Who has a Civil War profile that you’d like to showcase?

+20 votes
1.5k views

It’s time to show off those Civil War profiles, space pages and and other work you have been doing in the Civil War Project! please post a link to your Civil War profile or space page in an answer below and tell us a little about it.  I know Civil War Project Members have been working hard!

Thanks!

Paula

in Requests for Project Volunteers by Paula J G2G6 Pilot (278k points)
Woodlawn Cem. in Elmira NY where the POWs were buried is 5 mins from me

You live really close to Woodlawn, Barry. I have a few Civil War veterans buried there and in the mass grave at Elmira. Elmira has an interesting connection to North Carolina:

http://nccivilwarcenter.org/little-known-facts-on-tarheel-confederate-soldiers-in-elmira-ny/

Amy what a wonderful photo of William Rufus Barlow. I had some ancestors die at Elmira also. I don’t know if you saw the link about Tar Heels at Elmira but I think their distinction was due to their numbers there, mostly due to the Battle of the Crater. The 22nd SC was almost completely wiped out there as well and the remainder taken prisoner. It’s hard to escape when you’re unconscious from an explosion.
I visited the POW graves a few times, know about the once prison as well. The prisoners were all treated bad like all the other prison camps were, local shop keepers wanted to donate food to the pows but the commender of the fort refused it.  It was an ex slave that lived in Elmira that took it on his own to see the body's were properly buried and try to notify the next of kin. My two gt grandfathers died in the war fighting for the south, John Driggers 1818-1864 died at Adams Run SC, and Roberson Driggers 1820-1865 died at Point Lookout with his brother after their Reg, 11th, Co. C., SCV were captured Feb 20th 1865 in Town Creek, N.C.
Here at Woodlawn they do have markers, when the weather gets better I can see if your ancestor is there and take a photo if you wish?
My great-great grandfather, Alan Wiley Prather, served in the Civil War on the Union side from the state of Indiana.  He was a lawyer at the age of 23 and was a Lutenant colonel in the Civil War.  He is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
My most noteworthy Confederate soldier is Cullen Nowell who was a guerilla at 60 years of age and died at Johnson's Island, even though he was not an officer.   He is on a Memorial marker there.  I'm also sending the profiles of three of his other sons, two of which died in the war.

Nowell-346,   Nowell-332,   Nowell 363,   & Nowell-367

I will try to send you more lines later.
I would like to join the project I have been adding stickers to those that I run across for quite a while now. Might as well make it official.

Eileen, please respond to this thread...

https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/971379/do-you-have-an-interest-in-the-united-states-civil-war? 

They'll get you set up.

Thanks for your interest.

Very impressive individual! Thanks for all the hard work putting together his profile. The military timeline and the color coding with note make an awesome presentation.
Col. Pinkney Lugenbeel was an impressive individual! Thanks for all the hard work putting together his profile. The military timeline and the color coding with notes make an awesome presentation.

51 Answers

+16 votes
I don't think it's worthy of a showcase, but my great-grandfather, Lewis Cass White (White-22680) enlisted at the age of 18 as soon as the war began, selling his watch to buy a rifle, and fought with the 102nd Pennsylvania throughout the war.  He was present at the Battle of Fort Stevens (in D.C.) when Lincoln was present, was severely wounded at the Battle of Cedar Creek (VA), and was largely responsible for the preservation of the Fort Stevens battle site.  He was active in the GAR and worked for the Pension Bureau (now the VA) from it's establishment until his death in 1916.  

I am very fortunate to have in my possession all of his diaries from the war years.
by Kathie Forbes G2G6 Pilot (844k points)

I think it is very worthy of showcasing. I like the detail that he sold his watch to buy a rifle. So many good details in this story!

Here is the profile link:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/White-22680

I agree I enjoyed reading about him. Wonderful story
+15 votes

 Col. John Armstrong Bross https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bross-138 commanded the 29th U.S. Colored Infantry. Killed at Battle of the Crater. 

by Joelle Colville-Hanson G2G6 Pilot (150k points)
That’s a very interesting profile! I also was not aware of the style notes you included. Thanks for sharing!
Very nicely done. Such wonderful history!
+14 votes

I have a distant cousin https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Phillips-31809 who fought against the traitors and wrote a book My Life Story : An Autobiography, Genealogy, History of the Civil War and of a Tory of Alabama Fighting for the Union, Including Parts of Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama.

by Anonymous Williams G2G2 (2.1k points)
edited by Anonymous Williams
Thanks Lloyd. Thats another interesting one. Looks like he marched with Sherman. I’d be interested in reading the rest of his autobiography.

Yes, I believe his daughter gave his book away to a University and it is available for free at Ebooks and at https://archive.org/details/storyofmylife00phil/mode/2up

Thanks for that link, Lloyd. I look forward to reading his autobiography!
That is awesome!
+10 votes

Here is one I like because there is so much of the story about how this soldier died but his family continued to honor him with a burial marker in the church cemetery.  

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hendrix-455

by Paula J G2G6 Pilot (278k points)
I like that one too.
+12 votes

Always pleased to highlight my favorite uncle, General N Martin Curtis, aka "Hero of Fort Fisher" with his work in progress (aren't they all?) at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Curtis-11308

The profile illustrates one of the questions "what's enough" - regarding persons about whom we know books worth of stories, but we aren't writing books here - are we? WT guidelines aren't too specific here.

by Robert Seale G2G6 Mach 1 (13.2k points)
This is a good profile too. I think you highlighted his life just fine!
+11 votes
In case you want a somewhat different perspective than someone who fought “against the traitors” perhaps you should review my great grandfathers profile, a true patriot who fought with the 26th Miss Inf against the damn yankee invaders. See Reuben Jeptha Pickett.
by Ray James G2G1 (1.9k points)

You’ve done a lot of research on that! It is very interesting. There is a photo on Find A Grave that was possibly cropped from the one you mentioned. Thanks for sharing that with us!

Reuben Jeptha Pickett‘s profile is here:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pickett-2827

That OK Ray, Its not all about the yankees.
+11 votes
Added a photo of the statue for Ball-14256, Mary  "Mother" Bickerdyke.
by Warren Kuntz G2G6 Mach 2 (20.9k points)

The nurses and women doctors of the Civil War were amazing! I'm also a huge fan of Dr. Esther Jane Hill Hawks, who served as a doctor for the Black Union troops in the sea islands of South Carolina.

For those who aren't sure how to convert the profile ID into a URL, here's the link for Mary "Mother" Bickerdyke:
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ball-14256

This is a great woman in her duties. I would suggest adding a bit more to her profile. There are some great profile writers on WT. But reading her wikipedia she was outstanding.
Absolutely great. I'm researching over 1,200+ soldiers of the 54th MA and their families so it's going to be a good long time before I circle back to flesh out a Biography. You're welcome to it if you'd like!
I'm about in the same boat. Let me ask around.
+9 votes
by Dorothy O'Hare G2G6 Mach 8 (87.7k points)
Nice!!! I can help you put the dates in his template if you have them.
+10 votes
My Gr Gr Grandfather Arms-72. In the 16th Vt, instrumental in repulsing Picket's Charge. Also his brother Arms-69, drummer 14th Vt.
by Living Arms G2G6 (8.6k points)
edited by Living Arms
Another excellent profile. Well done.
+10 votes
Here is the profile of John C. Hellings.

https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Hellings-13&public=1

He was a Corporal in the 82nd Pennsylvania Infantry.
by James Paxton G2G6 Mach 1 (15.1k points)
edited by James Paxton
Great job on Cpl. John C. Hellings! I like the timeline. I’m glad you have the obituary which describes him on Veterans Day attending in a carriage.
+8 votes

One of my ancestor profiles that might qualify is Ezekiel Thomas from Franklin County, Georgia. 

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Thomas-14645

by Virginia Fields G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
I thought that profile name looked familiar. Another good one.
+9 votes

Hmm, where to start? I manage a few interesting examples.

John Heinrich Lohmeier , my gg grandpa, was an immigrant who fought for the Union. First, he served in the 28th Ohio Infantry until he was discharged after being shot in the hand. He turned around and re-enlisted a month later in the 94th New York Infantry.

Jacob Peniska , my daughter's ggg grandpa, was a Surveying Escort and Scout with the Nebraska Cavalry.

Rufus Morganton Mason , the brother of my ggg grandpa, could be a very interesting story but needs a bit more research about his service. He needs stickers created for him. It looks like he may have started the war serving the Confederacy, then finished the war serving the Union. 

by Sarah Mason G2G6 Mach 5 (56.5k points)
Sarah, those are interesting! We don’t have many surveying escorts and scouts. Rufus Mason might have been a galvanized yankee. That’s what they called the first Confederate soldiers were captured and forced to fight for the Yankees. Most of them received pensions from both sides. You may have to research the Confederate unit to see what happened. It’s usually an interesting story.
Tangentially: the Black slaves who were forced to serve with the Confederates that were captured were called "contraband" so they would be treated as a spoils of war as a way to ensure that the Union would not have to trade or return them to the Confederates and back into slavery. Some volunteered to join the Union Army, including some from the 1st South Carolina, while others were forced into the service of the 1st South Carolina because the white colonel raising the regiment got impatient for volunteers. Great book out now called Gullah Days that details some of the Black 1st SC men. Interesting to note the difference of language!
+12 votes

So many amazing 54th Massachusetts guys I'd love to share! I've been working on these profiles for over two years now. smiley They were the first federally authorized regiment to enlist men of color (mostly Black, and white or Indigenous mixed with Black, plus the white COs), so this is also a perfect Civil War tie-in to Black History Month.

Here are a few gentlemen we know or suspect were operators on the Underground Railroad:

Reverend James R. Newby - also notable for being the first Black US Navy apprentice, at 11 years old, no less!

Private Lewis West - he and his wife had strong connections to abolitionist and likely Underground Railroad operator Lydia Hamilton Smith

Here are a few of the gentlemen who made it their business to break glass ceilings:

1st Lieutenant Stephen Atkins Swails - aside from being the first commissioned officer of African descent (white Americans are often shocked by how white he looks; which - side note - is a great way to start digging into the racialized American history we aren't always taught in schools. Relevant search terms include partus sequitir ventrem, one-drop rule), he also served as a mayor in Kingstree, South Carolina during Reconstruction and as a county auditor.

1st Lieutenant Stephen Atkins Swails, Mayor of Kingstree, South Carolina

Private Toussaint L'Ouverture Delaney was the child of famous glass ceiling breaker Major and Dr. Martin Robison Delany who served with the 104th United States Colored Troops (USCT) during the war and was one of the first three men of African descent to be admitted to the Harvard Medical School. Check out his profile for how long he was able to attend before protests from white students ended this first attempt at receiving a medical education. His male children, including 54th's Private Delaney, were educated at Wilberforce University.

Major and Dr. Martin Robison Delaney

As of today, only about 50% of the burial places of 54th soldiers have been identified. And amidst over 1,200 men, only about 40 images of the soldiers have surfaced, and that includes photos of their wives who made sacrifices while they served with no pay for about 1.5 years during the war. These are probably the best numbers for any Black Civil War troops, and the 55th Massachusetts and all the USCT regiments could also use some deep research! Lucy Selvaggio-Diaz has done some great work on the 55th, and a few folks have contributed a profile here and there for others of the 54th, 55th and USCT.

by K Raymoure G2G6 Mach 2 (20.1k points)
Thanks! These are really wonderful. I appreciate you pointing out the 54th Massachusetts!
+8 votes

I submit the following profiles: 

Jeremiah Smart Felker: While he may not have seen much combat, he was involved in the NH artillery division.

John Sargent Fisher:  He started off as a simple musician working with his company. Later, he traded his instrument for a weapon.

Both men served NH and Massachusetts respectively during the war.

by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (756k points)
+9 votes
I have another profile:

Corp. Cornelius V. Warring.

https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Warring-4&public=1

He served in both the 5th Minnesota Infantry and the 11th Minnesota Infantry.
by James Paxton G2G6 Mach 1 (15.1k points)
+8 votes

Here is my ancestor 's civil war profile:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Conway-528

by Norman Perry G2G4 (4.1k points)
+9 votes

My 4th-great grandfather J.W. Hoop (Hoop-71) fought for Indiana in the 6th and 79th. I don't have personal accounts of his time in service though.

by Aaron Hoop G2G Crew (470 points)
+8 votes
I have several ancestors who fought in the Civil War, but I am especially proud of my direct Y-DNA, Great Great Grandfather Isaac Odell, Odell-406

He left his farm and joined the Illinois 5th Cavalry at  the age of 54. He was a 54 year old private! On the same day that he enlisted several of his sons did so too.
by Thomas Odell G2G2 (2.4k points)
+8 votes

The brother of an ancestor, the Rev. Edmund James Bird, Bird-7191, fought in the Civil War, presumably on the side of the Union. He was born in either New York or New Jersey. He served in the 37th Regiment, New Jersey Infantry. As a result of wounds suffered in battle, Edmund lost his right arm. Later, he became a minister. Maybe he made a deal.

by Marion Ceruti G2G6 Pilot (351k points)
Nice! To confirm, New Jersey fought for the Union, against slavery and for the freedom of all people. There's quite a few ministers from the 54th Massachusetts, too, after their time served. I suspect a lot of such deals were made in the 1860s!
+8 votes
My Great-grand father (Filbert Shellenberger-174) enlisted in the Union Army in New Jersey. He enlisted twice, first as a private  and his 2nd enlistment as a 2nd LT.

He is buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Philadelphia, PA.

He was in the 10th Regiment, Company K in NJ.
by Bruce Smith G2G2 (2.0k points)

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