Found some old documents

[Shiraz]

While I'm not sure where this should go, I found this the other day and thought some of you might get a kick out of it.

I was cleaning up my fathers documents and stumbled across this.  Just thought I'd share.

If this is in the wrong spot please move it or delete it.

Thanks

 

[Blackadder1916]

Interesting, do you know where (or if) Joseph W. Fitzgerald sits in your family tree.

This may be of interest.  Refers to the unit identified at the top of the document.

20th Independent Battery Light Artillery

Organized at Camp Taylor, Cleveland, Ohio, and mustered in October 29, 1862. Moved to Murfreesboro, Tenn., December 31, 1862, arriving there February 8, 1863. Attached to 2nd Division, 20th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October, 1863. 1st Division, Artillery Reserve, Dept. of the Cumberland, to November, 1863. Artillery, 3rd Division, 4th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to December, 1863. Garrison Artillery, Chattanooga, Tenn., Dept. of the Cumberland, to November, 1864. Garrison Artillery, at Nashville, Tenn., Dept. of the Cumberland, to February, 1865. Garrison Artillery, at Chattanooga, Tenn., until July, 1865.

SERVICE.--Duty at Murfreesboro, Tenn., until June, 1863. Middle Tennessee (or Tullahoma) Campaign June 23-July 7. Liberty Gap June 24-27. Chickamauga (Ga.) Campaign August 16-September 22. Battle of Chickamauga September 19-20. Siege of Chattanooga, Tenn., September 24-November 23. Attached to Garrison Artillery at Chattanooga until June, 1864. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23-27, 1863. Engaged in repelling attacks of Rebel Cavalry under Forest and Wheeler on the flanks of Sherman's army during the Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign. Action at Dalton. Ga., August 14-16. March to Alpine, Ga., September 4-20, thence march to Pulaski, Tenn. Surrender of Dalton October 13 (Section). Nashville Campaign November-December. In front of Columbia, Duck River, November 24-27. Spring Hill and Thompson's Station November 29. Battle of Franklin November 30. Battle of Nashville December 15-16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17-28. Moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., and garrison duty there until July 2, 1865. Mustered out July 19, 1865.

Battery lost during service 1 Officer and 5 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 17 Enlisted men by disease. Total 24.

 

[Shiraz]

Thank you for that additional information.

These papers come from my father's mother's side of the family.  She was a Fitzgerald.  While I don't have backing documents as of yet, it was told in the family that Joseph was a twin and his brother fought on the confederate side and was killed during the war.  From what I understand this split the family up and the Fitzgerald family branched off and very little contact was kept. 

I was just surprised that this document survived all these years and is in great shape.  Never toss away blank envelopes.

 

[Blackadder1916]

The notation at the top of the document "Widow Division w.o. 1210496" may refer to an application for a pension or other benefits by either the Civil War veteran named or his surviving wife.  I've seen similiar notations on copies of such correspondence, as seen below.

ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ne/cass/military/catlin.txt

(Letter)

Widow Division
w.o. 1087216
Louise Legan
Colonel Hooker Catlin
A 1 Nebr. Cav.

The State of Nebraska
The County of Cedar

    I, Wilbur F. Bryant, County Judge within and for said county and state do, hereby certify that said Court is a Court of record; and is the Court of Jurisdiction in all Probate Matters in said County; that the Records of this Court show that Joseph F. Smith died on the first day of September, 1900.
    Witness my hand and the official seal at Hartington in said County and State this 4th day of March, 1921. 

                        [Signed]    Wilbur F. Bryant
                                  County Judge.

 

[George Wallace]

The notation at the top of the document "Widow Division w.o. 1210496" may refer to an application for a pension or other benefits by either the Civil War veteran named or his surviving wife.  I've seen similiar notations on copies of such correspondence, as seen below.

ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ne/cass/military/catlin.txt

That may explain the "Paid August 2nd, 1865" in the top left corner.

 

[Shiraz]

I did note the widow, paid and discharge on the same date.  However with the previous post, he should have been safe at that point, the war in his area appeared to be complete in July 19th.

I supposed I'll have to really dig into the family history to find the crux of this tale.

 

[George Wallace]

I did note the widow, paid and discharge on the same date.  However with the previous post, he should have been safe at that point, the war in his area appeared to be complete in July 19th.

Not really.  Although the war may have been over in that area, or whatever area in which he may have been serving, he may have died in hospital of wounds after a lengthy battle with infection.  The American Civil War saw more soldiers die of infection and illness than actual death in combat.  Combat Medicine has seen one heck of a lot of advancements since those days.  It was probably for these reasons that the US Military made great strides to improve the medical treatment of their soldiers ever since.

 

[Shiraz]

I can't make out the entire reason for discharge but I can make out consolidation and .... (something) supernumerary perhaps.  I didn't think that would be on his papers if he passed due to infection.

 

[George Wallace]

Looking at the document a little more; we may both be wrong.  He may have been "paid off in full" on release from Service.  His Severance Pay, perhaps.  There is the line that there is "no objection found for his re-enlistment" at  a future date, so it would appear that he was quite healthy on Release.  The "Widow Department" notes are in a darker and fresher ink, so this may be a copy sent to the widow at a later date, under some sort of request similar to our "Freedom of Information Act" whereby the widow may have been inquiring into his Military Records, perhaps for a Pension Claim.

 

[Blackadder1916]

The "widow" notation probably has no relation to him dying during the Civil War.  The widows of Union veterans (many who married after the war ended) continued to apply for pensions well into the 20th century sometimes after the first or second wife of the veteran had passed on. The last widow of a Civil War veteran (a Confederate) died in 2004 at the age of 97.  She wasn't very old when she married him in the 1920's.

You may find a starting point for research here http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/tools.htm

 

[Shiraz]

While I can't state the actual date of the document I can tell you it is nearly powder in my hands.  The last set of papers I found near this document were dated in the 1920's.  I haven't gone through everything yet.

 

[Michael OLeary]

While I can't state the actual date of the document I can tell you it is nearly powder in my hands.  The last set of papers I found near this document were dated in the 1920's.  I haven't gone through everything yet.

You will want to give some careful thought to preserving the documents for later generations in your family.  Above all, don't just laminate them.

Google is a good place to start looking for references on "conservation of documents", for example:

Care and conservation of documents

 

[Shiraz]

Thank you all again.

I'm looking into preserving it now.  Thank you for the links.