J. Fred. Waring

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J. Fred. Waring
Birth nameJoseph Frederick Waring
Born(1832-02-13)February 13, 1832
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
DiedOctober 4, 1876(1876-10-04) (aged 44)
Whitesville, Georgia, U.S.
AllegianceConfederate States
BranchConfederate States Army
Years of service1861–1865
RankColonel
Commands heldJeff. Davis Legion
battles
Alma materYale University

Colonel Joseph Frederick Waring (1832-1876) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army, commanding a cavalry regiment in the American Civil War.

Early life and education[edit]

Joseph Frederick Waring was born on February 13, 1832, at Savannah, Georgia, to Dr. William R. and Ann (née Johnston) Waring.[1][2] He was the great-uncle of scholar Joseph Frederick Waring.[3] He enrolled in Yale University and graduated in the class of 1852.[2][4] He spent his studies at Philadelphia and spent the next year travelling across Europe.[5] When he finally returned, he became a planter at Savannah as well as a city alderman there.[5][2] He then married Louise Early.[5]

American Civil War[edit]

When the American Civil War broke out, Waring became a member of the Georgia Hussars and became a colonel within the unit.[5][6] A few weeks later, he arrived at Virginia with his company and was then originally assigned to the 6th Virginia Infantry Regiment when he arrived at Richmond, Virginia but this didn't last long as shortly after, on December 4, the Bog Wallow Ambush occurred but was wounded in the face during the fighting.[5][2]

Three days later after the failed ambush, Waring's company was consolidated with the Jeff. Davis Legion after Col. William F. Martin was promoted to Brigadier General and sent to Western Theater of the American Civil War.[2] The unit served under Wade Hampton III.[2] Waring later led his united through cavalry battles in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War such as Brandy Station, Gettysburg and Trevilian Station.[7][2] In July 1864, he was promoted to colonel of the Legion and later assisted with Pierce M. B. Young's brigade.[5]

In February 1865, he was assigned to South Carolina to serve in the Campaign of the Carolinas with a worried entry about the campaign of his diary reading:

Sherman has it all his own way. When will we concentrate troops against him?[8]

He participated at the Battle of Monroe's Crossroads but then surrendered at Bennett Place along with Joseph E. Johnston.[5][2]

Later years[edit]

When the war ended, Waring returned to Savannah and took up a job at the Georgia Central Railway Co. as a forwarding agent.[5] He also became a commanding officer of the Georgia Hussars, a post he would have until his death from a yellow fever epidemic after a visit to the Northern States at Whitesville, Georgia.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Joseph Frederick Waring letters and diary". Georgia Historical Society. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "1861 Confederate Cover From The Elite Georgia Hussars". tias.com. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  3. ^ History of the Class of Nineteen Hundred Twenty-three, Yale College, Volume 1. Class Secretaries Bureau. 1923. p. 259.
  4. ^ Yale University (1901). Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, 1701-1901. Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Company. p. 106.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Rantings of a Civil War Historian » Col. Joseph Frederick Waring". civilwarcavalry.com. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  6. ^ "WRA: Past & Present: Waring Manuscript Seeks Publisher". wra-pastandpresent. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  7. ^ "History of the Jeff Davis Legion (Mississippi) Cavalry in the Civil War". civilwarintheeast.com. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  8. ^ Perry D. Jamieson (2015). Spring 1865: The Closing Campaigns of the Civil War. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803274709. Retrieved February 19, 2022.