Introduction

Our Seagraves ancestors served honorably in the military services of their countries and often enough in forces of rebellion.  There is hardly a major conflict in which one of ours did not participate.  Even though each person's specific military records are included with their biographic details, this section summarizes the actions of certain individuals whose military service records are better preserved and may be of more general interest.

The American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)

Captain Edward Seagrave [born in England about 1722] was on "a muster roll of the Militia Company that marched from Uxbridge [MA] on the alarm on the 19^th of April 1775, under the command of Capt. Samuel Read." "Service as a First Lieutenant for 7 days."

On a roll dated 25 September 1775 Captain Edward Seagrave served as a company commander in the 20^th Regiment of Massachusetts Foot for 8 months.

Edward Seagrave is on "A Record of Officers, commissioned from 1776 to 1780."  He was commissioned as a captain of the 9^th Company in the 3^rd Worcester County Regiment on 30 January 1778.

Edward Seagrave is on a Pay Roll of a company in Col. Wade's Regiment with service as a Captain for 26 days from 12 July 1778.

Joseph Seagrave (son of Edward) [born in 1761] served as a fifer in Capt. Edward Seagrave's Company of Col. Read's Regiment for 8 months service.  Joseph would have been 14 years old in 1775.

Joseph was listed as a fife major in Capt. Benjamin Read's Company of John Rand's Regiment of new levies from the County of Worcester, raised for three months to reinforce the Continental Army and stationed at West Point.  Service was for 3 months and 7 days from 14 July 1780.

Joseph served as a fifer for 17 days from 2 March 1781 in Capt. Job Knapp's Company which marched to Rhode Island.

John Seagrave (also a son of Edward) [born in 1757] served as a Private in Capt. Benjamin Farrar's Company in Col. Benjamin Haws' Regiment "engaged in the secret  expedition in the Strait of Rhode Island in September and October 1777

Jacob Seagraves, Sr. [born about 1763], deposed that "he enlisted in the N. C. Continental Line when he was about 16, and was enlisted by a man named Rush or Bush at Harrisburg in Granville County, [NC] and was returned to Capt. Goodman's Company, then marched towards Charleston, S. C., and on the way was engaged in battle at Utaw Springs, where Capt. Goodman was killed with many of his men, among whom were Thomas Sanders and Hutson Ray, who he knew very well. Then he was transferred to Capt. Roades Company, First Regt., and there continued until the end of the war, and was discharged by Capt. Roads at Camlin in South Carolina. He received monthly pay from a gentleman named Briton Sanders at Hillsborough some years after the end of the war, in two certificates. This Mr. Sanders he knew very well before the war in Wake County, and for some years after, and that Mr. Sanders stated he was entitled to 640 acres of land besides what he had already received." Jacob Hardin of Sumner County, Tenn. was his attorney. Deposition filed 6 November 1824 in Maury County, Tennessee.

John Seagroves [born about 1761] On the 15th day of November 1820 personally appeared in open Court it being a Court of record for the County of Surry John Seagroves aged sixty years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration that he the said John Seagroves enlisted into the service of the United States on the 9th day of May in the year 1776 in the company commanded by Capt. Philip Taylor in the Sixth regiment commanded by Col. Gideon Sam'l of North Carolina line on Continental establishment, that he continued to serve in Service until 17th day of November 1778 when he was discharged in the State of New York at Kings ferry on the North River, that he was in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown & Monmouth Court House and that he has in other evidence of his said service except[?] the affidavit of William Sintor which affidavit accompanys this declaration. And in pursuance of the act of Congress of the 1st of May 1820 he solemnly swears that he was a resident citizen of the United States on the 18th day of March 1818, that he now resides in the County of Surry in the State of North Carolina and he has not since that time by gift, sale or in any other manner disposed of his property in any part thereof with intent thereby so to diminish it as to bring himself within the provisions of an act of Congress entitled an act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval Service of the United States in the revolutionary war, passed on the 18th day of March 1818. And that he has not nor has any person in trust for him any property or securities, contracts or debts due him, nor has he any income other that what is ?. in the schedule hereto annexed & subscribed by him Sworn to in open Court.

Jacob Seagraves [born about 1744] enlisted in Capt. Summer's Company of the 1st Battalion of the North Carolina Line for 2 ½ years.

 

War of 1812 [1812-1815]

Thomas Seagraves [born about 1782] on 20 April 1814 enlisted as a private soldier in the 44th US Infantry Regiment in Maury County, Tennessee.  Just after midnight on 20 August 1814, Thomas died along the Alabama River on the march with his unit from Tennessee to New Orleans, LA.   From the Journal of Capt. Isaac L. Baker for 19 August 1814: "Resumed our voyage, halted for the night on the Right Bank of the [Alabama] River a little below old fort Mims. About midnight two of my soldiers Thomas Seagraves & Lewis Crouch died. August 20th arrived at Fort Stoddert about 10 o'clock. The general with many of the officers visited Mount Vernon 3 miles off where parts of the 39th were stationed. They had been very unhealthy. Out of the Regt. 600 strong there was not now half the number for duty."

John Segraves [born about 1783] of Warren County, Kentucky served six months as a private soldier under Capt. Thomas Griffin, 14th Regiment, under General Andrew Jackson, in 1814.

Willie Segraves [born about 1782 in NC] 1812 enlisted in Col. Hall's 1st Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers, as a private soldier.

"Vincent Seagrove was on the Muster Roll of the Company of Mounted Militia Infantry commanded by Captain John Crawford, ordered into service for the period 9 June to 27 August 1812  …by Brigadier General Thomas Washington of the Ninth Brigade of Militia of the State of Tennessee for the protection of the Southwest frontiers of West Tennessee in the state against a…murder and other atrocious acts of hostility which has been perpetrated…the inhabitants of said frontier…the early part of May 1812 by a party of Creek Indians from the 9th day of June to the 27th day of August in the year 1812, inclusive, when the said company was discharged." 

On 21 Jan 1814 Vincent C. Graves enlisted in Nashville, Tennessee at age 23 in Capt. I. L. Baker's Company, for the duration of the War.  He was described as 5 ft., 10 in tall, with blue eyes, light hair and a fair complexion.  His occupation was "distiller". He was listed as born in Wake Co., North Carolina. 

Bennett Segroves enlisted as a private on 20 June 1814 in the Militia Company of Captain David Smyth of the 1st Regiment of Tennessee Militia under Col. Philip Pipkin for six months service.  His Army enlistment record says "Order New Orleans Jan 22, '15. Tried by Genl. C. M. [Court Martial] at Mobile [AL] December 1814 for desertion and mutiny: to make good time lost & then be drummed out of camp."  The Introduction to "1814 Court Martial of Tennessee Militiamen" by James L. Douthat, 1993, explains the story: "The [militia] men thought they were enrolled for a three month tour of duty.  The {Federal] Government understood this to be six months, thus the conflict evolves into a very ugly situation and finally court martial for a large number of militia men.  The end result is that a number of the militiamen are shot for mutiny and an ever larger number are sent home in disgrace for disobedience of orders."

    Michael Segraves [born about the early 1790's] enlisted in June 1812 as a private soldier in the U. S. Artillery in Captain Hawkins Company for a period of 5 years.  On 3 July 1812 Michael Segraves died at Ft. Moultrie in Charleston harbor in Charleston, South Carolina.  This information is from "Records of Men Enlisted in the U. S. Army Prior to the Peace Establishment, May 17, 1815" on Ancestry.com.

    Stephen Segraves [born about 1793] is on the Rolls of the 4th Regiment of Militia in Wake County North Carolina in August 1814 according to "Muster Rolls of the Soldiers of the War of 1812 Detached from the Militia of North Carolina."

    

     Civil War [1861-1865]

     Michael Segraves [born about 1815] enlisted as a Private in Company C, 19th Indiana Regiment.  On 10 May 1863 he suffered gunshot wounds in the hip and back at the Battle of Spotsylania Courthouse, Virginia.  He re-enlisted on 31 December 1863 at Culpepper, Virginia and transferred to Company A, 20th Indiana Volunteer Regiment. On 12 July 1865 Michael mustered out of service at Louisville, Kentucky.  His "domestic history" is recorded as: born in North Carolina, age 63, occupation- plasterer, home at discharge- Winchester, IN, married, nearest relative- Mrs. Martha Segraves, Winchester, IN.  All from "Military History from US Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938" on Ancestry.com.

   Samuel Tilman Seagraves [born about 1825] was a private in Company A, 7th Tennessee Confederate Cavalry Battalion from 1861 to 1865 as recorded in "Tennesseans in the Civil War".

    Goodman Seagraves, born 4 June 1829 in North Carolina, migrated to Rutherford County, Tennessee in the late 1840's.  Goodman was listed as a private in Company E, 4th US Cavalry Regiment, enlisting at Beech Grove, Coffee County, TN, taking his oath on 8 October 1862.  His enlistment record describes him as 5' 8" with a light complexion, brown hair and blue eyes.  From "U. S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles" on Ancestry.com.

    John Seagraves [born about 1829] is listed as a Private in Company K, 29th North Carolina Confederate Infantry Regiment from 1861 to 1863.  From "U. S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865" on Ancestry.com.

    John W. Seagrave [born about 1839] enlisted in Company F, 89th Indiana Infantry at Camp Morton, Indiana on 29 August 1862.  However, John must have had some medical problems since he was discharged at Indianapolis just two months later because of a disability as certified by an Army surgeon.

Vi Vincent Segraves, Jr., born 26 February 1839 in Randolph County, Arkansas, enlisted in the Confederate service in 1861.  In the following year he joined Company A of the 25th Arkansas Infantry.  He took part in the engagements at Murfreesboro, Tennessee and Richmond, Kentucky and was with General Price on his raid through Missouri and Kansas, but was never wounded or taken prisoner.

Sp Spanish American War [1898]

Al Thomas L. Alfred (Al) Segraves, son of Mr. and Mrs. Pat Segraves died at Trinidad, Colo., Nov. 26, 1900 aged 24 years, 2 months and 2 days.  On May 28, 1898, he enlisted in Co. D, 16th U. S. Infantry, who were immediately ordered to Manila, Philippine Islands, recently captured from Spain.  While in battle there he accidentally burst a blood vessel on the lungs, which finally developed into tuberculosis.   He was listed "sick in hospital" in Manila for most of his stay in the Philippines. He returned to his home in Perry, Kansas where he remained until Nov 24th, when, in company of his brother, Joe, he started for a hospital in New Mexico, but before reaching there, died on the train in Colorado.

    

     World War I [1914-1919]

    Sgt. Victor L. Seagraves, born in January 1898 in Jefferson County, Kansas, went missing in action on 28 September 1918 and received the following commendation:    "The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Sergeant Victor L. Segraves (ASN: 1455903), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Scout Platoon, 1st Battalion, 139th Infantry Regiment, 35th Division, A.E.F., near Baulny, France, 28 September 1918. Sergeant Segraves voluntarily formed and led a patrol against an enemy machine-gun nest, which was causing many casualties in his battalion, and captured one of the guns. With utter disregard for his personal safety he advanced alone on another gun of the nest but was severely wounded by the intense fire, in the performance of this heroic act."

     Sgt. Charles Brody Seagraves, born 4 Jul 1894 in Akersville, Monroe County, Kentucky was given the following award for actions during the  First World War: "The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Lieutenant (Infantry), [then Sergeant] Charles Seagraves (ASN: 241692), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Division, A.E.F., at Fossoy, France, July 14 - 15, 1918. During the intense artillery bombardment preceding the second battle of the Marne, Lieutenant Seagraves volunteered to reestablish broken liaison with his company post of command. While carrying messages, he was twice captured by groups of the enemy, but each time he escaped, killing five of his captors. On returning to his platoon's position and finding that every member of it had been killed or captured, he organized a group of 100 men from his own and other companies, and closed the breach of 500 meters in the line. Shortly afterward he went out alone, and locating an enemy machine-gun, captured the entire crew single-handed."

World War II [1939-1945]

Raymond Lewis Seagraves, Jr., born 6 September 1916 in Denton County, Texas,  reported for duty at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California on 11 May 1939 as a Private from the Dallas, Texas recruiting station along with his cousin, James Elisha Seagraves.   Ray was sent to the Philippine Islands and on 6 May 1942 Ray was captured by the Japanese in the battle of Corregidor and reported as a Prisoner of War of the Japanese.  As of 28 September 1944 Ray, Jr. was still reported as a Prisoner of War of the Japanese.  On 14 December 1944 Ray Lewis, Jr. was murdered by guards in the Japanese Prisoner of War Camp at Malawan, The Philippine Islands.  He is buried at Fort William McKinley, Manila, Philippines.  Ray was a Private First Class in United States Marine Corps and was awarded the Purple Heart Medal and other Navy-Marine Corps awards.

Sidney Clark Seagraves, Jr., born 8 October 1916 in Little Elm, Denton County, Texas, joined the U.S. Navy in 1941, was accepted into the Naval air training program and received flight training in Corpus Christi and was later assigned to Dallas Naval Air Station as a flight instructor.  Following further training in Miami and Chicago, he served on the USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier in the South Pacific where he was assigned to a torpedo bomber squadron.  He was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism during an attack on 28 July 1945 on the Japanese Naval Anchorage at Kure, Honshu Province, Japan as the Division Leader of 4 torpedo bombers.  He also served on the USS Boxer during the Korean Conflict as the commander of Attack Bomber Squadron VA-702.