Historical Rosters Database
John Edwin Roller
Roster ID 1418This is a summary. Contact the Archives for additional biographical information.
| First Name: | John |
| Middle Name: | Edwin |
| Last Name: | Roller |
| Suffix: | |
| Affiliation: | Class of 1863 |
| Biography & Genealogy: | John Edwin Roller, Class of 1863, was born in Rockingham Co., Virginia on October 5, 1844, the son of Peter Samuel Roller and Frances Allebach. In the summer of 1861, although underage for service, he briefly served with Company I of the First Virginia Cavalry. On December 31, 1861, he entered the Virginia Military Institute as a second classman (equivalent to Junior), and was graduated in July 1863. He subsequently taught mathematics at VMI for a few months, and then was appointed 2d Lieutenant, Company G, 2d Confederate States Engineers in October 1863. He served as an Engineer officer in the Army of Northern Virginia to the end of the war, and was paroled at Appomattox. After the war, he studied law at the University of Virginia and practiced law in Harrisonburg (Rockingham County), Virginia. He also served in the Virginia state legislature and was a Brig. General in the state militia; he was widely known in the Harrisonburg community as "General Roller." He died in Harrisonburg on August 10, 1918. |
| Additional Online Resources: | John E. Roller Papers |
