A Laundress who was shot!

This very unusual file was found among the thousands and thousands of Civil War records being kept in the National Archives in Washington D. C., most of which may eventually be digitized. I found it to be such an interesting case that I asked one of my researching friends, Jonathan Diess, to go to there and copy the files for me so that I could post them here on this site. Jonathan is very efficient and experienced, so I had the case file in hand shortly after submitting my request to him.

On October 4, 1887, Attorney Milton Dashiell, of the International Law Association, in Cincinatti, Ohio, wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Pensions in Washington D. C., on behalf of his client, Mrs. Elizabeth Davis. The letter was written with regard to the two claims that she had sent to the government, “one for pension for being wounded, and the other for services”. It is unknown at this time when she actually submitted her original claim to the United States War Department, but the Adjutant General’s Office, and according to the dates stamped on some of the documents, it was being processed by the Second Auditor’s office on March 7, 1888.

Both of the claims that were made by Elizabeth Davis show a connection during the Civil War between her and the regiment of the Fourth Michigan Infantry. And that, of course, is why the claims have been shared here. According to the letter written by attorney Dashiell…

“Elizabeth Davis, widow of Lorenzo Davis, being duly sworn, says that on, or about the month of September, A. D. 1861, she had entered the 4th Michigan Regiment under First Commissary Sargeant as laundress, at Munson’s Hill, Virginia, at sixteen dollars per month, payable every two months.”

During the late summer and early fall of 1861, the Fourth Michigan Infantry were encamped at Fort Woodbury which was only 2 1/2 miles from Munson’s Hill, Virginia, so this portion of her statement in the claim appears to be valid. Her employer, the “First Commissary Sergeant” of the Fourth Michigan Infantry, may have been 24-year-old Sergeant Edwin S. Baldwin, who enlisted in the regiment and was given that position on June 20, 1861. However, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant of Company D on September 1, 1861, so it is not definitive that he was actually Elizabeth’s employer during the event. Another soldier that Mrs. Davis may have been working for during that time could have been Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, Selah Reeve Van Duzer. Yet, that seems unlikely as he was transferred to the Second Michigan Infantry on September 1, 1861. So, at this point in time, it is uncertain which individual of the Fourth Michigan Infantry that she could have been working for as a laundress in the fall of 1861. Further research is obviously required for that.

The letter continues by stating;

“that she was wounded about the middle of November of the same year (1861), between Munson’s Hill and Miner’s [Hill], by being shot by Mounted Rifle Rangers of New York, in the back, the ball penetrating the flesh against the vertebrae, passing between the shoulder blade and the ribs around the left side, breaking two of claimant’s ribs of her left side.”

This map from the Library of Congress shows the locations of Ft. Woodbury, Munson’s Hill, Minor’s Hill and Hall’s Hill, in Fairfax County, Virginia. Ball’s Cross Roads can be seen in the center of the map.

The Fourth Michigan Infantry had left Fort Woodbury (Upper right on map) by late September of 1861, and moved to their new campground about five miles away at Minor’s Hill (upper left on map) by early October of 1861. So, the location of her shooting with relation to the camp of the Fourth Michigan Infantry, and her employer, the Commissary Sergeant seems pretty plausible. The various details that Elizabeth Davis provided strongly suggest that she had a legitimate claim, worthy of further investigation by the United States War Department, as stressed by attorney Dashiell.

As for those who were accountable for the shooting, a preliminary investigation found that there were two New York Cavalry units that may have been responsible, both having been posted in the area during the time of the shooting:

Colonel Andrew T. McReynolds, and the 1400 troopers of the First Regiment “Lincoln Cavalry” of New York had left the state by detachments between July 21, 1861, and September 10, 1861, and were attached to the Defenses of Washington and Alexandria, Virginia, from October 4, 1861, until March of 1862. So, it is quite possible that the individual/s of the “Mounted Rifled Rangers of New York” that shot Miss Davis served in this regiment. These men were stationed near Ball’s Cross Roads (located in the center of the map shown above) as of October 10, 1861.

A second possibility is that the shooter/ shooters served with the Second New York Volunteer Cavalry, unofficially known as the “Harris Light Cavalry”. This regiment had been on duty in the Defenses of Washington as part of McDowell’s Division (Army of the Potomac) as of October of 1861 until March of 1862.

Both of these New York Cavalry units were on duty as part of the Defenses of Washington, and in the same area of Virginia, during Elizabeth’s shooting during November of 1861.

The specifics in her application regarding the identification of those responsible for her shooting, and the medical details of her gunshot wound, add some further legitimacy to her claim.

In September of 1888, an additional document from the War Department, Adjutant General’s Office which was returned to the Second Auditor’s Office, states that “No record of service of Elizabeth Davis in 4th regt. Mich. Vols.” was found. As Elizabeth Davis stated that she had been entered the Fourth Michigan Infantry under First Commissary Sergeant as a laundress, she was very likely employed under a “personal contract” and employed by that specific officer (the First Commissary Sergeant), rather than serving as a laundress and a member of the regiment of the Fourth Michigan Infantry. The fact that her name was not found on the regimental muster rolls would certainly seem to prove that. Elizabeth may simply have assumed that she was working as a hired civilian member of the regiment.

She stated that she was in the “Regiment Hospital of Cavalry in Washington City under the care of Dr. Hewitt”. Research indicates that during that time, there was a 26-year-old assistant surgeon in the 50th New York Infantry by the name of Charles N. Hewitt, and his regiment was on duty in the area of Hall’s Hill, Virginia. Hall’s Hill is only three miles from Fort Woodbury, and 2 1/2 miles from the Munson’s Hill area, the location where Elizabeth’s alleged shooting occurred. Charles Hewitt may, or may not be, the surgeon who treated her wounds, but he is certainly a possibility.

Elizabeth, in her claim, provided some details which were unable to be verified, however. Elizabeth stated that a Captain Burch of the 1st Washington D. C. Cavalry assisted Dr. Hewitt in taking her to her home on F Street in Washington D.C. Looking the map below, you’ll find that there actually was an “F Street” in Washington D. C. (running left to right through the middle of the map seen below).

An 1861 map of a portion of Washington D. C. showing F Street (running right to left) on each side of the White House in the center. (Map courtesy of the Dave Rumsey Historical Map Collection)

There were government buildings, various businesses, and some residential areas along F Street in Washington D. C. during 1861. This war time image (courtesy of the Library of Congress) shows the United States Patent Office on the right of F Street. In addition, the Central Office of the Sanitary Commission was also located on F Street during the war.

While many of the minute details given by Elizabeth seem to support her claims legitimacy, some of the other details have little or no verification at this time. One of those concerns is that the First D. C. Cavalry, the unit that she claimed “Captain Burch” was serving in when he assisted Dr. Hewitt in taking her home to recuperate from her treatment, was not even mustered into military service until late 1863. Neither is there a record of a Captain Burch serving in that regiment. Additionally, there was no explanation given by Elizabeth as to why the bullet wasn’t removed until 1882, 21 years after her shooting occurred. No records have yet to be found for a “Regimental Hospital of Cavalry of Washington D. C., which is where she said that she had been initially treated for her wound by Dr. Hewitt. Further research is warranted as to which hospital it was that she may have intended to state in her claim.

In the very least, Elizabeth’s claim is a very interesting one of a possibly unique historical event. It is certainly compelling, and I believe it to be something that did indeed happen, though I can’t say that definitively. I know of no other accounts where a Civil War laundress claimed to have been shot during the Civil War, and unfortunately, we do not have the complete story as to why the shooting occurred. For now, we only have what is found within this historic file. I hope that one day additional information will be brought to light from within the National Archives collection, something that may answer the questions that we’re left with until then.

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Fort Woodbury is Built.

A wartime drawing of Fort Woodbury which was probably done by a soldier in the Fourth Michigan Infantry.

 

A similar wartime drawing of Fort Woodbury with a few subtle differences, apparently done by the same artist.

 

This engraving of Fort Woodbury in September of 1861, was printed on letterheads and envelopes used by some of the men in the regiment during the war.

 

Fort Woodbury, as depicted in a panel of Lieutenant Charles Gruner’s first print of war-time scenes of the Fourth Michigan Infantry.

 

Eight soldiers of Fourth Michigan Infantry’s Company K, pose for a photographer during their stay at Fort Woodbury in September of 1861.

According to page 108 in the book “Mr. Lincoln’s Forts, A Guide to the Civil War Defenses (New Edition), written by Benjamin Franklin Cooling III and Walton H. Owen (published by Scarecrow Press in 2010 :

“The fort (Woodbury) was named in honor of Brigadier General Daniel Phineas Woodbury, who died of yellow fever on August 15, 1864, at Key West Florida. Fort Woodbury was built on land owned by John Lamden and was a lunette with a stockade gorge. The fort’s perimeter was 275 yards and had emplacements for thirteen guns. The armament consisted of five 24-pounder guns, three 30-pounder Parrott rifles, four 6-pounder guns, and one 24-pounder Coehorn mortar. The fort contained two magazines and bombproof barracks.”

Fort Woodbury was actually named after the commander of the Fourth Michigan Infantry, Colonel Dwight Woodbury, who was in charge of the forts completion and occupation by the regiment in September of 1861. While it may, or may not have, had emplacements for thirteen guns along it’s perimeter, the three period drawings of the fort indicate that only five were in place. Private Eri House of Company K, one of the two companies manning the fort’s guns, stated that there were eight 24-pound guns mounted in the fort by the the time of his letter, dated September 1, 1861.

According to Cooling and Owen’s book, there are currently no visible remains of the fort which was located at what is now the intersection of Troy Street North and Court House Road in Arlington, Virginia. However, a historical marker pertaining to the fort is located at 14th Street and Court House Road.

Men of Company K of the Fourth Michigan Infantry pose by the gun in this cdv from the “Illustrations of Camp Life ” series

The inscription on the reverse of the cdv reads “This is a picture of one of my gun detachments in Fort Woodbury”. The inscription would suggest that it was written by someone in authority over the men in this photograph.

 

Accounts of Fort Woodbury from the the men of the Fourth Michigan Infantry

Several letters from soldiers in the Fourth Michigan Infantry make reference to the fort, it’s construction, and dedication to Colonel Woodbury. One of them, seen here, was written by Lieutenant Harrison Jeffords of Company K on September 21, 1861.

Sergeant John Bancroft wrote this entry in his diary….”Aug. 16th (Fri.) — Pack up and move back one-half mile nearer the river. We are to build a fort. Raining yet.”

A few days later John wrote…. “Aug. 20th (Tues.) — On guard as Serg’t of the Guard. Our new camp commands a fine view of Georgetown and Washington. We are in the trenches building a fort. The works are being put forward as fast as possible.”

Bancroft goes on to write in his diary for the days of August 28-31 …”Aug. 28th (Wed.) — In the morning were out again. Work on the fort has been done by the 4th Michigan assisted N.Y. 23rd.

Aug. 29th (Thurs.) — Work on the Fort. Nearly finished.

Aug. 30th (Fri.) — Work on the Fort. Nearly finished.

Aug. 31st (Sat.) — Work on the Fort. Nearly finished.”

Taken from a letter written by Private Eri House (of Company K) dated August 25, 1861, we read …” We are building a fort. We will not be able to use it in this battle if they keep advancing. It is very lazy business for me to be a soldier. I have got the birth of wagoner. It’s a very good birth. I am excused from all duty. The boys have all got  to dig in the fort. The sergeants and the corporals, it makes them growl.”

Private Eri House wrote again about Fort Woodbury on September 1, 1861….”We are in a fort. We have built a fort here. The name of it is Fort Woodbury named after our Colonel. She has eight large guns — twenty-four pounders. Co. K and Co. F will man the guns. ¹ Solomon Wilsey will be the captain of K’s guns. We have a very good fort. The Potomac river is lined with soldiers. I think Washington is well guarded. The secession troops are advancing on us all the time. They are building forts in four miles of ours. We can see them shoveling dirt. We expect an attack every day — perhaps before tomorrow morning. We are getting well prepared for a fight. All we want is men enough to slay all they can produce. We want to take everything clean when we commence again. It will be a very tough battle.”

On September 1, 1861, Private Elum J. Todd  (of Company H) wrote from “Camp Union” (which was the name of the regiment’s camp that was located adjacent to the fort during its construction)…. “We have been building a fort and we have got it almost done. We have got two of the big guns mounted. They are thirty-two pounders. We shall soon have  it done and the guns all mounted.”

In his letter dated September 7, 1861, Corporal Austin T. Smith ( of Company K) wrote… “We have been to work building a fort which is now finished and we are now at work on a breastwork which, after being completed, will be about three miles in length. But we are not alone in this job. We have got to build about a hundred rods of it, and we shall have our part of it completed by next Sunday, if we have good luck.”

Private Alanson Piper (of Company B) wrote about the work on the fort in his September 8, 1861 letter which was co-written with his brother, Private Abel Piper ( also of Company B) …” We have got our fort almost done and will finish it in a few days. We are also building breastworks about a 1/2 mile long from our fort to another.”

Sergeant William Eaton (of Company A) wrote in this in his letter dated September 11, 1861…. ” You will not find anything of importance in the news line as I know of none to write for we have been having a very monotonous life for the last four weeks fortifying ourselves against an attack from the enemy. We are now situated on the Virginia side of the Potomac about 2 miles west of Georgetown where we (our brigade) have built quite a large fort where we have 4 large 32-pound siege guns and one mortar mounted ready to give the rebels the Military salute should they approach our line. From where we are camped we can see 7 large forts. I think if they should attack us, they will meet a much heartier reception than they are aware of.”

On September 14, 1861, Private Charles W. Phelps (of Company D) wrote this paragraph in a letter…. “Last night our pickets were driven in about a mile and the secesh burnt a number of houses and barns. They made a splendid light. We were all called out in battalion order. Under there was eight regiments, two batteries of artillery, and one cavalry company, and (we) were behind a breastwork which runs from our fort (Fort Woodbury, named after our Colonel) to the fort north of us.” This indicates that the breastworks that the regiment had been working on ran between the two forts.

Sergeant Hubert Dwight Smith (of Company H) wrote in his letter dated September 14, 1861….”`You inquire how I spend my time. It is about as you supposed, only I do not consider that being a Picket Guard worse by any means than drilling, or working on our entrenchments. Our pickets occupy a very responsible stand when on duty and [it] causes them to feel that dignity and manhood, which the position inspire in a true soldier.

I cannot give you a very accurate description of our forts & c. but will try and draw a crude diagram to represent the forms.

First a fort (#1) [at] the level of the ground.

(#2) a step [up] of four ft.

(#3) top of step and sustains the foundations of the cannon.

(#4) top of embankment, about six feet wide, and the guns are set down so as to [be] on a level with it, and so arranged to be turned either right or left., as necessity demands.

(#5) is the trench 14 ft. wide and ten deep.

(#6) solid earth. The sides are lined with thoroughly packed sod. The front, or entrance side, is guarded by picket posts ten feet high and six or eight inches in thickness, the sides hewn so as to meet closely, forming a light wooden wall with portholes to shoot out from.

Breastworks are in this form. (see diagram) We stand in the trench to load, step up on 1st step with our foot on second, fire over the top, fall back and load, while the rear rank performs the same. The steps are all well sodded and look very nice. The particular names for this is various steps, slopes, and c. & c. about the fort and the other, I have not learned. So please do not show this to anyone.”

On the following day,  September 15, 1861, Sergeant Hubert Smith wrote….” Last night (September 14, 1861), while on parade, the Adjutant read the order [of] Gen. McClellan, calling “a small fort thrown up and built by the 4th Mich. Regt. by the name of Fort Woodbury” so that instead of writing from Camp Union, we address you from a more honorable station. Our Col. made some very appropriate remarks, stating his surprise of the honor shown him–the name being solicited by the Regt., unbeknownst to him”.

G. O. # 9    Gen. George B. McClellan, Headquarters Army of the Potomac     Sept. 9, 1861

Article XVII of G. O. # 9   September 9, 1861   “The naming of Fort Woodbury”

 In his letter dated September 15, 1861, Sergeant Jonas Richardson wrote “Our fort is finished. McClellan has given us the privilege of naming it after our Colonel. The flag is to be hoisted inside our fort today. 32 salutes is to be fired. A big time is expected.”

On September 16, 1861, Henry N. Strong, the chaplain of the Fourth Michigan Infantry, gave the following address during the occasion of “The Raising of the “Stars & Stripes” over Fort Woodbury”. It’s very probable that this speech was delivered as part of a regimental ceremony dedicating Fort Woodbury in honor of their Colonel Dwight Woodbury….

 “Officers and Soldiers:

 Ye may remember to have read that years ago, certain presumptuous men, in a distant Land , went out from their Legislative Halls to enact the solemn farce of burying the Bible. They may have dreamed, in there hours of madness, that by their act, they would blight the hopes of immortal men, and, in perpetuating their malice towards God, perpetuated the miseries of their countrymen.

 Others, equally misguided, dwelling in a portion of this fair Country, not long ago, in spiteful mockery, buried the Stars and Stripes; our Nation’s Flag; and covered it with the soil which its free folds alone had consecrated.

 But ye have learned, among those other sacred letters of the nursery, that death has in itself the seed of future life; that burial is God’s prophet of a coming resurrection.

 That buried Bible lives! It’s light and life are shared by millions of faithful men; our houses and hearts by it are hallowed. That buried Flag-striped with our Father’s blood; starred with the symbols of God’s protecting and defending love-yet waves our flag, on many a hill top, above many domes; yea, still waves over our threatened Capitol.

 Ye are summoned here to defend it, and in the laws of God, His Government in America. It means peace in the homes ye have left, quick at the hearthstones where your dear ones kneel; and reunion with them is hinge upon its triumph over rebellions

 Today it floats above this fabric, reared mainly by your hands. Given to the breeze amid our prayers, you my comrades, will turn every eye on me , and respond with the noblest resolution of your souls, while I say to these commanding officers, who are exercising  God’s authority over us, not as expressions of the impulse of the occasion, but as the educated purpose of our hearts; – Lead us where ye dare lead brave men, and we will prove the words of our gallant Colonel to be true. Words, uttered when he  received at the hands of the fair women, the miniature color of his Corps; -“Sooner than trail to treason, this Flag shall become the Pall of the Regiment.”

In his letter dated September 21st, 1861, Private William Lindsey (of Company H) wrote…. “I hurt my back lifting on the cannon [while] helping [to] mount it and have not been able to stir around much since.”

Sergeant Jonas Richardson wrote on September 28, 1861. “We have been moving our tents back behind our fort. The streets are all laid out in the nicest kind of order, each street having its name. So, you see that we have got quite a little city.

Private Elum J. Todd also wrote “We have moved from our old camp where we built the fort.” in a letter dated October 3rd, 1861.

On October 5th, 1861, Sergeant John Bancroft again wrote “Last week we took up our encampment at Fort Woodbury and moved it, clearing up stumps and grading the streets in the nicest order, making one of the finest camps this side of the river and as oftentimes we have left it”

There is also an account of the Fourth Michigan Infantry while it was stationed at Fort Woodbury that is written by Private Matthew Baird, from Company E of the Third Michigan Infantry. The diary entry is shown here with the transcript of the relevant entry shared below it.

August 26th,1861 diary entry of Private Matthew Baird, of Company E, Third Michigan Infantry. He writes about his visit with the Fourth Michigan Infantry at Fort Woodbury. This Matthew Baird diary for 1861 was provided through the courtesy of the Historic Charlton Park collection in Hastings, Michigan.

Transcription

 “August 26th   Today I paid a visit to the 4th Mich. Regt. to see one or two old acquaintances. This is a healthy robust looking regiment. It is stationed a half a mile west of Fort Corcoran and formed part of Sherman’s brigade. The 4th is at present engaged in building another fort on a commanding situation to the right of their camp. The work has progressed finely since they began. The boys seem to be in good spirits, jovial, and full of life.”

Stationery woodcut image of Fort Woodbury to which John White refers in the following paragraph.

This [flag] pole on the post — Johnson cut it — is a tall pole. That little tent by the band and post officers is ours with the little flag out from the front door. This is not as it was when that other was taken. We changed about __ the fort was done out around them guards on top is a ditch outside the wall where them cannon is on that is high and ditch 12 or 14 feet wide and deep. The store house is North — or that right gun points North. The right-hand points to Georgetown and the left to Washington in plain sight across the river. It is a high hill on the river side. There is an embankment from our fort on the right to what we call the DeKalb Fort near a half mile. Between our fort and the river is two forts called Fort Corcoran — I forget the other one on our left. I forgot the name. So, it is a solid mass of batteries all along.

That “Tasseled Hat”

A Peculiar Form of Headgear

It’s pretty safe to say that many Civil War enthusiasts have seen the image shown below at some time or another. It’s been published in a several books covering various topics of  the American Civil War. Some may even remember it when it was on the cover of the November / December 1994 issue of  “Military Images”, a very popular magazine among collectors of Civil War photography.

Pvt. Richard Cramer; Library of Congress

The reason behind the popularity of the image obviously varies among it’s viewers.  Some simply appreciate the youthful spirit and innocence found in the young man, an honest portrayal of an amateur soldier who’s about to discover the horrors of war. Others see the content and clarity of the image as an perfect example of the talents of Matthew Brady (and his staff) during the early infancy of Civil War photography. Military collectors may find the soldier’s “battle-shirt”, or the knife and pistol tucked into his federal regulation belt, as the items that attract them to this military portrait from the fall of 1861.

All of these attributes were of significant importance to me as well. But they were secondary to the fact that the soldier in this image was from the Fourth Michigan Infantry. Based on an inscription found on the back of a similar photograph, he is identified as Private Richard L. Cramer of Company I, Fourth Michigan Infantry. You may notice in this image that he is seen wearing the “Canadian Hat”, a peculiar form of headgear worn by several  Fourth Michigan soldiers during the late summer and fall of 1861. Credit for the earliest use of this hat’s moniker has been given to Frank T. Miller’s Semi Centennial 10 volume collection of books entitled “The Photographic History of the Civil War” published in 1911. We have only speculation as to how he came up with that name for the hat at this time.

The Fourth Michigan Infantry however, was not the only Civil War regiment to wear this sort of hat during the war, so one has to be careful in assuming that soldiers photographed wearing similar styled hats were from this regiment. Over the course of twenty five years I have seen several images misidentified as being men from the Fourth Michigan Infantry, simply because of a close resemblance in headgear on the soldier. Due to this concern, I decided to assemble a collection of images of men who were “conservatively” identified as members of the Fourth Michigan Infantry and wearing “Canadian Hats” in order to form a basis for a comparative analysis. The forty images found below are the main core of that group, and as noted, are identified with substantial confidence as men who served in the Fourth Michigan Infantry.

Please keep in mind that as you scan the various portraits you must take into consideration the type of the photograph (tintype / photo on sheet metal, ambrotype / a photo on glass, or albumen / a photo on paper) that was taken for each of these soldiers. Additionally, the lighting used to take each image will have a significant effect on the shades found within it. The photo’s contrast and clarity are also very important for the purpose of our comparison. Unfortunately, the original photographs themselves are over 150 years old, and were taken by both amateur, and professional photographers with their varying portrait setting conditions in which to perform their task, that of creating a “likeness” of the soldier.

 

Over the years I have seen several soldier’s photographs which were improperly described as being that of men from the Fourth Michigan Infantry. But in reality, they weren’t. Otherwise unknown soldiers photographs were being given this identification based on the fact that the subject in their image was wearing a hat “similar” to those seen above. Most of the time there was nothing else to support the owners claim with regard to provenance or image content. So the key word here for their misunderstanding is of course, similar with regard to the headgear. In many of those situations the photo was being offered for sale to me, and so it became crucial to establish some form of criteria for a comparative analysis of headgear in order to determine a more confident link to the Fourth Michigan Infantry.

So I came up with these points to consider:

The color of the hat

The hat’s material and form

The location, color, and style of the hat’s tassels

The hat in connection to other content of the photo

I will continue this study in an upcoming blog as time permits.

To Begin With…..

 

Creating and managing a website dedicated to the Fourth Michigan Infantry and its role in the American Civil War, was never written on a “to do list” at any point in my life. In fact, neither was the idea of becoming a researcher / historian for that regiment. But yet, here I am posting my very first blog on this website. On this site I hope to share with you much of the information that I have gathered over several years while researching the history of the men of the Fourth Michigan Infantry. This website, and much of the information found on it, was only made possible by the assistance of so many great people that have led me to this point. I’ve listed many of them on the home page of this site as a credit to  them for their contribution and encouragement. I ask that you visit that page in recognition of their support.

 So how did I get here?

Back in 1968, I remember bringing books home from the school library that I believe were published by American Heritage, among others. Through those books and the wonderful maps found inside, I had developed a passion for European and American military history, especially the conflicts from the time period of the mid 1700’s up to and through the 1860’s. Napoleonic styled warfare seemed to just fascinate me, and I spent a lot of my “homework” time reading about the battle of Waterloo, the American Revolution, the French and Indian War, and the American Civil War instead.

An example of the wonderful drawings found within the American Heritage series of books published by Harper and Row.

As I grew older my military interest eventually focused on the Civil War exclusively and  I began collecting items pertaining to the “War Between the States”. In 1986 I had been operating an antiques business for a couple of years and a “picker” came into my shop. After selling me a van load of antiques and collectibles, he offered to sell me a brass  belt plate with an eagle cast into it. It appeared to be of military origin and so I took a chance, paid him his asking price of $20, and started on my very expensive way down the road to collector’s poverty. In case you’re wondering… after a little research, I learned that very first relic in my new hobby was an authentic Federal Pattern 1851 waist belt plate, which I still have to this day.

 

The front of my pattern 1851 Officer’s belt plate, my first Civil War relic.

 

My Civil War collecting interests were pretty broad for the first few years and I bought items from both “sides of the fence”, discovering in the process that items from one side (the Confederate) were typically much more costly. Due to that fact, most of the items I had purchased were from Union soldiers. I had purchased a few canteens, about four drums, three swords, an artillery jacket, a Federal forage cap, etc., etc. A few years later I acquired my very first Civil War image, and that’s when things went to whole new level in the “What in the world are you doing with all of your money?” routine often discussed in marriages. After spending a few years and several thousands of dollars in Civil War images, I came across the historical account of a local hero from here in my hometown, Dexter, Michigan. It told of the heroism of Colonel Harrison Jeffords, an officer of the Fourth Michigan Infantry. I read of his patriotic sacrifice made while attempting to retrieve the Fourth Michigan’s flag in “The Wheatfield” at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, and I knew that I had finally found my calling. However, it was financially impossible for me to continue collecting other relics and photographs if I was to  pursue this newly found “Holy Grail”. So I sold all of my image collection as well as my relics, except that belt plate of course, and began passionately seeking all things “Fourth Michigan Infantry”.  In the future I will write another blog where I will share the trials and tribulations that I came across as a “regimental specific” Civil War collector rather than take it up here. 

This newly discovered collecting interest eventually made me realize that research was going to be a very fundamental requirement if I wanted to fully appreciate where all of my time and money was disappearing to. And so I began. I traveled to the National Archives in Washington D.C. several times over the ensuing years scanning, or ordering hundreds (of the 2000 plus) military files for the men of the Fourth Michigan. I visited many museums and libraries, both large and small, in an effort to get copies of many of the letters, photos, and diaries that you’ll find on this site. My search had led me to  dozens of the various battlefields on which the regiment fought or were present at approximately 150 years earlier. At some point along the way, I expanded my effort and took an interest in  locating and recording the graves of the men of the regiment. That led me to travel to over 400 cemeteries across a dozen or so states. That too, will quite likely probably be the topic of another blog here in the future.

As the years went by and my collection and research records grew, it became apparent to me that I needed to share what I had gathered over the last twenty five years or so. In actuality, I was obligated to do that, not only for the sake of those men who served, but for those who had entrusted me to do something relevant with the contributions they had made over the years on my behalf.

A couple of books had been written about the regiment during the last several years but I found that they had major limitations that a website would overcome. Unlike a printed account, within this website you’ll find not just portions or excerpts of letters or diaries written by those that were actually there, but rather the whole letter and the complete diary of the soldier, thus enabling you to get a better and more accurate sense of what they themselves wrote, thought and felt. This site provides scans of the actual letters when available, and transcriptions as accurate as possible (while acknowledging the possibility of human error on my part) of those letters as well as the diaries I’ve shared. In addition to that, changes and corrections can, and will be made, when errors are discovered, which are quite unlikely in a book, unless it is reprinted or an addendum is issued.

So in summary, while I never would have thought that years ago I would create this web-site, a passion, an obligation, and the assistance of many wonderful friends and colleagues led me to do just that. It’s been a tremendous and exciting undertaking and I hope that it’s worth your visit. I invite you to follow along as we together look into the life of the soldiers of the Fourth Michigan Infantry during the American Civil War.

 

Just out of the box

 

Imagine if you will, a very large box filled to the  top and overflowing with documents filled with information about the Fourth Michigan Infantry. As you reach into that box and sort through the papers, you categorize and file a great majority of it. After a short period you find that you have some really viable and interesting information, something  that obviously should be shared, but on it’s own, separated from those items and documents that have already been categorized and posted on other pages of this site. This blog is where many of those treasures will be shared.