Thomas Benjamin Rust Massie

In 1859 Thomas Massie was a farmer living in Rappahannock County, Virginia. He organized the Washington Grays, a local militia company. In June 1861 they were mustered into Confederate service as Company B, 7th Virginia Infantry, Captain Massie commanding. He was promoted to Major and command of the 17th Virginia Cavalry Battalion to replace Major William Patrick, killed at 2nd Manassas on 29 August 1862.

On the 7th of September Major Massie took his command on a reconnaissance towards Harper's Ferry, and when near Darksville [Darkesville, Berkeley County, VA - now WVa] met with a small force of Federals and charged and pursued them to the neighborhood of Martinsburg. In the charge many prisoners were captured, and Massie's command stringing out in pursuit, lost their proper position in the column. On the return, when near Darksville, they were suddenly attacked by a Federal cavalry force. Forming his men as best he might in the streets of Darksville, he gave battle, and after a contest in which several of the Confederates were killed and wounded he was forced to retreat. In this skirmish the Federals had a force of five companies of cavalry, four companies of infantry, and a section of artillery.

Shortly after this skirmish Major Massie and his command joined Jackson at Harper's Ferry, where they occupied a position on his flanks, picketing the fords of the Shenandoah and Potomac until the surrender of the place.
- McDonald

The 17th Battalion - with the rest of the cavalry brigade under Munford, picketed Antietam Creek below Sharpsburg on 17 September. They were part of the rearguard of the Army of Northern Virginia on the Potomac crossing to Shepherdstown on the night of 18-19 September.1

By the May 1864 battle of the Wilderness, Massie was Lieutenant Colonel and commanding the 12th Virginia Cavalry. 2 He was wounded at Trevilian Station in June 1864 and was captured in Warren County, Virginia, on 18 February 1865 and imprisoned at Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, being released in May.

He was a farmer in Rappahannock County.

Massie's service with the 17th Battalion is found in McDonald1, birth and death information from family researchers. Additional biographic information from the registration (pdf) for his family home on the National Register of Historic Places. The photograph above is from a copy of a CDV available from PictureHistory - original source of the CDV is unknown.

An 1897 photo of the Colonel is online courtesy of RootsWeb and contributor Shirley Starks.

12/15/1820 in VA

4/29/1908; Rappahannock County, VA; burial in cemetery at Meadow Grove, Amissville, VA