Private Samuel Beverly
Pvt. Samuel Beverly
Pvt Samuel Beverly was born in Franklin County, Virginia, c. 1839. His grandmother was Lucy Beverly, a freed slave of John Early. Lucy and her husband Herod had several sons. The wife of one was Nancy Beverly, Samuel’s mother. Seemingly widowed, Nancy took Samuel and his older brother Herod to Ohio sometime before 1850. Affidavits in a pension file indicate that Samuel’s father “disappeared” when this younger son was about five years old.​​
​In the 1850 census Samuel was 11 years old and living as a free person in Ohio with his older brother, Herod, age 20, and his mother, Nancy, 55. Just over a decade later, when the Civil War broke out, Herod was married, but Samuel shared a home with his mother. Though his labor supported her, Samuel left home to enlist in the USCT on June 2nd, 1863, in Richmond, Ohio. He served in the 5th Regiment USCT Company B. He was 24 years old and described as 5’3.5” with a yellow complexion, black eyes and black hair. His older brother Herod enlisted two months later, joining Samuel in service to the United States.
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Samuel mustered in at Camp Delaware in July 1863 and he served at Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia, until January 1864 when he went on Wild’s Expedition to South Mills and Camden Court House, North Carolina. Samuel saw action at Sandy Swamp, North Carolina, and then served in Yorktown, Virginia. Samuel participated in Gen. Benjamin Butler's operations on the south side of the James River against Petersburg and Richmond.
​Samual went missing at the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm, New Market Heights, which was fought September 28-30, 1864. The muster roll indicates he was missing in action and later says he was killed in action on September 29. The battle at Chaffin’s Farm was bloody. Of the 25 Medals of Honor that USCT men earned during the entire Civil War, 14 were awarded as the result of the bravery at Chaffin’s Farm. The 5th regiment USCT suffered heavy casualties. It is unknown how many were killed in the battle itself, and more than 200 African American soldiers were killed by Confederates after their surrender. Typically, African American soldiers captured during the Civil War were either returned to slavery or were killed.
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Records indicated that Nancy and Herod looked for Samuel following the war. The Adjutant General’s Office for the Colored Troops Branch tried to locate Samuel but no clues about his death were found. Military records stated on January 17, 1876, that “the death records of this office furnish no information concerning Private Samuel Beverly. Military officials counted him as killed in action at Chaffin’s Farm.” However, the Beverly family’s persistent efforts may have produced an additional report that described “Inspection of war records show S. Berly or Samuel Burlef Negro Co.B 5 . . . captured at Fort Harrison
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Sept 30 .64, confined at Richmond Va Oct 2 .64, admitted to Hospital Richmond Va Oct 3.‘64 . With . . .sent to Salisbury NC Nov 24.64 No later record.”
Salisbury Prison had over 5000 prisoners in 1864 and would grow to house 10,000 shortly after that. Many died of disease and countless were buried in a trench that was 240’ x 18’ wide.
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Pension records indicated Samuel was very close to his mother and supported her with at least $100 per year before enlistment and before the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm. A letter supporting her application for pension stated that Samuel’s mother, Nancy Beverly, “is destitute and without any means of support.” Another letter of support states that Samuel provided for his mother “provisions, money and clothing and did so a great number of years before his enlistment,” at least $100 per year.
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Nancy Beverly, mother, was awarded $8 per month starting Sept. 1864. She lived in Richmond Dale, Ohio. Nancy last collected a pension in March 1879 and her pension benefits were stopped in June 1882 for failure to claim, so she likely died sometime after March 1879.
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Information compiled by Robyn Lyttle, Macie Alford and Sarah Plummer
