Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/1186

1110, which became Company A of the Eighth Virginia cavalry regiment. He was elected first lieutenant of this company immediately afterward, and upon his company's joining the forces of General Floyd in southeast Virginia, he was appointed in August, 1861, adjutant-general of Floyd's command. In this capacity he served during the campaign in the Kanawha valley during the fall of that year. He did not accompany this command to Kentucky, but in the winter of 1861-62 was promoted lieutenant-colonel of the Forty-fifth Virginia infantry, a part of Heth's old brigade. He fought a successful engagement at the mouth of the Blue Stone, West Virginia, February 8, 1862, also participated in the affair at Princeton, May 1st. In his report of the battle of Giles Court House, May 10th, General Heth, commanding the army of New River, reported that "Lieutenant-Colonel Peters, commanding Forty-fifth Virginia regiment, displayed much coolness and gallantry, leading his men in the thickest of the fight." Subsequently he commanded a regiment of the Virginia State line under General Floyd in southwest Virginia, which he recruited and reorganized in the spring of 1863 and it was mustered into the regular service as the Twenty-first Virginia cavalry, of which he was given command, with the rank of colonel. This was assigned to the brigade of Gen. W. E. Jones, and took part in the operations in southwest Virginia, and Longstreet's campaign in Georgia, and from 1863 was a part of the army of Northern Virginia. He fought with Jones at Piedmont, where the latter was killed, and the brigade was next commanded by Gen. Bradley T. Johnson, with whom he served in the raid through Maryland to Washington. During the raid to Chambersburg, Pa., he occupied the town with his regiment, and was ordered to burn it, upon the failure of the citizens to pay the levy made, but refused on the ground that the town was filled with non-combatants. He was put under arrest, but released within the hour. In the disaster which overtook this expedition at Moorefield, August 6th, he was distinguished for gallantry, in command of the line which checked the pursuit of the enemy, but fell with a shot through both lungs. He was reported as mortally wounded by General Averille, and in consequence was left upon the field. Nevertheless, with the help of a robust constitution, he was about again in a month, and resumed command of his regiment in December. He had also been severely wounded in a raid to the Ohio river and again at Cumberland Gap. He surrendered with his regiment at Appomattox. After the war, in 1866, Colonel Peters was appointed professor of Latin in the university of Virginia, which position he is now filling.

William H. Peters, of Portsmouth, president of the Citizens' bank of Norfolk, was distinguished in the public service of the Confederate States as he has been since in private life, for the faithful and able execution of important financial and business trusts. Mr. Peters was born at Portsmouth in the year 1816, of English ancestry. His father was Capt. Henry Peters, of the merchant marine, who served at Craney island during the war of 1812. His mother was Martha Meredith, of Norfolk. After he received an education in the public schools of his native town, he engaged in business, handling general merchandise and lumber, which was his occupation at the time of the withdrawal of Virginia from the