Letter from Henry F. Beaumont to Thomas W. Beaumont

Henry Francis Beaumont was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, England in 1799. He came to the United States around 1816 and settled in Lynchburg, Virginia. While there he met Sarah Gibson Anderson, and the couple was married in 1819. They had five children while still in Virginia before deciding to pack up their family and move west in 1829. They settled in Clarksville, Tennessee and Henry began farming tobacco. Over the next 15 years, Henry and Sarah had five more children, including Thomas W. Beaumont, born in 1830.

Thomas became an editor for the Nashville Banner newspaper around 1858 and held the position until 1860. Inspired by the war effort, he received authorization from Brigadier General W. H. Carroll to recruit a company, which he began doing on August 12, 1861. This became Company A of the 50th Tennessee Infantry Regiment which was officially organized on December 25, 1861 at Fort Donelson. Beaumont was captured at the Battle of Fort Donelson on February 16, 1862, and is believed to have been held as a prisoner of war at Johnson’s Island. He was eventually released, and returned to service with the 50th Tennessee Infantry Regiment. He was killed on September 19, 1863 at the Battle of Chickamauga.