History of Mathews County Virginia United States of America

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James Henry Lane, soldier and educator, was born in Mathews county, Va., July 28,1833; son of Walter G. and Mary A. H. (Barkwell) Lane; grandson of William Lane, and a descendant of Ezechael Lane. He was graduated from the Virginia Military institute in 1854, and from the University of Virginia in 1857. He was assistant professor of mathematics at the Virginia Military institute, 1858, professor of mathematics in the state seminary at Tallahassee, Fla., 1860, professor of natural philosophy and instructor of military tactics in the North Carolina Military school, 1861. At the outbreak of the civil war he was adjutant of the first camp of instruction of North Carolina militia and was elected major of the 1st North Carolina volunteers, May 11, 1861, was promoted lieutenant-colonel Sept. 1, 1861, and elected colonel of the 28th North Carolina volunteers, Sept. 21, 1861. He was promoted brigadier-general Nov. 1, 1862, and on Dec. 13, 1862, at the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., he commanded the 4th brigade of Gen. A. P. Hill's light division, Jackson's 2d corps, and it was between his brigade and that of General Archer that the Federal troops forced their way to the weak point in Jackson's line, and after Gregg fell, the two brigades rallied, forced the victorious Federal forces back and recovered the lost ground. At Gettysburg his brigade, with that of General Scales, formed a part of W. D. Pender's division and took part in the futile charge with Pickett's division on Cemetery Ridge, July 3, 1863. When Pender was mortally wounded on the 2d Lane succeeded to the command of the division until relieved by Maj.-Gen. Isaac R. Trimble on the 3d, and when he in turn was wounded in the charge and captured, Lane again assumed command of the division. He then served through the Wilderness campaign, and at Spottsylvania Court House, May 12, 1864, his brigade checked Hancock's advance in the bloody angle, and in the hand to hand fight his brigade was on the right of Stewart's and bravely withstood the terrible onslaught made by the Federal troops. He was with Lee's army in the Appomattox campaign, his brigade still forming part of Wilcox's division, A. P. Hill's 3d army corps, and surrendered at Appomatox. He was married, Sept. 13, 1869, to Charlotte Randolph, daughter of Benjamin L. and Jane E. Meade, of Richmond, Va. After the close of the war he engaged in teaching in North Carolina and Virginia; was commandant and professor of natural philosophy in the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical college; and in 1882 was elected professor of civil engineering and drawing in the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical college, which position he still held in 1901.

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

Thomas Jefferson Page, naval officer, was born at Shelley, Gloucester (now Matthews) county, Va., Jan. 8, 1808; son of Mann and Elizabeth (Nelson) Page; grandson of Gov. John and Frances (Burwell) Page; and of Gen. Thomas and Fannie Tinker (Houston) Nelson of Yorktown, Va., and a descendant of Col. John and Alice (Luckin) Page. He entered the U.S. navy as midshipman Oct. 1, 1827; was promoted lieutenant, June 10, 1833, and captain, Sept. 14, 1855. He was married Nov. 8, 1839, to Benjamina, daughter of Benjamin Price of Loudoun county, Va. For several years he was employed on the coast survey, and later he sailed around the world in the Dolphin. On his return he suggested a plan for the survey of the China seas, for which congress made an appropriation, and in 1852, when John P. Kennedy became secretary of the navy and the expedition was enlarged, Com. Matthew Perry being appointed to the command, Lieut. Page was offered the second place, which he declined. He was given command of an expedition for the exploration of the tributaries of the Rio de la Plata and adjacent countries, in 1853. While pursuing his mission he returned a shot in response to one fired upon his ship, the Water Witch, from a Paraguayan fort on the Paraua river in February, 1855, the affair resulting in the loss of one sailor, killed, for which the U.S. government secured reparation in January, 1859. He returned to the United States in May, 1856. His surreys were completed in 1860, turning his charts, notes, and journals over to the navy department. He resigned his commission April 18, 1861, on the secession Virginia. He was offered an admiral's commission in the Italian navy to aid in its reorganization in 1861, but declined and entered the Confederate service. He commanded the heavy batteries at Gloucester Point on the York river, and engaged in building gun boats at West Point, Va., which he burned upon the surrender and retreat from Yorktown. He was commisioned commodore in 1862, and sent to England to take command of an iron clad then being built in the Mersey river. This vessel, however, was seized by the English government under threat of war from the U.S. minister, where upon he took command of a small iron-clod at Copenhagen, Denmark, which he renamed Stonewall. This also being seized in a Spanish harbor, thereby cutting off his services to the Confederate States, he went to Argentine Republic and engaged in exploration. He was afterward associated with ex-President Uzquiza in sheep and cattle raising. Subsequently he went to England to superintend the construction of two iron-clads and two gun-boats for the Argentine navy, in which institution his son was a fleet captain, and engaged in extending the exploration of the tributaries of the Plata. In 1880 he took up his residence in Florence, Italy. He is the author of: La Plata: the Argentine Confederation and Paraguay (1859); describing 3600 miles of river, navigation and exploration on land excluding over 4400 miles. He died in Rome, TheItaly, Oct. 26, 1899.

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

History of Mathews County Virginia

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