Beverly Wells
Private Beverly Wells was born around 1837 in Charlottesville and worked as a laborer before the Civil War.[1] He enlisted in the Union army on September 27, 1864, at Camp Casey, Virginia, and mustered in as a private in Company C of the 29th United States Colored Troops Infantry Regiment later that day. His enlistment record describes him as 5 feet, 3 inches tall, with black hair, black eyes, and a black complexion. He participated in the Siege of Petersburg, but he suffered extensively from rheumatism during his service.[1] In April 1865, the army muster rolls list him as "absent sick." He mustered out of service in Brownsville, Texas, on November 6, 1865.[1]
After his service, Wells moved to Washington, D.C., and settled in the Georgetown area. He married Annie Carey on July 3, 1880, and she gave birth to twins named Richard and Hester on May 20, 1885.[1] Wells worked as a laborer for the War Department Engineer Department. His wartime ailments limited his ability to perform manual labor. He secured an $8 monthly pension in 1891, and died of "sarcoma of the antrum" on May 22, 1895, at the Freedman's Hospital. His wife successfully petitioned for a widow’s pension.[1] Wells is buried in Section 27 of Arlington National Cemetery. Annie died on November 1, 1927, and is buried beside her husband in Arlington.[1]
Private Wells was profiled by the University of Virginia's John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History in 2017, as part of their "Black Virginians in Blue" digital project.