These are links to my personal sites.
 The Waltons
 Praise Page
 New Testament
 jrstumpy.com
 Stoever's Dam Park
 Lebanon Rec. Dept.

William Franklin Harris also known as Frank was born on February 6th 1840 at Pulaski County Virginia. William died on December 23rd 1915 at Carroll County Virginia. William married Narcissa Jane Bolt also known as Ciss on September 15th 1865 at Carroll County Virginia. Narcissa is the child of William Henry Clay Bolt and Anna Sutphin. Narcissa had nine children Annie Laurie Harris, William Edgar Harris, Samuel Pack Harris, Elbert Lee Harris Sr., John Kemper Harris, Mary Kathryn Harris, Jesse Wellington Harris, Charlie Jackson Harris and James Mateson Harris.

William Franklin Harris went through a lot of trials and hardships in his time and so did his brothers. Frank was born at Pulaski County Virginia on February 6th 1840. Pulaski County Virginia was formed from Montgomery County Virginia and Wythe County Virginia on 1839. The first court in Pulaski County Virginia was held on May 9th 1839. Newbern Virginia was the county seat until 1895. The courthouse burned down and was rebuilt in the town of Pulaski Virginia making it the county seat, which it still is today. The Harris family lived somewhere near Newbern Virginia. Later moved from Newbern Virginia to Laurel Fork Virginia. The Harris family was all farmers and when they moved from Pulaski Virginia to Carroll County Virginia probably about 1854 they acquired quite a bit of land. Most of their land was located on Dugspur Road between Dugspur Virginia and Laurel Fork Virginia. Frank enlisted in Company F of the 54th Virginia Infantry Regiment on September 9th 1861. He was assigned as courier to regiment commander Colonel Robert Trigg and was later transferred to the Pioneer Corps. Colonel Trigg commended him after the battle of Chickamauga for capturing the state flag of the 22nd Michigan Infantry Regiment during the battle of Snodgrass Hill. A battlefield marker telling of the movements of the troops on that day marks the jumping off point of the 54th in this battle. The 54th saw some of the hardest and meanest fighting of the war. They were soundly beaten at Bentonville, North Carolina on March 19th 1865. The Regiment lost its battle flag to the 14th Michigan Regiment in this battle. The flag was returned to the Commonwealth of Virginia in ceremonies at Lansing Michigan on September 20th 1941. It was placed in the Confederate Memorial Institute by then Governor James H. Price. Frank married Narcissa Jane Bolt also known as Cis on September of 1865 only a few months after the Civil War ended.

Jesse T., William F., and John H. All joined Company F. of the Fifty Fourth Virginia Infantry Regiment, Confederate States of America on September 9, 1861 at Newbern in Pulaski County, Virginia. They were living in Carroll County, but probably, went to Pulaski County to join up with childhood friends and Jesse's in-laws. Samuel H. joined Company B. of the Fifty Fourth Virginia Infantry Regiment at Floyd Court House on September 16, 1861. He probably joined the Floyd County Company with his wife's brothers. James R. J. joined company F. of the Fifty Fourth Virginia Infantry Regiment February 7, 1863, in southeast Virginia, at Franklin, going there to join his brother' regiment. When the War Between the States started, Jesse Harris was 25 years old, Samuel was 23, William F. was 21, John H. was 19, James Robert J. was 17, and Joseph Rush was 13. The regiment was originally made up of ten companies. All members came from the counties of Montgomery, Pulaski, Craig, Roanoke, Carroll, and Floyd. The original muster was 815 men. A total of 1828 men passed through its ranks. Company F. started with 82 men. A total of 217 eventually served in this company. 33 of these men were still with the company on February 28, 1865. Regiment was commanded by Colonel Robert Trigg of Christiansburg, Virginia He is buried, in the Craig Cemetery; in Christiansburg, Va. William F. Harris was his courier, when the unit was formed. The unit was trained on a farm near Christiansburg, probably Ironto, owned by Asa Hall and was called Camp Hall.

The unit was stationed in eastern Kentucky in late 1861, and early 1862. They were in three small battles, in Kentucky, between December 1861 and April 1862. They were at the battle of Mercer-Princeton W.VA. May 17-18, 1862. One man, in the 63rd Virginia, wrote home about the battle of Princeton, "We arrived just in time, to meet the Yankees, on the 16th of May, and arrived, within gunshot of the enemy, about three o'clock in the afternoon and we fought them for 3, or 4, miles slaying them on every hand. About dark the 54th Regiment arrived within 3 or 4 hundred yards of the courthouse, on crossing a fence, one of our men, fired his gun, by accident, which prevented us from surrounding them. At the report the Yankees poured forth a very severe fire upon our regiment. But to their surprise the 54th broke forth like thunder upon them pouring forth streams of fiery vengeance upon them killing 44 of them upon the field, and losing, one dead and two wounded. We took supper in Princeton; we ate crackers and molasses until we couldn't rest. We lay under arms all night. Next morning we fell back on a hill In sight of the town, about 6 o'clock they began cannonading each other at about 1 mile distance. We gave the Yankees one good whipping if they never get another, and if they want, just let them apply to the old 54th and they can get another just such one. The last we heard of them they was going down the Blue Stone at long lope and I only hope they may get such a licking, every where they go, and I pray to God to speed the time when the northern rogues and vandals shall be driven shall be driven to their dens and sealed there to invade our soil no more forever..." In this battle 90% of the hamlet of Princeton was burned before the 54th arrived. The federal forces under General Jacob Cox retreated up the Blue Stone River, by the Raleigh Road, crossed Flat Top Mountain and headed north. The battle of Princeton was also called the battle of Pigeon Roost. (Two future presidents were at this battle General Rutherford B. Hayes and Major William McKinley of the Union army).

After this battle, they were sent to Tazwell County and, camped near the courthouse in Abb's Valley, on Edward Perry's farm, which was called Camp Perry. On June 25th, 1862 they were ordered to Saltville, Va. to protect the salt works. The unit was then ordered back to Kentucky to stop the Yankee invasion. They fought 7 battles in Kentucky including the battles of Prestonburg, Lexington, and Bowling Green. When they left Lexington in October of 1862 they left John Harris there sick and he was never heard from again. He is probably buried there in an unmarked grave. The unit left Kentucky and traveled to Rocky Gap, Va. and camped a few days.

They were then marched to Wytheville, Va. on November 14th, 1862. The unit was then ordered to southeast Virginia in December 1862. They were ordered to Drewys Bluff, near Richmond, and then spent New Years day at Petersburg. They were transferred to Southampton County and fought the battle of Kelley's Store on January 30, 1863. They moved to Joyner's Church near Franklin, Va. on February 7, 1863. It was here at this time that James Robert J. Harris joined his brothers' unit.

The unit then marched to Petersburg and loaded on trains for Lynchburg Where they were put on another train for Wytheville. They were sent to Abington a few days later and put on a train for Bristol and became one of the few Virginia Regiments to be assigned to the army of Tennessee.

The Yankee victory at Vicksburg freed thousands of federal troops to invade Tennessee. The 54th was sent to Strawberry Plains. Tennessee on July 18, 1863. On July 19, Federal forces marched into Wythe County and the 54th was ordered back to Saltville to again protect the salt- works. In August they were sent to Bell's Bridge, Tennessee and were assigned to General Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee.

They were in reserve during the siege of Knoxville, and then they were marched south ... into the North Georgia Mountains. The Yankees were marching south and the Confederate Army made a stand on the banks of Chickamauga Creek and thus began one of the bloodiest battles of the war. The Federal artillery really caused Trigg's men a lot of problems and he ordered a bayonet charge against it, but the canons withdrew before the Southerners reached their position.

The 54th Virginia lost 17 killed and 43 wounded in two days of the Chickamauga Battle. Colonel Trigg commended his men after the battle: "Where every officer and man did his whole duty special mention cannot be made. The fortune of war threw the Sixth Florida regiment into the post of danger.... and upon them fell the heaviest losses and proved themselves veterans in their first fight I take pleasure in mentioning the following named soldiers, who have distinguished themselves by the capture each of a stand of enemy's colors: Private Oscar F. Honaker, Company F, captured the regimental flag of the 22nd Michigan regiment, Private William F. Harris. Company F, captured the state flag of the 22nd Michigan Regiment, Private Henderson Hylton company A, captured the regimental flag of the 89th Ohio regiment, Private Franklin Carter Company K, captured the state flag of the 21st Ohio regiment." The battle of Chickamauga was fought on September 19, and 20, 1863. During the two days of this battle the Union army suffered 15,851 casualties and the Confederates suffered 17,804 for a total of 33,655 casualties. The battle was one of the five bloodiest battles of the war. During the battle of Chickamauga the Confederates kept charging up Snodgrass Hill and suffering great losses, the Union Army under General George Thomas was executing a planned retreat but the Rebels kept charging, until in the end only three federal units remained on the hill. They were the 21st and the 89th Ohio and the 22nd Michigan. They soon ran out of ammunition, and they fixed bayonets... for the next charge and within minutes the bloodied Federals were overwhelmed by the charge. In the three regiments, 322 soldiers were killed or wounded and 563 were captured. It was during this action that William F. Harris captured the state flag of the 22nd Michigan Regiment.

Something of history should be noted here. General Braxton Bragg was sent to Richmond as Jeff Davis' war adviser...Bragg had short rationed the men for months, giving them one day's rations for three days, which they usually ate in one meal and starved for two and a half days. Some of the men had gone as much as 8 months without pay. Morale was low, the army was poorly armed and clothed, many without shoes. Casualties and thousands of desertions depleted them. The spirit of the men was crushed. Their future was at best very gloomy. Discipline was gone. At this point General Joseph E. Johnston assumed command of the Army of Tennessee. He did what Bragg had never done and that was to give the men furloughs. He issued amnesty for all AWOL'S; he ordered two days rations for one day. He ordered new clothes be given, coffee and tobacco to be issued twice weekly. He visited the ranks of the common soldier shaking hands with everyone he passed. In short he restored the pride of the common soldier. Morale rose to a new high under their beloved "Uncle Joe". Next to Robert E. Lee he was probably the most revered Confederate Officer.

General Johnston made some mistakes in North Georgia and was relieved of command just before the Battle of Atlanta, and John Bell Hood was put in command of the Army of Tennessee. Hood was in charge during all of the Tennessee campaign. Hood was a good man and a fine officer but he was not capable of commanding an entire army. He lost a leg at Chickamauga.

The 54th suffered its greatest losses in the Battle of Mount Zion Church in North Georgia on June 22nd and 23rd 1864. They suffered 92 casualties. Their whole brigade, who consisted ten regiments, was not as large as their regiment was when in Virginia. In this battle they were under terrific artillery fire with high explosive and canister shot. During a charge into the face of grape shot and infantry fire, Colonel Trigg and several junior officers had their horses shot from beneath them. This little battle had a greater impact on the 54th than the battle of Chickamauga or Missionary Ridge.

After Chickamauga the army went on the move and fought battles at Missionary Ridge, Tennessee, Dalton-Resaca, Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, the siege of Atlanta, Murfreesboro and Franklin, Tennessee, Egypt Station Mississippi, Stoney Creek, North Carolina, and Bentonville, North Carolina which was fought on March 17th, i8th and 19th, 1865. Under Hood, the Army of Tennessee lost 12,000 men during the Tennessee Campaign. By Hoods own request he was relieved of command on January 25, 1865 at Tupelo, Mississippi. They left Meredian, Miss., on January 29. They were loaded on a train for the Tombigbee River where they took a boat four miles to Selma, Alabama. On February 1, 1865 they boarded another train to Demopolis, Alabama and took a steamboat to Montgomery. They left Montgomery on February 3, and rode to Columbus, Georgia. On the 4th they loaded in boxcars for Macon, Georgia but the train derailed after 35 miles. They then marched to Maysville and boarded another train. They reached Augusta on Feb. 7, and soon were out of Georgia for good.

The Army of Tennessee was again placed under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston and moved toward North Carolina to meet up with Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, but on April 9th, 1865 Lee was forced to surrender and was never able to join with Johnston's Army.

The army had several skirmishes until April 25th, 1865. On April 27th Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee. They were not paroled until may 1st, and 2nd, 1865 at Greensboro, N.C. and were released to return home. Of all the men who served in the 54th and the 63rd, Virginia regiments, probably in excess of 3300 men there were only 93 left to be paroled on may 1st, 1865, due to disease, war casualties, desertion and some who knew the war was over and just went home. Of these 93 men, James Robert J., Jesse T. and William F. Harris were present, loyal to the very end. They were the only survivors of the five Harris brothers who joined up. War records show that Samuel H. Harris was wounded in action and died in service but we don't know when or where. His widow applied for a pension at Floyd Court House on August 10th, 1863. His war record says he died on May 17th, 1862, in which case he was probably wounded at the Battle of Mercer-Princeton, which wad fought on May 17th, and 18th, 1862. His widow received a pension of $6.23 per month pay and allowances. In her application she stated that they had no children. Jesse T. Harris was Company F. company clerk and also served in the Quartermaster Corps, James R.J. Harris was assigned assistant surgeon of the 4th reserves in January of 1865, he apparently knew something about medicine because he also served at a coroner's inquest after the war.

William F. Harris, other than being Colonel Trigg's courier at the beginning of the war was also assigned to the Pioneer Division of the of the Engineer's Corps, and to the provost guard at the end of the war. These men went through some of the bloodiest fighting of the war at places like Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, The Atlanta Campaign, Peach Tree Creek, The Carolinas Campaign and Bentonville.

I have only touched the surface of the terrible war and the suffering and hardships of the brothers and the heartache of their parents, who lost two sons and spent four long years worrying about the other three. This unit was in 44 battles in seven states, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and Mississippi. Losing this war had to be a bitter pill to swallow after so much fighting, deprivation and suffering. Perhaps Mary Chestnut of Chester, S.C. said it best. The 54th was passing through Chester, S.C. on their way into North Carolina on February 28th, 1865 where they had their last muster roll as a unit. They knew the end was near. Mary wrote, "Today the corps passed through, the songs of the men were a heartbreak, so sad, so stirring, I sat down as women have before and wept. Oh, the bitterness of such weeping, There they go the gay and gallant few. The last gathering of the flower of Southern Manhood just two months later the war was over.

William Franklin (Frank) Harris went through 4 years of fighting during the War Between The States, and farmed for many years afterward to feed his family. He lost two brothers in The War Between The States and he lost a daughter at a young age and a son at the age of two. His wife Narcissa died on February 13, 1912. His brother Jesse died March 3, 1912. One month, to the day, after his wife's death he was on Jury duty in Hillsville, Virginia at the Carroll County courthouse. This trial was the trial of Floyd Allen who was being tried on charges of interfering with a peace officer in the performance of his duty. This is a long story and many books have been written about it. I will not try to tell the whole story here. The trial began on March 13, 1912 without a conclusion. The next day the jury of 12 men (made up of six Democrats and six Republicans) was recalled. The Allen families were all Democrats and the party in power in Carroll County at the time was all Republicans. Frank Harris was a Republican. The jury was called in from the hotel one hour early on the morning of March 14, 1912. They had spent the night in Hillsville. Two other trials for misdemeanors were called before the Allen trial was resumed. After a little more testimony the jury was sent out. They reached a verdict of guilty which automatically carried a one year and one day sentence. When Judge Thorton Massie (who had only one arm) pronounced a sentence of one year in prison on Floyd Allen and ordered he be taken into custody there was a movement and a shot rang out. In just a matter of seconds gunshots came from every corner of the courthouse. There were many guns in the courthouse illegally. The courtroom became filled with gun smoke and the gun fighting continued down the courthouse steps and into the street. People ran for their lives on foot and on horseback. Innocent people were killed in this tragic gun battle and when the smoke had cleared the courtroom was empty except for the bodies of Judge Massie, Sheriff Lee Webb, Commonwealth's Attorney William Foster and Augustus Fowler one of the jurors. Frank Harris was seated in the next chair to Fowlers right. Their backs were to Judge Massie. One young woman who was a witness for another trial was also wounded and died three days later. One other juror Columbus Cain was wounded. Floyd Allen, and his brother, Sidna Allen were both wounded. Also wounded were Andrew Hewlett, Stuart Worrell, and the clerk of the court Dexter Goad. This event set off one of the largest manhunts in Virginia history and lasted for months. This incident has for years been called the Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy and many stories have been written about it from all sides. Songs and poems have been written about it. Two of the Allens were Electrocuted, Floyd Allen and his 19-year-old son Claude. The Hillsville shootout became a national story, and was called a massacre in many newspapers, carried our by whiskey swilling, gun toting mountaineers. Frank Harris was the oldest member, of the jury, and possibly the only Civil War Veteran also. He was 72 years old at the time. Sometime after this event Frank Harris went to West Virginia and stayed with his son Elbert Harris Sr. and his wife Dora for a time. His wife had some relatives around New Hope, and he probably stayed with them for a while also. He went back to Carroll County and died there on December 23, 1915.
Contributed by Paul Harris
Thank You Paul...

Off Site Link
 54th. Roster