Author Archives: Dorothy Oksner

Stoddard, Charles S., Private, MN 2nd US Cavalry

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STODDARD, CHARLES S, Private, Minnesota 2nd US Cavalry, 1864-1865 Officially Unassigned to a Company, Fort Snelling, Minnesota

Born: October 23, 1846, in Hampshire, Illinois,

Married: Laura Belle Gossard, 14, September 1875

Charles and Laura Belle had 2 sons. The youngest son, Harry, was born in 1881.  Harry married Myrtle Rolph and had 3 children. The oldest son, Rolph, had 3 children from whom this member descends.

His father was a Tanner who emigrated from England in 1837 and died when Charles was only 5 years old in 1851.

Personal Life and Military History:

Shortly after the death of his father in 1853, his mother, Catherine, married her second husband, Thomas Smith, and moved to Minnesota with Charles and his younger sister, Martha.    Thomas was a farmer and Charles worked on the family farm until he was 16.

At that time, he tried to enlist in 1863 in the Union Army but was turned down on account of his age.

As a result, Charles went back to help work on his uncle’s farm in Northern Illinois who was away in the Union Army.

He finally obtained his mother’s consent and voluntarily enlisted again in Hastings, MN on July 30, 1864. He was mustered into the 2nd Minnesota Cavalry as a Private assigned to the Company of Captain C. C. Hunt at Fort Snelling, Minn. His duration of service was for one year.  He was responsible for guarding draftees at the garrison who were being mustered into the regular Union infantry, trained, and then sent off for active duty elsewhere. Occasionally he would go out on patrol of the Sioux Indian tribes that were camped just outside the Fort to keep the peace. He wrote in his diary at the time of the suffering he witnessed of the Indians and fellow soldiers who were dying of typhoid fever.  He mustered out of the service on May 11, 1865, with an honorable discharge.  He decided without delay that his life goal was to become a doctor to help heal the suffering of others.

He first saved his soldier’s pay and bought corner lots in Farmington, Minnesota, and then later sold them for a profit. With the proceeds, he made a down payment on a farm near his mother’s home near Castle Rock, Minn. From the earnings of his summer farming, he was able to afford to attend Hamlin University in Redwing, Minnesota for one year.

He then entered Jennings Seminary in Aurora, Illinois, as a university student for 4 years while working on the local farms during the harvest season.  After graduating, he was given a teaching certificate for 1 year and taught school nearby in Castle Rock, near his mother.  He then began the study of medicine in a doctor’s office in Owatonna, MN.  In 1872 he started his first formal medical school training at Bennett Medical College in Chicago, IL, and later graduated from there in 1874. During his visits back to Owatonna, to work for the local doctor in between semesters he met a schoolteacher, Laura Belle Gossard.  She was the daughter of Reverend T.M. Gossard, Pastor of the Methodist Church in Northfield, Minnesota.  After a two-year engagement, they were married on September 14, 1875.

In that same year, he was elected Surgeon of Weiser, MN Post #31 of the G.A.R. and later became its Commander.   From 1876-1878, he was elected Medical Director of the Minnesota Division of the Grand Army of the Republic.  He then became Senior Vice Commander for all of Minnesota.  He was also selected to be the Examining Surgeon for Pensions at Scott and Carter Counties, in 1877.

He practiced medicine for the next few years in southern Minnesota. By then he had become a father of two sons, Thomas born in 1878 and Harry born in 1881.

To further his education and residency he attended to patients at the famous Bellevue Hospital in New York City and graduated from there in March of 1883 with an MD diploma and board-certified Surgeon.

In 1886, he moved with his wife Laura Belle, and his young family to Santa Barbara to set up a medical practice.  Charles served as a beloved physician for 42 years before his death in 1928. His wife Laura Belle became prominent in the local community as one of the founding female members of the board of directors of the Cottage Hospital.  They both were active members of the Grace Methodist church in town. Charles served as a patron for the CA/NV Department of the daughters of Union Veterans, Commander of the local Starr-King Post #52 as well as Department Commander for the CA/NV G.A.R. He also served as the President of the Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Public Health.  He examined the sanitation at local dairies and inspected prisons for safety. He even held a position as a trustee on the Santa Barbara School board in 1898.

After the death of his wife, Laura Belle in 1915, he suggested in 1921, that the local Starr-King chapter of the Women’s Relief Corp name the new Tent #22 in honor of his late wife, Laura Belle, who spent countless hours donating her time to the Relief of Civil War veterans, just as he did.

So, from then on, for over one hundred years, Tent # 22 has been so named in LAURA BELLE’s honor!

He died on May 18, 1928, and is buried in Santa Barbara Cemetery in Montecito, overlooking the Pacific Ocean alongside his wife, Laura Belle. It is said that flags flew at half-mast throughout the city and hundreds showed up for his funeral.

In 1931, 250 persons honored the memory of Dr. Charles S. Stoddard at the dedication of a Redwood tree and plaque that still stands to this day over 100 feet tall on the lawn of the First Methodist Episcopal Church on the corner of Anapamu and Garden Streets in Santa Barbara.  The presentation was made by the representatives of the Starr King chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Women’s Relief Corps auxiliary of the GAR, and the Laura Belle Stoddard Tent #22 of the daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

Pamela Stoddard DeWeerd.

 

Purdy, Erastus, Pvt. Co. B, 19th Michigan Infantry

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Born April 12, 1832, in Lockport, Niagara, New York. Erastus Purdy served in Company B 19th Infantry Michigan. He enlisted on 11 August 1862 in Allegan, Michigan. He mustered in as private on 5 September 1862 at Dowagiac, Michigan, for three years at 30 years of age.

Erastus Sebastian Purdy was farming in Vermont in 1860 before he entered service as a Union soldier.

Erastus married Amelia Wilson on 24 Dec 1857.  Amelia was born on 28 August 1840 in Monterey Township near Allegan, MI. They had thirteen children, 7 sons, and 6 daughters.  At the time of her death September 28, 1917, she was seventy-seven with 10 surviving children:  Lily Jane, Elenora, Alfred, Albert, Grace, Edward, and Murrey, from which child descends this line to the member of Laura Belle Stoddard Tent 22, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861 -1865, Melissa, Lue, and May.

After Erastus mustered in on September 5th in Michigan, his regiment moved to Danville, Kentucky December 12, 1862, and duty there was until January 26. 1863, then to Louisville, Kentucky.

On board transport from Louisville to Nashville, Tennessee in February 1863, Erastus suffered from inflammation of the lungs which progressed to typhoid pneumonia on March 1, 1863.  He was sent to Nashville General Hospital No. 15.  Recovering somewhat he went to his regiment where they went through to Atlanta, Georgia.

At Atlanta, he was disabled with kidney disease and diabetes and was sent back to Chattanooga, then to Hospital No.2 in Nashville.  April 1, 1865, he was at the General Hospital in Jeffersonville, Indiana. His wife Amelia visited him there.

He was then sent to Detroit where he was honorably discharged as private and came home in poor health. He mustered out on 23 June 1865 in Detroit, Michigan.  One hundred and sixty enlisted men in his regiment died of disease.

After the war, the family moved to Naugatuck, Michigan along with his brother James K. Purdy and family and sister Jane Purdy Clark and her husband Francis H. Clark and family.  Erastus and brothers James and Philetus owned and farmed large tracts of land.

In 1885 Erastus received a $2.00 a month pension which was increased to $12.00 in 1890 and paid quarterly.

Erastus and Amelia moved in 1895 to the northeast of Hopkins Station where they lived on 40 acres.

He died January 25, 1907, at Hopkins, Allegan, Michigan, MI.  He was 74 years, 9 months, 13 days.  He is buried at Maplewood Cemetery in Hopkins, MI.

His parents are Benjamin Purdy and Margaretta Murrey. His great-grandfather Benjamin Purdy Jr. b. 18 Oct 1743 in Greenwich, Fairfield, Connecticut served in the American Revolution with Captain Nathan Smith’s Vermont Militia. He died in Manchester, Bennington, Vermont, on 11 Dec 1828.

             

Shirlie Clark Carter

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Shirlie Clark Carter 1926-2022

On Saturday, October 22, 2022, Shirlie Carter, loving grandmother, and four-time great-grandmother passed away on her birthday, having just turned 96 years old.

Shirlie was born on October 22, 1926, in Santa Monica, CA to Robert Clark and Agnes Carhart. She was married to her high school sweetheart, Ed Carter, following the end of WWII, on October 13, 1946, at the age of 19—a marriage that lasted over 63 years until Ed’s passing in 2009. They had one son, Joe, who was raised in Santa Barbara.

Shirlie was a long-time employee with the Santa Barbara Country Public Works Department as an administrative assistant; she retired in 1988.

Shirlie was known for her wit, sense of humor, and personality as colorful as the award-winning orchids she grew. She was passionate about family, gardening, genealogy, history, traveling, square dancing, painting, and giving back to the community through volunteering.

Shirlie was preceded in death by her husband, Ed, and her son, Joe. She is survived by her two grandchildren, Vanessa, and Ed, and her four great-grandchildren, Aria, Ava Shirlie (her namesake), Cora, and Joey. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation in her honor to The Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens.

Deborah Drew Kaska 1941-2022

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Debbie Kaska Oct. 18, 2022 at a DUV 100th Anniversary

Debbie Kaska Oct. 18, 2022, at the DUV Luncheon

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Deborah Irene Drew Kaska, 81, who died after a fall on December 27, 2022. Debbie’s entire family was with her in her last days celebrating life at the beach. Her children were by her side when she passed. Debbie is preceded in death by her beloved husband William C. Kaska and brother Donald E. Drew.

Debbie was born in Berwyn, Il to Harvey and Irene Drew (nee Genke). She enjoyed playing clarinet and oboe and spent her summers at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. After graduating from Glenbard High School, she attended the University of Michigan earning her BS/MS in Biology. As a student and Phi Mu Sorority sister Debbie earned extra money washing equipment for the Chemistry Department. It was there that she met her future husband, Bill, who was a graduate student. The couple later settled in Goleta, California and raised four children.

In 1980, Debbie earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). In collaboration with researchers at the Univ of Oulu Finland, she studied many aspects of green algae. Later she served as the Academic Coordinator at the UCSB Department of Biological Sciences overseeing the Introductory Biology lab. Debbie conducted research on a broad variety of topics, including bird songs, vision, pine roots, and the genetic diversity of the Channel Islands Ironwood trees.

After retiring from UCSB in 2002, Debbie (affectionately known as, “Maka” to her grandchildren) traveled to visit her family and friends and explored the world. She played oboe with the SB Prime Time Band and volunteered with the SB County Genealogy Society, serving as the board secretary and editor of Ancestors West. She was also skilled in translating old German script and spoke German fluently. Debbie was involved in several organizations, including serving as VP, Patriotic Instructor, and President of Tent 22 for the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War and as Chapter VP for the Colonial Dames of America SB Chapter. She was also a member of the Mission Canyon Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her community involvement and curiosity never wavered and her friends and neighbors benefitted from her many gifts.

Debbie is survived by her children, Serge Kaska, Kristin Woolley (Douglas), Marya Darabont (Tibor), and Kathleen Perez (James), as well as seven grandchildren. A memorial mass will be held in her honor on Thursday, January 26, 2023, at 10:30 AM at San Roque Catholic Church, 325 Argonne Circle, Santa Barbara, California with a 12:30 PM reception to follow at the Glen Annie Golf Club, 405 Glen Annie Rd. Goleta, California. Donations in her honor may be sent to the Prime Time Band, P.O. Box #92055, Santa Barbara, CA 93190.

Wells, Joseph Perry, Pvt. Co. A, 82nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry.

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Born 14 July 1830 Graham Township, Jefferson County, Indiana. Joseph Wells served in W.Y. Monroe’s Co. A, 82nd Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He enrolled and mustered in as private, on 30th August 1862, at Camp Emerson, Indiana, for three years at 32 years of age and 6’ 1-1/2 “ tall. Joseph was a farmer when he entered service as a Union soldier.

He married Nancy Jane Howell on March 2, 1852.  In 1860 they had three children 7, 3, and 1.  He had 9 children with Nancy.

Wells headstone

Joseph Perry Wells was buried in the GAR area of the Springdale Cemetery, Madison Township, Jefferson, Indiana

Joseph’s regiment was ordered to Louisville, Kentucky September 1st and pursuit of Bragg October 1-15, 1862.  They were at the Battle of Perryville, Ky. October 8.  They marched to Nashville, Tennessee October 16- November 7.  They had duty there until December 26 and advanced to Murfreesboro Dec 26-30.  The Battle of Stone’s River was December 30-31 and January 1-3, 1863. Along the way, Joseph became very ill and was sent to Gallatin Hospital. The rest of his regiment continued on and mustered out on June 9, 1865. Wells was discharged as private, on 2 January 1863 at Gallatin, TN. by reason of a Surgeon’s Certificate of disability. After the war, Joseph Perry Wells returned to farming and became a lawyer and helped veterans obtain pensions.

After his wife, Nancy died he married his second wife, Elizabeth Cope on July 9, 1873.  They had one child, Roger W. Wells, from which child descends this line to the member of Laura Belle Stoddard Tent 22, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861-1865.

Elizabeth died of typhoid fever on  August 9, 1881. Joseph’s third marriage was on August 10, 1882, to widow Talitha M. Myers.  There were no children born into this marriage. He died of Phithsis and heart disease on 12 Dec 1893 in Jefferson Co., Indiana, and was buried at Springdale Cemetery, Madison Township, Jefferson, Indiana.

Hall, Henry Pvt., Co. I, 10th WV Infantry

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Henry Hall was born about 1833 in Hardy County, Virginia. His parents were James Hall, born in 1775 in Virginia, and Juda Taylor born in 1795 in Virginia. He had four siblings and the 1860 Census shows him, age 27, living at home with James, his widowed father, working as a laborer. At that time, in the “neighborhood” resided Simon Ritchie born in 1795 in Virginia, a farmer, and his wife Elizabeth born in 1811 in Virginia. Their daughter, Mary Elizabeth, was born in 1841 in Virginia and was age 19 at the time of the Census.

Henry and Mary Elizabeth were married in 1862 and together had one child, David Henry Hall, born May 7, 1863, at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, from which child descends this line to the member of Laura Belle Stoddard Tent 22, Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861 – 1865.

All the pre-Civil War activities were going on in Henry’s “backyard.” Abolitionist John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry arsenal was October 16 – 18, 1859. Henry Hall enlisted on June 21, 1863, at New Creek, Virginia for a “3-year” stint, a mere 45 days after his infant son, David Henry was born. He was assigned to the 10th West Virginia Infantry. Records show his age at 25, 5’9” tall, with blue eyes, black hair, and a light complexion. Five foot, nine inches was tall for the time and the gene for tall height has descended to the current generation.

This regiment was recruited by T.M. Harris, a practicing physician at the beginning of the war. Dr. Harris visited Governor Pierpont in 1861 and obtained consent to recruit a regiment for Union service. He traveled the state gathering suitable men for recruits. The 10th Regiment was organized from May 1862 through June 1864 and served mostly in West Virginia. It was so
particularly well-adapted for the area that the governor did not want to release them to other areas of service. The local area was important due to the number of mines as well as crisscrossing railroad lines.

On January 3, 1864, 25 men from the 10th West Virginia Regiment were guarding a wagon train bound for New Creek. At a location known as Moore Field Junction, Virginia, Confederate troops attacked the wagon train. This battle was known as the Battle at Moore Field Junction. Private Henry Hall, age 30, was taken prisoner and was “in the hands of the enemy” per Union records on January 3, 1864, at Moore Field Junction.

Approximately 20 men were transferred to the notorious Camp Sumter in Andersonville, Georgia, thereafter, was known as “Andersonville Prison.” This Confederate prison was considered one of the worst prisons during the Civil War. It was overcrowded and there was not enough food or shelter for the inmates. They had to build their own shelters out of sticks or whatever material was available or slept in the open or under tents made of rags. Sickness and malnutrition ran rampant among the men. Many died of typhus due to poor sanitary conditions. There was scant fresh water and unfortunately, Henry died there on August 14, 1864, the same month as the “miraculous” emergence of Providence Spring due to the lightning strike but was not in time to save Henry. His son, David Henry, was 15 months old at the time of his death. He is buried in Andersonville Prison, Georgia Plot F-5469.

Stark, John Pvt. Co. B, 6th IN Cavalry

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John Wesley Stark was born July 2, 1844 in Pimento, Vigo County, Indiana; son of John Arnold Stark (father) and wife, Sarah Ann Welch.  He was married to Mary Jane Cooper on September 20, 1866, in Piatt County, Illinois. John Wesley Stark and his wife, Mary Jane Cooper had at least one child, Martha Evalina Stark, from which child descends this line to the member of Laura Belle Stoddard Tent 22, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861-1865. He died on July 2, 1894, at Jacksboro, Jack County, Texas. Buried in Oakwood Cemetery.

He was the fifth child of twelve living children born to John Arnold Stark and Sarah Ann Welch. His father was a farmer, born in Kentucky; his mother, keeping house was born in Ohio. They married in Indiana, owned property in Indiana, and were buried in Indiana. 

John and Mary Stark photo

John Wesley Stark and Mary Jane Cooper Stark

John Wesley Stark and Mary Jane Cooper married in Illinois about a year after he was discharged on September 20, 1866.  They had seven children; five of these were born in Illinois and the other two in Texas. His wife Mary Jane, died in 1889. John remarried in Texas in 1891 to Lenora Oliver; they had one child together. His occupations after discharge – were merchant, and farmer.

On August 5, 1862, he enrolled in the Regiment in Terre Haute Indiana at the age of 18. This Unit was organized at Terre Haute, Indiana, from July 21 to August 18 1862 and he mustered in at Indianapolis on August 18, 1862. The designation of the Regiment changed to 6th Indiana Cavalry on February 22, 1863 (See 6th Indiana Cavalry). He was honorably discharged at Pulaski, Tennessee on May 8, 1865. 

Immediately after being organized, this regiment was sent to Kentucky to assist in repelling Kirby Smith’s invasion. It was engaged in the battle of Richmond where it lost 215 killed and wounded and 347 prisoners. Only 225 escaped capture. The captured were paroled, returned to Terre Haute, and exchanged late in the fall. It returned to the field on December 27 when 400 were sent to Muldraught’s Hill to guard trestle work and the following day was surrounded by 4,000 of Morgan’s cavalry and captured. The regiment was returned to duty and in February, l863 was changed from an Infantry regiment into a cavalry organization. Two additional companies were organized and added during the year. Battles in which the regiment was involved included the siege of Knoxville, Resaca, Dallas,  New Hope Church, Allatoona, and Kennesaw Mountain. It took part in Stoneman’s raid to Macon GA – losing 166 and returned to Nashville where it took part in repelling Forrest’s invasion of middle Tennessee at Pulaski and the Battle of Franklin and Nashville. Throughout the war, the soldiers in the field endured extreme cold, deep mud, rain and snow, heat, and dust. 

The 6th Cavalry Regiment Indiana fought battles in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia. John Wesley Stark’s pension record shows that between 1862 and 1865 he was present for duty except for the time between August 30 and October 31, 1862, when he was captured and then paroled. He was again captured in Kentucky by General Morgan on December 28, 1862, and again paroled prior to January 10, 1863. Medical records show him being seen twice in 1863 with no diagnosis listed. 

Civil War Pension File #1132807, dated November 8, 1897.

ancestry.com – U.S., American Civil War Regiments, 1861-1866

wikipedia.org – 6th Indiana Cavalry Regiment

BJS/October 2022

Hemenway, Howard Spencer Pvt., 2nd NY Volunteer Cavalry

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Howard Spencer Hemenway was born on the 18th of April 1842 in Bristol, Hartford County Connecticut to Nathan and Rachel Spencer Hemenway, Jr.  After the War Between the States on December first of 1865 he married Louisa Matthews in Geauga, Ohio.  They had one child, a son, Hiram Howard Hemenway born the 22nd of November 1867, from which descends this line to the member of the Laura Bella Stoddard Tent 22, Daughter of Union Veterans of the Civil War 1861-1865.  He died on the 14th of March 1919 in Ashtabula, Geauga County, Ohio.

On August 9, 1861, this unmarried farmer enlisted for 3 years in Captain Mallory’s Harris Light Cavalry, in Hartford, Connecticut as a private. His company, Company C, was known as the Connecticut Squadron, one of 12 recruited starting in 1861. All twelve companies then became known as the 2nd New York Volunteer Calvary. They fought with the Union Army throughout the entire war (1861-1865).  The 2nd ranked eighth in the list of mounted regiments which lost the most men in action during the war.

Private Howard Hemenway detailed as a waggoner and a teamster starting on July 1, 1862 until the battle of Liberty Mills in which his life would change significantly.  This battle involved General Meade’s Union forces following General Lee’s army in Virginia after they both crossed the Potomac River in Union pursuit of confederates following the battle of Gettysburg. At Liberty Mills, Virginia, on the 23rd of September 1863 the 2nd New York engaged in battle with General Jeb Stuart’s Confederate Cavalry. Hemenway was captured there and confined at Belle Isle on the James River near Richmond, Virginia for five months. For during his capture, he became very ill due to exposure and want of proper food.  He describes himself as a “broken down man sorely afflicted with rheumatism, bronchitis, disease of the kidneys (dropsy), liver enlarged and hardened so as to affect his lungs.” On the 21st of March he was sent to Camp Parole in Annapolis, Maryland spending most of the month of April.  He was then sent to Camp Stoneman in Alexandria May 18th 1864. He rejoined his regiment in July of 1864 but so disabled from his imprisonment that he was no longer able to ride a horse.  Instead, he drove teams to continue his service and fulfill his commitment to the Union.  His received an honorable discharge in New York on September 10, 1864.  He then married Louisa Matthews on the first of December, 1865 in Geauga, Ohio.

Sources: Birth, Death and Marriage Records; Pension Records from the National Archives; Muster Rolls from Company C, Harris Light Cavalry; Wikipedia; Robert J. Trout: After Gettysburg Cavalry Operations July 14 – December 31, 1863; The Union Army: a history of military affairs in the loyal states, 1861-65 – records of the regiments in the Union army – cyclopedia of battles—memoirs of commanders and soldiers, Volume II: New York, Maryland, West Virginia and Ohio. Madison, WI: Federal Pub. Co. 1908.

Respectfully Submitted:  Debbie Nelson Zemer Kendrick

Wolf, Joseph Pvt. – Co. F, 34th IL Infantry

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Joseph Wolf

Joseph Wolf


Joseph Wolf was born on April 27, 1842, in Hellam Township, York County, Pennsylvania. He was the fifth born of seven children of Jacob Wolf and Elizabeth Lehman. Joseph was 5’,10-1/2” with light hair, blue eyes, and a light complexion. His occupation before and after the war was that of a farmer.  At the age of 21, in September 1861, Joseph signed up with Company F of the 34th Illinois Infantry.

The Siege of Corinth, in Mississippi, (April/May 1862) was a month-long siege of the city that resulted in the capture of the town by the Federal forces.

The Battle of Perryville was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chapel Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War and the largest battle fought in the state of Kentucky.

The Battle of Stones River was fought from Dec 31-January 2, 1863, in middle Tennessee. It had the highest percentage of casualties on both sides. The battle ended in Union victory after the confederate army’s withdrawal.

The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought on Nov 28, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the Civil War.

The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. Sherman and ended in a tactical defeat for the Union forces, but did not halt Sherman’s advance on Atlanta.

The Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought in Georgia on July 20, 1864, also part of the Atlanta Campaign.

The Battle of Atlanta was fought on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, GA, to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta. Sherman’s forces overwhelmed and defeated Confederate forces; however, the city did not fall until Sept 2, 1864. The fall of Atlanta was especially noteworthy for its political ramifications. In the 1864 election, former Union General George B. McClellan, a Democrat, ran against President Lincoln on a peace platform and called for an armistice with the Confederacy.
The capture of Atlanta and Hood’s burning of military facilities as he evacuated were extensively covered by Northern newspapers, significantly boosting Northern morale, and Lincoln was re-elected by a significant margin.

The Battle of Jonesborough (Aug 31-Sept 1, 1864) concluded the Atlanta campaign. Although Hood's army was not destroyed, the fall of Atlanta had far-reaching political as well as military effects on the course of the war.
The Battle of Bentonville (March 19-21, 1865) was fought in Johnston County, North Carolina. It was the last battle between the armies of the Union Maj. Gen. Sherman and Confederate Gen. Johnston. As a result of the overwhelming Union strength and the heavy casualties his army suffered in the battle, Johnston surrendered to Sherman a little more than a month later
at Bennett Place, near Durham Station. Coupled with Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender on April 9, Johnston’s surrender represented the effective end of the war.

After the surrender of Johnston, the Regiment went with Sherman’s Army to Washington D.C. and took part in the grand review on May 24, 1865.

Joseph mustered out of the service on July 12, 1865. He married Clarinda Octavia Wright while still active on Feb 4, 1864, in Ogle County, Illinois. His first-born son arrived on March 27, 1867, and was named Sherman. Joseph and Clarinda went on to have four more sons and then two daughters. Clarinda died in 1895 at the age of 52.

[One interesting point regarding Sherman, my maiden name is Wolfe, with an E and it was Sherman Wolfe who added it. My Dad told me one time that he didn’t want our last name to be spelled the same as the animal. D.Overton]

Joseph came to California in 1883 and settled in Pasadena, CA. In 1902, he married Susan Neighbours.

Joseph lived to the age of 83 and outlived all but one of his seven siblings. He died on November 26, 1925.

The first obituary comes from the Pasadena Evening Post and is titled:
“Taps Sound for Vet of War of ‘61
     Joseph Wolf is summoned by “His Commander”; G.A.R. to Conduct Rites
Death—the—Great Leveler—last night took from the thinning blue ranks of Civil
War veteran another member, when Joseph Wolf, 42 years a resident of
Pasadena died at his home at 764 North Madison Avenue.
     When the great emancipator issued his call in the stirring days of 561, Joseph
Wolf answered. He knew well the whine of grapeshot, the crack of rifles, and the
deeper boom of old cannon. When the gray-clad hordes were turned back at
bloody Gettysburg, Joseph Wolf was fighting.
     Mr. Wolf came to Pasadena from his native state, Pennsylvania, by way of Illinois,
when 41 years old. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Susie Wolf; two daughters.
Mrs. Esther Dorn of this city and Mrs. Nellie M Tomkins of Santa Rosa and three
sons, Sherman, Issac, and Harry Wolf, and eight grandchildren and 14 great-
grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted tomorrow at the chapel of Turner and Stevens. Chaplain Andrew W. Smith and the John F. Godfrey post of the G.A.R. of which Mr. Wolf was a member, will have charge. Daughters of Veterans and ladies of the G.A.R. are invited. Burial will be in Mountain View Cemetery.”

 

Sources:

NARA Pension file

Findagrave.com https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9007230/joseph-wolf

Obituary – Pasadena Evening Post

Obituary – November 28, 1925 – Los Angeles Times, Page 6

d.overton