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Self,
David Washington |
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David
Washington Self joined the Confederate Army as Captain and later became Major.
He was in Company 'B' 17th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, Field & Staff. The
company from Sabine Parish Louisiana was known as the Sabine Rebels. He was
present for muster call on Sept 30, 1861. March and April 1862 absent for wound
recieved near Vicksburg, Miss. July 4, 1862 roll of
prisoners of war captured near Vicksburg, Miss. David Washington Self received
a field commission to Major May 21, 1862. Federal report of
killed, wounded and missing for 6th & 7th of April 1862.
(ref: microfilm at the State Library in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana).
O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME X/1 [S# 10]
April 6-7, 1862..--Battle of Pittsburg Landing, or Shiloh, Tenn.
No. 175. -- Report of Lieut. Col. Charles Jones, Seventeenth Louisiana
Infantry.
HDQRS. SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT LOUISIANA VOLS., Camp,
Corinth, Miss., April 11, 1862.
On the morning of the 7th I sent my adjutant on to form the regiment,
or such portions of it as he could find, near the Big Spring. When I came up
with my small command I found that my adjutant had joined some other brigade
with what number he could find. I, with what few men I had, managed to gather
together about 200 in all, composed of stragglers from different regiments, with
the aid of Capt. D. W. Self, of Company B, who had now for the first time
appeared upon the field, and some other officers, managed to form a line and
keep it in place until ordered by General Ruggles to advance. The general at
this instant rode in front of the lines, and, seizing the flag from the hands
of the color-bearer, gallantly led them to the charge. In this charge he was
assisted by Col. S.S. Heard. Captain Self, of Company B, fell severely wounded.
Our forces now began to retire from the field. Major David Washington Self's documents of the Civil War from the
National Archives and as such are public domain. The first one is his signed
surrender after Vicksburg fell on July 4, 1863. He signed on July 10, 1865.
There were some 31,000 prisoners to parole and it took a number of days to
process. The second surrender document is the end-of-war surrender on June 12,
1865.
David
Washington Self, was a captain in the Confederate
Army. David showed up a day late for the Battle of Shiloh. Turns out he had
been in a Vicksburg, Miss., hospital sick with pneumonia, but he got up from
his bed and raced to the front on day two - only to be shot and critically
wounded. He was sent home to Louisiana to die. "As the family story goes,
my great-great-grandmother took a butcher knife and cut him open," says my
uncle, chuckling as he tells the story. "She said, 'No husband of mine is gonna die from a damnyankee
bullet.' She found a piece of holster in his side that the field doctors had
left. It had festered. She sewed him up." He not only lived, but he also
went back to the battlefront, became a major and later served as a
superintendent of schools, a sheriff and a state representative in the late
1800s."
David
Washington Self joined the Confederate Army on the 4th day of April, 1861 as
Captain and later became Major. He was in Company 'B' 17th Louisiana Infantry Regiment,
Camp Moore, Louisiana. Known as (Sabine Rebels) . He
was present for muster call on Sept 30, 1861. March and April 1862 absent for
wound recieved near Vicksburg,Miss.
July 4, 1862 roll of prisoners of war captured near Vicksburg, Miss. He
was a Major at that time. Federal report of killed, wounded and missing for 6th & 7th of
April 1862. Nature of wound - serious by M.C. Leonard.
Gen. J. C. Pemberton at Jackson, Miss. was in command.
He was
paroled at Nacth., La.
[The above
is taken from microfilm at the State Library in Baton Rouge, Louisiana].
SOURC
E: O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME X/1 [S# 10]
April 6-7,
1862..--Battle of Pittsburg Landing, or Shiloh, Tenn.
No.
175.
-- Report of Lieut. Col. Charles Jones, Seventeenth Louisiana Infantry.
HDQRS.
SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT LOUISIANA VOLS., Camp, Corinth,
Miss., April 11 1862.
On the
morning of the 7th I sent my adjutant on to form the regiment,
or such portions of it as he could find, near the Big Spring. When I came up
with my small command I found that my adjutant had joined some other brigade
with what number he could find. I, with what few men I had, managed to gather together
about 200 in all, composed of stragglers from different regiments, with the aid
of Capt. D. W. Self, of Company B, who had now for the first time appeared upon
the field, and some other officers, managed to form a line and keep it in place
until ordered by General Ruggles to advance. The general at this instant rode
in front of the lines, and, seizing the flag from the hands of the
color-bearer, gallantly led them to the charge. In this charge he was assisted
by Col. S.S. Heard. Captain Self, of Company B, fell severely wounded. Our
forces now began to retire from the field.
HDQRS.
SEVENTEENTH LOUISIANA VOLUNTEERS, April 15, 1862.
SIR: The
reason why Capt. D. W. Self, Company B, did not appear on the field of battle
at Shiloh until the morning of the 7th instant was this: That officer was
confined to his bed by a severe attack of pneumonia when the regiment left
Corinth on the 3d instant. He (Captain Self) feeling himself able on the
evening of the 6th to join his regiment, left Corinth and joined the regiment
late Sunday evening, after the action of the 6th had closed.
I am,
general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
S. S. HEARD,
Colonel,
Commanding Seventeenth Louisiana Volunteers.
Capt. W. G.
BARTH,
A. A. A. G.,
Second Brigade, Ruggles' Division.
[Endorsement.]
CAMP, NEAR
CORINTH, MISS., April 15, 1862.
This note of
Colonel Heard's is transmitted as due to Captain
Self, whose absence is noted, but not explained, in Lieutenant-Colonel Jones'
report.
O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME XXIV/2 [S# 37]
MAY
19-JULY 4, 1863.--The Siege of Vicksburg, Miss.
No.
89.--Report of Brig. Gen. W. E. Baldwin, C. S. Army, commanding First Brigade.
HEADQUARTERS
FIRST BRIGADE, SMITH'S DIVISION,
Vicksburg,
July 10, 1863.
Major
(afterward Lieutenant-Colonel) [W. A.] Redditt and
Captain (afterward Major) [D. W.] Self, Seventeenth Louisiana; Major (afterward
Lieutenant-Colonel) [J. W.] Draughon and Captain
(afterward Major) [R. D.] Bridger, Thirty-first Louisiana
(officers assigned to a higher rank, to fill vacancies by virtue of seniority);
Lieutenant-Colonel [W. K.] Easterling and Major [W. H.] Clark, Forty-sixth Mississippi, and
Captains [J. B.] Moore and [T. P.] Nelson, acting
field officers of the Fourth Mississippi; also Captain Wofford, of Withers'
artillery, acting chief of artillery for the brigade, all merit high
commendation for courage, faithfulness, and good conduct in the discharge of
their respective duties. Other officers deserve mention, but not coming so
directly under my personal observation, reference is made to reports of
regimental commanders.
David W.
Self was overlooked for
promotion from Captain to Major during his service in the CSA .
Below is a transcription of the letter he wrote to his superiors explaining this. [transcribed by WMc]
Camp
17th LA. REGIMENT
NEAR
VICKSBURG MISSISSIPPI JANUARY 30th 1863
GENERAL
Believing
that great injustice has been done me by my Colonel I beg to be permitted to
ask (eligible) through you. In replying to my petition of Nov. 11th 1862 you
state that the conduct of the petitioner as stat (ed) by col. Richardson must be considered a waiver of
his claim to promotion & never having had an opportunity to see the
statement of. Col. Richardson I cannot reply to it but do not doubt that if the
facts had been impartially stated that my claims to promotion would have been
sustained having been reselected in the reorganization of the regiment as
Captain of Co. B. the Captain of Co. A to Colonel. I
certainly was then Senior Captain. Capt. Redditt the successful
applicant bein Captain of Co. K was certainly not my
senior. The decision of the Secretary of War settled the question of my rank
but not until after Capt. Redditt had been examined
for promotion and assigned to duty as Magor besides
there was another Captain selected who was senior to Major Redditt.
In regard to
my conduct I beg leave to stat and am prepared to substanciate
the following facts.
1st I
claimed to be Senior Captain uniformally and
remonstrated with Col. Richardson on the subject repeatedly.
2nd I repeatedly
asked of Col. Richardson (who was one of the examining committee) to assign me
my proper rank (referring him to an order from the Sect. of War on the subject)
that I might be examined for promotion and not until I had left for home on a
sick leave did he ever suggest to me that I would be permitted to go before the
committee for examination and only then as a Junior to Capt. Redditt.
3rd ahe averred to me that Gen, Smith had sustained him in
designating the rank of the Capt. By which Capt. Redditt
was made my Senior thus leaving me indoubt
whether I had a right to be examined for promotion of not until the decision of
the Sect. of War was received Nov. 9th.
If you would
favor me with a copy of the statement made by Col. Richardson I have no doubt I
could reply (to) them satisfactorly.
I trust sir
that you would not knowingly permit an officer though of inferior rank in thy
army to be treated with such great injustice and therefore most respectfully
appeal to you on the subject.
Very
Respectfully
To
Gen.
Your Obt, Servt.
J.C.
Pemberton
D.W. Self
Command. Dept Mississippi
& East-La.
Capt. Co B. 17th La.
Family
tradition states that David W. Self returned home
after receiving a wound at the Battle of Shilo, TN.
[6th & 7th April]. The leg wound was serious and he was not expected to
survive the injury. His wife opened the wound and retrieved a piece of leather
from where the shot went through his pistol holster and infected his leg. As
soon as it was he mounted his horse and returned to his command.
According to
the pension application filed by Elizabeth L. Self David
W. Self died 06 Aug., 1895 in Toro, Sabine, Louisiana
USA from Hesrt Disease. He is interred in the Self
Family Cemetary situated behind the beautiful Hodges
Gardens south of Many, Sabine, Louisiana USA where the Self's originally lived.
On file in
the County Clerk Office of Sabine Parish: Sabine Parish State of Louisiana
January 11, 1863
This will
certify that I William L. Sibley a minister of the gospel did today perform the
cerimony of marriage between D. W. Self and Elizabeth
L. Sibley both of this Parish in testamony. (eligble). I have asked the parties
to sign their names with me in presents of the under signed witnesses
.
Witness
David
W. Self
Elijah
Self
Elizabeth L. Self
A. P. Clower
M. L. Price
Major Self was paroled in Natchitoches, Louisiana on June 12, 1865.