Civil War
Our Grandfathers fought for the Union Army
War Service from Service Records
On the Day Side of the Family, we have stories from 5 of our grandfathers who served in the war. The five stories are all very different, but all of them important, and make me realize the sacrifice they made. If you read one story, make it John B Lewis’s. He had a helluva time during his service.
War Experiences
On the North side of the Family, we don’t have a lot of information. William North and his family experienced the war when their town was ravished. James Cooper’s service is unverified, and on the other side of the North family, they were immigrants and had not yet arrived in America.
The soldiers on the Day side of the Family
Sidney S. Sprague
Life Before the War
Sidney was an attorney, merchant and mayor of Defiance, Ohio. He was a widower with three adult daughters. He was 55 in 1861.
Service
- Company D
- 14th Ohio Infantry
- Served from: Apr 1861 to Aug 1861
- He likely reenlisted in Dec 1861, Company B, 68th Ohio Infantry
Civil War Story
In less than three days from the start of the war, Sidney raised Company D. Two weeks later they left for training and four weeks after that they were on rebel soil in Virginia. They were part of the Battle of Philippi and Laurel Hill. Every member of the unit returned in August 1861. Sidney died in his home in Defiance, Ohio in 1864 at the age of 58.
Russell Gordon Day
Life Before the War
Russell owned and worked his own farm in Hale, Illinois.He and his wife Martha had been married for 15 years and had seven children and she was pregnant with the eighth. He was 39 in 1861.
Service
- Company A
- 57th Regiment of Illinois Volunteers
- Served from: Dec 1861 to Apr 1862
Civil War Story
Russell enlisted on 24 Dec 1861 to serve for three years. His unit saw action in Tennessee, including the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. He was injured when a mule stepped on his abdomen aggravating a hernia. He was discharged by order of Major General US Grant. He survived the war, and lived to be 57 years old.
John B Lewis
Life Before the War
John was a farm hand. He had been married for about a year and had a 4 month old daughter. He was 26 in 1862.
Service
- Company K
- 9th Indiana Infantry
- Served from: Mar 1862 to Jun 1865
Civil War Story
John has an AMAZING story. Within a week of his service, he was in the hospital and was granted a five month discharge furlough. But, when he didn’t return to service, he was subsequently arrested and returned to his company in Oct 1863. He was captured in Nov 1864 and sent to Cahaba Prison in Alabama. After his release in Apr 1865 he was aboard the Steamship Sultana when it exploded. He survived the war and lived to be 75 years old. For more details, read his bio!
The soldiers on the McAninch side of the Family
William L Murphy
Life Before the War
William was a farmer working on rented land in SW Missouri. He and his wife Sarah had been married for seven years and had three young children. He was 31 in 1862.
Service
- Company B
- 32nd Regiment of the Missouri Infantry Volunteers
- Served from: Oct 1862 to Jul 1863
- Rank: Private
Civil War Story
William enlisted at Rolla, Missouri in Aug 1862. His unit became part of General Sherman’s Yazoo (river) Exposition. They were part of the famous Siege of Vicksburg in 1863. His unit suffered losses of 26 killed in battle, and 408 killed by disease. William, age 32, died of chronic diarrhea just two weeks after the battle.
Joseph P McAninch
Life Before the War
Joseph was a tanner living in Center, Indiana. He and his wife Elizabeth had been married for 19 years and had nine children. He was 43 years old in 1864.
Service
- Company B
- 148th Indiana Infantry
- Served from: Feb 1864 to Sept 1865
- Entered as a Private, Promoted to Corporal
Civil War Story
Joseph registered for the war in 1863, and eighteen months later he was called for a tour of one year. His unit left for Nashville and was constantly employed on guard and garrison duty in central Tennessee. He survived the war, and lived to be 85 years old.
The soldiers on the North side of the Family
William and Harriet North
Life Before the War
William and Harriet had been married for about four years. Second marriages for both of them. They had a blended family and a 2 year old little boy. William was 58 and Harriet was 33 in 1861.
Service
- No Service
Civil War Story
The North Family lived in Osceola, Missouri when in Sept 1861 the town was the site of of the “Sacking of Osceola by Jayhawkers in which the town was burned and its courthouse looted. The event inspired the 1976 Clint Eastwood film The Outlaw Josey Wales. Prior to the attack the town had a population of around 2,500. However, fewer than 200 residents remained after the event.” -wikipedia
James Cooper
Life Before the War
James and his wife Ann had a 4 year old daughter in 1864. James was 33 at the time.
Service
- Possibly the 31st Regiment of the Illinois Volunteers
- Possibly drafted in Dec 1864 and mustered out in July 1865
Civil War Story
It’s very likely that James Cooper served in the Civil War. He was living in Illinois at the time, but because his name is so common, we have hit a brick wall and we don’t know any details.