Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/1012

946 form a partnership with his brother, K. W. Hudgins, as the successors in business of their father. These two worthy sons of a gallant Confederate officer are very successful in business and socially popular, and have before them a useful career. Mr. Hudgins is a member of Hampton camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and is a communicant of St. John's Episcopal church.

Lieutenant Henry C. Hudgins, a veteran of Armistead's brigade, Pickett's division, army of Northern Virginia, now residing at Portsmouth, was born in Matthews county, Va., September 19, 1841. His father, Capt. Robert K. Hudgins, married Sarah J. White, granddaughter of Major Davenport of the Continental army of the Revolutionary war. When Virginia seceded, Captain Hudgins resigned his commission as captain in the U. S. revenue marine service, and entered the service of the Confederacy, and was assigned to duty in the heavy ordnance department, in which capacity he served throughout the war. He now resides at Norfolk. The outbreak of the war found Lieut. H. C. Hudgins, a youth of nineteen years, at New Orleans, where he accepted in January, 1861, the position of secretary to Commodore Rousseau of the Confederate States navy, which he resigned when his State seceded and promptly returned to Virginia and entered the service as a private in the Old Dominion Guard, one of the finest companies of the Virginia volunteers. He served with this company at Pinner's point until the evacuation of Norfolk, after which the company was assigned to the Ninth Virginia infantry as Company K. With his regiment he participated in the battles of Seven Pines, Malvern Hill, Second Manassas, Harper's Ferry, Sharpsburg and Fredericksburg. Having previously been promoted to first sergeant, he was unanimously elected by his company as first lieutenant in 1862. He took part in the Suffolk and New Bern expedition of Longstreet's corps and Pickett's division, and participated in the battle of Gettysburg in the historic assault of Pickett's division upon Cemetery hill, where he was wounded, but escaped capture. Captain Allen, commanding Company K, having been captured at the "stone wall," on the same field, Lieutenant Hudgins, after he was able to return to duty, assumed command and acted as captain during the remainder of his active service until the end of the war. After the Pennsylvania campaign. Lieutenant Hudgins was sent with his company to "Camp Lee" Richmond, to recruit, and while stationed there as senior officer in command of "Camp Lee" battalion, co-operated with the local defense in protecting the city against the raid of Kilpatrick's cavalry. Having rejoined his regiment he participated in several engagements around Richmond and at Bermuda Hundred finally surrendering to General Wright's army corps near Danville; was paroled and returned home. Since the war he has been engaged in the transportation business at Norfolk; first with steamship companies, and since 1881 as general freight and passenger agent of the Norfolk & Southern railroad. At the reorganization of his old company in 1875, he was elected captain, and upon the organization of the Fourth Virginia regiment, he was chosen its first colonel. He has served as commander of Stonewall camp, Confederate Veterans, of Portsmouth. In public affairs he has been active as a member of the city council, Portsmouth; and is a director in the board of trade and business men's association of Norfolk. In 1867 Colonel