Description

Julius Franklin Howell was born in Suffolk Virginia in 1846 He enlisted in the Confederate States Army in 1862 and served in the 24th Virginia Cavalry until 1864 when his regiment was moved to the north of Richmond as Robert E Lee and Ulysses S Grant fought near Petersburg Howell took part in the cavalry charge against Union artillery and infantry at a clearing near the Darbytown Road during which he was shot in the leg After his recovery Howell returned to fight and was captured at the Battle of Sailors Creek in Amelia County Virginia on April 6 1865 and held in a Union prison at Point Lookout MD when he heard about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln After the war he became an educator preserving the memories of the Confederate soldier and serving as CommanderinChief of the United Confederate Veterans for decades In 1947 he gave the following recording about his wartime experiences He died a year later at the age of 102