Historic Pelham: Claim that 49 of the 60 Men Pelham Sent to Fight in the Civil War Died

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

One of the most glaring holes in Pelham history, long a Pelham history mystery, is the list of Pelham men who left the little town to fight in the Civil War and never returned. Indeed, for many decades Memorial Day remembrances that involve reading the names of those from Pelham who died while serving their nation begin with reading the names of Pelham's dead during the Spanish-American War fought in 1898, more than thirty years after the War of the Rebellion.

There is no memorial to Civil War dead anywhere in Pelham. The Office of the Historian of the Town of Pelham contains no definitive records reflecting the names of the Civil War dead of the Town, although there are some early Memorial Day remembrance materials listing thirteen or so Pelham residents who served in the war and are listed "In Memoriam." Extensive research has revealed the names of many who enlisted in the Union Army "from" Pelham but the designation was used in many records to indicate the men were "mustered in" in Pelham -- where there was a massive mustering in facility on Hart's Island. Thus, it has been extraordinarily difficult to cross-reference multiple census records, Civil War casualty records, mustering in records, and other such records to identify -- with certainty -- young men from Pelham who died in the Civil War.

Research has revealed a very brief newspaper reference suggesting that Pelham suffered heart-breaking and large casualties among the young men it sent off to fight in the War of the Rebellion. According to the account, sixty men from the Town of Pelham fought in the War and forty-nine died: an astounding 82% casualty rate. The brief reference is transcribed in its entirety immediately below, followed by a citation and link to its source:

"The town of Pelham sent sixty men to the front in the Rebellion, only eleven of whom survived. The town is now anxious to erect a soldiers' monument to commemorate the deeds of her sons. The site contemplated is at the entrance of Pelham and Pelham Manor, on a large hill, overlooking the Sound."

Source: [Untitled], New-York Tribune, Jul. 10, 1897, Vol. LVII, No. 18,500, p. 4, col. 4 (Note: Paid subscription required to access via this link).

No such monument was erected. Moreover, although research has revealed much about Pelham's history as it relates to the Civil War, no definitive list of Pelham's Civil War dead has yet been prepared despite extensive research.

A few of the many previous Historic Pelham articles about Pelham and the Civil War include:

Fri., Jul. 07, 2017: James Francis Secor, Builder of Union Monitors, Ironclads, and Drydocks During Civil War, Lived in Pelham.

Fri., Mar. 10, 2017: Pelham Taxpayers Funded Westchester County Bonds to Pay Bounties During the Civil War.

Tue., Dec. 13, 2016: Rare and Stunning Images of Civil War Pelham Engraved from Photographs Taken In 1864.

Mon., May 02, 2016: Additional Research on the Confederate Prisoner of War Camp During the Civil War on Hart's Island in the Town of Pelham.

Thu., Mar. 17, 2016: Did Pelham Residents Die Fighting for the Union During the Civil War?

Wed., Feb. 24, 2016: What is Pelham's Connection to the Civil War Ironclad USS Monitor that Fought in the First Battle of Ironclads?

Mon., Feb. 22, 2016: Report on Prisoner Deaths at the Confederate POW Camp in Pelham During the Civil War.

Wed., Oct. 21, 2015: Ministering to Troops on Hart and Davids Islands During and Shortly After the Civil War.

Mon., Jul. 07, 2014: More About Pelham Residents Who Served Their Nation During the U.S. Civil War.

Thu., Jun. 12, 2014: Eyewitness Account of Prisoner of War Concentration Camp That Once Stood in Pelham.

Fri., May 21, 2010:  The Announcement of President Abraham Lincoln's Assassination in Pelham, NY on April 15, 1865.

Tue., Mar. 30, 2010: Obituary of William McAllister Who Built Civil War Gunboats in Pelham.

Mon., Mar. 29, 2010: Nathaniel H. Bouldin, a Poor Confederate Prisoner of War Who Died in Pelham in 1865.

Tue., Nov. 03, 2009: Pelham Students Help Civil War Soldiers on Davids' Island in 1864.

Fri., Nov. 18, 2005: A List of Pelham Residents Who Served the Union During the Civil War.

Mon., Jul. 11, 2005: Pelham Cemetery on City Island.

Fri., Jun. 3, 2005: Davids' Island Off the Coast of Pelham Manor During the Civil War.

Tue., Apr. 12, 2005: Pelham and the Civil War Ironclad USS Monitor.

Programs for Pelham's early Memorial Day remembrance ceremonies, at first, seem to shed light on the issue of identifying Pelham's Civil War dead. For example, the program for the 1949 Memorial Day Exercises of the Town of Pelham held at the Memorial High School Field provides "In Memoriam" lists for the "Civil War," "Indian Wars," "Spanish War," "World War I," and "World War II." The Civil War "In Memoriam" section of the program lists the following (I have provided units where I have found them so far):

William Dorrance Beach
Samuel D. Bertine
William Dally - Company D, 133rd Infantry Regiment New York
Patrick J. Gleason
James C. Hazen
William P. Hibler
John T. Logan
David Lyon
Samuel E. Lyon
William Mercer
Peter McLaughlin
William H. Valentine - Company D, 5th Veteran Infantry Regiment New York
Charles A. Walker

At first blush, this might seem to be a list of thirteen Pelham men who died in the Civil War. That does NOT appear to be the case, however. Research suggests that most if not all of these men survived the war. The list, instead, seems to be a list of Civil War veterans who died after the war and were honored during the 1949 remembrance exercises, although it remains possible that one or more were Civil War casualties. In short, the issue of the identities of Pelham's Civil War dead remains muddled.

Did Pelham lose forty-nine of the sixty men who fought during the War, as claimed by the New-York Tribune in 1897? Hopefully future research will reveal the names of those dead. For now, their identities remain a "Pelham History Mystery."