Tragic Coincidence

[rbortega]

I have been helping my stepfather with researching his family history and recently came across a tragic coincidence involving two Civil War ancestors. My stepfather's 3 x Great Grandfather Andrew Campbell (38th Indiana Infantry) and 2 x Great Grandfather Samuel Birdwell (Confederate 44th Tennessee Infantry) with both killed in action at the Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862. Has anybody else come across a situation like this when researching Civil War ancestors?

 

[lupaglupa]

I haven't in mine but have seen others give reports of two deaths in a single battle. Usually they have been together in the same company though. Did these men know each other?

 

[MWood1841]

I have been helping my stepfather with researching his family history and recently came across a tragic coincidence involving two Civil War ancestors. My stepfather's 3 x Great Grandfather Andrew Campbell (38th Indiana Infantry) and 2 x Great Grandfather Samuel Birdwell (Confederate 44th Tennessee Infantry) with both killed in action at the Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862. Has anybody else come across a situation like this when researching Civil War ancestors?

Currently researching my wife's side and have discovered two 5th GGF's. One with the SC 25th Infantry killed in Siege of Petersburg July 1864, possibly during skirmishing near Deep Bottom. Grant had ordered Hancock and Sheridan to push against confederate defensives north of the James River. He was killed a few days before The Crater.

Second was involving her 5th and 4th GGF's, father and son. Both NC regiments. The Dad (her 5th GGF) died Feb 1865 at the Point Lookout POW camp in Maryland. Sadly just a few months away from Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Whitney's NC Battery, his name is on the POW memorial at Point Lookout.

 

[rbortega]

I haven't in mine but have seen others give reports of two deaths in a single battle. Usually they have been together in the same company though. Did these men know each other?

No. They were from separate branches of my stepfather's family. Andrew Campbell's great great grandson married Samuel Birdwell's great granddaughter in Texas in 1942.

 

[DixieRifles]

I had a Great-Grandfather from one family line AND two brothers, who were my 2XGr-Uncles, from another family line both serving in the same regiment. All three were captured at the Battle of Lookout Mountain and sent to Rock Island Camp.
These two family lines had no connect at this time. The Gr-GrandFather and the Gr-Uncles were in different companies which were from different counties. They would not have known each other.

 

[DixieRifles]

I also had a 2XGr-GrandFather on my TILGHMAN side who joined a cavalry unit late in the war due to his old age. I also had a Gr-GrandFather on my HILL side who joined late due to his young age and served in the same regiment and company. Family lore said they shared the same tent---if you actually believe the cavalry were issued tents the last 8 months of the war.

Years and a generation later, the son of the HILL soldier would marry the granddaughter of the TILGHMAN soldier.

And here I am.