George Washington Painter

George Washington Painter, a member of the Confederacy for three years, left this world on January 13, 1926, cursing the northern soldiers. ...

Painter was a member of Company C, 20th Virginia Battalion, Heavy Duty Artillery, C.S.A. He joined on February 16, 1862 and served until June 16, 1865. He suffered a wound to his foot during the war, but it was not bad enough for him to leave the service.

... Painter likely marched off to war with a gun in his hands made by his father, John, who was a noted gunsmith. He made rifles for the Confederacy. ...

The war took Painter’s older brother, James Barnabas Painter, a member of Pickett’s Division. The brother died July 3, 1863, in the Battle of Gettsyburg, having served in the Confederacy for two years.

When the war ended, George Washington Painter walked home from either Appomattox or Richmond (family legends differ). ...

... After the Civil War, Painter was a farmer and a mail carrier. He delivered a rural route while riding on horseback.


Original article appeared in The Fincastle Herald in 2004.