It would be interesting if we knew of an Eller who had distinguished himself in the line of duty in any way during the Civil War. My search up to this time has revealed that the highest rank attained by any Eller in the Civil War was that of Captain (Jesse Franklin Eller 53rd N.C. Inf., Calvin Eller, 58th N.C. Inf., & Emanuel Eller, of the 32nd Indiana Inf.) But what about someone who might be considered a real, bona fide hero?
In my reading of "North Carolina Troops Vol. 9, I found listed a soldier by the name of OBADIAH ELLER, nominated for the "Badge of Distinction' following the Battle of Chancellorsville, fought 1 to 4 May 1863. Further research in the "Official Records: War of the Rebellion", 128 volume work on the Civil War, I found only one Eller listed in that very extensive index and that was OBADIAH ELLER, with the following notation on his participation in the Battle of Chancellorsville:
General Order No. 131.
Adjutant and Inspector Generals Office
Richmond, Virginia, 3 Oct. 1863.
Private Obadiah Eller, Co. D, 34th N.C. Regiment
"Names to be Inscribed on a roll of honor, to be preserved in the office of the Adjutant and Inspector Generals Office, for having best displayed their courage and devotion on the field of battle". Battle of Chancellorsville, May 2 to 4, 1863. Official Record: War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Vol. XXV, P. 1054.
It would be well to know something more about this Confederate soldier. He is not mentioned by J.W. Hook in GEORGE MICHAEL ELLER AND DESCENDANTS OF HIS IN AMERICA, so I turned to the National Archives and for his service record. Not much is learned in a genealogical way from the service record, but some interesting facts can be gleaned, so let's see what we can learn about Obadiah.
He was born in Salisbury, Rowan Co., N.C. and enlisted into Co. D, (Oakland Guards) 34th Infantry Regiment, on 9 Sept. 1861 at the age of 21, making the year of his birth 1840. He was 5 ft. 7 3/4 inches In height, light complexion, light hair, light eyes, and a farmer by occupation. He mustered Into the Confederate service 9 Sept. 1961. On I Oct. 1862 he was admitted to the General Hospital, Farmville, VA, for a period of two weeks With the diagnosis of "Hydrops", which by definition is a general term denoting an accumulation of fluid somewhere in the body. Since it is not mentioned again, his ailment was apparently only temporary.
-6-
The Battle of Chancellorsville took place the following spring, 1-4 May 1863. To reconstruct some of the experiences in Obadiah's life at this time we will have to follow the path of the 34th N.C. Infantry Regiment. The 34th Regt. was one of the regiments comprising William Pender's Brigade, Henry Heth's (formerly A.P. Hill's) 'Light Division" of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's command. This battle is known as the most brilliant and complete victory in Robert E. Lee's career as the commanding general of the Confederate Army. This victory was, in a large degree, due to Jackson's famous march around the entire Union army and to come up on it's right flank.
So where was Obadiah and in what particular action was he most probably involved? About 5:15 PM, 2 May 1863, Jackson surprised the Federal troops and completely routed them, but darkness fell and brought a respite to the Union forces. However, In the early hours of 3 May, General Lee ordered an advance along the entire front. The troops of the left flank, led by Pender's Brigade, with the 34th N.C. Regt., (and Obadiah Eller) were in the first line of this very spirited and successful attack. They carried the Union breastworks, pushed the Federal forces back, and occupied Chancellorsville.
Unquestionably this was Lee's best fought battle of the war, however, it turned out to be a somewhat hollow victory, for the indispensable "Stonewall" Jackson would die about a week later from wounds sustained in the early evening hours of May 2nd, at the hands of friendly Confederate troops who had mistaken Jackson and his staff for enemy soldier.
It remains that we do not know what Obadiah had done to warrant the "Badge of Distinction", but from the above we can be quite assured as to when and where. Obadiah was promoted from private to 5th Sgt. (Color Sgt.) on I Sept. 1863, no doubt due to his deeds of bravery. However, he didn't retain this rating long, for he was reduced to rank of private on 31 March 1864, for reasons unknown to us.
Following the Battle of Chancellorsville, Obadiah would have participated with the 34th N.C. Inf. in the Battle of Gettysburg, notably on July 1st, and again on July 3rd in the unsuccessful but immortal "Pickett's Charge" against the Union Army entrenched on Cemetary Ridge. In May of the following year General U.S. Grant began his spring offensive by entering the Wilderness, and continued battle until Richmond and Petersburg were Invested In a siege. Obadiah did not take part in active combat of this prolonged battle for he had been detached to extra duty in the division provost guard.
-7-
The next we learn about our hero was his being captured while in the hospital in Richmond, Virginia, 3 Apr. 1865. This was the day that Federal forces had entered Richmond and raised the U.S. flag over the occupied city. It is possible that Obadiah was a patient in the Chimborazo Hospital, celebrated as the world's largest hospital at that time, which was taken over by Federal troops on that date. He was taken to Libby Prison in Richmond, then transferred to Newport News, 23 Apr. 1865, from which lie was released on 16 June 1865, after taking the oath of allegiance to the U.S. Government. Obadiah married Caroline Barger on 4 Jan. 1866, in Rowan Co., N.C., with Green Eller as bondsman. Green Eller conceivably was Obadiah's older brother for the two men enlisted In Confederate service on the same date, in the same place, joining the same regiment. But this was another story for another time.
We have not identified Obadlah's ancestors or his family line, however, we have been able to view briefly the life and experiences of an Eller Civil War participant, serving with distinction in a cause in which he believed as the right one.
Oh, yes, his oath of allegiance was signed with an X, or "his mark". Literacy was not a test or prerequisite for nor against courage and devotion on the field of battle, when called upon, or when required.
(Eds. Let's hear from Obadiah's descendants. Did he and Caroline remain in Rowan Co., NC? How many children did he and Caroline have? Who were his parents and other ancestors? Does his family have stories and pictures of this Eller hero of the Civil War? What relation was Obadiah and Green Eller? Please send your stories and information on Obadiah and Green to Byron Eller, 6507 Jack Hill Drive, Oroville, CA 95966. Byron will be at the Eller Family Conference, July 20-239 1989, Salisbury, NC and provide a report on his Civil War research.
If you have an ancestor who participated in the Civil War and was not listed send all information you have to Byron. This bit of history that so many Ellers participated in will soon become a valuable and important part of our legacy to future generations of Ellers.)
Query: Byron H. Eller, 6507 Jack Hill Drive, Oroville, CA 95966, seeks the address of Peter Lenn Eller who wrote an article in "Ashe County Heritage' about his great grandfather, Calvin Eller, who was a Captain in the Confederate Army. The address of Wade Edward Eller, Jr. who wrote about his father's life in the same publication is also sought.
-8-