826. Milton's Judge Rules in Favor of Confederate Soldier

Updated: Feb 20, 2023

Jesse M. was born on May 10, 1804 in Chesterfield, SC, the son of Elisha Lewis (1760-1829) and Esther Nelson (1765-1830). His father was a Revolutionary War veteran having served with the 2nd North Carolina Regiment and even received a military pension of $96.00 a year as of October 23, 1823 until his death on July 22, 1829. He fought in Captain Robert Fenner's (1755-1816) company from his enlistment on June 29, 1776 throughout the battles of Brandywine (September 1777), Germantown (October 1777), Monmouth (March-May 1780, and the siege of Charleston (1780). Jesse himself is reputed to have also been a veteran of the Indian Wars although there is no mention as to which one. In the First Creek Indian War he would have been as old as eleven-years old and the Second Creek Indian War he would have been approximately 32-years old if those were the ones in question.

As for Jesse he would marry Nancy Jane Cobb (1815-1901) on November 6, 1836 in Jefferson County, Georgia. By 1850, he and Nancy were living in Santa Rosa County where he was supporting his family as a laborer. Again in 1860, he is listed the same as 1850. However, within a year there were storm clouds of an American civil war brewing just over the horizon.

Those clouds burst forth their chaos and death on April 12, 1861 and America was never the same again. Answering the call of duty, Jesse enlisted at the age of 57-years old in Company "A" of the 5th Infantry Regiment and would participate in some of the most horrendous battles in America's history. In the battle of Chancellorsville on May 4, 1863, Jesse was wounded. The extent of his wound(s) are unknown but we do know that he stayed with his company for the remainder of the war.

Also following his father into battle was his son William Franklin Lewis (1839–1914) who enlisted in the Bagdad Company "E" of the 15th Confederate Cavalry Regiment that operated mainly in Northwest Florida. His was wounded slightly in the right thigh but remained on duty himself the remainder of the war.

Following the war, William applied for and received a military pension. Today his remains lie in the Union Hill Cemetery in Pensacola. Jesse's daughter Catherine Chandler Lewis (1857-1926) was married to Thomas Jefferson Roberts (1842-1923) also a Confederate veteran having served in Company "K" of the 6th Florida Infantry. Today, Catherine and Thomas lie in St. John's Cemetery in Pensacola, FL.

As for Jesse, he would return to Nancy in Santa Rosa County where he would spend the rest of is life as a laborer and farmer. He would pass away on February 21, 1899 and was buried in the Robinson Point Cemetery where Nancy would join him in 1901. His son, Henry Jackson Lewis (1847–1909), became the lighthouse keeper on Escoban point at the turn of the last century.

As the years passed, the Robinson Point area grew more populated and the cemetery became surrounded by residential homes. But the 1889 original deed to the property required that public access to the cemetery be granted to the public. However, eventually the property changed hands and fell into the ownership of others and the cemetery was forgotten and fell into disrepair over the years. The last time it received a full cleaning, rather than individual families looking after their own, was in 1965.

Several years later, the descendants of Jesse and Nancy Lewis were banned from visiting the cemetery by the owners. In 1976, a fence was erected with padlocks on the gates and "No Trespassing" signs posted. Soon after, they found that the clause granting them "full access" had been left off the owner's deed therefore, the families went to court. Finally, in 1991, Judge Kenneth Bell ruled that the families would be given back their full access to the cemetery property with no hindrances. Judge Bell even stated that he found that the most damaging testimony in the case was from the owner's two sons who stated their father paid them $5.00 to destroy and bury the tombstones in 1973.

There years after the court's judgment, over 100 descendants met in 1994 to erect new tombstones over their ancestor's graves and pay honor to the old Confederate soldier and his family.