Two Servicemen: My Memorial Day Tribute
Great, Great, Great Grandfather Charles Haley: Sergeant in the War of 1812
Charles Haley was born in 1788, just a few years after the Revolutionary War. He was drafted into the War of 1812 into the 10th Company, a detachment from the Richmond Regiment of North Carolina, serving as a sergeant under Colonel David Evans, Captain John Blue, and Commander John Cameron. Charles enlisted on July 29, 1813 and served for six months with an honorable discharge on January 29, 1814 near Wilmington, North Carolina, north of the Cape Fear River. I wanted to learn a little more about his personal involvement in the War of 1812 other than what was found recorded in his pension, which was the bare facts just previously mentioned. Following is what I was able to find, although I couldn't find much information about the Richmond Regiment I was able to find some general information with regard to North Carolina's role in the War of 1812.
North Carolina supplied 13,739 infantry men, 267 cavalry men, and 131 artillery men for a total of 14,137 men, although North Carolina was not the scene of combat during the War of 1812. The North Carolina residents and officials were concerned with potential British invasions and the state of defenses along the coast and inland sounds. The War lasted for three years and would be the last military conflict between the US and Britain. There were minor battles fought in Ocracoke and Portsmouth along the Outer Banks from July 12 to July 16, 1813--just before Charles was drafted--between the British and North Carolinians. The greatest consequence for North Carolina was that it dissolved the British/Indian alliance, which paved the way for American settlement in Alabama and Georgia.
Charles Haley survived the War of 1812 and during the midst of the Civil War, ironically, was kicked to death by mules after being thrown from a wagon on July 26, 1862!
Sources:
http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/commentary/749/entry/
Haley Cemetery
Fold 3 Pension Papers of Charles Haley
Muster Rolls of the Soldiers of the War of 1812: Detached from the Militia ... By North Carolina. Adjutant General's Dept
Great, Great Grandfather and Civil War Ancestor
Captain John Nilson
Enlisted in Company G, Indiana 25th Infantry Regiment on 19 Aug 1861. Promoted to Full 1st Lieutenant on 18 Aug 1864. Promoted to Full Captain on 01 Jan 1865. Mustered out and honorably discharged on 17 Jul 1865 at Louisville, Kentucky.
The History
The oldest of eight children born to Thomas and Isabella Sawhill Nilson, John was born on May 3, 1832 in western Pennsylvania, moving to Ohio as a child, and as a young man venturing to Indiana where he met and married his wife, Charity Hunsaker. At the time of the Civil War, John was working as a harness maker in the small country town of Medora, Indiana, 80 miles south of Indianapolis.
John took part in the battles of Fort Donelson, Pittsburg Landing, siege of Corinth, Matamora, Bentonville, North Carolina, Snake Creek Gap, Georgia, where he had command of the left wing of the regiment during battle, siege of Atlanta, the taking of Jonesboro, and the siege of Savannah. He was never seriously wounded but was twice struck by spent balls. After his release, he returned to his family in Jackson County, Indiana.
The Fun
On our 2014 trip to Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee my family and I visited the town of Medora as well as the Indiana History Society in Indianapolis , where I had the opportunity to touch and hold a very tiny Civil War diary kept by John Nilson. Not only did he keep a diary but many of his letters to his wife and family members have been preserved as well. A transcribed excerpt from his diary, a month before the end of the war follows:
March 11 1865
We march at 8am only had about an hours sleep. We were very tired. We halted here near 11mi [past?]from Fayetteville N.C. We cross Little Rock River near 9 am past here we see a column of snakes issuing from a large pile of Rosin. Near 7 m post we pass through an old village of frame huts filled with women & children. here is a splendid mill seat, the large cotton factory at this place is in ruins. This place is called Rock Fish Factory. One p.m. we hal tin front of Fayetteville, 1 of our foragers was killed by some Rebel Cav. making a dash on them while in
town. He belonged to Co. [F?] 25 Ind. Here we camp for the night.
His letters describe his personal experiences with the Civil War. One such letter, dated July 9, 1862, at a camp near Lagrange, Tennessee, relates being fired on by civilians while picking blackberries in the woods and an incident at Holly Springs where one soldier was left behind at a plantation only to be hunted down and torn to pieces by blood hounds.
Driving to the places where John lived in Medora and his travels as a soldier in Louisville and passing through Kentucky and Tennessee made my connection to him more real—especially when I got to hold that little diary that traveled with him from place to place as he served in the Indiana 25th Regiment. Living the history of the past is one of the best parts of doing family history research!
My Tribute
These two "grandfathers" are just two of my ancestors that served our country. I have at least one that served in the Revolutionary War. I am thankful for their contributions to helping us enjoy the freedoms we have today as a country and as a people.
