In March, 1839, in Sangerfield,
Oneida Co., N. Y., Job (2) married Welthe Lewis. From that marriage they
produced four sons and two daughters.
Of those four sons, three
participated in the Civil War. Their first son, Morton Lewis (age 21),
enlisted on May 16, 1861 (the first from Allegheny Co.) and was assigned
to Company B, 23rd Regiment (Southern Tier Regiment), N. Y. Volunteers.
He was unable to continue in the war effort, as he was wounded on December
13, 1861 at Fredericksburg, VA., a shot to the right arm, and was sent
home shortly after that. He later became a veterinarian and died on 9 November,
1930, in Little Genesse, N. Y. He never married.
However, two of their
other sons also joined up and entered the Civil War. Frederick R. (age
19) enlisted August 6, 1862, and was assigned to Company A, 136th Regiment
(Iron Clads), N. Y. Volunteers as was his younger brother, Israel P. (age
18), who also enlisted on 6 August, 1862, and he too was assigned to the
same Company and Regiment as Frederick.
Frederick had health
problems on the onset of his tour of duty, contracting dysentery and was
hospitalized from Nov. 2nd, 1862, and on April 10th, 1863 he rejoined his
regiment.
Israel in the meantime
continued on with his Company. On April 27th, 1863, their regiment was
involved in the Battle of Chancellorsville, VA. that lasted until May 6th.
Total Union casualties of that encounter were 1,113 killed,
7,052 wounded and 4,422 captured or missing.
On July 1st, 1863, their regiment was involved in the Battle of Gettysburg, PA, that lasted until July 3rd.
Total Union losses 3,070 killed, 14.497 wounded and 5.434 captured and 23,001 missing.
The 136th was on the left flank of the battle.
They both served with
the 136th until they were mustered out on June 13th, 1865 in Washington,
DC. Although in the beginning they were with the Army of the Potomac but
eventually the regiment was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland, which
was commanded by General T. Sherman. Both were involved with the Siege
of Atlanta and Sherman's "march to the sea" in Savannah, Ga. Frederick
came out of the war unscathed, however Israel was wounded in the arm during
the Battle of Bentonville, N. C.
What follows now are
transcripts of my great Uncle Israel's letters to home in chronological
order as he wrote them. Their is mention of Frederick in his letter, and
a letter or two of Fredericks. Israel's sister, Agatha DeEtte, kept these
letters and then gave them to her brother Israel for keeping. On January
1, 1918, Israel's son, Omar C. along with Israel's help, reproduced the
letters, and had 6 copies made, for other family members. The originals
I am told were destroyed when the house of Israel's burned down in Vernonia,
Oregon.
More history of Israel in his Memoirs
Israel's Letters to Home
Information by George Spencer