151st OVI Civil War

[BosnMate]

This is a photo of George Truesdale, my Mothers grandfathers brother, or my great grandpa's brother, which I don't know the proper name for that relationship. Mom called him her great uncle.
Anyhow, he enlisted as a private in the 81st OVI, (Ohio Volunteer Infantry) and was at the Battle of Shiloh, then at Corinth, Miss he was wounded and discharge. Later, when Jubal Early's Corps was threatening DC, he volunteered again, and was a First Lieutenant in the 151st OVI, which caused him to not be able to receive a pension for the wound received at Corinth, and he suffered all his life. Government said if he was well enough to re-enlist he wasn't injured bad enough for a pension. He died in the 1920's with a confederate ball in his shoulder socket. Doctor testified that he when he moved his arm, he could hear it grinding from across the room. Sounds like vets were treated then like the VA today.

My great grandfather was also in the army, but he was younger and was in in the 181st OVI at the very end of the war. I have no photo of him in Uniform.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[civil_war22]

BosnMate that is a helluva story and that's the kind of history I love hearing about. Having family that fought during the civil war though a bloody war is a very big honor. Again thanks for sharing.

 

[geologyjohn]

B., that's a nice CDV photo of George K. Truesdale. You probably already know some of this, but for the others: George Truesdale was born in Lima, Ohio. He enlisted on 8/30/1861 as Private. On Sept. 9, 1861 he mustered into Company B, 81st OVI. The regt WAS at Shiloh but got off with relatively few casualties. However, the regiments worst day of the War was soon to come. On Oct. 3-4, 1862 they fought in the Battle of Corinth, Miss. On the 3rd, the 81st suffered 8 killed and 29 wounded that day. They had a few KIA and wounded the next day One of the wounded on the 3rd was George Truesdale. He was sent to the hospital in St. Louis, where he was discharged due to wounds from that battle on Dec. 17, 1862. He recovered enough to re-up on May 13, 1864 and at that time was commissioned into Co. B, 151st OVI. The next day that regt packed up and headed to Washington, D.C. as you noted. After the emergency (threat of attack against D.C.) passed, the regt was discharged on August 27, 1864.
George Truesdale died in California on April 9, 1922.
If he is buried near where I live in N. Cal. I'll go put an American flag on his grave. A true American hero!
Geologyjohn

 

[BosnMate]

Geologyjohn, you have a bit of information there that I didn't know about, thanks. George is buried in Shandon, the cemetery is on land donated by my great grandfather, and the hiway rest area at one time was farmed by my great grandfather, part of the homestead. Their original house burned. I can barely remember my great grandmother, but my great grandfather was long gone before I was born. My great grandfather was I. N. Truesdale, and he is in the family plot, close to George. His stone is marked 181st OVI, and if you are taking a flag, please take two, at my age and health, I don't expect to ever get down there again. As a side note, my mother was born on Memorial Day, at that time called "Decoration Day." Mom remembered her birthdays were spent at the Cemetery, (not Shandon, at S.L.O.) veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic would form up at the courthouse, and slow march to muffled drums to the cemetery, where fat, bald, old men would give speeches, which was kind of tough on a little girl that had to stand there and be good. George Truesdale had twin boys, and they married twin girls, so in my childhood, if the name "Truesdale" was mentioned to complete strangers, they would invariably say, "Oh yeah, twins that married twins."

 

[BosnMate]

Forgot to mention, when the 151st was mustered out of service in DC, Abe Lincoln personally thanked the troops for saving Washington, and family tradition says that George met him.

 

[geologyjohn]

BM, I know where that cemetery is (just NE of town of Sheldon). Been through Sheldon a number of times while doing research on the San Andreas fault which is also just NE of town, but up there where James Dean was killed in his Porsche Spyder in 1955. I live up near Napa, way north of Sheldon. However, next time I go down there I will put those two flags on the Truesdale graves. John

 

[BosnMate]

Thanks, that would be great. They had all sorts of James Dean memorial stuff at Cholame last time I was there. I understand the San Andreas Fault goes right under the bridge just NE of Cholame, before you get to the junction where Dean was killed.

 

[laidback4sho]

Wow, awesome reading! Thanks for the information. I've been to both Shiloh and Corinth. I used to live in Burnsville, Ms., about 15 minutes east of the Corinth battlefield. I've always wondered about the men who fought there.

Sent from my SM-S975L using Tapatalk

 

[A2coins]

great read