Civil War Soldiers Buried in Portland s St. Mary s Cemetery

Transcription

1 Edward Johnson Edward Johnson died on 2 March 1887 in St. Vincent s Hospital from Bright s Disease. 1 He was buried in Portland s St. Mary s Cemetery. St. Mary s Cemetery closed in 1930, and the Archdiocese sent letters to lot owners advising them of the cemetery s closure and offering space in Mount Calvary Cemetery. Announcements were also published in newspapers. Between 1930 and 1937, people stepped up and made arrangements to transfer family burials. In 1937 the Archdiocese contracted with a professional crew to carefully excavate the cemetery, and the remains and tombstones were transferred to Mount Calvary s St. Mary s section. No one claimed Edward Johnson, and he was moved to the St. Mary s section where his weathering military tombstone provides testimony to his service. Edward Johnson Co. G 69 th NY Inf. Photo by Connie Lenzen, January 2013 In February 1879, Congress authorized the Secretary of War to erect military headstones on the grave of Union soldiers buried in private cemeteries. The Cemetery Branch created cards recording the issuance of headstones for veterans who died between 1816 and Connie Lenzen, St. Mary s Cemetery, Portland s Pioneer Catholic Cemetery (Vancouver, WA: Clark County Genealogical Society, 1987), Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, , card for Edward Johnson (18787); digital image, Ancestry.com ( : accessed 16 January 2013), citing NARA microfilm publication M1845, roll 11.

2 Civil War service, Private, Co. G, 69 th NY Infantry Spencer Leonard ( ) was a member of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War. He created a tribute to Civil War veterans who lived in Oregon, both the veterans who served from Oregon and those who served from other states. The end product was a card file at the Genealogical Forum of Oregon in Portland with data on more than 15,000 veterans. Edward Johnson s card in the Spencer Leonard collection provides his military service and death information. In addition, Johnson was a member of GAR Post 3. Edw. Johnson is listed in the National Park Service s Civil War soldier s database, 3 and a compiled service card was created for him (see right). 4 The 69 th Infantry was also called the Irish Brigade. 5 As shown below, the unit fought in many of the Civil War battles. 69 th Regiment, New York Infantry 6 OVERVIEW: Organized at New York and mustered in November 18, Left State for Washington, D. C., November 18. Attached to Meagher s Brigade, Sumner s Division, Army of the Potomac, to March nd Brigade, 1 st Division, 2 nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to June Consolidated Brigade, 1 st Division, 2 nd Army Corps, to November nd Brigade, 1 st Division, 2 nd Army Corps, to June SERVICE: Duty in the Defences of Washington, D. C., till March Advance on Manassas, Va., March 10. Ordered to the Peninsula, Va., March 28. Siege of Yorktown April 16-May 4. Battle of Seven Pines or Fair Oaks May 31-June 1. Seven days before Richmond June 25-July 1. Battles of Gaines Mill June 27; Peach Orchard and Savage Station June 29; White Oak Swamp and Glendale June 30; Malvern Hill July 1. At Harrison s Landing till August National Park Service, Soldiers, database, Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System ( : accessed 31 January 2013), entry for Edw. Johnson, Pvt, Co. G, 69 th New York Infantry. 4 Compiled service card for Edw. Johnson, Pvt. Co. G, 69th New York Infantry; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War; Records of the Adjutant General s Office, 1780s 1917, Record Group 94; National Archives; digital image, Fold3 ( : accessed 31 January 2013) th Infantry Regiment, New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center ( : accessed 31 January 2013). 6 National Park Service, Regimental Histories, database, Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System ( : accessed 17 January 2013), entry for 69 th Regiment, New York Infantry.

3 Movement to Fortress Monroe, thence to Alexandria and Centreville August Cover retreat of Pope s Army to Washington August 31-September 2. Maryland Campaign September Battle of Antietam September At Harper s Ferry, W. Va., September 22-October 29. Reconnaissance to Charlestown October Advance up Loudoun Valley and movement to Falmouth, Va., October 29-November 17. Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December At Falmouth, Va., till April 27, Mud March January Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Battle of Chancellorsville May 1-5. Gettysburg (Pa.) Campaign June 11-July 24. Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 1-4. Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap July Duty on line of the Rappahannock till October. Advance from the Rappahannock to the Rapidan September Bristoe Campaign October Auburn and Bristoe October 14. Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8. Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2. Duty at and near Stevensburg, Va., till May Demonstration on the Rapidan February 6-7. Campaign from the Rapidan to the James May 3-June 15. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7; Spotsylvania May 8-12; Po River May 10; Spotsylvania Court House May Assault on the Salient or Bloody Angle May 12. North Anna River May On line of the Pamunkey May Totopotomoy May Cold Harbor June Before Petersburg June Siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, Jerusalem Plank Road, Weldon Railroad, June 22-23, Demonstration north of James River July Deep Bottom July Demonstration north of James River August Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom, August Ream s Station August 25. Reconnaissance to Hatcher s Run December Dabney s Mills, Hatcher s Run, February 5-7, Watkins House March 25. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Hatcher s Run or Boydton Road March White Oak Road March 31. Sutherland Station and fall of Petersburg April 2. Sailor s Creek April 6. High Bridge and Farmville April 7.Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. Moved to Washington, D. C., May Grand Review May 23. Mustered out June 30, Regiment lost during service 13 Officers and 246 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 142 Enlisted men by disease. Total 401. Edwin Forbes s drawing shows the plains of Manassas in The Irish Brigade Camps are in the distance. General Richardson s Division occupied the log huts in the distance. 7 7 The Plains of Manassas, Civil War Photograph Collection, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress ( accessed 22 February 2013)

4 The Irish celebrated St. Patrick s Day. The drawing by Edwin Forbes shows the Irish Brigade participating in a hurdle race on 17 March The Irish Brigade is shown in Alfred R. Waud s September 1862 drawing, The Fight in the Cornfield at the Battle of Antietam. 9 8 St. Patrick s Day in the Army, Civil War Photograph Collection, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress ( : accessed 22 February 2013). 9 The Fight in the Cornfield, Civil War Photograph Collection, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress ( : accessed 22 February 2013).

5 After the war After the war, Johnson joined Portland s GAR Lincoln Post No. 4 where he most likely swapped stories with Louis Parmentier and John Winters, both Post members 10 who would eventually be buried in St. Mary s cemetery. Johnson died on 2 March His death notice reported Died In this city, March 2 at 6 p.m., at St. Vincent s Hospital, Mr. Edward Johnson, aged 51 years Honors, Tears, Flowers, Morning Oregonian (Portland), 30 May 1889, p. 8, col. 1; digital image, The Historical Oregonian, (access through Multnomah County Library : accessed 14 January 2013). 11 Morning Oregonian, 3 March 1887, page 3, col. 3; not indexed, located by page-by-page search.