James F. Crocker

James F. Crocker. . , Judge Crocker was adjutant of the Ninth Virginia Infantry and was wounded and captured July 3, 1863, during Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, Pa. A native of Isle of Wight County, he served as its representative to the House of Delegates and after his term was enticed by a group of Portsmouth civic leaders to make this city his home. At the war's beginning, he was in a legal partnership with D.J. Godwin., On July 1, 1862, during the Battle of Malvern Hill, he was severely wounded while leading troop against a Union position. At Gettysburg, he was a among a handful of Virginia troops who followed Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead across the stone wall at the "Battle" of Cemetery Hill., For more than a year, he endured Johnson's Island prisoner of war camp just off of Sandusky, Ohio. in the midst of Lake Erie. He was paroled just before Lee's surrender at Appomattox., After the war, Crocker played many key roles in Portsmouth's revitalization. As superintendent of schools, he built the first school for the city's blacks. Active in veterans' affairs, he was president of the Portsmouth and Norfolk County Monument Association and led the effort to erect the Confederate Monument at the corner of Court and High streets. As judge of the Hustings Court, he was a familiar and respected figure in legal circles.