Clement Newton Bassett descends from William Bassett of Plymouth as follows:
William Bassett and wife Elizabeth
William Bassett (b. 1624) and wife Mary Raynesford
Nathan Bassett (b. 1667) and wife Mary Huckens
Fortunatus Bassett (b. 1742) and wife Mary Bassett
Fortunatus Bassett (b. 1775) and wife Sybil Bacon
Clement Newton Bassett and wife Julia Ann Beale
Clement Newton Bassett (b. 1842)
A HISTORY OF TEXAS AND TEXANS by FRANK W. JOHNSON
VOLUME III (1914)
Captain Clement Bassett. Among Texas veterans of the Confederacy there is not one whose name shows more enthusiasm and fine affection for his character than Captain Clem Bassett of Richmond. He made a splendid record during the war and in the years of quiet Citizenship which have ensued since that great struggle, his part has not been less faithful in performance and strong in achievement. There is a history of the Civil war published by the United States government, in a great many large volumes, and believed to be the largest individual work on one subject ever published. In all the thousands of pages which recount the operations of the contending army during the four years of war in the south, it is said that the name of only one private soldier is mentioned for special distinction, and that name is Clement Bassett.
Fort Bend county feels especial interest and proprietorship in Captain Bassett since he was the first white male child born in the old town of Richmond, and is now the oldest native citizen. He was born at Richmond January 7, 1842. He is the son of Clement N. and Julia (Beale) Bassett. His father and mother came from Virginia shortly after the battle of Jan Jacinto, and were married in Harris county this state. Captain Bassett’s maternal grandmother was a member of the famous Lee family of Virginia, and a cousin of General Robert E. Lee. She was an F.F.V. Bob Beale, a brother of Captain Bassett’s mother took part in the Mier expedition, which has a chapter to itself in every Texas history, and in the battle of Mier he was shot and left for dead in the street. But that night he started on his way home on foot, arriving barefooted and ragged.
The father of Captain Bassett was for a number of years a lawyer in Richmond, and is the sole survivor of five children. The others of the family were Winfred, wife of George Chambers; Robert Edwin, and Russell. He remained home during the period of his boyhood, and on September 7, 1861, at the age of nineteen, joined the Eighth Texas Cavalry, which was a part of Terry’s Texas Rangers. The regiment first went to Kentucky, was sent to Corinth, Mississippi, took part in the battle of Shiloh, next went to Murfreesborough, and Captain Bassett was a participant in practically every battle of the western army and fought in fully a thousand skirmishes. His battle record includes the engagements at Perryville, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta, Lookout Mountain, Savannah and others. His first wound came at Eagleville, Tennessee, and at Aiken, South Carolina, he was shot in the back of the head by a minie ball. He was wearing a fine broad-brimmed Spanish hat. The bullet went through a silver ornament, a thick cord and the hat and, after shattering the skull, imbedded itself in the outer covering of the brain. The bullet was removed by the field surgeon, and the captain then spent six weeks in the hospital. He continued to suffer from this wound for twenty years after it had been inflicted. The war ended while Captain Bassett was off duty as the result of this wound.
Among the old soldiers of the south, there was never one who was associated with Captain Bassett who did not give him the highest tribute as to his gallantry and courage and individual efficiency. The occasion of his being mentioned in the voluminous work pertaining to the Civil war, as related above, was the capture of a battery at Murfreesborough, an exploit in which he was chiefly responsible, and for which he was voted a medal by the Confederate Congress. Owing to the outcome of the war, this medal was never struck nor bestowed. Captain Bassett was a warm personal friend of the late Joe Wheeler, and a deep mutual admiration subsisted between the two, though differing widely in official rank. It is related that on one occasion General Wheeler openly applauded this gallant Confederate soldier. This occurred at Sandersville, Georgia, when Bassett led a brave charge against the enemy, and his dashing courage caused General Wheeler to toss his hat in the air and shout “Three cheers for Clem Bassett.”
After the war, and on his return to Richmond, Captain Bassett began his career as a farmer and stock raiser, and for twenty years was in the mercantile business at the old town of Richmond. He finally retired two years ago on account of ill-health, and now enjoys a quiet prosperity and lives among his friends and associates of many years. He has been prosperous in business, has acquired considerable property, and in April, 1913, finished a very elegant and beautiful residence in Richmond.
In October, 1869, Captain Bassett married Miss Lida Moore, a sister of the present Congressman from this district in Texas, and a daughter of Dr. Matt Moore of Alabama. Mrs. Bassett died with her first child, and she and her baby were buried on her first wedding anniversary. Fifteen years later Captain Bassett married Miss Libbie Mitchell of Fort Bend county, and a daughter of Captain John C. Mitchell, who was an eminent lawyer and pioneer citizen of this part of the state. Six children were born to this marriage and four are now living. One son, Clement Bassett Jr., died on year ago at the age of twenty-one, and his death was a severe blow to his devoted father. A daughter, Winnie, died at the age of two years. The living children are: Eleanor, wife of H.L. Williams, a resident of St. Louis; Robert, who is studying law at Austin; Winston and Gerald who are in school. Mr. and Mrs. Bassett are members of the Baptist church, in which he is a deacon. He is life commander of Bassett’s Camp of the United Confederate Veterans at Richmond, this camp being named for him and in itself being the finest tribute that could be paid by veterans to one of their living comrades. Captain Bassett still has as a most prized xxx the Spanish hat which is perforated by the ball which so nearly put an end to his career. Captain Bassett has had many honors offered him, some of which he xx declined and others accepted, so far as private circumstances and opportunity allowed him to serve his community. In 1890 the county placed him on the ballet for sheriff by acclamation, and he subsequently served four years as tax collector.
Clement Newton Bassett hat
Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia