Julius Franklin Howell was born in Suffolk, Virginia, in 1846. He enlisted in the Confederate States Army in 1862 and served in the 24th Virginia Cavalry until 1864 when his regiment was moved to the north of Richmond as Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant fought near Petersburg. Howell took part in the cavalry charge against Union artillery and infantry at a clearing near the Darbytown Road, during which he was shot in the leg. After his recovery, Howell returned to fight and was captured at the Battle of Sailor's Creek in Amelia County, Virginia, on April 6, 1865, and held in a Union prison at Point Lookout, MD. when he heard about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. After the war, he became an educator, preserving the memories of the Confederate soldier and serving as Commander-in-Chief of the United Confederate Veterans for decades. In 1947, he gave the following recording about his wartime experiences. He died a year later at the age of 102.