Thursday, March 20, 2014

John C. Walker, Class of 1843 (A.B.) and 1846 (A.M.)

Walker, a lawyer in Rockingham County, VA, enlisted on April 25, 1862 as a private in Co. I of the 10th VA Infantry. He served as company clerk and commissary clerk for several months. By late 1862, it appears he was no longer traveling with the company, and his later service is unknown, although he apparently was assigned the rank of major at some point, although this may have been either a rank from earlier militia service or an honorary title. As early as 1866, local newspapers refer to Walker as "Major John C. Walker," although military records recording that rank have not yet been found for verification, and all later references in reputable sources call him Major Walker. He was certainly not serving on active duty by 1864, as he served from 1864-1865 as the Rockingham County representative in the Virginia House of Delegates.

After the war, he returned to practicing law in Rockingham County and later moved to neighboring Page County. He remained a prominent citizen, and served as vice-president of Randolph-Macon College's Society of Alumni. He died in Page County, VA in mid-February 1887 and is buried near Elkton in Rockingham County, VA.

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