Hugh Pusser

Hugh Pusser was the son of David Purser (son of John Purser and possibly

Susannah Cuthberson, daughter of David Cuthberson) and probably Anna Mullis.  There were four boys

in David's family;  Hugh, John, Prior Green, and Solomon.  The later thre e moved to Pulaski County,

Georgia in 1849 leaving Hugh's family and the deserted family of Solomon.  David died around 1832

and Anna remarried to John Rushing.  John raised the four boys and he and Anna had three sons.  The

tragic events for Ann a Mullis Purser Rushing is that she lost five sons during the war between the

states; two of David's and three of John's. In the beginning of the War Between the States, Hugh showed

concern for his new country, The Confederate States of America, by supporting the cause with the

purchase of war bonds.  In 1863, Hugh was ordered by Conscript Officers Valentine Smit h and William

B. Hinson to get his affairs in order and to report to the Confederate Army.  The act was probably in

reaction to the disaster events at Gettysburg that July.  Family legend has it that William B. Hinson

believed that Hugh gave comfo rt to Confederate deserters, probably local boys of the area.  Hinson told

Smith to conscript Hugh or He (William) will report both of them to the officials.  Valentine regretted

this action the rest of his life.  On September 8, 1863, Hugh mad e his will leaving all to his wife, Mary

Frances, with the condition that if she remarries all the processions will be sold and the money divided

equally between his wife and children. Hugh and his brother-in-law, Jacob Austin, traveled to Raleigh,

North Carolina by rail.  They arrived at Camp Mangum (now the site of the State Fairgrounds and

Meridth College for girls) and were enlisted on October 8th, 1863 by Colonel Malle t for three years into

Company H, 14th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry (a Stanley County unit).  Hugh was present during

muster except on January 16th, 1864.  He was admitted to the Confederate Hospital at Charlottesville,

Virginia due to dyspep sia.  Before the start of General Grant's campaign of May 1864 into the

Wilderness, Hugh returned to the ranks.  Four days later on May 8th, 1864, Hugh's unit, after a long

hard march, came up in reserves to help defend the crossroads at Spotsyvan lia, Virginia.  At 5 O'clock

in the evening of May 8th, Hugh was killed during a Confederate charge to drive the enemy back.  The

official records indicate that Hugh Pusser was the only soldier killed in his Brigade during this charge.

Exactly one month later on June 8th, 1864, Mary Frances gave birth to their tenth child.  He was named

Hugh Pusser Jr.  In 1871, Mary Frances married Calvin Mullis, widower, who had three sons that3

married three daughters of Hugh and Mary France s Pusser.  Soon after this marriage, Hugh's items were

auctioned (seven years after his death) and all moneys divided between Mary Frances Mullis and her

nine remaining children (John died in 1876).