History of Port Royal, (Caroline County) Virginia United States of America

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Biographies:

William Loyall Gravatt, bishop-coadjutor of West Virginia and 194th in succession in the American episcopate, was born in Port Royal, Va., Dec. 15, 1858; son of John James and Mary Eliza (Smith) Gravatt; grandson of Reuben and Lucy (Timberlake) Gravatt, and of John Hill and Mary Cary (Ambler) Smith; and a descendant of Edward Jauquelene of Kent county, England; and of Col. Miles Cary of Devonshire, England, who settled in Jamestown, Va., about 1618. William L. Gravatt was a student at Blacksburg military college and was graduated at the Virginia theological seminary in 1884. He was ordained deacon by Bishop Whittle in the seminary chapel, Alexandria, Va., June 27, 1884; and was ordained priest by Bishop Whittle in St. Paul's church, Richmond, Va., in May, 1885. He was assistant rector of St. Paul's church, 1885-87; rector of St. Peter's church, Norfolk, Va., 1887-93; and of Zion church, Charlestown, W.Va., 1893-99. He was a member of the standing committee and examining chaplain of the diocese of West Virginia, and was elected bishop-coadjutor of that diocese July 26, 1899, and consecrated Nov. 10, 1899, at Zion church, by Bishops Whittle, Peterkin and Satterlee.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John Bankhead Magruder, soldier, was born near Port Royal, Va., Aug. 15, 1810; son of Thomas and Eliza (Bankhead) Mugruder. He was graduated from the U.S. Military academy, July 1, 1830; was promoted 1st lieutenant in the 1st artillery, March 31, 1836, and was on ordinance duty, 1836-37. He participated in the Florida war, 1837-38; was in garrison in New York, 1838-40, and was on recruiting service during the Canada border disturbances, 1840-42. He took part in tile military occupation of Texas, 1845-46, and in the war with Mexico, being engaged in the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, the siege of Vera Cruz, the battle of Cerro Gordo, the skirmishes at La Hoya and Oka Laka, the battles of Contreras and Molino del Rey, the storming of Chapultepec, and the assault and capture of the city of Mexico. He was promoted captain in the 1st artillery, June 18, 1846, was brevetted major, April 18, 1847, for Cerro Gordo, and lieutenant-colonel, Sept. 13, 1847, for Chapultepec. He served in garrison, on recruiting service and on frontier duty in Maryland and California, 1848-53; was on leave of absence, 1853-55, and on his return served on various duties in Texas, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Kansas and Washington, D.C., 1855-61. He resigned from the U.S. army, April 20, 1861, and joined the Confederate States army. He was appointed colonel of a corps of infantry, commanded the Confederate forces of between 300 and 400 men, and gained the battle of Big Bethel, June 10, 1861. On June 17, 1861, be was promoted brigadier-general and engaged in covering the approaches to Richmond from the seaboard with an army of 12,000 men, with headquarters at Yorktown, and he successfully resisted the approach of General McClellan for several weeks, until compelled by illness to relinquish his command. He was promoted major-general, Oct. 7, 1862, and commanded a division in the seven days' fighting around Richmond, where he commanded the divisions of Gens. D. R. Jones and Lafayette McLaws, and his own, with the artillery under Col. S. D. Lee. During the change of base of McClellan's army, Magruder engaged his rear-guard at Allen's Farm (Peach Orchard), June 29, 1862. At the battle of Malvern Hill, July 1, 1862, Generals Mugruder, Huger and McLaws distinguished themselves by their detailed attack, and although they were ordered to retire, before doing so they inflicted and sustained a great loss. General Magruder's success on the peninsula led President Davis to give him the command of the new Department of the trans-Mississippi, but before he reached his post he was recalled to Richmond and was subsequently ordered to the Department of Texas, Oct. 16, 1862. On arriving he found Galveston in possession of the Federal forces, but by a joint land and naval attack be succeeded in capturing the city, Jan. 1, 1863, together with 600 prisoners, the steamer Harriet Lane, two barges, a schooner, and a quantity of valuable stores and arms. He commanded the Department of Texas until Aug. 11, 1864, when he was assigned to the district of New Mexico and Arizona, where he remained until the close of the war. He then entered Maximilian's army in Mexico, with the rank of major-general, and served until Maximilian's execution. He returned to the United States in, 1869, and settled in Houston, Texas. He was married to Henrietta, daughter of Herman Von Kappf of Baltimore. He died in Houston, Texas, Feb. 19, 1871.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor