NJGenWeb ~ Morris County, New Jersey

CHAPTER XX.

THE 39TH NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEERS—ROLL OF COMPANY K—LIST OF PATRIOT DEAD.

THIS regiment was raised in the month of September 1864, the rendezvous being Camp Frelinghuysen, Newark, and was principally recruited in Essex county. Company K was raised in Morris county, recruited and commanded by Captain D. S. Allen. Although he was the last to obtain a recruiting commission, and labored under the disadvantages of distance from rendezvous, his was the first company of the command mustered into the United States service, having recruited its full quota in about fifteen days. Company K with four other companies, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Close, went to the "front" in October, encamping at City Point, Va., and in about two weeks these were joined by the remaining five companies of the regiment. They remained here working on entrenchments for about two weeks. A. C. Wildrick of the United States army came and took command as colonel, and William T. Cornish, formerly of the 15th N. J. volunteers, as major of the regiment.

The force changed camp about November 1st and went to Poplar Grove Spring, near Petersburg, where the 39th was assigned to the 9th army corps. There being at this time continuous picket firing and skirmishing the men got their first smell of gunpowder very soon, and listened to the roaring of artillery and musketry alternating with frequent calls of the long roll. Company K was in a few days called to support an engagement a short distance to the left; it was not called into action, but had an opportunity of witnessing the effects of an engagement, as many of the wounded were carried past the ranks.

About the first of December the company moved into and took charge of Fort Davis, in front of Petersburg, the rebels shelling it "pretty lively." Here the men did picket duty in the entrenchments and drilled in the rear of the fort. They remained in this fort, with very little occurring except the regular incidents of camp life, and occasionally a man wounded on the picket line, until the 2nd day of April 1865, when the final long roll was beaten, and the regiment marched out of the fort about 11 o'clock at night to take its position for the attack on Petersburg the following morning. A detail of ten men from each company, making 100 men, under Captain D. S. Allen, preceded this movement and went forward to the skirmish line. Although it was dark a sharp engagement took place on the skirmish line, in which Captain Allen was disabled, and Lieutenant Mason, of Company H, was killed; this occurred about 2 o'clock in the morning. The brigade containing the 39th made a short detour to the right, and in the general attack of that memorable morning planted the colors of the 39th N. J. on the rebel fort in its front. Company K had the position of honor, being the color company of the regiment by choice. After Captain Allen was detached and sent forward with the special detail to the skirmish line the command of Company K devolved upon First Lieutenant Jacob McConnell, who proved himself a worthy successor. In this two-days engagement Company K lost its share of killed and wounded.

Although this regiment was recruited during the time of paying large bounties it can be said to the credit of Company K that there only three deserters, and Company K reported a stronger and heartier lot of men and consequently more fit for duty than any other company in the regiment, being made up of hardy Morris county men. In recalling the career of this fine company Captain Allen says:

"Although seventeen years have passed away I have not forgotten the kindly feelings toward me entertained by the men of Company K, many of whom have answered the last roll call; I shall ever hold in grateful remembrance all of this little band, and my devout wish is that we may all be registered on the roll of the Great Commander."

Below is a roll of

COMPANY K.

OFFICERS.

The officers of Company K were mustered in as well as commissioned or enrolled in September 1864, for one year, and with one or two exceptions were mustered out in June 1865.

Captain.—David S. Allen.

First Lieutenant.—Jacob McConnell.

Second Lieutenant.—John Shippee.

First Sergeant.—Francis D. Sturtevant.

Sergeants.—John N. Young. Edward Y. Trowbridge. George W. Harris. Caleb J. Broadwell.

Corporals.—James H. De Poe. Daniel Matthews. Morgan R. Davies George Burtt; dis. May 3 '65.

Charles H. Emmons. John W. Nichols; dis. May 3 '65. Henry Parsons. Bernard J. Storms.

PRIVATES.

The following enlisted in September 1864, for one year's service, were mustered in September 23d 1864, and were mustered out in June or July 1865; with a few exceptions, which are noted.

Estill Beatty; dis. May 3 '65. William J. Belcher. William Bishop. John W. Blake; mustered Oct. 1 '64. Joseph C. Bower; dis. May 3 '65. Terrence Brannin. R. H. Brientnall; prom. Q. M. sergt. Oct. 11 '64. William Bugbee. John E. Burres. George Carey. Lewis H. Cook. William J. Cook. J. V. P. Coonrod. Caleb Corby. John M. Crain. Jacob and Joseph Crum. Rinehart H. Davis; dis. Apr. 28 '65. David M. De Camp; dis. Apr. 28 '65. William Degraw. Isaiah Demont. Cornet Demouth; enlisted and mustered Jan. 5 '65; dis. Apr. 28 '65. Amos J. and Edward L. Emmons. Albert C., Jacob H. and Joseph W. Fichter. Daniel S. Force. A. B. Ford; dis. Apr. 28 '65. John Gervin. Nathaniel Gillum; mustered in Oct. 1 '64. William P. Hart. William Henyon. William S. Hulme. David Huyler. William H. Jones. Abiather L. Kynor. Marcus Lamison. Samuel Larue; mustered in Oct. 1 '64. Joshua A. Lobdell; mustered in Oct. 1 '64; prom. com. sergt. Oct. 11 '64. George D. Losey. John A. Love; dis. May 3 '65. Marshall Love. Charles L. Love, wagoner. Henry and William H. Marlatt. Charles W., Mahlon J. and William C. Mills. John More. John W. Morgan. James Morrison. John Morrison; dis. May 3 '65. Joseph Morse jr. Joseph J. Nichols. Charles Nixon; dis. Apr. 28 '65. Silas H. Olmsted; dis. May 3 '65. David Palmer. Isaac N. Pruden. Asher T. Quier. George W. Scripture. David S. Searing. Samuel Sharp. James Snyder. Charles Taylor. William Tillyer, musician; dis. May 3 '65. George D. Totten. Israel Van Norwick. James S., Samuel and Silas B. Van Orden. Horace F. Wallace. Henry Whitehead. William H. Williams. Hiram C. Wood. David and James O. Wright.

Transferred (first date that of enlistment and muster).—John J. and Winfield S. Carter, Apr. 10 '65; from Co. A, and to 33d N. J. June 15 '65. John R. Cutting. Apr. 8 '65; to Co. G. Theodore Demouth, Jan. 26 '65; to 33d N. J. June 15 '65. George Farling, Apr. 8 '65; to Co. G. Robert McNabb; Apr. 10 '65; to Co. H. John F. Reiley and Philip Ryan; Apr. 8 '65; to Co. C. Daniel Shawger, Feb. 9 '65; to Co. B. Leonard Sous, Apr. 8 '65; to Co. F. Aaron A. Tebo, Apr. 13 '65; to 33d N. J. Jnne 15 '65.

Died (these were one year's men, and, excepting the first, were enlisted and mustered in September 1864).—Noah O. Baldwin, enrolled Jan. 5 '65; killed before Petersburg, Va., Apr. 2 '65. John Conklin; died at Alexandria, Va., Apr. 10 '65, of wounds received before Petersburg Apr. 2 '65. Abram Earl; died at Alexandria, Va.. May 6 '65, of wounds received before Petersburg. Thomas Plumstead; killed before Petersburg, Va., Apr. 2 '65.

THE DEAD.

Besides the casualties noted in the foregoing records we are furnished with the following partial list of the soldiers of Morris county who died in the service.

Seventh Regiment.—(Most of these men were from Morristown, and that fact is indicated by the letter M following their names. All but two were members of Company K.) Erastus J. Ackley; died at Georgetown, 1861. Theron A. Allen, M.; died 1862. Charles Y. Beers, M.; killed at Gettysburg. Jabez Beers, M.; killed at Petersburg, 1864. Merrit Bruen, Madison; died at City Point, Va., 1864. Moses Berry; died in Maryland, 1861. Cyrus Carter, 1862. James Brown, M. (Company C); killed at Gettysburg. John Dempsy (Company H); killed at Gettysburg. John Dougherty, Wilderness, 1864. Arthur Ford, M.; died in Andersonville prison, 1864. Andrew Halsey, M.; died at Petersburg, Va., 1864. Jacob Hopping, Hanover; killed at Gettysburg. Robert Jolly, M.; killed at Gettysburg. Sylvester Lynn, Mendham; died at Petersburg, 1864. John R. Lyon, Bull Run, Va., 1862. William Long, New Vernon; died near Fairfax Court-house, Va., 1862. Charles B. Mott, M.; Chancellorsville, Va., 1863. Lemuel Marshall, 1862. J. Miller, killed at Chesterfield Bridge, Va., 1864. Allen Pierson, M; Petersburg, 1864. George Pier, 1862. John A. Recanio, M.; Belle Isle prison, 1862. Spafford Sanders, 1862. Joseph L. Spencer, Chatham; killed at Petersburg, 1864. John Tillotson, 1862. Joseph Watkins, M.; died of wounds, Williamsburg, Va., 1862. J. Wright; died Sept. 8 1864, in Andersonville prison.

Fifteenth Regiment (Company F if not otherwise indicated).—John W. Berry, Flanders; killed at Spottsylvania, 1864. William Broadwell, Co. B; lost arm at Salem Heights, Va., May 3 1863. Elias H. Carlile, Chester; killed at Cold Harbor, 1864. Felix Cash, Chester; died of wounds, Potomac Creek, 1864. Warren N. Clauson, Flanders; died at Washington, 1864. Charles Covert, Fox Hill; killed at Spottsylvania, 1864. George D. Foulds, Roxbury; killed at Spottsylvania, 1864. Charles Heck, German Valley; died at Washington, 1864. Anthony Hoppler, German Valley; died at White Oak Church, 1863. Whitefield Lake, Schooley's Mountain; Spottsylvania, 1864. Ira Lindsley, Morristown, Company C; killed at Chancellorsville, Va., 1865. Manning F. McDougall, Chester; killed at Cold Harbor, 1864. John R. McKain, Mount Olive, 1864. Charles Milligan; killed at Winchester, 1864. Jacob A. Peckwell, Flanders; killed at Spottsylvania, 1864. John D. Salmon, Flanders; died at White Oak Church, 1863. Andrew F. Salmon, Flanders; Spottsylvania, 1864. Phineas F. Skellinger, Chester; Spottsylvania, 1864. William H. Sergeant, Budd's Lake; died at White Oak Church, 1863. Alexander S. Sergeant, Budd's Lake; killed at Fredericksburg, 1863. James W. Sprague, Flanders; killed at Fredericksburg, 1863. Peter J. Sutton, Fox Hill; died in prison, 1863. David Todd, Lesser Cross Roads; died at White Oak Church, 1863. Isaac Vanarsdale, Lesser Cross Roads; died of wounds, 1864. John Van Houghton, Morristown, Company C; killed at Spottsylvania, 1864. Benjamin D. Wear, White Oak Church, 1863. Elias Williamson, Flanders; killed at Spottsylvania, 1864. Edward A. Simpson, Company C; Shenandoah. 1864. Lewis Ammerman, Chester; died at White Oak Church. Oscar Brokaw, Chatham, Company C; Chancellorsville. Alexander Beatty; died at Washington, 1863. William Bowman, Ralstontown; Spottsylvania, 1864. Franklin Camp, Whippany, Company C; White Oak Church, 1863. Jacob Lamerson, Flanders; White Oak Church, 1863. Edward Day, Chatham, Company C; killed at Cold Harbor, Va., 1864. Andrew Genung, Chatham, Company C; killed in 1864. James Hiler, Company C; Chancellorsville, 1863. Jeremiah Haycock, Mine Hill, Company C; killed at Cold Harbor, 1864. Frank Cunningham and Virgil Howell, Company C; died at White Oak Church, 1863. Jonathan Loree; killed in the Wilderness, 1864. Thomas Phipps, Company C; died at White Oak Church, Va., 1863. William Storms, Company C; killed at Chancellorsville, 1863.

Twenty-Seventh Regiment.—Stephen Doty, Morristown, Company I, 1863. Samuel Smith, Company K. and Albert Wiggins, Company B; drowned in Cumberland River, May 6 1863. W. H. H. Haines and John Cronan, New Vernon, Company I; died at Newport News. Louis Gregory, Hanover, Company E. Robert Lee. Lemuel Lawrence, Mendham, Company E. Augustus Salmon, Flanders, Company C; died at Washington 1863.

Miscellaneous.—James M. Woodruff, Mendham, 11th N. J.; killed at Mine Run, Va., 1864. D. B. Logan, Succasunna, 11th N. J.; killed at Gettysburg. William Potts, Morristown, 11th N. J.; died in hospital, 1862. John D. Evans, Morristown, Company G 8th N. J,; killed at Cold Harbor. David Cooper, 8th N. J.; killed at Gettysburg. Isaac D. Dickerson, Malapardis, Company E 120th N. Y; died near Bealton, Va., Sept. 9 1863. Theodore Cooper, Morristown, 6th N. J.; killed at Fort Pickens, Fla., in Dec. 1861. Captain Charles W. Canfield, Morristown, 2nd U. S. cavalry; killed in Virginia. Alfred Axtell, Morristown, Company D 16th Mich.; killed at Petersburg, 1864. Charles Carrell, Morristown, Company B 2nd N. J.; died in hospital. Edward F. Cavanaugh, Morristown, Company B 2nd N. J.; died at Columbus, Kas. William Cole, Morristown, 3d N. J.; killed in 1861. J. L. Doty, Morristown, 1st N. J. cavalry; died after leaving Belle Isle prison. Theodore Edwards. Morristown, 1st N. J. cavalry; died in Belle Isle prison, James L. Freeman, Morristown, 2nd D. C. volunteers; died in 1862. John M. Lewis, Morristown, 9th N. J.; hospital steward; died at Beaufort, S. C., Nov. 7 1862. Willie Morehouse, Morristown, 37th N. J.; killed at Petersburg, Va. Lindsley H. Miller, Morristown, U. S. C. T., 1864. Patrick McShane, Company E 4th N. Y. cavalry. Samuel McNair, Morristown, Company K 1st N. Y. engineers; died in South Carolina. John O'Donnell, Morristown, Company B 2nd N. J.; killed at Salem Heights, Va. George A. Perrine, Morristown, Company B 162nd N. Y.; died in Louisiana, 1862. George B. Wear, Morristown, Company B 2nd N. J. cavalry; died Feb. 25 1864, from hardship in prison. Spencer Wood, Morristown, 4th N. J. cavalry; killed at Petersburg, 1864. Michael Cummings, Morris Plains, 1st N. J. artillery; killed. James Mathews, Company B 1st artillery. A. W. Thompson, Company B 2nd N. J.; died at White Oak Church, 1863. William Wortman, Chester, Company A 5th N. J.; killed at Petersburg, 1864. William Wear, Company A 5th N. J.; died in 1864. Albert Collins, Company B 1st artillery; died at Fortress Monroe. Job De Hart, Morristown, N. Y. regiment; died at New Orleans, 1864. Stephen D. Fairchild, 17th Wis.; died at Washington. Philip Keller, 3d N. J. cavalry. Moses Miller, Company A 32nd U. S. C. T.; died in hospital. Abram Earl, Company K 39th N. J.; died at Alexandria, Va., May 7 1865. Hampton Whitehead, 9th N. J.; killed Mar. 14 1862, near Newbern, N. C. John M. Powers, Company G 1st Pa. reserve corps; killed at South Mountain, Sept. 14 1862. Corporal Ezra S. Day, 30th N. J.; died Feb. 21 1863, at Belle Plain.

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