Medal of Honor Spotlight - Sgt. William H. Barnes, Co. C, 38th USCI

Over the last few days I've been working my way through the service records of the 38th United States Colored Infantry to find casualties from the Battle of New Market Heights. It never fails to make me stop and think about those who either did not come off the field or suffered wounds. Some of those wounded survived days and months before succumbing, others died later from other causes.

Only two of the fourteen African American soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for their courageous acts at the Battle of New Market Heights died during their enlistments. Sgt. Alfred B. Hilton (4th USCI) died from his New Market Heights wounds about three weeks after the battle. Pvt. William H. Barnes (38th USCI) died on Christmas Eve, 1866, while serving in Texas.

William H. Barnes was born in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. Although some sources contend he was a free tenant farmer, his service records do not inform us whether he was free or enslaved before enlisting in Company C, 38th United States Colored Infantry on February 11, 1864, at nearby Point Lookout, Maryland. The draft registration information for the 23 year old Barnes indicates he was married.

During the September 29, 1864, Battle of New Market Heights, the 38th USCI was the last of the five primary assaulting regiments to go into the fight. However, Barnes’s Medal of Honor citation states the he was “among the first to enter the enemy’s works; although wounded.” After a recovery at Balfour General Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia, he returned to duty on December 12, 1864.

It must have been satisfying to Barnes to have been among the XXV Corps soldiers who entered Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, on April 3, 1865. A little over a month later though, the 38th USCI were among the regiments who received transfer to the Texas/Mexico border. Barnes earned a promotion to corporal in the spring of 1865, and then to sergeant that summer. Serving in an unhealthy environment resulted in many cases of disease among the black soldiers. Men who survived active combat during the war, fell victim to a host of illnesses in Texas; Barnes was among them. 

In the summer of 1866, Barnes reported sick. He stayed in the hospital at Indianola, Texas, for approximately the next six months before dying of tuberculosis on December 24, 1866, a month short of his regiment’s muster out. A marker notes his life and service at the San Antonio National Cemetery. Barnes receives recognition as well at the USCT memorial in Lexington Park, Maryland, in his native St. Mary’s County. 

Recent Acquisitions to My Library

A few weeks ago I made a trip up to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to pick up some loaned artifacts that we will be featuring in a temporary exhibit at work. After visiting a few of my favorite spots on the battlefield, I visited the National Park's visitor center bookstore. Browsing through the dozens of titles that relate to the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War in general, I found a section on African American history, and noticed Slavery and the Underground Railroad in South Central Pennsylvania by Cooper H, Wingert. Having previously visited Christiana, Pennsylvania and heard a number of stories about abolitionists in a number of different communities, I look forward to learning more through this title's contents. 

 

Old John Brown continues to a popular subject for historians. One of the most recently published studies is Charles P. Poland, Jr's, America's Good Terrorist: John Brown and the Harpers Ferry Raid. If you search on this blog for John Brown, you will find numerous posts. I find his attempts to end slavery and create a society of racial equality in the United States fascinating and extremely unusual for a white man of his time. Historians over the years have painted John Brown in many different lights. From the 1859 event until the present, the debate continues. How will Poland present his argument, and what evidence will he use? We will see.  

 

While John Brown worked to end slavery with boots on the ground direct action, Pennsylvania Congressman Thaddeus Stevens tried to do so though legislation. Noted historian Bruce Levine's Thaddeus Stevens: Civil War Revolutionary Fighter for Racial Justice is receiving a considerable amount of buzz on social media. In addition to being a radical politician, Stevens also led an interesting personal life. It is this aspect of the biography that I am most interested in learning more about. 

Embattled Freedom: Chronicle of a Fugitive Slave Haven in the Wary North by Jim Remsen details the story of a number of African American men who escaped slavery, settled in northeast Pennsylvania, and enlisted in the Union army when finally allowed to fight. I have the good fortune to often research and write soldier's stories, both black and white, Union and Confederate. Hearing about soldier's challenges, struggles, and sacrifices, and successes prove inspirational to me. I'm sure that Embattled Freedom will do so as well.  

Another Civil War-era book that is gaining lots of publicity is Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause by Ty Seidule. Seidule, an Army brigadier general and history professor at West Point examines his own relationship with Confederate history and memory and why the truth and facts about the Confederacy have often remained obscure to Americans.  

We were honored to have Lee White, a ranger at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, share his knowledge about he Battle of Franklin via Zoom at the April 1 Petersburg Civil War Roundtable. We try to provide our members with the opportunity to purchase our speaker's topical book. I've enjoyed many of the Emerging Civil War series titles, so I got a copy of Lee's Let Us Die Like Men: The Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864. I've read several studies on the Battle of Franklin, but during Lee's talk he included a number of points that I did not know, so I look forward to reading his book and learning more. 

Happy reading!

Picket Duty

 

Picket duty during the Petersburg Campaign was one of the most trying responsibilities that a Civil War soldier faced. Whether he was fighting off mosquitos in summer, shivering in winter, or suppressing his fears of being attacked and captured by the enemy, he was required to sit in a dark rifle pit with few comforts and not fall asleep. It’s no wonder that most soldiers dreaded this task.

Writing to his local newspaper in 1882, Pvt. Patrick Henry Reilly, of Company L, 1^st South Carolina Infantry, described his experience on picket duty the night before the April 2, 1865, Breakthrough at Petersburg: “During our last night on picket guard it seemed ominously still, and we heard, or imagined we heard, smothered orders and an occasional rattle of canteens, and we became impressed with the idea that the enemy meant mischief and were massing troops in our immediate front. . . . After a time the enemy’s movements became more apparent, for on the still night air came expressions not contained in the Holy Writ, confusion and noise. We felt that the enemy would soon advance.”

To break the tension one of Reilly’s comrades yelled out to the Federals to sing them a song. A Yankee yelled back requesting one from the Southerners. The South Carolinians sang out a short stanza about the Palmetto State. It fell quiet again, so the Confederates asked for a reply. A Union man yelled, “Hold on, Johnnie, we will give you a song directly.” Then suddenly, the charge was on!

Reilly described the dark early morning scene: “But this night’s fight was something terrible, and ‘twas well for us it was night, as this mighty host that was hurled against us would have swept us instantly from before them. . . . Just in front of us was a morass, which impeded the enemy’s advance on us, and we stood at our posts until the [earth]works on our right were in almost possession of the enemy, and our little band beat a hasty retreat and made double-quick time to the trenches.”

Pvt. Reilly somehow avoided capture at Petersburg and along the route to Appomattox, where he surrendered with the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, 1865.

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Clara Barton Comments on USCTs

 I just finished reading Donald C. Pfanz's book Clara Barton's Civil War: Between Bullet and Hospital. While working at the Point of Rocks Hospital near Petersburg, which primarily served sick and wounded soldiers of the Army of the James, Barton made a complimentary comment about soldiers of the United States Colored Troops. She wrote: "They are ever the objects of my deep commiseration and care, so patient and cheerful, so uniformly polite and soldierly. They are brave men and make no complaints, and yet I cannot pass one without the keenest desire to give him something; and it is enough they need, poor fellows. One feature especially pleases me, the excellent nurses they make, and the kind care they take of each other, in camp and hospital. But I am well satisfied that they are not a class of men that an enemy would desire to meet on a charge. They have wants as soldiers now, as well as 'Freedmen,' and I sincerely hope this fact may not be overlooked by their northern friends."

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

A Memento of Misery

 

Among the many unusual artifacts in the collections of Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier there is a small piece of wood, apparently kept as a kind of souvenir. Fortunately, there is a soldier-link to this particular scrap from the past. It belonged to Pvt. John Troutner, Co. A, 30^th Indiana Infantry. Troutner, born about 1842 or 1843 according to census records, lived in Allen County, Indiana, before the Civil War. The 1860 census shows eighteen year old John living in the household of his aged father, John, much younger mother Francis, and two siblings, Phillip and Phebie. Young Jon mustered into the 30^th Indiana in nearby Fort Wayne on September 24, 1861.

The 30^th Indiana Infantry fought in a number of western theater battles, including: Shiloh, Corinth, Stone’s River, the Tullahoma Campaign, and Chickamauga. It was at Chickamauga that John Troutner’s war experience changed. During that desperate battle’s first day Troutner ended up a prisoner of war. Eventually, he landed at Camp Sumter, Georgia, better known as Andersonville.

Becoming a prisoner at this point in the Civil War was one of the worst fates that a soldier could endure. Earlier in the war an agreed upon system often allowed for prompt and efficient prisoner exchanges. That system broke down after the Emancipation Proclamation when the United States army started enlisting large numbers of African American soldiers. Confederates, unwilling to recognize black men as legitimate soldiers, refused to include them in exchanges. In retaliation, President Abraham Lincoln suspended all further exchanges. The breakdown in the exchange system resulted in rampant overcrowding and deplorable conditions at both northern and southern prisoner of war camps.

At places like Andersonville, which held as many as 30,000 prisoners in an area originally designed to hold 10,000, soldiers were left to their own devices to erect shelter and find ways to survive. Unable to obtain new clothing, proper nutrition, or medical care, soldiers in prisoner of war camps, North and South, died by the thousands. Andersonville claimed nearly 13,000 alone.

In addition to all the threats to one’s health, soldiers also suffered from boredom. To pass the time men carved rings from meat bones or whittled wooden chains or other trinkets. John Troutner carved a wooden ball-in-cage during his confinement, which also resides in the Park’s collections.

An accompanying post-war tintype photograph of Troutner includes a paper label stating: “Captured at Battle of Chickamauga and sent to Andersonville prison. Released from prison at the end of the war and sent to an Army Hospital. Lived out life in Adams County, Indiana as a ‘feeble minded’ shell of a man.” Records show that Troutner mustered out of his unit on May 30, 1865. Census records show him living until at least 1910. His veteran’s gravestone in Allen County does not record a death date.

For some reason John Troutner kept that small scrap of wood from the stockade that confined him and challenged his very survival. Perhaps it was a memento of what he had endured, or maybe it served as a memorial for comrades who died there. We will likely never know why he saved it, but its mere existence shows it contained some importance to him and that time in his life.

Dying Far From Home - Lt. William W. Moore, Co. C, 38th USCI

Lt. William W. Moore was only 23 or 24 years old when his life ended violently on September 29, 1864, at the Battle of New Market Heights. Serving as second lieutenant in Company C of the 38^th United States Colored Infantry (USCI), Moore received a fatal wound in the desperate charge against the Confederate earthworks defended by the famous Texas Brigade just southeast of Richmond. Little is known of Moore other than what is provided in his service records and other official documents. His youthful image, though, survives among those kept and protected in the collections at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier. 

Moore began his Civil War military career when he enlisted in August 1862, as a private in Company B of the 50^th New York Volunteer Engineers. While with this distinguished unit, Moore first received a promotion to artificer on October 7, 1862, and then a couple of weeks later to corporal. He apparently served well in that role before receiving a promotion to second lieutenant when he transferred to Company C, 38^th USCI, on January 26, 1864.

Few issues better illustrate the racism that pervaded America in the mid-nineteenth century than the U.S. Army’s unwillingness to allow black commissioned officers to lead black regiments. At that time it was widely believed that African American recruits required strong capable white officers in command to make black men effective fighters. However, despite this prejudicial measure, the army did establish a system that attempted to ensure the best white candidates received appointments to these positions.

In most instances, in order to obtain a commission with a United States Colored Troop regiment, candidates like Moore had to undergo and pass an examination. At locations like Washington D.C., Cincinnati, and St. Louis, those seeking officer roles with black regiments went before a review board to test their knowledge and abilities, and weigh their prejudices. The purpose for the rigorous examination was to both weed out those men who were only looking to advance for the sake of rank and or pay, and to try to identify and then incorporate those competent leaders who had genuine interests in advancing African Americans’ abilities as enlisted men and non-commissioned officers.

Lt. Moore, first stationed in the Old Dominion with the 50^th New York Engineers, and then appointed to a black regiment partly raised and serving in Virginia, likely faced the Washington D.C. review board for his examination. To assist those men who had promise but perhaps not the strongest educational backgrounds pass their board examinations, a free officer’s school was set up in Philadelphia, too. It is unknown whether Moore took advantage of the officer’s school opportunity.

Naturally, despite the army’s attempts to limit the number of incompetent and abusive white officers, some made it through the screening process. However, the majority of the men, like Moore, took their responsibilities seriously and fulfilled their duties, many giving the last full measure of devotion along with the men they led.  

Image courtesy of Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier. 

Dying Far From Home - Pvt. Joseph S. Money, Co. C, 6th USCI

 

Conscripting (drafting) men for United States military service and the expanded enlistment of African Americans following the Emancipation Proclamation coincided in the spring of 1863. Black men of military age were just as subject to conscription as white men. At the time, drafted men could either pay a $300 commutation fee to get out of their service obligation, or they could provide a substitute. In most cases, the substitute charged the drafted man to serve in his place.

We do not know the motivation behind Joseph S. Money’s decision to serve as a substitute for a man named Henry Johnson. Unfortunately, due to Johnson’s common name, details into his life cannot be ascertained. Regardless, Joseph Money enlisted on August 5, 1863, at Frankford, a suburb northeast of Philadelphia. At 32-years old, Pvt. Money, born in Salem, New Jersey, was older than the average Civil War soldier. He was not a tall man, measuring just under 5’4”. The enlisting officer described Money’s complexion as “brown.”

Information on Money’s family and his pre-service life is unfortunately scarce. He does not appear in either the 1850 or 1860 census. Due to lack of information, this soldier’s story would be much shorter if Phoebe Money had not filed for a mother’s pension. In her pension application materials we get some better family details. Phoebe Money was born about 1805 or 1806. She shows up in both the 1850 and 1860 census, however without Joseph. In 1850, she lived in Deptford in Gloucester County, New Jersey, with three children ages 15, 13, and 4. By 1860, she lived in neighboring Woodbury, New Jersey, south of Philadelphia with son Ebenezer, who was the four year old in 1850. Phoebe worked as a washer woman.

In the pension application papers Phoebe Money stated that her husband, Anthony, passed away in 1848. Joseph Money would have been about 17 years old at that time. Perhaps Joseph lived and worked outside the family to be one less mouth Phoebe had to feed. In the pension records Phoebe also mentions that before enlisting Joseph worked in a livery stable earning $5 per week. She claimed that for ten years before the war Joseph gave her financial assistance to purchase “food, fuel, apparel, & paid house rent.” In addition, she reported that Joseph was not married and did not have children. By all appearances Joseph seems to have been a loving and dutiful son.

Pvt. Money’s service records indicate that was just as loyal to the 6^th United States Colored Infantry as he was to his mother. He was present for duty on all of his record’s muster cards. He fought with the 6^th at Petersburg on June 15, 1864, and worked “extra duty” on the Dutch Gap Canal project in August. On September 29, 1864, at the Battle of New Market Heights, Money stepped off with his comrades in Col. Samuel Duncan’s Brigade and stepped into history. Three of Money’s fellow 6^th USCI soldier received the Medal of Honor for heroism; Lt. Nathan Edgerton, Sgt. Maj. Thomas R. Hawkins, and 1^st Sgt. Alexander Kelly. Commander of the Army of the James, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler, commented in the days following the attack at New Market Heights: “The colored soldiers, by coolness, steadiness, and determined courage and dash, have silenced every cavil of the doubters of their soldierly capacity, and drawn tokens of admiration from their enemies.”

Among the scores of casualties that littered the battlefield, Pvt. Money writhed in pain with a gunshot wound to his left shoulder. Evacuated to Deep Bottom and transported by ship to the general hospital at Fort Monroe, he received treatment for his wound. Pvt. Money’s wound likely became infected and he died on October 24, just less than a month after the battle.

Surrounded now by fellow black and white United States soldiers, Pvt. Money’s grave number 1114 in Hampton National Cemetery peacefully witnesses the sun rise and fall each day. The days pass, the season’s change, and the years and decades continue to roll by. However, Pvt. Money is not forgotten. We thank you Pvt. Money for your decision to join the fight for the rights, liberty, equality, and justice deserved by all.  

Dying Far From Home - Pvt. William Roy Wright, Co. B, 5th USCI

 

The obvious purpose of Civil War-era’s minie ball was to inflict damage. The soft lead bullet traveled at a relatively slow speed (about 950 feet per second) compared to present-day military rifle projectiles. However, the size and weight of the bullet added significantly to its ability to produce grievous wounds. Measuring over half an inch in diameter, and weighing just over an ounce, the spinning motion created by the rifling inside the musket’s barrel helped ensure the missile flew accurately and carried a serious amount of kinesthetic energy. Upon impact the bullet often flattened and or tumbled causing tremendous destruction to human tissue and bone. It is a wonder that as many soldiers wounded in Civil War combat ultimately survived. Of course, those men who received wounds to the body’s extremities had a better chance of living than those injured in the core of the body or head.

During the Battle of New Market Heights, Pvt. William R. Wright, Co. B, 5^th United States Colored Infantry (USCI) charged forward with his comrades. As the assault stalled near the rows of abatis, and within easy rifle range of the Texas Brigade defenders, the attacking soldiers fell in droves, wounded in every conceivable manner. It is highly likely that Pvt. Wright received the gunshot wound that perforated his chest at this point in the battle.

William Roy Wright entered this world about 1832 under unfavorable circumstances. It unknown whether he was born enslaved or free. Regardless, he was born in Caroline County, Virginia, a slave state that placed significant restrictions on both enslaved and free people of color. By 1850, William Wright was a resident in the free state of Ohio. He appears in that year’s census in Chillicothe, Ross County, as an 18-year old living in household of Joseph Wright, who was likely William’s older brother, as Joseph was only 29 years old. William’s listed occupation is laborer, and he is described as “mulatto.” A decade later, William was head of his own household. His wife, Mary, and young children, Louis A., James, and William B., formed the family’s circle. William was not a wealthy man. He only claimed $20.00 in personal property. Interestingly, in the 1860 census, Wright and his family are described as “black.”

Perhaps having such a young family discouraged William from enlisting earlier. And maybe it was his financial circumstances which finally motivated William to join Company B, 5^th USCI on August 17, 1864, as by that point in the war the government had equalized pay between black and white soldiers. A 32-years old, he was a little older than the average soldier. Before enlisting he worked as a carpenter. 

While many of his 5^th USCI comrades had participated in raids in southeastern Virginia and fought in the opening attacks of the Petersburg Campaign, Pvt. Wright was a true “fresh fish” when thrown into battle on September 29, 1864, at New Market Heights. Having traveled hundreds of miles from Ohio to join the regiment, Wright was only a soldier for about a month and 12 days before he received his first and only taste of combat.

Pvt. Wright may have first received medical attention near the battlefield from Sister Lydia Penny, the wife of 5^th USCI soldier Thomas Penny. “There she could be seen, the only woman present, like an angel from above, giving words of cheer, and doing all in her power to relive the suffering of the wounded and dying,” wrote a black soldier.

Placed on hospital transport ships at Deep Bottom landing on the James River, and then evacuated to hospitals at Point of Rocks, Fort Monroe, and Portsmouth, Virginia, the injured received treatment for their various wounds. For some soldiers there was not much the surgeons could do. In cases like Pvt. Wright’s where wounds occurred to the chest, medical science’s limitations were clearly evident. It is probably a testament to Wright’s will to survive that he lived as long as he did with such a severe wound. However, he finally succumbed to death on November 22, 1864.

Mary Wright filed for a widow’s pension and received $8.00 per month and an additional $2.00 per month per child until they turned 16 year old to help her and William’s young children. The pension file records that the couple had two additional boys since the 1860 census; John and Leroy. However, one can only imagine the heartbreak they must have felt learning of the wounding and death of their husband and father so soon after he left their hearth and home for the war.

Today, Pvt. Wright rests in peace in grave number 2844 in the Hampton National Cemetery. We honor you for your service and for sacrificing of your life in the effort to move the United States closer toward a “more perfect Union.”   

Zooming in on a USCT Camp Scene

Many of the photographs found in the Library of Congress' "Civil War Glass Negatives and Related Prints" collection that contain African Americans state so in their various descriptions, and thus are quite easy to search for. However, recently while looking for generic images of Civil War soldier's encampments, I came across the above photograph. It is not easy to see much in it as it appears, but downloading the TIFF file, and then enlarging it, shows some fascinating details.

In the center right of the photo are three soldiers. They stand and looking at the photographer. The man closest to the camera wears a greatcoat and has his hands behind his back. He is wearing a forage cap and apparently turned his head while the photographer took the shot. A long-handled shovel rests at his feet. To the right stands a soldier with his hands in his pockets and wearing a four-button fatigue blouse. Between but behind these two soldiers is another man who looks like he is wearing a large checked shirt and appears to have his right arm in a sling. One wonders if these three soldiers were mess mates, and what caused the injury to the soldier in the arm sling.  

Behind the three soldiers in the foreground is another soldier standing among the tents. He has his right side toward the camera and also seems to moving his heard to look at the photographer as the image was being made. Either corporal or sergeant's chevrons look to be on his coat's right sleeve. In other parts of the photograph are a couple of other "phantom" images where soldiers moved and appear "ghosted."

The only other clear soldier that I was able to locate is in the far background. All we can see is the top half of his blurry face and his forage cap. However he looks like he's spotted the photographer and camera as he peeks over the field of tents. 

Most of the shelters appear to be rigged up for colder temperatures, although none seem to have improvised chimneys. This may be in late fall or early winter of 1864. Many of the structures are composed of both wood plank castoffs and pieces of canvas. Many of the canvas pieces appear to be buttoned together, so they are likely shelter halves issued to the men. One of the shelters shown in the cropped image above shows a rubber blanket strung to the end of it to perhaps block the wind and rain. 

In an attempt to keep dry the soldiers have cut several lines of ditches to channel the rain water away from their shelters. The shovel shown in the first detailed image probably came in handy for this type of work. What looks to be an old wool blanket covers the end of one of the shelters.

Some soldiers, perhaps the three men shown in the foreground, have rigged up a clothes line behind their shelter for their laundry. Stretched out on it are a couple of pairs of trousers and maybe a fatigue blouse and shirt. 

 

A more stable log structure appears in the background. This could be the officers' quarters. It features vertical log walls, a canvas roof, and square window. A stovepipe pops from a side of the shelter, indicating that the occupants had better access to heat than the soldiers in the tents.

Behind the camp is a large field and then what looks to be a river or other body of water. Nothing in the photograph's description gives a clue as to where it was geographically. This location may be along the James River where much of the XXV Corps occupied winter quarters. However, it could also be along the Appomattox River near Petersburg. Many of the trees on the hillside were victims to the soldiers' axes.

  

Barely visible on the other side of the river is another group of winter quarter structures. One wonders if this is another USCT camp. Regardless, the ability to "zoom in" on details of this photograph gives us a better idea of how black soldiers weathered camp life and gives us an even greater appreciate for their service and sacrifices. 

Corp. John Osborn and Late War Casualties

 

Soldiers who died late in the Civil War present particularly tragic stories. The battlefields and cemeteries around Petersburg offer many such cases. Walking the grounds of this area's national cemeteries show that soldiers from various states fell in combat the last week of the war. For example, Corp. John Osborn, Company F, 6^th Maryland Infantry  rests in peace at City Point National Cemetery in Hopewell, Virginia. Engraved on Osborn’s headstone is the date of his death, April 4, 1865; just two days after he received his wound in the VI Corps Breakthrough.

Osborn’s story epitomizes that of the so-called “common soldier.” He enlisted as a private on August 13, 1862, in Baltimore. Although perhaps older than the average Civil War soldier, the 34-year old Osborn signed up to fight for three years. Captured on June 15, 1863, at Winchester, Virginia, Osborn fortunately only experienced life as a prisoner of war for a little over a month. A quick parole and exchange returned him to his regiment. A promotion to corporal came in September 1864, after his predecessor was killed fighting in the Shenandoah Valley. During the winter of 1864-65, Osborn received a furlough to get a break from the front lines. However, he was back in the VI Corps earthworks at Petersburg for the spring campaign.

On April 2, 1865, as part of Col. J. Warren Keifer’s Brigade, the 6^th Maryland attacked along with the rest of Brig. Gen. Truman Seymour’s Division on the left end of the VI Corps assault. During the fighting, probably near the Hart House, Osborn received a severe gunshot wound. Taken to the VI Corps Depot Field Hospital at City Point, Osborn received treatment but died on April 4. Among his personal effects were a silk handkerchief, a “looking glass,” a wallet, a razor and brush, a knife, and one pair of shoes. These items were handed over to unnamed friends.

If you come to the Petersburg area to visit its battlefields, I encourage you make time to also include  visits to the national cemeteries. Show your appreciation for the sacrifices of soldiers like Corp. John Osborn, who gave their lives for our country.

Recent Acquisitions to My Library

Things were a little slow this month in terms of expanding my library. However, I did pick up some gems.

The Black Civil War Soldier: A Visual History of Conflict and Citizenship by Deborah Willis brings a bounty of period photographic images (many seldom seen) and numerous documentary excerpts that provide an excellent look at the United States Colored Troops experience. 

  

Clara Barton is one of those Civil War-era personalities that I just haven't taken the time to get to know better. I'm hoping that Donald C. Pfanz's Clara Barton's Civil War: Between Bullet and Hospital provides me with a better understanding of this important figure that I've always admired from afar. I'm particularly interested in learning more about her experience while ministering to the wounded at Point of Rocks hospital during the Petersburg Campaign. 

Kenneth Noe's The Howling Storm: Weather, Climate, and the American Civil War is a book that I've been hearing about for quite some time. I was so happy to hear about its recent release, and even happier to grab a copy for my library. At almost 700 pages it is sure to be the go to source on this subject for quite some time. 

Happy reading!

The Colored Volunteers

The American Civil War created an opportunity for the composition of hundreds of songs. Tunes written from 1861-1865 covered a wide array of subjects dealing with the conflict. Some praised various military leaders, and denigrated others. Some songs chided legal acts like conscription, while others told stories of heartbreak on the home front. Still others, took up political issues like emancipation and the enlistment of African American soldiers. “The Colored Volunteers,” was just one such song. Supposedly written by an unknown private in the 54^th Massachusetts, it went:

“Fremont told us, when this war was first begun,

How to save this Union, and the way it should be done,

But Kentucky swore so hard, and old Abe he had his fears,

So that’s what’s the matter with the Colored Volunteers.

 

Chorus:

Give us a flag all free without a slave,

We will fight to defend it as our fathers did so brave

Onward boys, onward, it’s the year of jubilee,

God bless America, the land of liberty.

 

Little Mack went to Richmond with three hundred thousand brave—

Said keep back the negroes and the Union he would save;

But Mack he was defeated, and the Union now in tears,

Is calling for the help of the Colored Volunteers.

 

Chorus

 Old Jeff he says he’ll hang us if we dare to meet him armed—

It’s a very big thing, but we are not at all alarmed:

He has first got to catch us before the way is clear,

And that’s what’s the matter with the Colored Volunteers.

 

Chorus

 Here’s to the gallant Fourth which has not yet been tried,

They are willing and are ready with their brothers to divide;

General Birney leads us on, so we have no right to fear,

And that is the making of the Colored Volunteers.”

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Casualties for the 6th USCI at the Battle of New Market Heights

Sgt. Maj. Thomas Hawkins, 6th USCI

On March 2, 1870, Sgt. Maj. Christian A. Fleetwood (4^th United States Colored Infantry), wrote in support of 6^th USCI Sgt. Maj. Thomas R. Hawkins’ widow’s request for a pension. After providing a brief history of Hawkins’ life, which Fleetwood learned through their close friendship, he shared some of their army trials while under fire. “After engaging in various raids and foragings, the first severe engagement in which we were engaged was the heavy fighting in front of Petersburg on the 15^th June 1864, and here fighting with all the cool courage of a veteran, he [Hawkins] was shot through the arm, and was sent back to hospital,” Fleetwood wrote.

Then Fleetwood shared their experience at New Market Heights: “He rejoined his regiment in September following, at the famous Dutch Gap Canal, and a short time afterwards we were ordered to Deep Bottom, Va., and in the terrible fighting to carry the works at New Market Heights, he fell shot through shoulder, hip and foot, and lay upon the field for three hours before he was found and taken to the rear.”

Unfortunately, Sgt. Maj. Hawkins was in common company with many of his comrades on September 29, 1864. So much promise was cut short or delayed that day because unselfish commitment to duty proved stronger than fear. Fleetwood paid tribute to his dear friend Hawkins’ character. “He was a young man of remarkable natural ability and talent . . . . Brave to a fault, generous as a prince, a gallant soldier, an affectionate and true husband and father, a faithful friend, his death leaves a void in the hearts of his associates that will never be filled by another.” It is likely that many of the men who fell killed, wounded or captured at New Market Heights could have had similar sentiments expressed about them.

A thorough search through the Compiled Military Service Records (CMSR) for all of the regiment’s soldiers helped total the heavy price the 6^th USCI paid at New Market Heights. The numbers discovered are: 46 men killed in action, 20 fatally wounded, five missing in action, and 112 wounded but who survived. Of course, as the list below starkly shows, many of the wounded who lived had their lives forever changed by their New Market Heights injuries. Sgt. Thomas R. Hawkins was only one of many.

Killed in Action

Pvt. Richard Addison, Co. E, 24, Leesburg, VA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. John Becket, Co. G, 40, Northampton, VA; Philadelphia, PA; drafted

Corp. Charles W. Berry, Co. G, 19, Washington Co, PA; Pittsburgh, PA

Pvt. Henry Blackston, Co. I, 23, Newcastle Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; substitute

Pvt. Peter Brice, Co. H, 21, Armstrong Co., PA; Pittsburg, PA

Pvt. William Brisco, Co. I, 23, Newcastle, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Corp. Richard Bryant, Co. D, 23, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. David Criswell, Co. H, 20, Lewiston, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Moses Derry, Co. G, 30, Bucks Co., PA; Smyrna, DE; substitute

1^st Sgt. George H. Ellet, Co. C, 31, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Charles H. Gibson, Co. D, 20, Adams Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA; drafted

Pvt. George W. Green, Co. F, 20, VA; Greensburg, PA; drafted

Corp. John Green, Co. B, 35, Bushtown, NJ; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Thomas W. Hamilton, Co. F, 23, Bucks Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Charles Harris, Co. D, 27, unknown; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Charles Holland, Co. E, 34, Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Charles Hubbard, Co. D, 20, Harrisburg, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. John James, Co. F, 20, Mathews Co., VA; Smyrna, VA; substitute

Pvt. Charles Johnson, Co. D, 22, Carroll Co., MD; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. George F. Johnson, Co. F, 21, Smyrna, DE; Smyrna, DE

Pvt. Peter Johnson, Co. B, 26, Loudon Co., VA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Noah Jones, Co. D, 35, Fairfax Co., VA; Philadelphia, PA; drafted

Pvt. Neil Kempt, Co. B, 25, Georgetown, VA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. William Kenny, Co. D, 22, unknown; Philadelphia, PA, substitute

Pvt. Thomas Kyser, Co. D, 20, New York, NY; West Chester, PA; substitute

Pvt. William H. Lewis, Co. K, 19, Washington Co., PA; Pittsburg, PA

Corp. William Lucus, Co. D, 23, Washington D.C.; Philadelphia, PA

 2^nd Lt. Frederick Meyer, Co. B, 37, unknown; Washington D.C.

Pvt. John A. Norris, Co. G, 40, unknown; Pittsburgh, PA

Pvt. Emanuel Patterson, Co. D, 23, Greene Co., PA; West Chester, PA; drafted

Pvt. William Pence, Co. C, 25, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA; drafted

Pvt. James Robinson, Co. I, 24, Philadelphia, PA; Smyrna, DE; substitute

Pvt. Alexander Rogers, Co. I, 21, Dover, DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted

Sgt. Thomas Scott, Co. E, 26, Pittsburgh, PA; Pittsburg, PA; drafted; “Always present with company and was prompt and faithful in the execution of all duty and brave in battle . . . .”

Pvt. William Scott, Co. F, 28, Chambersburg, PA; Smyrna, PA; substitute

Capt. George Wright Sheldon, Co. H, 26, Mount Morris, NY; Washington D.C.; previously served in 126^th New York Infantry

Pvt. Amos M. Shinn, Co. B, Allen, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. William Simpiss, Co. B; 22, DE; Philadelphia, PA

Corp. Henry Skeere (Skeen), Co. C, 27, Cecil Co., MD; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Henry Swartz, Co. B, 24, Lancaster, PA; Lancaster, PA

Corp. Jeremiah Walker, Co. D, 22, Hampton, VA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Albert Waters, Co. K, 22, Kent Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; substitute

Corp. Robert Webster, Co. H, 20, Armstrong Co., PA; Pittsburgh, PA

Corp. John West, Co. C, 33, Washington Co., PA; New Brighton, PA

Corp. Archibald Wright, Co. G, 38, Loudon Co., VA; Harrisburg, PA; substitute

Capt. Charles V. York, Co. B, 25, NY; Washington D.C.; previously served with 10^th New York Heavy Artillery

Fatally Wounded

Pvt. Thomas Anderson, Co. E, 20, Bucks Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA; head wound; “wounded in action September 29, 1864, and jumped overboard while being conveyed from Point of Rocks Hospital, Va to U.S. Gen. Hospital at Hampton, Va by steamer Thomas Powell Oct. 3, 1864. His wound produced insanity which caused the act.”

Corp. Thomas Augustus, Co. E, 20, Newark, DE; Philadelphia, PA; died at Fort Monroe on 10-14-64, from gunshot wound to right lung received at New Market Heights

Pvt. Enoch Boyer, Co. B, 27, Smyrna, DE; Philadelphia, PA; died aboard steamer George Leary on 10-29-64

Pvt. James Clark, 23, Indiana, PA; Greensburg, PA; substitute; died on 11-26-64 at Balfour Hospital in Portsmouth, VA from wounds

Corp. Robert Davis, Co. G, 34, New Castle Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; died on 10-11-64 from gunshot wound of left lung

Pvt. William Empson, Jr., Co. I, 28, New Castle Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted; died on 10-2-64 from gunshot wound to abdomen

Pvt. Absalom Gibbs, Co. F, 21, Dover, DE; West Chester, PA; died on 3-12-65 from pneumonia and amputation of left thigh

Pvt. Perry Hamilton, Co. K, 21, New Castle Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted; died on 10-10-64 from wound in back injuring spine

1^st Sgt. William Hazzard, Co. K, 25, New Castle Co, DE; Smyrna, DE, died on 12-30-64 from wound to left leg

Pvt. Jonathan Henson, Co. G, 34, Chester Co., PA; Lancaster Co., PA; drafted; died on 10-1-64 from wounds

Pvt. Ellis Hughes, Co. E, 28, Rochester, NY; Schenectady, NY; died 10-12-64 from shell wounds

Pvt. James A. Kane, Co. C, 30, Allegheny Co., PA; Allegheny City, PA, drafted, died 10-13-64 from gunshot wound in leg

1^st Lt. Lafayette Landon, Co H, 20; Jefferson County, NY; Washington D.C.; died on 10-28-64 from gunshot wound to left thigh

2^nd Lt. William H. McEvoy, Co. I, 21, NY; Yorktown, VA; died on 11-9-64 from blood poisoning from exsection of left elbow due to gunshot wound

Pvt. Joseph Money, Co. C, 32, Salem, NJ; Frankford, PA; substitute; died on 10-24-64 from gunshot wound of left shoulder

Sgt. Richard Servant, Co. D, 24, Fort Monroe, VA; Philadelphia, PA; died on 11-6-64 from gunshot wounds

Pvt. Jacob Slyder, Co. C, 17, Franklin Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA; died on 10-14-64 from gunshot wounds

Pvt. John Smith, Co. F, 27, Delaware Co., PA; West Chester, PA; died on 10-12-64 from gunshot wound to left knee joint resulting in amputation, death resulting from second hemorrhage

Pvt. John A. Steele, Co. H, 19, Clarion Co., DE; Pittsburgh, PA; died on 10-27-64 from gunshot wound to left leg

Pvt. Edward Williams, Co. C, 27, Montgomery Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA; died on 10-6-64 from gunshot wound to abdomen

Missing in Action

Pvt. Henry Braxton, Co. B, 21, New Kent Co., VA; Yorktown, VA

Pvt. Nathaniel Danks, 25, Co. D, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA; wounded and taken prisoner

Pvt. Benjamin Davis, Co. E, 24, Hertford Co., MD; Philadelphia, PA; missing in action since 9-29-64; supposed to have died in the enemy’s hands

Pvt. William W. Robinson, Co. B, 20, Delaware, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Charles H. Steward, Co. B, 26, Concord, DE; West Chester, PA; drafted

Wounded Survived

Maj. Harvey H. Covell, 27, Ashtabula County, OH; originally served with 23^rd Ohio Inf.; disability discharge on 4-25-65 due to gunshot wound to right forearm with fracture of radius

Sgt. Maj. Thomas R. Hawkins, 23, Cincinnati, OH; Philadelphia, PA; substitute; disability discharge on 5-9-65 from wounds in three places including thigh and great toe; Medal of Honor recipient

Wounded Survived

Company A

Capt. Robert B. Beath, 24, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA; formerly of 88^th Pennsylvania Inf.; amputation of wounded right leg; disability discharge 9-20-65

Pvt. James H. Cooper, 35, Hampshire County, VA [WV}; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. David H. Irons, 24, Chester Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA; disability discharge 5-16-65 from amputation of right leg

Pvt. John A. Wright, 30, Chester Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA

Company B

Pvt. John Crawford, 21, Harris, AL; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Joseph Gibson, 17, Bushtown, NJ; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. John Harvey, 26, Indiana, PA; Greensburg, PA; substitute

1^st Lt. Nathaniel N. Hubbard, 21, Trumbull Co., OH; disability discharge on 3-3-65 from wound to left leg and scrotum

Pvt. John Marshall, 24, Delaware Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. John McCroby, 22, Fayette, PA; New Brighton, PA; drafted

Pvt. Joseph Moore, 16, Chester, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Corp. Anthony Ridley, 22, Lewisburg, PA; Lancaster, PA; substitute

Pvt. Charles Ridley, 22, unknown; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Isaac Thompson, 26, Lancaster, PA; Lancaster, PA; drafted

Company C

Pvt. James Banks, 22, Washington Co., PA; New Brighton, PA

Pvt. Alfred Becket, 21, Wilmington, DE; Philadelphia, PA

Sgt. William H. Butler, 23, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA; amputation of right thigh; disability discharge 5-29-65

Pvt. William Carson, 35, Delaware; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. William Gover (Grover), 17, Chester Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA

1^st Lt. Enoch Jackman, 25, unknown, Washington D.C.; gunshot wound of left hand (slight)

Corp. Abraham Lewis, 29, Washington Co., PA; New Brighton, PA; drafted

Pvt. Charles Lewis, 31, Caroline Co., MD; Philadelphia, PA; disability discharge on 6-12-65 from gunshot wound to right shoulder and loss of use of arm

Pvt. James Miller, 24, Washington Co., PA; New Brighton, PA; drafted

Pvt. Josiah Nelson, 17, Ithaca, NY; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. John Wallace, 25, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia; disability discharge on 6-16-65

Company D

Sgt. Robert Biles, 20, Monmouth Co., NJ; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Joseph Brown, 21, Washington Co., PA; New Brighton, PA; drafted

Pvt. Phillip Cole, 23, Chester, PA; Chester, PA; substitute

Pvt. James Ferrill, 23, Greene Co., PA; New Brighton, PA; drafted; disability discharge on 8-14-65 from gunshot wound to left hand

Pvt. Jacob Hammond, 22, Chester, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Corp. Lawrence Jackson, 20, Northampton NC; Philadelphia, PA; substitute

2^nd Lt. John B. Johnson, 17, unstated, Washington, D.C.; wounded in left arm

Sgt. Ephraim Maloney, 25, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA; drafted; disability discharge on 1-3-65 from gunshot wound to right leg

Pvt. Andrew Mitchell, 23, Carroll Co., MD; West Chester, PA; gunshot wound of left thigh and right hip

1^st Sgt. Miles Parker, 26, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. William H. Redmon, 20, VA; Chester Co., PA; substitute

Pvt. James Richmond, 26, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA; drafted

Pvt. Henry Scott, 18, Culpeper, VA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Robert Williams, 22, Baltimore, MD; Philadelphia, PA

Company E

Pvt. Joseph Fullum, 20, Washington Co., PA; New Brighton, PA; drafted; served out the war in hospital, no disability discharge provided

Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, 28, Unstated; Philadelphia, PA

1^st Sgt. Thomas C. Johnson, 27, Unstated; Philadelphia, PA

Corp. Benjamin Richards, 34, Pittsburgh, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; drafted

Sgt. William Strange, unknown, Frederick Co., VA; Allegheny Co., PA; drafted

Company F

Pvt. Richard Chew, 36, New York, NY; West Chester, PA

Pvt. James H. Clinton, 20, Wilmington, DE; Smyrna, DE

Corp. John Davis, 23, Monmouth, NJ; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Lewis Dickson, 25, Kent Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; disability discharge 4-28-65 from exsection of right elbow joint

Pvt. Francis J. Griffith, 20, PA; Philadelphia, PA; substitute; disability discharge on 7-26-65 from amputation of right arm

Pvt. George S. Johnson, 27, Smyrna, DE; Philadelphia, PA; drafted

Pvt. Louis Mills, 35, Mifflin Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Benjamin F. Phillips, 27, Allegheny Co., PA; Pittsburgh, PA

Pvt. John D. Rias, 30, Kent Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; substitute

Pvt. Charles Rider, 22, Wilmington, DE; Smyrna, DE; substitute

Pvt. Joseph Rider, 25, New Castle, DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted

Pvt. John Spence, 35, Talbot Co., MD; Smyrna, DE; drafted

Pvt. William E. Wilson, 20, Newville, PA; Philadelphia, PA; substitute

Company G

Pvt. Samuel Anderson, 23, New Castle, DE; Smyrna, DE; substitute

Pvt. James Black, 30, Fayette Co., PA; Greensburg, PA; drafted

Pvt. John H. Graham, 23, VA; Greensburg, PA; drafted

Pvt. Richard M. Johnson, 21, MD; Greensburg, PA; drafted

Corp. Charles Miller, 22, Lancaster, PA; Smyrna, DE; drafted

Pvt. Richard Riley, 18, Berkley Co., VA, Pittsburgh, PA

Pvt. James Smith, 26, Warren Co., NC; Smyrna, DE; substitute

Sgt. William Waters, 20, Cape Island, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; drafted

Company H

Sgt. Solomon Darrah, 27, Bucks County, PA; West Chester, PA; disability discharge 6-12-64 from gunshot wound in right elbow joint

1^st Lt. Nathan Edgerton, 27, Belmont Co., OH; Washington, D.C.; wounded in right hand while carrying the colors; Medal of Honor recipient

Sgt. Wilson Grant, 24, Loudon, VA; Lancaster, PA; died 10-21-64 from wounds received in action

Pvt. Charles H. Johnson, 21, PA; Philadelphia, PA; disability discharge on 5-22-65 from gunshot wound of left knee

Pvt. Peter A. Johnson, 20, DE; Norristown, PA; substitute

Pvt. Henry Morgan, 33, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. George Perkins, 18, Fayette Co., PA; Pittsburgh, PA

Pvt. Jacob Roberts, 18, Blairsville, PA; Pittsburgh, PA

Pvt. Charles Roland, 22, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA; disability discharge on 5-17-65 from gunshot wound causing loss of 1/3 of lower jaw

Pvt. Franklin Viney, 25, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Spencer Wesley, 18, Lancaster, PA; West Chester, PA; substitute

Company I

Pvt. William Badger, 42, New Castle, DE; Smyrna, DE; amputation of left arm; surgeon’s certificate of disability, discharged 4-14-64

Pvt. Robert Butler, 21, King George Co., VA; Reading, PA; drafted

Pvt. James Dayton, 24, Kent County, DE; Smyrna, DE; disability discharge 4-19-65 from amputation of right leg

Pvt. John Duckery, 36, New Castle Co., DE; Philadelphia, PA; disability discharge 5-27-65 from gunshot wound to right side

Pvt. Alexander Goldsburg, 25, MD; Smyrna, DE

Corp. William Hall, 20, Kent Co., MD; Smyrna, DE

Pvt. George Harris, 21, Mercer Co., NJ; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Adolphus Johnson, 20, Sussex Co. DE; Smyrna, DE; substitute; deserted from hospital on 12-25-64

Pvt. Paterson Hartshorn, 32, Centre Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA; disability discharge 5-27-65 from gunshot wound to right foot

Corp. Charles Peter, 20, New Castle Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted

Pvt. Charles Samson, 22, Kent Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted; disability discharge 6-28-65 from gunshot wound to right arm

Pvt. William Thomas Simmons, 19, New Castle Co., DE; Philadelphia, PA

Pvt. Joseph Singer, 20, Caroline Co., MD; Smyrna, DE; substitute

Sgt. (Color Bearer) Daniel W. Smith, 22, Centre Co., PA; West Lock Haven, PA; disability discharge 6-28-65 from gunshot wound to right shoulder

Pvt. James Smith, 20, Kent Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; substitute

Pvt. Wilson Spencer, 35, New Castle Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted

Pvt. Lewis Taylor, 27, Cecil Co., MD; Smyrna, DE; drafted

Pvt. George Wilson, 18, Bedford Co., PA; Philadelphia, PA

Corp. Hezekiah Wilson, 33, Philadelphia, PA, Philadelphia, PA; drafted

Company K

Pvt. Charles Berry, 21, Kent County, DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted

Pvt. David Coston, 20, Kent County, DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted; disability discharge 6-17-65 from White Hall Gen. Hospital due to amputation of right thigh

Pvt. Isaac Gales, 24, Kent Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted; gunshot wound of left leg

Pvt. Joseph Gales, 28, Kent Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted

Sgt. Charles Garner, 19, Clinton Co., PA; Williamsport, PA; substitute; gunshot wound left leg

Corp. Alexander Henry, 30, New Castle Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted; gunshot wound to right shoulder

Pvt. Isaac Hubbardson, 24, Kent Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted

Pvt. Isaac Lee, 30, New Castle, DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted; disability discharge on 6-16-65 from gunshot wound of left leg

Pvt. James Manlon, 25, Kent Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; drafted

Pvt. Edward Mills, 35, Centre Co., PA; Williamsport, PA; drafted

Pvt. Isaac Purnell, 22, Sussex Co., DE; Smyrna, DE; substitute

Corp. Edward Raner, 18, Weldon, SC; Harrisburg, PA; substitute

Pvt. Isaac Robinson, 26, Philadelphia, PA; Smyrna, DE; disability discharge on 7-25-65 from gunshot wound to left shoulder fracturing humerus

Pvt. John Short, 29, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia, PA; substitute

Pvt. William E. Snowden, 22, Georgetown, MD; Harrisburg, PA; substitute

Corp. William Williams, 26, New Castle Co., DE, Smyrna, DE, drafted

This list was not produced in attempt to sensationalize the pain these men suffered, but rather to acknowledge the sacrifices they were willing to endure to ensure the death of slavery, show themselves men and worthy of citizenship and thus the guarantees of the Constitution, and maintain the Union of the states. In addition, hopefully this enumeration helps descendants make connections with their soldier ancestors. Courageously done, men of the 6^th!