EDITOR’S NOTE: Everyone has a story — some more well-known than others. Across Western North Carolina, so much history is buried below the surface. Six feet under. With this series, we introduce you to some of the people who have left marks big and small on this special place we call home.
Captain James H. Posey (1830-1917), who was once a bodyguard for President Abraham Lincoln, is buried in Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery.
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Captain James H. Posey was a well-known Asheville character. He was also a bodyguard for President Abraham Lincoln.
Posey came to Asheville for his health and became known for his faith in olive oil, which he used faithfully as a medicine for many years, according to his death notice in a Feb. 14, 1917, edition of the Asheville Citizen.
According to the newspaper, Posey died at Mission Hospital, likely from injuries sustained in an accident caused by his poor eyesight.
Guarding the president
Posey served with Company D of the 6th West Virginia Regiment during the Civil War. It is believed that during the war he was chosen to serve as a personal bodyguard for Lincoln.
Posey served as a bodyguard for Lincoln until the president’s assassination in 1865. He was not on duty at Ford’s Theater the night of the shooting, according to historical accounts.
After Posey retired, he settled in Asheville, seeking better health.
Posey was born in Virginia on Sept. 1, 1830, and died Feb. 13, 1917, in Asheville. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery.