Help Please: Doc Bachelor 60th USCT Final Resting Place - died Christmas Day 1863 in Helena AR

DixieRifles

Major
Member of the Year
Regtl. Staff Shiloh 2020
Joined
Mar 22, 2009
Location
Collierville, TN
I will have to think about what to post on my ancestors. But before I do---I wanted to ask inquire about the burial location of a USCT soldier. Fold3 has proposed this question in hopes of locating his burial site before Christmas---as the soldier died of disease on Christmas Day.

The soldiers records list him as Doc Bachelor of Company "D" 60th US Colored Troops. They were stationed in Helena, Arkansas, when he died. Some people looking into this inquiry said his real name was Michael Batchelor but I don't have any resources. He was from Haywood County, Tenn, however it is interesting that the 60 US Colored Troops was formed as the 1st Colored Regiment of Iowa.
I suspected he was buried in a marked grave in Helena but later moved to a National Cemetery---the closest one being in Little Rock.
Q: Where is he buried?
I found a link to burial records for the National Cemeteries which included the list for Little Rock on page 147. There are several members of the 60 USCT buried there but no one with that name. Only two men with name beginning with "B" and in the 60 USCT who were buried there.

Roll of Honor (No. XXV)
Names of Soldiers who Died in Defense of the Union,
Interred in the National Cemeteries.
Published Washington GPO 1870
Page no 147 starts roster for those buried at Little Rock National Cemetery, ARK

If you think I'm hijacking your post, then I can delete this. Anyone who may have a clue about his burial site, you can Message me.
 
I will have to think about what to post on my ancestors. But before I do---I wanted to ask inquire about the burial location of a USCT soldier. Fold3 has proposed this question in hopes of locating his burial site before Christmas---as the soldier died of disease on Christmas Day.

The soldiers records list him as Doc Bachelor of Company "D" 60th US Colored Troops. They were stationed in Helena, Arkansas, when he died. Some people looking into this inquiry said his real name was Michael Batchelor but I don't have any resources. He was from Haywood County, Tenn, however it is interesting that the 60 US Colored Troops was formed as the 1st Colored Regiment of Iowa.
I suspected he was buried in a marked grave in Helena but later moved to a National Cemetery---the closest one being in Little Rock.
Q: Where is he buried?
I found a link to burial records for the National Cemeteries which included the list for Little Rock on page 147. There are several members of the 60 USCT buried there but no one with that name. Only two men with name beginning with "B" and in the 60 USCT who were buried there.

Roll of Honor (No. XXV)
Names of Soldiers who Died in Defense of the Union,
Interred in the National Cemeteries.
Published Washington GPO 1870
Page no 147 starts roster for those buried at Little Rock National Cemetery, ARK

If you think I'm hijacking your post, then I can delete this. Anyone who may have a clue about his burial site, you can Message me.
Would all soldiers from the Union be buried in the same locations? What I mean is within the Union Army, would the Colored troops have been buried with the white troops? Perhaps knowing this information for certain might help further determine the locations of the possible burials?

And, in this case, would the hospitals have been integrated as well as the locations for the burials? Was this gentleman in a hospital or being cared for privately or within a regiment?

Appears the 60th was composed of this group from Iowa.
 
Would all soldiers from the Union be buried in the same locations? What I mean is within the Union Army, would the Colored troops have been buried with the white troops? Perhaps knowing this information for certain might help further determine the locations of the possible burials?

And, in this case, would the hospitals have been integrated as well as the locations for the burials? Was this gentleman in a hospital or being cared for privately or within a regiment?
Often they were buried together--especially in community yards. But remember that the USCT officers were white. They were under special danger from the Confederates.
 
Would all soldiers from the Union be buried in the same locations? What I mean is within the Union Army, would the Colored troops have been buried with the white troops? Perhaps knowing this information for certain might help further determine the locations of the possible burials?

And, in this case, would the hospitals have been integrated as well as the locations for the burials? Was this gentleman in a hospital or being cared for privately or within a regiment?
I know at Petersburg they where. Also I found it interesting there is a 35th USCT colored troop soldier buried with Confederate Troops in Beaufort NC.
 
Often they were buried together--especially in community yards. But remember that the USCT officers were white. They were under special danger from the Confederates.
Please explain a bit more for me- I thought the post said the troops were colored troops? What big piece of this puzzle am I not seeing? I know it appears I’m missing something and it must be important-
My mind must not be comprehending a large part of this story.
 
Last edited:
Please explain a bit more for me- I thought the post said the troops were colored troops? What big piece of this puzzle am I not seeing? I know it appears I’m missing something and it must be important-
The troops themselves were black but the officers (usually) were white. Several of the local soldiers that I worked on were USCT officers. They were at special risk because a resolution passed by both houses of the Confederate Congress declared that any white man who commanded black men was guilty of "servile insurrection" and would be put to death. Several were executed and several more disappeared after capture.
 
Im not sure about direction of this discussion but this Union soldier was a black enlisted. Also he died of disease so he was buried by his Union comrades.
if you browse the roster of graves at Little Rock Nat Cemetery, you will find it integrated. (Same is true for the Memphis National Cemetery.)
 
The troops themselves were black but the officers (usually) were white. Several of the local soldiers that I worked on were USCT officers. They were at special risk because a resolution passed by both houses of the Confederate Congress declared that any white man who commanded black men was guilty of "servile insurrection" and would be put to death. Several were executed and several more disappeared after capture.
Thank you so much for explaining this situation. ( So sad and so horrible. )
 
Was this gentleman in a hospital or being cared for privately or within a regiment?
He had been admitted to the Post hospital at Benton Barracks, MO on December 11, 1863 but was discharged and "returned to camp" December 14, 1863. He died "in Co quarters" of pneumonia at Helena AR on December 25, 1863.
1606454301767.png
1606454388052.png
1606454467774.png
 
Also he died of disease so he was buried by his Union comrades.
if you browse the roster of graves at Little Rock Nat Cemetery,
I'm not sure the remains of soldiers who died in Helena would have been sent to Little Rock. Memphis is just up the river and about the same distance.
1606491227109.png

1606491330579.png
 
Not seeing why it's assumed he was buried in some soldiers cemetery. Here it wasn't uncommon for soldiers
to buried in civil cemeteries. Would think he could have been buried in some colored cemetery or section and forgotten.

Findagrave has his residence as Iowa City Iowa, and burial site unknown
 
Not seeing why it's assumed he was buried in some soldiers cemetery. Here it wasn't uncommon for soldiers
to buried in civil cemeteries. Would think he could have been buried in some colored cemetery or section and forgotten.

Findagrave has his residence as Iowa City Iowa, and burial site unknown
After the war the Union undertook the mission of locating the graves of all fallen Union soldiers and reinterring them in National Cemeteries. No effort was spared to achieve this goal.

Although many graves were not found, the majority were.

Families could have their loved ones' remains shipped home to be buried in family plots. As far as I know, this had to be done at the family's expense and there was no well developed system for notifying families.

Therefore, almost all the soldiers were reinterred in the National Cemeteries.

The records of the teams locating and removal of the original graves exist and are fascinating to read.

Although the following is a made up example, many entries are similar to it (if not quite this detailed.)

"4 1/2 miles east of town, in the same location as yesterday, we located 2 bodies in one grave, 100 yards west of the gin house on the farm of Mr.Sam Jones. The gin house being 240 yards behind the ruins of his house. One body was located at the foot of a large elm tree between Jones house and the road to town.
 
I'm not sure the remains of soldiers who died in Helena would have been sent to Little Rock. Memphis is just up the river and about the same distance.
Thanks. I should have thought of that but I assume he would remain in the same State---but why would a Yankee care which Southern state he was buried in.
I searched Find-A-Grave for Bachelor, or any version spelled with "Batch...." and found no match.
 
I don't see that. I entered various spelling for Bachelor in Iowa City and got nothing.
Popped right up for me.


The unit wasn't mustered into federal service until Oct 11th 1863.....so before that was likely being raised in Iowa
 
I took it his residence at the time of enlistment was Iowa City Iowa.....it's noted he was former slave, his nativity or birthplace was TN.

Most states west of the Mississippi, would have large numbers whose nativity was outside the state (Whites too), as was still frontier 1830-60 and still attracting settlers. Iowa City wasn't even formed to 1839, it would have been a rather new and growing city yet.
 
Last edited:
I finally found a list of soldiers buried at National Cemetery "near Memphis". It has men listed by State and the Colored Troops are separate.
{Revised to add}
But I didn't see any Bachelor name nor any 60 USCT.

How do you rotate this PDF image? Google Books had a button for that.
 
Back
Top