The following are those that I have found and verified:
Capt. Richard Madison O'Neal Born 1838
Tennessee 29th Inf Co B
Pvt Martin Van Burin O'Neal Born 1840 (My grandfather)
Tennessee 29th Inf Co B
Pvt George Washington O'Neal Born 1842
(Lillards) Tennessee 3rd Mtd Inf Co C
Pvt Andrew Jackson O'Neal Born 1844
(Lillards) Tennessee 3rd Mtd Inf Co. C
Pvt John Houston O'Neal Born 1845
Tenn 29th Inf Co. B Later to (Lillards) 3rd Mtd Inf Co. C
The two others are known to have served, the whereabouts unknown. By word of mouth passed down to me by my father was that William H. O'Neal was a Capt and killed in battle of Atlanta. Another researcher says killed in Virginia in 1864. James Rufus was named in his fathers will in late 1860's but believed not to have been found. A strong indication that William H. was an officer was because a sword was in the family a long time before being burned in a home. My father had seen the item. This leads me to believe he was an officer. In searching through the Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865 by Broadfoot I selected these two as the probable ones. First I did not find a Captain O'Neal from Tennessee or Georgia, but rather a 1st Lt. Since I found these two to have served in Georgia I turned to Lillian Hendersons Confederate Soldiers of Georgia where I found the location as a long shot. It is known that the O'Neals lived in North Georgia periodically and I strongly believe that William H. went there after his wife's death in 1858, was there in 1861 and possibly enlisted in the Volunteer Infantry Army of Tennessee. Another assumption was that brother James Rufus being of the same relative age also entered service in Georgia.
I was shocked to find that so many from the same family were in the Confederate Army and I do not know of another family that had that many that had enlisted. John Silas, their father, owned slaves and that probably influenced their decision to fight. All of these individuals were born in Polk County on the border of Georgia. The footnote in Lillian Hendersons compilation states that the William you saw there became Co H at time of reoraganization on May 7, 1962.
Incidentally I am 74 yrs old and am now writing a history of the O'Neals that I hope to complet before my time runs out. I have thus far found 2264 decendents of John Silas O'Neal and Elizabeth Kendrick O'Neal. John Silas was born in 1807 and died 1865. Elizabeth born in 1811 and died 1893.
I have also found photos of 6 of these brothers, a picture of William is in uniform. The other five are after the war and are made with them all together along with a brother too young to go.
James Rufus O'Neal born 1835
Company B, 60th Regiment
Georgia Volunteer Infantry
Gordons Division
Army of Northern Virginia
O'Neal, William H.-Enlisted as a private in Co. D, 2d Battn. Ga. State Troops October 31, 1861 . Mustered out at Savannah, Ga. April 28, 1862 . Detailed in Govt. Shops, Athens, Ga.; May 1862 - June 1864 . Enlisted as a private in Co. G, 1st Regiment Ga. Regulars June 1, 1864 . Wounded at Bentonville, N. C. March 18, 1865 : Paroled at Thomasville, N. C. hospital May 1, 1865 .
Company H - 21st Regiment O'Neal, James- private July 2, 1861 . Wounded at Cold Harbor, Va. June 27, 1862 . Died of wounds at Richmond, Va. same day.
Company B - 60th Regiment O'Neal, James R. --- private September 19, 1861 . Captured at Fred- ericksburg, Va. December 13, 1862 Exchanged. Surrendered at Appo- mattox, Va. April 9, 1865 . (Reported to have died at Jordan Springs prior to June 30, 1863 .)