Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 5.djvu/712

 VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

ried. Louis Kossuth, the fifth son, born in 1850, married (first) in Norfolk, Alay 3, 1883, Eliza Cowdery, who died February 17, 1885, daughter of Dr. George W. Cowdery. He married (second) January 2, 1892, Helen Baylor. No issue. Charles Buckner, sixth son, born May 26, 1853, graduated from the University of the South, G. D., class of 1882. When a boy he served as messenger boy in the ordnance department of the Con- federate government at Richmond. He was ordained deacon. May zy, 1883, and has been a faithful clergyman of the Protestant Epis- copal church from that date. On January 15, 1887, he became rector of St. Peters, Rome, Georgia, and on January 15, 1912, celebrated the twenty-fifth year of his pas- torate. He married, in Maysville, Ken- tucky, September 29. 1886, Anna P'rancesca, daughter of Rudolph and Katherine Albert. Sally Frances, youngest daughter, never married.

William Edward Hudgins, second son of Captain Robert King and Sarah James (White) Hudgins, was born in Mathews county, Virginia, April 7, 1838. He was a young lieutenant in the United States reve- nue cutter service at the breaking out of the war between the states. When his native state, Virginia, seceded, he resigned his commission and tendered his services to her, which being accepted, he was appointed sec- ond lieutenant in the Corps of Artillery, regular army, and was commissioned as captain in the provisional army to serve with volunteer troops. He was ordered to West Point on the York river, as drill mas- ter, reporting to Commodore Whittle in command of the defences on the river. From West Point he was ordered to Gloucester Point to report to Captain Thomas Jeffer- son Page, Confederate States navy, under whom he served until a new naval battery was erected at Yorktown. Captain Thomas L. Henderson, Confederate States navy, commanding that battery, requested and ob- tained his transfer to that command. He served in that battery, drilling volunteer troops at the heavy guns until the Nelson battery of seven guns was built on the hill immediately in front of the old historic Nelson house, to command which battery he was ordered by General Magruder, remain- ing there until Yorktown was evacuated, retaining command until the last moment in order to cover the retreat of the armv, and

upon the completion of the retreat he spiked guns and threw the remaining ammunition into the well inside the battery, then with his command escaped in small boats up the river to West Point and thence on to Rich- mond, where he reported for duty, and was assigned as ordnance officer of a group of batteries around Richmond. While on that duty he was assigned as a member of Gen- eral Winder's general court martial, then sitting in Richmond. Desiring more active service, he applied for and received a com- mission as lieutenant in the Confederate States navy and was ordered with a few other officers to report to Commodore Bar- ron to accompany him to Jackson, Mississ- ippi, on special duty, ostensibly the capture of some Federal gunboats in the Mississippi river. On their arrival, circumstances over which the commanding officer had no con- trol, prevented the carrying out of the pur- pose of the expedition. He then returned to Richmond and was ordered to report to Commodore Hunter, Confederate States navy, commanding naval defences at Savan- nah, for duty on board the Confederate States ironclad steamship, Sai'annah, by Cap- tain Pinckney. On the march of General Sherman's army through Georgia, the Fed- eral prisoners were transferred from Ander- sonville to Savannah, and it becoming nec- essary to detail a sufficient number of offi- cers and men from the fleet in the river to guard them. Lieutenant Hudgins was or- dered to take command of the detail, which duty was performed to the satisfaction of the commanding general, who so expressed himself in writing to his commanding offi- cer. L^pon the arrival of General Sherman's army at Savannah, the ship on which Lieu- tenant Hudgins was stationed covered the retreat of the Confederate army across the Savannah river, after which, to prevent the ship from falling into the hands of the enemy, by orders of Captain Brentaand, with the assistance of the gunner and car- penter, he laid a train of powder to the magazine and the hands proceeded on foot towards Charleston, South Carolina. Shortly afterwards the explosion of the magazine was heard, sounding the death knell of the good ship. Savannah. On arrival at Charles- ton the officers and crew were distributed among the Charleston fleet. Lieutenant Hudgins was ordered with a detachment to Wilmington, North Carolina, to report for

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