VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
ried. Louis Kossuth, the fifth son, born in
1850, married (first) in Norfolk, Alay 3,
1883, Eliza Cowdery, who died February 17,
1885, daughter of Dr. George W. Cowdery.
He married (second) January 2, 1892, Helen
Baylor. No issue. Charles Buckner, sixth
son, born May 26, 1853, graduated from the
University of the South, G. D., class of
1882. When a boy he served as messenger
boy in the ordnance department of the Con-
federate government at Richmond. He was
ordained deacon. May zy, 1883, and has been
a faithful clergyman of the Protestant Epis-
copal church from that date. On January
15, 1887, he became rector of St. Peters,
Rome, Georgia, and on January 15, 1912,
celebrated the twenty-fifth year of his pas-
torate. He married, in Maysville, Ken-
tucky, September 29. 1886, Anna P'rancesca,
daughter of Rudolph and Katherine Albert.
Sally Frances, youngest daughter, never
married.
William Edward Hudgins, second son of Captain Robert King and Sarah James (White) Hudgins, was born in Mathews county, Virginia, April 7, 1838. He was a young lieutenant in the United States reve- nue cutter service at the breaking out of the war between the states. When his native state, Virginia, seceded, he resigned his commission and tendered his services to her, which being accepted, he was appointed sec- ond lieutenant in the Corps of Artillery, regular army, and was commissioned as captain in the provisional army to serve with volunteer troops. He was ordered to West Point on the York river, as drill mas- ter, reporting to Commodore Whittle in command of the defences on the river. From West Point he was ordered to Gloucester Point to report to Captain Thomas Jeffer- son Page, Confederate States navy, under whom he served until a new naval battery was erected at Yorktown. Captain Thomas L. Henderson, Confederate States navy, commanding that battery, requested and ob- tained his transfer to that command. He served in that battery, drilling volunteer troops at the heavy guns until the Nelson battery of seven guns was built on the hill immediately in front of the old historic Nelson house, to command which battery he was ordered by General Magruder, remain- ing there until Yorktown was evacuated, retaining command until the last moment in order to cover the retreat of the armv, and
upon the completion of the retreat he spiked
guns and threw the remaining ammunition
into the well inside the battery, then with
his command escaped in small boats up the
river to West Point and thence on to Rich-
mond, where he reported for duty, and was
assigned as ordnance officer of a group of
batteries around Richmond. While on that
duty he was assigned as a member of Gen-
eral Winder's general court martial, then
sitting in Richmond. Desiring more active
service, he applied for and received a com-
mission as lieutenant in the Confederate
States navy and was ordered with a few
other officers to report to Commodore Bar-
ron to accompany him to Jackson, Mississ-
ippi, on special duty, ostensibly the capture
of some Federal gunboats in the Mississippi
river. On their arrival, circumstances over
which the commanding officer had no con-
trol, prevented the carrying out of the pur-
pose of the expedition. He then returned
to Richmond and was ordered to report to
Commodore Hunter, Confederate States
navy, commanding naval defences at Savan-
nah, for duty on board the Confederate
States ironclad steamship, Sai'annah, by Cap-
tain Pinckney. On the march of General
Sherman's army through Georgia, the Fed-
eral prisoners were transferred from Ander-
sonville to Savannah, and it becoming nec-
essary to detail a sufficient number of offi-
cers and men from the fleet in the river to
guard them. Lieutenant Hudgins was or-
dered to take command of the detail, which
duty was performed to the satisfaction of
the commanding general, who so expressed
himself in writing to his commanding offi-
cer. L^pon the arrival of General Sherman's
army at Savannah, the ship on which Lieu-
tenant Hudgins was stationed covered the
retreat of the Confederate army across the
Savannah river, after which, to prevent the
ship from falling into the hands of the
enemy, by orders of Captain Brentaand,
with the assistance of the gunner and car-
penter, he laid a train of powder to the
magazine and the hands proceeded on foot
towards Charleston, South Carolina. Shortly
afterwards the explosion of the magazine
was heard, sounding the death knell of the
good ship. Savannah. On arrival at Charles-
ton the officers and crew were distributed
among the Charleston fleet. Lieutenant
Hudgins was ordered with a detachment to
Wilmington, North Carolina, to report for
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