Saturday, July 19, 2014

Henry Edwin Hayes

Push any picture to enlarge.

Henry Edwin Hayes.

Birth: 1840.
Death: Unknown.

Father; Jhon "John" S. Hayes., ( 1814-1901 ).
Mother: Julia Short Hayes, ( 1819-1880 ).

Brother and Sisters: Albert W., William, Luther P., Lucy I., Ann E., Cordelia A., Cordelia L., Mary F., and Eva A. Hayes

Wife: Abbie C. Hayes.

Children: Non recorded.

Burial: Unknown.

New York Tenth Cavalry Regimental History.

Henry Edwin Hayes was born in Livingston County, New York, in 1840. Three years afterward his parents removed to Cortland County, where he resided until his enlistment, in August, 1861. At this time he was attending school at Cincinnatus Academy, and had but one more term to complete the graduating course. He was the first among the students of this institution to offer his services to the country, after the call for volunteers following the first Bull Bun disaster. A short time after arriving at the Elmira rendezvous he was appointed acting adjutant by Colonel Lemmon.

This position he held for a few days, and then returned to Cortland County on recruiting service, preparatory to receiving a commission. On arriving at Elmira with his second installment of recruits, he found the Regiment fully organized and officered, and himself assigned to a position as quartermaster-sergeant on the non-commissioned staff. This position he held until the battalion organization was discontinued. In June, 1863, he was commissioned first lieutenant in Company I. Although not possessing a rugged constitution, he participated in all the engagements, marches, and duties of the Regiment up to the time of his illness, and the loss of an eye, in May, 1864, which resulted in his discharge for disability in the following August. In the spring of 1865 he went West, and took up the profession of teaching. In 1869 he received a tempting offer from a New York publishing house, which he accepted, and returned to the East. He has been connected with the old and extensive publishing house of D. Appleton & Co. since 1873, and is now manager of their educational department.

New York State Records.

HAYES, HENRY E.—Age, 21 years. Enlisted, August 31, 1861, at McGrawville; mustered in as sergeant, Co. A, September 27, 1861, to serve three years; appointed battalion quartermaster sergeant, November 25,1861; company quarter-master sergeant, June 24,1862; first sergeant, 1862; wounded at Middleburg, Va., June 19, 1863; mustered in as second lieutenant, Co. I, to date June 19, 1863; resigned, August 1, 1864, per Special Order No. 256, Adjutant General's Office. Commissioned second lieutenant, July 27, 1868, with rank from June 19, 1863, vice Boyd, killed; First lieutenant, June 14, 1864, with rank from May 25, 1864.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Milford N. Bullock, New York..

New York Thirty-Fourth, Infantry, Regimental History.
 
Battle of Antietam.
 
Milford N. Bullock, of Company K, was found dead on the field after the battle. The position in which he was lying indicated the painful circumstances of his death. He was lying on his back, his rifle by his side. The ramrod of his gun was in his hand, the lower end against the trigger of the gun, and the muzzle of the gun at his head. It appeared at the time that the wound he had received had not been sufficient to cause instant death ; but, being in mortal agony, he had contrived to end his sufferings by taking his own life. He had placed the gun by his side, the muzzle at his head, and by means of the ramrod had succeeded in discharging it.

The circumstances were all so painful, that his comrades, at the suggestion of Captain Northup, agreed that they would not mention them in their letters home. But now, after forty years, there is no harm in referring to them. Young Bullock was from Stratford, Herkimer County, and was highly esteemed by all who knew him. His courage, his fidelity to duty were always unquestioned. His grave is not at home among his kindred, but far away, like that of so many others. He sleeps among the many unknown dead, in the great National cemetery at Antietam ; but we have never walked down those beautiful shaded aisles without feeling that we were again very near to our beloved comrade of those far-off days.

New York Stat Records.

BULLOCK, MILFORD N — Age, 19 years. Enlisted, May 1,1861, at Stratford, to serve two years; mustered in as private, Co.K, June 15, 1861; killed, September 17, 1862, at Antietam, Md.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Jesse Benson, New York.

Push to enlarge.

Jesse Benson.

Birth: Jun. 18, 1839
Death: Feb. 1, 1916.

Wife: Mary Jenkins Benson (1844 - 1893).

Children: Daniel J. Benson (1869 - 1869).

Burial: Mount Pleasant Cemetery, West Shelby, Orleans County, New York.

New York 151st., Infantry Co. A.

BENSON, JESSE Born June I8, 1839, at Royalton, N. Y.: son of ; Judson and Roxena Benson ; farmer and teacher. Unlisted August 13, 1862, at Ridgeway, to serve three years; mustered in as private, Co. A, October 22, 1862; was the first man  of the regiment to be wounded in line of battle. He was taken to the field hospital at Mine Run, whore his right arm was amputated, and later carried to a log house and placed upon a bedstead with only the cord for a mattress. The following day was placed in an ambulance, remaining there five days. Was two nights on the ground and one day in a ear on his way to the hospital in Alexandria, Va.. where he was discharged for disability, February 8, 1864. Married Mary Jenkins, November 1864; has two sons.

Mr. Benson's pursuits have been teaching and farming, he resides in Shelby, N. Y., where he has held offices of Justice of the peace, excise commissioner, Collector of taxes, three terms, and U. S. Census Enumerator, three terms.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Christian & Simon Streit, Connecticut.

Regimental History of the Ninth Connecticut Infantry.
 
Christian Streit.
Push to enlarge.
STREIT, LIEUT. CHRISTIAN, born in Germany, May 21, 1822; served in the German army; came to the United States, and finally settled in New Haven. He was an accomplished musician, was a member of the New Haven City Band and of other organizations of the kind. He served with the Second Connecticut regiment early in the war, and when that regiment's period of service had expired, he organized a band for the Ninth regiment. He enlisted in the Ninth as leader of the band, Sept. 14, 1861, and was mustered Oct. 4. He was promoted to be second lieutenant of Company F, July 3, 1864, and was transferred to Company B, of the Ninth battalion, Oct. 12, that year. He was mustered out Aug. 3, 1865. Lieut. Streit died Nov. 12, 1880, leaving a wife and seven children.

His brother, Simon Streit, also served with the band of the Ninth, being honorably discharged Sept. 17, 1862. He reenlisted as a private of Company B., June, 1864, was promoted to corporal that month, and was transferred to Company A, Ninth battalion Oct. 12, 1864. He was mustered out Aug. 3, 1865. After the war, Simon enlisted, Aug., 1866, in the regular army and was assigned to Company K, Seventeenth U. S. Infantry, which became, in Dec, 1866, Company K, of the Twenty-sixth infantry. He was appointed principal musician of the regiment, Feb. 1, 1869, was transferred to the non-commissioned staff of the Tenth U. S. Infantry, March 3, 1869, and was honorably discharged Aug. 18, that year. He is now a member of the New Haven police force.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Alvin H. Graff, New Jesery.

I was unable to find any personal information on him, but I know some one is looking into this line. I hope this information well help.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Fourth New Jersey, National Guard Infantry, Spanish American War.

Push to enlarge.
Alvin H. Graff, Captain. Residence, Jersey City, N. J.

Enrolled at Jersey City, N. J., May 2. 1898, by Colonel E. A. Campbell.

Mustered in at Sea Sirt. N. J., May 14, 1898, by Captain W. C. Buttler, U. S. A.

Enrolled as Regimental Adjutant 1st N. J. V. I., May 2. 1898.

Appointed acting Assistant Adjutant General 1st Brigade, 1st Division 2nd Army Corps, per G. O. No. 2, Headquarters 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Army Corps, dated May 23, 1898. Relieved June 6, 1898, by assignment of Captain Miller as Assistant Adjutant General.

Mustered out November 9, 1898.

Mustered in as 1st Lieutenant 4th N. J. V. I., November 10. 1898, and assigned to Company " D."

Detailed as Acting Adjutant 4th N. J. V. I., per S. O. No. 77- dated Novemser 23, 1898.

On special duty at Athens, Ga., January 9 to 17, 1899.

Relieved as Acting Regimental Adjutant per S. O. No. 21, Headquarters 4th N. J. V. I., dated February 1, 1899.

Mustered out to accept promotion February 5, 1899.

Mustered in as Captain Company " M" 4th N. J. V. I., February 6, 1899, and assumed command same day.

$5.83 to be deducted on this roll.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Lyman Parcher, Ohio.

Ohio 101st., Infantry Regimental History.

Push to enlarge.

CAPTAIN LYMAN PARCHER Enrolled and mustered as First Lieutenant, July 24, 1862, at Columbus. Promoted to Captain, November 15, 1862. Resigned at Murfreesboro', Tenn., February 26, 1863, on account of wounds received in Battle of Pea Ridge, Mo., March 7, 1862. Afterwards raised a Company in the i79th Ohio; was commissioned Captain, and served to the end of the war.
Died at Marysville, Mo., August 28, 1893.

Burial: Miriam Cemetery, Maryville, Nodaway County, Missouri.

History of Nodaway County Missouri, Polk Township.
 
CPTAIN LYMAN PARCHER,

farmer, section A 19. This popular citizen is a native of Ohio, and was born in Crawford County, January 18, 1835. His father, Samuel, was among the early settlers of Northeastern Ohio. Lyman was educated and reared in the Buckeye State. In 1856, he came to Iowa, remained a short time, returned to Ohio, and came to Iowa again in 1857. At the breaking out of the rebellion, he was among the first to tender his services to the Union cause, enlisting, in 1861, in the Fourth Iowa Infantry, as second lieutenant of Company H. He was severely wounded at the battle of Pea Ridge, and, after recuperating in the hospital, secured a recruiting officer's commission, and organized Company E, of the One Hundred and First Ohio, and, as captain of this company, yet undrilled, participated at the engagements of Knob's Gap, Stone River, and other battles.

In 1863, he was obliged to leave the service, on account of his wound, and, after convalescing, in 1864, he recruited Company B, of the One Hundred and Seventy-ninth Ohio, and with them participated at the last battle of Nashville. He served until the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged. In 1866, in company with others, Captain Parcher engaged in the manufacturing of wagon material at Bucyrus, Ohio. In this industry he continued until 1868, when he sold out. In January, 1869, he was appointed mail agent on the Pittsburgh & Fort Wayne Railroad, between Crestline and Chicago, which position he held until the spring of 187 1, when he resigned, and came to Iowa, locating in Adams County.

There he resided until the spring of 1872, when he took up his abode where he now resides. His estate consists of ninety acres, adjoining the corporate limits of Maryville, on which is situated a residence, indicating comfort and prosperity. He is also owner of valuable town property, besides land in Adams County, Iowa. The captain manifests a live interest in the progress of Nodaway County, and takes an active part in all enterprises that will further its developments. In 1878, he was elected to the office of justice of the peace. He is numbered among Nodaway's most substantial men. In 1867, Miss Mary F. Tunison, a native of Springfield, Illinois, became his wife. They have five children by this union : Fred, Josephine, Charles L., Edmond K. and Jessie M. He is a Master Mason. 

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Battle of Buzzard Roost.

The Battle of Buzzard Roost, will be told by Major Samuel Hymer and William Tyson, who participated in the battle.  These accounts were written in a book  by Isaac Henry Clay Royse, called The History of 115 regiment Illinois volunteers Infantry, published in 1900.  His book can be read on line.
------------------------------------------------

COMPANY D AT BUZZARD ROOST.
By Major Samuel Hymer.


Major Samuel Hymer.
Push to enlarge.
Soon after the regiment came to Tunnel Hill in July, 1864, Company D was assigned to guard a bridge at Buzzard Roost Gap, a little more than half way from Tunnel Hill to Dalton. At that time there were no fortifications in the place and the company was kept busy for some time making- log" breastworks for their defense. In August a company of engineers arrived and with the aid of Company D built a very substantial blockhouse. The company occupied a row of tents on the bank of the creek near the blockhouse, being ready to enter that stronghold in case of need. The company had three miles of railroad to patrol and keep open, which, with other duties, kept them very busy day and night. Frequent raids were made by Confederate cavalry and the company occasionally had slight skirmishes with them, without loss, however. On one occasion a horse was killed and its rebel rider severely wounded.

General Wheeler came in the valley some time in September with quite a force of cavalry and attacked Dalton, but the garrison, making stout defense, held them in check until the arrival of General Steedman with a force from Chattanooga.  After General Hood left Atlanta on his raid on the North the country about Buzzard Roost was constantly filled with rebel scouts so that we were compelled to be always on the alert expecting an attack.

As my account of Hood's attack on our blockhouse is given in substance in the body of the history, it is not necessary to repeat it here, but an incident is worth mentioning. Squire Bechtol of Company D was illiterate, but proved to be the smartest man in the company. When the blockhouse was captured he lay on the ground groaning and appearing to be badly wounded, and would not let anyone touch him, so he was left there with the wounded and after the rebels were gone with the prisoners, he managed to come to, having only feigned injury.

After the surrender we were taken to General Bate's headquarters, where we were asked many questions. The next morning after the capture a detail from Company D buried the dead. The wounded were taken to a house nearby and left there to make the most of their condition, while the rebel army moved on.

We were fairly well treated by our captors and recognition made of our gallant defense, being permitted to retain our side arms and most of our personal effects. The company went on a tour through the Confederacy, via Selma and Montgomery, Ala., to Milieu, where Lieutenant Jones and myself were separated from the enlisted men. By special exchange fifteen of the men were sent North and the others left to take their chances in Andersonville and other prisons. Lieutenant Jones and I, with other officers were sent to Camp Sorghum, near Cloumbia. There we met Captain Hanon and Lieutenant Gore of Company A. As Sherman approached we were taken to Charlotte, North Carolina, seventy-five men being put in each box-car. At Charlotte many prisoners made their escape, the guards not being any longer careful to prevent it. I preferred to wait a little longer and be exchanged, which occurred soon after, and Lieutenant Jones and I came to Annapolis, Md. After a visit home we were ordered to Benton's Barracks, near St. Louis, where we met the remnant of Company D, which had been exchanged at Vicksburg, and were soon after discharged.


THE ATTACK ON THE BLOCK HOUSE.
By William Tyson.


William Tyson.
On October 13, 1864, Hood's army of nearly forty thousand came to the blockhouse. It was a beautiful day and we had been very busy all of the forenoon fixing up winter quarters, as we expected to remain there all winter. We borrowed a yoke of oxen and a cart to do our hauling with and as Anson Underhill was an expert at driving, we put him in charge of the team. We were getting along nicely until about noon, when we saw some men ride up on top of the hill, about a quarter of a mile south of us. At that distance we could not make out whether they were friends or foes, but surmised that they were rebels, and every fellow broke for the blockhouse. Captain Hymer said, "Give them a few shots and we will find out who they are." Four or five others of the company and I stepped out about thirty feet in front of the blockhouse, raised our guns and fired.

We had hardly more than discharged our pieces, when out of the woods to our right a volley from the rebel guns rang, and the balls came flying thick and fast all around us. We broke for the blockhouse on the double quick. About this time Anson Underbill drove up with the team and Captain Hymer called to him to come in. Anson said, "Wait until I unhitch the oxen", and he stayed out there as unconcernedly as though there was nothing the matter, unhitched the team, took off the yoke, turned them loose and came inside. The rebels opened fire on us with musketry and artillery. One hundred and thirty-three cannon balls were fired at the fort ; yet, this little band of Spartans held the rebels in check for ten hours, when they were finally forced to surrender.

Along about nine o'clock at night the firing had ceased on both sides, and everything had become perfectly quiet. The moon was almost full, and was just be- ginning to shine around the spur of Rocky Face Ridge and lighten things up, when the rebels were seen approaching by the way of the bridge. The sentry on that side of the block house halted them and asked them what they wanted. They replied that they wanted us to surrender. Sergt. Andrew Jacoby and Robert Stewart went out and met them on the bridge, and wanted to know who they were. One of them answered that he was General Bate's aide-de-camp and wanted us to surrender. He took Jacoby and showed him the men lying along side the railroad embankment with lumber to cross the ditch on, and sharpened rails to 1 stop up the port holes with, and told him if we did not surrender they intended to charge on us and set fire to the fort and burn it down. The sergeant came back and reported to Captain Hymer what they had seen, when Captain Hymer went out and held a consultation, and agreed on the terms of surrender.

In this engagement five were killed, six wounded and thirty-seven taken prisoners. Nathan Jones was shot through the forehead with a musket ball. Joseph Boyd had his left arm torn off at the shoulder with a cannon ball ; he lived an hour or more after he was shot, making a pitiful noise all this time and begging for some one to shoot him and put him out of his misery. Fielden Loe had has head blown off with a cannon ball. John Parish had his left arm shot off with a cannon ball, between the elbow and wrist, and was badly bruised on the left side with a piece of timber. William Dixon had the flesh all torn off the inside of his left leg above the knee by a cannon ball ; his body was warm the next morning when we went to the blockhouse to bury him. Patman Zimmerman, two others whose names I have forgotten, and myself were detailed the next morning to bury the dead.

We dug a grave about six feet square just south of the road in a nice blue-grass plat, then carried them out and laid them in it, side by side, wrapped their blankets around them and covered them up. They have all been taken up since then and removed to the National Cemetery at Chattanooga, and are buried in Section K.

We never knew how many we killed of the rebels ; some said thirty-five, while others said we did some very wild shooting; that we shot away over them. We marched out of the blockhouse about ten o'clock at night. The moon was shining very brightly and the first thing I noticed was the cannon balls which had struck the fort and bounded back.  There was at least a good two-horse wagon load of them lying around on the ground. The southeast corner of the fort was all torn into splinters from top to bottom. We were soon surrounded by the rebel guards and a howling mob of Confederate soldiers.

They would ask us, "What regiment do you'ns belong to?" We told them we belonged to the 115th Illinois. "Well, we thought you'ns were Illinois boys. You just fit like hell." They wanted to trade us out of everything we had. I had on a brand new hat that had been sent to me from home; along came a Johnny and said, "You've got a pretty good hat. I guess we'll trade," and with that he jerked it off my head and slapped his on in place of it. I afterwards learned that he took it off a Union prisoner at Misionary Ridge about a year before. It was all full of holes, and the rim hung down in my eyes. I think I must have had on the poorest hat in Hood's army.