1st Lieutenant William Ansley Shields, CSA
1826-1864

William Ansley Shields was born 18 October 1826, the son of Robert and Epsie Ansley Shields, in Morgan Co., GA. He was the great grandson of Major John Shields of the Continental Army who was killed during the first siege of Augusta in 1777. William married Sophia Collingsworth in 1852 and together they had two children. One of them was Eppie Irelle Shields. After the death of William, Sophia married her husband’s first cousin Erasmus A. Shields, representative to the Georgia State Legislature from Columbia Co. Eppie married John Francis “Frank” Shields, her cousin, the son of Erasmus and his first wife, Susan E. A. Brinkley who died during the war.

At the time hostilities broke out, William was 35 years old but wanting to participate, he joined the Georgia Home Guards in 1862. The Guards were obligated to serve only six months but William continued to renew his commitment and thus served during the duration of the war. Records indicate his unit was stationed in Decatur, GA from early 1863 until at least August of 1864. Thus we know William was in the Atlanta area during the battle on 22 July 1864 before being ordered to Macon to slow the advance of Sherman.

At the time of Sherman’s march through Georgia, Griswoldville had been the home of the Confederate Pistol factory. The plant had been converted in 1862 from the production of cotton gin machinery to producing revolvers of the Colt pattern and during the course of the war had produced a total of about 3,500. On 21 November 1864 Union Gen. Judson Kilpatrick’s Calvary, operating on the Federal right flank during the “March to the Sea” destroyed the town burning down everything. Confederate Gen. William J. Hardee had ordered the local Militia in Macon to reinforce Augusta. On 22 November 1964, the troops made up of 4,350 inexperienced troops and artillery under the command of Gen. Pleasant J. Phillips, marched eastwards on the Georgia Central Railroad and ran into detachments of the Federal Army, just past the smoldering ruins of Griswoldville. Without orders from superiors, Phillips formed his lines for battle and attacked across an open field, trying to cross a swampy creek and charge up a hill. His men made seven assaults, coming within 50 yards of the Yankees before being repulsed by blistering fire. Union Colonel Charles Wills later wrote of the battle, “Old gray haired men and weakly looking men and little boys, not over 15 years old, lay dead or writhing in pain.” The Confederates, mostly old men and boys, attacked with great courage and vigor, but failed to change any part of Sherman’s plan in the only pitched battle on the March to the Sea.
Some call this the Gettysburg of Georgia.

It was into this horrible one sided battle that William and the men of Co. B, 8th Georgia Infantry (State Guards) entered that fateful day of 22 November 1864. In the report following the battle, it was written that he was “pierced in the right breast and expired instantly.” Little is known about what occurred after the battle and it is assumed that William was interred in one of the mass graves without any marker to identify his location. We felt it only proper that William is remembered and we have placed a Veterans Marker in the old Shields burial ground next to his great grandfather, Major John Shields of the Colonial Army. This burial ground is part of the original land grant given Major John Shields’ family for his honorable service during the Revolution. As William’s first cousin, Joseph Morris Shields died in General Hospital Number 1 in Lynchburg, VA and was buried somewhere in Virginia without a marker, we felt we should honor him as well and we have put a grave marker next to William’s to acknowledge and remember Joseph’s service to the Confederacy.

The Shields burial ground was located in the woods a good distance away from the road and was almost impossible to find with the heavy growth, we decided to build an access road into the site and to clear all of the growth in and around the area. After this was done, we removed all of the stones in the rock wall, repaired the area and rebuilt the wall using the original stones. The markers were all removed, repaired and cleaned so that now rather than being hidden deep in the woods, there is a small park like setting which is easily accessible.

- Respectfully submitted
- Ben H Willingham #7674
- 2nd Great grandson of LT William A. Shields, CSA and Erasmus A. Shields
- 5th Great grandson of MAJ John Shields, RA
- 1st Cousin of Joseph M. Shields, CSA