Custer's Brigade

[Diane Merkel]

Here's an excerpt from a mini-bio of Frank Joslyn, who served in the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, in case one of you is tracking them:

[Frank Joslyn's] time at the [University of Michigan] was brief, as the next summer he enlisted and joined the Union Army to see service in the Civil War. Joslyn joined Company B, of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, the Custer Brigade. Then, in the spring of 1863 he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant of the Ninth Michigan Cavalry. Joslyn joined the 24th Michigan infantry in 1865, and remained with the regiment at Jackson until the end of the war.

Article: www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-4/117541231488340.xml&coll=2

["Hunk" Papa]

I don't want to start a new link so forgive me Diane, but does anyone out there know of a link where I can find out whether or not the families of deserters executed during the Civil War or during Reconstruction were told the truth about their deaths or not?

"Hunk" Papa

[Diane Merkel]

Whoa, Cowboy! That's quite a question.

If you could provide a specific name or two, that would help. I'm not sure that executions of deserters were all that common.

Professor Merkel wants to know the basis of your question.

[gocav76]

During the Civil War most Regiments were organized and recruited from the same county or city.Almost everyone knew each other,thus I would imagine that news of a man being shot for desertion reached home by letters written by others in the regiment. In a Black regiment it may have been a little different as many were not from the same area. After the Civil War I'm not sure what happened.

["Hunk" Papa]

Cowboy? COWBOY??!!** To paraphrase the recent profound remarks of one of our revered BOD, "I eat little dogies like you for breakfast", with eggs over easy and hash browns of course. Oops, sorry Goddess, I'm getting above my station, please leave the arrows in your quiver. Now then Professor, the man's name was Private William A. Wilson and under GAC's command he was shot for being a deserter and a thief at Alexandria, Louisiana on July 28 1865. He appears to have belonged originally to the 4th Illinois Cavalry Regiment of Volunteers, which then consolidated with the 12th Illinois Cavalry Regiment of Volunteers sometime during late 1864. Both the 12th Illinois and the 5th Illinois, together with 2nd Wisconsin, 1st Iowa and 7th Indiana formed Custer's command of Cavalry Forces of the 17th Army Corps during this time.
There is some confusion because Wilson is quoted as being in the 5th Illinois in 'Custer in Texas' by both Lothrop and Cogley.
My interest is in whether or not his family were advised of the true nature of his death and every record I have checked goes only as far as his fate and most don't even go that far.
I am wondering if there is perhaps an Illinois State newspaper archive I could access which might record the incident, but I have no idea what Illinois newspapers existed then.
gocav76 has a good point, but I am hoping to pin it down a little closer.

[runaheap]

Hunk,
This is an old thread but all I could find on Wilson, William A, was that he was a conscipt and the 4th Ill Cav consolidated with the 12th Ill Cav on Jun 14th, 1865 and on July 28th, 1865 Wilson was executed after a General Court Martial for Desertion and thievery. Quick justice I might add!

["Hunk" Papa]

Sept 18, 2008 14:02:39 GMT -6 runaheap said:

Hunk,
This is an old thread but all I could find on Wilson, William A, was that he was a conscipt and the 4th Ill Cav consolidated with the 12th Ill Cav on Jun 14th, 1865 and on July 28th, 1865 Wilson was executed after a General Court Martial for Desertion and thievery. Quick justice I might add!

Thanks runaheap, it confirms what I thought. I still have no information on whether or not the families of men who were shot were told of their fate and unless there was some press coverage of these matters it is unlikely that family records would want to include what must have been regarded as a stigma.

Hunk