Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/1321

Rh insurance and real estate men of Portsmouth, for twelve years has been a member of the board of trade, and though a comparatively young man, has made a remarkable record in the organization and promotion of various worthy enterprises. He has been very prominently associated with the organization of the following companies: The Portsmouth street railway company, the Citizens' light, heat and power company, the Portsmouth cotton manufacturing company, the Portsmouth land, improvement and promotion company, the Home permanent building association, the Park View land company, the Portsmouth water-front land company, the Pinner's Point land company. Pinner's Point home company & Pinner's Point water-front company, the Villa Heights company and others. He is secretary or treasurer of all of these companies, as well as a director of the Bank of Portsmouth. He has a splendidly equipped office, and enjoys fully the confidence and esteem of the people.

Lieutenant John D. Watson, of Charlottesville, was born at the city in which he now resides. He entered the Confederate service in June, 1861, as a member of Captain Southall's Albemarle battery, and was made second sergeant. With this command he served about one year, participating in the artillery fighting at Yorktown under General Magruder. He was then commissioned first lieutenant in the Forty-sixth regiment of infantry, and served with General Wise in North Carolina until he was captured at the battle of Roanoke Island. His imprisonment was not of long duration, being held on the steamer Spaulding which stood for eleven days off Cape Fear, and then paroled. Upon his exchange a few months later, he was appointed adjutant of the Fifty-seventh Virginia infantry, Armistead's brigade, Pickett's division, Longstreet's corps. With this command he participated in the campaign near Suffolk, and the battle of Gettysburg, at the latter engagement receiving a severe wound in the groin and falling into the hands of the enemy. On the same day, however, he was recaptured by his own regiment, and was permitted to pass the period of his entire disability, from July 3d to October 30th, at home. After his return to his regiment he took part in the battle of Yellow House, between Petersburg and Richmond, and in the capture of Fort Darling, where his command bagged a large number of Butler's men. He was again in battle at the Howlett House, and for many months was almost continuously engaged in the Petersburg trenches. At the battle of Five Forks he was captured, and after spending eleven days at the Old Capitol prison, was taken to Johnson's island, at which unpleasant summer resort he remained until June 20, 1865.

Robert Leslie Watson, a native of Scotland, who has resided at Petersburg since his boyhood, gave himself with entire loyalty to the fortunes of his State when he became a citizen, and before the appearance of trouble between the States, was a member of a volunteer military company of that city. In the spring of 1861, after the passage of the ordinance of secession, he was mustered in with his comrades, and subsequently served in the vicinity of Norfolk. His company became Company C of the Twelfth Virginia regiment of infantry, Mahone's brigade, and he was identified with the record of that famous command after the evacuation of Norfolk. Beginning with the battle of Seven Pines, he