The Virginia in the Civil War Message Board

John J. Cumby

I am a descendent of the elusive John J. Cumbey. He was the father of my great-grandfather, Samuel H. Cumbey.
I was always under the impression, from my own deductive research, that he enlisted in the 56th VA. Infantry on July 18, 1861. Company I. , in Charlotte, Va. He was "sick in hospital 7/18-8/31/61; discharged from service 1863."*

There are two minor pieces of information that lead me to believe that this is the John J. Combey that has been discussed.

One is that the entry in the Young book also lists "Combey" as an alternate spelling of "Cumby." On his marriage bonds, the spelling is "Combey." Of course, they also have his middle initial as an "H," not a "J," but the bride is correct, as are her parents as listed on the bonds. (They are Joel H. and Nancy Blankenship.) So, the variance in the Young book, listed as "Cumby" or "Combey," leads me to believe that this particular Cumby spelled his name either way.

The second is that his brother-in-law, Samuel O. Blankenship, (the son of Joel H. and Nancy Blankenship and brother of John J.'s wife,) also enlisted the same day, July 18, 1861, in 56th VA. Infantry, Co. I., in Charlotte. (Samuel O. Blankenship's entry* is in the same referenced volume as John J. Cumby/Combey above, p. 128.) The Samuel O. Blankenship listed in the '56th VA. Infantry' is designated as being the correct Blankenship since it also states that "father Joel H. Blankenship" filed a death claim 9/5/62. (Samuel died in Georgia in March of 1862.)

I'm conjecturing that Sam and John decided to go down and enlist together.

The entry on John J. also states he was "discharged from service in 1863." I am no expert on Civil War history; I am not sure if the term "discharged" holds any implication other than being released honorably.

The John J. Cumby who was in the 42nd VA. Infantry is listed in the 'Roster of the Courts Martial in the Confederate States Armies." (Authored by Jack A. Bunch.) It lists him as AWOL. His trial was held 02/11/1864. His punishment was designated as being sentenced to "company punishment." Evidentally, the charges of the courts-martials could range from being "acquitted," to being "hanged." And though my extrapolations from the information I have gathered might be correct, I still really don't see how I can distance myself too far from the Cumby in the 42nd. Given the geographic proximity and the smaller population of the time, I am most likely a cousin of his in some fashion. We must also remember a lot of men went AWOL to travel home to help bring in crops and to tend to farm matters. They took their punishment, should their CO decide to minister it, after they returned to duty. They weren't "running" away from the Confederacy as someone inferred in an earlier post, but making difficult decisions between serving their country and serving their family back at home.

*Source: '56th Virginia Infantry' by William A. Young and Patricia C. Young; Copyright 1990 H.E. Howard, Inc., Lynchburg, VA.; p. 136.

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