General Notes

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Jacob first married Julia Ann Fletcher (1849-1879) on 7/10/1871. Mary Ellen Bolin was his second wife. He enlisted in the CSA on 11/2/1862 at the age of 19 from Mercer County, West Virginia.  He served in the Napoleon B French's Company which became Co B 30th Va Bttn Sharpshooters during the Civil War.  The unit wintered at the Narrows in Virginia which was one of the coldest winters.  Four men died of disease, one of which was  Floyd W. Meadows (Jacob's first cousin).  In April, 1863, the unit was ordered to Saltsville, Virginia to protect the salt works from an attack through Tennessee.  They were back at the Narrows by June.  On June 9,1863 they were ordered to Northern Virginia to protect General Lee's Army on it's retreat from Gettysburg.  Through the summer of 1863, they marched back and forth in the upper valley and in September, they marched back through Monroe County to Glade Spring.  In November, 1863, they were ordered to Tennessee where they guarded the baggage and supply wagons and spent a very severe winter with little provisions and without proper shoes and clothing.

In April, 1864, they returned to Abingdon, Virginia where on May 6, they were ordered up the Valley to meet the forces of Gen. Franz Sigel.  On May 15, 1864 the Southern forces under Gen. John Breckinridge met the Union Army at New Market, Virginia.  The 30th Battalion was one of the first forces to meet fire from the Union.  Fortunately, for the 30th Battalion, they rushed so fast that the Union Artillery could not adjust their fire and shot over their heads.  They found in the famous assault around the Bushong house and through the peach orchard, that many fell due to murderous musketry fire and canister shot.  They became pinned down behind a rail fence and were saved by the second charge which included the student cadets from the Virginia Military Academy, and the Union Army was put to flight.

The unit was then ordered to Richmond where they arrived by train on May 22, 1864 and had several skirmishes with the enemy until June 2, 1864 when they attacked the enemy.  They immediately left to go north to stop an attack from another army.  On June 9, 1864, Jacob was treated in a hospital for contusion of the ankle and returned for duty on June 13, 1864; his only absence until March 2, 1865.

On June 16, 1964 they had a battle at Lynchburg, Virginia where they routed the Union Forces and cleared the Valley of all major forces.  To draw the Union Forces away from Richmond, Lee ordered Gen. Jubal Early to go North, and he did, all the way to the trenches around Washington City. On the way there was a very costly battle on July 9, 1864 at the Monocacy River.  Floyd Alexander Bolin, brother of Jacob's wife Mary Ellen, was a member of Co. A, 17th Virginia Calvary and was wounded early in the short battle.  He had entered the battle with 40 rounds of ammunition and had fired over 30 rounds when he was shot through the right hand which then entered his shoulder.  There were only two men near him that were not dead or wounded.  He made it back to the field hospital where he had his wounds dressed by Dr. Isaiah Bee, the Brigade Surgeon.  Floyd then had someone help him stand up so he could watch the battle.  The 17th. Va. Cav. charged the 8th. ILL. Cav. and put them to flight in just  a few minutes and left the door open to Washington.

On July 12, 1864 the unit was on several swamp hills overlooking Washington.  The north was able to move reenforcements from the South and into the city, So Gen. Early ordered his troops to go South.  The union troops followed and during the next few months many small battles occured: Kernstown on July 24, 1864, Opequon Creek, Winchester, September 19th. where nine Mercer County men were captured.  At Strasburg and Fishers Hill on September 22, the 30th. Battalion was the last unit to leave the battle field, covering the retreat of the command.

The Southern command pulled a surprise dawn attack on the sleeping Union forces on October 19, 1864 at Cedar Creek near Middleton, Virginia and drove them from the field, however the poorly fed and clothed troops stopped to gather Union supplies and were themselves attacked and driven from the field.

They then went into winter quarters near New Market, Virginia. During the year of 1864, the 30th. Battalion had marched 1,670 miles, participated in 75 battles and skirmishes and the strength showed.  On New Year's Eve, twenty five men remained, no officers, Sgt. Lewis Brown, commander.

On March 2, 1865, the Southern command consisting of less than 1,000 men, was surrounded at Waynesboro, Virginia by troops of Gen. George Armstrong Custer.  The 30th. Battalion consisted of less than 150 men present for duty, and of the 25 left in Co. B, 30th. Battalion, 7 were captured including Jacob R. A. Meadows and a second cousin, once removed, John Comer, who turned out to be the last casualty of the unit.  John Comer died at Fort Delaware of pheumonia on April 6, 1865, just seven days before Lee's surrender.

Jacob was taken from Waynesboro to Harpers Ferry and on March 9, he was sent to Fort Delaware, known as the Andersonville of the North.  NOTE:  A greater percentage of men died at Fort Delware than died at Andersonville.  Jacob arrived at Fort Delaware on March 12, 1865 and 99 days later on June 20, 1865, he was released.  He made his X on his Oath of Allegiance which stated:  complexion: dark, hair: dark, eyes: hazel, height: 5'6".

Notes on Fort Delaware:

After the battle of Kernstown in 1862, 250 troops of Stonewall Jackson's army became the island's first sizable group of Confederate prisoners of war.  Fort Delaware had not been constructed for such use, so the barracks space was crowded.  Wooden barracks were erected in 1862 to house 2,000 prisoners.

By June, 1863, there were 8,000 prisoners on the island, and the prison compound had been expanded to cover much of the island to house 10,000. Most of the Confederates captured at Gettysburg, from General James J. Archer down to the last private, were imprisoned at Fort Delaware after the battle.  There were 12,500 prisoners on the island in August, 1863.

Among the political prisoners housed here were Burton H. Harrison, private secretary to Jefferson Davis and Governor E. R. Lubbock of Texas, who was the last prisoner at the fort.

About 2,700 prisoners died while incarcerated at Fort Delaware.  Of these, over 2,400 are buried in a national cemetery at Finn's Point, New Jersey, just across the Delaware River and adjoining Fort Mott.

By 1863, "Fort Delaware Death Pen" as it was called by Confederate inmates had a reputation as the worst of the Union prisons with the highest mortality rate for prisoners and a reputation of cruelty.

Service Record:
Described as having a dark complexion, hazel eyes with dark hair.  He was 5 feet 5.9 inches tall.
Residence: Mercer County, West Virginia
Occupation:  Farm Laboror
Enlisted as a Private on 02 November 1862 in Mercer County, WV at the age of 19
Enlisted in Company B, 30th SS Battn Regiment Virginia on 02 November 1862
Detailed on 31 March 1864 (detailed as guard for Brgd wagons)
Hospitalized on 09 June 1864 at Chimborazo Hospital, Richmond, Va. (for injured ankle)
Returned on 13 June 1864
Issued clothing on 11 August 1864
Issued clothing on 25 December 1864
POW on 02 March 1865 at Waynesboro, Va.
Confined on 12 March 1865 at Fort Delaware, Del.
Oath Allegiance on 20 June 1865 at Fort Delware, Del. (released)
Sources:  The Virginia Regimental Histories Series, Published 1987[2095304.ged]