Entered service 5 Jun 1861 when he was 19 and suffered a wound in the back at Winchester, VA 25 May 1862. He came home and did not return..
Entered service 5 Jun 1861 when he was 19 and suffered a wound in the back at Winchester, VA 25 May 1862. He came home and did not return.. Pvt. CO H 21 REG NC
Entered service 5 Jun 1861 when he was 19 and suffered a wound in the back at Winchester, VA 25 May 1862. He came home and did not return..
Entered service 5 Jun 1861 when he was 19 and suffered a wound in the back at Winchester, VA 25 May 1862. He came home and did not return.. Pvt. CO H 21 REG NC
Entered service 5 Jun 1861 when he was 19 and suffered a wound in the back at Winchester, VA 25 May 1862. He came home and did not return..
Entered service 5 Jun 1861 when he was 19 and suffered a wound in the back at Winchester, VA 25 May 1862. He came home and did not return.. Pvt. CO H 21 REG NC
Lewis was referred to by descendants as "Cap" Key. He was the last to be buried in a small family plot containing his two wives, three of his children, and three unmarked graves. The graves are located on the farm owned by him at his death and it is located about 1/3 mile behind Union Baptist Church (toward Dobson). Take the dirt road immediately beside the church go 1/2 mile and turn left in front of the barn. The existing barn was built by Lewis. In line with the barn is the house (remodeled) in which he lived. A path in front of the house leads to the graves. These would b e completely over-grown if it weren't for the Elzaran Atkins familyl that now own the property and care for the graves at the request of a grandson of Lewis, Hal Hancock.
On June 5, 1861 at Mr. Airy, Lewis, age 17 enlisted as a privates in company H, the 21st regiment of the CSA along with his 19 year old brother, Archilas S. Key. They were sent to Danville, VA. Archilas was wounded in the back at Winchestesr, VA on 25 May 1862. Both boys deserted in June 1862 and were unacccounted for by the army thereafter (Manarin, (1977).
Prior to the desertion, Lewis and Archilas were among 18,000 foot soldiers taking part in Jackson's Campaign of the Shenandoah Vallley of VA. The soldiers were hungry, exhausted, and footsore. At dawn on May 25, Jackson's troops attacked the Union soldeirs and drove them back across the Potomac. About 1,500 Union soldiers were killed or wounded, more than 3,000 prisoners were taken, 10,000 stands of much needed small arms, sev eral cannon and a vast quantity of stores were captured by Jackson. Confederate casualties wer 68 killed, 329 wounded, and 3 missing (Dupuy, 1960)...Apparently, Archilas was one of the wounded. Dupuy stated that more than 30 percent of the Confederate aarmy soldiers were AWOL in 1862 and 1863. Some deserted for trival reasons, some because of pleas from their starving and freezing families. Some deserters were executed by firing squads, but many more simply drifted back after short absences and went unpunished. Some stayed home permanently, in rural areas, especiallly in the mountains, it was difficult to pursue them.. The official estimate of February 1865 was 100,000 deserters...
The Surry Count deserters engaged in a guerrilla war-fare of thir own. One family story, that bore this out, related how the Union army passed through the county taking all the mules and visible grain as they went. Some of the Key clan retaliaated by sneaking in, retrieving their mules and upon their return to the county were prepared to feed them with corn that Lewis' dad, William s. had hidden in camouflaged holes in the ground.
The familly stories related hiding places of the men, whether the purposse was to avoid serving or to avoid the enemy. One was a cave on Bull Run Creek on the dHoyt Badgett property. It could be enterred only by wading up the creek and this route was used by family members to provide food. A second place was under a barn floor in a dug out area. A third location was a dam built with an enclosed room, thought to be at the William s. Key mill.Pvt. CO H 21 REG NC
Lewis was referred to by descendants as "Cap" Key. He was the last to be buried in a small family plot containing his two wives, three of his children, and three unmarked graves. The graves are located on the farm owned by him at his death and it is located about 1/3 mile behind Union Baptist Church (toward Dobson). Take the dirt road immediately beside the church go 1/2 mile and turn left in front of the barn. The existing barn was built by Lewis. In line with the barn is the house (remodeled) in which he lived. A path in front of the house leads to the graves. These would b e completely over-grown if it weren't for the Elzaran Atkins family that now own the property and care for the graves at the request of a grandson of Lewis, Hal Hancock.
On June 5, 1861 at Mr. Airy, Lewis, age 17 enlisted as a privates in company H, the 21st regiment of the CSA along with his 19 year old brother, Archilas S. Key. They were sent to Danville, VA. Archilas was wounded in the back at Winchester, VA on 25 May 1862. Both boys deserted in June 1862 and were unacccounted for by the army thereafter (Manarin, (1977).
Prior to the desertion, Lewis and Archilas were among 18,000 foot soldiers taking part in Jackson's Campaign of the Shenandoah Vallley of VA. The soldiers were hungry, exhausted, and footsore. At dawn on May 25, Jackson's troops attacked the Union soldeirs and drove them back across the Potomac. About 1,500 Union soldiers were killed or wounded, more than 3,000 prisoners were taken, 10,000 stands of much needed small arms, sev eral cannon and a vast quantity of stores were captured by Jackson. Confederate casualties wer 68 killed, 329 wounded, and 3 missing (Dupuy, 1960)...Apparently, Archilas was one of the wounded. Dupuy stated that more than 30 percent of the Confederate aarmy soldiers were AWOL in 1862 and 1863. Some deserted for trival reasons, some because of pleas from their starving and freezing families. Some deserters were executed by firing squads, but many more simply drifted back after short absences and went unpunished. Some stayed home permanently, in rural areas, especially in the mountains, it was difficult to pursue them.. The official estimate of February 1865 was 100,000 deserters...
The Surry County deserters engaged in a guerrilla war-fare of thir own. One family story, that bore this out, related how the Union army passed through the county taking all the mules and visible grain as they went. Some of the Key clan retaliated by sneaking in, retrieving their mules and upon their return to the county were prepared to feed them with corn that Lewis' dad, William S. had hidden in camouflaged holes in the ground.
The family stories related hiding places of the men, whether the purpose was to avoid serving or to avoid the enemy. One was a cave on Bull Run Creek on the Hoyt Badgett property. It could be entered only by wading up the creek and this route was used by family members to provide food. A second place was under a barn floor in a dug out area. A third location was a dam built with an enclosed room, thought to be at the William S. Key mill.
Lewis was referred to by descendants as "Cap" Key. He was the last to be buried in a small family plot containing his two wives, three of his children, and three unmarked graves. The graves are located on the farm owned by him at his death and it is located about 1/3 mile behind Union Baptist Church (toward Dobson). Take the dirt road immediately beside the church go 1/2 mile and turn left in front of the barn. The existing barn was built by Lewis. In line with the barn is the house (remodeled) in which he lived. A path in front of the house leads to the graves. These would b e completely over-grown if it weren't for the Elzaran Atkins familyl that now own the property and care for the graves at the request of a grandson of Lewis, Hal Hancock.
On June 5, 1861 at Mr. Airy, Lewis, age 17 enlisted as a privates in company H, the 21st regiment of the CSA along with his 19 year old brother, Archilas S. Key. They were sent to Danville, VA. Archilas was wounded in the back at Winchestesr, VA on 25 May 1862. Both boys deserted in June 1862 and were unacccounted for by the army thereafter (Manarin, (1977).
Prior to the desertion, Lewis and Archilas were among 18,000 foot soldiers taking part in Jackson's Campaign of the Shenandoah Vallley of VA. The soldiers were hungry, exhausted, and footsore. At dawn on May 25, Jackson's troops attacked the Union soldeirs and drove them back across the Potomac. About 1,500 Union soldiers were killed or wounded, more than 3,000 prisoners were taken, 10,000 stands of much needed small arms, sev eral cannon and a vast quantity of stores were captured by Jackson. Confederate casualties wer 68 killed, 329 wounded, and 3 missing (Dupuy, 1960)...Apparently, Archilas was one of the wounded. Dupuy stated that more than 30 percent of the Confederate aarmy soldiers were AWOL in 1862 and 1863. Some deserted for trival reasons, some because of pleas from their starving and freezing families. Some deserters were executed by firing squads, but many more simply drifted back after short absences and went unpunished. Some stayed home permanently, in rural areas, especiallly in the mountains, it was difficult to pursue them.. The official estimate of February 1865 was 100,000 deserters...
The Surry Count deserters engaged in a guerrilla war-fare of thir own. One family story, that bore this out, related how the Union army passed through the county taking all the mules and visible grain as they went. Some of the Key clan retaliaated by sneaking in, retrieving their mules and upon their return to the county were prepared to feed them with corn that Lewis' dad, William s. had hidden in camouflaged holes in the ground.
The familly stories related hiding places of the men, whether the purposse was to avoid serving or to avoid the enemy. One was a cave on Bull Run Creek on the dHoyt Badgett property. It could be enterred only by wading up the creek and this route was used by family members to provide food. A second place was under a barn floor in a dug out area. A third location was a dam built with an enclosed room, thought to be at the William s. Key mill.Pvt. CO H 21 REG NC
Lewis was referred to by descendants as "Cap" Key. He was the last to be buried in a small family plot containing his two wives, three of his children, and three unmarked graves. The graves are located on the farm owned by him at his death and it is located about 1/3 mile behind Union Baptist Church (toward Dobson). Take the dirt road immediately beside the church go 1/2 mile and turn left in front of the barn. The existing barn was built by Lewis. In line with the barn is the house (remodeled) in which he lived. A path in front of the house leads to the graves. These would b e completely over-grown if it weren't for the Elzaran Atkins family that now own the property and care for the graves at the request of a grandson of Lewis, Hal Hancock.
On June 5, 1861 at Mr. Airy, Lewis, age 17 enlisted as a privates in company H, the 21st regiment of the CSA along with his 19 year old brother, Archilas S. Key. They were sent to Danville, VA. Archilas was wounded in the back at Winchester, VA on 25 May 1862. Both boys deserted in June 1862 and were unacccounted for by the army thereafter (Manarin, (1977).
Prior to the desertion, Lewis and Archilas were among 18,000 foot soldiers taking part in Jackson's Campaign of the Shenandoah Vallley of VA. The soldiers were hungry, exhausted, and footsore. At dawn on May 25, Jackson's troops attacked the Union soldeirs and drove them back across the Potomac. About 1,500 Union soldiers were killed or wounded, more than 3,000 prisoners were taken, 10,000 stands of much needed small arms, sev eral cannon and a vast quantity of stores were captured by Jackson. Confederate casualties wer 68 killed, 329 wounded, and 3 missing (Dupuy, 1960)...Apparently, Archilas was one of the wounded. Dupuy stated that more than 30 percent of the Confederate aarmy soldiers were AWOL in 1862 and 1863. Some deserted for trival reasons, some because of pleas from their starving and freezing families. Some deserters were executed by firing squads, but many more simply drifted back after short absences and went unpunished. Some stayed home permanently, in rural areas, especially in the mountains, it was difficult to pursue them.. The official estimate of February 1865 was 100,000 deserters...
The Surry County deserters engaged in a guerrilla war-fare of thir own. One family story, that bore this out, related how the Union army passed through the county taking all the mules and visible grain as they went. Some of the Key clan retaliated by sneaking in, retrieving their mules and upon their return to the county were prepared to feed them with corn that Lewis' dad, William S. had hidden in camouflaged holes in the ground.
The family stories related hiding places of the men, whether the purpose was to avoid serving or to avoid the enemy. One was a cave on Bull Run Creek on the Hoyt Badgett property. It could be entered only by wading up the creek and this route was used by family members to provide food. A second place was under a barn floor in a dug out area. A third location was a dam built with an enclosed room, thought to be at the William S. Key mill.