My Great Great Grandfather of the 63rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry...

63rdOVI

Corporal
Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Location
Houston, Texas
Some years after my father died and during the fourth visit I made back home to spend some time with his Uncle Charles, I asked once again to see the old ambrotype he had that showed his grandfather, my 2nd great grandfather William Harrison Moore (1828-1894), in his Union Army uniform in about 1863 for his service in the 63rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Once he retrieved it from his bedroom, Uncle Charles handed it to me and said, "Here. It's yours now. You're the only one who asks to see it or asks questions about him." To say I was stunned was an understatement. It has been in my possession ever since.

About fifteen years ago I finally took a quick cell phone photo of it just to be able to show my friends instead of bringing out the old photo from 1863. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't terrific, either.

William Harrison Moore.jpg


Then the other day, I decided that it wasn't very good at all. So I took my new Android and...

Willam Harrison Moore 2019 (tintype taken in 1863).jpg


Much better, I think. Anyway, my cousins are happy that I gave them an updated photo of Grandpap. And of course it's my avatar here and other places. At least I inherited his eyes according to my friends who've seen the newer photo.
 
Some years after my father died and during the fourth visit I made back home to spend some time with his Uncle Charles, I asked once again to see the old ambrotype he had that showed his grandfather, my 2nd great grandfather William Harrison Moore (1828-1894), in his Union Army uniform in about 1863 for his service in the 63rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Once he retrieved it from his bedroom, Uncle Charles handed it to me and said, "Here. It's yours now. You're the only one who asks to see it or asks questions about him." To say I was stunned was an understatement. It has been in my possession ever since.

About fifteen years ago I finally took a quick cell phone photo of it just to be able to show my friends instead of bringing out the old photo from 1863. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't terrific, either.

View attachment 306170

Then the other day, I decided that it wasn't very good at all. So I took my new Android and...

View attachment 306171

Much better, I think. Anyway, my cousins are happy that I gave them an updated photo of Grandpap. And of course it's my avatar here and other places. At least I inherited his eyes according to my friends who've seen the newer photo.
Good lookin fellow!
 
There were two William Moore's in the regiment, and since one of them died in 1863 I'm sure it is the other guy. William Moore of Company K was 32 when he entered the service on Dec. 5, 1861. This fits the birth year provided by 63OVI. He was mustered out Jan. 12, 1865 at the expiration of his service.

Provided he was not away at the time, he fought at the Battle of Corinth. On Oct. 4, 1862 his regiment was posted to the right of Battery Robinett, about 150 yards from where I am sitting. They suffered the highest number of killed and wounded of any Union regiment on the battlefield, with 132 casualties out of 275 engaged. That's 45% casualties. His commanding officer was Col. John Wilson Sprague, who would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his performance at Atlanta. Sprague's boots and saddle are on display here at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, Corinth, MS.
 
There were two William Moore's in the regiment, and since one of them died in 1863 I'm sure it is the other guy. William Moore of Company K was 32 when he entered the service on Dec. 5, 1861. This fits the birth year provided by 63OVI. He was mustered out Jan. 12, 1865 at the expiration of his service.

Provided he was not away at the time, he fought at the Battle of Corinth. On Oct. 4, 1862 his regiment was posted to the right of Battery Robinett, about 150 yards from where I am sitting. They suffered the highest number of killed and wounded of any Union regiment on the battlefield, with 132 casualties out of 275 engaged. That's 45% casualties. His commanding officer was Col. John Wilson Sprague, who would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his performance at Atlanta. Sprague's boots and saddle are on display here at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, Corinth, MS.

Yes to all. Thanks for posting all this since it saved me from doing it! He was at New Madrid, Island Number 10, Iuka, the siege and battle of Corinth, Parker's Cross Roads, and countless other engagements. William eventually stopped shooting during the war and ended up serving as an Army teamster for the XVII Corps during the March To the Sea. He was mustered out at Savannah, Georgia, at the expiration of his term of service: 12 Jan 1865.

If you look above his name in the company roster you will find his brother Harrison G. Moore (1831-1865), who did not survive the war. He died of "disease" in a U.S. Army hospital in Dalton, Georgia, on 5 Jan 1865. William, my 2nd great grandfather, named his first son from his second marriage after his brother. I am Harrison G. Moore IV.

I visited Corinth back in the late '90s and visited the little mobile home that housed the museum at that time. The very nice lady saw my Texas license plates and directed me to a display about the 2nd Texas Legion and Col. William P. Rogers, spending quite a bit of time talking about him. At the end, she asked me whether I had any ancestors at Corinth.

"Yes, ma'am, my 2nd great grandfather."

"Well, even though they lost the battle, you must be proud of your Texans."

"Well, ma'am, I am indeed very proud of Texas, but my ancestor served in the 63rd Ohio."

After a short pause, during which the smile never left her face, the little lady told me that she was very pleased to have me visit. I thought she was kind of magnificent in her control and gentility at such a moment! Anyway, I stood to the right of Battery Robinett just like my ancestor did and had a photo taken. I understand the park is now much more detailed. I need to revisit at some point.
 
Did he make it through the war? What became of him?

Yes, he did. He made it back to Athens County, Ohio, and worked his farm. His first wife died in 1872, and he married again in 1873. My great grandfather was born in 1874. William developed tuberculosis possibly during the war and eventually filed for a pension, which was granted. He died in 1894 of TB. His second wife survived him until 1928. He and she are buried in a small cemetery on top of a knoll on the county line of Ross County and Vinton County in southeast Ohio, and his grave is marked for Memorial Day by the local SUVCW camp.
 
You are very lucky indeed to have an actual wartime photo of your ancestor! I only wish I could say as much.
Yes, I am. I was born during the Civil War centennial and have been a student of the war since I was a youngun. To have a photo of him--and know his service--is a treasure. I honored him by using him to join the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, even though I have numerous other ancestors I could have used.
 
Some years after my father died and during the fourth visit I made back home to spend some time with his Uncle Charles, I asked once again to see the old ambrotype he had that showed his grandfather, my 2nd great grandfather William Harrison Moore (1828-1894), in his Union Army uniform in about 1863 for his service in the 63rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Once he retrieved it from his bedroom, Uncle Charles handed it to me and said, "Here. It's yours now. You're the only one who asks to see it or asks questions about him." To say I was stunned was an understatement. It has been in my possession ever since.

About fifteen years ago I finally took a quick cell phone photo of it just to be able to show my friends instead of bringing out the old photo from 1863. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't terrific, either.

View attachment 306170

Then the other day, I decided that it wasn't very good at all. So I took my new Android and...

View attachment 306171

Much better, I think. Anyway, my cousins are happy that I gave them an updated photo of Grandpap. And of course it's my avatar here and other places. At least I inherited his eyes according to my friends who've seen the newer photo.
Funny you mention that, my dad has a similar story, when he was a boy in the 40's he borrowed his grandfather's civil war papers for school presentation (novel here in Illinois because we were Confederates) and then he borrowed them a second time, and his grandfather said "you are the only one showing any interest, you keep the chest!" And so they were saved. The other artifacts, like the family Bible that had births, deaths, etc. and other things of course got lost or destroyed. But this chest got saved! By the way, my ancestors were the ones charging Battery Robinett at Corinth (2nd Texas Regiment)!
 
Yes to all. Thanks for posting all this since it saved me from doing it! He was at New Madrid, Island Number 10, Iuka, the siege and battle of Corinth, Parker's Cross Roads, and countless other engagements. William eventually stopped shooting during the war and ended up serving as an Army teamster for the XVII Corps during the March To the Sea. He was mustered out at Savannah, Georgia, at the expiration of his term of service: 12 Jan 1865.

If you look above his name in the company roster you will find his brother Harrison G. Moore (1831-1865), who did not survive the war. He died of "disease" in a U.S. Army hospital in Dalton, Georgia, on 5 Jan 1865. William, my 2nd great grandfather, named his first son from his second marriage after his brother. I am Harrison G. Moore IV.

I visited Corinth back in the late '90s and visited the little mobile home that housed the museum at that time. The very nice lady saw my Texas license plates and directed me to a display about the 2nd Texas Legion and Col. William P. Rogers, spending quite a bit of time talking about him. At the end, she asked me whether I had any ancestors at Corinth.

"Yes, ma'am, my 2nd great grandfather."

"Well, even though they lost the battle, you must be proud of your Texans."

"Well, ma'am, I am indeed very proud of Texas, but my ancestor served in the 63rd Ohio."

After a short pause, during which the smile never left her face, the little lady told me that she was very pleased to have me visit. I thought she was kind of magnificent in her control and gentility at such a moment! Anyway, I stood to the right of Battery Robinett just like my ancestor did and had a photo taken. I understand the park is now much more detailed. I need to revisit at some point.
Yes the museum at Corinth now is really something, they put some major bucks in it! You need to go see it sometime. Did your ancestor have any stories passed down about Corinth and Battery Robinett?
 
Yes the museum at Corinth now is really something, they put some major bucks in it! You need to go see it sometime. Did your ancestor have any stories passed down about Corinth and Battery Robinett?

Unfortunately, no. My father didn't even know his great grandfather's name, and my grandfather never told me. It took my discussions with my grandfather's brothers to find out his name and home location in Ohio in order for me to begin the records search. And through Ancestry I've met cousins of mine from William's other sons and my y-DNA tests have connected me to our common German paternal line (our surname's spelling was changed from Mohr to Moore in Pennsylvania back in the 1750s). A lot of questions have been answered but no original stories have come down to us.
 
Yes to all. Thanks for posting all this since it saved me from doing it! He was at New Madrid, Island Number 10, Iuka, the siege and battle of Corinth, Parker's Cross Roads, and countless other engagements. William eventually stopped shooting during the war and ended up serving as an Army teamster for the XVII Corps during the March To the Sea. He was mustered out at Savannah, Georgia, at the expiration of his term of service: 12 Jan 1865.

If you look above his name in the company roster you will find his brother Harrison G. Moore (1831-1865), who did not survive the war. He died of "disease" in a U.S. Army hospital in Dalton, Georgia, on 5 Jan 1865. William, my 2nd great grandfather, named his first son from his second marriage after his brother. I am Harrison G. Moore IV.

I visited Corinth back in the late '90s and visited the little mobile home that housed the museum at that time. The very nice lady saw my Texas license plates and directed me to a display about the 2nd Texas Legion and Col. William P. Rogers, spending quite a bit of time talking about him. At the end, she asked me whether I had any ancestors at Corinth.

"Yes, ma'am, my 2nd great grandfather."

"Well, even though they lost the battle, you must be proud of your Texans."

"Well, ma'am, I am indeed very proud of Texas, but my ancestor served in the 63rd Ohio."

After a short pause, during which the smile never left her face, the little lady told me that she was very pleased to have me visit. I thought she was kind of magnificent in her control and gentility at such a moment! Anyway, I stood to the right of Battery Robinett just like my ancestor did and had a photo taken. I understand the park is now much more detailed. I need to revisit at some point.


I'm sorry but this is wonderful! I don't mean in any ' pro ' anyone way, the whole conversation is delightful. Thanks for sharing. She's recognizable although it would not go down well- my great aunt disliked ' those Southerners ' with the same depth. They all look and behave like American duchesses. Bless them.
 
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