Relatives on both sides?

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Permalink Reply by Tonya Jamois on August 18, 2009 at 11:22am

My gr-gr Grandfather, Robert B. Graham, was in the 7th Cavalry, Missouri State Militia (Union). His grandfather moved the family to Missouri from SW Virginia in the 1830's. The Graham's who remained in Virginia ended up fighting for the Confederacy. I have yet to really explore this branch, since its not my direct line. But there is a famous "Major Graham" home in Wythe County VA.

Permalink Reply by Beth Gatlin on August 18, 2009 at 12:58pm

I do! My great-great-great-grandfather Davidson Binkley fought for the Union. He was originally from Tennessee, but moved to Illinois. My great-great-great-grandfather Joseph Tarkington, from Tennessee, was in the Confederate army but spent much of wartime at home on sick leave due to asthma and pneumonia. Davidson's daughter and Joseph's son ended up getting married and becoming my great-great-grandparents.

Permalink Reply by CarlP on August 18, 2009 at 9:49pm

My Grand Uncle Wheatley wrote in his diary, that his Father, my GGGrandfather James Wheatley, told him that he fought against his brother at the battle of Yellow Lantern. I have searched for years and never came up with Yellow Lantern. But Yellow Tavern is a famous battle area. I don't know who the two opposing units were, and the other problem is that I don't think my GGGf was in that area, so I can't prove it. What I do need to find out are the units that fought on each side at that battle. My GGGf was with the 6th Conn. Inf. Co. F. The other problem is that we don't have his first name.

Permalink Reply by Bob Mooney-Pa on August 19, 2009 at 7:28pm

My gr grandfather and 2 of his brothers fought for the Confederacy and then for the Union. They were not galvanized solders.

Permalink Reply by Keith Hunter on August 21, 2009 at 2:03pm

My mother had MILLIKEN ancestors from Texas in the CSA. My wife had a JORDAN ancestor from Essex Co, NY in the Union. I'm not yet sure about my HUNTER ancestors from Meigs Co., TN. My wife may also have had a 'remote' BOW ancestor who was in the Union (from KY) and died at Andersonville POW camp. I haven't proven he was actually in the family, but his name is on the Andersonville list.

Permalink Reply by Rosemary J. Taylor on August 23, 2009 at 1:24am

I am from the borderlands area of Missouri and Kansas, and I had ancestors who fought on both sides.
WILLIAM SMITH - 1st Lieutenant, Company D, 8th Missouri Infantry, CSA. He was born 1829, IN, lived Phelps Co., MO, died 1911, Lamar Co., TX. He has a biography at: http://gen.1starnet.com/civilwar/smithw.htm
JAMES M. RAGAN/REAGAN - Union Missouri Volunteers, 5th Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry. He was born in Macoupin Co., Illinois, and lived in Phelps Co., Missouri. He may also have enlisted in 10th Regiment, Missouri Infantry, CSA. Did he change his mind?
The son and daughter of the above two men later married.

THOMAS M. WILKINSON - 4th Regiment, Iowa Cavalry, Company K. He was from Winterset, Madison Co., Iowa. He was badly wounded, captured, and interred first at Cahaba Prison and then transferred to Andersonville Prison. He survived his ordeal, and later collected a pension. I have a question concerning if he was captured before or after the Battle of Mine Creek in Kansas?

JOHN PIGG - believed to have been in Union, 2nd Illinois Cavalry, Company D. At the beginning of the war he lived near the Mississippi River in Pemiscott Co., Missouri, near the New Madrid County line, not far from where the 2nd Illinois was formed across the river. This man did not fill out his paperwork correctly, which was normal for him. I believe this is the correct man because his siblings also fought Union, although most of the Pigg were Confederate.

ABRAHAM LEWIS - 3rd and 10th Regiments, Missouri Infantry, Union. He lived in Franklin County, Missouri, but moved to Phelps County about the time the war started. I believe he was discharged for illness. His grandaughter married Smith's grandson.

HENRY WILLIAMS - I have never been able to find this man because there were too many of the same name. He lived at Fredericktown, Madison County, Missouri. He was born 1822 in Kentucky or Tennessee, and died 1882, Cherokee County, Kansas, where he moved before 1870. Help finding his Civil War record is appreciated.

Permalink Reply by Jeanie McCully on October 30, 2009 at 4:53pm

Heck, yeah! I'm a great-granddaughter of the Confederacy and the Union!

My mom's side are mostly Southerners. Her paternal grandfather was Private Edwin Andrew Sanders, Company C, Third Louisiana Cavalry (Wingfield's). He was born in Washington Parish, Louisiana, and died in Tangipahoa Parish, LA. A few of his distant cousins in SE South Carolina also fought for the Confederacy: Archibald Campbell Sanders, Benjamin H. Sanders.

My mom's mother's side has collateral connections to the Picketts of Adair county, KY, several of whom fought for the Union side: Jefferson T. Pickett, George Washington Pickett, John Fields Pickett (all brothers) - incidentally, they were distantly related on their father's side (not mine) to Confederate Gen. George Pickett of Gettysburg fame. Anyway, one of the Pickett brothers lost a leg in the war, and another died about 10 years later of malaria he contracted during his service.

I suspect a few more on Mom's side, but haven't found proof yet.

On the other side of the tree, my dad's grandfather & great-uncle, John & Jacob Karn, fought for the Union in Ohio. Unfortunately, I understand that great-grandfather Karn was a deserter.

Permalink Reply by Bob Mooney-Pa on November 30, 2009 at 11:00am

My Gr Grandfather his twin brother and their oldest brother fought for both sides. From what I have learned and been told,if they fought for the Confed first and became Union alot where sent west and called Galvanized.
http://www.nps.gov/jeff/historyculture/upload/galvanized_yankees.pdf
My Gr Grandfather and his brothers did not become Galvanized.

Permalink Reply by Heather Valdez Chambers on March 22, 2010 at 3:43pm

Yes. My great great grandfather fought for the Union while my husband's great grandfather fought for the Confederacy. We find that very fascinating.

I also have another great great grandfather who fought for the North and a year or so after being discharged, signed back up and fought for the Confederacy.

Permalink Reply by Bill Drayton on September 15, 2010 at 12:09pm

Yes, in my family there were two brothers - Thomas Fenwick Drayton and Percival Drayton who fought on opposite sides at the battle of Port Royal. Thomas, a Confederate General, was defending Hilton Head, including his own plantation - Fish Haul - and his brother, Percival, was the captain of the "Pocahontas" in the Union Navy. The Union forces won the battle. Freed and escaped slaves built a town called Mitchelville on one of the fields of the Drayton plantation. The town lasted until the 1890s.

Permalink Reply by Will Posey on September 15, 2010 at 8:24pm

Two of my great grandfathers fought against each other, at least their units did. One was a private in the Union cavalry, the other a captain in the Confederate infantry. Their units were involved in the 1863 fighting at Knoxville, Tennessee. They never knew each other.

Permalink Reply by Duane Lang on September 23, 2010 at 10:25am

Hello,
It seems I have one relative on both sides. As a french national he first served in the french brigade "policing" the city of New Orleans (confederate militia) until the city fell. He later served the union "policing" New Orleans in the 1st New Orleans Inf.
Duane

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