Drummer boy Tommie Wood died of pneumonia. Matthew Nunnally fell at Gettysburg. Road trips to a Georgia county and 2 photos put their stories together

Pvt. Thomas G. Wood (left, courtesy David W. Vaughan Collection) and Matthew and Josiah Nunnally (Findagrave)

I had an “aha moment” this week that came after two road trips, a phone call, email exchanges and online research into two young Georgians who died during the Civil War.

Months after I traveled through Walton County on two occasions, I was able to connect young drummer Pvt. Thomas “Tommie” Gaston Wood and Capt. Matthew T. Nunnally. 

Photographs of the two clinched the deal by showing they were in the same unit. The gray frock coats are single-breasted, bear seven buttons, a black collar and distinctive black striping, or scallops, on the sleeves. I realized both were members of the Walton Infantry, better known as Company H, 11^th Georgia Infantry.

The portrait of Wood is very well-known and haunting: Tommie is 17 years old, but looks even younger. The orphan’s expression is innocent. “You can see the sweat around the hat and sideburns,” said David Wynn Vaughan, who collects Civil War portraits. Tommie’s is one of his favorites.

I knew nothing about either soldier when I trekked through Walton County in September and October. I live in adjoining Gwinnett County and I thought it would be interesting to check out Civil War markers and sites in Monroe, Jersey and Social Circle, where young Tommie lived.

The Federal army caused mayhem in Social Circle twice in 1864. Kenner Garrard’s cavalry burned a depot and warehouses in July and the 20^th Corps destroyed much of the railroad in November during the March to the Sea

The town’s welcome center has a section on its Civil War ties, and affixed to one wall is a July 2007 article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Picket photo, below). My former colleague Jim Auchmutey did an excellent job describing Vaughan’s collection of Georgia soldiers, including Tommie Wood.

A few days later, I called Vaughan about the photo -- a 1/9 plate tintype taken by an unknown photographer -- and asked what drew him to purchase it more than 20 years ago. He described Tommie’s expression and lack of tinting on his face, often applied by photographers. Regarding the uniform, “his buttons have been gilded.”

Took a while for me to put 2 and 2 together

As is (way too) often the case, I did not immediately write a post about Tommie, who sadly died from pneumonia a few months after his portrait was taken. As I write this post, I have several good stories in the hopper, but have not found time to finalize reporting or get around to writing them. The procrastination nags at me.

But back to our story ...

During an October trip to Athens, a month after I spoke with Vaughan, I stopped by Monroe’s post office. As I drove off, I spied a monument at Rest Haven Cemetery.

Matthew Talbot Nunnally stands at attention, half of his hat brim lost to time. His sword is broken. I read that he was killed, age 24, at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863.

Several tablets, commissioned by one of the young officer’s sisters, describe his life and service. I posted a few a photographs on the Civil War Picket’s Facebook page and moved on.

On neither road trip did I remember references to Wood and Young serving in the 11^th Georgia. I was more interested in Tommie’s portrait and Nunnally’s statue.

Two photos show members of 11th Georgia

After a recent email to Vaughan on another matter, I decided to get back to the Wood post.

Auchmutey’s article mentioned Keith Bohannon, a professor of history at the University of West Georgia. The author is an expert on Georgia troops, the Army of Tennessee and Reconstruction and has an interest in portraits.

Pvt. Thomas Gaston Wood (Courtesy David W. Vaughan Collection)

Bohannon has assisted Vaughan with research, including when the latter purchased the Wood portrait for thousands of dollars from an individual in 2004.

Vaughan, an Atlanta Realtor, is well-known in Civil War photography circles for his premier collection of hundreds of images and his precise research. About 50 of his photos and biographies have been published in Georgia Backroads magazine, with 8-12 hours of work going into each profile.

Bohannon provided information on the young musician that was included in a spring 2015 Georgia Backroads article about the compelling portrait of Tommie.

A review of my notes and Vaughan’s emails on the portrait led me to reach out to Bohannon this week. The professor replied as a teen he first saw the plate at an antique mall in metro Atlanta.

“I seem to remember that the seller said that it was a photograph of a drummer from Walton County, but I am not sure. That was a long time ago. I seem to remember that he wanted somewhere between 70-100 dollars for the image, which was far more than I could afford.

“I do remember noticing the initials on the underside of the bill of his kepi. The coat he is wearing matching those of two other uniformed members of the ‘Walton Infantry,’ Co. H, 11^th Ga.”

Wood’s initials are painted on the underside of the brim in the image.

Bohannon’s reference to two other uniformed members of the regiment sent me scurrying to the internet.

Estate record mentions Tommie Wood as serving under Capt. Matthew Nunnally of Monroe.

And there was a picture of Capt. Nunnally, standing next to his brother Sgt. Josiah Nunnally. You can clearly see the same black sleeve stripes on Josiah’s frock coat as the ones on Tommie’s uniform. 

Josiah lost a leg after Second Manassas. The farmer died back home in 1908 at age 73.

So there it is: The connection between Nunnally and Wood. The former commanded the latter. It may be of no real interest to anyone but me.

Still, you should read the following section, which focuses on the brief life of Tommie Wood.

Tommie drummed but for a short time

Bohannon said Thomas G. (Tommie) Wood appears on the 1850 Walton County census as a student in the home of his parents, Baptist minister Thomas G. Wood and Emily J. Wood. His father died in 1852 and his mother died in 1858. (Image below)

The boy appears on the 1860 census a boarder in the household of Social Circle schoolteacher J.M. Smith. (Tommie’s brother William lived until 1924).

Tommie enlisted in early July 1861 and the 11^th Georgia Infantry traveled north to serve in the Army of Northern Virginia. After missing the battle at Manassas, the regiment went into quarters at Center Hill, where it spent most of the winter at the camp and lost men due to discharge as well as death resulting from illness, according to Wikipedia.

An ill Tommie landed in a Confederate hospital in Richmond. He died on Dec. 13, 1861, at age 17 or 18, without every being in combat. He is believed to be buried in Richmond’s Oakwood Cemetery.

During his research, Bohannon came across a January 1862 article in the Augusta Constitutionalist by Dr. William W. Crumly, a chaplain of Georgia military hospitals in Richmond.

Crumly wrote this poignant passage (left):

“In taking my morning round through one of the hospitals, I find in one of the wards a youth of more than ordinary beauty and intelligence. His name is Wood, the drummer boy, from Social Circle. Young Wood was the pet and idol of his regiment. And he is struggling with pneumonia, that terrible scourge of the camp and the hospital. When asked whether he was afraid to die, he calmly answered: ‘No. I joined the church when but eight years of age; my father and mother are both in heaven, and I would rather go and be with them there, than to stay and suffer here.’ He was beautiful in death – lovely as the fresh cut rosebud, dripping with the dew of morning. Taking his post in the centre of the long line of the dead at Oak Wood, no sound of his drum shall ever awake the sleepers there.”

Records on Fold3 and Ancestry.com indicate Tommie’s maternal grandfather, Gresham Herren, settled the teen’s estate. Online records indicate the estate was due $91.76 from the Confederate government.

Historian long displayed Wood's portrait

Civil War photo collector Lee Joyner of Madison, Ga., remembers seeing the Wood portrait at the home of a man, since deceased, who subsequently sold it to Vaughan.

Joyner noted the dark trim typical of early-war Georgia uniforms. I asked him what is special about the image.

“You don’t see many Confederate drummer boy images. And, secondly, it is an identified one. It is kind of a poignant image.”

Bohannon told the Picket he has always had a fascination with Georgia Confederate soldiers and units, including the Wood portrait (detail, right, courtesy David W. Vaughan Collection).

“I did have an enlarged black and white print of the image up for a long time in dorm rooms, apartments, etc., but now I have it stuck in some files. I've always found the photograph particularly poignant given the extremely youthful and delicate appearance of Wood. I also like the initials on the bill of his kepi and the uniform of the Walton Infantry which exhibits characteristics of many jackets worn in 1861 by Georgia Confederate soldiers.”

Joyner and Vaughan, who has about 300 images, are part of a small, but dedicated community of Civil War photo collectors. They realize they are caretakers of a piece of history.

“The image collecting world is not very big. Sometimes, another collector will tell you about them,” said Vaughan. ”Of course, we are competitors, though we are friends.”