Which Side Did Your Family Fight On?

Which Side Did Your Family Fight For?


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I had family on both sides, but they weren't family at the time. In other words, the war didn't break up any families; just the opposite. The grandchildren of soldiers had forgotten their differences enough that they intermarried.
 
I'm so confused....let's see. On my dad's side, the only guy who qualified for a confederate pension was my great-grandfather (at left) who was actually a union sympathizer and whose brother was hung for being one, whether or not he was. :smile: Some nephews and brothers also served for the Confederacy, but those sentiments were also mixed.

On my mom's side, luckily my great-grandfather was too old to go, but numerous brothers, cousins, uncles and etc. fought and died for the Confederacy and the State of Mississippi.

Haven't found the other branches enough to pin 'em down.
 
As far as my immedient families' geneology (wow horrid spelling today) has uncovered (on my mother's side) they all fought for the Union. I can imagine though that my father's side is a different story, haven't started searching through them yet.
 
One of the most tragic aspects of the civil war was families fighting on opposing sides. Who did your family fight for? I had family fighting on both sides.

On my father's side, neither. They came over after the rebellion. On my mother's side they were east Tennessee Unionists, one of whom was murdered by some of Isham Harris' men.
 
Best I can tell my GGF on my Dad's side came over from Norway shortly after the war. My grandmothers father came over from Germany and settled in Wisconsin before the war enlisted in the cavalry served throughout the war and then moved his family to Virginia after the war was over. On my Mother's side Her grandfather was too old and his oldest surviving son (my grandfather) was to young to serve. Family tales say that a bunch of my grandmothers family fought for Virginia but I haven't researched it and don't know for sure. Supposedly John N. Brooke is some sort of cousin but can't verify.
 
My North Carolina " Tarheels " were Confederate. Very divided kin in east Tennessee. HULSE : family had 2 sons and father die in the rebel army. Only surviving son, Capt A.C. Hulse, 122 Illinois Inf. ( had left Tennessee in the 1850's. ) BLAKELY family : one Union 8th Tenn Cavalry died in Danville, Va. a pow. ( my grandmother's, grandfather ) his youngest brother died in the rebel army. Another Blakely brother and his son survived the war while in the Union 1st Tenn. Cavalry. I had 3 I know of that changed sides from Confederate to Union. One was probably a Union man to start with. The other 2 just trying to survive !!!!
 
I had family that fought on both sided. Actually, there were brothers who fought on both sides. It had to be very tragic.

Same with my family, three brothers; two fought for the Confederacy one for the U.S. They ended up opposing each other in the battle of Shiloh. My direct ancestor was Confederate, he was mortally wounded in the battle and died two weeks later. The other Confederate brother was also killed in the battle. The brother that fought for the Union survived the war and raised my direct ancestor's family.
 
I haven't done much research on that yet/ Saving that for a retirement project, but from what I heard growing up we had family on both sides as well as some that claimed they didn't have a dog in that fight and didn't fight for either side.
 
GGGGrandfather and two brothers were in the 16th Va. Cav. Pension applications show he served throughout the war and was wounded at Jeffersonville (Tazewell), Virginia.
 
Mine are listed in my signature. You will notice one Yankee. He is one of four brothers who had immigrated from Ireland with their parents and set out, each on their own, to settle in their new country. The one who ended up in Illinois was on his way to Missouri, but his wagon broke down in White County, Illinois so he settled there.
 
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