Charles Buehl, also known as “Buchel”, “Buekele” and “Buckele”, was born 1816 in Germany.
Charles left Germany and came to the United States before the war broke out, eventually settling in Michigan. By 1860 he was probably working as a farmer (his name was spelled as “Biggle”) and living next to the John Harding family in Hinton, Mecosta County. (Harding too had been born in Germany.)
Charles stood 5’6” with gray eyes, dark hair and dark complexion, was hardly able to speak any English and was a 45-year-old farmer living in Deerfield (?), Mecosta County when he enlisted on May 23, 1861, in Company C. (Company C was made up largely of German and Dutch immigrants, many of whom lived on the west side of the Grand River in Grand Rapids. This company was the descendant of the old Grand Rapids Rifles, also known as the “German Rifles”, a prewar local militia company composed solely of German troopers.)
He was present for duty from the time the regiment arrived in Washington, DC, through the end of June of 1862. Sometime during the summer, though, he became quite ill -- he apparently have suffered a rupture as well as aphonia -- and was absent sick in the hospital at Harrison’s Landing from July of 1862 through October. According to a statement he made in 1884 “During the Seven Days fight in Va and on the 3rd day of the fight while slowly retreating and stepping backwards he was tripped by a stub and fell over backwards striking on a log or stump with the small of his back injuring the spine and also producing a rupture of [the] left side. He was immediately sent back with the wounded to Harrison’s Landing [and] was excused for duty until the first of October.”
He was left sick at Upton’s Hill, Virginia on October 11, and that same month he was also reported in a hospital at Yorktown, Virginia, and was eventually sent to a hospital in November, possibly as early as mid-October. Charles later claimed that he “was placed in a field hospital at Georgetown in a tent where he stayed about two weeks and was then sent to [the] Convalescent Camp in Va near Fort Richardson where he remained until discharged.” Although he was reported to be in a hospital in Washington from December through April of 1863, he was in fact at the Convalescent Camp in Virginia by April 24, 1863. In later years he claimed to have been injured by a fall during the war, but he was in fact discharged for “old age” and bronchitis on April 30, 1863, at the camp.
Following his release from the army Charles returned to Deerfield and by 1870 he was working as a farmer and living with the John Harding family in Deerfield. He may have lived for a time in Grand Rapids.
He was apparently married at one time but was listed as divorced by 1880 when he was living by himself on a farm in Deerfield
Charles was reportedly living in Stanwood, Mecosta County in 1884, 1888 and 1890.
In 1863 he applied for and received pension no. 596449.
He is quite possibly buried in Higbee cemetery, Morley, Mecosta County.
Charles left Germany and came to the United States before the war broke out, eventually settling in Michigan. By 1860 he was probably working as a farmer (his name was spelled as “Biggle”) and living next to the John Harding family in Hinton, Mecosta County. (Harding too had been born in Germany.)
Charles stood 5’6” with gray eyes, dark hair and dark complexion, was hardly able to speak any English and was a 45-year-old farmer living in Deerfield (?), Mecosta County when he enlisted on May 23, 1861, in Company C. (Company C was made up largely of German and Dutch immigrants, many of whom lived on the west side of the Grand River in Grand Rapids. This company was the descendant of the old Grand Rapids Rifles, also known as the “German Rifles”, a prewar local militia company composed solely of German troopers.)
He was present for duty from the time the regiment arrived in Washington, DC, through the end of June of 1862. Sometime during the summer, though, he became quite ill -- he apparently have suffered a rupture as well as aphonia -- and was absent sick in the hospital at Harrison’s Landing from July of 1862 through October. According to a statement he made in 1884 “During the Seven Days fight in Va and on the 3rd day of the fight while slowly retreating and stepping backwards he was tripped by a stub and fell over backwards striking on a log or stump with the small of his back injuring the spine and also producing a rupture of [the] left side. He was immediately sent back with the wounded to Harrison’s Landing [and] was excused for duty until the first of October.”
He was left sick at Upton’s Hill, Virginia on October 11, and that same month he was also reported in a hospital at Yorktown, Virginia, and was eventually sent to a hospital in November, possibly as early as mid-October. Charles later claimed that he “was placed in a field hospital at Georgetown in a tent where he stayed about two weeks and was then sent to [the] Convalescent Camp in Va near Fort Richardson where he remained until discharged.” Although he was reported to be in a hospital in Washington from December through April of 1863, he was in fact at the Convalescent Camp in Virginia by April 24, 1863. In later years he claimed to have been injured by a fall during the war, but he was in fact discharged for “old age” and bronchitis on April 30, 1863, at the camp.
Following his release from the army Charles returned to Deerfield and by 1870 he was working as a farmer and living with the John Harding family in Deerfield. He may have lived for a time in Grand Rapids.
He was apparently married at one time but was listed as divorced by 1880 when he was living by himself on a farm in Deerfield
Charles was reportedly living in Stanwood, Mecosta County in 1884, 1888 and 1890.
In 1863 he applied for and received pension no. 596449.
He is quite possibly buried in Higbee cemetery, Morley, Mecosta County.
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