The War of the Rebellion
The Civil War began when South Carolina seceded from the Union and
launched an attack on Fort Sumter. Knowledgeable people on both sides
thought the war would last only a few months at most. But, over a year
later and with the war going badly for the Union, President Abraham
Lincoln decided that drastic measures were required.
On July 1, 1862, President Lincoln issued a call for 300,000 volunteers to serve
three year enlistments. The federal government offered a $100 bounty to
volunteers and Northern states offered additional state bounties. Patriotic
rallies were held throughout the Union. If rampant patriotism and substantial
bounties weren't enough inducement, on August 4th, President Lincoln ordered a
draft of 300,000 additional men. Most men preferred the free choice of
volunteering to the arbitrariness and stigma of being drafted.
Company "K" of the "Hardtack Regiment"
In the Dayton-Leon-Conewango area of New York, patriotic rallies
were being held to get men to join a Cattaraugus County infantry company
that was forming. Bands played rousing patriotic music and politicians
made speeches. New York State offered an additional $50 bounty to the
$100 offered by the federal government. $150 was a lot of money. It was
enough to make a down payment on a farm or to pay off a mortgage on one.
Every time a man stepped forward to enlist, the crowds cheered wildly.
One of my Great-Great Uncles, Philander W. Hubbard (age 43) helped two
other recruiters enlist men in the company. Later on, the men he
enlisted, elected Philander to be one of their officers. Philander's
younger brother, George, and three of his Shannon cousins were among the
men he enlisted.
Truman S. Shannon (age 24) and Marshall H. Shannon (age 26) enlisted
a week later at Leon. The new enlistees were given dinners and a great
send off at the train depot when they left to go to Jamestown, New York,
where two new regiments were forming. The trains of men that were
arriving in Jamestown were being met with bands and more celebrations.
The men were sent to the fair grounds which had been named, Camp James
M. Brown, in honor of a local hero who had died in the war. There is a
monument to this camp located behind a house on the corner of Brown and
Pospect Streets in Jamestown at the site of where this camp was.
On September 25th, Company "K" of the 154th New York Volunteer
Infantry Regiment was formed at Camp Brown. Five of my Great-Great Uncles were
assigned to the company, which was comprised of less than 100 men.
Philander Hubbard was mustered in as a second lieutenant. "Mart" Shannon
was mustered in as a corporal and George Mason, "Tru" Shannon, and George
Hubbard were mustered as privates.
At Camp Brown, my five great great uncles received their uniforms and began
drilling. On September 29, 1862, the 154th New York Regiment marched
down South Main Street to First Street and the station of the Atlantic &
Great Western Railway. Crowds lined the route and cheered loudly as the
men went by. A military band played patriotic music while they said
goodbyes to wives, children, parents, and sweethearts. For some it would
be a last goodbye.
They boarded trains and headed East through Cattaraugus County. At
every depot, crowds and bands turned out to cheer Cattaraugus' regiment as it went off to war. Again, many goodbyes to
friends and families were made.
Trains took them to Washington, D.C. where they marched out
to Arlington Heights, Virginia and pitched their first camp in Southern
territory. They were where Arlington National Cemetery now is, near the
home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. For the next seven months,
they marched around Virginia, almost, but not quite becoming engaged in
battles. The North continued losing these battles to General Lee.
From time to time the regiment camped across rivers from Southern
troops and talked to them, but they still hadn't fired a shot in a
battle. On January 18, 1863, Philander was discharged with a disability.
Truman "Tru" Shannon was promoted to Corporal.
Chancellorsville
On May 1, 1863, Hooker
fianlly moved against Lee. The two armies came together at a house on the road
to Fredericksburg. The place was called Chancellorsville.
Although Hooker's troops greatly outnumbered Lee's and Hooker had
a tactical advantage, he ordered his men into a defensive arc, believing
that Lee would attack him. There was some fighting, but then both sides
paused to see what would happen next. Lee knew he was in a tough spot.
During the early morning hours of May 2nd, Lee met with General, "Stonewall" Jackson. As they were talking, the Rebel
cavalry commander, "Jeb" Stuart rode up and informed them that the Union
right, "was hanging in the air". What he meant was that the right flank
of the Union Army was exposed. Stonewall
sent his men on an all day march around the Union right. The 11th Corps
and the 154th NY were on that exposed right flank.
Major General Oliver Howard, commanding the 11th, received several
warnings during the day that the enemy was moving to his right and rear,
but he believed the Rebels were retreating, and took no precautions
against a flank attack. As the afternoon wore away the men fixed their
dinners, played cards, and began making arrangements for the night. It
was about 5 p.m. when suddenly deer began bounding through the camp. The
men laughed and jumped up to shoot the deer, but suddenly there was a
thundering roar of musketry to the West of them and then they heard the
shrill spine-tingling, "Rebel Yell". Stonewall Jackson's 30,000
battle-hardened veterans emerged from the woods and struck the 12,000
soldiers of the 11th Corps.
Thankfully, the 154th was on the Eastern edge of the camp and had
a little time to turn and organize themselves. The regiments that were
further to the west were totally shattered by the force of the Rebel
attack. Men dropped everything and just ran as fast as they could away
from the on-coming Rebels. The panic-stricken troops raced through the
154th's position, greatly disrupting the rifle lines that were trying to
form up.
This stubburn line of battle would soon be known as the infamous "Bushbeck
Line".
Altogether, only about 4,000 of the 12,000 Union men turned and fought. The
154th fought well, buying time for forces behind them to organize and prepare
for the Rebel assault, but when regiments to the north of them began retreating,
their own position became untenable. Along with the others, Company "K" turned
and fled. They had 800 feet of open field to cross before they could get to the
relative safety of some woods. With the Rebels right after them, many were shot
down. Truman Shannon was one of the men that died. Chancellorsville
became another defeat on the Union Army's record prompting President Lincoln to replace Hooker with Major General
George Meade.
The Letters of George James Mason
after the Battle of Chancellorsville
Another of my ancestors, George James Mason, also served in Company "K" and
wrote a number of letters home to his mother and
his sisters during the war.
George was born September 9th, 1841 in Conewango, New York. When he was
17, he was sent to England to learn the trade of blacksmith and the
making of wagon axles.
When the Civil War broke out, George returned to the United States
and served for the duration of the war without coming home. He said he
couldn't afford it. Actually, he was carefully saving his money to buy a
farm.
The following letters were written to George's mother and his two
oldest sisters. Some of these letters are from a collection held by
Mabel Mason Hadley. They were deciphered by Ernest Leet and recopied by
Harriette Shannon in August 1938.
(George was promoted to Corporal on May 1, 1863, during the Battle of
Chancellorsville, Virginia. )
*******
Camp near Shepardtown, Virginia -
May 1863
My Dear Sister Martha & All,
You will see by this that we have got back to our old camp. We have
had rather hard times of it of late. Have been in battle 2 days and our
list of casualties is great. We went into the fight with 50 men, came
out with 17 privates, and a corporal, and Captain Borton.
Our losses were many; wounded was L.B. Ellsworth but how bad I do
not know. He and a great many more are prisoners. Of our company there
are 203 missing from the Regiment. We were badly cut up, but the boys
fought like tigers. I think if they had retreated sooner we should not
have had so many taken prisoners. Our Colonel was wounded and Adjutant
missing. If we had retaken the ground where our wounded and killed were,
we would have known more about it, but, thank God, I am all right. There
is no use in telling how close the balls came to me but a miss is as
good as a mile.
(General) Hooker has been withdrawn for some cause or other and I do not know
what for. We are ordered to move with 8 days rations and where for, I do not
know but I guess towards Washington. (After Chancellorsville, Confederate
General Lee began an end run to the northwest
into Pennsylvania. The Union Army was just getting ready to chase up
through Maryland after them.)
I send this by a man that has got his discharge. We cannot send any
letters by mail now. I received the things that you sent by S.B. S.B.
was reported killed but I saw him the last of any one I think and he was
only wounded near the thigh. I would have stayed and cared for him but
the bullets flew like hail for they had a cross fire on us. I will write
more as soon as I am able.
Yours G.J. Mason
Mart Shannon is here but True, I think is missing. issing.
*******
Camp Nois near Stafford,Virginia
May 31, 1863
Dear Sister,
Our camp here is named in memory of Samuel Nois our late Adjutant. We
have not much duty to do for the Calvalry does most of the picketing. We
have not heard anything from those that are missing. I presume we never
shall. Daniel Gardner died of the lockjaw, so I heard just lately.
Your affectionate brother George J. Mason
Now please write soon.
(During the month of June, 1863 the Union army was marching North to try to
catch up with Lee, who had caught them off guard with his invasion. Great Great Uncle George M. Hubbard died of typhoid fever in
the Eleventh Corps Hospital, Brooks' Station, Virginia on June 11,
1863.)
Gettysburg -
The First Day - July 1, 1863
At sunrise on the morning of July 1st, 1863, the 154th was camped near
Emmitsburg, Maryland about eleven miles South of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. They
were with the 1st Brigade, Second Division of the
Eleventh Corps under the command of Major General John F. Reynolds. By
eight o'clock, Reynolds had the Eleventh Corps on the road toward
Gettysburg. Their division, under the command of Brigadier General
Adolph Steinwehr, jogged to the right and came up the Taneytown Road.
No one expected to fight that day. They were simply moving up to
support Brigadier General John Buford's cavalry brigade which was
encamped to the northwest of Gettysburg. Unknown to them at the time, large
numbers of Confederate forces were already advancing down the Cashtown
Pike and attacking Buford's position.
Buford sent a message to Reynolds informing him that the Rebels
were coming in strength and asked for support. Reynolds ordered his men
forward at "the double quick" and hurried to Gettysburg to confer with
Buford. The two generals agreed that it was important to delay the enemy
advance and hold the high ground South of Gettysburg.
The First Division of the First Corps were the first to pass through
Gettysburg and arrive at the scene of the battle. Reynolds personally
directed them into a battle line to repulse a Confederate attack.
Unfortunately, he strayed too close to the Rebel lines. About 11
o'clock, Reynolds was shot by a Confederate sharpshooter. At that time,
the 154th was approaching Gettysburg.
Word was sent to the 11th Corps Commander, Major General Oliver O.
Howard, that he was now in command of all the Union forces engaged in the
battle. Howard placed the Second Division in reserve on Cemetery Hill,
and began rushing other units of the 11th Corps North of Gettysburg to
meet Confederate troops that were now advancing from that direction.
With every minute that went by, more and more Southern soldiers arrived
west and north of Gettysburg.
Forward Into Battle
After several hours, the First Brigade, under the command of
Colonel Charles R. Coster was ordered to proceed North of Gettysburg to
support Union forces who were beginning to collapse under a furious
Rebel assault which was coming from the North and East. Coster's brigade
consisted of the following regiments: the 27th Pennsylvania, the 134th
New York, and the 154th New York under the command of Lieutenant Colonel
Daniel B. Allen. They were about to fight an engagement that would come
to be known as the Battle of Kuhn's Brickyard.
John Kuhn's brickyard was on the northeast outskirts of Gettysburg, on a sizeable,
rail-fenced lot. The brickyard was bordered by Stratton Street and Steven's Run.
Kuhn's brick house faced Stratton Street. The yard behind it contained of a wooden
barn and a number of dome-shaped brick kilns. Near the kilns was a pug mill,
with a tall center pole. (The horse-driven pug mill mixed clay with water.)
Across Steven's Run to the South, and up the slope to the North, wheat fields
ripened in the summer heat.
The opposing forces in the fight had followed different long,
dusty roads during three weeks of marching from Virginia to
Pennsylvania. By the morning of July 1, as the battle opened at
Gettysburg, the Confederates were encamped beyond Heidlersburg, about 12
miles to the NE. They were part of Major General Jubal A. Early's 1st
Division of Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell's 2nd Corps, Army of
Northern Virginia.
Early's division consisted of four brigades. The two brigades
fated to fight at Kuhn's brickyard were Brigadier General Harry Thompson
Hays's 1st Brigade and the 2nd Brigade, commanded by Colonel Isaac Erwin
Avery. Hays's brigade had a colorful nickname, the Louisiana Tigers.
Like Hays's Tigers, Avery's North Carolinians were battle-hardened
veterans.
In the battle, the Confederates held two important advantages.
Hays's and Avery's brigades contained approximately 3,000 men. Coster
would face them with about a thousand. The Confederates enjoyed a
superiority of morale as well. At the Battle of Chancellorsville, two
months before, they had won a great victory, dimmed only by the
subsequent death of their commander, "Stonewall" Jackson.
That famous last attack of Jackson had crushed the 11th Corps and
had left Howard's men with feelings of shame, recrimination and
bitterness. Ethnic animosity was also pervasive, directed against the
many regiments of German-Americans in the Corps. Coster's two
Pennsylvania regiments were mostly German-American, and his brigade
suffered like the rest from dissentions and ill-regard.
The arrival of Early's division on the scene shortly before 3 p.m.
was a climactic event of the first day at Gettysburg. Early deployed his
4th Brigade against the right flank of the 11th Corps (now under the
command of General Schurz), on what is today known as Barlow's Knoll.
The ensuing onrush soon shattered Union resistance, and along with
pressure exerted along the lines, led to a retreat of the 11th and
eventually the 1st Corps. As the Rebels overwhelmed the right of the
11th Corps, the brigades of Hays and Avery began a relentless advance
toward Kuhn's Brickyard.
General Schurz had been urgently asking Howard for reinforcements
to strengthen the right of the 11th Corps line. Howard had refused to
provide them. But, when the Rebels broke the right flank of the 11th
Corps, Howard at last relented and ordered the 154th, forward to cover
the retreat. One of Schurz's aides galloped up to Cemetery Hill and
rushed Coster's brigade towards the firing.
About 3:30 p.m., Coster's brigade double-quicked down Cemetery
Hill into Gettysburg. The streets and sidewalks were filling with
the retreating 11th Corps, and when the brigade passed the
German Reformed Church on Stratton Street they were exposed to
Confederate artillery fire. General Schurz, who had waited anxiously for
them, met the column and immediately weakened it by deploying the 73rd
Pennsylvania near the railroad depot. Coster's three other regiments
continued down Stratton Street to the outskirts of town.
At Kuhn's Brickyard they filed in through the carriage gateway. A
battle line was formed with the 134th New York on the right, angled
slightly to the rear along Kuhn's fence line, crossing tiny Steven's Run
and ending on the far right in a wheat field. The 154th New York
occupied the center of the line along the fence marking the northern
boundary of the brickyard. To their front and left the ground rose in a
gentle swell. The 27th Pennsylvania continued the line along the fence
and up the slope to Stratton Street, down which remnants of the 11th
Corps were fleeing. There on the left of his brigade's line Colonel
Coster took his post.
A good distance to the left of the brigade, and slightly to the front, Captain
Lewis Heckman's Battery "K", 1st Ohio Light Artillery, unlimbered their four
short range Napoleons on the Carlisle
Road.
While Coster was getting into position, Hays's and Avery's Rebels were advancing
from the northeast down Harrisburg Road and across the fields on
both sides of the road. The Confederates were wild with excitement,
having witnessed the Union retreat and sensing another decisive victory.
Coster's brigade had scarcely gotten into position when Hays' and
Avery's long line crested the slope in their front and charged down upon
them. The Confederate attack was an intimidating sight. Well-maintained
lines under many battle flags, stretched far beyond both flanks of
Coster's three small regiments. The Union line immediately opened an
effective fire, but the attack could not be stopped. The Confederates
swept onward. They soon outflanked the 134th New York on the Union right
and the 27th Pennsylvania on the left and opened a devastating fire on
the line. (Far to the left of Coster's brigade, Heckman's isolated four
guns managed to fire 113 rounds of canister before being overwhelmed. In
the battery's retreat, two of its cannon and two men were captured by
the enemy, and 13 of the artillerymen were killed or wounded.)
Coster's brigade had time to fire only six to nine shots per man
before the Confederates closed with them, but they used the minutes
well. Colonel Godwin of the 57th North Carolina noted that the Union
troops stubbornly held their position until the Confederates climbed
over the fence into their midst.
The right and left flanks of Coster's line crumbled. On the right,
the 134th New York, already badly bloodied by the enfilading enemy fire,
broke across the lots towards the town and Cemetery Hill beyond. On the
rise at the left, the 27th Pennsylvania fled as a horde of Confederates
rushed into the large gap between it and Heckman's battery. Bent on both
ends, Coster's line collapsed when the 154th New York, seeing the
134th's flight across their rear, retreated as best they could.
A fight ensued that swarmed across the brickyard with sabers,
bayonets and muskets swinging. But, the hand-to-hand fighting
was brief. Soon a good portion of Coster's men were captives, stripped
of their rifles and sitting on the ground under guard. The majority of
the 154th New York retreated towards Kuhn's carriage gateway, only to
find the Confederates there in force. Almost the entire regiment was
captured.
George Mason grimly noted that those that got away were the best
runners. He was one of them. Those who escaped capture at the brickyard
went racing back to Cemetery Hill.
When the resistance at Kuhn's brickyard was quelled, Avery's
brigade, disorganized by the melee, halted to regroup and watch over the
300 Union prisoners they had captured. (For the captive Federals, about
a third of Coster's force, the fighting was over. Now they faced a war
of survival at Belle Island and Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia, and
later on at Andersonville, Georgia. A majority of the prisoners were
members of the 154th New York. One out of three of them did not survive
Confederate prisons.)
In addition to the heavy loss of captured men, Coster's brigade
suffered terribly from enemy gunfire. About one-quarter of the force was
killed or wounded in its stand at the brickyard and during the retreat.
For the Confederates it was a fairly easy victory, but at a cost of
about 200 in killed and wounded, two-thirds of them of Avery's brigade.
Hays's brigade continued the pursuit into the town, and Coster's
remaining men continued to be shot down and captured during their
chaotic retreat. The entire Union line north of Gettysburg had by then
collapsed and the town's little maze of streets was filled with
fugitives, the Confederates at their heels.
Coster's men engaged in another desperate struggle during their
retreat, to prevent the capture of their regiments' colors. The color
bearers of both the 134th and 154th New York were shot and the flags
fell to the ground. In the confusion of the retreat, a soldier of the
134th recovered the national flag of the 154th, while a captain of the
154th saved the national flag of the 134th. Both of them were wounded
performing the rescues, but they managed to carry the colors to safety.
A lieutenant of the 154th New York saved his regiment's state flag. A
severely wounded color-sergeant of the 134th tore the state flag he had
carried from its staff and concealed it underneath his clothes. After
four days as a prisoner, he returned the precious emblem to his
regiment.
Those that could, finally made it back to Cemetery Hill. There they
and the other survivors gathered around the only fresh Union brigade
left on the field. Generals Howard, Schurz, and Doubleday worked to
organize the various commands and present a solid front. In this they
were aided by Major General Winfield S. Hancock, who arrived carrying
orders from army commander Meade to take charge of the troops at
Gettysburg.
Additional Union troops soon arrived on the scene and the lines
lengthened. In Coster's brigade, less than half of the men who had
marched down Cemetery Hill that afternoon remained. Now they peered down
the slope awaiting a resumption of the attack. It never came.
Confederate General Ewell failed to order it. That the Confederates did
not follow up their victory with an attack on the enfeebled Union troops
on Cemetery Hill is a matter of great controversy. Many Southerns blamed
Ewell for not pressing their advantage. The Confederates had driven the
enemy from the field and taken the town of Gettysburg, which they would
hold for the next two days, but they failed to take the high ground
South of Gettysburg.
On the evening of July 1st, two enlisted men, one Union and one
Confederate, made entries in their diaries describing the eventful day:
Newell Burch, of Company "E", of the 154th, wrote:
"July 1st 63
left Emmettsburg early & traveled very hard in the rain & mud until 1
P.M. when we hauled up in front of Gettysburg in the midst of a battle,
stopped to rest an hour & then we were sent to the front, fought well,
were surrounded & taken prisoner. Marched back to the rear of the
town..."
Burch spent over 20 months as a prisoner of war, at Belle
Island and Andersonville. He suffered from lung fever, chronic diarrhea,
scurvy, and gangrene. He saw men frozen in the mud on winter mornings at
Belle Island and wagons heaped high with corpses rolling out of the
South gate at Andersonville. But, he survived his harrowing imprisonment
and lived to tell about it.
Bartlett Yancey Malone, Company "H", 6th North Carolina, made this
entry in his diary:
"The first morning of July we left earley and about
12 oclock we got to Gatersburg which was about 10 miles from whar we
started in the morning When we got thar we found the Yankies was thar.
And in a few minutes after we got thar we was ordered to the front. Our
Bregaid and General Hases (Hays) charged the enemy and soon got them
routed and run them threw the town and then we stopt."
The first day's battle at Gettysburg has always been overshadowed
by the subsequent two days' events. But the middle and end were
controlled by the beginning. The stubborn Union stand North of the town
had determined a battlefield that would be advantageous to them
thereafter. The rear-guard action of Coster's brigade in opposing Hays'
and Avery's advance bought some time to cover the Union retreat to
Cemetery Hill. The Confederates drove their enemy to a position they
would fail to take later on. The conflict between Hays, Avery and Coster
on July 1st was a bloody, desperate and integral part of the battle.
That night, General George Meade, the commader of the Union army
arrived on the battlefield and set up his headquarters in a little,
white farmhouse just South of the Cemetery. The 154th slept among the
headstones and graves not far away.
Gettysburg -
The Second Day - July 2, 1863
The following two days of battle left names that resound in
history and legend...the Round Tops, Culp's Hill, the Peach Orchard,
Spangler's Spring, and Pickett's Charge. Incredibly, Coster's brigade
met in battle with Hays's and Avery's brigades again. During the night
of July 2nd, the Confederates launched an attack on East Cemetery Hill.
They broke the Union line at the foot of the hill and were fighting for
the guns of Wiedrich's battery when Coster's brigade was rushed to the
scene. The 73rd Pennsylvania, held in reserve the previous day, led the
brigade and helped to drive the Confederates from the embattled
cannoneers and down the hill.
The results were the opposite of the prior day's fighting. Coster
had the support of other units rushing to the scene, and his men had
their revenge in a successful charge that cost them but 30 casualties.
The Confederates suffered much greater losses and reeled in a chaotic
retreat, leaving a number of prisoners. Hays lost 250 men and Avery was
mortally wounded, one of 200 losses in his brigade. The men of the 154th
New York would never suffer defeat again.
Marshall "Mart" Shannon was captured in action on July 1st, 1863 at the Battle
of Kuhn's Brickyard at Gettysburg. He escaped on July 5, 1863 and was promoted
to Sergeant prior to August 31st and to First Sergeant on April 23, 1864. He was
discharged on July 5, 1865 at Burnside Barracks, Indiana.
In November, 1863 President Lincoln dedicated the National Cemetery
at Gettysburg, where scores of Union soldiers were eventually interred.
His "fourscore and ten..." speech is very famous and rightfully so.
The Letters of George James Mason
after the Battle of Gettysburg
*******
Camp near Boonsborrough, Md. - July 12, 1863
Dear Mother,
I thought I would write a few lines to let you know that I am all
right. We have had a hard fight and our Regiment was most all taken
prisoners. (22 Killed and Wounded and 178 Missing) None of my camp was
wounded. Deloss Darley is a prisoner. H. Day, H. Cunningham, are all
right. Mart Shannon was a prisoner but got away (4 days later) and is
here. We were the first Regiment that went through Gettysburg and
commenced the fight. (This is not an accurate statement, but George
certainly thought it was.) Our brigade lost about 500 men.
Write and let me know how Daniel (his brother) gets along with his
haying and be sure and write as soon as you can. If you hear from
England, I wish you would let me know. (This comment makes us wonder if
George had a sweetheart in England.)
We had a big 4th (of July) here with powder, shot and railroad iron
and shell on the 2, 3rd, and 4th. Such a one as I do not like to hear
very often. I think I have had fourth enough to last me as long as I
live.
We are now on the old Antietam Battle field and shall move tonight.
(The Union Army was now moving South, still trying to catch Lee who was
in retreat.) Please write soon.
Your affectionate son - G.J. Mason
*******
July 16, 1863
Dear Mother,
I thought that perhaps you would like to hear from me and I am sure
that I would like to hear from home. We are now not far from Harper's
Ferry, and shall cross the river tomorrow. I see by the papers the
Copperheads (Democrats who wanted to restore the nation to the way it
was before the war) are making quite a fuss in New York about the
draft, I think they will have to come to time and stand it.
Your affectionate son
George Mason
My respects to all enquiring friends, I am the only one that is
left in our Company, that has been here with it since it came out.
(Draftees and late enlistments were filling the company and Marsh
Shannon was in the hospital.)
*******
Cattlets Station
Aug. 16, 1863
Dear Sister Martha,
We received orders to be ready to march at a moments warning. (His
unit was getting ready to join the Army of the Cumberland and begin an
invasion of the South.) The boys must look well to their apples and not
let any of them spoil, for they are worth money. We have had preaching
today, I wish that I were home to have a Sunday dinner.
Your affectionate Brother
George J. Mason
*******
Bridgeport, Alabama
Oct. 3, 1863
Dear Sister Martha,
You will see by this that we are in the Army of the Cumberland. We
are about 24 miles from Chattanooga. I got the box safely
just the day before we left Alexandria. I have had 2 or 3 chills of the
ague. You may direct your letters to G.J. Mason Co. K. 154 Regiment N.Y.
State Vol. 1, Brigade, 2 Division 11 Corps, Army of the Cumberland. I
have enclosed a dollar for Willie Shannon (my 2nd Great Great Grandfather,
William Mason Shannon). You can give it to Mary and she can do as she
likes with it.
Your affectionate brother, G.J. Mason
*******
(George was promoted to Sergeant on January 6, 1864. After this
letter, he was involved in the Battle of Lookout Mountain in northwest
Georgia).
A bullet plowed a furrow on the back of his head on May 8,
1864 at Rocky Face Ridge, Georgia...and from that time on no hair grew
there. Then he went with General Sherman on Sherman's march to the sea.
He was promoted to First Sergeant on July 1, 1864.)
Savannah, Ga. - Dec. 18, 1864
ective of thisDear Sister Mary,
It has been a long time since I wrote to you, and I hope this will
find you as it leaves me, and I am all right.
br />
We reached here a few days ago, but we have not taken the city yet. We have just
opened our communications and we feel as if we could hear from God's country
again. We had a large mail yesterday but I had not a letter. We have marched a
long distance since I last wrote to you. We have laid waste a large country and
destroyed a great deal of railroad, and now are busy in Savannah. I think we
shall have the city in a short time. We have not much rations but we shall have
plenty soon. I shall write home when I hear from there. I will tell you all
about the country around here. It is very swampy and level. I would like to hear
from you soon. We destroyed Atlanta and burned
everything.
We left there on Nov. 15, and have been very successful all the way
through, and have done a great deal of damage to the Rebs. We shall
probably have Savannah in a short time, and then I think our campaign
will be ended for a short time. I hope you will not let anybody see my
letters for they will think I am a blockhead. I can't write this any
better on the back of a plate, and I do not care (as long as) you can
read it.
I sent 150 dollars home and would be anxious to hear from it, but our
folks, I suppose, do not care whether I do or not. Address your letters
to 154th Reg't, N.Y. Vols. Co. K. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 20th Corps.
Army of Georgia.
John Green and Butler are well and all of the rest of the boys that
come from Rut. (Rutledge, N.Y.) I hope soon to hear from you. Tom wants
some socks, and you may tell Martha to send me l comb, 1 pair of
suspenders and a housewife for I have lost my old one, and a silk pocket
handkerchief. The things I want now and can't get them here and I hope
you will soon get them. I will write to you in just one week and hope
you will do the same as soon as you receive this. I wish I could come
home and spend a short time but I cannot now. We have only 9 months more
to stay in the army. I wish you Happy Christmas and Happy New Years and
would like to be with you at home. I do not know when we can send this
out but I hope soon.
Thomas has wrote to Martha today. I hope that William will have his
property so he will not have so much on his mind and if anything should
happen to him his things would be settled and if the war should close
now it would make a smash up in everything and he could not do as well
as he can now. How do you like your farm?
II hear that William Mason talks of buying a place. What is he
going to buy and what will he pay with? I did think that I would buy his
part in the old farm at home but I shall not now. I shall keep my money
as near together as I can (until) I get out of the army and then I can
do as I like. The weather is warm here now and it does not seem as it
did in December, but more like September. Kiss little Willie (my
Great Grandfather William Mason Shannon) for me. I would like to see him. Tell
William (my Great Great Grandfather William Arthur Shannon) that he must write
to me.
From your Affectionate Brother - Geo. J. Mason
*******
Savannah, Ga. - Dec. 30th., 1864
Dear Sister Mary,
I promised you that I would write to you this week and I will now try
and do it. I am well and hope this will find you the same. I have not
heard from home since we were at Atlanta.
YYou will see by this that we have taken the City of Savannah, and are
now doing Provost duty in the city. Tom is well and all the rest from
our part. We had a Corps review today. We were reviewed by Sherman. He is here in town. This is a nice city and I think it has been
a splendid place in its day. I think we shall stay here some time. The
weather is warm and it is pleasent as May.
We have no news to write. Everything is at a standstill here now but there will
be something doing here again in a short time. I hope soon to hear from you and
I wish you all a Happy New Year and wish that I could be there with you to spend
the day. I have not time to write much now. Will write often. I suppose you have
had same cold weather long before this but it has not been cold enough here to
freeze the mud. The roads are very dusty. John Green is here and well. I hope
the war will be settled this winter and I think it will. The people here have
mostly taken the oath of allegiance and are sick of the war and so am I but not
‘till they are ready to lay down their arms.
I have not time to write any more now and will have to post this.
Your affectionate Brother, George J. Mason
Co. K 154th Reg., N.Y. Vols. Infantry, 2nd Brigade & Division,
20th Corps, Army of Georgia
George J. Mason After the War
This was the last letter from George during the war. On
March 30, 1865, his regiment was in Goldsboro, N.C. On April 9th,
General Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Grant
at Appomattox Courthouse. George and the men of the 154th were mustered
out of service on June 11, 1865 near Blandensburg, Maryland, but then
they marched to Washington, D.C., where they participated in Grand
Review Parade celebrating the end of the war.
After George returned from the Civil War, he went back to school for
awhile to take lessons in spelling and arithmetic. On July 20, 1872, he
married Josephine Waity Cowan at Cherry Creek. On the way to the wedding
in a horse and buggy, the horse was frightened and started to run. After
he stopped the horse, it was found that his sleeve was ripped. He said,
"Never mind. I'll soon have a wife to mend it."
George built a cheese factory in Rutledge and ran it for a time.
Then he sold that factory and built another at Clear Creek. He had a
farm at Pope and at one time a hardware store in the village of
Randolph. In 1884, he bought the Barber Farm on the Clear Creek Road. He
had five children and lived to be 91 years old.
Source: paraphrased from information from a 1999 email
from a distant relative of mine named Dave. Unfortunately, I do not have his
contact information any longer