From the program address by Green descendant Mrs. Harvey Lively:
We are gathered today to honor the memory of Private Daniel Green who served bravely and proudly as a soldier of the Confederate States of America.
Daniel was born in Tattnall County Georgia in 1837 the 5th child of 8 children born to William Green and Polly Turner Green. He was the youngest son. He was raised on a farm that was located in the present day Pine Grove Church area near Collins.
March 17, 1858 Daniel married Susan Jernigan. They lived near the present location of Evergreen Baptist Church. Daniel and Susan were farmers.
It was Daniel's idea to establish Evergreen Baptist Church.
Daniel had 2 brothers, Thomas and John who both served in the Confederate Army. Daniel was the only one of the three sons to come home from the war. Thomas was killed in the Battle of Fredericksburg and buried there in the Confederate cemetery. John developed pneumonia and died in Newsome Hospital in Cassville Georgia.
Daniel was 24 years old when he joined the Tattnall Rangers on Aug 31, 1861. He served in the 61st GA Infantry Regiment under the command of General A P Lawton.
61st Infantry Regiment was assembled at Charleston, SC in May 1862. It was formed by using the 7th Georgia Battalion as its nucleus. The men were from the counties of Irwin, Tattnall, Brooks, Bulloch, Montgomery, Bibb, Quitman, and Wilkes. Ordered north in June, the unit arrived at Petersburg, Va. with 1,000 officers and men. During the war, it was brigaded under Generals Lawton, John B. Gordon, and C.A. Evans, Army of Northern Va. It participated in many conflicts from the Seven Days' Battles to Cold Harbor, went with Early to the Shenandoah Valley, and then fought in numerous engagements around Appomattox. When the 61st surrendered, they had no officers and only 81 men left, of which only 49 were armed.
The 61st Ga. Regiment was assigned to General Stonewall Jackson's command on June 11, 1862.
The 61st Ga. arrived with General Jackson’s' column and received its' baptism of fire at the Battle of Gaines Mill June 27, 1862. Spurred on by General Richard Ewell's "Hurrah for Georgia" they formed a line of battle and advanced through a heavy wooded area until they meet the enemy. The 61st Ga. along with the other Ga. Regiments of Lawton's brigade were the first Confederate s engaged in the battle, meeting the Union army near Cold Harbor. The regiment advanced into Boatswain Swamp on the far left of the Confederate line at 5:00 pm "in perfect order through the woods and sticky wet soil". Casualties this day were light.
From what information we can get from Daniel's service records it appears that February 16, 1862 Daniel was discharged for psoriasis of the lower jaw. Some information past down through the generations was that Daniel sought out a medicine woman, some say she was a witch, she mixed an herbal concoction, put it in a rag and tied it around his head. Daniel overcame this illness and was back with his regiment in July 1862
Daniel was severely wounded in the battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862.
At the beginning of the Chancellorsville Campaign, when Lee's army moved from Fredericksburg to Chancellorsville, Daniel's regiment (Gordon's Division) was left behind at Fredericksburg. They were attack at Fredericksburg in what is called the 2nd Battle of Fredericksburg. The were forced to fall back to Salem Church were they regrouped and held off the superior union force until General Lee was able to send reinforcements. During this campaign, Daniel was wounded again.
After the Battle of Gettysburg, he was left as a nurse to care for the severely wounded knowing he would be captured by the Union Army. He was captured in July 1863.
In December 1863, he was exchanged in a prisoner exchange.
Daniel was wounded in the Battle of Wilderness May 1864. He was sent home on furlough never to return to combat. Information we have seen states this injury lead to the amputation of his foot.
After the war, Daniel and his wife Susan had 3 sons: James Asbury Green born in 1865, Jesse Green born in 1867, and John Green born in 1871. All of his sons are buried at Evergreen Church cemetery.
Daniel lived 17 years after the war. He died December 4.
Program organized by Green descendant and Dixie Guard member, Vance Cody Harris.
