General James Dearing

The young James Dearing is remembered not only as the man who almost inherited Avoca, but also as a brave soldier of the American Civil War. Born in 1840, Dearing was the son of James Griffin Dearing and Mary Anna Lynch. His uncle, Charles Henry Lynch was childless, and set James as the inheritor of Avoca. By all accounts it seems that James Dearing was a child full of life and mischief. He was given an excellent education in his formative years and grew up with aspirations of becoming a soldier. With the assistance of his uncle, Dearing was admitted to West Point in 1858. His childhood mischievousness continued at his new school, and it’s reported that he and his classmates often snuck away to taverns in pursuit of food that was better than what was served in the mess hall. When it became obvious that war was coming, Dearing dropped out of West Point on April 17, 1861. He promptly fled back to Virginia where he joined up with the Washington Artillery Battalion. Dearing saw multiple battles over the course of the war, and he was promoted to major after the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. In 1864 Dearing married Roxana Birchett, and in the same year he was promoted to brigadier general. In the spring of 1865, the odds were not looking good for the Confederate army. On April 6, General Lee ordered Dearing to capture High Bridge, which was east of Farmville. It was at this battle that Dearing received a mortal wound to the chest. The Battle of High Bridge was the last successful assault for the Army of Northern Virginia. Dearing lived long enough to hear the news of Lee’s April 9 surrender at Appomattox. On April 22, after saying goodbyes to his family, Dearing passed in a Lynchburg hospital at the age of 24. Dearing’s tragic death took place in the last 72 hours of the American Civil War, and if he had lived, he would have inherited Avoca. Before his death in 1875, Charles Henry Lynch amended his will to give Avoca to Dearing’s sister, Mary Anna Dearing.