Andrew Jackson Parks

UNIT: 19th Georgia Infantry (Confederate Army)

HOMETOWN: Acworth, Georgia; later Shamong

BORN/DIED: 1844–1913 (death year from gravestone)

RANK: Private

GRAVE LOCATION: Old Tabernacle Cemetery, Row 29 Lot 2

Approximate Grave Location:

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Old Tabernacle Cemetery, Row 29 Lot 2
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Hear My Story

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Read My Story

I was born on December 25, 1844, in Acworth, Cobb, Georgia. I was 17 when I enlisted in the Confederate Army. I served as a Private in the Georgia 19th Infantry in 1861. The 19th Regiment was originally known as the Second Regiment Fourth Brigade of the Georgia State Troops.

We were sent to Lynchburg, Virginia, in August 1861, and while there, my unit suffered through a measles epidemic which lowered our efficiency as a regiment. We were then transferred to Manassas Junction, where we remained until March 1862. In the spring of 1862, my regiment was sent to Yorktown, Virginia. We fought in the Seven Days Battles at West Point, Seven Pines, Mechanicsville, Gaines’ Mill, Frazier’s Farm, and Malvern Hill. In August, the regiment lost heavily at Cedar Mountain and Second Manassas, and the following month at Antietam. We suffered casualties of more than 50 percent of our regiment. In December 1862, at Fredericksburg, the Nineteenth lost nearly 200 additional men.

In February 1864, my regiment was part of the brigade sent to defend Florida against the anticipated Union expedition. At Olustee, 96 more Georgians fell (6 killed and 88 wounded). If I remember correctly, the regiment “captured three (Union) guns and caissons early in the battle.”

By May 1864, we were a well-traveled regiment. We returned to Virginia and fought at Drewry’s Bluff and Cold Harbor, before defending Petersburg during the rest of 1864. On April 26, 1865, near the close of the war, the 19th was ordered to North Carolina where my regiment finally surrendered.

At the end of the war, I moved to New Jersey where I bought 11.1 acres of land on Patty Bowker Road for $150.00. I soon met Amy Cole, whom I married in March 1868 in Medford, NJ. We had two sons, James and William. I lived in Shamong and worked as a farm laborer and also did odd jobs to make a living. My wife died when my elder son James was 6 years old, in 1870, from consumption. Just a few years later, in February of 1872, I married Amy’s younger sister Virgina. We had no children.

(1873 tax sale New Jersey Mirror February 20)

(Andrew Jackson Parks and friends)

Andrew Jackson Parks (Old Tabernacle Cemetery Row 29 Lot 2)

(Andrew Parks Confederate document)

(Andrew Parks service information)

Timeline

December 25, 1844: Born in Acworth, Cobb County, Georgia, according to the narrative.
1861: Enlisted in the Confederate Army and served as a Private in the 19th Georgia Infantry.
1862: The booklet describes his regiment’s service in Virginia and Maryland, including Antietam and Fredericksburg.
1864: The regiment fought in Florida and returned to Virginia.
April 26, 1865: The booklet places the regiment’s surrender in North Carolina near the end of the war.
After the war: Moved to New Jersey and bought 11.1 acres on Patty Bowker Road for $150.
March 1868: Married Amy Cole in Medford.
1870: Amy died of consumption, according to the booklet.
February 1872: Married Amy’s younger sister Virginia.
November 25, 1913: Death date shown on the gravestone photograph; the narrative does not state a death date.