Our item is an Oath of Allegiance signed by Bernard A. Seay who had quite a remarkable experience during the Civil War.  This parole is dated June 19, 1865.  Seay enlisted at age 20 and was captured on July 3, 1863 at Gettysburg.  He was taken to Ft. McHenry and then Ft. Delaware.  He was then taken to Point Lookout and exchanged in May of 1864.  He was appointed 3^rd Cpl. on 9/1/64.  He was again captured at the Battle of Five Forks and taken to Point Lookout, where he signed this parole.  From reading Bernard’s obituary written by his father we learn more about this great Confederate soldier. 

BERNARD A. SEAY'S  OBITUARY
The Color Bearer of the Fourteenth Virginia at Gettysburg.


Died at his home in Christian county, Kentucky, on the 29th of January, 1892.  Bernard A Seay, in the 51st years of his age.  The deceased was a native of Amelia, and like thousands, at the close of the war, sought to better his condition among strangers.  He was peculiarly fortunate in the selections of his home, in the community of Virginians, and their descendants, still cherishing old Virginia traditions, manners and habits who by hospitality and kindness, compensates in some measure for severance from home ties and youthful associations; while he in turn, commended himself to their favor, by his geneial sociable dispostions, and integrity.
    He filled a succession of country offices creditabley to himself, and acceptability to his constituents.  He was happy in his domestic relations following an affectionate wife to the grave, only a week preceeding his own death, after a married life of twenty years, full of contentiment and peace.  He was an approved soldier of Pickett's famous Virginia division, and Armistead's brigade, serving from the secession of the State of Gettysburg; enduring privation, danger and disaster, with a laughing patient sufferance, that disarmed fortune.  But Gettysburg brought the crisis and catastrophe - The survivors of the old fourteenth are not likely to forget, that when following their tattered battle flag, borne aloft by him, they dashed themselved with unavailing gallantry, against the wall on Cemetary Heights, flag and bearer disappeared in the melee.  As the account that a participant can give of such a fearful escalade, must be meragre in the extreme, when questioned, some months since, it has found that his memory had retained only a few striking incidents.  In the midst of confusion worse confounded, he found himself among the still smoking guns of a deseserted battery, and while assisting to turn one of these he was captured and ended his campaigning in Point Lookout.  While the incidents of the struggle, in and around that "bloody angle," seemed scarecely more real than the baseless fabric of a vision no time could blot from his memory the grand and glorious bearing of his old commander who gallantly cheering his men "onto the deadly breach," fell with his hat on his sword point, on the spot, now shown to visiors, as marking the limit of Confederate advance.
    Some day it will fill the measure of a soldier's fame, when men shall say" "he was with Pickett at Gettysburg," and the descendants of Ensign Seay may claim a special distinction for him that was at Armistead's side when he fell; surrounded by yankees in their own lines.  May a battered old fourteenth man, whose bivouac was brightened by his genial presence, whose toilsome marches were beguilded pf weariness by his gaiety and overflowing good humor, will drop a memorial tear on the grave of Bernard Seay.  (Written by his father, Junius H. Seay, Lt., Co. A, 14th VA.)  

Condition of document is very fine. Filled in with dark ink (some smudging) and has an excellent overall appearance.

# D2 - Price $1,295