With the first volunteers

Isaac Bonham was born in Berryville. By his death notice he "went out at the age of 16 with the first volunteers that enlisted for the war from his native State," a private in the Clarke Cavalry, the 6th Virginia. The same notice says he served as "special courier to Stonewall Jackson," and that he was captured and "for a long time lingered in prison."

He did not die in Clarke. He had settled in Vicksburg in 1869, and in August 1883 he was shot there in an affray between two other men, and died the next morning. The Vicksburg Herald wrote that he had been "interposing ... to prevent the effusion of blood." The Courier reprinted the Herald's account.

Source note: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1883
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

Isaac Bonham's death notice, which the Clarke Courier reprinted from the Vicksburg Herald in 1883, says he "went out at the age of 16 with the first volunteers," a private in the Clarke Cavalry, 6th Virginia; that he served as "special courier to Stonewall Jackson"; and that he was captured and "for a long time lingered in prison."

What the source supports

What the notice says of his service.

Uncertainty

The age and the courier service are the notice's, written about twenty years after the war.

Source

Reporting

Evidence role: contextualizes. The Courier's reprint of the Herald.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 6, 1883, page 3: "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinting the Vicksburg Herald of August 14

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1883-09-06 (publication)

Locator: Page 3, "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham"

Relevant passage
We take the following account of the death of Isaac Bonham from the Vicksburg Herald of August 14th:

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. Sixteen, with the first volunteers.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 6, 1883, page 3: "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinting the Vicksburg Herald of August 14

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1883-09-06 (publication)

Locator: Page 3, "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham"

Relevant passage
He went out at the age of 16 with the first volunteers that enlisted for the war from his native State, and entered the army as a private in the celebrated Clarke Cavalry, 6th Virginia, and served with distinction during the entire continuance of the hostilities.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. Courier to Jackson; prison.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 6, 1883, page 3: "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinting the Vicksburg Herald of August 14

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1883-09-06 (publication)

Locator: Page 3, "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham"

Relevant passage
He was for a long time during that period engaged as special courier to Stonewall Jackson, a trying and dangerous post, which called for the exercises of the highest qualities of coolness, daring and bravery. He was captured and for a long time lingered in prison

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

Source note: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1883
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

Bonham, a native of Berryville, was shot in Vicksburg in August 1883 in an affray between two other men and died the next morning, in the 37th year of his age; the Herald wrote that he had been "interposing ... to prevent the effusion of blood."

What the source supports

How and when he died.

Uncertainty

The Herald's account of the affray, as the Courier reprinted it.

Source

Reporting

Evidence role: contextualizes. A Vicksburg man since 1869.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 6, 1883, page 3: "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinting the Vicksburg Herald of August 14

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1883-09-06 (publication)

Locator: Page 3, "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham"

Relevant passage
He became a citizen of Vicksburg in 1869

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. Shot, and died Sunday.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 6, 1883, page 3: "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinting the Vicksburg Herald of August 14

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1883-09-06 (publication)

Locator: Page 3, "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham"

Relevant passage
Mr. Isaac Bonham, who was shot in the unfortunate affray between H. H. Moore and Jno. H. Coleman, last Saturday evening, breathed his last, at his late residence on South Mulberry street, at 6:30 a. m. Sunday.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. The peacemaker.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 6, 1883, page 3: "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinting the Vicksburg Herald of August 14

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1883-09-06 (publication)

Locator: Page 3, "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham"

Relevant passage
at a time when he was interposing, in the heaven-blessed ministration of peace maker, to prevent the effusion of blood

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. Native of Berryville; his age.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 6, 1883, page 3: "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinting the Vicksburg Herald of August 14

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1883-09-06 (publication)

Locator: Page 3, "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham"

Relevant passage
The deceased was a native of Berryville, Clarke county, Va., and at the time of his death was in the 37th year of his age.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

A long newspaper column headed "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinted from the Vicksburg Herald, telling how he was shot as a peacemaker and that he went to war at sixteen in the Clarke Cavalry.

The Courier reprints the Vicksburg Herald: Isaac Bonham, who "went out at the age of 16 with the first volunteers."

What this image does and does not showA crop of part of one page; the rest of the page is not shown.

Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), September 6, 1883, page 3. Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Rights Changes: Cropped from the Library of Congress page image to the region of this item: 851 by 2935 pixels, shown at its own 851 by 2935 pixels; re-encoded as JPEG. Nothing retouched or added.

Source: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 6, 1883, page 3: "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinting the Vicksburg Herald of August 14 Open the full image

In his teens

Burwell McGuire served in the same company. When he died near Berryville in January 1912, in the sixty-seventh year of his age, the Courier wrote that he had served in the Clarke Cavalry, "he then being only a youth in his 'teens." He had lived in the county all his life.

Source note: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1912
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

Burwell McGuire, who died near Berryville in January 1912 in the sixty-seventh year of his age, had served in the Clarke Cavalry, "he then being only a youth in his 'teens," the Courier wrote; he had lived in the county all his life.

What the source supports

What the notice says of his service and his age.

Uncertainty

A death notice, written nearly fifty years after the war.

Source

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. His death and age.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., January 24, 1912, page 1: "Death of Burwell McGuire"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1912-01-24 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "Death of Burwell McGuire"

Relevant passage
Mr. Burwell McGuire died at his home near town at five o'clock yesterday (Tuesday) morning, after a protracted illness from Bright's disease. He was in the sixty-seventh year of his age.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. In his teens, in the Clarke Cavalry.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., January 24, 1912, page 1: "Death of Burwell McGuire"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1912-01-24 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "Death of Burwell McGuire"

Relevant passage
Mr. McGuire was a gallant Confederate soldier during the war between the States, serving in the Clarke Cavalry, he then being only a youth in his 'teens.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. A lifelong resident.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., January 24, 1912, page 1: "Death of Burwell McGuire"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1912-01-24 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "Death of Burwell McGuire"

Relevant passage
He had resided on his farm near Berryville for many years past, and had been a resident of the county all of his life.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

A newspaper column headed "Death of Burwell McGuire," saying he served in the Clarke Cavalry when only a youth in his teens, with his funeral and pallbearers.

"Only a youth in his 'teens": the Courier on Burwell McGuire of the Clarke Cavalry, 1912.

What this image does and does not showA crop of part of one page; the rest of the page is not shown.

Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), January 24, 1912, page 1. Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Rights Changes: Cropped from the Library of Congress page image to the region of this item: 721 by 2340 pixels, shown at its own 721 by 2340 pixels; re-encoded as JPEG. Nothing retouched or added.

Source: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., January 24, 1912, page 1: "Death of Burwell McGuire" Open the full image

A lad of seventeen

Charles T. Jones of the Long Marsh district entered the Confederate army in 1864, "when a lad of but 17 years," the Courier wrote at his death in February 1894, "and shortly thereafter received a wound which disabled him for some time." He was a farmer, and represented his district five or more years on the county board of supervisors.

Source note: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1894
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

Charles T. Jones of the Long Marsh district, who died in February 1894 "aged nearly 48 years," had entered the Confederate army in 1864 "when a lad of but 17 years" and was soon wounded; he later sat five or more years on the county board of supervisors, the Courier wrote.

What the source supports

What the notice says of his service, his wound and his later life.

Uncertainty

A death notice, written thirty years after the war.

Source

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. His death and age.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., February 14, 1894, page 3: "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1894-02-14 (publication)

Locator: Page 3, "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

Relevant passage
Mr. Chas. T. Jones, a well known and popular citizen of Long Marsh district, in this county, died at his home on Tuesday evening, February 6th, about 7 o'clock, aged nearly 48 years.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. Seventeen in 1864; wounded.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., February 14, 1894, page 3: "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1894-02-14 (publication)

Locator: Page 3, "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

Relevant passage
He entered the Confederate army in 1864, when a lad of but 17 years, and shortly thereafter received a wound which disabled him for some time.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. The board of supervisors.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., February 14, 1894, page 3: "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1894-02-14 (publication)

Locator: Page 3, "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

Relevant passage
Mr. Jones was a farmer by occupation, but represented the district in which he resided five or more years on our board of supervisors

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

A newspaper column headed "Death of Chas. T. Jones," saying he entered the Confederate army in 1864 at seventeen, was wounded, and later served on the board of supervisors.

"A lad of but 17 years": Charles T. Jones of Long Marsh, who went into the army in 1864.

What this image does and does not showA crop of part of one page; the rest of the page is not shown.

Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), February 14, 1894, page 3. Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Rights Changes: Cropped from the Library of Congress page image to the region of this item: 788 by 1736 pixels, shown at its own 788 by 1736 pixels; re-encoded as JPEG. Nothing retouched or added.

Source: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., February 14, 1894, page 3: "Death of Chas. T. Jones" Open the full image

The last year of the war

W. W. Bowles, born near Winchester, joined the Confederate army "during the last year of the civil war," when he was "a lad of sixteen," and served under Capt. Jack Adams. He later moved to Clarke, and died at his home, "Glenvin," east of Millwood, in September 1924. He was 77.

Source note: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1924
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

W. W. Bowles, born near Winchester, joined the Confederate army "during the last year of the civil war" as "a lad of sixteen" and served under Capt. Jack Adams; he later moved to Clarke and died at his home, "Glenvin," east of Millwood, in September 1924, at 77, the Courier wrote.

What the source supports

What the notice says of his service and his life.

Uncertainty

A death notice, written sixty years after the war.

Source

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. Sixteen, in the last year of the war.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 25, 1924, page 1: "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-09-25 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

Relevant passage
During the last year of the civil war, Mr. Bowles, then a lad of sixteen joined the Confederate army and served under Capt. Jack Adams a noted calvary [sic] commander.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. His death at Glenvin.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 25, 1924, page 1: "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-09-25 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

Relevant passage
Friends and acquaintances through the County were shocked to learn of the sudden death of Mr. W. W. Bowles at his home "Glenvin" a short distance East of Millwood on last Sunday morning

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. Born near Winchester.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 25, 1924, page 1: "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-09-25 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

Relevant passage
Mr. Bowles was born near Winchester, the son of the late James and Rebecca Smith Bowles

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. Moved to Clarke.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 25, 1924, page 1: "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-09-25 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

Relevant passage
He moved to Clarke County and soon became one of its most prominent and successful business men.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. His age.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 25, 1924, page 1: "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-09-25 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

Relevant passage
He was 77 years of age.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

A newspaper column headed "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest," describing his sudden death at Glenvin near Millwood and saying he joined the Confederate army at sixteen in the last year of the war.

"W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest": a lad of sixteen in the last year of the war, a landowner at Glenvin sixty years later.

What this image does and does not showA crop of part of one page; the rest of the page is not shown.

Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), September 25, 1924, page 1. Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Rights Changes: Cropped from the Library of Congress page image to the region of this item: 884 by 3146 pixels, shown at its own 884 by 3146 pixels; re-encoded as JPEG. Nothing retouched or added.

Source: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 25, 1924, page 1: "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest" Open the full image

Buried with his badge

William E. Reed was born in Winchester and spent the greater part of his life in Clarke, where he became a grain merchant. He was "scarcely more than a boy," the Courier wrote at his death in April 1924, when he entered Company C of the 12th Virginia Cavalry, in Rosser's "Laurel Brigade."

He asked to be buried with two things pinned to his breast: his Confederate badge of honor, and the medal the Sunday school of Marvin Chapel gave him when he retired after thirty years as its superintendent.

Source note: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1924
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

William E. Reed, born in Winchester, spent the greater part of his life in Clarke and became a grain merchant; at his death in April 1924 the Courier wrote that he was "scarcely more than a boy" when he entered Company C of the 12th Virginia Cavalry, Rosser's "Laurel Brigade."

What the source supports

What the notice says of his service and his life.

Uncertainty

A death notice, written sixty years after the war; "scarcely more than a boy" is the paper's inference from his age.

Source

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. His life in Clarke.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., April 10, 1924, page 1: "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-04-10 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

Relevant passage
While a resident of Charles Town for the past ten or twelve years the greater part of his life had been spent in Clarke county

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. Scarcely more than a boy; his company.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., April 10, 1924, page 1: "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-04-10 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

Relevant passage
Mr. Reed was born in Winchester a little over eighty years ago, and was consequently scarcely more than a boy when he entered the Confederate service as a member of Company C., 12th Virginia Cavalry, General Rosser's, known as the "Laurel Brigade,"

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. Grain merchant.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., April 10, 1924, page 1: "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-04-10 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

Relevant passage
Mr. Reed's remarkable business record began over forty years ago when he became a grain merchant.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

Source note: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1924
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

One of Reed's last requests, the Courier reported, was that his Confederate badge of honor and the medal the Sunday school of Marvin Chapel gave him after thirty years as its superintendent be pinned on his breast and buried with him.

What the source supports

His last request.

Uncertainty

As the paper reported it.

Source

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. The badge and the medal.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., April 10, 1924, page 1: "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-04-10 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

Relevant passage
one of his last requests was that his Confederate badge of honor and a medal presented to him by the Sunday school of Marvin Chapel upon his retirement as superintendent after a service of thirty years, should be pinned on his breast after he had fallen into his long sleep and buried with him.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

A newspaper column headed "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest," saying he entered the 12th Virginia Cavalry as scarcely more than a boy and asked to be buried with his badge of honor and a Sunday school medal.

"Scarcely more than a boy": William E. Reed of the Laurel Brigade, buried with his badge of honor and his Sunday school medal.

What this image does and does not showA crop of part of one page; the rest of the page is not shown.

Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), April 10, 1924, page 1. Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Rights Changes: Cropped from the Library of Congress page image to the region of this item: 850 by 2362 pixels, shown at its own 850 by 2362 pixels; re-encoded as JPEG. Nothing retouched or added.

Source: Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., April 10, 1924, page 1: "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest" Open the full image

About the noticesWhat the evidence says
What the evidence says

Five Clarke Courier death notices of 1883 to 1924, read on the Library of Congress page images, each say the man went to war young.

Each is a death notice written years after the war, from the family's and the paper's memory; none is a service record, and the ages are not checked here against other records.

  • An account exists✓ Supported by a source

    Isaac Bonham's death notice, which the Clarke Courier reprinted from the Vicksburg Herald in 1883, says he "went out at the age of 16 with the first volunteers," a private in the Clarke Cavalry, 6th Virginia; that he served as "special courier to Stonewall Jackson"; and that he was captured and "for a long time lingered in prison."

    See the evidence
    ✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

    Isaac Bonham's death notice, which the Clarke Courier reprinted from the Vicksburg Herald in 1883, says he "went out at the age of 16 with the first volunteers," a private in the Clarke Cavalry, 6th Virginia; that he served as "special courier to Stonewall Jackson"; and that he was captured and "for a long time lingered in prison."

    What the source supports

    What the notice says of his service.

    Uncertainty

    The age and the courier service are the notice's, written about twenty years after the war.

    Source

    Reporting

    Evidence role: contextualizes. The Courier's reprint of the Herald.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 6, 1883, page 3: "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinting the Vicksburg Herald of August 14

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1883-09-06 (publication)

    Locator: Page 3, "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham"

    Relevant passage
    We take the following account of the death of Isaac Bonham from the Vicksburg Herald of August 14th:

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. Sixteen, with the first volunteers.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 6, 1883, page 3: "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinting the Vicksburg Herald of August 14

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1883-09-06 (publication)

    Locator: Page 3, "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham"

    Relevant passage
    He went out at the age of 16 with the first volunteers that enlisted for the war from his native State, and entered the army as a private in the celebrated Clarke Cavalry, 6th Virginia, and served with distinction during the entire continuance of the hostilities.

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. Courier to Jackson; prison.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 6, 1883, page 3: "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham," reprinting the Vicksburg Herald of August 14

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1883-09-06 (publication)

    Locator: Page 3, "Death of Mr. Isaac Bonham"

    Relevant passage
    He was for a long time during that period engaged as special courier to Stonewall Jackson, a trying and dangerous post, which called for the exercises of the highest qualities of coolness, daring and bravery. He was captured and for a long time lingered in prison

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

  • An account exists✓ Supported by a source

    Burwell McGuire, who died near Berryville in January 1912 in the sixty-seventh year of his age, had served in the Clarke Cavalry, "he then being only a youth in his 'teens," the Courier wrote; he had lived in the county all his life.

    See the evidence
    ✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

    Burwell McGuire, who died near Berryville in January 1912 in the sixty-seventh year of his age, had served in the Clarke Cavalry, "he then being only a youth in his 'teens," the Courier wrote; he had lived in the county all his life.

    What the source supports

    What the notice says of his service and his age.

    Uncertainty

    A death notice, written nearly fifty years after the war.

    Source

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. His death and age.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., January 24, 1912, page 1: "Death of Burwell McGuire"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1912-01-24 (publication)

    Locator: Page 1, "Death of Burwell McGuire"

    Relevant passage
    Mr. Burwell McGuire died at his home near town at five o'clock yesterday (Tuesday) morning, after a protracted illness from Bright's disease. He was in the sixty-seventh year of his age.

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. In his teens, in the Clarke Cavalry.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., January 24, 1912, page 1: "Death of Burwell McGuire"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1912-01-24 (publication)

    Locator: Page 1, "Death of Burwell McGuire"

    Relevant passage
    Mr. McGuire was a gallant Confederate soldier during the war between the States, serving in the Clarke Cavalry, he then being only a youth in his 'teens.

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. A lifelong resident.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., January 24, 1912, page 1: "Death of Burwell McGuire"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1912-01-24 (publication)

    Locator: Page 1, "Death of Burwell McGuire"

    Relevant passage
    He had resided on his farm near Berryville for many years past, and had been a resident of the county all of his life.

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

  • An account exists✓ Supported by a source

    Charles T. Jones of the Long Marsh district, who died in February 1894 "aged nearly 48 years," had entered the Confederate army in 1864 "when a lad of but 17 years" and was soon wounded; he later sat five or more years on the county board of supervisors, the Courier wrote.

    See the evidence
    ✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

    Charles T. Jones of the Long Marsh district, who died in February 1894 "aged nearly 48 years," had entered the Confederate army in 1864 "when a lad of but 17 years" and was soon wounded; he later sat five or more years on the county board of supervisors, the Courier wrote.

    What the source supports

    What the notice says of his service, his wound and his later life.

    Uncertainty

    A death notice, written thirty years after the war.

    Source

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. His death and age.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., February 14, 1894, page 3: "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1894-02-14 (publication)

    Locator: Page 3, "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

    Relevant passage
    Mr. Chas. T. Jones, a well known and popular citizen of Long Marsh district, in this county, died at his home on Tuesday evening, February 6th, about 7 o'clock, aged nearly 48 years.

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. Seventeen in 1864; wounded.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., February 14, 1894, page 3: "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1894-02-14 (publication)

    Locator: Page 3, "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

    Relevant passage
    He entered the Confederate army in 1864, when a lad of but 17 years, and shortly thereafter received a wound which disabled him for some time.

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. The board of supervisors.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., February 14, 1894, page 3: "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1894-02-14 (publication)

    Locator: Page 3, "Death of Chas. T. Jones"

    Relevant passage
    Mr. Jones was a farmer by occupation, but represented the district in which he resided five or more years on our board of supervisors

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

  • An account exists✓ Supported by a source

    W. W. Bowles, born near Winchester, joined the Confederate army "during the last year of the civil war" as "a lad of sixteen" and served under Capt. Jack Adams; he later moved to Clarke and died at his home, "Glenvin," east of Millwood, in September 1924, at 77, the Courier wrote.

    See the evidence
    ✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

    W. W. Bowles, born near Winchester, joined the Confederate army "during the last year of the civil war" as "a lad of sixteen" and served under Capt. Jack Adams; he later moved to Clarke and died at his home, "Glenvin," east of Millwood, in September 1924, at 77, the Courier wrote.

    What the source supports

    What the notice says of his service and his life.

    Uncertainty

    A death notice, written sixty years after the war.

    Source

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. Sixteen, in the last year of the war.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 25, 1924, page 1: "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-09-25 (publication)

    Locator: Page 1, "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

    Relevant passage
    During the last year of the civil war, Mr. Bowles, then a lad of sixteen joined the Confederate army and served under Capt. Jack Adams a noted calvary [sic] commander.

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. His death at Glenvin.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 25, 1924, page 1: "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-09-25 (publication)

    Locator: Page 1, "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

    Relevant passage
    Friends and acquaintances through the County were shocked to learn of the sudden death of Mr. W. W. Bowles at his home "Glenvin" a short distance East of Millwood on last Sunday morning

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. Born near Winchester.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 25, 1924, page 1: "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-09-25 (publication)

    Locator: Page 1, "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

    Relevant passage
    Mr. Bowles was born near Winchester, the son of the late James and Rebecca Smith Bowles

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. Moved to Clarke.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 25, 1924, page 1: "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-09-25 (publication)

    Locator: Page 1, "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

    Relevant passage
    He moved to Clarke County and soon became one of its most prominent and successful business men.

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. His age.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., September 25, 1924, page 1: "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-09-25 (publication)

    Locator: Page 1, "W. W. Bowles Laid to Rest"

    Relevant passage
    He was 77 years of age.

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

  • An account exists✓ Supported by a source

    William E. Reed, born in Winchester, spent the greater part of his life in Clarke and became a grain merchant; at his death in April 1924 the Courier wrote that he was "scarcely more than a boy" when he entered Company C of the 12th Virginia Cavalry, Rosser's "Laurel Brigade."

    See the evidence
    ✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

    William E. Reed, born in Winchester, spent the greater part of his life in Clarke and became a grain merchant; at his death in April 1924 the Courier wrote that he was "scarcely more than a boy" when he entered Company C of the 12th Virginia Cavalry, Rosser's "Laurel Brigade."

    What the source supports

    What the notice says of his service and his life.

    Uncertainty

    A death notice, written sixty years after the war; "scarcely more than a boy" is the paper's inference from his age.

    Source

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. His life in Clarke.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., April 10, 1924, page 1: "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-04-10 (publication)

    Locator: Page 1, "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

    Relevant passage
    While a resident of Charles Town for the past ten or twelve years the greater part of his life had been spent in Clarke county

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. Scarcely more than a boy; his company.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., April 10, 1924, page 1: "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-04-10 (publication)

    Locator: Page 1, "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

    Relevant passage
    Mr. Reed was born in Winchester a little over eighty years ago, and was consequently scarcely more than a boy when he entered the Confederate service as a member of Company C., 12th Virginia Cavalry, General Rosser's, known as the "Laurel Brigade,"

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    Reporting

    Evidence role: supports. Grain merchant.

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., April 10, 1924, page 1: "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

    Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1924-04-10 (publication)

    Locator: Page 1, "Wm. E. Reed Laid to Rest"

    Relevant passage
    Mr. Reed's remarkable business record began over forty years ago when he became a grain merchant.

    Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

    Open source

    Source family: clarke-courier. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

    AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-10-12. How this project checks its sources

Each statement above is assessed on its own evidence. Nothing here is averaged, scored or voted on, and a well-attributed account can be documented while what it describes stays unconfirmed.

Closing notes
What to take awayThe Courier remembered five of Clarke's Confederates as boys when they went to war; the ages are the papers' own, written years later.

Source note

This story rests on five Clarke Courier death notices of 1883 to 1924, read on the Library of Congress page images; Isaac Bonham's is the Courier's reprint of the Vicksburg Herald's. None is a service record. The ages are the papers' own, written decades after the war, and they do not all square: Bonham's notice has him going out at 16 "with the first volunteers," yet in his 37th year when he died in 1883, which would make him younger than 16 in 1861. The praise ("gallant," "celebrated," "with distinction") is the papers'; this site does not adopt it. The five men are on this site's roll of Clarke's veterans.

Open question

What ages do the muster rolls and the censuses give these five men when they enlisted?

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The last roll call: the Clarke Cavalry, 1884 to 1918

The company Isaac Bonham and Burwell McGuire served in, and how its survivors kept meeting from 1884 to 1918.