Foto Friday 11/8

I don't know anything about this Veteran. I went to Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, today, and I saw this grave. This Veteran served in both the Mexican American War and also in the American Civil War.

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Here's another Veteran grave that I saw when I visited Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh today. I didn't have any prior knowledge of this soldier, but I discovered info about him through Google when I got home. This Veteran was a Medal of Honor recipient:

From the VA / website for Soldier's Lot at Allegheny Cemetery: Corporal John M. Kendig (Civil War). He received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, Company A, 63rd Pennsylvania Infantry, for actions at Spotsylvania, Virginia, May 12, 1864. His citation was awarded under the name of Kindig. He died in 1869 and is buried in Section 33, Lot 66, Site 32.

Here's the photo that I took today:

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SGT Samuel Clark, 1st NY Volunteer Engineers Regiment, grave at Beaufort National Cemetery. I did a considerable amount of research of historical documents in effort to locate my gr-gr-grandfathers remains and sent my documentation to the VA. I was amazed at how the respectfully VA handled the disposition of this soldier and labored to verify my own research and take corrective actions.

There's more to Samuel's story as I study Quincy Gilmore's publication 'Engineer and Artillery Operations against the Defences of Charleston Harbor 1863'. Working on verification of a photograph which there is considerable evidence that it includes Samuel Clark with other NY engineers at Battery Strong on Morris Island.
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My 3rd great grandfather William E Moneymaker, Co K, 55th Illinois Infantry Regiment, enlisted 20 Oct 1861, along with his younger brother James K P Moneymaker. James died of smallpox 8 Feb 1863 at Young’s Point, LA.
William E was captured 22 July 1864 during the Battle of Atlanta and sent to Andersonville Prison along with 15 other men.
He was released 19 Sept 1864 as a result of a special prisoner exchange arranged by General Sherman, and was the only man from his regiment physically able to immediately return to duty.
He re-enlisted 20 Jan 1864. Mustered out 14 Aug 1865.
William married the widow Phoebe Fields and cared for her children. He and Phoebe had one daughter of their own, my 2nd great grandmother.
William E died 16 Dec 1923 — two months before the birth of my father.

Always wish I could find a picture of the brothers together in uniform.

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something about this photo:

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seems manipulated in some way, as if maybe they didn't like his initial expression so copied a more acceptable expression from another photo that was taken at a farther distance (to note how soft the face definition is). This improved head was perhaps pasted onto a print (to note how the left edge of the face is oddly sharper compared the face generally) then a copy photograph taken of all.

This should mean nothing as to the authenticity of the image. Such things were done even at that early time in photography, no deception intended.
 
This is a picture of my wife's 2nd Gt.Grandfather's tombstone Daniel Groscost Decker he owned a farm near Fayetteville, F.C.,Pa. and he enlisted in Co.I of the 87th Pa.Infantry.Two of Daniels brothers John and Levi enlisted in Co.H of the 125th Pa.and fought in the Cornfield at Antietam where they were both wounded Levi was shot in the shoulder both were discharged on Surgeons Certificates.I'm still researching and looking for pictures of any of them.

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I set up a "virtual cemetery" on Findagrave with the graves of any veterans I could find from the 25th New York ("Union Rangers"). It was fascinating to see where some of the men from this mostly NYC-based unit ended up after the war. Lt. George W. McGoff, for example, is buried in Deadwood, SD:
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Some gravestones, like that of Sgt John Burke Walsh (in Twin City, GA), point to the actual ages of some of these soldiers. Walsh was "19" on paper when he enlisted in 1861, but in reality he was barely 16 years old:
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Some ended up in the National Cemeteries corresponding to the various old soldiers' homes where they spent their last days.

Unfortunately, however, it seems that many (if not most) of their dead from the Peninsula Campaign lie in unmarked graves.

 
He was in the famous "Garibaldi Guard!" Did he live in NY at the time or go there to enlist? Roster indicates he enlisted in Utica.
He crossed the border to join . He joined in early 1865 , but he should have been present the last few months and should have been part of the pursuit of Lee . I actually met his second wife at a funeral when I was a kid in the 1960s . He remarried a young woman late in life to have some one to help take care of him. I've come to learn that that wasn't all that unusual back then .
 
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