These are stories of my Civil War ancestors. I researched the military and census records of 17 ancestors (15 Union and 2 Confederate, all except two of them with New York origins, and it's not the two you'd expect). Then I fleshed out their war stories with imagined dialogue and details. When it's completely finished, it might be considered a historical novel. In the form of short stories or vignettes. This site is a work in progress. It was created at BloodAndEarth.com on Jan. 17, 2019. The first stories were uploaded on Jan. 19. These stories are subject to correction and improvement. Reader comments may be sent to tsloper @ bloodandearth.com. This is fictionalized, but it's based on actual people who were involved in actual events. If a reader is transported to the past but gets hit in the face with an anachronism, then that's gotta be fixed! Apologies in advance if I offend relatives. I've made up the dialogue (mostly), but these are actual events (mostly) (#saidthatalready). I may find that I need a log of what's true and what's made up. That'll be fun. :rolleyes: The profiles below are listed in no particular order. If you want to jump, use Control-F (Command-F if you're on MacOS) and type in a battle, or a place, or a name if you know it. See what might come up!
Name: |
George Van Arsdale
|
Rank: | Private |
Regiment: | 15th New York Cavalry, Co. G (in the division commanded by Gen. George Custer in the last few months of the war) |
Relation: | My great great grandfather; after the war he married the sister of Francis S. Howe, below. |
Battles: | Blackley's Grove, Snicker's Gap, Ashby's Gap, Kernstown, Lacey Springs, Waynesboro |
War Status: | Survived (and that's more than can be said for the three cavalry horses he rode). George Jewell was kidnapped at age 2, and "bound" to the childless Van Arsdale family. After he learned his true origins in school, he surely felt deep animosity for the institution of slavery. George was 16 when he joined the cavalry; he didn't turn 18 until after the war ended. |
![]() In 1864-65, the 15th New York was in Custer's division. |
Rev. George Van Arsdale and wife (1889). |
Name: | Francis Sylvester Howe The Howe Boys' story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Corporal |
Regiment: | 141st New York Infantry, Co. D |
Relation: | My great great granduncle (brother of the postwar wife of George Van Arsdale, above) |
Battles: | Siege of Suffolk, Chattanooga, March to Atlanta, Kennesaw Mountain, Carolinas Campaign, surrender of Johnston, Grand Review |
War Status: | Survived |
Name: | Harrison Howe The Howe Boys' story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Corporal |
Regiment: | 141st New York Infantry, Co. D |
Relation: | My great great great granduncle (uncle of Francis Howe, and uncle of the postwar wife of George Van Arsdale, above) |
Battles: | Siege of Suffolk, Chattanooga, March to Atlanta, Kennesaw Mountain, Carolinas Campaign, surrender of Johnston, Grand Review |
War Status: | Survived |
Name: | Daniel M. Sloper Daniel's story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Private |
Regiment: | 8th Virginia Infantry (Confederate), Co. D |
Relation: | My 1st cousin 4 times removed (brother of John T. Sloper below, 1st cousin of Gilman J. Sloper below) |
Battles: | Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill, 2nd Manassas, Antietam, 1st Winchester, Fredericksburg |
War Status: | Deserted, survived. Daniel and his brother John were born in New York but moved to Virginia when they were young. |
![]() The flag of Daniel's regiment. The regiment's original flag was pink, so this is a later flag. The Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia, 2017 |
![]() In Daniel's last battle, he took a position on Marye's Heights, overlooking a field of dead and wounded Yankee boys. Daniel deserted on a moonless night a few weeks later. |
Name: |
John T. Sloper
|
Rank: | Private |
Regiment: | 35th Battalion Virginia Cavalry (Confederate), Co. A |
Relation: | My 1st cousin 4 times removed (brother of Daniel M. Sloper above, 1st cousin of Gilman J. Sloper below) |
Battles: | Chancellorsville, Brandy Station, Gettysburg, The Great Beefsteak Raid, Cedar Creek, Petersburg, Appomattox |
War Status: | Survived |
Name: | Gilman J. Sloper Gilman's story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Private |
Regiment: | 184th New York Infantry, Co. B |
Relation: | My great great granduncle (1st cousin of John T. Sloper and Daniel M. Sloper above) |
Battles: | Cedar Creek, Petersburg, Richmond |
War Status: | Survived |
Name: | Henry Sheafe Sloper Henry's story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Private |
Regiment 1: | 5th Massachusetts Infantry, Co. A (3 months) |
Regiment 2: | 7th Massachusetts Infantry, Co. B (6 months) |
Regiment 3: | 2nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, Co. E (2 years) |
Relation: | My 5th cousin 3 times removed |
Battles: | Bull Run (5th MA), Antietam, Fredericksburg (7th MA), Fort Totten DC, New Berne NC, Plymouth NC (2nd MA H.A.) |
War Status: | Survived |
Name: |
Nathan Bradley
|
Rank: | Sergeant |
Regiment: | 130th N.Y. Infantry → 19th N.Y. Cavalry → 1st N.Y. Dragoons, Co. H (one regiment, three names) |
Relation: | My great great granduncle (son of Zenas below) |
Battles: | Deserted House, Siege of Suffolk, Bristoe Campaign, Richmond prison |
War Status: | Died in prison, a P.O.W. in Richmond VA. Robert Knox Sneden, in his memoirs "Eye of the Storm," described an adventure with Nathan Bradley while in that prison (a sergeant "who belonged to the First New York Dragoons" - and Nathan was the only First Dragoon sergeant held captive at the time). |
Name: | Zenas Bradley Zenas' story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Private |
Regiment 1: | 104th New York Infantry, Co. F |
Regiment 2: | 16th Veteran Reserve Corps |
Relation: | My great great great grandfather (father of Nathan Bradley above) |
Battles: | Injured on patrol (never experienced battle) |
War Status: | Survived |
Name: |
Charles F. Miller
|
Rank: | Sergeant |
Regiment: | 6th U.S. Cavalry, Co. I |
Relation: | My 1st cousin 4 times removed |
Battles: | Peninsula Campaign, Seven Days, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Brandy Station, Upperville, Gettysburg, Belle Isle. |
War Status: | Charles F. Miller was captured at Fairfield (near Gettysburg) and imprisoned in Richmond, was exchanged, and survived. |
Name: | Chauncey Butler The Michigan Musketeers' story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Third Corporal → Third Sergeant |
Regiment: | 26th Michigan Infantry, Co. H |
Relation: | Husband of my 1st cousin 4 times removed (Lucy Chamberlain, sister of Edward and George Sumner Chamberlain below) |
Battles: | Siege of Suffolk, New York Draft Riots, Mine Run, Wilderness Campaign, Spotsylvania |
War Status: | Died of wound received at Spotsylvania (9 days later) |
Name: | Edward Chamberlain The Michigan Musketeers' story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Private |
Regiment: | 26th Michigan Infantry, Co. H |
Relation: | My 1st cousin 4 times removed (brother-in-law of Chauncey above, brother of George Sumner C. below, 1st cousin of Finley below) |
Battles: | Mine Run, Wilderness Campaign, Spotsylvania |
War Status: | Killed in action at Spotsylvania (same day his brother-in-law Chauncey Butler was shot) |
Name: | G. Sumner Chamberlain The Michigan Musketeers' story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Private |
Regiment: | 26th Michigan Infantry, Co. H |
Relation: | My 1st cousin 4 times removed (brother-in-law of Chauncey above, brother of Edward C. above, 1st cousin of William, Horton, and Finley below) |
Battles: | Mine Run, Wilderness Campaign, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor |
War Status: | Survived. His first name was George, but I already have a George, so I'm using his middle name instead. I think of Sumner, Edward, and Chauncey as "The Three Michigan Musketeers." All three were born in New York but moved to Michigan when young. |
Name: | Horton Chamberlain Horton's story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Private |
Regiment: | 1st New York Veteran Cavalry, Co. D |
Relation: | My great great granduncle (brother of William below, and 1st cousin of Edward and George above, and 1st cousin of Finley below) |
Battles: | Blackley's Grove, New Market, Andersonville |
War Status: | Died a P.O.W. at Andersonville. Held at Andersonville at the same time as Robert Knox Sneden (who met Nathan Bradley in Richmond), and John Ransom (whose Andersonville diary became famous). |
Name: | William N. Chamberlain William's story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Sergeant |
Regiment: | 89th New York Infantry, Co. C |
Relation: | My great great granduncle (brother of Horton above, and 1st cousin of Sumner and Edward above, and 1st cousin of Finley below) |
Battles: | Antietam, Fredericksburg, Mud March, Suffolk, Cold Harbor, Petersburg |
War Status: | Survived |
Name: |
Ezra Chamberlin
|
Rank: | Private |
Regiment: | 7th Connecticut Infantry, Co. K |
Relation: | My 7th cousin 3 times removed |
Battles: | Fort Pulaski, James Island, Fort Wagner |
War Status: | Killed at Fort Wagner. His dogtag was taken from his body (possibly by J.F. Carlsen if not by Joseph Ridgeway), and was worn aboard the Confederate submarine CSS Hunley by Confederate seaman Joseph Ridgeway. Ezra's dogtag was discovered in 2001 when the Hunley was raised from the sea bottom. Ezra was the 6th cousin once removed of William, Sumner, Edward, Horton, Finley, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. |
![]() The Hunley history.com |
![]() Ezra's dogtag © 2001 Friends of the Hunley - National Geographic |
Name: | Finley Chamberlin Finley's story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Private |
Regiment: | 9th Michigan Infantry, Co. I |
Relation: | My 1st cousin 4 times removed (1st cousin of William and Horton, and of Edward and Sumner - also brother-in-law of Elliott B. Kinne, below) |
Battles: | Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Atlanta, Nashville |
War Status: | Survived |
Name: | Elliott B. Kinne Elliott's story "coming soon" |
Rank: | Private |
Regiment: | 16th Michigan Infantry, Co. K |
Relation: | Husband of my 1st cousin 4 times removed (he was brother-in-law of Finley Chamberlin, above) |
Battles: | Appomattox, Grand Review |
War Status: | Survived |
RECURRING THEMES: * CUSTER * MOSBY * LOUDOUN * NEW YORK *
|
Name: | Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Cousin Lawrence's story is told elsewhere |
Rank: | Lt. Colonel → Colonel → Brigadier General → Brevet Major General |
Regiment: | 20th Maine Infantry - then commanded 1st Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps |
Relation: | My 5th cousin 4 times removed |
Battles: | Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg, Quaker Road, Appomattox (and others) |
War Status: | Survived. Spent a horrific night on the field at Marye's Heights, sheltering behind dead bodies. Defended Little Round Top, saving the Union left at Gettysburg. Wounded grievously at Rives' Salient, at Petersburg - was thought his wound was fatal. Granted a battlefield promotion, but returned to command. Wounded again at Quaker Road, again thought to be fatal, but stayed on the field. Received the surrender of the Confederates' arms, ordering his men to salute. Lawrence was the 5th cousin of William, Horton, Sumner, Edward, and Finley. He was Ezra's 6th cousin once removed. |
Name: | Montgomery C. Meigs Cousin Montgomery's story is told elsewhere |
Rank: | Quartermaster General |
Regiment: | U. S. Army |
Relation: | My 3rd cousin 5 times removed |
What he did: | Born in Georgia but loyal to the Union, he very ably directed supply, transportation, construction, and logistics for the entire Union effort. |
War Status: | Survived. In the April 2016 issue of Civil War Times, author Paul F. Bradley called Meigs the #2 reason why the Union won the war. Montgomery Meigs and Zenas Bradley, above, were 3rd cousins. |
Name: | Thomas Sloper Still debating whether or not I will tell Thomas Sloper's story here, since he is not a relative |
Rank: | Private |
Regiment 1: | 10th Tennessee Infantry (Confederate), Co. K |
Regiment 2: | 23rd Illinois Infantry, Cos. I & D |
Relation: | No relation (born in Galway, Ireland - but I couldn't ignore his having the same name as me) |
Battles: | Fort Donelson, Camp Douglas, Cedar Creek, Richmond |
War Status: | Survived. Captured by Grant at Fort Donelson, sent as a P.O.W. to Camp Douglas in Chicago. Took the oath of allegiance to the Union, and fought out the remainder of the war as a Yankee. He was the third Sloper at the battle of Cedar Creek (after John and Gilman, above). Guard duty in Richmond VA after the city was taken. |
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