U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865
China Hill's Boney and Oldest Confederate Fought Together at "Pistolville"
This article is compiled by Julian Williams.
The Civil War was not going good for the South in 1864 as Sherman directed his burning machine through Atlanta and on toward Savannah. But Georgians did not intend for him to have a picnic along the way. "Cump" (from Tecumseh in Sherman's name) had said that "war is hell" and they wanted to constantly remind him of that observation. But at this point it was more like yellow flies on an elephant's back. But that was not a thought for Johnny Reb. He would fight. So he went looking for Sherman. Even if he was equipped with little more than Governor Joe Brown's pikes (sticks with sharp metal tips) and ramrod muskets.
The Georgia 7th thought General Sherman would be going to Augusta to tear up the Confederate Powder Works in that town. The factory there was producing about 7,000 pounds of gunpowder per day for the Confederacy and was vital to its being able to continue the fight.
So, the Georgians marched from Macon toward Augusta - accidentally but directly on a collision course with Sherman's troops marching toward Savannah. They met at a little hamlet known as Griswoldville. Griswoldville was an interesting little place. Samuel Griswold had lived over in Old Clinton, only a short distance away, and had tried to get the folks there to let him bring in a railroad for his various enterprises - one of the main ones being his cotton gin manufacturing establishment.
Now, the people of Old Clinton were a forward looking bunch of folk and at one time it was about the 3rd or 4th largest city in the state. Before Macon was established in its own right their folks would come over to Old Clinton to worship in the old Methodist church there. It's still there. Old Clinton also had a college or two (they are not there anymore), nice homes and prosperous businesses. They just didn't want a railroad.
(Never did - the county seat finally moved a mile and a half to what is now Gray, Georgia, in Jones County.)
So Samuel Griswold picked up shop and established a town of his own, more or less, and named it Griswoldville - complete with a railroad.
Not much later the Civil War started and Samuel converted his cotton gin manufacturing plant into a munitions factory - one that made pistols for the Confederate forces. For the duration of the War they probably made over 3,500 Griswold-Gunnison pistols for the military forces of the South. The pistol was a copy of a Colt model that was being made in the North by Samuel Colt. Colt was selling guns to the North and the South but the North put a stop to that. They didn't mind Colt selling his pistols - but not to people in the South who were using them to try to settle "The Late Inconvenience!"
So, if Griswoldville had a nickname it certainly could have been "Pistolville." When Sherman came through he completely destroyed the pistol factory.
And on November 22, 1864, the forces of North and South had the Battle of Griswoldville. Company I, Georgia 7th, under Captain Stephen Boney, of China Hill, near Jacksonville, had the following casualties:
J.H. Linsey, wounded, Griswoldville
Cornelius McKinnon, died, 1864
Thomas J. McDuffie, wounded, Griswoldville, and died from wounds
1st Lt. John Powell, killed, Griswoldville
John C. McLean, killed, Griswoldville
William Clements, died, 1864
It is also thought that Stephen Boney was wounded in this battle, but not severely, and possibly replaced Lt. John Powell, who was killed.
And guess who fought by the side of the Telfair company in this battle and also faced the withering firepower of the Yankee repeating Spencer rifles? None other than William J. (Josh) Bush who later came to be known as the famous "General" Bush of Fitzgerald who lived to the ripe old age of 107 and died in 1952 - the last Confederate veteran in the country! It is said that he ran a commissary on the Levi Holt Harrell Plantation near Rhine during the 1860's and 1870's. It is almost a sure thing that he knew Stephen Boney who lived at China Hill between Jacksonville and Rhine during the same time period.
I also take a personal interest in the Battle of Griswoldville for other reasons. My great-great-grandfather, Private Joseph Gooden (Joe Good) Williams was there and another great-great-grandfather, Capt. John Cravey was there. It is said Capt. Cravey was father to 20 children and died on the day the last one was born (to his 3rd wife). My grandmother, Mary Cravey Anderson, once said "all the Craveys are kin."
And, of course, Stephen Boney was married to Martha J. Williams, granddaughter of the old Revolutionary soldier, Joseph Williams, my great-great-great-great-grandfather, who came to Jacksonville, Georgia, from Duplin County, North Carolina.
Guy Durward Bland of Jacksonville, Georgia, son of Martha Boney Bland, grandson of Lucius W. Boney, and great grandson of Captain Stephen Boney, told me his great-grandfather also fought in the Battle of Atlanta. Other sources relate this as well as his participation in fighting on Nickajack Ridge near Kennesaw Mountain and action at Griffin and Lovejoy Station. From there the unit went to Macon and Griswoldville. Pension records reveal that Stephen Boney was with his unit when it surrendered at Branchville, South Carolina, in May of 1865 (after the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865).
Stephen Boney returned home to China Hill, near Jacksonville, and farmed until his death on December 23, 1898. He was born September 26, 1823, to Cullen and Phoebe Williams Boney. A family marker in the community and appropriate markings at his gravesite are reminders of his long and active life.
Stephen and his wife had ten children. The first was born in 1850 and the last died in 1958 - a span of 108 years! Needless to say the Boney family had, and continues to have, a great impact on American life (they reside in many states).
