Colonel John Marcellus Steedman
Article and photos contributed by Rick Steadman, GGGrandson of Col. J. Steedman
Born
September 18, 1833 in Lexington County, South Carolina. John Marcellus
Steedman was a graduate of The South Carolina Military Academy (The Citadel)
class of 1854. He was classmates with General Joseph Jenkins and Col.
Asbury Coward. After graduation, he returned to Steedman, SC in Lexington
County, near present day Batesburg, and erected a building for general
merchandising operations and an apartment for living quarters upstairs. He
was a merchant, farmer and deputy land surveyor for Lexington County.
On January 1, 1859 he married Henrietta Amanda
Spann and they had one son at the time of the outbreak of the hostilities.
He was elected Captain of the Pickens Sentinels,
an independent company of volunteers during July 1860 to July 1861. They
soon joined with Col. Blanding of Sumter County and proceeded to the
rendezvous at Ridgeville, SC. He was initially elected Captain of Co. K of
the 9th South Carolina and was promoted to Major July 12, 1861 at
27 years of age.
At the time of the army reorganization, the 9th
regiment was disbanded and the forces included in other regiments. J.M.
Steedman was then appointed Lt. Col. of the 6th South Carolina
Infantry Regiment, CSA on April 22, 1862 and later promoted to Colonel May 6th,
1864 after the death of General Joseph Jenkins in the unfortunate incident
in which Jenkins and General Longstreet were fired upon by Confederate
troops. Col. Bratton was promoted to General filling Jenkins position and
Steedman assumed command of the 6th. In his letter of
recommendation for promotion of Steedman from Lt. Colonel to Colonel,
General John Bratton stated that Steedman had been tested and was a gallant
and faithful officer. Steedman had actually already been in full command of
the regiment much of the time he served as Lt. Colonel after Bratton was
captured at Seven Pines.
Steedman served with the 6th
throughout the remainder of the war. The 6th participated in
battles
including Yorktown, Williamsburg, Seven Pines, the Seven Days
battles, Gaines Mill, Frayser’s Farm, Second Manansas, South Mountain,
Antietam/Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Wauhatchie, Knoxville, The Wilderness,
Spotsylvania Court House, North Anna, Cold Harbor, Petersburg Siege, Second
Fort Harrison, Williamsburg Rd, and Appomattox Court House. He was in
command of the regiment in many of these actions. He was sent home sick on
leave for some period of time during August 31, 1863 to December 31, 1863.
He was wounded in the battle of Fraser’s Farm and Second Manassas. It was
written of him, “Steedman was a Citadel man, plain, unassuming, brave.”
Coker, History of Co.E, 6th S.C.V. Inf., Co.G, 9th S.C.V. Inf. C.S.,A.,
pp 14 and 15. and “In battle J.M. Steedman was unsurpassed for courage, for
endurance and in good judgement.” Id. p. 51. It was also said of him, “…
that no braver, truer, more gallant officer graced the service than our
commander, Colonel J. M. Steedman of the 6th SC Infantry.” Id. p.
186. Brigadier General Paul Quattlebaum said of Steedman, “During the
Confederate War he … distinguished himself as an efficient, cool, brave
officer in many hard fought battles, and came out of the service with
increased reputation and …popularity.” Quattlebaum
letter 8/9/1888..
He was in command of the 6th SC at
the surrender at Appomattox. The 6th surrendered 30 officers and
328 men. He was paroled and returned home to his family and business.
The Tragic Death of Colonel Steedman
On the night of January 7, 1867 at about 11:00,
he was at home with his family. Upon hearing a commotion by his dogs, he
arose to go to the door. His wife insisted that he should look out the
window. She had been warned by a black woman that day of the intentions of
some burglars. It appears that two of the three had recently returned from
traveling with Sherman’s army and had convinced the other that they had
papers from the Yankees which would protect them from whatever harm they
would do. They boasted of the various murders they had committed. They had
plotted to break in and kill the Colonel and his entire family and take all
the money that he was said to have there.
The three black men at the door stated that they
wished to buy some articles for use in preparing the body of a deceased
person for burial. However, the Colonel was fearless, having faced danger
on many a bloody battlefield during the war, now that peace prevailed, he
regarded it as weakness not to feel secure in his own home. He arose,
dressed and went into the store. He had barely unlocked the door when a
shotgun blast rang forth which unloaded into the Colonel’s midsection point
blank. Before collapsing from the wound, he had strength and presence of
mind to attempt to close the door. He gallantly called his wife to bring
his gun. Together he and his wife pushed the door back closed against the
three blacks who knocked, kicked and pushed trying to get in. He directed
his wife to shoot them should they enter. His wife shouted to the leader by
name that there was no money there and that if they entered she and the
Colonel would shoot them dead. Fearing that the Colonel was still able to
resist and would resist until death, they quickly left empty handed. The
Colonel lived for three hours. His wife had attempted to sew up his wounds
to no avail. Family legend says that she took the blanket off their six
month old infant so to staunch the blood and that caused the infant to get
pneumonia. The infant, their third child, (my great grandfather) survived.
There being no near neighbors, his wife remained alone with their three
small children until morning when some of the community people came to the
store. Another loss of brave southern manhood.
Colonel Steedman was well thought of in the
community. The day after the murder, a jury of inquest was quickly
impaneled by the nearest magistrate. The three were found, caught, tried
and executed promptly. Though it’s long gone now, I remember as a child my
grandmother pointing out to me the “hanging tree” on which the swift justice
was done. The Colonel was laid to rest in the family graveyard near
“Steedman’s Folly” the ancestral home. In 1900 his remains were moved by
his sons to the new family plot in the cemetery in Batesburg, SC with a
monument inscription spelled Steadman (the post-war spelling of the family
name). A Confederate Veteran’s service cross was placed at his grave. In
recent years, this was stolen, but was replaced with a donated cross from
the Moultrie Camp No. 27 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The Colonel’s
sword was donated by the family to the Confederate Museum and can be seen
today in Richmond. “Steedman’s Folly”, the family home, burned in the
1970’s. The University of South Carolina plans to do an archeological dig
on the homesite in the near future. Generations later his memory is revered
by his descendants.
Please visit here again for more information
concerning the archeological dig.
