Henry Basye was born on March 5, 1835, in Northumberland County, Virginia, to William and Harriet Basye. He grew up and attended school in Northumberland County, Virginia. He married Annie B. Harding on December 27, 1859, and they had at least three children: Novella, born around 1863; Falcon, born around 1869; and Harry, born around 1877.

 

He enlisted in the Confederate army on March 27, 1862, and he mustered in as a private in Company D of the 9^th Virginia Cavalry. The regiment took part in the Peninsula campaign, the Seven Days’ Battles, the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Overland Campaign. He was absent without leave in the summer of 1864, and it is unclear if he rejoined the regiment.

 

He settled in Lottsburg, Virginia, after leaving the army, and he earned a living as a farmer. In 1904, he pled guilty to “illicit whisky selling,” and local authorities fined him $150. In response, he “solemnly promise[d]” not to make or sell illegal alcohol. He died of heart disease in Cowart, Virginia, on January 2, 1916.

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