Flemon Anderson 1848-1864, a Loudoun Ranger [Provide by Patricia Hunt-Neis at Find a Grave]

Flemon Anderson 1848-1864, a Loudoun Ranger [Provide by Patricia Hunt-Neis at Find a Grave]

People Laid to Rest»

Flemon Anderson 1843-1864

Flemon Anderson joined the Loudoun Rangers during the Civil War. The young men of the Loudoun Rangers, like their Rebel counterparts, were able to sustain fairly close relationships with the local womenfolk. Unlike the ordinary Union and Confederate troops who served far from home, the Rangers frequently saw girls they knew in the Waterford, Lovettsville and Taylorstown neighborhoods. Often they attended parties, dances, weddings and other social gatherings. The local boys in gray did likewise, and all too frequently the nicest parties were spoiled by gunfire.

On February 20, 1863, Sergeant Flemon B. Anderson’s sister Molly gave a ball at the James Filler house that was interrupted by some of White’s cavalrymen, led by a Lieutenant Marlow. When Molly begged and pleaded for the Rebels to spare her brother a trip to Libby Prison, Marlow finally agreed that Anderson would be paroled if she would dance the next set with him. Relieved, Sergeant Anderson took up the fiddle and played happily for the rest of the evening. The next morning he reported to Union headquarters at Point of Rocks and was sent to Camp Parole at Annapolis, where he stayed until properly exchanged.

Gravestone of Sgt. Anderson of the Loudoun Rangers in Waterford VA

Gravestone of Sgt. Anderson of the Loudoun Rangers

Unfortunately, the party-going Anderson pushed his luck. On Christmas Eve 1864, a Ranger detachment left Maryland for a raid into their old home grounds near Waterford, knowing the Confederates were camped there. Anderson’s mother had arranged a dance at her home near Taylorstown, and the sergeant stopped by to visit. He was sitting beside his intended when White’s and Mosby’s men surrounded the house around 9 p.m. Anderson tried to escape through the back door as they came in the front, but he was shot through the head and died in his mother’s arms. The Confederates wanted to shoot captured Sergeant John Hickman as well for some alleged war crime in the past, but they desisted when one of Mosby’s men who was related to the Andersons intervened.

He was killed in action 24 Dec 1864, near Taylorstown, Virginia.

Family Members

Parents
Charles F Anderson 1821-1863<
Mary Frances 1824-1887

Siblings
James A. Anderson 1849-1907
Charles W. Anderson 1852-1880<
Clayton Calvin Anderson 1860-1943

Sources include  Find A Grave