Civil War History

H

Hardcase

New member
I'm fortunate to have my great great grandfather's Springfield contract musket that he carried with the 27th Michigan in the Civil War. Over the past year or so, I've been doing a little genealogy research on my family and a few months ago, I got in contact with a member of another branch of the family who also has a few artifacts, including some pictures that I didn't have. I traded scans and photos of various things, but today the find of finds showed up in my email - a copy of my great great grandfather's discharge from the Army in 1865:

ghd_discharge_small.jpg


I thought that you guys would be interested in seeing it.
 
I really like that picture a lot!! Its funny, I am sure that guy probably had good handwriting- it was probably so much easier to read back in those days because they were used to it. the '62 is interesting, as in maybe a mistake was almost made. thats a great piece of history!! I have my grandather's WWII discharge card. He served two yrs as a machinists mate(my other grandpa did 28yrs + WWII). my great-great grandpa did 3-4yrs artillery for the union all during the civil war(whatever time a draft mandated). He was a german immigrant who barely spoke english(a better bet is he didnt speak a lick). He was paid $300 by a rich guy who got drafted. I had thought and heard he was a cook. well, he mightve been, but he was artillery moreso so either way he was right in on it. no records I found say anything about a cook
 
Thats cool. But it will really freak you out to surf the web and come face to face with yourself in a confederate uniform. I looked just like that when I was his age, hat hair and all. His hands are bigger tho lol. Lt. Harry Hatcher Co. A 43 Battalion 1st Va cavalry, Mosby's Rangers


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Kudos on gathering that information

You should try to get his service record and if there is one, his pension record from the National Archives. All these documents should be kept with the gun as the gun increases in value once a story is attached to it. It's called provenance. Here's what I found about the unit.

27th Regiment, Michigan Infantry

Organized at Port Huron, Ovid and Ypsilanti, Mich., and mustered in April 10, 1863. (Co. "I" December 13, 1863; Co. "K" January 4, 1864.) Left State for Kentucky April 12, 1863. Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 9th Army Corps, Army of the Ohio, to June, 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 9th Army Corps, Army of the Tennessee, to August, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 9th Army Corps, Army of the Ohio, to April, 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 9th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to September, 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 9th Army Corps, to July, 1865.

SERVICE.-Duty at various points in Kentucky April to June, 1863. Action at Jamestown, Ky., June 2. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., June 4-12. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., June 14-July 4. Advance on Jackson, Miss., July 4-10. Siege of Jackson July 10-17. Destruction of Mississippi Central Railroad at Madison Station July 18-22. At Milldale till August 4. Moved to Covington, thence to Crab Orchard, Ky., August 4-30. March to Knoxville, Tenn., September 10-26. Action at Blue Springs October 10. Duty at Lenoir till November 14. Knoxville Campaign November 4-December 23. Loudon Station November 14. Campbell's Station November 16. Siege of Knoxville November 17-December 5. Repulse of Longstreet's assault on Fort Saunders November 29. Pursuit of Longstreet December 6-18. Operations in East Tennessee till March, 1864. Armstrong's Ferry January 22. Advance to Morristown January 24-March 2. (Cos. "I" and "K" join Regiment at Mossy Creek, Tenn., March, 1864.) Moved from Knoxville, Tenn., to Nicholasville, Ky.; thence to Annapolis, Md., March 17-April 5. Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River May 4-June 15. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7. Spottsylvania May 8-12. Ny River May 10. Spottsylvania May 12-21. Assault on the Salient May 12. North Anna River May 23-26. Ox Ford May 23-24. On line of the Pamunkey May 26-28. Totopotomoy May 28-31. Cold Harbor June 1-12. Bethesda Church June 1-3. Before Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30, 1864. Weldon Railroad August 18-21. Poplar Springs Church September 29-October 2. Reconnoissance on Vaughan and Squirrel Level Roads October 8. Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Run, October 27-28. Fort Stedman March 25, 1865. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Assault on Fort Mahone and fall of Petersburg April 2. Occupation of Petersburg April 3. Pursuit of Lee April 3-9. Moved to Washington, D. C., April 20-24. Grand Review May 23. Duty at Washington and Alexandria till July. Mustered out July 26, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 10 Officers and 215 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 204 Enlisted men by disease. Total 432.
Click to expand...

Wow! They fought with Grant at Vicksburg, may have help to fend off Longstreet from Knoxville, fought again with Grant during his Overland Campaign to the Siege of Petersburg. They saw the mine blow up (Battle of the Crater) and joined in pursuit of Lee. What a terrific record that unit has.
 
They were part of the Wandering IX Corps, Gary. I've done quite a bit of research on the 27th Michigan and I'm working on a history of the relevant Civil War battles to give to my family.

I have a copy of his pension application as well - it was a real boon for the genealogy because he listed all of his children, along with their birthdates. I found a couple that I did not know about.

I'll contact the National Archives and see what they have to say. It seems like he must have been through some significant action because he was promoted from private to sergeant fairly quickly.

I was always interested in the Civil War from a historical perspective, but once I found out that my great great grandfather was in it, my perspective changed. And the funny thing is that my grandfather always claimed that his granddad carried the rifle in the war, but my dad and I always figured that it was one of those stories that sort of gets told about an old gun that's been in the family. As it turns out, he was absolutely right!
 
permotions often happened quickly back then but especially during the civil war for various reasons: deaths, retention, getting someone on your side of the war in the first place, etc.

the fact that your great-great grandpa went from private to sergeant in a hurry is good evidence he was 1) a well-respected soldier and also 2) knew what he was doing

that rifle becomes worth more as time goes by(a pretty good reason to keep something so precious you plan on keeping anyways in the first place since there is never ever any rush). My favorite items worth money are the ones that can sit for yrs because there's no pressure to turn them over. Obviously, selling is probably the furthest thing from your mind, but it still helps to know.
 
Yes, he is buried in Acheson, KS. I haven't been there, but some of my new-found cousins have, so I have some pictures.
 
For those interested, here are a few other photos:

The Rifle:

GHDunn_1861_Special_1.jpg


Great great grandpa George's Grand Army of the Republic portrait:

GHDunn.jpg


The gun, an LG&Y contract rifle of 1861, is fully functional. We take it out on Independence Day and put a few rounds downrange, then clean it up and hang it back over the mantle. It's still very accurate - I can kill an orange at 75 yards.

Getting a Civil War service record is going to be a little harder than I thought - the record is held by the National Archives, but there is another agency that requires a form for release as well. The name escapes me, but I've contacted them to get their forms.

Also, Ancestry.com has an extraordinary collection of records that were extremely helpful. That's how I was able find many details about George's life and to contact my cousins. In fact, there's kind of a funny story to that - I got an email from one of the cousins along with a copy of a picture of a Navy Sailor, asking if I knew who he might be. It was kind of a shock - the photo was my Dad's boot camp picture from 1951. He's sent copies off to his aunts and uncles and at least one of them held onto it.
 
This is very interesting. Congrats to you for all the information you have been able to obtain. The pictures are very cool and that gun is awesome. Thanks for the great post.
 
Those are great cherish them all ways ... here is my G G Grandfather , he was with the 5th Va. at Shiloh. and I do look a lot like him minus the hair LOL

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Another agency to release the service record? The National Archives should just send it to you if you give them the money. It might cost more, but there are websites that offer research services. I've used Jim Martin's website a couple of times as a way of supporting his work there. Civil War sites

I wonder if it's the more modern records held by the U.S. Army at the Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania?
 
If you know the state a soldier enlisted in the state archives will have information like muster cards which are what you will get from the National Archives. The muster cards were copied from original muster rolls back in the 30's and I don't think they made much effort to decipher damaged rolls or hard to read hand writing. I have copies of one of my relatives muster cards and they are incomplete by 7 months.
 
Civil War Records

National Archives are very easy to deal with. Takes a little time.

Also check and see if he or his wife ever applied for a CW pension.

If you have his discharge, then the archives will give as much of his complete military record. Sometimes very limited info is available.

Yes ancestry.com has a wealth of records available.

They have a 14 day free trail program.

My g-ggf served in the 210th Penna Vol Inf.
Limited service Sept 64 to the end
He collected a $300 enlistment bonus.
Pennsylvania has a collection of original regimental flags issued and returned stored in Harrisburg. I got to visit and see and touch them. Very emotional.
Sorry to ramble on so.................
 
Do a search on his name on the congressional record.

I was searching up my ancestors and found that in 1904 (if I remember right)congress had to renew his pension. He was a sargent with the north and an Iowa Cavalry man who hit a bunch of battles and lost an eye, leg and arm. Thus the pension.

On the otherside, i was shocked to find out one of my ancestors was a southern General. He was an infantry guy fighting in the western states so it is likely that both men fought each other on several battles.

Just start digging and you would be amazed what you can find.
 
I finally figured out the military records system. NARA is the agency that handles the records. I ordered them today, so in a couple of months, perhaps I'll have more information. The service record research was only $25, but the pension research is $75, so I'm going to wait and see what the quality of the service record looks like before I take the plunge on the other.

I really appreciate the suggestions that you guys have given me.
 
Alright, I'm jumpin back in this while I have the chance

I had a post on dec 5th also. I am the guy in my family who is into family history. I was lucky my great-grandpa(who I knew until I was 8) was meticulous at saving records, and this was when all he could do was write down stories and also type some histories down before they disappeared into the ages. Thats how it started and then my grandparents and dad helped some.

I have some info on my great-great grandpa on the opposite side of the family where records weren't kept as well. I know this relative's full name or at least his first and last name. I also know for a fact he was paid $300 to serve in the civil war in place of someone who was drafted that wasn't interested. I also know he was 3rd artillery corps, battery g. I called my grandmother's younger brother today, and he is going to try and get more info. He said he thinks he has it, and at the very least we can maybe get his age from his orbituary. He also said he thought he served in gettysburg, but I have never heard that before. I explained I would pay to have the info found out as beforementioned here. Lastly, its heresay but I trust him and he said he knows his grandmother who lived into her mid 90's received a pension even during the 1930's for my great-great grandpa.

How easy is all of this to do? I did the ancestry thing a yr or two ago but never followed thru. I would like to get the records and then if I am satisfied pay for the pension info too. I am also willing to do this all at once and take a chance and someone mentioned congressional info also. I don't have much experience with this so I was looking for good advice and/or a good starting point+hoping you all can help me. I will keep you posted and probably post info here too. Should I wait for the info my grandma's brother has, or should I get started with what I got?
 
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