On December 27th, 1860, the Confederates seized Forts Moultrie and Castle Pinckney in South Carolina.
On Jan 9th, 1861, they fired their first shot from Fort Moultrie and Morris into a government vessel carrying troops and supplies to Major Anderson, who had his entire force at Fort Sumter.
And so it began. The war between brothers, which tore the nation apart, involved the men, women, and children of all states in a war of intense bloodshed and troubles. Salisbury, New Hampshire, was not exempt from suffering.
The Roster for those from Salisbury, living in Salisbury after, or connected as Substitutes, is now available. Additions and corrections are always welcome.
CIVIL WAR ROSTER revised 11/1/2019
CIVIL WAR ROSTER by Regiment revised 11/1/2019
GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
The G.A.R. was an organization founded in 1866 to support Union veterans of the Civil War. The last national gathering occurred in 1949, and records indicate that it dissolved in New Hampshire in 1945.
In 1890, there were 409,489 members nationally.
PINGREE # 87- There was a G.A.R. post in Salisbury called Pingree #87. Founded Jan 1885. Ended Oct 1896.
Likely, the name Pingree Post was about the Pingree family of Salisbury. Two Pingree brothers, Samuel E. (1832-1922) and Stephen M. (1835-1892), were natives of Salisbury who served with distinction during the Civil War. Both were living at the time the post was organized. There were sixteen members.
More research is needed to discover the roster of members and their affiliation, the WRC (Women’s Relief Corps).
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is a fraternal organization dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of heroes who fought and worked to save the Union. Organized in 1881 and chartered by Congress in 1954, they are the legal successor to the Grand Army of the Republic and are still in existence.
In Salisbury, meetings and social events took place in a large hall at what is now the crossroads intersection of Rte 4 and Rte 127. The building was likely located where the current Crossroads store is now, perhaps a little closer to Route 127. On May 18, 1894, a large fire swept through the crossroads area, destroying the GAR hall and three other prominent buildings. The charter was surrendered later in October 1896.
Excerpts from the Merrimack Journal, Franklin Falls, NH, dated Friday, May 18, 1894, and republished on p 188 of Salisbury Lost by Paul S. Shaw, M, rev 2003,
“At 3:30 a.m. On Saturday, a fire was discovered on the roof of the G.A.R. Hall at South Road Village. The flames quickly spread to the unused Greenough Store situated east of the hall and through to the large three-story summer boarding house of Amos Chapman, known a Kearsarge Cottage.
The G.A.R. was a new building and well finished and fitted. Pingre Post and W.R.C. (see below) lost all their furniture and dining room, kitchen furniture, stoves, crockery, etc. The loss is heavy…
It is the largest fire that has ever visited the town, and it is doubtful the property will be rebuilt.
There was an insurance of 600 on the Grand Army Hall.”
What exactly was the G.A.R.?
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was founded in Decatur, Illinois, on April 6, 1866, by Benjamin F. Stephenson. Membership was limited to honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or the Revenue Cutter Service who had served between April 12, 1861, and April 9, 1865. The community-level organization was called a Post, and each was numbered consecutively within each department. Most Posts also had a name, and the rules for naming Posts included the requirement that the honored person be deceased and that no two Posts within the same Department could have the same name. The Departments generally consisted of the Posts within a state.
The GAR founded the soldiers’ homes, was active in relief work, and in pension legislation. Five members were elected President of the United States, and, for a time, it was impossible to be nominated on the Republican ticket without the endorsement of the GAR voting bloc.
In 1868, Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan issued General Order No. 11 calling for all Departments and Posts to set aside the 30th of May as a day for remembering the sacrifices of fallen comrades, thereby beginning the celebration of Memorial Day.
What was the Women’s Relief Corps, or W.R.C.?
We know the Woman’s Relief Corps (WRC) was the auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). It was founded in 1883, and the WRC began with a focus on commemorating Union memory and charity for destitute veterans. Using WRC and GAR Convention journals, newspapers, published organizational histories, and manuscript sources, this dissertation addresses why members involved themselves in a diverse set of issues not always associated with the Civil War.
More on the Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic – Essential Civil War Curriculum
“After their service in the Union armed forces during the Great Civil War had ended, many of the veterans who survived the turmoil were mustered out of service and went home. Some of these men began to pine for the friendships and camaraderie that they had shared during the war. Veterans’ clubs began to spring up around the country. Many were local, and most did not last very long, but a few went on to become national organizations. One of these was the Grand Army of the Republic, or simply the G.A.R.
Another remarkable aspect of the Grand Army of the Republic is its benevolent treatment of the African American veterans of the army and navy service. Close to 180,000 African Americans served nobly in the armed forces of the United States during the Civil War. Their service was gallant and contributed significantly to the Union victory and preservation of the Union. Dozens of African American veterans had received the Medal of Honor for valor in combat. From the foundation of the order in a time of institutionalized prejudice and overt racism, the order was color-blind and officially treated all veterans equally. Most posts were integrated, although there were all ‘colored’ posts in larger towns and cities, formed where the African American veterans lived and where they felt most welcome and comfortable…”
About Two Veterans in Particular
In light of the fairness of the G.A.R., it is altogether possible that two of Salisbury’s veterans of the Civil War, African Americans and cousins and buried in the Smith’s Corner cemetery, were indeed members of the GAR. More research is needed to find the roster of veterans, if it was not lost in the fire of 1894.
James Haskell served in the 54th Massachusetts.
No one civil war story nor soldier is more important than the other; however, most non-historians likely know in detail about one battle and its soldiers in particular. The valiant soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment under Col Robert Gould Shaw is a very unique story and was immortalized in a well-done movie, which won Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. It is titled Glory from 1989.
In addition this Col Shaw and his regiment are well honored by Augustus St. Gaudens in his memorable sculpture in Boston, Mass.
This regiment was unique in that it consisted almost entirely of African Americans who were largely Freemen. James F. Haskell, who enlisted from Warner, fought in this Regiment and at Fort Wagner. For reasons unclear at this time, he was buried in Salisbury at the Smith’s Corner/Bean Cemetery. There are currently several researchers trying to piece together the unique history and strong connections of the local African Americans from earlier days in Canterbury, Warner, Sanbornton, and Salisbury.
For more details on this well-known Regiment and battle:
Robert Gould Shaw and the Fifty-fourth Regiment Memorial | WTTW Chicago
A special thank you to Jane Wescomb and Rebecca Corser, and Lynn Clark of the Warner Historical Society for their work in this field.
There is ongoing research from several sources regarding the early local African American Communities connected to James Haskell. A post has been opened to continue the discussions at the link below.
Please use the genealogy PDFs as guidelines for your research rather than definitive published genealogies, as there are some gaps, repeated names, sparse records, and some assumptions.