family-history

A Chuckatuck Connection to Pickett’s Charge

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Most folks have heard of Pickett’s Charge and the battle of Gettysburg. Fewer know that one of the family stories connected to that famous moment in American history runs right through Chuckatuck.

Meet James Jasper Phillips.

Born in Nansemond County in 1832, Phillips came from a local family tied to the Chuckatuck area. After graduating from the Virginia Military Institute in 1853 — ranked near the top of his class — he returned home and became an educator.

In 1854, he helped establish what became known as the Chuckatuck Military Academy, also remembered as the Chuckatuck Male and Female Institute. Imagine that for a moment: before public schools as we know them today, Chuckatuck had its own school, led by a young VMI-trained teacher, with boys and girls receiving an education right here in the community.

But history soon came calling.

When the War Between the States began, Phillips helped organize the Chuckatuck Light Artillery, a local company of men from this area. Despite the name though, the unit became Company F of the 9th Virginia Infantry. Phillips was elected captain, later rose to colonel, and served through some of the hardest fighting of the war. He was wounded at Gettysburg during Pickett’s Charge, and was later captured at Sailor’s Creek just days before the surrender at Appomattox.

And here is where the family story becomes even more interesting…

James Jasper Phillips was actually the uncle of LaSalle “Sallie” Corbell Pickett, the Chuckatuck-born wife of General George E. Pickett! (… their story will definitely be a future post!) Through the Phillips and Corbell families, our little corner of Nansemond County had a direct family connection to one of the most famous names and moments of the Civil War.

That is what makes local history so powerful.

The great events of history may be remembered in capitals, battlefields, and textbooks — but they were lived by real people from real places. Sometimes, those places are closer than we realize.

Chuckatuck has always been more than a spot on the map. It has been a crossroads of families, faith, education, service, hardship, memory, and story.

And James Jasper Phillips is one of those stories worth remembering.

The Chuckatuck Life

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Hey friends!

Adrienne and I are excited to share something we’ve been working on — our new blog, The Chuckatuck Life 🪴

It’s a space where we’ll be honoring traditions passed down through generations while creating new ones worth holding onto, and celebrating the everyday moments that make life in and around Chuckatuck so special. Think homemade recipes, seasonal traditions, local history, and a little bit of small-town charm along the way.

Welcome to The Chuckatuck Life 💛

Samuel Barron, 1836-1892

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Samuel Barron
Carte-de-visite by photographer Penabert, Paris, France, taken circa 1864-1865 and inscribed to his future wife, Agnes Muse. 

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Born in Virginia in 1836, this Samuel Barron would be the fifth by that same name in a long line of Barron family members committed to naval service.

His father, Samuel Barron (1809-1888) served as Commodore in both the U.S. and C.S. Navy.  His grandfather, Samuel Barron (1765-1810), fought as a junior officer in the American Revolution and later rose through the ranks of the new U.S. Navy, concluding his career as a Commodore.  His grand-uncle, James Barron (1769-1851), was another Commodore and the most senior member of the U.S. Navy upon his death in 1851.  And finally, his great-grandfather, James Barron (1740-1787) served as Commodore of the small Virginia state navy during the American Revolution.

From his obituary in The Norfolk Landmark, Barron was described as “…conceived and nourished in a fondness for the sea, which was gratified at the early age of 16, when he went to the East Indies as cabin boy and returned as first mate, the trip lasting three years. After cruising all over the world, he, about the year 1855, began life anew on a cattle ranch in Brazil from which place he soon drifted to California and was there at the breaking out of the Civil War. When the news reached him, together with… George E. Pickett… he started for the Confederacy, and their experience and thrilling escapes from capture would read more like romance than facts.”

Upon arrival in Richmond, Barron was appointed Acting Master, and assigned to the C.S.S. Jamestown, in which he served during the battle of Hampton Roads (March 8-9, 1862), and on the C.S.S. Beaufort (renamed Roanoke) during the battle of Drewry’s Bluff (May 1862), and with the James River Squadron. 

Barron was promoted to Lieutenant in February 1863, and 1st Lieutenant in January 1864, during which he spent most of his time in “service abroad” on behalf of the Confederate States Navy.  This included work under his father in Europe, who was coordinating a variety of naval support efforts alongside Commander James D. Bulloch.  During this time, the younger Barron aided in cruises of the C.S.S. Florida and C.S.S. Stonewall. 

At the conclusion of the War, Barron traveled abroad, spending significant time in Mexico before returning to the United States in 1868.  He married and settled back in his native Virginia, farming and later operating a ship brokerage company.  In 1892, he died at the age of 56, following complications from a stroke.  He is buried at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Warsaw, Essex County, Virginia, beside his wife and a number of other members of his immediate family.

Image:  Carte-de-visite by photographer Penabert, Paris, France, taken circa 1864-1865 and inscribed to his future wife, Agnes Muse.  Provenance:  Barron family; former Bill Turner collection; courtesy of the collection of Fred D. Taylor.