The Men of Randolph-Macon College and the Civil War

In 1861, talk of secession transformed into armed conflict. Many of the men educated at Randolph-Macon College in the preceding 29 years immediately responded to the calls of their state militias to serve, while others later enlisted or were conscripted into the Confederate or Union armies. Others served in public office, or were ultimately drawn into the conflict in the last days in reserve units in local defense. These are their stories.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Henry Brown Cowles Jr., class of 1859

He enlisted in the 12th VA Infantry, Co. E on July 9, 1861 as a private, and died August 20, 1863 of typhoid fever at Virginia Hospital in Petersburg, VA. His father was a prominent Methodist minister and an agent for Randolph-Macon College. Henry Jr. was a school teacher in Petersburg at the time he enlisted.