Charles Montague

Charles Montague was born on July 5, 1846, in Vermont, the son of Thomas (1795-1860) and Harriet (Rice, 1803-1850).

By 1850 Charles was living with his family in Milton, Chittenden County, Vermont where his father worked as a farmer. Sometime probably in the late 1850s at least two of Charles’ older brothers, Ira and Edwin left Vermont and moved westward, eventually settling in western Michigan.

By 1860 Ira had settled in Georgetown, Ottawa County where he was living when he enlisted as a Sergeant on September 16, 1861, in Company D, First Michigan Engineers & Mechanics on 1861; his younger brother Edwin was possibly living in Grand Rapids, Kent County, when he too enlisted in Company D, First Michigan E & M on September 15, 1861.

Charles stood 5’4” with brown eyes, light hair and a light complexion and may have been an 18-year-old farmer living in Georgetown, Ottawa County, Michigan, when he enlisted in Unassigned on February 8, 1864, at Grand Rapids for 3 years, crediting Georgetown, and was mustered the same day. It is not known to which Third Michigan company he was eventually assigned but he did remain on the books of the regiment until it was consolidated with the Fifth Michigan in June.

In any case, Charles was sick in the hospital in May and was still absent sick when he was transferred to Company A, Fifth Michigan infantry upon consolidation of the Third and Fifth Michigan Regiments on June 10, 1864. Charles remained absent sick until September when he was returned to duty, and was wounded and taken prisoner on October 27, 1864, at Boydton Plank road (or Hatcher’s Run), near Petersburg, Virginia.

He died either in Richmond, Virginia or in Detroit on April 20, 1865, and was presumably buried in either Richmond or Detroit.

No pension seems to be available.