Non-Combat Injuries

[Kurtlg]

Wasn't there a federal officer who skinned his shin so badly slipping in a boat that he died?

Yes , General Charles F. Smith died April 25 , 1862. He scraped his foot in a boat and later died from the infection .

 

[lizkk01]

Dead is dead and to lose a child is a terrible tragedy. But I think somehow a meaningless death would be worse. There's no way to tell yourself the loss wasn't for nothing.

And, within the context of the times as I understand them, a meaningful death was very important to everyone, family and the individual who died.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

And, within the context of the times as I understand them, a meaningful death was very important to everyone, family and the individual who died.

Yep - extra tough on the families.

 

[DaveBrt]

April 1864, Confederate QM Major George Whitfiled broke a leg while supervising repairs to several Mississippi railroads. He was off work for 2 months.

April 6, 1862 Confederate QM Captain Thomas R. Sharp -- from his diary: "Spent last night at Virginia Central Depot waiting for troops to arrive from Gordonsville en route to Yorktown and the Peninsula. At 1 1/2 am walked into an open culvert at Central Depot and broke my left leg between knee and foot. Was carried to office by Mr. H. D. Whitcomb, General Superintendent, and at 6 am had my leg set and bandaged by Dr. Mate of Medical Infirmary. Carried home on a litter at about 7 am, Manson {his clerk} and Sturman with me." Returned to office, on crutches, April 23.

 

[Pollaco]

I would say Forrest getting shot by his own Lt. (Gould) would be a non combat injury.

 

[Allyn]

I've been scanning the 1890 veterans' census for my county. The injuries and illnesses listed, allegedly all service-related, were all over the map. I especially enjoyed the soldier who reported having "very coarse veins."

 

[rbortega]

I recently came across another Civil War relative who had a non combat injury. Alfred Dart (145th Pennsylvania Infantry) died from accidently cutting himself with an axe while helping with the construction of an officer's headquarters. The accident occured while Alfred was stationed in Virginia in November 1863. Alfred died from his wounds on January 15, 1864 and is buried in Culpeper National Cemetery.

 

[TnFed]

A distant relative

• Civil War Service:
  James Madison Giles served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, holding the rank of Lieutenant in Company D of the 3rd Tennessee Mounted Infantry Regiment.
• Insurrection and Desertion:
  In October 1864, he shot and killed his commanding officer, Captain James L. J. Pearson, during a dispute. He was acquitted of any wrongdoing, as the court found his actions were in self-defense. After the incident, he had deserted his regiment.
• Post-War Life and Death:
  He later sought a disability pension for wounds sustained during his service, which was ultimately denied. James Madison Giles died on February 11, 1903, and is buried in Ball Play (Ebenezer) Cemetery in Monroe County, Tennessee, with his wife.
• Giles Had been shot in the hip by Pearson. He was told that he would only get a pension for being shot by rebs. Not his commanding officer.
  
  
• TnFed

 

[milhistbuff1]

I would say Forrest getting shot by his own Lt. (Gould) would be a non combat injury.

Same with Bull Nelson/Jeff C. Davis? Would dueling be considered n/c or ritualized combat?

 

[JOHN42768]

I'm sure train accidents accounted for many injuries / deaths

 

[DixieRifles]

I found another resource on a regiment I was studying. This regiment was sent to Vicksburg for garrison duty. They were placed on Synder's bluff. While cutting some wood, the tree they chopped down had a cannon shell in it from the earlier battle. One man was killed for just cutting some firewood.

 

[Pollaco]

Would both crews of the H.L.Hunley who drowned on Aug 29th and Oct,15th 1863 be considered "non combative"? No enemy ships were engaged or involved but they were on test runs for a combat mission. They kind of were but also kind of not in combat.

 

[1SGDan]

50th New York Engineers Accidental Deaths
Private Archer D. Clark died, July 5, 1863, by drowning while bathing in Eastern Branch Potomac.

Private James Grogan accidentally drowned, May 24, 1865, in the Potomac River

Private Albert Kissinger, drowned, August 23, 1862 in Chesapeake Bay.

Private John Newcomb, killed, September 21, 1861, at New York City, by accidental discharge of his gun.

Artificer Thomas McNamara, killed, May 19, 1865, falling from third-story window of house, at Washington, D.C.

Private John S. Riley died of amputation, August 5, 1863, at Armory Square Hospital, Washington, D. C. (Reason for amputation not stated)

15th New York Engineers Accidental Deaths

Artificer Joseph Campbell Co. B died, January 29, 1865, at City Point, Va., of accidental injuries.

Private Owen Campbell Co. C died, May 5, 1864, at Washington, D. C, of wounds received in Guard House.

Private Addison P. Conrad Co. L died of an accidental wound, October 13, 1864, at City Point, Va .

Private Patrick Donnelly Killed by falling from the cars June 16, 1863.

Private Francis McKenna Co. D died by being run over by railroad cars, October 16, 1863, at Staten Island, N.Y.

Captain James McQueen Co. B died, September 18, 1861, near Alexandria, Va., by reason fracture of skull by accident.

Private Henry O'Neil Co. A September 20, 1864, at Fort Jefferson, Fla., while undergoing sentence, general court martial.

Private James Russel Co. A died, July 16, 1863, near Edwards Ferry (drowned in canal).

Private James Scott Co. C died, August 11, 1863, by committing suicide, at Washington, D. C.

Private George Sweeny Jr. Co. B died of stab in spine, May 26, 1863, at General Hospital, Washington, D. C.

Private George Waters unassigned died, November 16, 1864, at City Point, Va.; was shot by Barney Rourke of Co. F, this regiment.

Private Charles Wing Co. F died by being struck by wagon shaft, May 23, 1862, at White House, Va.

1st New York Engineers Accidental Deaths

Artificer Henry Metzger accidentally drowned, February 19, 1864, at Coles' Island, S. C.

 

[6thMichCav]

My GG Uncle in the 16th Michigan Infantry applied for a pension "twisted ankle going over a fence near Frederick, Md.". Considering he was at least 40 at the time, I'm guessing he screwed it up pretty good.

Footnote: he was not present for battles after Gaines Mill, where he was captured. What I would give for family perspective on Little Round Top at Gettysburg….

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

I recently came across another Civil War relative who had a non combat injury. Alfred Dart (145th Pennsylvania Infantry) died from accidently cutting himself with an axe while helping with the construction of an officer's headquarters. The accident occured while Alfred was stationed in Virginia in November 1863. Alfred died from his wounds on January 15, 1864 and is buried in Culpeper National Cemetery.

He must have developed a serious infection, likely gangrene. I wonder.

 

[LisaJ]

My GG uncle wrote in a letter about an injury to black servant. I don't know if the man was a paid cook or a slave, or to whom he may have "belonged" - but it seems pretty unfair that he was hurt.

Camp Rutledge Mounted Riflemen, Coosawhatchie, Jany 11th 1864
My Dear Ma

....Our good and faithful cook "Cyrus" met a painfull accident a day or two since. He rode Mr McKellars horse a few miles after some potatoes. While returning the horse became frightened and threw him and kicked him severely in the face. He declared his jawbone was broken in spite of the Doctor's assurance to the contrary......

 

[seabird]

My 3x gg (66th OVI) filed a pension record increase request in the early 1890s a few years before his death that he was still suffering from rheumatism acquired during the war on the march to the sea. The sworn affidavits from Co F affirm that he first got sick during that period, one of his buds said "i'd tell him to catch up to the regiment, he'd say if i've got the rheumatism you've got the diarrhea"

 

[damYankee]

Anyone who has experienced the pain of kidney stones will probably grimace at the thought of dealing with them while serving in the Civil War!

 

[BCS1973]

For what it's worth, I have a GGG grandfather who was a teamster. He was pensioned at $8 per month for chronic diarrhea hemorrhoids, and heart disease. He tried to get it raised to include kidney disease later in life that he blamed on a fall off his horse at Cold Harbor. Even with a country doctors note, that didn't fly.

 

[LisaJ]

Here is another incident I thought of: A mention in my family CW letter stash spurred me to look into a dramatic death that happened on September 17th, 1861, at the camp of the Hampton Legion headquarters on the Potomac River. Vivid details were found in a letter written by Col. James B. Griffin to his wife, describing a lightning strike during a wild storm. (The letter is found in A Gentleman and an Officer: A Military and Social History of James B. Griffin's Civil War, by Judith N. McArthur and Orville Vernon Burton).

Col Griffin wrote at length; I'll give the gist here:-

"My Darling I will cut short the sentence that I was writing for the present and tell you how very near I came to be killed a little while ago. … there was a thunder cloud gathering in the west … there came a strong blow of wind which broke my [tent's] ridge pole … The wind was very heavy and blew down a tent next to mine, in which there was a sick man, Dr Buist. He then ran into my tent, to take shelter from the storm. His servant came with him in my tent. About this time Abram [Col. Griffin's slave] … ran into my tent, and seized the upright pole in the back part of the tent, to keep it from falling. Dr Buist's boy held up the front pole. … I went to where Abram was, and assisted him in supporting the back pole. Just at this time there came a flash of Lightning … where Dr Buist's boy was standing, and killed the boy instantly. The shock knocked down both myself and Abram in a pile. My left side from my shoulder to my foot was completely paralyzed. … I was taken into another tent near by. Where they rubbed me for about half an hour with mustard and hartshorn, which restored the circulation: and I was all right. … Abram was affected just about as I was, he is now all right - But the boy who held the other pole, never kicked … It was a pretty close shave wasn't it? But then a miss is as good as a mile."

The letter reminds me of Huckleberry Finn - it's like the exchange between Huck and Aunt Sally, but this was real life. The South Carolina newspaper accounts hit the same tone. Here is an article about the storm in the Charleston Mercury of September 23, 1861. It echoes Lt. Col. Griffin's take on the event:

TERRIBLE STORM ON THE POTOMAC.— FATAL EFFECT OF THE LIGHTNING IN CAMP.— A correspondent writing from the Camp of the Hampton Legion on the 16th instant says:

"On last evening our camp was visited by one of the severest storms of wind, rain, and hail, I ever witnessed. For about twenty minutes it raged with intense violence; old Aeolus seemed to have unloosed his fiercest blasts, determined to blow us from this mundane sphere; peal upon peal of thunder shook the surrounding forests, and the very earth trembled beneath the furious shock; the lightning played with fearful intensity, darting, like fiery serpents across the black heavens, blinding us with its vivid flashes as we looked awe struck on the scene, and threatening each moment to hurl us to destruction; the rain swept down in torrents, driving with it large pieces of hail. Each moment I thought our tent would be blown from over our heads, though four of us clung on the pole with the tenacity of a Yankee to a dollar, while our fly proved its right to the name literally by flying away some twenty yards, carrying with it pegs and all.

"The storm having spent its fury, I issued out. A scene of ludicrous confusion and destruction presented itself; on every side the tents were strewn in anything but martial order, while the arbors erected as a screen from the sun and weather, lay "withered and strewn." Seeing a crowd hurrying in the direction of the officers' quarters, I hurried to the spot, to find a poor negro stretched lifeless in the embrace of the grim monster of terrors, and Lieut. Col. Griffin, the successor of the gallant Johnson, severely injured by a stroke of lightning. It appears that while the storm was at its height, the negro who was killed, a valuable mulatto, the property of Prof. Venable, of the South Carolina College, was in the Colonel's tent, holding on to the front pole; the Colonel and his servant were supporting the rear pole; the bolt struck the tent about midway, killing the negro instantly and prostrating the Colonel, and his servant apparently lifeless. Dr. Buist, of Charleston, who was sick in the tent at the time, also received a severe shock. I am glad to state that, with the exception of the negro killed, no permanent injury was sustained."