William C Campbell was born in Rising Sun, Ohio County, Indiana on 8 Oct 1840, the 5th child – and 2nd son – of the 10 known children of Alexander (b. ca 1798 KY) and Sophia (b. ca 1812 VT) CAMPBELL.
William was mustered, as a single, 21-yr old Private, into Company B of the 52nd Indiana Infantry Regiment, on 1 Feb 1862 at Versailles, Indiana. The regiment participated in: the siege and capture of Fort Donelson -Feb 12-16; and then garrisoned at Fts. Henry and Helman until April 18, when it moved to Pittsburg Landing TN. Next came the siege of Corinth, MS -April 29-30; after which the regiment marched to Memphis for duty.
There were several engagements during that time frame; and further operations against guerillas in Tennessee and Arkansas by September 30, 1862. The regiment was later ordered to Vicksburg, where it accompanied Sherman’s army on the Meridian raid, participating in the engagement at Jackson.
On Feb 27, 1864, as part of a re-organization of the regiment, those veterans who opted to stay with the unit were furloughed for just over a month home in Indiana; this likely would have included WCC. The veterans returned to the “new” Indiana 52nd “veteran regiment” in April via KY, TN, and to Arkansas in time for the fight at Lake Chicot.
On 27 Feb 1864, William Cunningham Campbell was transferred into Company G in the “new” IN 52nd Infantry, this time with the rank of Sergeant. However, according to the Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, Volume 2, by W.H.H. Terrell, page 520, WCC had been commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant on 1 Jun 1865; though the Remarks in that listing state, “mustered out as 1st Sergeant with Regiment.”
Prior to the Regiment’s final Muster-Out at Montgomery, AL on 10 Sep 1865, the Indiana 52nd Infantry had traveled through at least seven states for duty as garrison, scouting, and/or engaging the enemy in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is unknown to this researcher exactly which engagements William C Campbell personally experienced.
Following the war, on 3 Oct 1866 – at Wirt, Jefferson Co, IN – William, 25, married 24 yr-old Mary A “Mollie” WARD, (b. 11 Oct 1841 Madisonville, OH; d. 8 Mar 1880, Pueblo, Pueblo Co, CO); minister W Y Monroe, of the Liberty Baptist Church officiated.
William and Mary had at least five children including Nettie, b. 8 Jul 1869 in Versailles, Ripley Co, IN, from whose line descends the member of Laura Belle Stoddard Tent 22 of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865.
William, Mary and their new family of at least 4 children lived in Indiana until sometime between 1872 and 1878, when daughter Mary was born in Colorado. Their last known child, Willis, was born in Feb 1880; his mother Mary died on 8 Mar 1880 and is buried in Pueblo Pioneer Cemetery, Pueblo, CO.
Before the June 1880 census was taken, William had moved his five motherless children, aged 12 to 3 months, to Wellington, Sumner County KS. William is not only found with his family in that census, but also, as a Farmer boarding with the Kimble family in neighboring Palestine, KS. Sometime ca 1890 William married Margaret Angie GRISWOLD; in May 1891, she and William had their only known child, son Frank G.
William’s wife Angie died on 11 May 1909, followed 4 years later, on 18 Aug 1913, by William Cunningham Campbell. Both are buried in the same plot, 7-133, of Sunset Cemetery in Manhattan, Riley Co, Kansas.
Sources: all sources accessed in March 2015.
Application for Membership in DUV.
Ancestry.com, especially Census: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910.
Familysearch.org esp. Indiana Marriages: <https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-18261-66833-28?cc=1410397>
<http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=87163296&ref=acom>
<http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=87162904>
<http://www.civilwarindex.com/armyin/52nd_in_infantry.html>
<http://www.civilwarindex.com/armyin/officers/52nd_in_infantry_officers.pdf> Page 520
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/52nd_Indiana_Infantry_Regiment>
-ct/Mar 2015