Isaac E. Avery
| Isaac Erwin Avery | |
|---|---|
Isaac Erwin Avery
photo taken in 1862 or 1863 |
|
| Nickname(s) | "Ike" |
| Born |
December 20, 1828 Burke County, North Carolina |
| Died | July 3, 1863 (aged 34) Gettysburg, Pennsylvania |
| Place of burial | Hagerstown, Maryland |
| Allegiance |
 Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 Confederate States Army
|
| Years of service | 1861–63 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
|
| Battles/wars | |
Isaac Erwin Avery (December 20, 1828 – July 3, 1863) was a planter and an officer in the Confederate States Army. He died at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Avery is most remembered for a poignant blood-stained note that he wrote as he lay dying on the slopes of Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg.
Isaac Erwin Avery was born at Swan Ponds in Burke County, North Carolina, the fourth son of Isaac Thomas and Harriet Erwin Avery, who in total had 16 children. Three of the brothers, including Col. Clark M. Avery of the 33rd North Carolina, would be killed during the Civil War and another crippled for life.
Avery was the grandson of Waightstill Avery (1741–1821), a fiery American Revolutionary War hero who served as the first attorney general of North Carolina and who had once been challenged to a duel by Andrew Jackson. Isaac attended the University of North Carolina for one year in 1847, but left to manage a plantation for his father in Yancey County.
Avery later formed a partnership with Charles F. Fisher and Samuel McDowell Tate to act as contractors in the building of the Western North Carolina Railroad in the mid-1850s.
With his state's secession from the Union, Isaac returned to Burke County, and with his brother Alphonso, recruited Company E of the 6th North Carolina Regiment. As captain, Avery commanded the company, which fought in the First Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Seven Pines. In the summer of 1862, he was promoted to colonel. He was wounded at Gaines' Mill and was out of action until late in the fall. Avery's recovery caused him to miss the battles at Second Bull Run and Antietam. Following the reorganization of the army after the Battle of Fredericksburg, the 6th North Carolina was placed under the command of veteran Brig. Gen. Robert F. Hoke.
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