My Great Grandmother was born in 1869, in Maine. She died in 1962 at the age of 92+. Sometime during my teenage years, she told me the story (which went in one ear and out the other) about her fathers involvement in the Civil War. Early in the war, he was wounded, probably at First Bull Run. He was in a hospital in DC. Her mother took a buckboard and traveled down to DC, put her husband into the wagon and returned to Maine.
Some years later, I remembered the story and decided to check things out. I got really into genealogy and have gotten my ancestry back into the 1500's and my wife's back even further.
The Civil War aspect, though has continued to elude me. I have not gotten into it for the past few years, but will soon start digging, again. One of the problems was the manner that people enlisted during the ACW. In the case of Maine and Massachusetts (and I am sure in many areas), if there was no active recruitment in your area, you went to where there was recruitment, so men from rural Maine went down to Massachusetts and joined those regiments.
On a side note, I did find (on my wife's side), that she had at least 2 ancestors in the the ACW. Two brothers, Caleb Noyes Rogers and John Brock Rogers (2nd Lt) were members of the 15th Vermont and participated in the Gettysburg campaign (Companies H and K). Their company was on security duty for the baggage trains for part of the time, but seemed to be in support of Cemetery Hill. They also participated at Spotsylvania. I have found their records in the 15th Vermont. The company commander was James M. Ayer. Their regimental commander was Col Proctor Redfield.
In addition, during the American Revolution, my wife had ancestors on BOTH sides. One, Capt Brigham, led a company of 16 men from Southborough, MA to Lexington (his son and several other relatives were part of this company). He was a veteran on the French and Indian Wars, also. I have found documentation that he submitted to the Continental Congress for reimbursement for expenses, such as payment for using toll crossings. On the other side, Captain Hugh Campbell (from County Ayr, Scotland) fought at Bunker Hill and at some point was awarded a Kings Grant of land in New Brunswick, Canada at Dipper Harbor, which still seems to be in Campbell hands.
_________________ General Ernie Sands President ACWGC -Sept 2015- Dec 2020 7th Brigade, 1st Division, XVI Corps, AoT ACWGC Records Site Admin
"If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there."
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