Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/1045

Rh artillery, stationed at Fort Sumter, and until the close of the war he served with this command, gaining promotion to the rank of captain of artillery. His service was almost entirely at Charleston harbor and vicinity, where the repeated and long-continued attacks of Federal fleets and armies afforded opportunity for arduous and gallant service on the part of the Confederate forces. He served during the attack of the Federal ironclad fleet on April 7, 1863, in defense of Morris island July 10, 1863, at Battery Wagner and Battery Pringle, for several months commanded the lines around Fort Johnson, participating in several engagements, also at Fort Ripley for a considerable period. He commanded the expedition that removed one of the eleven-inch Dahlgren guns from the wreck of the Federal boat, Keokuk. He frequently served as adjutant for the officers commanding detachments from the regiment at points without Fort Sumter. During 1864 he served in the detachments that occupied in turn the ruins of Fort Sumter and prevented its seizure by the enemy. After the evacuation of Charleston he went with his regiment to Fayetteville and Smithfield, and surrendered with the army of General Johnston near Greensboro. After these events he returned to Virginia and, making his home at Alexandria, established a female seminary, which he conducted for four years, in the meantime preparing himself for the practice of law, in which he subsequently engaged and has ever since continued, with notable professional success. For five years succeeding his election, in 1874, he served acceptably as mayor of Alexandria, and at the expiration of that official service was chosen corporation attorney, and acted as such until 1887. At the latter date he accepted the position of confidential secretary of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, then United States commissioner of railroads. After the retirement from office of the general, Captain Kemper resumed the practice of law at Alexandria. Captain Kemper is prominent in the Masonic order, is past master of Alexandria Washington lodge, past eminent commander of Old Dominion commandery, K. T., and past district deputy grand master of District No. 1, of Virginia. He also maintains a membership in R. E. Lee camp, No. 2, Confederate Veterans.

David C. Kent, a citizen of Pulaski county, who was faithful to the Confederate cause during the years of trial from 1861 to 1865, was born in that county May 3, 1833. He was married in 1854, to Elizabeth Ligon, of Petersburg, by whom he had thirteen children. When volunteers were called for in defense of the State from invasion he offered his services, and enlisted, but, upon examination was found to be incapacitated for service on account of inflammatory rheumatism. On this account he was discharged. He then engaged actively in the production of lumber and other supplies for the Confederate government, and thus continued during the entire period of the war. His work in this line was so extensive that at the close the government was indebted to him in the sum of fifteen thousand dollars. This large sum, mainly on account of advancements that he had made for labor, was of course, an entire loss, so that he can truly be said to have adequately shared in the suffering and deprivation which the unhappy result of the struggle brought to the people of the South. One of his sons, James Ligon Kent, born August 27, 1867, is now a promising