Nelson Warren, Co. A, 13th Infantry Regiment WI

WarrenTalk

Cadet
Joined
Dec 1, 2019
Our family has had no success in identifying the location of my GG Uncle's burial so I thought I might send out an inquiry.

I suspect that the odds are long, at best, of locating Nelson's final resting place, given the time and locale that this
occurred. Nelson died on the 10th of August, 1862 from "fever" in Columbus, KY. As many of you may already be
very familiar with, the WI 13th Regiment was nearly infamous for suffering an alarmingly high number of fatalities
due to "illness".

By the end of the war, the WI 13th Regiment lost 5 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 188 Enlisted men
by "disease".

One Col. Maloney was held responsible for extremely poor handling of his troops, subjecting them
to exposure due to over marching and outpacing his supply wagons, resulting in setting camp minus tents, overcoats,
blankets etc., leading to overexposure to the elements and resultant illness, namely "Typhoid fever" and "Typhoid
Pneumonia". Nelson had been in hospital at Ft. Leavenworth due to illness prior their orders to march on to Columbus, KY.

While not completely certain, I suspect that Nelson may have died under similar circumstances in Columbus, KY (i.e., in
hospital rather than in the field, active duty). My father visited Columbus a few years back but could not locate anything
relative to Civil War era burials. He may have ended up simply buried in a common area, unmarked or otherwise and
considering the fact that Columbus, KY was a constant victim of flooding, it is highly possible that the burial location is
forever lost.

I just thought that I'd toss up one last Hail Mary and hope for the best. Like I said, long shot...
 
Hi, Warren! Welcome! I must confess, I don't know the answer to your question but am responding to bump your question. Hope someone sees it!

I assume based on the info you are providing that you already have a CSR for Nelson?
 
Hi, Warren! Welcome! I must confess, I don't know the answer to your question but am responding to bump your question. Hope someone sees it!

I assume based on the info you are providing that you already have a CSR for Nelson?

Hello, Zella. Thanks for the bump and reply. I'll have to plead ignorance when it comes to your reference to "CSR". I'm afraid that I'm not familiar with just what a CSR encompasses. Apologies.

Most of my information comes from letters sent home, from Nelson, and further research performed by my Father.

Additionally, I found a direct reference to Nelson in a document out in Civil War diaries: https://civilwardigital.com/html/civil_war_diaries.html

The direct reference, indicating that he had to be left behind due to illness is in the following document on page 88: https://civilwardigital.com/CWDiari...Wisconsin Volunteers, 1861-1865, Volume 5.pdf

I had hoped to find a reference to his death within however it isn't noted.
 
Hello, Zella. Thanks for the bump and reply. I'll have to plead ignorance when it comes to your reference to "CSR". I'm afraid that I'm not familiar with just what a CSR encompasses. Apologies.

Most of my information comes from letters sent home, from Nelson, and further research performed by my Father.

Additionally, I found a direct reference to Nelson in a document out in Civil War diaries: https://civilwardigital.com/html/civil_war_diaries.html

The direct reference, indicating that he had to be left behind due to illness is in the following document on page 88: https://civilwardigital.com/CWDiaries/Quiner Scrapbooks - Correspondence of the Wisconsin Volunteers, 1861-1865, Volume 5.pdf

I had hoped to find a reference to his death within however it isn't noted.
So sorry for the confusion! A CSR is a compiled service record. They can be invaluable resources because they usually include the monthly muster roll results for an individual, as well as enlistment information, and can include a wealth of genealogical material. I have found additional information on deaths in some CSRs. It may not exactly answer your question, but it might include information that helps.

I wrote a how-to tutorial earlier this year on how to use Fold-3 to get a CSR, and it's a good overview of what a CSR is. (https://civilwartalk.com/threads/how-to-thread-fold3.158488/)

Unfortunately, Wisconsin just has index cards, and I have attached the one for Nelson. It will cost money, but you can order his records from NARA. This is not something I have experience with, but I know others on the forum have done so. @RhinehartRoots goes to the archives regularly and might be able to help you as well.
 

Attachments

  • Nelson Warren index card.pdf
    59.4 KB · Views: 106
Our family has had no success in identifying the location of my GG Uncle's burial so I thought I might send out an inquiry.

I suspect that the odds are long, at best, of locating Nelson's final resting place, given the time and locale that this
occurred. Nelson died on the 10th of August, 1862 from "fever" in Columbus, KY. As many of you may already be
very familiar with, the WI 13th Regiment was nearly infamous for suffering an alarmingly high number of fatalities
due to "illness".

By the end of the war, the WI 13th Regiment lost 5 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 188 Enlisted men
by "disease".

One Col. Maloney was held responsible for extremely poor handling of his troops, subjecting them
to exposure due to over marching and outpacing his supply wagons, resulting in setting camp minus tents, overcoats,
blankets etc., leading to overexposure to the elements and resultant illness, namely "Typhoid fever" and "Typhoid
Pneumonia". Nelson had been in hospital at Ft. Leavenworth due to illness prior their orders to march on to Columbus, KY.

While not completely certain, I suspect that Nelson may have died under similar circumstances in Columbus, KY (i.e., in
hospital rather than in the field, active duty). My father visited Columbus a few years back but could not locate anything
relative to Civil War era burials. He may have ended up simply buried in a common area, unmarked or otherwise and
considering the fact that Columbus, KY was a constant victim of flooding, it is highly possible that the burial location is
forever lost.

I just thought that I'd toss up one last Hail Mary and hope for the best. Like I said, long shot...

Welcome! Was 1st Lieutenant Eugene Warren of Company E any relation to Nelson?
 
Welcome! Was 1st Lieutenant Eugene Warren of Company E any relation to Nelson?

Thanks! At this time, I do not show a direct connection between Nelson and Eugene.

Nelson is the son of Jonathan Winchester Warren out of Bath, NY. Nelson had two brothers that served as well in the Civil War:

James A. Warren, 1st Cavalry , Co. D , Wisconsin (enlisted on September 05, 1864).
- His Troop captured Jefferson Davis for which he later received a reward.
- mustered out July 19, 1865

Lucian Ball Warren, Enlisted in Bath New York February 21, 1862 78th New York Volunteers Eagle Brigade

On August 9th 1862 His company was captured at Battle of Cedar Mountain, VA.
They were confined in Libby Prison until a prisoner exchange took place at Bell Isle Parole Camp in Annapolis, MD.
They were returned to the 78th New York Volunteers. He went on to participate in the following battles:

Fredericksburg VA. Dec. 13, 1862
Murfreesboro TN. Jan. 4, 1863
Chancellorsville VA. May 1, 1863
Gettysburg PA. July 1-4, 1863:

- Order of Battle XII Corps 2nd Div. 3rd Brigade 78th NY Volunteers

- They defended Culps Hill against Ewell's Div. The 78th lost so many
men, the remainder were reassigned to the 102nd Regiment NY. Volunteers
where he served the rest of the war.

Chickamauga TN. Sept. 19, 1863
Lookout Mountain TN. Nov. 23-24, 1863
Ringold GA. Nov. 27, 1863
Resaca GA. May 16, 1864
Allatoona GA. June 1, 1864
Dallas GA. June 1, 1864
Kenesaw Mountain GA. June 27, 1864
Peachtree Creek GA. July 20-22, 1864
Siege of Atlanta GA. Ended Sept. 1864
Sherman's March to the Sea Nov. 11-Dec. 21, 1864

Lucian was discharged March 31, 1865 at Goldsboro NC.

Lucian is my Great Grandfather
 
So sorry for the confusion! A CSR is a compiled service record. They can be invaluable resources because they usually include the monthly muster roll results for an individual, as well as enlistment information, and can include a wealth of genealogical material. I have found additional information on deaths in some CSRs. It may not exactly answer your question, but it might include information that helps.

I wrote a how-to tutorial earlier this year on how to use Fold-3 to get a CSR, and it's a good overview of what a CSR is. (https://civilwartalk.com/threads/how-to-thread-fold3.158488/)

Unfortunately, Wisconsin just has index cards, and I have attached the one for Nelson. It will cost money, but you can order his records from NARA. This is not something I have experience with, but I know others on the forum have done so. @RhinehartRoots goes to the archives regularly and might be able to help you as well.

Thank you so much for the information, Zella! It is certainly something that I'll need to look in to. Very much appreciated!
 
Thank you so much for the information, Zella! It is certainly something that I'll need to look in to. Very much appreciated!
You're welcome--glad to help! If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to post. We've got a good group of experienced genealogists here. They've helped me so much with my own research! :smile:
 
Thank you so much for the information, Zella! It is certainly something that I'll need to look in to. Very much appreciated!
Hey Warren, Have you been able to find a unit history or any records from the field hospital in which your ancestor passed away in? They might have some record as to where they initially buried his remains. It could also be possible that his family at the time re located his body (not sure on your families history as this was usually an expensive proposition so would probably only happened if they had the means to pay for it).
 
Hey Warren, Have you been able to find a unit history or any records from the field hospital in which your ancestor passed away in? They might have some record as to where they initially buried his remains. It could also be possible that his family at the time re located his body (not sure on your families history as this was usually an expensive proposition so would probably only happened if they had the means to pay for it).

Hi there. Thanks for the inquiry. Haven't had any success locating any hospital information. Many/most of the "hospitals" were very makeshift, involving the utilization of existing structures that were pretty primitive, at best, so it's highly unlikely that there was any formal record keeping, in that regard. There's also no indication of there being a relocation of Nelson's remains to his home locale. I do have personal letters from his immediate family, at the time, which indicate that they should be thankful that he had been "buried" rather than placed in an "open pit", falling on the battlefield. I was hoping that they would have been more specific as to the location but since they
apparently were aware of it, at that time, they didn't bother to reference it directly.

Thanks again for chiming in on this. Every little bit is very much appreciated.

Geoff Warren
 
It's always a tremendous bonus to be able to put a face with the name and since I'm fortunate enough to have a photo of my GG Uncle, not too distant from the time of his death, I'm adding it here.
Nelson Warren.jpg
 
Hi there. Thanks for the inquiry. Haven't had any success locating any hospital information. Many/most of the "hospitals" were very makeshift, involving the utilization of existing structures that were pretty primitive, at best, so it's highly unlikely that there was any formal record keeping, in that regard. There's also no indication of there being a relocation of Nelson's remains to his home locale. I do have personal letters from his immediate family, at the time, which indicate that they should be thankful that he had been "buried" rather than placed in an "open pit", falling on the battlefield. I was hoping that they would have been more specific as to the location but since they
apparently were aware of it, at that time, they didn't bother to reference it directly.

Thanks again for chiming in on this. Every little bit is very much appreciated.

Geoff Warren
I would pull his CSR like @Zella mentioned above. This would tell us a lot of information regarding his service including if he was in a field hospital a commandeered home or a structured hospital in the area. Regardless of them being primitive or not, they attempted to keep some type of record of who they saw and when, even if it was afterwards and it was just a few lines on a surgeons certificate. His death record for the Army should also mention something on it as well as to where he passed away that could point us in the right direction.
 
I suspect Nelson Warren was initially buried on the grounds of the Union Post Hospital in Columbus Kentucky in August 1862 where he died. He most likely was removed with all the other Union dead (other than U.S. colored troops dead who remained in the colored cemetery there) in 1867 and was reinterred in Mound City National Cemetery in Mound City, Illinois. There are several soldiers, surname Warren listed in that National Cemetery, but no Nelson Warren. There is a "J. Warren" who died in August 1862 buried there. Could he be your soldier? Again, it's very likely your GG Uncle lies somewhere in Mound City National Cemetery.
 
I suspect Nelson Warren was initially buried on the grounds of the Union Post Hospital in Columbus Kentucky in August 1862 where he died. He most likely was removed with all the other Union dead (other than U.S. colored troops dead who remained in the colored cemetery there) in 1867 and was reinterred in Mound City National Cemetery in Mound City, Illinois. There are several soldiers, surname Warren listed in that National Cemetery, but no Nelson Warren. There is a "J. Warren" who died in August 1862 buried there. Could he be your soldier? Again, it's very likely your GG Uncle lies somewhere in Mound City National Cemetery.

Thank you for the information. I'll have to dig further here. It is curious that a J. Warren is buried there with an Aug. '62 death date but unless there was an error in transcription, it would be hard to definitively answer whether or not it might be Nelson.

Again, thank you for taking the time to provide the information. Much appreciated.
 
Thank you for the information. I'll have to dig further here. It is curious that a J. Warren is buried there with an Aug. '62 death date but unless there was an error in transcription, it would be hard to definitively answer whether or not it might be Nelson.

Again, thank you for taking the time to provide the information. Much appreciated.
It is very common for civil war records of all types to be slightly inaccurate. For example in this case someone might have seen a cursive "N" and transcribed it as a "J". It happened all the time. Anyway, I suggest you contact someone at Mound City National Cemetery who may be sympathetic enough to do a little probing through the cemetery records in a search for your relative. Ask for any and all info they may have on the "J. Warren" burial. They should at least be able to tell you where J Warren's body came from and his regiment. See if it matches up. As I wrote earlier, the hundreds of white soldiers who died in this extremely expansive wartime hospital in Columbus were all reburied in 1867 when the U.S. undertook a massive relocation program throughout the north and south. I know the hundreds of soldier bodies from Columbus Kentucky went one place--the Mound City National Cemetery in Mound City Illinois. Good luck in your search and keep us all informed of what you find.
 
Last edited:
It is very common for civil war records of all types to be slightly inaccurate. For example in this case someone might have seen a cursive "N" and transcribed it as a "J". It happened all the time. Anyway, I suggest you contact someone at Mound City National Cemetery who may be sympathetic enough to do a little probing through the cemetery records in a search for your relative. Ask for any and all info they may have on the "J. Warren" burial. They should at least be able to tell you where J Warren's body came from and his regiment. See if it matches up. As I wrote earlier, the hundreds of white soldiers who died in this extremely expansive wartime hospital in Columbus were all reburied in 1867 when the U.S. undertook a massive relocation program throughout the north and south. I know the hundreds of soldier bodies from Columbus Kentucky went one place--the Mound City National Cemetery in Mound City Illinois. Good luck in your search and keep us all informed of what you find.

Thanks again! I certainly will be following up with the Mound City National Cemetery. I will definitely keep everyone posted!

Kindest regards,

Geoff Warren
 
I was at the National Archives this past week and had a little extra time, so I got his service records. I'm attaching it to this message for you to look through. There are mentions in there about him dying, but nothing about where he was buried. Hopefully it's helpful though!

--Brian
 

Attachments

  • Warren, Nelson service records.pdf
    2.6 MB · Views: 87
I was at the National Archives this past week and had a little extra time, so I got his service records. I'm attaching it to this message for you to look through. There are mentions in there about him dying, but nothing about where he was buried. Hopefully it's helpful though!

--Brian

Thank you so much for taking the time to dig in to this, Brian. Dedicating your own personal time to assist in obtaining this information is remarkable. I will be including this information in my GG Uncle Nelson's file and sharing it with my Father over the Christmas holiday.
My Father is 91 years of age and he'll be absolutely thrilled to see it. You've done a wonderful thing here! Every bit of information is always helpful, indeed. Thanks again!

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Kindest regards,

Geoff
 
Thank you so much for taking the time to dig in to this, Brian. Dedicating your own personal time to assist in obtaining this information is remarkable. I will be including this information in my GG Uncle Nelson's file and sharing it with my Father over the Christmas holiday.
My Father is 91 years of age and he'll be absolutely thrilled to see it. You've done a wonderful thing here! Every bit of information is always helpful, indeed. Thanks again!

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Kindest regards,

Geoff

You're welcome! Those files there at the National Archives can have great information in there. I'm glad to hear that you'll be sharing that with your father too. Merry Christmas!

--Brian
 
Back
Top