John Ellis Wright was the second child and first son born to McDuffie Wright and Miss Sarah Mims in Darlington County SC. Just as his father and his father before him, John was born to the land and became a farmer. His father died when John was in his teens and he became the family patriarch after his father's death.
Even though Darlington was primarily a rural farming community, the citizens held close ties with one another and were involved with civic duties and politics. As the War loomed meetings were held and numerous rolls document the men of the community signing up for duty in their respective age groups. In July 1861, President Davis called for an additional 3,000 volunteers to enlist to the end of the War. And so the 14th infantry was raised shortly afterwards. John was one of those volunteers along with nearly every other young man of serviceable age in Darlington County.
His Civil War papers showed he mustered in age 19 as Private in the Lynch Creek Guards (Co A 14th Regiment SC Infantry) on Aug 10 1861, at Lightwood Knot Springs under Capt. William J. Carter. This unit would later be merged with several other state units and become a brigade under the command of Maxy Gregg. John's subsequent muster rolls show him reporting for duty during each roll call. No other remarks are made on his paperwork until a muster roll dated May/June 1863. On that roll, it was noted by the copyist in the remarks section that John was left in Pennsylvania. There is no doubt this was when John was severely wounded. Only on a later document was it revealed that it was Gettysburg during the infamous Pickett's Charge where John received his injury. As his daughter Maude later said, her father told her the wound occurred when he was kneeling to load his rifle. As he was doing so, a bullet--most likely a minie ball judging from the damage it did to his skull--passed through the soldier who was standing in front of him, killing him instantly. It grazed the top of John's skull, taking out a large section. According daughter Maude, the wound was wide enough and long enough to lay the length of two fingers in on the top of his head. It is quite remarkable that he survived such a major head wound, though it would later lead to further problems for him in life.
The following muster rolls, the first of which is dated July & Aug 1863, indicate he was in enemy hands. It is not known whether he was captured on the battlefield while he was incapacitated after being shot, or if he was taken from a makeshift battlefield hospital. Nonetheless, this was surely another piece of news that must have been quite a blow to his family back in Darlington.
In any case, all further muster rolls from then on until the end of the War state that he was held prisoner by the enemy. One record shows that he was received at Ft. Delaware Maryland from Gettysburg in July of 1863 but no further details are mentioned. So it can be firmly concluded he was taken prisoner shortly after being wounded. He remained in Ft. Delaware's prison until 1865. He was made to swear the Oath of Allegiance on June 7 1865 before being pardoned and released. The Union duly noted his physical description and home residence before letting him go, as they did with all Confederate prisoners.
After the War he came back home and married a young local lady by the name of Miss Mary Louise "Mollie" Board, youngest daughter of William Henry Board and Susannah Commander. She was many years younger than John. Interestingly, he did not know it at the time, but he served alongside her father, William, who was also a Private in the 14th Regiment, but had died of pneumonia near Fredericksburg VA early on in the War. John and Mollie married Aug 28 1878. She bore him 12 children, 10 of which lived.
John became successful at farming and family life. His fortunes and farm prospered after he married. And his children all became responsible, respectable adults.
John died from a combination of heart problems and pneumonia in February 1917. He was buried in the large central family plot at Fair Hope in Darlington the day after he passed away on Feb 21 1917.
There is no Confederate stone or cross around his grave, nor etchings or marks on his headstone that speak of his remarkable survival and service in the War. He was a modest, hard-working family man, who went to War in his teens and but came back home forever changed by the hardships and terrors he witnessed and endured. Perhaps he and his family all wanted to forget that War and what it had done to all of them.