Civil WarThe election of 1860 was apparently a very contentious election. Abraham Lincoln was sworn into office in January of 1861 and South Carolina immediately seceded from the union and six other states quickly follow. Oct of 1862 at 20 years of age we found that John Lyle Dougherty joined the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry. By July of 1863 John is riding from the battle at Gettysburg to Hagerstown where he is wounded by a possible sniper. The mini ball that struck John lodged in his left leg.  John Lyle’s younger brother Clark Dougherty joins the Confederate army, when and where we have not yet established. Another ancestor on my mothers side, Joseph A. Ferguson, was mustered in to the 1st New York Mounted Rifles in August of 1862. Now looking at the time period for the Civil War there are several other potential Civil War Soldiers.

In the Putnam Line we have Joseph Putnam who was born in 1823,  he would have been 38 at the onset of the war but he was already living in California and appears to have stayed out of the war. But the war affected every family and Joseph’s wife’s cousins and uncle were all involved, Mary Ann Fletcher’s uncle Lucian M. Fletcher volunteered and gave his age as 44 when he enlisted.

Yet in the 1850 US Census shown above (click on images to enlarge)  Lucian is listed as 45 years of age, making him closer to 56 in 1861 when he volunteered. A year later he died in New Orleans from Typhus.

Three of Lucian’s sons Joel M. Fletcher, Steven W. Fletcher and Thomas M. Fletcher went in to the Union army.

This is a great source because it lists their Military Regiments. Joel and Thomas were both in 39th Massachusetts while Steven was in the 22nd.

Joel died in 1864. While one record states cause of death :Typhoid Fever a newspaper clipping attributes his death to being wounded at Petersburg (in the leg).

Margaret J. Welsh was married to Lucian M. Fletcher. Massachusetts shows support was given to Margaret for her son and her husband.

So far the best I can ascertain is that the three boys enlisted about  the time their father died in 1862 and while both Joel and Thomas were at Petersburg Joel dies while in the Hospital possibly not from his wound but from the fever. Thomas also is listed as having been wounded during his course of service, still researching when and how. Stevens military service may have been as short as 3 months possibly sent home after his father dies. And He and Thomas go on to marry and have families. Now those are probably another two stories.