Charles W. Frazer was born on July 21, 1834, in Fayette County, Tennessee; he attended the University of Mississippi and was admitted to the bar in Memphis at the age of nineteen. With the start of the Civil War, Frazer joined the Confederate army on June 14, 1861, and was commissioned the captain of Company I, 21st Tennessee Infantry.

Frazer fought in the Battle of Belmont in Mississippi County, Missouri on November 7, 1861, the first combat for Union General Ulysses S. Grant. The Confederates claimed victory, as the Federals were forced to withdraw, but the outcome was inconclusive. Frazer also fought at Perryville, Kentucky, on October 8, 1862, the largest Civil War battle in Kentucky.

Captured in September 1863, Frazer was sent to Johnson’s Island, Ohio, a Union prison for Confederate officers located on Lake Erie. Frazer remained at Johnson’s Island until his release on June 11, 1865.

Frazer died on July 11, 1897.

Carte-de-Visite by Excelsior Gallery, Memphis, Tenn.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 31600