Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Personal background

Rev. Francis Cuming
Age
The men of the 3rd Michigan Infantry were born between 1798 (Rev. Francis Cuming) and 1850 (Jacob Rebhun). 

Not including the six men for whom we do not have a birth year, more than three-quarters of the total 1,411 enrolled were born after 1830 and one in five born after 1842: 

11-16 years of age: 31
17-19 years: 275
20-29 years: 811
30-39 years: 204
over 40 years: 72
over 50 years: 10
over 60 years: 3 

If we combine the numbers of all those men under 30, that group comprised nearly 80% of the total enrolled in the Regiment (1,412). 

Height
Of the 922 reported physical measurements, four men were
5 feet or less: Tommy Byers, John McPherson, Albert Pelton and Jacob Rebhun. At the tall end, we have George Korten at 6'10,  George Randall and Robert Swart at 6'6",  Sam Aldrich and Ben Waite were 6'4", and Alex French and Calvin Wilsey 6'3". Over half of the men were between 5’6’” and 5’11”. 

Education
At least 679 men were reported as able to read and write and 38 were listed as illiterate; both numbers were probably higher. We also know that at least 40 men attained “higher education” degrees in architecture, law, medicine, education and the ministry. 

Religion
In religious matters the men were overwhelmingly Protestant, although this remains measured speculation. Of the 116 reported religious preferences we know that 84 were Protestant, 29 Catholic, 2 were Universalist, and 1 was Jewish. 

Occupations
At least 788 (or more than 56%) of the 1,405 reported prewar occupations were directly related to the farm, and if one adds the 161 laborers, nearly 68% of the men who joined the Old 3rd Michigan Infantry were either farmers or laborers (and quite often both). The next highest represented occupation was carpentry with 67 men who had worked in that trade before the war, followed by 59 in the lumber industry, 35 clerks, 24 blacksmiths and 23 shoemakers. 

If we add the farmer/laborer group to the next five occupations, more than 82% of the regiment fell into seven occupational categories.  

Sunday, March 28, 2021

3rd Michigan Infantry Association

Between 1870 and 1927, 368 former members of (both 1st and 2nd organizations) of the Third Michigan Infantry, along with at least 120 family and friends (honorary members) joined together in a fraternal association. 

They met annually for a reunion, which included a business meeting of association, followed by a banquet. For many years these reunions were held on the first Wednesday after the anniversary of the battle of Fredericksburg of December 13, 1862. Beginning in 1904, annual association meetings fell on or near June 13, the day the regiment left Grand Rapids in 1861. 

The 1885 reunion was held in Grand Rapids in conjunction with the reunion of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland, which was also held in Grand Rapids. And while the records are unclear, the reunions of 1924, 1925 and 1926 were presumably held in Grand Rapids. 

No reunions were held in 1873, 1875 or 1880 while the 1913 reunion was held in conjunction with the 50th anniversary celebration of the Battle of Gettysburg. 

The 55th and final reunion was held at the Pantlind Hotel (today the Amway Grand) in Grand Rapids, Michigan in June of 1927; six of the fourteen remaining Association members attended.

(photo above: 1921 reunion)

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Relationships and family

Marriage

At least 957 men were married either before, during or after the war. Of that number 266 men married a second time, and 11 men married four times.

We know that 107 men were divorced or separated from their wives, 11 were divorced twice, and 3 men were divorced three times.

At least 291 men were reported at death as widowers, and at least 19 were widowers twice.

Families
At least 765 men had children and 20 of them had 10 or more children. Andrew Kirschman, Theodore McClain and Elam Moe tied for the record: each man had at least thirteen children. In Elam's case, two of his sons, Daniel and Robert also served in the Old 3rd Michigan, and all three survived the war.

Related to each other
Of the 1,411 men enrolled in the regiment, at least 289 were related in one way or another. (This does not include the many relationships by marriage or distant family connection such as first cousins, brothers-in-law, etc.) There were at least 10 known father-son combinations, 2 uncle-nephew combinations: Stephen and Clarence Lowing and Ezra and Dennis Guernsey, and at least 154 brother combinations.

(photo above: Warren Wilkinson and his wife Alice Foster)

Friday, March 26, 2021

Association Roster

The following list is actually made up of at least two lists of Old 3rd Michigan Infantry Association members found in the Association records in Grand Rapids Public Library: a list from c. 1905 and one of honorary members. 

It would appear from the records that at least one other list had been kept as a running record of members but this remains unclear.

Amos H. Abbott - 1905 roster; possibly Clarkson Abbott.
Roderick Ackley
Charles H. Adams
George Adams - 1905 roster
Miles Adams
Charles Althouse
A. B. Ames - 1905 roster
E. L. Anderson
George W. Arms
Richard E. Arthur
James Austin
N. L. Avery - honorary
Albert Babcock
James Babe
George W. Bailey
Henry Bailey
Mrs. Nora M. Barnum - honorary; possibly related to Andrew Barnum
John Bassett - honorary
Philip Bayne
William H. Baird
Benjamin Baker - 1905 roster
George Ball
Simon P. Barnhard
John Barnhard
George Barnier
Robert G. Barr
Robert Barry
Hiram Bateman
Alfred Bates - 1905 roster
Martin Beebe - 1905 roster
Capt. C. E. Belknap - honorary
Ambrose D. Bell
Harley C. Bement
George Bennett
Jonas Bennett
William W. Bennett
Daniel Benton
Danel E. Birdsall
Charles Birdsell - honorary
Dennis Birmingham
John Bissell
George W. Blain
Dr. Zenas E. Bliss
Mortimer Bonner
Mrs. Mortimer Bonner - honorary
Henry Booth
Baker Borden
Charles Bouton - 1905 roster
Hugh Boyd
Frank Bracelin - Old Third status unknown
Simon Brennan
Nelson Brashaw - probably Nelson Bressan
Joseph Brewer
Harvey S. Briggs
John Broad
Dan Bronson - honorary; Colonel Dan McConnell's "servant "and the only known African-American member of the Association
Eli W. Brown - 1905 roster
Harvey Brown - probably Henry Brown
Hiram Brown
Joseph Brown
Isaac Burbank - 1905 roster
John Henry Burke - 1905 roster
Thomas Byers
Charles Calkins - 1905 roster
Henry S. Calkins - 1905 roster
John Calkins
Adolphe Campau
George Carlisle
Albert Carpenter - 1905 roster
Benjamin Carpenter
John G. Carpenter
A. X. Cary - honorary
Edward Case
Theodore Castor
James Cavenaugh
Alex. G. Champlin - honorary
John W. Champlin - honorary
Mrs. Mary Champlin - honorary
Albert Chase- 1905 roster
Edward Chase
George Childs
Hobart H. Chipman
C. Christler - Old Third status unknown
A. L. Chubb - 1905 roster, Old Third status unknown
Leonard Church
Edgar W. Clark
Harlan P. Colby
Burnett C. Collins
Robert J. Compton
William Courser
J. H. Covert - honorary
David C. Crawford
Daniel G. Crotty
G. F. Crotty - honorary
Lawrence Croy
Noah Culver - 1905 roster
B. Cunningham - 1905 roster, Old Third status unknown
Calvin Curler
John J. Cutler
Henry Cutler
Emerson Danforth - 1905 roster
Mrs. John Dart - honorary
C. Davis - honorary
David L. Davis
Edward P. Davidson
David L. Davis
George W. Davis
James Davis - 1905 roster
John Davis - Old Third status unknown
John C. Davis - Old Third status unknown
Washington Davis
Mrs. Washington Davis - honorary
Martin De Boe
Meerweis De Kraker
John Dennis
John H. Dennis - honorary
Ezekial H. Dewey
Austin P. Dibble
John Dibble
Wallace W. Dickinson
Mrs. W. W. Dickinson - honorary
Andrew E. Dinsmore
George W. Dodge
William H. Drake
Joseph Dunn - 1905 roster
Samuel Duram
Aaron Durfee
Albert Durfee
Edward Earle
John D. Earle - honorary
Abraham Eddy
Charles Eddy
Charles Ellet
Charles Elliott - Old Third status unknown
Miner J. Emlaw
David Emmons
Anne Etheridge - honorary
Joseph Evered
Julius Faenger
Joseph C. Feheley
W. N. P. Ferris
Washington K. Ferris
Sanford Fish
Leonard Fleck
John Foulks - 1905 roster
Dewitt Foreman
Francis Forman
John Fortier - honorary
Oscar Foster
Roy Foster - honorary
Charles Fox - Old Third status unknown
J. R. Free - Old Third status unknown
George French
William S. Gallup
Alfred A. Garlock
Samuel S. Garrison
John Garrison - honorary
Israel Geer
Benjamin Gilden
Mrs. Benjamin Gilden - honorary
James Gillespie - 1905 roster
William H. Goff
Benjamin Gooch
Robert Graham
Lycurgus E. Granger
Samuel Greenwood - 1905 roster
Dr. James F. Grove
William E. Grove - honorary
Dennis Guernsey
Peter H. Haight - Old Third status unknown
Ralph Hanley
James Hanna
Charles Harris
George W. Harris
Albert Hayes
Don Henderson - honorary
Charles Henry
Byron Hess - 1905 roster
Levi Heth
August Heyer
Ira Hiler
Warren G. Hill
Henry H. Himelberger
Moses B. Houghton
Mrs. Moses B. Houghton - honorary
Theodore Houk
George Houseman
Ransom Howe
Ransom Howell - 1905 roster
George Hubbard
O. P. Huntley
William A. Hyde - honorary
Orvil C. Ingersoll
Geo. H. Irwin - honorary
John Jackson - honorary (R)
Samuel Jason - 1905 roster
Zeph Jeffries
Eli D. Johnson
Ira G. Johnson
Oscar Johnson
Nelson Jones - Old Third status unknown
Wilson Jones
William J. Jubb
George Judd
Samuel Judd - honorary
Louie Kanitz - honorary
Patrick Kearney
Lee Kelley
John A. Kellogg
Abram Ketchum
Jerome Kibbe
George B. Kibbee
Andrew J. Killpatrick
Henry E. Kingsbury
Mrs. Henry E. Kingsbury - honorary
Mrs. S. G. Kinkaid - honorary
Andrew Kirshman
John Frederick Klink
George Koch
William Koch
Conrad Kritzer
Herman Kusig
Mrs. Herman Kusig - honorary
Mrs. George Lamb - honorary
Lorenzo D. Lamphere
Charles Land
John Laraway
David C. Leach
Joseph Ledbeter
Edwin Lewis
Oliver Lewis
Smith K. Lewis
Henry Lindemeier - 1905 roster
John Lindsey
Mrs. John Lindsey - honorary
Stephen Longyear
Don G. Lovell - 1905 roster
Charles B. Lovrien
Charles Luce - honorary
Gregory Luce - honorary
Hiram Luce
Mrs. Hiram Luce - honorary
Ransom B. Luce - honorary
Charles D. Lyon
Hiram Madden - honorary
Henry Magoon - 1905 roster
Edwin H. Mallory
Frank Mallory - Old Third status unknown
C. B. Mann
William H. Marlett
John H. Martin - honorary
Frank Martig
Burdette Mason - 1905 roster
Mike McCarthy
Orange McClure
Daniel McConnell
Allen McKee
Joel McLenithan
W. A. McMann
John McNab
A. T. McReynolds - honorary
J. E. Messmore - honorary
A. J. Meyers
Alvah M. Miller - Old Third status unknown
Charles Miller
James Miller - Old Third status unknown
John Miller
George W. Mills
James Misner - 1905 roster
Robert Misner
Daniel S. Moe
Emery Moon
Wilbur H. Moon
E. Moore - Old Third status unknown
H. M. Moore - Old Third status unknown
Walter B. Morrison
Webster Morris
Allen D. Morse - honorary
Benjamin Morse
Edwin Morse
Henry M. Morse
Lewis P. Morse - honorary
M. W. Morse - honorary
Wilberd Morse - honorary
Frank Muhlberg
Walter Mundell
Samuel D. Murray
Robert Musgrove
Andrew T. Myers
Nicholas Myers - Old Third status unknown
Richard Myers - Old Third status unknown
George K. Nairn
Carlton Neal
Lucius J. Neal
John Nelthorpe
Judge R. L. Newham - honorary
Moses S. Newman
Edwin Nickerson
Willard Olds
King R. Olmstead
John B. Osgood - 1905 roster
Fernando Page
Heman Parish
A. A. Parker - Old Third status unknown
Albert C. Parker
Henry Parker - 1905 roster
James Parm - 1905 roster
Henry J. Patterson
William Paustle
Dayton S. Peck
Freling W. Peck
Robert H. Peck
Aldrich Pelton - honorary
Mrs. Albert Pelton - honorary
Alfred Pelton
Andrew J. Pelton
Mrs.Andrew J. Pelton - honorary
Silas M. Pelton
Lewis Perkins
Lewis Pettit
Charles Philbrick - honorary
Esquire C. Phillips
Byron R. Pierce
Edwin S. Pierce
H. W. V. Pierce - honorary
Silas K. Pierce - member 6th Michigan cavalry
Arthur A. Place
Ira Poats
George Powers
Mrs. Dr. George Powers - honorary
George Prescott
Rev. J. S. Preston - honorary
S. Preston - honorary
John R. Price
Samuel E. Pryor
Walter Quigley
Reuben Randall
Levi C. Rathbun
James Reed
Merrick D. Reed
James Reeves
George W. Remington
L. C. Remington - honorary
James Renwick
William Renwick
W. H. Reynolds - 1905 roster, Old Third status unknown
James Rhodes
J. B. Richardson - honorary
Franklin S. Robins
Daniel S. Root
Charles Rose
Charles W. Rose
E. O. Rose - honorary
Orlando Rowe - 1905 roster
Albert Rudolph - Old Third status unknown
Geo. Rutherford - honorary
William Ryan
Mrs. Wwilliam L. Ryan - honorary
S. S. Sampson - Old Third status unknown
Truman Sawdy
Chas. H. C. Scaddin
George Schermerhorn
Mrs. Georeg Schermerhorn - honorary
August Schmidt
Mrs. August Schmidt - honorary
Christian Schmidt
Ludwig Schmidt - 1905 roster
Michael Schmidt
George Schwegler
Job Scott
Wilbur C. Scott
Albert H. Scranton
George P. Scranton
George Shadduck
Allen S. Shattuck
Nelson Shattuck
John Shaw
Zeph Shaw - Old Third status unknown
D. O. Shaver - honorary
Mrs. Elmira Shear - honorary
R. G. Shear - Old Third status unknown
D. O. Sheres - honorary
Oscar M. Sherburn
Frederick Schriver
Isaac Sigler - honorary
Rufus W. Skeels
S. Skeely - Old Third status unknown
W. S. Slasson - Old Third status unknown
Charles W. Smith
Israel C. Smith
Mrs. Israel C. Smith - honorary
James V. Smith - 1905 roster
Nathan J. Smith
Riley Smith
Mrs. Riley Smith - honorary
Sidney B. Smith
Wm. A. Smith
Thomas Somerset
Ahira D. Southard
Minor P. Spaulding
Samuel J. Spaulding
John A. Stanton
Simond P. Stanton
Charles Starks
Sylvanus Staring
Ambrose A. Stevens
Elisha O. Stevens
Joseph Stevens
William F. Stevens - honorary
Ezra Stewart - 1905 roster
Warren Stone
Frederick A. Stowe
Geo. F. Stowe - honorary
R. F. Stowe - honorary
N. J. Streeter - honorary
John T. Strong
John H. Sumner
Joseph Sutton
Charles Swain
Charles Sweet - 1905 roster
Herbert S. Taft - 1905 roster
Levi Tanner
Alfred Tate
Thomas Tate
Mrs. Phebe Tate - honorary
Chauncey B. Taylor
Guilford D. Taylor
John A. Taylor
James M. Taylor
Martin V. Taylor
Edgar F. Teele
Mrs. E. E. Ten Eyck - honorary
A. A. Tewksbury
Homer Thayer
Bartlett Thompson - 1905 roster
Stephen D. Thompson
Thomas Thompson
Frederick Teadt
Horace Tompkins - Old Third status unknown
Albert B. Towne
Capt. Townsend, U.S.A. - honorary
Benjamin C. Tracy
Mrs. Ben C. Tracy - honorary
Franklin Tubbs
Andrew Tuttle
Charles H. VanDusen
N. H. Vincent - honorary
Charles H. Vosburgh
C. H. Wagner - 1905 roster, Old Third status unknown
Benjamin F. Waite
Isaac Waite
John N. Wait
Thomas Waite
William Waldig - 1905 roster
Isaac Walker
David Warner
Archibald Washburn - 1905 roster
Thomas Waters
Arthur Watkins - 1905 roster
E. C. Watkins - honorary
E. S. Watkins - Old Third status unknown
Andrew J. Webster
William H. H. Wells
D. M. Wetzell - honorary
Stephen Wheaton
Frank Wheeler
John Wheeler
Edward C. Wheelock
Mrs. F. H. White - honorary
James White - 1905 roster
Samuel White, Jr
Thomas White
Abraham J. Whitney
Warren G. Wilkinson
A. L. Williams - Old Third status unknown
James Williams - member 21st Michigan infantry
Thomas Williams
William L. Williams
William W. Williams - Old Third status unknown
Daniel E. Wilson
William P. Wilson
William Winegar - honorary
George Wiselogel - 1905 roster
J. H. Wood41 - 1905 roster, Old Third status unknown
William E. Woodruff
Abram Woodard
Caleb Woolpert
Frederick Worden
William Wright
Albert Wustrow
George Young - honorary
William Zilkey

Thursday, March 25, 2021

No Further Record

At least 30 men are listed as "no further record" in regimental documents and with the exception of Henry Smith, Thomas Henfry and Virgil Hamilton all were listed in an "Unassigned" company. 

Clarkson Abbott
Charles Brown, substitute
Joseph Cantor, substitute
Edward Grayson, substitute
Edward Hall
Charles Hamill
Virgil Hamilton
John Hamilton, substitute
Gilbert Hansen
John Harper
John Harris
Thomas Henfry
Henry Jones
Nathaniel Lenning
John Marsh
Christy Martin
John Miller (2), substitute
William Monroe (2)
Edwin Moucham
Edward New, substitute
John Otto, substitute
Charles Palmer
Samuel Sikes
Henry Smith, substitute
Robert Smith
Alfred Spencer
Calvin Strain
Franz Sumner, substitute
Henry Ward, substitute
Charles White, substitute

Only Henfry and Hamill appear to have ended up in several different units: Henfry served in the 17th US infantry and Hamill served in the 12th Michigan infantry, the 1st US cavalry and in fact stayed in the army after the war serving out west for some years. 

Eleven of the 30 were substitutes for men drafted. 

Five of the 30 are known to have survived the war. 

Enlisted in but never joined the regiment
Another seven men never joined the 3rd Michigan in Virginia: Rendel Fisher, William Sayles, Martin Bates, John Lucas, George Runyan, Edmund Bement and Preston Chaille. Aside from Fisher the other six joined a different Michigan unit: Sayles in the 6th cavalry, Bates in the 3rd cavalry, Lucas in the 10th cavalry, Runyan in the 5th infantry, Bement in the 12th infantry and Chaille in the Light Artillery. All but Fisher are known to have survived the war (what became of Fisher remains unknown).  

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Forgotten

 
Left out of the "Brown Book" Regimental Record of Service 

For reasons which are today unclear, 35 men were not listed in the official state-sponsored regimental record of history of service of the Old 3rd Michigan Infantry. 

The so-called "Brown Book" series underwritten by the Michigan State Adjutant General's Office under the direction of then Adjutant General George Brown, consisted of one volume for each regiment listing each soldier's name followed by the company letter. "Unassigned" refers to a soldier who was never assigned to a company in the 3rd Michigan, often as the result of being assigned or transferred to another unit but that was not always the case. Unfortunately the record remains unclear on this.

Given their well-known reputation and status int he local West Michigan community, some of the missing names, such as Adolphe Campau, Edwin Pierce, Don Lovell and Daniel Littlefield are indeed surprising.

Daniel Littlefield
BELLOWS, George W. - E
BENSON, John - D
IGGS, Solomon D. - D
BRADFORD, James H. - C
BURBANK, Isaac - F
BURGESS, Maynard E. - Unassigned
CAMPAU, Adolph T. - A
CHAILLE, Preston - Unassigned
CLAY, George S. - E
DIBBLE, Austin P. - K
DRAPER, Charles S. - I
EBERLY, Antony - C
FISHER, Rendel - Unassigned
FOOTE, Allen Ripley - B
GARLOCK, Alfred A. - E
HAMILL, Charles O. - Unassigned
HARKER, John - Unassigned
HARRIS, John - Unassigned
KILBY, Patrick - G
LITTLEFIELD, Daniel W. - A
LOVELL, Don G. - A
LUCAS, John - Unassigned
MONROE, William - Unassigned
MOUCHAM, Edwin - Unassigned
NEAL, Carlton - K
OWEN, William M. or Marvin - D
PARM, James - I
PAUSTLE, Austin - H
PERRY, Silas S. - G
PIERCE, Edwin S. - E
SAYLES, William G. or R. - B
SEELAND, Edward - C
SHELDON, George W. - E
STRONG, John J. - G
TAYLOR, Lyman A. - H

Another 7 were listed only in the 5th Michigan Infantry regimental history:

BARKER, Fred - K
BISSOT, Henry - Unassigned
CHAMBERLAIN, Charles -Unassigned
KENNICUTT, Daniel - K
KORTEN, George - Unassigned
MONTAGUE, Charles - Unassigned
STEELE, Peter - G

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Deaths

unburied dead at the Rose Farm, Gettysburg, July 1863, by Timothy O'Sullivan

Of 1,411 men enrolled in the 3rd Michigan Infantry, we have death dates for 1,241.

From the middle of June of 1861 until the regiment was mustered out of federal service on June 10, 1864, 260 men of the Old 3rd Michigan died: 

103 men killed in action
49 from wounds
97 of disease4 in accidents
1 suicide1 murdered
5 unknown cause 

This represents a nearly 18% casualty rate (based on a total enrollment of 1,411).

When we take into account men consolidated into the 5th Michigan Infantry, transferred to other regiments or discharged from the 3rd Michigan and who subsequently reentered the military, another 90 men died by the time the war ended on May 6, 1865. Another 11 men did not live to see 1866. From the spring of 1861 until the end of 1865 at least 361 men of the 3rd Michigan infantry perished. As a group, the 3rd Michigan suffered a 25% casualty rate, or one of every four men who enrolled in the 3rd would not survive the end of 1865.

First to die
The first man to die was probably Joseph Proper or Propier, on May 8, 1861, at Cantonment Anderson in Grand Rapids. He was buried about one mile away from the camp in what is now Oak Hill (north) cemetery, at the corner of Eastern and Hall streets in Grand Rapids. (Note: Joseph is not included in the calculations here since he was never mustered into state, let alone federal service.)

Of those men mustered into service with the regiment Chauncey Strickland was the first to die. He perished of lung fever at camp in Grand Rapids on June 18, 1861.

His remains were returned to his family home in Clinton County. The first man to die after the regiment arrived in Virginia was probably William Choate of Company C; he died of disease at Camp Blair, Virginia, near the Chain Bridge and presumably buried near the camp. Homer Morgan of Company B was the first to die by violence, on July 20, 1861, allegedly a suicide.

Last to die
Originally in Company E Moses Monroe transferred to the 5th Michigan Infantry in June of 1864 when the regiments were consolidated. He was wounded on April 6, 1865 at Sayler’s Creek, Virginia, near Appomattox and died of his wounds on April 23.

Eleven other former members of the 3rd Michigan died in April of 1865, and another three in May. For example, Casper Thenner, sick from disease, had just returned to his home in Grand Rapids when he died on May 27, and was interred in what is now an unmarked grave in Oak Hill (south) cemetery. The last to die in 1865 was probably Asa Daniels, who had recently returned to Clinton County, Michigan when he died of unknown causes on December 13. Perhaps the last man to die as a direct consequence of the war was Samuel Thurston of Company C. According to the Grand Rapids Herald of February 9, 1897, “After carrying a rebel bullet in his right lung for over thirty years” Thurston, who was an inmate of the Michigan Soldiers' Home “has given up the fight. The bullet had for over thirty years been ploughing its way downward through the tissues of the lungs, and yesterday afternoon dropped out, death being almost instantaneous. The ball was covered with a linen patch, just as it had left the rifle of some rebel soldier, the patch and bullet being firmly connected. At 2 o'clock yesterday morning Thurston was taken to the hospital, having been in usual good health up to a short time before that. In the afternoon he complained to his nurse that his heart pained him, and while she was gone to secure a hot water application Thurston died.”

Last man standing. . .
The last known survivor of the Old 3rd Michigan Infantry, was probably Edward McArdle of Company E. He died on October 15, 1937, at the Pacific Branch, National Military Home, Los Angeles, California, and was buried in the National Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Monday, March 22, 2021

Burial places

 eight men of the Old Third are buried in
Dayton National Cemetery, Ohio.
Of the 1,411 men enrolled in the 3rd Michigan Infantry, we have burial locations for 1,265. 

The men of the Old 3rd Michigan Infantry died literally all over the United States and Canada. They are buried as far west as California and British Columbia, as far south as Key West, Florida and as far north as Montana and Maine.

The great majority are buried in Michigan and Virginia, followed by Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio. In fact, at least 884 men who served in the Old 3rd Michigan Infantry, or nearly 62% of the total enrolled, died and were buried in Virginia or Michigan.

Of the 684 men reportedly buried in Michigan, by far the largest number (208) are found in Kent County, and of that number 43 are buried in the “Michigan Soldiers’ Home” Cemetery in Grand Rapids.

After Kent, the Michigan counties with the next highest number of burials are Ottawa (53), Ionia (50), Barry (37), Muskegon (27) and Newaygo (23).

Unknown 
Many of the 195 men buried in Virginia are probably interred in unknown graves scattered throughout the state, like so many thousands of soldiers. For example, it is likely that of the estimated 35 men who died at Fair Oaks, Virginia, on May 31, 1862, all are interred in Seven Pines National Cemetery, although we know exact locations for only a fraction of that number. And the men who died at Groveton on August 29, 1862, their remains were reportedly brought to Arlington National Cemetery and interred in a mass grave very close to the Custis-Lee mansion.

The fact that so many men who died in prison camps remain listed as "unknown" is well-established. However, it is also quite likely that several of the Old 3rd soldiers who returned to Michigan during the war and died at home today rest in unmarked graves. This is particularly true for Samuel Camp in Lamont, Ottawa County, Francis Barlow, Henry Kampe and William Gibson in Grand Rapids, as well as Chauncey Strickland probably in Clinton County.  

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Birth places - updated 22 September 2022

Of the 1,285 reported birthplaces of the men of the Old 3rd Michigan Infantry 217 were born in Europe, and 74 in Canada, or some or more than 22% of the reported places of birth. Another  998 in the United States.

From Europe the highest number came from present-day Germany (107), followed by England (39), Scotland (14) and Ireland (35).  

In the United States, the overwhelming number of men were born were born in New York State (497), accounting for nearly39% of the total reported. Next was Michigan with 225 or about 18% of reported birthplaces; of that number 31 men were born in Kent County (the point of origin for the regiment). Third highest was Ohio (131).  

Taken together, New York, Ohio and Michigan accounted for more than two-thirds (66.4%) of all reported birthplaces.

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Dwight Merrill grave update

Dwight Merrill, Company E, 3rd Michigan Infantry. Buried in Whipple Cemetery, Newaygo County.





Monday, March 08, 2021

Allen Shattuck update

Matt VanAcker, Director, Tour, Education and Information Service for the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, and curator of Save the Flags, recently shared with me two fascinating bits of information regarding Allen Shattuck, formerly of Company G: the first is Shattuck’s climb up the capitol dome and the second concerns his role as a delivery person in Lansing after the war. Shattuck, along with his two brothers Daniel and Nelson, served in Company G, 3rd Michigan during the Civil War. See the sketches of the three Shattuck brothers.

If you’d like to know more about Save the Flags please contact Matt at MVanacker@legislature.mi.gov.

Monday, March 01, 2021

Books on the 3rd Michigan Infantry

 The History of the 3rd Michigan Infantry 

Based on over 30 years of research and thousands of pages of primary and contemporary source materials, the history of the first infantry regiment to leave Grand Rapids, Michigan for the war in Virginia, is available in two volumes:

History of the 3rd Michigan 1855-1865  The story of the regiment from its beginnings in the mid-1850s when western Michigan was a frontier to its final mustering out of federal service. in June of 1864 More than 450 pages long with a detailed chronology, rosters, numerous appendices, an extensive bibliography and exhaustive surname index.

History of the 3rd Michigan Infantry Association 1870-1927 Recounts the creation of the Old 3rd Michigan Infantry Association in the early 1870s and describes each of the 55 annual reunions. Based on newspaper accounts and association records, also comes with an extensive surname index and membership roster.

Also available is The Generals of the 3rd Michigan Infantry Provides comprehensive biographical sketches of the five men who were awarded the rank of brevet general during the American Civil War; four brigadier generals: Stephen G. Champlin, Moses B. Houghton, Israel C. Smith, and Ambrose A. Stevens; and one major general Byron R. Pierce.

The Biographies of the Men who served in the 3rd Michigan Infantry 

Now available in print the biographies of every one of the 1,411 men who served at one time or another in the 3rd Michigan Infantry, 1st organization.  In four volumes, on Amazon:

Abbott to Cutler

Dailey to Kusig

Lacey to Ryan

Salisbury to Zoll

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