JPK Huson 1863
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Location
- Central Pennsylvania
Children played at being soldiers while mothers' hearts sank. Men in suits shook fists at each other as War crept closer, lapping doorsteps- and into families, like the vilest kidnapper of them all.
Nurse A.H. Hoge, at Mound City couldn't keep up with the sheer scope of tragic vignettes. I nearly created a thread about one, shattering scene. Mrs. A. H. Hoge worries about a woman sitting beside, her wounded son in shambles. If a mother could be walking and comatose, grief caused it. This boy was the 7th and last of seven sons enlisted in the Union army. Six killed, she'd been told by doctors, by morning she would have no sons.
Early in the war, ' giving ' your sons to The Cause ' was one of those flag waving, patriotic, impressive gestures- seven of them? You do wonder what the mothers really thought. If I have time, will research these families to see who did come home.
Nearly researched the Mound City hospital mother, for a thread before remembering The Bixby Letter. OHHH no, that dirty fraud Mrs. Bixby only lost what, three? Four sons? Not, God Bless her the five for which a President sent condolences. Like she was somehow cheating. Challenging grief and who has the right to cry is some kind of macabre past time, like the backwards bullying of orphans. Drat it, Mrs. Bixby, send our letter back. Or lose a few more sons.
Three mothers with 21 sons between them, 18 fighting for the South. How many came home?
1862, plenty of time to lose more children, and their mother, her husband, too.
Thought I'd dig around on siblings who served. Our family had five brothers in uniform, JPK was one, only two came home. It may have been six, cannot trace one- and he may have been killed. Five? began the search with seven. Then six- the number of families whose seven sons served, then six, is staggering. North and South. Somewhere is a mother - or mothers, who met a nurse, maybe A.H. Hoge at Mound City, or Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Lookout Point or Cold Harbor. And we never heard of them.
New York
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin- think the point is being made. It is not difficult to discover these stories nor are they mere agenda, patriotic propaganda. There are round 20 more snips, all newspapers remarking some family whose sons served nearly ' en mass '.What we do not know is how many came home- and for any, did the unthinkable happen?
Seven sons- by 1864 three re-enlisted, none have been lost. You'd be holding your breath daily. It makes you a little hopeful, the same fate/chance depriving one family of all seven would bring another's through.
' Only ' three brothers from family, lost to the war. Putting faces to these stories is helpful instead of mere words.
James P.K. Huson, Gettysburg, Calvin Huson, Jr., Richmond, Samuel Huson, Shiloh, in order.
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