Augusta's Own - John B. Hood Camp No. 233 of United Confederate Veterans

In a previous post I talked about the Grand Army of the Republic post that was based in Augusta after the Civil War. With a little more research I have also come across an Augusta-based Confederate post war fraternal organization, the John B. Hood Camp 233 of the United Confederate Veterans. It was this organization that was instrumental in raising the funds to design, create, and install the Confederate monument that was placed in Payne Cemetery in 1903. The cost for the monument was $550.00, which is the equivalent of at least $18,000 in 2023, quite an undertaking for a small organization.

Much like the Union fraternal organization, researching the John B. Hood camp has has not led to a great amount of information. We do know that in 1893 the camp donated $5.00 ($170.00 in 2023 dollars) to the family of General Edmund K. Smith, who had died in March of that year. We also know some of the members of the camp, names that might be familiar to some readers:

• John S. Bradley - camp commander, local grocer and hardware merchant, was the driving force behind the Confederate monument, buried in Payne Cemetery. Was a sergeant in the 8th Kentucky Cavalry.

• John Byar - buried in Highland Cemetery. Private in the 7th Kentucky Cavalry.

• Louis P. Knoelder - buried in Highland Cemetery. 2nd Kentucky Cavalry. Son Phillip donated the library in Augusta.

• James R. Wilson - buried in Hillside Cemetery. 3rd Kentucky Cavalry.

• Harry P. Willis - buried in Payne Cemetery. Private in the 7th Kentucky Mounted Infantry Battalion.

As with the Grand Army of the Republic post, any additional information on the John B. Hood Camp would be appreciated!

Sources

• Well Known Confederate Veterans and Their War Records, William E. Mickle, New Orleans, La., 1907

• Civil War Stories From the Buffalo Trace, lulu.com, 2015.