Military Progression

[Fairfield]

Corporal John Wesley Chase of Maine [incidentally, grandfather of Senator Margaret Chase Smith] was a soldier in the 13th Maine Infantry. According to this HSD site, he was "discharged for promotion" on the 5th of May 1863 and--on the same day--estimated to have been transferred into the 1st LA Heavy Artillery and was promoted to 1st Lt. But isn't this a CSA regiment?

Unable to find him in the Louisiana HA, I checked his pension card: he lists his service with 13th Maine and also "K95 USC Infantry". So I checked the roster for the 95th Colored Troops--and the there was a John W. Chase in Company K--but he was a private and had enlisted in April of 1863.

All these southern units are out of my league and I do not understand his progression. Please, can anyone make sense of this?

 

[Zella]

Corporal John Wesley Chase of Maine [incidentally, grandfather of Senator Margaret Chase Smith] was a soldier in the 13th Maine Infantry. According to this HSD site, he was "discharged for promotion" on the 5th of May 1863 and--on the same day--estimated to have been transferred into the 1st LA Heavy Artillery and was promoted to 1st Lt. But isn't this a CSA regiment?

Unable to find him in the Louisiana HA, I checked his pension card: he lists his service with 13th Maine and also "K95 USC Infantry". So I checked the roster for the 95th Colored Troops--and the there was a John W. Chase in Company K--but he was a private and had enlisted in April of 1863.

All these southern units are out of my league and I do not understand his progression. Please, can anyone make sense of this?

I must confess, this stumps me too. @east tennessee roots do you have any ideas?

 

[captaindrew]

The 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery (US) AKA 10th US Artillery was a colored regiment raised in 1862 for the defenses of New Orleans. When an enlisted man is promoted to a commissioned officer he is discharged first as an enlisted man then commissioned.

 

[Zella]

The 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery (US) AKA 10th US Artillery was a colored regiment raised in 1862 for the defenses of New Orleans. When an enlisted man is promoted to a commissioned officer he is discharged first as an enlisted man then commissioned.

Aha that makes sense! I checked that regiment on Fold3 but am still not finding a name that matches his. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong folder? I must confess, I have more experience with Confederate records!

 

[Grayrock Volunteer]

It appears he was indeed transferred to the 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery... the 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery Regiment African Decent, which was a Union Regiment. The 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery was subsequently known as the 1st Corps d'Afrique Heavy Artillery Regiment in 1863; in April 1864 it was redesignated the 7th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment before finally becoming the 10th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment in May of that year.

 

[Fairfield]

It appears he was indeed transferred to the 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery... the 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery Regiment African Decent, which was a Union Regiment. The 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery was subsequently known as the 1st Corps d'Afrique Heavy Artillery Regiment in 1863; in April 1864 it was redesignated the 7th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment before finally becoming the 10th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment in May of that year.

Thank you very much!

 

[Fairfield]

Aha that makes sense! I checked that regiment on Fold3 but am still not finding a name that matches his. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong folder? I must confess, I have more experience with Confederate records!

Thank you for persevering for me! This was way over my head!

 

[Zella]

Thank you for persevering for me! This was way over my head!

You're welcome! I wish I could have found more. I also checked the 7th after Grayrock's post, but I never found a folder for them. Admittedly, Fold3 can sometimes file things in odd places, so I suspect it is in there somewhere.

 

[Fairfield]

You're welcome! I wish I could have found more. I also checked the 7th after Grayrock's post, but I never found a folder for them. Admittedly, Fold3 can sometimes file things in odd places, so I suspect it is in there somewhere.

I just posted to the black soldier thread on something I found in connection. Only a few days earlier, CSA threatened execution for any officer who was commissioned as Chase was (with black troops). It can't have been a stress-less commission and I have increased respect for Senator Smith's grandfather.

 

[Grayrock Volunteer]

I looked high and low for your man in the 10th US Colored Heavy Artillery (Fold3 has no folder for the 7th, they are filed as the 10th). I finally expanded the search and found him in the 95th US Colored Infantry Regiment as a 1st Lieutenant. It seems that the original notation you found was incorrect. It may have been intended for him to join the 7th/10th Heavy Artillery, but it appears he was never assigned to them as his CSR shows him as having been commissioned into the 95th on September 18, 1863 as a 1st Lieutenant.

 

[Fairfield]

I looked high and low for your man in the 10th US Colored Heavy Artillery (Fold3 has no folder for the 7th, they are filed as the 10th). I finally expended the search and found him in the 95th US Colored Infantry Regiment as a 1st Lieutenant. It seems that the original notation you found was incorrect. It may have been intended for him to join the 7th/10th Heavy Artillery, but it appears he was never assigned to them as his CSR shows him as having been commissioned into the 95th on September 18, 1863 as a 1st Lieutenant.

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Thank you! Thank you! You have a better head for this than I.