Pvt. Phillip Williams

Private Phillip Williams was born c. 1846 in Franklin County, Virginia. In 1860 there was a property owner of that surname who claimed ownership of 59 enslaved persons here in Franklin County. Phillip Williams might have been among those unnamed individuals, and later sold and relocated to North Carolina. He would have escaped enslavement there when he enlisted on January 29, 1865, at Roanoke Island, N.C., after Union troops had taken control of the coastline. Military records described him as 19 years old, 5’6” tall with black complexion, black eyes, and black hair. His occupation was recorded as farmer, and he enlisted for three years. At the time of his enlistment, he could not read, and his signature was expressed by a mark.

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He served in the 14th Heavy Artillery Company F, which was organized and posted for garrison duty at New Bern, N.C. as well as other points in North Carolina until the regiment was mustered out on December 11, 1865.

Twice Williams’ muster roll mentioned that his pay was docked for missing “shoulder scales,” a type of brass epaulettes. Heavy artillery regiments wore these to protect themselves from saber attack by cavalrymen. Williams was docked .50 cents in May-June 1865 and $1.15 in July-August for missing his scales. It was not uncommon for Civil War soldiers, especially those stationed away from battle, to remove their scales because they were quite heavy, and the weather was hot and humid.

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It is unclear what happened to this soldier after the war. With freedom came mobility and opportunity, and use of the name which linked them to a former enslaver might be abandoned. Some kept the name as a means of reconnecting with other formerly enslaved family and friends. However, a single young man, estranged from former family and friends, might have chosen to adopt a surname of his own, now independent of any master save himself. This, of course, made tracing such a person impossible.

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Contributors: Sarah Plummer, Toni Smith and Cathie Cummins