James Charlton Jr. (1783 - 1824)

Born 11 Mar 1783 in Christansburg, Montgomery, Virginia, United States

Ancestors

Died 24 Jan 1824 at age 40 in Christansburg, Montgomery, Virginia, United States

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Biography

James Charlton, Jr.represented Montgomery County in the Legislature in 1811.He was also in Ford's theater December 11, when the building burned and rendered valuable assistance. (This was James Charlton Jr.) Mrs. D.T. Stephens, a grand daughter of William B. Charlton, has a scarf that was given to James Charlton, Jr., by a British Officer to whom he gave a drink of water when he lay dying on the battlefield of Lundy's Lane. The scarf has bullet holes and blood stains.

William B. Charlton and James Charlton, Jr., served in the War of 1812.

In the war of 1812 he served as a distinguished part, resigning his seat as a member of Virginia Legislature, together with James Preston, came home, raised a voluntary company and enlisted for the War, was chosen Captain and marched in Preston’s Regiment to Canada, remained there until the close of the War.

Orderly Book from Captain James Charlton's Company, 12th United States Infantry, during the War of 1812. Records muster rolls, returns, morning reports in one section and regimental, brigade and divisional general orders in another section.

Capt. Charlton's company was recruited primarily from the back county of Virginia (43 soldiers), Pennsylvania (6), Maryland (4), and North Carolina (11). Against the name of each soldier is recorded his home county, date and term of enlistment, enlisting officer, occupation, age, height, hair and eye color, complexion and build. Individual entries made for each soldier record types of equipment, including clothes, arms, and "accoutrements," that were issued, with dates of issuance. Four pages record abstracts of morning report roll calls during a November-December, 1813 encampment at Sackets Harbor.

The general orders include records of promotions, leave, transfers and other daily activities in the unit, along with extensive records of courts martial and instructions for conduct in various situations, all as issued through various adjutant general staff through the command structure. Dates1813-1815^[1]

12th Infantry

Capt. James Charlton's Co.

George Barnhart, James Berry, Jesse Brown, Benjamin Cox, Van Dairy, Enoch Dunn, Thomas Durham, John Eberline, Enoch Ellsley, Edmund Ferguson, Luke Flanagan, Moses Harris, John J. Martin, Preston McClelland, Ezra Mitchell, James Morgan, Richard Morris, Hugh Nelson, David Ray, John Rice, Armsted Tapp, Jonathan Thatcher, John Waddle, John Williams.^[2]

Duel of 1808

James Charlton Jr. acted as a second for John McHenry in a rifle duel with Thomas Lewis in the spring of 1808 in Christianburg. The duel is considered historic and contributed to the passage in January, 1810, of the Barbour Bill outlawing dueling in Virginia.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Infantry Order Book, 1813-1815. Captain James Charlton's Infantry Order Book, Swem Library, College of William & Mary Special Collections Research Center. Accessed February 04, 2021.
2. ↑ National Archives. War of 1812 Discharge Certificates: Soldiers by Unit
3. ↑ Lewis-McHenry Duel Marker

• Father's Find A Grave: Memorial #139399814
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiansburg,_Virginia