Missing or Vanished Soldiers at Gettysburg

Tom Elmore

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Perhaps surprisingly, the number of actual missing soldiers was relatively small at Gettysburg, even among Confederates, once prisoner lists were reported by the opposing side. Yet within a large army at a major battle such as Gettysburg, the fate of some soldiers was not learned by family members until many months or even years later – if ever – as shown in the following examples.

Part 1:

Private Andrew McLucas, Company C, 53rd Georgia. Possibly captured by Brooke's brigade on July 2, McLucas was initially sent to the prison camp at Fort Delaware. On October 22, 1863, he was transferred to Point Lookout, but there the trail ends. In 1891, the following statements were attributed to his widow, Catherine, on her pension application: "I never heard anything of him since that time [Gettysburg]. He was reported by his command to have been lost in that battle … was sick … but went into the battle and never was seen or heard or by any of the company directly after that time. It was reported by one of the regiment … that [he] was captured in that battle and died at Point Lookout." (Pension Application of Catherine L. McLucas, Fayette County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault; Compiled Service Records of Andrew McLucas, Fold3.) [Comment: It appears McLucas did indeed die at Point Lookout. We also learned from his widow that he was likely declared sick and therefore did not have to fight. It seems he chose to join his comrades despite his illness, perhaps in a weakened condition. If so, he paid the ultimate price and met his fate alone, far from family and friends.]

Private James J. Roberson, Company H, 50th Georgia. Roberson was declared missing as of July 2 and he was carried on the rolls as "missing in action" through at least December 1864. It was subsequently determined that he had been captured and taken to Fort Delaware, where he died on October 25, 1863 of chronic diarrhea. (Fiftieth Georgia Regiment, casualty list, Augusta (Georgia) Chronical and Sentinel, July 31, 1863; Compiled service records of James J. Roberson, Fold3)

Private John W. Shackelford, Company D, 9th Louisiana. According to his service records, Shackelford became very ill on the march through Pennsylvania, and he was left behind at the David Shriver farm near Gettysburg when his regiment marched away from that place on the morning of June 27. It was initially supposed that he had been captured, but no word being received from Federal authorities, he was subsequently thought to have died. That was true – illness claimed his life on or about June 30. The army just happened to return to the area four days later, so Shackelford's remains may have been taken up as an unknown after the war and sent to Hollywood cemetery in Richmond. (Compiled service records of John W. Shackelford, Fold3; Gettysburg's Confederate Dead, by Gregory A. Coco, Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications, 2003)

Private John William Agerton, Company D, 48th Georgia. For a full year after July 2, he was reported on his service records as missing, then he was listed as a prisoner of war. The Federals noted his arrival at Fort Delaware on October 22, 1863. He was transferred to Elmira, New York on July 12, 1864, just days after that facility was up and running as a prison. It was perhaps at that time Agerton's status finally became known to Confederate authorities. He died at Elmira of pneumonia on December 11 of that same year. In February 1899, his widow, Elmina, filed a pension application in connection with her husband, whom she called William: "He went in the battle of Gettysburg … and was supposed to have been killed. He was never seen or heard from anymore." They had wed in 1856. (Compiled service records of John William Agerton, Fold3; Pension Application of Elmina Agerton, Burke County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault)

Acting 1st Sergeant John O'Banion, Company D, 48th Georgia. A member of the same company as Agerton, O'Banion was likewise reported as missing on his service records until the July/August 1864 roll, when his status was changed to that of prisoner. It was the last notation in his file. In 1891, his wife Martha filed an application for a pension, stating that her husband was "never again seen alive" after Gettysburg. A witness to the application, Laban Odom, who was 3rd sergeant of the company during the battle, wrote that O'Banion was serving as acting orderly (1st) sergeant, and that he (Odom) possessed a report indicating O'Banion was among the killed at Gettysburg. (Compiled service records of John O'Banion and Laban Odom, Fold3; Pension Application of Martha O'Banion, Burke County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault)

Private Mias A. Wilson, Company F, 16th North Carolina. Correctly declared a deserter by Confederate authorities immediately after the battle, his fate only became clear five years ago: https://civilwartalk.com/threads/st...s-a-wilson-of-the-16th-north-carolina.144866/
 
Part 2:

Private Robert W. Smith, Company G, 12th Alabama. Confederate records indicate that went absent without leave (AWOL) on July 1. Federal records state that he "gave himself up" on July 13 as a deserter and declared his willingness to take the Oath of Allegiance. Confined for some reason at Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania, he escaped from the post hospital on January 28, 1864. He next appears as being admitted to General Hospital #9 in Richmond on July 28, 1864, after which there is no further record. Regarding his true allegiance (if any), we may never know. (Compiled service records of Robert W. Smith, Fold3; Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 1:131)

Private Oliver H. P. Glover, Company K, 12th Alabama. In the 1890s, his spouse, Mrs. C. E. Glover, applied for a pension as the widow of a Confederate soldier, writing: "He went into the battle and was never heard of after that day. I do not know if he was killed, wounded or captured. I learned from his command that he was lost in the battle. I have never heard of him since that time. … It was the opinion of his commanding officer that he was killed in said fight. … I was informed of my husband's loss by comrades who survived the battle." Federal records show Private Glover, a conscript, "gave himself up" (deserted), either on June 20 or July 4. He arrived at Fort McHenry on July 9 and was quickly forwarded to Fort Delaware, where he took the oath and joined Company E, 3rd Maryland (U.S.) Cavalry on September 23. He was then 32 years old and listed his residence as Crawford, Georgia. However, Glover deserted in Baltimore on January 1, 1864, keeping his weapon and equipment, and nothing further was heard of him. (Pension Application of Mrs. C E. Glover, Fayette County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault; Confederate and Union compiled service records of Oliver H. P. Glover, Fold3)

1st Corporal J. T. Barr, Company D, 2nd Florida. Reported missing after the fight on July 2, he was never heard from again. Born in 1842, Barr was 19 when he enlisted as a private on July 14, 1861 at Jacksonville; he was promoted to 1st corporal on May 11, 1862. Identified as a deserter on the rolls as of August 19, 1862, he was reported captured at Frederick, Maryland on September 12 and exchanged the following month. He returned to his command by early 1863, retaining his rank, so evidently no stigma was attached to his absence the previous August. He was carried as missing on the rolls after Gettysburg, through August 1864, when his status was updated to prisoner, but this could be inaccurate since a notation from early 1865 said no word from him had been received, nor do Federal records confirm his prisoner status. (Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 1:224; Compiled service records of J. T. Barr) [Comment: Barr may have fallen unobserved by his comrades anywhere between the Emmitsburg road and the foot of Cemetery Ridge and either was buried where he fell by Union soldiers, or else soon died as an unknown Confederate at a Union field hospital.]

Private William M. Riley, Company K, 22nd Georgia. Members of his company reported that he was wounded on July 2 and "left on the field in a dying condition." In 1891, Susan W. Riley, his widow, stated that he was "lost on the battlefield and reported to the command as missing and has never returned or been heard from since" the battle. He had enlisted as a substitute for Warren J. Clarke on December 29, 1862 at Fredericksburg, Virginia. (Pension Application of Susan W. Riley, Henry County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault; Compiled service records of William Riley, Fold3; Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 1:415) [Comment: Presumably Riley did die on the evening or night of July 2 and his remains were subsequently put in a burial trench near the Emmitsburg road. He is likely one of the many unknown soldiers who were reinterred at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond in 1872.]

2nd or 4th Corporal (Henry) Harrison Parkes, Company B, 11th North Carolina. Initially listed on the rolls as having been captured on July 3 (during the afternoon assault against Cemetery Ridge), his status was soon changed to missing in action. He was carried upon the rolls as missing through 1864, with a notation added at the end of that year: "Supposed killed." Sergeant (John) Lewis Warlick of Company B, who was severely wounded in Gettysburg, recorded the status of comrades held in various Federal prisons. On September 1, 1863, he wrote: "I can't hear a thing from Harrison Parks. I fear he was killed." (Compiled service records of H. H. Parkes; September 1, 1863 letter of Lewis Warlick from N.C. Hospital, Petersburg, Virginia, My Dearest Friend, The Civil War Correspondence of Cornelia McGimsey and Lewis Warlick, ed. by Mike and Carolyn Lawing, Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2000, p. 150). [Comment: Parkes evidently succumbed from his wounds, most likely on the battlefield on the evening or night of July 3, or else soon after being transported to a Federal field hospital, joining the ranks of the unaccounted dead.]
 
Those poor guys at Elmira suffered terribly that winter. Bad clothing, pitiful blankets, and many in tents during an upstate New York winter.
Records indicate J.W.Agerton was indeed transferred from Pt. Lookout 12 Jul 1864. This indicates he was probably on the train wreck near Shohola, PA on 15 Jul 1864. It took 3-4 days to make the trip to Elmira. App. 50 Confederate prisoners and 17 guards of the Veterans Reserve Corps were killed. My ggggftr. Wm.Lamb Co.D 34 Va. Inf. had arrived on 12 Jul 1864. He survived and was released 3 Jul 1865 at about 32 yrs. of age. The prison camps north and south were for the most part a disaster.
 
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Pvt. Major Morgan Dowell Co.E 19th Va. Inf. was my ggggranduncle. He was reported missing since 3 Jul 1863, and carried on the muster rolls until Aug 1864 as absent / missing. A carpenter by trade, he enlisted 10 May 1861. Appears to have been wounded at South Mtn. or Sharpsburg. Returned to duty 20 Jan 1863. No details beyond missing exist. He was 26 yrs. old at Gettysburg, leaving a wife and 2 kids. His wife remarried in 1870 to a disabled veteran of the 34th Va. Inf.
 
Part 3:

Privates Andrew J. Fogarty (variant Fogerty) and William H. Wheless, Company E, 9th Georgia. Fogarty was captured and sent to Fort Delaware. He was next reported at Point Lookout prison, having been admitted to Hammond General Hospital at the end of 1863. Federal records are rather sketchy. On an unspecified date in 1864, he reportedly died and was buried at Point Lookout. Fogarty was obviously older than the average soldier when he enlisted on March 4, 1862 at Talbotton, Georgia, since he was married on September 8, 1850. In 1894, his widow Rebecca stated that he "never returned since the close of the war, nor has he been heard of since." Comrade Daniel H. Smith testified that Fogarty "fought like a tiger at Gettysburg," while another comrade, William W. Bradshaw, merely indicated that Fogarty had "disappeared." A fascinating statement included in Rebecca's pension application, dated April 16, 1891, reported a conversation held with former Private W. B. Cureton of Company E just two weeks before his death. Cureton reported that "Fogarty and one Wheless, and another whose name escaped him" … all members of Company E, 9th Georgia, were sent out on picket and none of them were ever heard from again. The service records of Private William H. Wheless of Company E note that he was captured at Gettysburg and, like Fogarty, later died in prison, sometime in 1864. (Pension Application of Rebecca Fogarty, Butts County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault; Compiled service records of A. J. Fogarty and William H. Wheless, Fold3; Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 1:319-320 – the latter reference lists a William Wheelis as presumed killed.) [Comment: An odd story. There's nothing to indicate these men deserted (they do not appear on the Union 3rd Maryland Cavalry rolls), but rather were taken by surprise while on picket, either in the Rose woods on the night of July 2/3, or else on the right flank of the army on the night of July 3/4 or even 4/5. Their subsequent disappearance from view of other prisoners and the vague circumstances of their respective deaths is mystifying.]

4th Corporal Littleton Dennis Townsend, Company K, 22nd Georgia. Listed as "missing" on company rolls through the end of 1864, then as a "prisoner of war" as of early 1865. However, no Federal records indicate his capture. In 1894, his spouse, Eliza, was recorded in a pension application as stating he "has never been heard of since [the battle], nor has he returned to his home since the close of the war." Another notation states: "On the 2nd day of July 1863 he was wounded and died upon the battlefield." (Pension Application of Eliza Townsend, Butts County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault; Compiled service records of Littleton D. Townsend, Fold3; Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 1:415) [Comment: It does appear that Townsend fell during his brigade's charge against Cemetery Ridge on the second day and was likely buried as an unknown – see Private William M. Riley above, from the same company.]

Private William L. Milton, Company K, 8th Virginia. Carried as "missing" on the rolls into 1865, given no subsequent word from Federal authorities, it is assumed that he was killed during the charge on July 3. (Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 3:1514; Compiled service records of William L. Milton, Fold3)

Private William H. Sibley, Company I, 61st Virginia. A postwar description states that he was captured in Pennsylvania and was never heard from again. His service record adds details: "Feigned illness May 1 to avoid the battles of Chancellorsville, and remained absent without permission until May 10, 1863. On the march between Culpeper C. H. [Court House] and Hazel Run June 17, 1863 absented himself without permission and has not yet reported for duty." He must have followed the army, however, because the Federals report his capture at Gettysburg on July 3 or 5. He was sent from Fort McHenry to Fort Delaware, and on October 27, 1863, to Point Lookout. But there is no record of him taking the oath and joining the ranks of the 3rd Maryland Cavalry. Sibley must have been exchanged toward the close of the war, as he reappears on an admissions list about March 18, 1865, at General Hospital No. 9 in Richmond. Then, not surprisingly, he disappears once again. (Virginian-Pilot, February 7, 1899; Compiled service records of William H. Sibley, Fold3)
 
I have a grandfather that is among the vanished. Private Wiley Worley of Company D, 11th Regiment Georgia Infantry. His records indicate he was captured 2 July 1863. The Augusta Chronicle of July 31, 1863 mentions he was wounded in the arm. He was never heard from again and the belief is he died from the wound. the 1870 census shows his wife married to another man.

Early days in the research but I fear I may not learn much more about him. I do want to learn more about the 11th Georgia's part in the battle.
 
Part 4:

3rd Sergeant Thomas Jefferson Graves, Company I, 21st Georgia. He married Sarah Ann in 1858 and enlisted on July 17, 1861 at the age of 32. Reportedly sustaining a gunshot wound in his leg at Gettysburg on the night of July 2, Graves was said to have afterwards been removed to a Federal field hospital, where his leg was amputated. On January 22, 1896, his widow Sarah Ann Graves recorded: "I have never heard from him, nor of him, since, and I verily believe he died from said wound when in the hands of the enemy." His service record offers no clue as to his fate. In the absence of further information, we are left to surmise that he was likely buried as an unknown Confederate in a temporary graveyard for enemy soldiers that often adjoined a Federal field hospital. (Pension Application of Sarah Ann Graves, Muscogee County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault; Compiled service record of Thomas J. Graves, Fold3)

2nd Lieutenant Fenton Eley Wrenn, Company I, 3rd Virginia. Enlisting on July 8, 1861, at the age of 21, he never returned from Pickett's charge on July 3. He was subsequently carried for another year on the rolls as a prisoner before being declared "killed at Gettysburg." He never appeared in any Federal prison or hospital records, and presumably was initially buried as an unknown soldier in a mass grave in front of Cemetery Ridge. A tablet was afterwards set up on the Wrenn lot at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Smithfield, Isle of Wight County, Virginia with the inscription: "Lieut Fenton Eley Wrenn, Co. I 3rd Va. Inft. C.S.A., Born Oct. 19, 1839, Reported Missing After Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863." (Compiled service records of Fenton E. Wrenn; Historical Notes on Isle of Wight County, by Helen Haverty King, Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors, 1993, p. 31)

1st Lieutenant John C. Niemeyer, Company I, 9th Virginia. Initially reported as captured, his status was soon changed to "killed." After the war, his brother Henry recalled: "My brother John, first sergeant of Company K, was elected Lieutenant of this company (I), and was with them in the charge of Pickett's Division at Gettysburg, where he was killed July 3, 1863. He was not twenty-one years old and had seen two years of service. His body was never recovered." Henry had served with his brother until discharged on October 29, 1862 for being underage. John was likely buried as an unknown soldier following the charge on July 3. (Compiled service records of John C. Niemeyer and Henry V. Niemeyer; Personal Recollections, by Henry V. Niemeyer, archives room, The Handley Library, Winchester, Virginia)

Private Eli Noyes, Company B, 19th Maine; Corporal George W. Andrews, Company G, 19th Maine; and Private John H. Estes, Company H, 19th Maine. A postwar regimental history states: "It was supposed that [all three] were killed in the charge with the Regiment made in the late afternoon of July 2nd, as they were never seen by the members of the Regiment after that time." It is probable they were killed near the furthest point reached by the 19th Maine just before sunset on July 2, close to the Emmitsburg road, and not far from the Peter Rogers' residence. If so, a Federal burial party from a different regiment would not have reached them until the morning of July 5, when presumably their bodies were deposited in shallow graves, to subsequently join the ranks of the unknown dead interred at Gettysburg's National Cemetery. (The History of the Nineteenth Regiment of Maine Volunteer Infantry, 1862-1865, by John Day Smith, late a corporal in Company F, Minneapolis, MN: Great Western Printing Company, 1909, p. 89)
 
Part 5:

Private Samuel Morgan, Company F, 16th Georgia. In 1891, his widow Hazeltine was recorded on a pension application as having stated that Samuel was "captured by the enemy and has never been heard of since." A notation was made that he was killed. In fact, Samuel received a gunshot in the hip/groin and was apparently placed in the wagon train of wounded. Like other badly wounded Confederates, his case was likely judged too dangerous to continue the journey when the train reached the Potomac. He was left behind at the Seminary hospital in Hagerstown, where he fell into Federal hands around July 14. He died in the hospital on July 18. When Samuel enlisted on August 24, 1861, he was described as being six feet tall with dark eyes and dark hair. (Pension Application of Mrs. Hazeltine Morgan, Jackson County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault; Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 1:420; Compiled service records of Samuel Morgan, Fold3)

Private Levi Moreland, Company C, 33rd Virginia. Levi was "last seen on those historic heights" of Gettysburg. He was killed the morning of July 3 on Culp's Hill and would have been afterwards buried by the Federals in one of the many long trenches of unknown Confederates that covered the hill. His brother, Private William J. Moreland, of the same company, had been buried in "Chickahominy Swamp" on June 27, 1862, during the Seven Days' battles. On July 29, 1861, the two brothers had written home just after the battle of First Manassas (Bull Run): "It was an awful sight after the battle was over to see the dead men and horses all scattered over the battlefield. We buried our men as soon as we could; but there are some of the Yankees lying on the field yet unburied, from the very fact that we were unable to bury them all." (Page Courier, Luray, Virginia, May 19, 1910; Compiled service records of Levi and William Moreland, Fold3)

Private Montgomery Mullen, Company I, 50th Virginia. In 1912, Mrs. Elizabeth Webb received a cross of honor from the Daughters of the Confederacy in recognition of the service and sacrifice rendered by her father, Montgomery Mullen. A newspaper at that time reported that he went missing at Gettysburg "and no tidings were ever heard of him afterward, nor was his body found." I could not find him in service records of his regiment, but an 1884 reference lists him as having been wounded and captured. If so, he likely died soon after in a Union field hospital and his grave was either unmarked or was lost to time. (Times Dispatch (Richmond), September 20, 1912; Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 3:1746; History of Pulaski County, Hardesty's Historical and Genealogical Encyclopedia, 1884, p. 49; 50th Virginia Infantry, by John D. Chapla, The Virginia Regimental Histories Series, 1997: H. E. Howard, Inc.)

1st Sergeant Perry J. Murrell, Company G, 8th Louisiana. He was reportedly wounded in the lung on July 2, doubtless during the charge against Cemetery Hill. The company's "Record of Events" state that he was mortally wounded, but if he died in a Union field hospital his grave was unmarked or else not preserved. A March 13, 1922 letter of R. A. Smith to Mrs. J. D. Harper contributed details: "After the war, cousin John Murrell took Ed Merritt and they went North to every cemetery and every hospital they could find, but they never got any trace of either of the boys, Perry or John Murrell." John must have died in a separate battle. (Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 1:577; the March 13, 1922 letter of R. A. Smith appeared in The Claiborne Parish Historical Association, Historic Claiborne '65, p. 83, as provided to me by N. Wayne Cosby on 1/13/2013. Perry wrote a last letter home on June 25.)

Captain Edward Fletcher Satterfield, Company H, 55th North Carolina. Around 3 p.m. on July 3, Captain Satterfield joined a handful of fellow soldiers near the Brien barn, at nearly the furthest point attained by his regiment during the assault on Cemetery Ridge. When the attack collapsed behind him, the only options were to fall back or be taken prisoner. Satterfield opted to try his luck at an escape, but after just a few steps a shell fired from one of his own batteries struck him squarely in the breast and exploded, literally tearing him to pieces. His death was observed by Sergeant J. A. Whitley of Company E. It is not surprising that his body was never recovered. Regimental Quartermaster William P. Webb recalled that Captain Satterfield was a "brave and noble man, a good soldier and an efficient officer. His death was mourned by all who knew him." (June 8, 1886 letter of Sgt. J. A. Whitley to A. H. Belo, A Sketch of the Fifty-Fifth North Carolina Regiment, Galveston Daily News, September 14, 1895, quoted in, Lone Star Valor: Texans of the Blue & Gray at Gettysburg, by Joe Owen, GettysburgPublishing.com, 2019; Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 3:1254)
 
Part 6:

Private John M. Patterson, Company D, 19th Virginia. Patterson was working as a clerk when he joined the army at the age of 21 on April 16, 1861. A little over three months later he was wounded in the right knee at First Manassas, but soon recovered and rejoined the ranks. Initially declared captured on July 3 at Gettysburg, in early 1864 he was reclassified as wounded and missing. No further information being received on him, he was eventually presumed to have died, perhaps in a Union field hospital. On December 4, 1863, the following inquiry ran in the Richmond Enquirer newspaper: "John M. Patterson, Company D, 19th Regiment Virginia Volunteers, last heard of at the battle of Gettysburg. His mother and sisters would be truly thankful for any definite information concerning him." (Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 3:1608; Richmond Enquirer, December 4, 1863, virginiachronicle.com, Library of Virginia; Compiled service records of John M. Patterson, Fold3)

Private William A. Robinson, Jr., Company C, 56th Virginia. He enlisted July 9, 1861 at Louisa Court House. Recorded on the rolls as having been killed or taken prisoner on July 3, 1863, Robinson was actually brought off the field and taken to the Union Twelfth Corps field hospital on the George Bushman farm. He died there on July 4 and was buried on the grounds east of the house, reportedly with a headboard reading "C Robinson, 56th Va." After the war his remains were likely reinterred at Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond. It is unclear whether his family or regiment ever learned his fate. On January 5, 1864, the following notice appeared in the Richmond Enquirer: "Information wanted of Wm. A. Robinson, Jr., Company C, 56th Virginia Regiment, Garnett's Brigade, Pickett's Division, supposed to have been captured at the battle of Gettysburg, and sent to Fort Delaware. Any information respecting him will be thankfully received by his father, Wm. A. Robinson, Dec. 31st, 1863, Louisa C. H., Va. New York Daily 'News' please copy." A 1936 history of Louisa County indicates only that he was captured. (Compiled Gettysburg's Confederate Dead, by Gregory A. Coco, Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications, 2003; Richmond Enquirer January 5, 1864, virginiachronicle.com, Library of Virginia; Compiled service record of William A. Robinson, Fold3; A History of Louisa County, Virginia, by Malcomb H. Harris, Richmond, VA: The Dietz Press, 1936, p. 92.)

Private John W. Smith, Company A, 57th Virginia. Enlisting for the war on March 8, 1862 at Gravel Hill, Buckingham County, Virginia, he was listed as missing in action on July 3, and was carried that way on regimental rolls through August 1864, when he was declared killed. No further details surfaced; either he joined his comrades in a common burial trench as an unidentified soldier or succumbed in a field hospital and was given a headboard that time obliterated. In January 1864, the Richmond Enquirer newspaper posted the following notice: "Wanted –Information – My son, J. W. Smith, a private in Company A, 57th Virginia Regiment, Pickett's Division, was captured at Gettysburg. Any information respecting him will be thankfully received by his mother, E. Smith. Papers North will please copy. (Compiled service record of John W. Smith; Richmond Enquirer, January 8, 1864)

Private William L. Outlaw, Company F, 48th Georgia. Outlaw was married on December 19, 1854, and enlisted for the war at Johnson, Georgia. His service records report him missing in action on July 2, but afterwards changed to killed in action. His widow Martha commented for the record in her pension application made in 1891: "My husband enlisted in Company 'D,' 59th Ga. Regt. and was transferred to the 48th Georgia, Company 'F,' and was killed at the battle Gettysburg … I never have seen or heard from him since that time." She added: "Mr. Wiggins says he seen him lying dead on the battlefield … while on his way out of the fight." (Compiled service records of William L. Outlaw (variant Oullard) and James I. Wiggins; Pension application of Martha A. Outlaw, Johnson County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault.) [Wiggins is probably Private James I. Wiggins of Company F, who was marked present at the battle. See also comment of @rpkennedy, https://civilwartalk.com/threads/ch...tances-in-other-commands.170040/#post-2452398]

Private Stephen Powell, Company F, 48th Georgia. Powell was reported to be severely wounded on July 2, specifically by a minie ball that penetrated his bowels. He was carried to a field hospital but never heard from again, according to his widow Caroline, whom he wed in 1857. His service records initially confirm that he was "wounded in action" and "sent to hospital," but later reflect only that he was killed. Because Federal authorities never recorded him as captured, it is likely that he was taken to a Confederate field hospital during the battle. A comrade must have noted how he had been wounded and later conveyed that information to his spouse. Under these circumstances, it is supposed that he died after the Confederate army had retreated, but before he could be taken into Federal custody, which suggests a date of July 5. (Pension application of Caroline Powell, Washington County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault; Compiled service records of Stephen Powell, Fold3)
 
With respect to the subject of this thread, it is very interesting.

I’d wager that unfortunately this was all too common of an occurrence in many Civil War battles.

A bit off the subject, was this common in earlier wars/conflicts?

Another question, and I’m sure the number is small, how many deserted the ANV or Union Captivity and created a completely new identity and life?
 
With respect to the subject of this thread, it is very interesting.

I’d wager that unfortunately this was all too common of an occurrence in many Civil War battles.

A bit off the subject, was this common in earlier wars/conflicts?

Another question, and I’m sure the number is small, how many deserted the ANV or Union Captivity and created a completely new identity and life?
I'm not sure the number was that small. In my family one of my gr-gr-grandfather's brothers walked away from his regiment. The family assumed he was dead. Years later he contacted them from Arkansas. He had changed his first two names, reversing his initials, but still used his last name. If he gave his brothers an explanation for what happened it was not repeated in the family. We all were just told he deserted and went west.
 
We all were just told he deserted and went west.
Just my opinion, but I think the western United States became a haven of sorts for many soldiers from both sides after the war who found for various reasons that they no longer could be accepted or fit into the societies they had lived in before their enlistment. PTSD, addictions, desertions, etc. lead many men to try and wipe the slate clean and make a new start.
 
Just my opinion, but I think the western United States became a haven of sorts for many soldiers from both sides after the war who found for various reasons that they no longer could be accepted or fit into the societies they had lived in before their enlistment. PTSD, addictions, desertions, etc. lead many men to try and wipe the slate clean and make a new start.
Oh I guarantee it.
 
I do want to learn more about the 11th Georgia's part in the battle.
There is a biographical roster of the 11th Georgia by Richard Michael Allen due to be published by Savas Beattie in February 2023.
At Gettysburg they were in Tige Anderson's brigade part of Hood's division. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Francis H. Little and is thought to have numbered 310 men. The regiment lost 40 men killed, 156 wounded and 5 missing in fighting around The Wheatfield. Other sources report a total loss of 201, a 64.8 percent loss. In fact three of the Georgia regiments in the brigade recorded losses of over 50%. Colonel Little and Lt. Colonel Wiliam Luffman were wounded on July 2, and Major Henry D. McDaniel took over command.
There is a book that concentrates on this part of the field 'Gettysburg's Bloody Wheatfield by Jay Jorgensen published in 2004 but I have not read it. There are also two volumes by Arthur Wylie with over 2,000 pages in each volume - basically a list of the Confederate Georgia Records, volume 1 covers surnames A to J, volume 2 cover K to Z.
 
Part 7:

Private Thomas J. Kidd, Company B, 16th Georgia. His spouse, Mrs. Milly Anne Kidd, submitted a pension application in 1894 in which she stated that her husband "has never been heard from since the battle of Gettysburg" and "have reason to believe he was killed there." Witness John H. Deverell, who served in the same company, "remembers that he was killed at Gettysburg." A notation was made that Kidd was killed "by a bomb shell." A usually reliable reference work indicates that he was indeed killed. However, it was likely not just an ordinary round, but perhaps the single most destructive round of the entire battle that struck down many men in Company B, as our esteemed @lelliott19 has determined through extensive research. (Pension application of Milly Anne Kidd, Whitfield County, Georgia, Georgia Virtual Vault; Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey; https://civilwartalk.com/conversati...tillery-round.43602/page-3#convMessage-428570)

Private John L. Calhoun, Company D, 18th Virginia. He enlisted February 25, 1863 at Camp Lee in Richmond. On July 3, Calhoun was reported as wounded and captured, but that was soon modified to "supposed to have been killed." But in April 1864, his status changed back to "prisoner," and it was finally noted that he "died in prison" on April 30, 1864. The following article appeared in the February 16, 1864 edition of the Richmond Enquirer: "Information Wanted. John L. Calhoun, a private in Company D, 18th Virginia Regiment, Garnett's Brigade, Pickett's Division was at Gettysburg. Any information regarding him would be most thankfully received by his mother and friends. Martin J. Calhoun. Baltimore and New York papers, please copy." (Compiled service record of John L. Calhoun; Richmond Enquirer, February 16, 1864)

4th Sergeant James D. Mansfield, Company B, 24th Virginia. Initially reported as missing in action in front of Cemetery Ridge on July 3, in early 1864 a notation was added to his service record: "supposed to have been killed." Around that date, his sister prepared an article for a Richmond newspaper: "If any of our men recently paroled at Point Lookout can give any information of Sergeant James D. Mansfield, of the 24th Virginia Infantry, who has been missing since the Gettysburg fight, it will be thankfully received by his sister, Mary J. Gentry, Gordonsville, Va." It is not known if any further information was conveyed to her. (Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 15, 1864, reprinted March 15, 2014; Compiled service records of James D. Mansfield; Confederate Casualties at Gettysburg, by John W. Busey and Travis W. Busey, 3:1627)

Captain John Payne Welsh, Company B, 27th Virginia. John was raised with his brother James on a 275-acre farm located four miles north of Lexington, Virginia. The family did not own slaves. In 1853, James moved to Illinois and became a Republican and subsequently the war divided the brothers. John enlisted with the 27th Virginia on March 19, 1862 and was chosen as captain. James joined the 78th Illinois that September. At Gettysburg, John was badly wounded on Culp's Hill and carried back to the Potomac with the wagon train. However, he was unable to travel on and was left behind in a Hagerstown hospital, under the care of 1st Corporal John H. Hart of his company. Welsh lingered until July 15. Hart was allowed to bury him before being taken to a Federal prison. Reportedly Welsh was buried in the local Catholic church cemetery, but I cannot independently verify it. Hart's 1925 obituary actually indicated that Welsh's grave was not properly marked and was lost to memory. Upon his release, Hart delivered Welsh's haversack and Bible to his widow, R. (Rebecca?) C. "Becky" Welsh. (A House Divided: The Civil War Letters of a Virginia Family, by W. G. Bean, The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 59, no. 4 (Oct. 1951), Virginia Historical Society; Obituary of John H. Hart, Rockbridge County News, February 26, 1925, Virginiachronicle.com; Compiled service records of John H. Hart, Fold3; https://civilwartalk.com/threads/divided-loyalties-of-the-welsh-brothers.169610/)

5th Sergeant (William) Henry Crabtree, Company H, 2nd Florida. Before the war he worked as an assistant engineer on the Jacksonville and Alligator Railroad (Lake City was then known as Alligator town), according to a July 1862 letter in his service record that also recommended him for the Engineer Corps, although nothing came of the latter application. On July 13, 1861, he enlisted in the regiment at Jacksonville, and was promoted to sergeant in 1863. At Gettysburg he was noted as missing and presumed captured, either on July 2 or 3, but no Federal record confirms his status as a prisoner of war. Subsequently he was presumed to have been killed or else died in a field hospital at Gettysburg. In 1864, the Richmond Enquirer posted the following query: "Madison, Fla., Nov. 5, 1864. Information Wanted. Sergt. Wm. Henry Crabtree, company H, 2d Florida regiment, Perry's brigade, was missing at the battle of Gettysburg … since then nothing has been heard concerning him. Any information on his whereabouts will be gratefully received by his distressed mother, Jane Crabtree. Northern papers please copy, and answer through Richmond Enquirer and Savannah papers." (Compiled service records, Fold3; Richmond Enquirer, November 15, 1864, virginiachronicle.com, Library of Virginia)
 
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