James enlisted in the Confederate Army in March 1862, joining the 51st Regiment of the Georgia Infantry in Company G (Harrison Volunteers) that formed in Quitman County. His rank upon enlistment was Private and at the end of the war, his rank was Sergeant. The battles which this Regiment engaged in were as follows:
Secessionville (June 16, 1862)
Second Bull Run (August 28–30, 1862)
South Mountain (September 14, 1862)
Antietam (September 17, 1862)
Fredericksburg (December 13, 1862)
Chancellorsville (May 1–4, 1863)
Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863)
Chickamauga [not engaged] (September 19–20, 1863)
Chattanooga Siege (September–November 1863)
Knoxville Siege (November–December 1863)
- Battle of Fort Sanders
The Wilderness (May 5–6, 1864)
Spotsylvania Court House (May 8–21, 1864)
North Anna (May 23–26, 1864)
Cold Harbor (June 1–3, 1864)
Petersburg Siege (June 1864-April 1865)
Cedar Creek (October 19, 1864)
Sayler's Creek (April 6, 1865)
Battle of Appomattox Court House (April 9, 1865)[1]
James was listed as being captured and taken as a POW around Danville, VA in early April 1865; it's hard to read the handwriting on the form but it could be the 6th of April. Given that date, he would have either been captured after the Petersburg Siege or at the Battle of Sayler's Creek. He was transferred to City Point, VA on April 14, 1865. Given that the war ended on April 9, 1865, I would assume this transfer was to release him and the other prisoners.
He applied for an "indigent" pension in 1906, stating that he had been with his company at the time of surrender "near High Bridge" in 1865. His pension applications were approved in 1906 and 1907 and he declared that he owned no property and could barely work due to his physical condition. At the time of death in 1919, the pension record shows that he had no widow or dependent children, so his unpaid benefits of $90 were to go toward his $115 funeral expenses.
1850 U.S. Federal Census, Georgia
Household Members (Name) Age
Cralcon Guilford 49
Dicy Guilford 47
J W Guilford 23
Clementine Guilford 21
Roxanna Guilford 20
Thos Guilford 18
A E Guilford 10
W J Guilford 14
J C Guilford 12
Jas Guilford 11
Henry Guilford 7
C McIntire 23
Alabama, U.S. Marriage Index
Name James M Guilford
Spouse Minerva A Whatley
Marriage Date 12 Mar 1861
County Henry
State Alabama
1880 U.S. Federal Census, Georgia
Household Members (Name) Age Relationship
James M. Guilford 40 Self (Head)
Minerva A. Guilford 39 Wife
Henry A. Guilford 14 Son
Benjamin S. Guilford 11 Son
Robert W. Guilford 10 Son
James Guilford 8 Son
Helen E. Guilford 6 Daughter
John O. Guilford 5 Son
Hiram C. Guilford 3 Son
I. E. Guilford 1 Daughter
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G > Guilford > James Monroe Guilford
Categories: 51st Regiment, Georgia Infantry, United States Civil War