Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/1204

1126 his professional career for some time after the close of the war, but gradually retired, giving his attention entirely to his very extensive estates and milling industries. He has been active in public affairs, but has not accepted office, save one term in the Virginia house of delegates. In 1866 he was married to Ellen V., daughter of Col. Daniel Huff.

Captain Robert J. Preston, of Marion, Va., was born near Abingdon, Washington county, January 25, 1841. At the time of the secession of Virginia he was a student at Emory-Henry college, but he immediately left his studies and repairing to his home enlisted in Capt. James Campbell's company and was elected first lieutenant of this organization. The Washington Independents and another company being ordered to Richmond, he resigned his lieutenancy and, with several of his company, re-enlisted as a private in the Washington Independents. The Independents were assigned to the Thirty-seventh Virginia infantry regiment of General Taliaferro's brigade, Col. Samuel V. Fulkerson commanding, which he accompanied to northwest Virginia, joining the command of General Garnett. He participated in the fight at Laurel Hill, and the skirmishes on the retreat, including that near Carrick's Ford, in which Garnett fell, finally reaching Monterey, where the command was reorganized. The next engagement was at Alleghany mountain, after which the regiment joined the army under Gen. Stonewall Jackson at Winchester, took part in the Bath expedition, and fought at Kernstown and the succeeding battles of the Valley campaign of 1862, in which Taliaferro's brigade participated. Under Early he marched through Maryland, participating in the fights at Monocacy and the attack on Washington, etc. On the return to the valley he was transferred to Company C of the Twenty-first Virginia cavalry, commanded by Col. William E. Peters, which he had assisted in organizing. In the rank of first lieutenant of this company he participated in the southwestern Virginia and east Tennessee campaigns of Gen. W. E. Jones, until the latter was killed at Piedmont in June, 1864. After this battle Lieutenant Preston was promoted captain. He took part in the operations of McCausland's brigade in the expedition through Maryland against Washington, and the raid to Chambersburg, where Colonel Peters, with the Twenty-first, occupied the town, but refused to apply the torch. Escaping the disaster at Moorefield, Captain Preston served under Rosser in Early's Valley campaign and around Richmond, and after the retreat to Appomattox was among those who cut their way through the Federal lines with General Rosser. Later he was paroled at Abingdon, closing a gallant military career in which he participated in fifty-four engagements. Two years afterward, having taken up the study of medicine, he was graduated at the university of Virginia. He practiced in a New York hospital nearly two years, 1867-1868, and then made his home at Abingdon until 1887, when he was elected first assistant physician of the Southwestern State hospital for the insane, at Marion. The following year he was elected superintendent. Dr. Preston was married in 1875 to Miss Martha E. Sheffey, and they have two children: Eleanor Fairman and Robert Sheffey.

Walter C. Preston, a veteran of the artillery of the army of