Any DUers have ancestors who fought in the American Civil War?

[bluestateguy]

Which side? What was their rank? What did they do? Wounded? Killed?

I wish I had a CW ancestor, but family wasn't here until about 1900.

[texanwitch]

1. I had a Great something Grandfather that served, he was from the south.

He survived the war and moved to Texas.

[sarge43]

2. Great great grandfather, Union Army

Know he was enlisted, but that's all.

[Lucinda]

3. Yup both sides. Some made it home, Some didn't.

I don't have the details on this computer.

[smoopie]

4. Yes 3 of them

My great grandfather and his 2 brothers fought for the Union army. His brother Charles was the oldest.Charles was in the 74th PA volunteers. He was a sergeant and was wounded at Gettysburg. He was taken to a hospital in York, PA where he later died from smallpox.He is buried in York. My grandfather and his other brother both survived and went back home to PA.

[madinmaryland]

5. I have a great-great grandfather who fought in the CW. He mustered in as a 1st Sgt and was

promoted to a 2nd Lieutenant in 1863. He served through 1864. Have a couple of others a bit more distant who were privates. All fought for the Union.

I have found a couple of ancestors who were in the Revolutionary War.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Yes, several.

One of them, who was in an Ohio regiment, left a fascinating diary of his experiences, as far as they went - he was eventually shot and killed. He wasn't technically an ancestor, since he didn't live long enough to become one - he was a great great...great uncle. One of his brothers, who was also in the war, was my great, great, etc. grandfather.

[hifiguy]

7. My paternal great grandfather

fought for the Union in a brigade out of Indiana. I am in personal possession of his discharge document from the Union army dated August 1865. I gotta do some research about where his brigade fought and whether they were in any famous battles. No idea what rank he was - doubtless he was a grunt.

[raccoon]

8. If one's ancestors lived in one of the Confederate states at the time of the war,

and you had a white male ancestor that could breathe and walk, chances are very good that you had an ancestor in the Confederate Army.

Two of my ancestors that I know of were in the Confederate Army. Probably there were others on the other side that I don't know of.

[mnhtnbb]

9. Hubby had family that fought in the War Between the States.

His family is from Georgia--so they were in the Confederate Army. He probably knows the rank.

One of them was shot in the head and survived the wound. Had a steel plate put in his head
and lived into his 80's, I believe, so the family story goes.

[TuxedoKat]

10. I have one

a great-great grandfather. He fought for the north, from Wisconsin. He didn't muster in until fairly late, 1863 or 64. Then he got sick and went to a military hospital in Wash., DC. I have some Revolutionary War ancestors too.

[1gobluedem]

11. My Great Great Grandfather and his brother

Both fought for the Union in a regiment from Michigan but I'm not sure which one.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

12. ok, I'll bite -

Why do you wish you had a CW ancestor?

:shrug:

[SteppingRazor]

13. On my mom's side, I have an ancestor who bought his way out of it. n/t

[bikebloke]

14. I haven't seen any in my research.

Not direct ancestors anyway. Just a farmer in Northern Virginia with the war going on around them.

[geardaddy]

15. Not an ancestor per se

but when we visited my grandfather's grave, she pointed to another stone of her uncle's who fought and was wounded. He had a miniball in his hip till he died. He was in some Iowa regiment.

[mulsh]

16. many of mine fought on both sides, at least from my dad's side.

most of them fought for the Union but one of my grear-great grandfathers was in Texas. He was a Quaker, anti-slavery but he was also a businessman he sent my great great grandmother and their younger kids to the family farm in PA right before the war started. He owned and operated steamships on the Rio Grande and supplied both armies. One of his sons fought on both the Union and confederate sides, he was to all reports a "wild one" and an "asshole" he eventually took his troops and signed on with the Mexican army. In 1864 they lined those troops and my great great uncle against a wall and executed them.

After the war my great great grandfather was "the first Texan to swear allegiance to the United States" according to historians and his memorial service pamphlet.

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. I had one who was the commander of a fort during the CW. No one ever attacked or anything, but he

did die of TB, which I strongly suspect he contracted at the fort. What a miserable cold, dank place. Interesting to visit, but I wouldn't wanna live there!





http://fortknox.maineguide.com/

[frogmarch]

18. My great-grandfather and great-great grandfather

were in the Union Army.

My great gf was a 1st lieutenant and my great-great gf was a captain. (My great gf was the son-in-law of my great-great gf.)

Both survived the war. I don't know if either of them was ever wounded.

My great gf fought in the Battle of Cold Harbor and in the Appomattox Campaign, among others. He was present when Lee surrendered.

I don't know offhand what battles my great-great gf fought in, but I have his service documents.

[arbusto_baboso]

19. I had ancestors on BOTH sides of that one. And that was just from one side of the family.

In fact, a direct line ancestor of mine was a union cavalry captain from Missouri, and his brother became the Confederate Judge Advocate General. Both survived. The Rebel JAG was later a senator. You might have heard of him: George Graham Vest.

[Rob H.]

20. My great-great grandfather

He joined the Union army on April 10, 1862 and mustered out July 13, 1865. He was in Company "I", 63rd Ohio Infantry.

From his obituary: He was one of General Logan's "Boy Scouts" and was a great favorite of the General's. Gen. Logan once said of him, on a visit to this county, "He could ride a horse farther into the heart of the confederacy and return safely the same day than anyone else in the whole union army."

[sinkingfeeling]

21. Yes, Union.

[Brother Buzz]

22. My grandfather's grandfather served under Farragut

He was an able-bodied seaman and retired from the Navy at Mare Island, California, yet he was a member of the The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).

Ancillary ancestors: My great-uncle (x?), Major Robert Anderson, commanded Fort Sumter and my wife's great-uncle (x?) was General Benjamin (Butcher of New Orleans) Butler. Butler is buried in the family plot in Lowell, Mass.

[many a good man]

23. My Grandpa was raised by a Civil War veteran

He hated slavery but was too young to fight so he fled across the state line to Indiana where nobody knew him so he could lie about his age. He started out as a drummer boy. Out of the 101 men in his company 98 died - all of them from disease while they were laying siege to Vicksburg. He later went to Atlanta, a few weeks after Sherman arrived. He was shot in the hip and limped till the day he died. He was given a house and a job as a lock keeper on the Ohio Canal - an easy job since boats stopped using the canal years before he was given the job.

[queenjane]

24. 8 direct ancestors, many others relatives, all Confederate

A gggrandfather on my maternal side, in South Carolina, enlisted at the age of 40, served 4 months, discharged for seizures (he was epileptic--I think he was trying to escape my gggrandmother! LOL).

Many cousins on my mother's side, again SC. 7 in one branch of the family died in service, most of disease.


On my father's side (Virginia), 1 great-grandfather and 6 great-great-grandfathers served (including one father & son team). All survived. Several were past conscription age and signed on as substitutes for others, for pay. Both of the substitutes were blacksmiths in cavalry units.

As on Mom's side, many VA cousins served and were killed.

Even if you don't have a CW ancestor, the service records are interesting and chilling reading. Footnote.com has all the CW service & pension records on-line. It is a paid subscription service, but many libraries have access.

Some of my relatives joined voluntarily, some were drafted, and a set of brothers (my cousins) were forcibly signed up by their father so he could get the bounty payment (both later died in service).

[Auggie]

25. Yeah. Fought for the Union.

Corporal, and he survived. Unfortuantely his horse didn't, so the Union bought him a new one. We still have the receipt.

[deutsey]

26. I know of a few, but I don't have the info handy...all Union

I have one who was a private and was mustered in for a year before being mustered out. Occupied a port town in the Virginia tip of the Delmarva Peninsula (Chesapeake Bay).

I have one who was killed on the last day of the seige of Richmond. Shot in the heart, I believe. I think he was a private.

And then there were a few who fought at Gettysburg (my grandfather's side of the family is from PA).

I probably have some Conferate ancestors since my father's family was from the South, but I don't know much about that side.

[REP]

27. How many do you want me to list?

Gen Thomas Ewing - Union - issued Order No 11
Gen William T Sherman - Uinion - raised by family and married into it
Rufus Campbell - Union - KIA
Evan Evans - Union - Welsh immigrant in his 60s
Thomas M Ewing - Union - injured in battle; have a letter from field hospital to his wife
Andrew Pace - Confederate - KIA

Many more Ewing, Evans and Campbell Union soldiers. The Paces were spilt by the war and my great-grandfather, Andrew's son, who was born after he died (his wife was pregnant before his death), was raised by Union sympathizer family.

[hedgehog]

28. And how are things in Lancaster these days?

:hi:

[REP]

30. These dudes were Iowa, Missouri and Ohio

I'm in CA! (from Missouri, though)

[hedgehog]

34. I used to live about 3 blocks from the Ewing mansion in Lancaster, Ohio.

It's where Sherman grew up after his father died. I saw all the names and figured you had a Lancaster connection. I never knew about the Ewing's record in the Civil War, so thanks for the info.

BTW - Phil Sheridan was raised down the road in Somerset, Ohio. There's a great statue of him there:



and who can forget, "These are My Jewels"



My husband used to work for Anchor Hocking and had to travel down to Georgia a couple times. He really got a razzing when they found out he lived in Lancaster!

[REP]

35. Ah!

Thos Ewing Sr and Jr are more like uncles; they're both descended from one of my ancestors, Dr Thomas Maskell Ewing, a surgeon in the Continental Army. My great-great-grandfather, also Thomas Maskell Ewing, lived in Fontanelle, Iowa, which was pretty much all Ewing all the time - so much so that when the last one died, it was sort of an end of an era (a lot of them moved to Kansas City, too). My more direct line in Ohio is in Union Co, starting in 1812.

Gen Thomas Ewing issued Order No 11 not far from where another relative built the first building in Kansas City (called Westport at the time). There is some dispute as to which building was the first in KC, but the Ewing-built one is at least one of the first! :-) My mother and aunt were born in a house about three blocks away from it, and I lived on that same block of McGee for a few years as well.

Can you tell who took over the genealogy duties in my family? :hi:

[REP]

31. These dudes were Iowa, Missouri and Ohio

I'm in CA! (from Missouri, though)

[charlie and algernon]

29. One. He served in one of the Pennsylvania regiments at Gettysburg

[ornotna]

32. Yes

My Great Grandfather served with the 2nd Regiment, Minnesota Infantry, Company B.

2nd Regiment Infantry

Organized at Fort Snelling, Minn., and mustered in by Companies as follows: "A" and "B" June 26, "D" and "E" July 5, "F" and "G" July 8, "H" July 15, "I" July 20, and "K" August 23, 1861. Companies "A" and "F" sent to Fort Ripley on the Upper Mississippi, "B" and "C" to Fort Abercrombie on the Upper Red River, and "D" and "E" to Fort Ridgly on the Upper Minnesota River, and garrison duty at these points until September 20, 1861. Regiment concentrated at Fort Snelling and left State for Louisville, Ky., October 14, arriving there October 22. Moved to Lebanon Junction, Ky., October 22, and duty there until December 8. Attached to R. L. McCook's Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to December, 1861. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Army Ohio, to September, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 3rd Army Corps, Army Ohio, to November, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, Center 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to January, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 14th Army Corps, to October, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 14th Army Corps, to June, 1865. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 14th Army Corps, to July, 1865.

SERVICE.--Moved to Lebanon, Ky., December 8, 1861, and duty there until January 1, 1862. Expedition to Somerset January 1-18. Battle of Mill Springs January 19-20. At Somerset until February 10. March to Louisville, Ky., February 10-25, thence moved to Nashville, Tenn., February 26-March 2. Moved to Savannah, Tenn., and Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., March 20-April 9. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Pursuit to Booneville May 31-June 12. At Corinth until June 22. March to Iuka, Miss., June 22-25, thence to Tuscumbia, Ala., June 27-29, and duty there until July 26. March to Athens, Ala., and Winchester, Tenn., July 26-August 7, thence to Dechard and Pelham Gap, Tenn., August 19-31, and to Manchester, Murfreesboro and Nashville, Tenn., September 1-7. March to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg September 14-26. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1-20. Battle of Perryville, Ky., October 8. March to Bowling Green, Ky., October 20-November 2, thence to Mitchellsville November 6-7. Guard Tunnel until November 23. Moved to Cunningham's Ford, Cumberland River, November 23-25, and guard duty there until December 22, and at Gallatin until January 29, 1863. Moved to Murfreesboro, Tenn., January 29, and duty there until March 2. Nolensville February 15. Moved to Triune March 2. Nolensville Ford, Harpeth River, March 4. Expedition toward Columbia March 4-14. Chapel Hill March 5. At Triune until June 23. Franklin June 4-5. Middle Tennessee or Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. Hoover's Gap June 24-26. Occupation of Tullahoma July 1. At Winchester, Tenn., until August 16. Passage of Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga (Ga.) Campaign August 16-September 22. Battle of Chickamauga, Ga., September 19-20. Rossville Gap September 21. Siege of Chattanooga, Tenn., September 24-November 23. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23-27. Mission Ridge November 24-25. Pursuit to Ringgold November 26-29. Regiment Veteranize December 29, 1863. Veterans on furlough January 8 to April 9, 1864. Non-Veterans on duty as provost guard at Division Headquarters until April, 1864. Reconnaissance from Ringgold, Ga., toward Tunnel Hill April 29. Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign May l-September 8. Tunnel Hill May 6-7. Rocky Faced Ridge May 8-11. Battle of Resaca May 13-15. Guard trains May 21-June 2. About Dallas June 2-5. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Pine Hill June 11-14. Lost Mountain June 15-17. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Ruff's Station July 4. Garrison duty at Marietta until July 13. Assigned as provost and depot guard at Marietta July 15-August 19. March to Atlanta August 19-20. Siege of Atlanta August 20-25. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Operations in North Georgia and North Alabama against Hood September 29-November 3. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Waynesboro December 4. Ebenezer Creek December 8. Siege of Savannah December 10-21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Fayetteville, N. C., March 11. Battle of Bentonville March 19-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va., April 30-May 19. Grand Review May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June 14-20. Mustered out July 11, 1865.

Wife's Great Grandfather served with the Confederate Army.

Enlisted as a Private on 10 March 1862.
Enlisted in Company L, 1st Regulars Infantry Regiment Georgia on 10 Mar 1862.
Surrendered Company L, 1st Regulars Infantry Regiment Georgia on 26 Apr 1865 at Greensboro, NC.

1st Regulars Infantry Regiment completed its organization at Macon, Georgia, in April, 1861, and soon moved to Virginia. The men were from Atlanta and Brunswick, and Glynn and Montgomery counties. It was brigaded under General Toombs and in April, 1862, contained 367 effectives. Transferred to G.T. Anderson's Brigade, the unit fought with the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days' Battles to Fredericksburg . It then was ordered to Florida, assigned to G.P. Harrison's Brigade, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and fought at Olustee. During the summer of 1864, it was stationed in the Charleston area and later saw action at Savannah and in North Carolina.

His brother served with the 3rd Battalion, Georgia Sharpshooters Company E

Comprising of men from General Wofford's Brigade, the 3rd Georgia Battalion formed five companies to
attend to the call. Present in such battles as Gettysburg, Chickamauga (but was not engaged),
The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor, and later active in the Appomattox campaign.
Many men were captured at Saylors Creek and surrendered with only one officer, and 22 men.

He was captured at Saylors Creek and died in the Elmira prison camp on Feb 22 1865.

[riverwalker]

33. 15th Wisconsin

Norwegian outfit, under Colonel Hegg. Made up of first generation Norwegian Immigrants.

[Bucky]

36. My grandfather's grandfather claims he was peed on by a Yankee soldier

The story goes he was marching home to Arkansas after the Union took over the Mississippi valley, but was still in his Reb uniform. When he and his buddy saw a Yankee patrol marching toward them from the other direction, they ran and hid under a log by the side of the road. As the troops marched by, one of the Union soldiers stopped to relieve himself and, without realizing it, peed on G.W., who later commented "That's the last time I'll let a Yankee piss on a Reb without pissing back."

I'm not sure if that story is true or not. But dammit it, oughta be.

[kaiden]

37. Walter Wilberforce Jones, 7th Cavalry Kansas 1861-05

My great-grandfather. Married a young woman when he was in his 60's -- later became a County Judge in Oklahoma. Republican.

[Gormy Cuss]

38. Yes, all Union soldiers. One died at Andersonville prison.

Various ranks. I have two direct ancestors and at least four collaterals (brothers of my direct ancestors) One collateral died not long after coming home from the war so he may have contracted a disease while fighting but it's unclear from the records.

Most served in units which saw service in VA.

[Avalux]

39. Yes. Union, Gettysburg. Farm is on the battlefield beside Plum Run.

It's my paternal ancestors; the young men fought; older family members and children fled. The farm and orchards were unliveable when it was all over (house used as a hospital) The original house and barn are still there and historically preserved. The barn is famous for the cannonball holes still there.

The Trostle Farm and Plum Run

http://thomaslegion.net/battleofgettysburgthetrostlefarmandplumrun.html

[AngryOldDem]

40. Great-grandfather

He was with an Indiana regiment and saw most of the war in Tennessee. I want to say he was at Chicamauga but I'm not sure about that. I think his rank was Corporal. He was shot in the hip around 1863 or so and was mustered out.

My mom had a packet of letters that he wrote to his sister. I used to take them to school (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) when my classes studied the Civil War. I only have one of those letters now, which I'm looking to get preserved because age is really beginning to take its toll. The rest of the letters, I think, were given to my absolute frickin' wastrel of a nephew, and God only knows what happened to them since.

[WolverineDG]

41. Several, all Union

One survived Andersonville.

dg

[dimbear]

42. Patrilineal ancestor did the following.

Signed up for the North. Re-upped. Shot in the leg at Shiloh. Lay on the battlefield a day and a half.

So far nothing special. Then:

Re-upped again.

Damn.

Also a great great uncle of some sort who wasn't a good ducker. He didn't come back.

[Recovered Repug]

43. A great something cousin was old Jeff Davis.

My direct line tried to stay neutral. They only lived in the North a few years prior to the war and still had some Southern sympathies.

[BreweryYardRat]

44. The only one I know about was a doctor.

For the Confederate army, unfortunately.

[OmahaBlueDog]

45. I don't know specifics, but Mrs. OBD's great, great grandfather fought for the Union

He was a German immigrant who signed on to fight in exchange for citizenship.

[Philippine expat]

46. Several, pn both sides

[Philippine expat]

47. Several, pn both sides

[applegrove]

48. I have an ancestor who fought in the American War for Independance for the British. Does that count?

[kwassa]

49. My great-grandfather died at the 50th reunion of the battle of Gettysburg

of a heart attack.

He had been a courier in the battle 50 years before, First Maine Cavalry, detailed to the Pennsylvania Bucktails, who fought part of a retreating action on the first day of the battle, trying to slow the Confederate advance down.

He was later wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness, but survived, or I would not be here to type these words.

The First Maine Cavalry, possibly because it was broken up and detailed, fought in more battles than any other unit in the Union Army.

[Odin2005]

50. Nope, all my ancestors came over after it happened.

[blue_roses_lib]

51. According to my mom...

I am distantly related to Gen Robert Anderson who was at Fort Sumter at the outbreak of the Civil War. But no one knows who has all of the genealogy paperwork to substantiate it, so I don't know if it's true.

Dad's ancestor came with John Winthrop in 1630, and there were several relatives in the Revolutionary War. My great uncle was the genealogy buff, and sometimes it's great to spend an evening going through all of his records.

I see a new hobby in the future.....

[Oldtimeralso]

52. Close to CIC

Wife's great grandmother was a niece of Mary Todd!

[csziggy]

53. Yes, I had several ancestors who fought for the CSA

One lost an arm - "shot off by accident" according to the records. Another was a prisoner of war and while sick in the hospital at the camp became interested in medicine and was later licensed as a doctor though he never attended medical school. Another died of pneumonia six weeks after he enlisted without ever seeing his only son who was born shortly after he had left home. That son was my great grandfather.

I don't think any of them made it to a higher rank than a corporal.

That generation was decimated - the guy that became a doctor lost three of the four brothers who had also enlisted. He ended up with his father helping to support his widowed sister and two sisters-in-law. When his father applied for restoration of his rights after the war, he claimed to be supporting fourteen grandchildren, which under-counted the number of children living on his farm. The daughter's husband had been a doctor who moved the family to Arkansas in 1860 to avoid the war and then died of a fever, maybe yellow fever. She took her children back to Alabama to live with her father and brother.

Not one of that family ever claimed to have fought in any glorious battles or that the South was in the right in any of their letters that have survived. Many of them owned slaves, but even the families that did not own slaves had men who enlisted. Some had been fairly wealthy before the war, but much of their wealth depended on the labor of their slaves and their prosperity did not survive emancipation of their labor force.

The cost of losing a large number of that generation cost many of the families dearly and some really never recovered financially or emotionally.

All those were on my mother's side of my family. One of Dad's cousins/great uncles or something was a Union doctor. We have his medical license signed by Abraham Lincoln. Another cousin of Dad's grandfather was Ulysses Grant's telegraph operator - he later became president of the Chicago & North Western Railroad.


My husband had family that fought on the Union side - one was with Sherman's army as they marched from Atlanta to the coast. I haven't researched his family as thoroughly as I have mine - I think there were more that fought. When I can't find the records on my ancestors in North & South Carolina, I kid hubby that his ancestor burned the courthouses that held those records.

[Indianademocrat91]

54. I'm related to the man who gave Lincoln his first law books

David Turnham very instrumental in Lincoln becoming a lawyer and thus President, so I think that my ancestors are better than yours :evilgrin: :toast:

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM65NB_David_Turnham_1803_1884