Father: William M. Austin, SC
Mother:...Stokes
VET: Capt, Co. F-Hampton's Legion Inf. SC, CSA Civil War
On Jan. 9, 1861, cadets at The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, who were manning an artillery battery on Morris Island off the coast of South Carolina, fired cannon shots at the federal steamship Star of the West to try to prevent it from reaching Fort Sumter. The ship was carrying supplies and 200 federal troops dispatched by President Buchanan to reinforce Union forces at the Fort. The ship suffered a minor hit, but did not fire back. If it had, the Civil War might very well have started on that day instead of on April 12, 1861 when Confederates attacked Fort Sumter, triggering the Civil War.
Many scholars, however, consider the firing on the Star of the West to be the first hostile shots of the Civil War.
James Seale Austin, who is buried in the Eastern Half Circle, Plot 74, in Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, was a cadet at the Citadel Military College in January of 1861 when fellow cadets fired upon the Star of the West. He surely witnessed first-hand that tense moment in history. He would later enter the Confederate service as Captain of Company F, Hampton’s Legion, South Carolina, and would be promoted to Colonel near the end of the Civil war.
After the War, he went on to be Professor of Math at a number of institutions, which led to his eventual last 32 years as an educator in Santa Rosa at Pacific Methodist College. He was married, had 5 children and lived at 771 Humboldt Street in Santa Rosa. He died on October 26, 1917 at the age of 79 years, 2 months and 12 days.
~by Sandy Frary, Rural Cemetery Archivist, 5/19/2016
Father: William M. Austin, SC
Mother:...Stokes
VET: Capt, Co. F-Hampton's Legion Inf. SC, CSA Civil War
On Jan. 9, 1861, cadets at The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, who were manning an artillery battery on Morris Island off the coast of South Carolina, fired cannon shots at the federal steamship Star of the West to try to prevent it from reaching Fort Sumter. The ship was carrying supplies and 200 federal troops dispatched by President Buchanan to reinforce Union forces at the Fort. The ship suffered a minor hit, but did not fire back. If it had, the Civil War might very well have started on that day instead of on April 12, 1861 when Confederates attacked Fort Sumter, triggering the Civil War.
Many scholars, however, consider the firing on the Star of the West to be the first hostile shots of the Civil War.
James Seale Austin, who is buried in the Eastern Half Circle, Plot 74, in Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, was a cadet at the Citadel Military College in January of 1861 when fellow cadets fired upon the Star of the West. He surely witnessed first-hand that tense moment in history. He would later enter the Confederate service as Captain of Company F, Hampton’s Legion, South Carolina, and would be promoted to Colonel near the end of the Civil war.
After the War, he went on to be Professor of Math at a number of institutions, which led to his eventual last 32 years as an educator in Santa Rosa at Pacific Methodist College. He was married, had 5 children and lived at 771 Humboldt Street in Santa Rosa. He died on October 26, 1917 at the age of 79 years, 2 months and 12 days.
~by Sandy Frary, Rural Cemetery Archivist, 5/19/2016
Family Members
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Lucy Frances Austin Capers
1828–1862
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Dr William Henry Austin
1829–1914
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Rosa Caroline "Carrie" Austin Fleming
1831–1912
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Elizabeth Harriett "Hattie" Austin Hunt
1832–1918
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John Wyckliffe Austin
1834–1891
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Thomas Jeremiah Austin
1835–1864
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Maria Louisa Austin Hoke
1839 – unknown
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Joseph Manning Austin
1840–1862
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Elizabeth Ann Austin Ferrell
1841–1933
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