JOHN JONES and NELSON WEBSTER -- 9thCAVALRYONE LIFE CUT SHORT - John Jones, a hotel clerk, and Nelson Webster bothenlisted in the 9th Cavalry on October 26, 1861, in Rouses Point.John, at 22, was appointed 2nd bugler and Nelson, 23, was appointedfarrier. Both were recruited by William Wilson, the 2nd lieutenant ofCaptain Joseph Kennedy's Company M. The captain was 25 years old.The regiment left the state on November 26, 1861 and patrolled thecapital from December 1861 to March 9, 1862. Companies C, F, K and Mwere detached and distributed in detachments among the batteries of theReserve Artillery, with which they served until May 22, 1862. Theremaining eight companies performed during that time duty as train-guardin the Army of the Potomac.In June 1862, the regiment consolidated again, mounted in Washington andwas assigned to patrol in northeastern Virginia. They were in CavalryBrigades in the Army of the Potomac and the Army Virginia until the endof the year.In February 1863, they were transferred to the 1st Brigade, 1stDivision, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac and then the 2nd Brigade,1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac, from May 1863. Johnwas killed on June 12th while acting as a scout for General Siegelsomewhere between Dumfries and Stafford Courthouse, VA, about 40 milesbelow Alexandria.Nelson was assigned to accompany John's body back to Rouses Point andJohn was subsequently buried in the Bush Cemetery in Alburgh, VT. Nelsondecided that he didn't want to rejoin his regiment and never went back.He went West and became a frontiersman drifting all over the newterritories. In 1867, he was in Idaho Territory and started a family ofthree children with his wife Mary Reed. Ten years later, the coupledivorced in Eureka, NV, and she married another man a few months later.For about 30 years Nelson was a successful miner and stockman inArizona.In 1906, he got an urge to see his daughter, Euphemia, who he had leftwith her mother over 30 years before. Euphemia was then the wife of anattorney, Frank McNamee, and they had a very happy reunion. Frank wouldlater become a senior counsel for the contractors of the Boulder Damproject.In the same year, Nelson applied for a pension using the name JohnJones - the name of his comrade from the Civil War. The pension wasnever issued.Nelson died in Los Angeles in 1920 and was buried in the Inglewood ParkCemetery there. Coincidentally, his ex-wife Mary, divorced for thesecond time, had also moved to Los Angeles and died in 1920, a monthbefore Nelson. They are buried a few miles apart.
