Civil War Ancestors

[bluelake]

Which of your ancestors were in the CW?

On my father's side was his grandfather.  His name (during the war) was John Kedgnot; he and his half-brother were the first two Indians in the 1st MI Sharpshooters (Co. B--later there was an all-Indian Co. K).  He is mentioned a few times in the book These Men Have Seen Hard Service: The First Michigan Sharpshooters in the Civil by Ray Herek.  He was captured at Reams Station and mustered out after the war.  For some reason, he took his younger half-brother's family name at that time (nobody knows why).  He lived until the age of 82, dying in 1926 (my dad's birth year); he held my dad one time shortly before he died.

On my mom's side was her great uncle, Frederick Main.  He served in a NY regiment after accepting someone's bounty at the age of 17.  He was soon after wounded, taken prisoner, lost his leg, and was exchanged in a prisoner trade; they figured he wouldn't live very long I guess.  He lived to be 92 years old.  When my mom was a young girl, she used to take care of him.  She told of one joke he liked to play--he would be whittling on the porch of his house and, when kids who didn't know him would walk by, he'd suddenly stick his knife in his wooden leg     I doubt they stuck around long.


T

[Mike R]

All of my male ancestors fought for the south in the civil war--or as we say --war of northern aggression ...I know most about my gr-gr grandfather ZL Watters who was a Colonel at the end and was head of the 8th GA Inf and later Gist's brigade.  He fought in most of the eastern campaigns.  A doctor, he chose to be an infantry commander, but after the war he went to Arkansas and opened a med practice. My gr-gr-grandfather J Roberts was a Lt in the 8th MO Inf [CSA, there was an 8th MO USA, too].  Because he joined the south, even though not a slave owner, his unionist neighbors burned his farm and forced his family to flee into Arkansas.  He fought in Ark and LA actions and was wounded at Prairie Grove.  The 8th Mo went on to fame at the major battle at Pleasant Hill, LA [which we are reenacting this weekend].  Another relative was Gen J Chesnut of Jeff Davis' staff, whose wife wrote the famous Diary so often quoted.  My gr grandmother on my dad's side was a Chesnut.  I know less about my mom's side except that they had a cotton plantation in Miss and were forced into Arkansas during Reconstruction.  I am sure the menfolk fought for the south.

[Indiana]

I had relatives on both sides of my family in the war.  My mothers side had men fight for both the North and South.  Can't recall details from the top of my head.  I'll have to pull out the geneology and check on the details again.

[bluelake]

All of my male ancestors fought for the south in the civil war--or as we say --war of northern aggression

[Chairslayer]

Great,great uncle was an officer in a unit from Illinois. Don't remember the details, need to call my nephew, the ACW reenactor.

[Spotted Bull]

Found this information about one of my relatives, Joseph Shook.  Need to look back at the chart to see how many Great's he was going back.  Pretty sure he was a grandpaernt.


Regiment:   25th Infantry Regiment North Carolina
Date of Organization:   15 Aug 1861
Muster Date:   9 Apr 1865
Regiment State:   North Carolina
Regiment Type:   Infantry
Regiment Number:   25th
Regimental Soldiers and History:   

Regimental History
 
Battles Fought
Fought on 1 Sep 1861.
Fought on 30 Sep 1861 at Wilmington, NC.
Fought on 25 May 1862 at King's School House, VA.
Fought on 1 Jun 1862 at Near Kinston.
Fought on 4 Jun 1862.
Fought on 10 Jun 1862.
Fought on 12 Jun 1862 at Malvern Hill, VA.
Fought on 26 Jun 1862 at King's School House, VA.
Fought on 28 Jun 1862 at Richmond, VA.
Fought on 12 Sep 1862 at Frederick, MD.
Fought on 14 Sep 1862 at Sharpsburg, MD.
Fought on 15 Sep 1862 at Near Shepherdstown, VA.
Fought on 18 Sep 1862 at Near Frederick, MD.
Fought on 19 Sep 1862 at Sharpsburg, MD.
Fought on 29 Sep 1862 at Warrenton, VA.
Fought on 5 Dec 1862 at Winchester, VA.
Fought on 15 Dec 1862 at Fredericksburg, VA.
Fought on 15 Jan 1863 at Near Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 17 Jan 1863 at Strawberry Plains, TN.
Fought on 28 Apr 1863 at Camp Near Kinston.
Fought on 26 May 1863.
Fought on 10 Jun 1863 at Gum Swamp, NC.
Fought on 11 Jun 1863 at Near Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 15 Jul 1863 at Seven Pines, VA.
Fought on 23 Aug 1863 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 3 Sep 1863 at Weldon.
Fought on 16 Oct 1863 at Madison County, NC.
Fought on 16 Oct 1863 at "Noon's Springs".
Fought on 25 Oct 1863 at Spring Creek.
Fought on 25 Oct 1863 at Madison County, TN.
Fought on 25 Oct 1863 at Warm Springs, VA.
Fought on 26 Oct 1863 at Warm Springs, VA.
Fought on 15 Nov 1863 at Fredericksburg, VA.
Fought on 15 Jan 1864.
Fought on 14 Feb 1864 at Near Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 19 Feb 1864 at Clay County, NC.
Fought on 15 Mar 1864.
Fought on 30 Mar 1864.
Fought on 1 Apr 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 15 Apr 1864 at Plymouth, NC.
Fought on 27 Apr 1864 at Washington, NC.
Fought on 14 May 1864 at Near Drewry's Bluff, VA.
Fought on 16 May 1864 at Buncombe County, NC.
Fought on 20 May 1864 at Near Drewry's Bluff, VA.
Fought on 1 Jun 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 4 Jun 1864 at Chickahominy River, VA.
Fought on 15 Jun 1864 at Bermuda Hundred, VA.
Fought on 16 Jun 1864.
Fought on 17 Jun 1864 at Near Fort Stedman, VA.



Fought on 27 Jun 1864.

Fought on 30 Jun 1864 at Near Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 4 Jul 1864.
Fought on 5 Jul 1864.
Fought on 10 Jul 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 10 Jul 1864 at "In Virginia".
Fought on 15 Jul 1864 at Petesburg, VA.
Fought on 15 Jul 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 26 Jul 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 27 Jul 1864 at Near Petersburg, VA.

Fought on 30 Jul 1864 at Battle Of The Crater.
Fought on 10 Aug 1864 at Petersburg, VA.


Fought on 22 Aug 1864 at Near Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 23 Aug 1864 at Near Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 24 Aug 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 1 Sep 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 12 Oct 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 15 Oct 1864 at Plymouth, NC.
Fought on 1 Nov 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 15 Nov 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 18 Nov 1864 at Near Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 30 Nov 1864.
Fought on 1 Dec 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 3 Dec 1864 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 1 Jan 1865.
Fought on 20 Jan 1865.
Fought on 6 Feb 1865 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 6 Feb 1865 at Petesburg, VA.
Fought on 10 Feb 1865 at Cleveland, TN.
Fought on 17 Feb 1865 at Near Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 25 Feb 1865 at Petersburg, VA.


Fought on 1 Apr 1865 at Hatcher's Run, VA.

Fought on 1 Apr 1865 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 1 Apr 1865 at Near Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 2 Apr 1865 at Garrett Station, VA.
Fought on 2 Apr 1865 at Near Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 2 Apr 1865 at Five Forks, VA.
Fought on 2 Apr 1865.

Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Amelia Court House, VA.
Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Richmond, VA Hospial.
Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Richmond, VA.
Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Richmond, VA Hospital.
Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Hosp, Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Nottoway County, VA.
Fought on 3 Apr 1865.
Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Petersburg, VA Hospital.
Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Hosp, Richmond, VA.
Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Hospl, Petersburg, VA.
Fought on 3 Apr 1865 at Hospl, Richmond, VA.
Fought on 4 Apr 1865.

Fought on 5 Apr 1865 at Amelia Court House, VA.

Fought on 6 Apr 1865 at South Side Railroad, VA.
Fought on 6 Apr 1865.
Fought on 6 Apr 1865 at Farmville, VA.
Fought on 7 Apr 1865 at Lynchburg, VA.
Fought on 9 Apr 1865 at Hosp, Amelia Court House, VA.
Fought on 3 May 1865 at Anderson, SC.
Fought on 8 May 1865 at Athens, GA.
Fought on 12 May 1865 at Greenville, SC.

[James Kelly]

Great-Grandfather Atkison A. Kelly joined up, I think, at the start as he was "from a family of soldiers". Tin type of him before the war shows a strong & happy young man with his cigar. His outfit was decimated, and there were no records of this service. Later on he was drafted into the 76th Pennsylvania "Volunteers". Wounded at Cold Harbor, was with Hooker's detachment fighting a battle where "you could look down on the clouds". Grampa said his Dad had "a hole in his breast you could lay your finger in. That was from a minie ball". I still have the watch he traded for when he & some rebels drank out of the same Virginia spring. Tin type after he came home shows a very different man, the experience showed in his face & his body was swollen from the dropsy. Have a letter from his father, William Washington K, saying that he paid A.A.K.'s taxes so he could vote in the 1864 election. We are Scots-Irish & there's damn little doubt about whom he did NOT vote for.  His brother James M. Kelly was in the 12th Pennsylvania cavalry. I have his saber. Was told that James was in Libby prison but that doesn't make sense for a private. Shoulda asked Grampa more questions. But I heard enough of the unpleasant stuff that the Civil War is not all that romantic a thing to me. As my great-grandfather said about it, I'm not mad at anyone (either).

[mario]

The first member of my family to set foot in the US did so in April of 1912.

So my answer is...uh...none.

As a side note, she was on the HMS Carpathia, which was the first ship to pick up the Titanic survivors.

Mario

[2-bellys]

mine all protested and went to canada :peace

[Lastmohecken]

Wow! interesting stories. My dad's side came from Penn. and Ohio, and there  was two brothers who fought  for the north, and one didn't come back, but I don't know much detail, except that one was a Capt. I do remember hearing that my G grandmother, was a little girl when the war started and watched her older brothers go off to war, and the one never came back, and as a result, she always hated southerners, for the rest of her life.

On my Mom's side, I had a GG Grandfather, that served for the south, as a blacksmith which was his trade in life. He owned at least one slave. My grandmother told me this, and once showed me an old property tax assessement showing where he had to claim him on the assessement. She told me that they had some slaves that were like family and stayed and lived with them after the war.

I wish both sides of my family had kept better records, as most are gone now, and I didn't write anything down either.

I did read in another's family tree book, of some distant relatives of mine, on my Mom's side, who were more or less raiders, or gurillas, with sothern ties, who lived in Madison Co. Arkansas, and they killed 5 Yanks, and stripped their bodies and threw them in an old pond. Word got back to a Union Capt. in Fayetteville, Arkansas. And the next day, he and some others rode over to eastern Madison Co. and found the raiders and killed them. I did know the name of one of the raiders who I was supposed to be related to, but I have since forgotten it.

[J.D.]

I haven't found anyone in a direct line, who fought in the War of Northern Aggression, as my dear old Grandmother used to call it.

However, Colonel James Griffith Dearing, from the branch of the family that remained in VA, commanded an artillery battalion in Pickets Brigade at Gettysburg.

He was later promoted to Brigadier General and killed during a skirmish on  the Peninsula, two weeks prior to Lee's surrender.

My Grandmother once told  of how her mother, if my memory is correct, was born of a raft crossing the Mississippi river as the family was evading Federal Troops. She wouldn't say why the family was evading Federal Troops, but she did say the family owned a big farm, of several thousand acres in KY or TN prior to the war.

I have yet to find any information on Grannys family during that time period.

God bless

[huntinguy]

Dads side of the family didn't come over till after 1900.

Now, my moms’ side: That be a horse of many colors,
Macomb’s fought for the South (to hear tell my grandma tell it Macomb’s just fought, them be on grandpas side of the tree   )

I have seen pictures of some Saviers in the civil war parade in Oregon, I know they were kin but not exactly sure how.

Seems the north needed a school teacher and picked up one of grammas uncles on the pass though of Ohio.

Talk about a bad day at work. Went to work one morning and was conscripted at the point of a bayonet, died on the way home two years later (he became too sick to fight so the North kicked him out.) I think he was a Wickersham... I would have to go through the family records.

[Capt. Jas.]

Which of your ancestors were in the CW?

T

All of ancestors from the time were in the war of northern aggression except two.....one was a miller and the other pastored a church.

James

[Bigsmoke]

Great gransfather Winfield Scott Shorb at age 14 ran away from home to enlist in the Union army.  He was a big straping lad, so no doubt they took him at his word when he said he was old enough.
From what we can deduce from service records, his main job was transporting prisoners to Leavenworth.  However, he was in the calvary and as such, did see some limited action.
Strangely, his outfit was involved in a battle with the same outfit that one of my wife's g.grandfathers was in.  It appears that they were in a direct fight with each other.  Good for both of us that they were not good shots.  Else, we would not be here.

[Martin_G]

I had a gr- or gr-gr uncles and a (gr- or gr-gr grandfather) who were either in the army or worked as a sutler. These were on my maternal grandfathers' side.

The info I have is that three brothers came from Scotland a year or two before the CW or a couple months before it started.

One brother went to the Union and enlisted in Baltimore or in what we would call a suburb today of Baltimore.

The other brother was supposed to have sided with the CSA, and the last brother hardly anything is known although family lore says he became a sutler to the army. Which one is unknown.

I did find union soldiers with my family surname in muster lists, both privates and an LT, but I don't know if they were family like gr-gr uncles or cousins or if it was just coincidence to have the same last name.


Thanks,

Martin