Woodstock74
Private
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2018
- Location
- Charlotte, NC
My family has a very interesting Civil War heirloom that I'd like to perhaps pin down better its provenance. A relative of mine was a shoemaker in Lynn, Mass. Post-Civil War, he came into possession of an item picked up off the battlefield from Fredericksburg; an infant/child's shoe. Clearly something someone brought with them as a reminder, very poignant.
With the item is a handwritten note describing how it came into his possession and from whom. About 30 years ago, my grandmother transcribed the information, as large portions of the original letter have gone missing, and she was getting on in age and she didn't want the history to be forgotten (she surely had me in mind, even if back then my interest, while definitely there, wasn't as keen as I wish it was...so many more questions I would have asked!) .
It says, in her handwriting,
"This shoe was picked up from the Battlefield at Fredericksburg by Roland Usher, Paymaster in the Civil War. R. Usher was from Lynn, Mass. 6-3-1863, Battle of Fredericksburg."
What's left of the original note reads,
"This shoe was picked up from the Battlefield at Fredericksburg..."
I've looked up Roland Usher, and to my surprise, Roland G. Usher was a mayor of Lynn post-Civil War, and it verify's he was a Paymaster in the Union Army. This information isn't necessarily new to the family, but it was to me and somewhat explains how my relative came into its possession (I can imagine only a few shoemakers were in town, and perhaps Usher simply didn't know what to do with the somewhat macabre trophy; macabre in the sense that everyone always goes to the obvious question, did this soldier survive? Of course we'll never know.).
The question I have...the date, June 3, 1863, is 6 months post-Fredericksburg, though I can imagine the battlefield was still a bit of a mess. That being said, what do we know of the disposition of Union forces in the region around this time? Is there any way to precisely trace troop movements post-battle? How could I trace what unit Usher was attached to and then link that to where that unit might have been June 3, 1863?
154 years ago, to the day, that awful battle was raging. And one soldier, presumably on the Union side, lost this shoe, given to him to remind him he had a child (and family) at home waiting for him.
With the item is a handwritten note describing how it came into his possession and from whom. About 30 years ago, my grandmother transcribed the information, as large portions of the original letter have gone missing, and she was getting on in age and she didn't want the history to be forgotten (she surely had me in mind, even if back then my interest, while definitely there, wasn't as keen as I wish it was...so many more questions I would have asked!) .
It says, in her handwriting,
"This shoe was picked up from the Battlefield at Fredericksburg by Roland Usher, Paymaster in the Civil War. R. Usher was from Lynn, Mass. 6-3-1863, Battle of Fredericksburg."
What's left of the original note reads,
"This shoe was picked up from the Battlefield at Fredericksburg..."
I've looked up Roland Usher, and to my surprise, Roland G. Usher was a mayor of Lynn post-Civil War, and it verify's he was a Paymaster in the Union Army. This information isn't necessarily new to the family, but it was to me and somewhat explains how my relative came into its possession (I can imagine only a few shoemakers were in town, and perhaps Usher simply didn't know what to do with the somewhat macabre trophy; macabre in the sense that everyone always goes to the obvious question, did this soldier survive? Of course we'll never know.).
The question I have...the date, June 3, 1863, is 6 months post-Fredericksburg, though I can imagine the battlefield was still a bit of a mess. That being said, what do we know of the disposition of Union forces in the region around this time? Is there any way to precisely trace troop movements post-battle? How could I trace what unit Usher was attached to and then link that to where that unit might have been June 3, 1863?
154 years ago, to the day, that awful battle was raging. And one soldier, presumably on the Union side, lost this shoe, given to him to remind him he had a child (and family) at home waiting for him.