Researched and written by Kobe M. Brown; Edited by Cheri Todd Molter
Edward Jackson Edwards was born to Hiram and Sara Jane Edwards of Cumberland County, North Carolina. In 1861, Edwards was an 18-year-old farmer who lived near Fayetteville. On June 17, 1861, Edwards enlisted in the Confederate army as a private and served in Company C of the 3rd NC Infantry.
On May 3, 1863, Edwards fought at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, and it was in this engagement that Edwards sustained an injury that changed his life from then on—his right forearm was badly injured. That injury resulted in an amputation, a reality that many Civil War soldiers faced due to the fast-paced environment and limited treatment options. After the procedure, he recuperated at Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond, Virginia for a few months.
On Dec. 23, 1863, as a result of his disability, Edwards was discharged from the Confederate army. After his military service concluded, he returned to Fayetteville and became a Baptist minister. Edwards married Isabella Hair in 1865, and they had 6 children: Emmitt, Julia, Sylvester, Joel, Edward, and Ella Edwards. Records indicate that Edwards, like many other Civil War veterans, filled out an application for a pension in June of 1901 (see photo attached). Edwards passed away in 1906 around age 63.
