Henry Lawson Wyatt (February 12, 1842 â June 10, 1861), was a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War. He died in the Battle of Big Bethel, one of the first skirmishes of the war, making him the first enlisted Confederate soldier to die in battle.
In early April, 1861, North Carolina was preparing to secede from the United States. A local militia was organized on April 18 of that year called the Edgecombe Guards, and Wyatt was one of its first enlistees. This company became designated as “Company A” and was placed in the 1st North Carolina Volunteers (later the 11th North Carolina Infantry Regiment).
On June 10, 1861, Wyatt’s regiment took part in the Battle of Big Bethel. During the battle, Wyatt and four others volunteered to set fire to a nearby barn which was thought to be aiding Union soldiers. As he crossed a field with the other soldiers a volley struck him down midway, and he was noticed to have a clot of blood on his forehead “as large as a man’s fist.” His fellow soldiers, who were not hit, quickly carried Wyatt off the field to a hospital in Yorktown. He died the following morning. He is buried in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond.
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