31 January 1906 Obituary of Col. John B. Richardson
[Daily Picayune, New Orleans]
JOHN B. RICHARDSON SURRENDERS TO DEATH,
As Brave a Fight as That Which Marked His Career in War,
Leader of Washington Artillery,
Treasurer of Southern Pacific,
and Prominent in the City's Upbuilding.
Col. John B. Richardson, the Commander of the Washington Artillery, the Treasurer of the Southern Pacific Railroad in this city, and for 30 years one of the best known citizens of New Orleans, died this morning, shortly before 1:00. Death came painlessly. Col. Richardson's reputation as a businessman in New Orleans, his record as a gallant and faithful soldier and the care which he has exercised in his duties in a responsible position with the Southern Pacific, this interest in all that has tended for the commercial upbuilding of New Orleans, all unite in making his death a serious loss to the city.
In his career of varied interests one point stands out preeminently. That is the interest he has had in the continuance of the Washington Artillery as an organization. According to the number of members of that organization, had it not been for the untiring work of Col. Richardson the battalion which won so much renown throughout the Civil War, would by now have ceased to exist, and the people of the younger generation would have to depend on the histories of the record of this famous organization. Through his efforts the organization has been preserved, the Armory on St. Charles Avenue was acquired, and the complete records of the achievements of the Regiment has been preserved.
Col. Richardson has been ill but a few days. Several years ago he suffered a slight stroke of apoplexy. He recovered, and last summer he suffered a second stroke which was also slight. Tuesday morning at 6:00 just as he was preparing to rise, he had the third stroke. At that time he was not considered to be in serious condition and retained the full possession of all his faculties. Since that time he has been holding his own well, and up to a short time before his death, his physicians felt that he had a good chance to recover. His advanced age, coupled with the results of exposure during the war, worked against him, and he was unable to withstand the ravages of the disease.
Col. Richardson was born in Alabama about 73 years ago. His father was a Virginian, who went to Tennessee in his boyhood, and who was one of the bravest soldiers under the command of Gen. Jackson in the Florida Wars. He was seriously wounded in these wars. Later he moved to New Orleans. Col. Richardson was educated in this city, and while he was still a very young man he entered the cotton business here as a clerk in the house of John F. Wyche & Co., then one of the leading cotton firms of this city. By his attention to business he was rapidly advanced, and before the war broke out he was one of the partners in the business. At that time the Washington Artillery was one of the principal military organizations of the city, many of the society young men of the city being members. Col. Richardson joined this organization in 1859, when it was more of a social organization than a military one. At the opening of the war the Battalion, which then had about 500 members, volunteered for service in the Confederate Army and were immediately ordered to Lynchburg, Va. They did not go as State troops, but as an independent organization, and it is a matter of record that they furnished their own supplies and all the officers furnished their own horses.
Colonel Richardson began his actual army service as the First Lieutenant of the First Company of the Artillery, which became a part of the Army of Northern Virginia. Within a short time he was made the Captain of the Second Company. He received his baptism of fire at the battle of Blackburn's Ford in July, 1861. This was just before the battle of Bull Run, and was close to the scene of that historic battle. In this battle Colonel Richardson's horse was shot from under him. He received the personal commendation of General Beauregard for the bravery which he showed in the fight.
Other battles followed in quick succession and Colonel Richardson figured prominently in all of them. The first battle of Manassas, in which a number of the members of Colonel Richardson's company were injured, was another battle in which Colonel Richardson distinguished himself by his gallant action. He and his company were stationed close to Washington, and were in almost constant action. He participated with distinction in the battles of Gordonsville, Rappahannock Station and White Plains. The most notable action in which Colonel Richardson participated was that of the second battle of Manassas. In this engagement the Washington Artillery was divided into a number of sections. The Company of which Colonel (then Captain) Richardson was in command pursued a greatly superior force. Colonel Richardson and his men captured one of the batteries of the Federal forces and abandoned their own guns, and taking the guns of the Federal batteries, turned them on their former owners.
He participated in the battles of the seven days before Richmond, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Petersburg. During the siege of Petersburg, he and his men occupied the Forts Mahone and Walker, and on the retreat to Appomattox they were almost continuously engaged. On the night before the surrender at Appomattox he and his battery brought up the rear of the Confederate column and were continuously engaged in the fight until after midnight. He was not present at the surrender, for during the early hours of the morning he learned of the negotiations for the surrender, and at once ordered his men to bury their guns and disband. Most of his command made their way to Greensboro and joined the Confederate army under General Johnston.
Colonel Richardson was paroled after the surrender at Greensboro and at once returned to his home at New Orleans, where he again entered the cotton business. The war had demoralized this business and after trying to make a success of it for several years he gave up the attempt and turned his attention to railroad work. He was for a number of years connected with the old Pontchartrain Railroad, and later with the Opelousas and Western. When the Morgan line acquired this property he was offered the position of Treasurer in the local offices, a position which he accepted and retained up to the time of his death.
In 1875 the question of the reorganization of the Washington Artillery was agitated by Colonel Richardson, and the plan was carried out the following year. In the reorganization, Colonel Richardson was appointed the Captain of Battery C, a position which he held for many years. He has been the Lieutenant Colonel, commanding the battery since 1880, and occupied that position up to the time of his death. He has been untiring in his work for the command, and it is largely through his efforts that the regiment secured their present headquarters on St. Charles Avenue. Before the members of the Washington Artillery withdrew from the Association of the Army of Northern Virginia, Colonel Richardson was for three years the commander of that organization.
The marriage of Colonel Richardson was a romantic one. He met his wife while in active service at Petersburg, Va. Their courtship was a short one and when his Command was ordered away from that place they were married. For months at a time during the progress of the war, Mrs. Richardson never saw her husband or knew in what part of the South he was fighting. At the same time Captain Andrew Hero met the sister of Mrs. Richardson and married her. Colonel Richardson leaves a wife, and four children, Misses Ada and Cora Richardson, John Richardson and Dr. W. C. Richardson. The funeral will take place from the Richardson residence Thursday evening, and will, doubtless, be a military affair, as many of the citizen soldiery desire to take part in tribute to the heroic commander. Adjutant General Stafford is in the city, and representatives of the militia will consult with him today.
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