Samuel Harris - Civil War Veteran

Samuel Harris

Samuel Harris was very patriotic according to his granddaughter (and my mother), Alda Louise (Harris) Kuhn. He had fought in the Civil War, having enlisted on 16 August 1862 at Wheeling, Ohio County, Virginia. His enlistment papers state that he was 18 years old, when he was in fact two days shy of 16½ (born 18 February 1846). In order to fight with the Union army, Samuel had misrepresented his age. His service as a private for two years, ten months, with Co. C of the 12th W. Va. Infantry until he was discharged at Wheeling on 16 June 1865 was summarized in one of his obituaries:

"It is believed he was the last surviving member of the gallant 12th West Virginia infantry. He enlisted in Company C., 12th West Virginia Infantry in 1862, and served to the end of the war. He participated in the terrible battle of Fort Gregg, one of the bloodiest hand-to-hand encounters of the Civil war. His regiment literally was cut to pieces, but was thrown into action as a reserve unit at the Battle of Gettysburg later on. He also saw action in the battle of Cedar Creek. During a part of the war he served under General Sheridan."

From a different obituary:

"… saw active service in three of the great battles of the Civil War: the Battle of Gettysburg, under General George Meade; the Battle of Cedar Creek under General Philip Sheridan, whose dynamic leadership turned a rout into a complete and smashing victory for the Union forces; and the Battle of Fort Gregg, Virginia, in which Harris' company was almost decimated, only 30 remaining of the original war strength company."

Mom treasured this plaque Samuel had given her, a souvenir of his attendance at the 65^th annual national encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) held in Des Moines, Iowa, 13-17 September 1931. The G.A.R. was a fraternal organization for honorably discharged veterans of the Civil War. Samuel belonged to the Elmore Evans Post No. 77 in Glen Easton, West Virginia, until the death of Thomas Aston left only three members, and they became part of the J. C. Caldwell Post No. 21 of Moundsville, West Virginia.  There is an interesting article on the Marshall County WVGenWeb about the history of the G.A.R. monument erected in 1909 next to the Marshall County Courthouse in Moundsville.

Another article on the same website entitled Thirteen Veterans of Civil War Survive in Marshall County identifies the photo of Samuel as U. S. Harris and later shows his name as U. Samuel Harris.  I wonder if his full name might have been Uriah Samuel Harris?  Uriah Harris was his father, so it's quite likely Samuel could have been named after him but be known by his middle name.  There's always something new to research!!