John Oscar Whittington Hitch

As a historian and genealogist, I often find myself amazed at coincidences I encounter that sometimes lead me to discover unknown or obscure facts about my ancestors or others long since passed away. I almost feel as if they are "reaching from beyond the grave" to try and tell me their story. One compelling example of this happened with John Oscar Whittington Hitch (1840-1862), a young man who died when he was barely 22 years old, who had been without parents since he was age 16 and who died in a War that literally tore this country apart in the 1860s. This is my story of Private J. Oscar W. Hitch who served for the 21st Mississippi CSA during the American Civil War.

Background

His story might otherwise be forgotten were it not for some modern coincidences that happened with me and my everyday business travels. You see, John O.W. Hitch was the last generation in an extinct branch of the Hitch family that began with the patriarch Adam Hitch who settled near modern-day Salisbury, MD around 1687, through his son John Hitch, his grandson Joshua Hitch, and his great-grandson John. John Hitch had a son Joshua Whittington Hitch born 1799 in Somerset County, Maryland (modern Wicomico). Joshua Hitch's father, John Hitch, had died when he was a boy of only about 4 years old. His mother Jane Hitch was daughter of Benjamin Polk (c1740-bef 1796) and Sarah Whittington (c1743-aft 1807). John Hitch had married Jane Polk in Somerset County on January 23, 1797 and had chosen the given names Joshua Whittington for their son after John Hitch's father's given name and Jane Polk's mother's maiden name. John Hitch died in very early 1804 and Jane (Polk) Hitch remarried to Stephen Dykes sometime within the next 3 years when he became a step father to the boy.

Joshua grew up and moved over to Worcester County, Maryland and married Mary Elizabeth Whittington there on March 30, 1825. She died very soon after they married and Joshua remarried to Mary E. Dennis on September 6, 1826, again in Worcester County. The couple lived near Snow Hill, Maryland for the next 9 years or so but then they decided to move. We find a newspaper article ("The Borderer" in Snow Hill) regarding Joshua W. Hitch on June 24, 1834 who "has a handsome assortment of saddlery for sale" from insolvent debtor Parker Esham. Also, on Mar 1 1835, Margaret Sturgis, wife of James Sturgis, paid $100 to Joshua W. Hitch, for a 75 acre tract of land comprised of "Killiary" and "Hogs Choice". (WoLR-JCH2: 181) and on Mar 14 1836, Stephen Purnell, Joshua W. Hitch and Mary his wife sold land to Andasia Robins for $1200 described as Lot No. 33 in the town of Snow Hill, 2a of land on which Joshua W. Hitch now resides (Ibid-JCH3:99). It was around this time, in 1836, that Joshua and Mary Hitch family pulled up stakes and moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi.

In the 1840 Federal census, we find J.W. Hitch as head of a household in Vicksburg Township, Warren County, MS with one male under age 5, one male age 30-40 and one female age 20-30. It seems the young couple had added a son in the 5 years they had lived in Vicksburg. However, the young family would not be together for long as Joshua died on June 9, 1844. His obituary appeared in the "Vicksburg Daily Sentinel" of June 10, 1844 that states, "Died yesterday morning, J.W. Hitch. Mr. Hitch was formerly of Maryland, but for several years past has been a merchant in the city. He left a wife and one child." The same newspaper for June 17, 1844 indicates the Sexton's report for the two weeks ending June 15 saying, "J.W. Hitch, (died age) 45 years, congestion of bowels." Congestion of bowels may be some sort of colon cancer in modern medical terms.

The "Constitutionalist" of Vicksburg for June 1844 gives his obituary as, "Departed this life on Tuesday evening last, Joshua W. Hitch, in the 45th year of his age. Mr. Hitch was a native of Maryland, but the last nine years a citizen of this place. He left a wife and little son." Joshua left no will so his estate was divided through the Chancery Court over several years following his death (See folder 1072, Warren Co., MS Chancery Court Records). The "little son" referred to in each obituary is the subject of our story, John O.W. Hitch and this is where the "coincidences" come in that I alluded to earlier in this blog.

You see, back in the late 1990s, when I worked as the Director of Engineering in a small company specializing in computers and communications, we had developed a sizable account with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which has a large scientific and engineering installation in Vicksburg called the Waterways Experiment Station (WES). To manage the account, I traveled to Vicksburg quite often and this is where, in the old records of the Vicksburg Courthouse, I stumbled onto the story of John O.W. Hitch.

John Oscar Whittington Hitch

John O.W. Hitch was born on May 21, 1840, so he was only 4 years old when his father died in 1844. His mother, Mary E. Hitch passed away on April 2, 1857 and he was left without a family at the age of 16. Mary Hitch left a will written on May 23, 1849 where she wished to lay out provisions for "the raising, education and management of my Dear Boy." In the will, she appointed "Mr. and Mrs. Brown, My Neighbours" to be his guardians. The will was filed in court on April 28, 1857 (Folder 1637, Warren Co., MS Chancery Court Records).

Consequently, just before his 17th birthday, John O.W. was left to his own with what remained of his mother's property that included four (4) slaves; Eby, Margaret, Mary and William. John, who by now went by the name of Oscar Hitch, shows up in the 1860 Census in Vicksburg as a clerk, born in Mississippi, and living as a boarder in the household of one A. Naora.

For the years leading up to that time, tensions had been building in the U.S. which eventually caused the outbreak of the Civil War and John O.W. Hitch, like many other young men of the era, felt the call to serve. He enlisted in Company A of the 21st Mississippi Infantry, the "Volunteer Southonors", on May 15, 1861, six days shy of his 21st birthday. But there was more in the box that contained the will of Mary Hitch, it also surprisingly contained the will of "J. Oscar W. Hitch." This was a complete surprise as the archival records did not indicate that his will even existed at the time. Was J.O.W. Hitch reaching out to let it be known where he was and to tell his story?

In examining his will, we find that, two weeks before he had enlisted with the 21st Mississippi, on April 30th, he had composed his will in consideration of the extreme dangers he would face in the war. The will was filed for probate in Vicksburg on August 2, 1862, meaning that John Oscar Whittington Hitch had died before that time - but more on that later. His will is eerily prescient and I transcribe it for the reader here:

Will of J. Oscar W. Hitch, Vicksburg, April 30th 1861: Being about to depart to the wars and knowing the certainty of death at all times and that it would be double more so in an engagement, I deem it my duty as well for my own satisfaction as for the satisfaction of my friends to leave behind my wishes with regard to the distribution of my property which I direct as follows. That first all debts which I may owe at the time of my death be paid forthwith. Arthur who has always been a faithful servant with Eby to be free and to be left in charge of some good person who will take the ownership of them and who will not receive any money from them than would be necessary to remunerate said person for the trouble or expense which they might be at to said person. Mary I give & bequeath to Mrs. William Brown (now residing in Port Gibson in this state) who has always been a friend to my mother and since her death been to me as a mother. Margaret and William wills together with my Real Estate and the money that remains after distributing as I have already directed or may hear (sic) after direct I give and bequeath to Mrs Elizabeth Cannon and Miss Mary E.L. Cannon to be divided equally who are now living at Newtown Eastern Shore Maryland. To William Brown Jr. son of the above named Mrs. Brown I give my Sharps Rifle should it not be disposed of before my death. To Samuel Folkes a cripple now living in town I give $500.00 Five Hundred Dollars. I also give $250.00 to Episcopal Sunday School for the purpose of raising a library. I direct that the silverware, Bed quilts together with other things that may belong to the household to be divided between Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Mygatt, Mrs. Hackett and Mrs. Suvis to be divided equaly (sic). It is my desire should it be my fate to be killed on the Battle Field that my body be brought and intered (sic) next to my mother and that Mr. Lord of whoever may be the rector of the of the (sic) Episcopal Church at Vicksburg be requested to preach at my funeral Sermon. I have herein expressed briefly my wishes and I think plainly and explicitly enough to be understood and it is my last request they that (sic) be carried out to the letter. Should I come to my death before the 21st of May 1861, this will is to be null and void as there has already been a provission (sic) made should I die in my minority. Written in good health and sound mind, I now bid adieu to all my friends and Enemys (sic) should I have any and hope that I may meet them all in heaven reaping their reward. I am done. J. Oscar W. Hitch (Folder 1637, Warren Co., Mississippi Chancery Court)"

In it we find a couple of interesting items:
--We find his birthday - May 21, 1840 - as he states he will no longer be a minor (under age 21) by May 21, 1861.
--He recognizes to seriousness of going to war even as a young man of age 20, and the probability of death, especially if his unit engages in the war.
--It shows he still has connections back to the Eastern Shore of Maryland even though he had been born in Vicksburg. He mentions Mrs. Elizabeth and Miss Mary E.L. Cannon of Newtown, MD. Newtown became to be named Pocomoke, MD a few years after this will was written. A quick check into the census records and we find Elizabeth Cannon in Newtown, Worcester Co. in 1860 as age 44 and Mary Cannon in the same household as age 22. Step back to 1850 and we find the same family in Newtown with Elizabeth C. Cannon, age 34 and Mary Cannon, age 13. Elizabeth Cannon is likely nee Elizabeth Sturges who married Gibson Cannon in 1833 in Worcester County, MD and we noted before that Oscar Hitch's parents had sold their farmland in Worcester to Margaret Sturges back in 1835 just before moving to Mississippi. Unfortunately, we know no further details of the connection here but one wonders if perhaps "Miss Mary E.L. Cannon" born in 1837/38 and, about age 23 when Hitch writes the above will, might have been a love interest or even perhaps someone Hitch had planned to marry after his time in the War.
--He wanted an Episcopal funeral should he die at War and be buried next to his mother: "It is my desire should it be my fate to be killed on the Battle Field that my body be brought and intered (sic) next to my mother and that Mr. Lord of whoever may be the rector of the of the (sic) Episcopal Church at Vicksburg be requested to preach at my funeral Sermon."

This was basically the end of my research in Vicksburg. I was quite pleased with my discoveries and my ability to uncover the story of this young man. However, on my flight back to the Washington area, I was bothered with the thought of what exactly happened to John O.W. Hitch. How did he die? Where? Under what circumstances? I had to have some more answers.

Volunteer Southrons

My journey then took me to the National Archives in Washington, DC where there are extensive records on microfilm of both Union and Confederate units and individual soldiers that participated in the Civil War. In the index there, I found John O.W. Hitch of Company A, 21st Mississippi. The records showed how John O.W. Hitch, single, age 21, joined the army "for the (duration of the) war" on May 15, 1861 at Vicksburg, Mississippi where he was employed as a clerk. He was signed into service by Captain D.N. Moody.

Most of this information I already knew, so I had done little but to confirm my research to that point. But, as I read on, I saw in black and white, John O.W. Hitch's engagements in the Civil War. The records stated: "Seven Pines, May 31, 1862, unhurt; Savage Station, June 29, 1862, unhurt; Malvern Hill, July 1, 1862, killed." John Hitch had died in battle at Malvern Hill on the first of July 1862! Success!

At this point, I was beside myself and ready to call it quits for a job well done. However, I had one more loose end to tie up - how did our John Hitch come to be in Malvern Hill on that fateful day? Thinking my obsession to be completely out of control, I didn't know whether to forge on or go home and take some tranquilizers (haha). Fortunately, I embarked on the former.

In the Archives, they also have all the records of the various units who fought in the Civil War. So, in an underlit backroom there, I found a microfilm with the compiled records of the 21st Mississippi Infantry. It gave the handwritten record of that group from its organization in May 1861 through the end of the war!

The 21st Mississippi left Vicksburg in May and arrived in Richmond, Virginia in June 1861. It camped there until July 20th when it then went to Manassas, arriving on July 22, 1861. The 21st saw no action and stayed in Manassas until November 9, 1861. Then it marched to Leesburg to camp over the winter until March 7, 1862. From there, it marched to "Rapid Dam Station" and took the "cars" (train) back to Richmond, then a boat to Yorktown where it arrived about April 7th.

The 21st commenced a retreat from the Peninsula on May 4th and arrived back at Richmond about the middle of May 1862 "after much suffering from excessive heat, severe rains, and short rations resulting in many cases of severe illness." The 21st Regiment was "on the field" at Seven Pines on May 31st and performed "arduous picket duty" until June 29th, but did not engage the enemy. They did engage, however, on June 29, 1862 with only slight casualties.

Finally, on June 30th, the 21st Mississippi reached Malvern Hill and met a "heavy force" of enemy that was "positioned strongly." At 4 P.M., they charged several times to try to dislodge the Union troops from the position but failed. Hurting, they withdrew from the field having suffered wounded or killed of at least one-third of its men. This is where John O.W. Hitch fell, single with no wife or children, thus ending that line of the Hitch family. While it was the end of the road for our John Hitch, the 21st Mississippi went on to serve bravely at Gettysburg, New Market, and Petersburg before the war ended in 1865.

The Mangled Bodies of those Six Noble Spirits

The story of J.O.W. Hitch does not end there. My curiosity had me wondering where John Hitch was buried. Had he made it back to Vicksburg, as he wished, after dying on the field at Malvern Hill? Had Minister Lord conducted his funeral service and was he buried next to his mother as he had wished? I had been corresponding with a Mr. Jeff Gambrione for quite a while - he being an employee of the Vicksburg Historical Society. He had sent me a lot of the material on John's mother. Mr. Gambrione had not found any record of John O.W. Hitch being buried in Vicksburg. I even made a three-hour trip from where I lived at the time in Bowie, Maryland down to the Malvern Hill National Battlefield to try and see if John O.W. Hitch was buried there. I had no luck in finding him and had given up hope of ever doing so.

Then, in January 1999, I got a letter in the mail from Jeff Gambrione (who I had not correspond with in over a year!). In the letter, he enclosed a copy of a newspaper article from the "Vicksburg Dispatch" of May 10, 1898. The article was about the 21st Mississippi Infantry (the Southrons) and, within its words, I found the following:

"There were many accessories to the ranks of the Southrons, however, after they arrived at, Richmond, Virginia, and at other points during the war Among them poor Harry Eggleston, W.H. Denio, Richard Clarke, Hal Lewis and others of our city, whose names the writer of this does not now recollect. At Richmond, Virginia, Bartlett, the Winn Boy, Choc Barksdale and George K. Birchett joined us. But where are the noble spirits that composed the gallant company on the morning of May 29 1861, as they marched to the music for old Tom Roach, up Washington street? Go to the Richmond cemetery and there find Frank Hume and Beach Reading, Jr., who were the first to fall in battle, wounded at Savage Station near Richmond. And who can forget that grave on Malvern Hill, that contains all that is mortal of poor Will H. Brown, Will O. Brecount, Joseph H. Heath, Oscar Hitch, Harry Eggleston. It was a sad moment as five or six of this company, having gotten the mangled bodies of those six noble spirits together and deposited them in one grave, far from home and where they fell in defence of what they believed was right, stood around the grave with bowed heads and listened to the beautiful burial sermon of the Episcopal church, as read by Joe Lyons (by the way another recruit, whose spirit we learn has since winged its light, may we hope for the better world). But we cannot dwell too much on giving the names of those who fell, nor the battles in which they fell, fearing we would tire our readers."

We find that J.O.W. Hitch, his "mangled body," had been placed in a common grave with five of his fellow soldiers in a field in Malvern Hill. He had gotten his Episcopal funeral but never made it back to Vicksburg to lie next to his mother. It then hit me that I had probably actually walked over the unmarked common grave of these valiant soldiers as I explored the battlefield in Malvern Hill that winter's day in the late 1990s. Private Hitch had reached out to let me know where he lay and serve as a testament to the sad story of a life cut short by a bloody civil war.

For me, this story is an amazing mix of family history, American history, and personal sacrifice that makes genealogy a most embracing pastime. I hope you all catch the genealogy "fever" and yearn to explore your past.

Was killed in the Civil War at the Battle of Malvern Hill (VA).

  Events

• Baptism, 15 Dec 1844, Vicksburg, Warren Co., MS. ⁵