Civil War Soldier Reunited With Wife After Long Separation

The October 4th, 1906 Worth County Times ran this story of a Civil War Veteran who reunited with his wife after a search of many years.

A small house a few miles out of Cartersville (GA) is the house of Mrs. James Smith, whose mother lives with her. A few days ago, an old man entered the door and placing a bundle on the floor said to the young matron, “Anybody sick here?”

“No. Why do you ask that?”

“Because I’m a traveling doctor. Where is your mother?”

“She is in the other room.”

“Tell her to come out,” said the man, eagerly, and when the woman responded to the call, the visitor advanced and held out his hand, saying, “Howdy, Rusha.”

When she pulled away slightly he added, “Don’t be frightened. I’m your husband, Anderson Pittman.” A cry of surprise and a long embrace followed.

Anderson Pittman, young and handsome, made Jerusha Ballew his wife just before the Civil War, and a daughter was born to them. While the daughter was still a baby, Pittman entered the Confederate Army as a member of Capt. John Porter’s company, in the 24th Georgia Infantry, which was under Longstreet in Virginia.

According to his story, Pittman was captured by the 25th New York Cavalry on September 17th in Wood County (VA). He was carried north and remained in a New York prison until the close of the war.

Believing him dead, Ballew married Beaton Whitecotton, who was subsequently killed in a fight with revenue officers in the mountains of Northeast Georgia. They had reared a considerable family of children.

As above stated, the wife was found in her widowhood at the home of her daughter, who was a daughter of Whitecotton. Old man Pittman is 83 years old; his wife is probable 10 years younger. They both look spry for their age.

The old man said, “Why they seem to be making as much over me as they would old General Grant. Well, they thought they would wear my poor life out in the prison, but I thank God there is a little of it left for me to enjoy with my family.”

“I’ve got 120 acres of land that they got of mine because they supposed I was dead, which I am going to recover through the law, and I hope to settle down on it and be happy, and I must have that daughter in Alabama with me that I gave the name of “Adeline” before the war got me.