Morris Halsey was the son of James Halsey ( b. abt 1793. d. abt 1871 in Grayson, VA) & Martha "Patsy" Peak (b. abt 1799 in Grayson, VA. d. 1899 in VA. Morris Halsey was born in 1826 in Grayson County, VA. He married Sophina Hash on 10 Feb 1847 in Ashe County, NC & died in 1925 in Mouth of Wilson, Grayson County, VA.

Morris enlisted as a private in Company I, 51st Regiment of the Virginia Infantry on 28 Jun 1861 at the Fox Creek Meeting House in Fox Creek, VA, serving the Confederacy. This regiment was organized in Wytheville with men from Amherst, Bland, Grayson, Nelson, Patrick, Tazwell, Wise and Wythe Counties and commanded by Brigadier General Gabriel C. Wharton (called Gen Horton on Sophina's Widow Pension App) & Captain Calvin H. Senter (Called C. H. Senter on Sophina's Widow Pension App. He was appointed captain of Co. I on 23 May 1862). Morris is said to be 37 yrs old when he enlisted and stood 5' 11" with gray eyes, dark hair & complexion.

Morris would have participated in the major engagements at the Battle of Carnifex Ferry, Virginia and the Battle of Fort Donelson, Tennessee. On 13 Jun 1862 Morris received a medical discharge from Company I, 51st Infantry Regiment Virginia "at Camp near the Narrows of New River, Giles County Va" due to disabilities caused by typhoid fever caught in Oct 1861. A small town also called Narrows existed there and remains there to this day. Morris Halsey received an honorable discharge. His military pension was granted on 2 Jun 1900 by the Grayson County Pension Board.

Here are the battle engagements of the 51st Infantry Regiment of Virginia that Morris would have been involved in between June 28, 1861 & June 13, 1862:

1861
1. Gauley River (10 Sep 1861).

2. Carnifax Ferry (11 Sep 1861).

3. Buffalo Mountain (13 Dec 1861).

1862
1. Fort Donelson (12-16 Feb 1862).

2. Lewisburg & Clarksville (18 Feb 1862).

3. Mercer & Princeton (17-18 May 1862).*

In the "Halsey Genealogy" by Rufus Clinton Halsey, Morris Halsey is listed as being buried in Cease Halsey Cemetery & as having only a rock marker. This has been verified to the author of this biography by the great grandson of Morris, Tommy Halsey, the son of Thomas Creed Halsey and Nannie Belle Suitt. Tommy affirms that Morris Halsey is indeed buried in the William Cease Cemetery and that he only has a rock marker, but he is uncertain which one is his. Tommy lives in the area and has been to the cemetery on multiple occasions during his life.**

*Info. from "U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865" (Ancestry.com); "U.S., Confederate Pensions, 1884-1958" (Ancestry.com); http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/genealogy/ancestorcomments.aspx?id=36340; http://www.51stvirginiainfantry.com on page http://web.me.com/vmiblu06/51st_Virginia_Infantry/History.html (No longer on line); http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/51st_Virginia_Infantry.

**Based on multiple conversations with Tommy Halsey at family reunions over the years.

Bio Compiled by David Burns, M. Div
2nd Great-Grandson
(Find A Grave Member# 47319474)
updated 30 Aug 2022