Thursday, February 14, 2008

John M. Call

John M. Call was born November 11, 1830 in Hornellsville, Steuben County, New York, the son of the Rev. Orlando Boardman (1810-1871) and Caroline C. (Crandall, 1811-1884).

John’s parents, both New York natives, were married in 1830 in Andover, Allegheny County, New York and were living in Hornellsville in 1830, then in Andover in 1833 and in fact they resided in New York for many years. The family eventually moved westward and sometime after 1853 settled in Michigan (where both of John's parents died).

John was living in Hartsville, Steuben County, New York when he married Permelia Stryker on April 3, 1855 in Hartsville, and they had at least two children: Eva (b. 1858) and Ira (b. 1859).

By 1858 John and his wife had settled in Michigan and by 1860 John was working as a farm laborer and he and his wife and children were living with the Comstock family in Bushnell, Montcalm County. By 1860 John's parents were living in Alaidon, Ingham County.

John was a 30-year-old laborer probably living in Ionia County, Michigan, when he enlisted in Company E on May 13, 1861. (Company E was composed in large part by men from Clinton and Ingham counties, as well as parts of Ionia County.)

He was wounded on August 29, 1862, at the Second battle of Bull Run, and subsequently sent to a hospital in Alexandria, where he died from his wounds on September 8, 1862. According to Lieutenant Andrew Nickerson of Company E, writing on September 16 to John’s wife,

It becomes my painful duty to inform you that your husband is no more. He departed this life Sept. 8th, 1862, in the hospital at Alexandria. He died of wounds received in the battle of Groveton Aug. 29th, 1862. Early in the action he received a minie ball in the knee. He was borne from the field by his comrades. His wounds dressed and he was sent to the hospital. None suppose his wound would prove fatal, but it did. I deeply sympathize with you in your great loss. I have known your husband but little over a year yet he seemed as near to me as a brother. He was a favorite of the whole company, brave and generous to a fault. We all mourn his loss and yet almost envy him the proud death he died. You will see by the note I enclose from the Surgeon in the Hospital that he left no effects of any value. His knapsack with his spare clothes was put aboard a vessel at Harrison’s Landing and when we received them after we returned form Manassas some of them we found to be rotted, having been exposed to the weather. Mr. Call’s was among this number. There was nothing in it except some blankets and a few clothes. Any information that I can give you I will be most happy to impart. He had about 4 months pay due him at the time of his death.

John was buried in Alexandria National Cemetery: section A, grave no. 263.

In 1863 his widow applied for and received a pension no. 15,774, dated July of 1865. By 1870 she and his two children had returned to Hartsville, New York and were living with her parents Jacob and Elizabeth. That same year John’s parents were living in Vernon, Shiawassee County.

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