Bluford Russell Holland
8 August 1839 – 21 March 1875
Company B, 1st South Carolina Cavalry, Confederate States Army
Bluford Russell Holland was my 3rd great-grandfather. He and his wife, Margurite Elizabeth, are buried at Leesville Methodist Church Cemetery in Laurens, South Carolina.
At a Glance
- Born: 8 August 1839, worked out from the age on his gravestone.
- Died: 21 March 1875, aged 35 years, 7 months and 13 days.
- Served: Company B, 1st Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry. Enlisted as a private in August 1861; 1st corporal by 1864.
- Family: husband of Margurite Elizabeth Holland (1842–1916); father of Charles Quincy Holland (1872–1939), my 2nd great-grandfather.
- Buried: Leesville Methodist Church Cemetery, with a Confederate cross from the United Daughters of the Confederacy at the foot of his grave.
On This Page
Service Record
| Date | Record |
|---|---|
| 25 August 1861 | Enlisted at Camp Johnson, Columbia, South Carolina, under Captain Niles Nesbitt. Private, Company B, 1st Regiment, South Carolina Cavalry. |
| 30 April 1863 | On the roll as 2nd corporal. |
| 31 October 1864 | On the last available roll as 1st corporal, sick in quarters. |
See also 1st South Carolina Cavalry Memorials.
Camp Johnson
Bluford enlisted at Camp Johnson, the training camp at Lightwood Knot Springs near Columbia.
A Family Recollection
“If you want to go to a battle site where Bluford R. Holland fought, go to Fredericksburg, VA, take Route 17 N, go by Hartwood; then “Gale Vein” – a gentleman named Noah Brooks lives there – can direct you – go 1 or 2 miles to Summer Duck Run – turn left, cedar trees on both sides of road – go to end to Ballard cabin – red clay road – a stream and remains of a bridge left there – hillside covered with daffodils – take a small shovel and sack; get some to take home – other battle sites near: Brandy Station, Stevensburg, etc. etc.”
— MH
Transcribed from a letter from my great-aunt, Eula Mae Holland Hansen, who died on New Year’s Eve, 1997. Aunt Mae was Bluford’s granddaughter and was active in the Aiken Garden Club, hence the daffodils. She is buried at Leesville.
His Grave
See Leesville Methodist Church Cemetery for his inscription and the graves of his family.
Sources and Open Questions
Sources
- Confederate service abstract of B. R. Holland, South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia (microfilm SC26).
- Letter from Eula Mae Holland Hansen (family papers).
- Camp Johnson photograph contributed by Fred Knudsen.
Open Questions
- Which engagement took place at the spot Aunt Mae describes, near Hartwood and Summer Duck Run in Virginia?
- Where was the regiment when he was “sick in quarters” in October 1864, and was he with it at the end of the war?
How You Can Help
If you have letters, photographs or records of Bluford Holland or Company B, please get in touch.
Related: Leesville Methodist Church Cemetery · 1st South Carolina Cavalry Memorials