Born in Lancaster County, Virginia the day after Christmas in 1841, Wayland F. Dunaway attended the University of Virginia to study law in 1860. In 1861 he joined the Confederate army with the rank of lieutenant in Company F, 47 Virginia Infantry and participated in many battles. Following the war, Wayland Dunaway returned to Lancaster County, Virginia and served as Commonwealth Attorney before being disbarred for failing to take the "iron-clad oath." Thereafter, he followed the footsteps of his brother and became an ordained minister, performing many marriages under the large plaster medallion in the fancy parlor at Melrose. In 1913 his book was published.
Captain Dunaway has chronicled what he believed were the best and worst performances of the war, including fighting under Colonel Brockenbrough at Gettysburg and serving under "Stonewall Jackson" in the fall of 1862. Dunaway also participated in many early battles including Gaines's Mill, Seven Pines, and Frayser's Farm where he helped capture Union division commander George A. McCall. On July 14, 1863, Captain Dunaway was captured in action at Falling Waters, Maryland and was imprisoned at Johnson's Island, Ohio until March 1865.
According to reviewer J.H. McNeilly in Confederate Veteran, "The reminiscences are full of interest and recall vividly the old fighting, marching, suffering, glorious days."
Dear Catherine and Robert,
I wanted to thank you for the gift of the Dunaway Civil War Reminiscences on my birthday. It was a very thoughtful and kind gesture on your part, and a very pleasant surprise. It did indeed add to my collection of information concerning those who, like my forefathers and their many kin, supported the Confederate Cause.
The Reverend Captain Dunaway was clearly a well-educated, articulate, and intelligent man, one who devoted his youth to a cause which he considered to be not only just but one for which he willingly endured the dangers of combat, the privations of the campaign and the abominable conditions of the prison camps of the time. That he later became reconciled to the defeat of that cause and supported a reunited country, but never changed his views as to the validity of the Southern perspective on the issues, is a testimony both to the depth of his feelings on the matter, and the strong sense of commitment with which he pursued his life's goals. These brief insights into the intellect and character of the kind of man who typified the company-grade leadership of the highly-respected Confederate Army, and later, of the community in general, make his personal reminiscences a valuable conduit which connects us to the mother-lode of our past as people and as a nation. I am sure that his connection to your lovely plantation, Melrose, makes the book a treasure to you. That he was so devoted to the service of his fellow man and such a prominent feature on the social landscape of the Northern Neck makes this brief vignette into his life even more of a treasure to me personally.
Thank you for sharing it with me.
Sincerely,
O.J.