gave birth to five children. Of these children, four died and a surviving daughter was given to a white woman who took her north. Mary never knew where she was after that, or if she was still alive.

Testimony included in pension files obtained from the National Archives indicated that a friend, George W. Houston (formerly enslaved), recalled the following information. Shortly after the Civil War began, and after U.S. soldiers visited Colbert County, where they lived, Charles, Mary and several other enslaved people, including George W. Houston, left the plantation one night. They traveled through Alabama to Corinth, Mississippi. Here, they entered a camp of Union soldiers and stayed for several months. While staying here, Charles worked on the levee and also drove a dray (wagon). They eventually left Corinth and followed the Union Army to Memphis, Tennessee.

Charles Houston enlisted in the USCT at Fort Pickering in Memphis on November 18, 1863. Military records for the 3rd USC Heavy Artillery, Co. K, stated that Pvt Houston was 22 years old, five feet, seven inches tall, and he worked as a carpenter; he appeared to be in good health. While stationed at Fort Pickering, Charles liked to fish in the river when he had a pass to do so, and he often sent fish to Mary via their friend George Houston. George also delivered dirty laundry from Charles to Mary and then returned with the clean laundry. Sometime in December 1863, Charles sent word to Mary, who was living near Mulberry Street, in between Main and Martin Streets, that she should come to the fort because they needed to be married again. Mary did go to the fort and re-married Charles. This was something that the Freedmen’s Bureau was encouraging formerly enslaved people to do.

In a statement by another former fellow soldier, Hinson Brown testified that he was on guard duty at Fort Pickering with Charles Houston in March 1865 when Charles was taken ill quite suddenly. He was relieved of duty and carried from his post.

The next morning, he was taken to the Fort Pickering Hospital “for better treatment”. He remained in the hospital until he died two weeks later, March 22, 1865. His fellow soldiers who were on assigned duty were not allowed to attend the burial. A “firing party” of six from Company K were sent to attend the burial and perform “soldier honors over his grave”. The cause of death was listed as “yellow jaundice contracted while in service and while in the line of duty”.

Ten years later Mary Houston remained unmarried and was still filing requests for her widow’s pension of $8 monthly. She was denied at least once because the examiner felt that she must have married again, and that she was lying. Examiners sometimes followed her to see if she was with a man. It’s not known if she ever received the pension she was owed. There is no information as to the remainder of her life.

Contributors: Diane Wallace, Laura Messerschmidt and Joyce Staples