MAJOR GEORGE STRONG STORRS
He was a school teacher.
Name:George S Storrs
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Farmer
Birth Date: abt 1840
Enlistment Date:19 Jul 1861
Enlistment Age: 21
Military Branch:Infantry
Regiment or Unit:13th Alabama Regiment
Company Unit: C
Enlistment Info: Age 21, Private
Remarks:Residence Wetumpka. Received appointment October 4, 1861 as 1st Lieutenant, Artillery.
Author: Record roll dated near Petersburg, Virginia 1864/12/31
Name:George Strong Storrs
Occupation: US Navy Officer
Rank at enlistment: Sergeant
State Served: Alabama
Survived the War?: Yes
Service Record:
Enlisted in Company C, Alabama 13th Infantry Regiment.Commissioned an officer in Company S, Confederate States Gen. & Staff Infantry Regiment.Promoted to Full Sergeant Major.Promoted to Full Major.
Death Place:
Dallas, Texas
Sources:
Index to Compiled Confederate Military Service RecordsConfederate Veteran Magazine
ONLY SURVIVING MEMBER OF ADMIRAL DEWEY'S GRADUATING CLASS NOW AT COUNTY POOR FARM; WAS MAJOR IN CIVIL WAR
_______
By CHARLES H. BECK
The last surviving member of Admiral George Dewey's graduating class at Annapolis, and the only living major of the artillery of the Confederate army, is still alive at the age of 85.
He is Major George Storrs, former state surveyor, now residing at the Dallas county poor farm on the Hutchins road.
Major Storrs was born Jan. 21, 1840, at Wetumpka, Ala. Educated in that state until 14 years old, he entered Annapolis Naval Training school with Dewey, and Storrs became acquainted the first day, and were lifelong friends.
* * *
Also Knew Schley.
Later, he became acquainted with John Grimble, who soon attained the rank of admiral after graduating. Dewey, Storrs and Grimble were close friends through their college days and later in life. Storrs also was personally acquainted with Admiral Winfield Scott Schley.
After graduating, Major Storrs was assigned to a ship as a midshipman with Dewey, Howell, Howison, Kantz and Bishop, most of whom later became admirals. Storrs sailed practically all the seven seas, visiting on these trips in Genoa, Italy, Leghorn, Naples, Malta, Constantinople, Smyrna and Alexandria, Egypt. He has crossed the Atlantic four times.
After returning to the United States from the Mediterranean sea, Storrs resigned from the navy. A short time later, the war broke out between the states, and volunteers for the Confederate army were being sent out. Because, he says, "the navy of the South was being organized too slowly," he enlisted in the army as a private.
After his enlistment in Alabama, he was transferred to Virginia and took part in his first battle under the personal command of Gen. Robert E. Lee. It was a short time after this encounter that word was brought into camp from Joe Johnson for assistance at Vicksburg. He was one of the company to be sent to Vicksburg.
There he attained the rank of major and was put in command of the artillery in French's division. He commanded that battalion of artillery until the close of the war.
"The most interesting event of the war in my four years' service, that I remember most distinctly, occurred near Atlanta, Ga.' Major Storrs said. "I had been sent to try to check Sherman on his march to the sea.
"My engineers surveyed a nearby mountain, where I intended placing my battery. Word was sent back that the position would be unsafe. Knowing my company would be greatly outnumbered by the opposite side, I went ahead and had my forces well placed over the mountain. Early the next morning, we began our bombardment on Sherman's men.
"All day, we shelled their camps, and not one of their guns replied. The next day, however, there was plenty of action shown by both sides."
Recalling his narrow escapes from death, Major Storrs continued:
"When I was riding my horse near the firing lines during a battle near Jackson, Miss., my horse was shot dead under me. I had the same experience near Nashville, Tenn. It was one of those occasions that a close friend of mine, Dave Coleman, had his leg shot off and his horse killed.
"Northern troops were pressing behind me closely, and the two litter bearers carrying Coleman were captured. He was with Ector's Texas brigade at the time. Coleman lived, and was later president of the State university of Mississippi.
Heard of Lee's Surrender.
"I was fighting in South Carolina when word was received in camp that Lee has surrendered. At first I would not believe it, and kept my company fighting. The messenger was placed under arrest."
After the close of the war, Major Storrs returned to his home in Alabama. He stayed there a short time and later went to Brazil to make his home. They had a farm on Lake Juparans in the Rio Doce colony that was headed up by Chrles Gunter.
After spending a year in Brazil, Major Storrs shipped as a seaman to San Francisco, Cal., and later to Oregon and the Washington territory. On his trip to California, he sailed around Cape Horn. From Washington, he went to Alaska.
Moved to Texas in 1874.
In 1874, Major Storrs moved to Texas. He served as state surveyor and classifier under the administrations of Governors Sullivan Ross and James S. Hogg. Major Storrs was instrumental in the cutting of the Panhandle into sections, which covered approximately 3,000,000 acres of land.
In 1888, he moved to Dallas, where he resided until moving to the county farm, Sept. 1, 1924. While in Dallas, he taught private schools until last summer. Including some of his ex-pupils, are Dr. S. E. Milliken, Ross Knight, Ross Curtis and Mack Newland.
He has also taught school at Fort Worth and Waco. Major Storrs was, at one time, principal of the school at Rockwall, Tex., which is now known as the Rockwall college.
Knew John Traylor.
The late Capt. John Fox of Dallas, was Major Storrs' quartermaster in the Civil war, and he was a personal friend of John Traylor, former mayor of Dallas, who died recently in San Antonio, Tex.
The major was married to Miss E. B. Pratt at Rockwall in 1886. She is still living, and is with her husband at the farm.
Mrs. Storrs' grandfather was killed while fighting under General Jackson at New Orleans. Her father, W. T. Pratt, fought at the battle of San Jacinto and was present when Santa Anna surrendered to Gen. Sam Houston.
- March 29, 1925, Dallas Times Herald, Sec. VII, p. 4, col. 1-4.