Local resident–
Great, Great Grandson of Confederate Soldier
–Battle of Olustee
George Washington Green, Sr.
Born Oct. 8, 1844 in Beaufort, South Carolina.
Died Sept. 11, 1915 (70 years old). He is buried in the Corinth Methodist Church Cemetery in Lake City, FL.
-Photo: findagrave.com, Kimberly Rose Wheatley
By Tami Stevenson
Last weekend the reenactment of the Battle of Olustee or Battle of Ocean Pond took place at the Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park in Baker County. This year marks the 160th Anniversary of what is known as the largest battle fought in Florida during the Civil War. Thousands of reenactors from all over the world converge each year to participate in the event.
The battle took place on February 20, 1864, where George Washington Green, the great, great grandfather of singer/songwriter and founder of Mercy Mountain Boys Rev. Earl Green, Jr, of Lake City, fought in the Battle of Olustee.
Singer/songwriter and founder of Mercy Mountain Boys Rev. Earl Green, Jr., of Lake City. -Photo: Submitted
Through historical records, he found that his Great, Great Grandfather George Washington Green and his brothers (his great, great uncles) Alexander Green and Luther Judson Green were in Florida. Alexander and George Washington Green signed up with Columbia Rifles, Company C, in Lake City, Florida, while Luther joined the calvary.
“Each state had to put in a certain amount of people per capita into the Virginia Army, which was under General Lee and his men. So George and Alexander got sent to Virginia. They fought in a lot of battles there. One was The Battle of the Pines,” He said. “My Great, Great Granddaddy George was wounded there in the Battle of the Pines. So he came back to Florida while his brother Alexander remained in the fight. Just a few weeks later, however, during the battle of the Wilderness, where Stonewall Jackson was shot and killed, Alexander was killed there as well.” He said. “Supposedly, he’s buried at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Va.
Luther Judson Green (who joined the calvary) was captured during the battle of Missionary Ridge and became a POW. He died in a POW camp in Rock Island, Illinois.
George Washington Green came back to the Lake City area to heal from his wounds. He was listed as a deserter but through military records, they found out he got well and joined the Ninth Florida Company E. “During this period is when he fought in the Battle of Olustee,” said Green.
He also found rosters of the units of confederate troops that fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor, which mainly kicked off the American Civil War. He found that two of his great, great first cousins John and Robert Green were listed in one of the cannon crews that were there. “Presumably, they would have been part of one of the cannon crews that fired on Fort Sumter.”
Green’s family tree doesn’t end there, George Washington Green’s father, William Joseph Green (3rd great grandfather) came to Florida from Beaufort, S.C. with his father-in-law William Joseph Dicks. “They came in 1854 to Columbia County, before the Civil War.” The Green’s are listed as one of the founding families in Beaufort, South Carolina and he can trace his family to have settled there sometime during the 1600’s.
According to Green, William Joseph Green and William Joseph Dicks built Falling Creek Church, which is just north of Lake City. William Joseph Green pastored the church. The church still stands today and is an historical site. It is unlocked 24 hours a day. Anyone can visit anytime they want. They still hold services today. Earl Green was asked to become the pastor there at one point. He said he thought about it, because it would have been awesome to pastor where his third great grandfather pastored and actually started the church! But the Lord led him in a different direction.
His lineage doesn’t end there. He has relatives that are documented to have served in the Revolutionary War. Major John Brady, of Scottish/Irish descent, (Earl’s 7th great grandfather) fought in the Revolutionary War. His son, General Hugh Brady (his 6th great grandfather) was a Brigadier General in the Continental Army and was first commissioned by George Washington. He had a long, distinguished military career beginning in Pennsylvania and ending in Detroit, Michigan.
Sixth Great Grandfather Brigadier General Hugh Brady served in the Continental Army -Photo: riverhistory.org
Another ancestor from that time period is William Green. A militiaman who fought in the Southern campaign of the Revolutionary War for the Colonial forces. According to an article in the Augusta Chronicle, Green initially supported King George III’s government, but joined the Revolutionary militias after witnessing British attacks on farms and other civilian targets. Green became a spy, “cattle hunter,” soldier and statesman during the late 1700s. After the war, Green established the first courthouse and jail in what is now Barnwell County, S.C.
Green said he and his family have compiled a book of their ancestry that can be traced all the way back to the 1100’s on his father’s side, Earl Green, Sr., who is a retired pastor. Rev. Earl Green, Jr. is a former member and former state officer of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Today, he is the pastor of Lighthouse Christian Center in Mayo, Florida.