IDENTIFIED CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS’ GROUPING OF THE HEALEY/ HALEY FAMILY OF VERMONT: JOHN HALEY, 4th VERMONT, WIA SPOTTSYLVANIA AND CEDAR CREEK: LETTERS AND PHOTOS OF HIM AND BROTHER

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This grouping came from the Healy family of Vermont and relates to John Haley, Jr., (1843-1901,) who enlisted at Mt. Holly, VT, on August 7, 1862, and mustered into Co. C, 4th Vermont Infantry as a private on Sept. 30, 1862, at Burlington, VT, and was wounded twice. He had been born in Ireland, emigrated with his parents to Vermont, and in 1860 was working on a farm in Rutland. He is listed in some records as Healey and other variations, making him somewhat difficult to track, but was described as 20 years-old, 5’2” with dark complexion, grey eyes and black hair, when he signed up for three years and received a $29 bonus and premium. An obituary credits him with participation in 12 battles.

The regiment had organized in August and September 1861 and became part of the Old Vermont Brigade, becoming part of the 6th Corps and seeing action in the Peninsula and Antietam Campaigns before Haley joined it. He was with them for Fredericksburg in December 1862 and again in May 1863 when they fought at Marye’s Heights and Salem Heights in the Chancellorsville Campaign, and yet again in June 1863 for the Battle of Franklin’s Crossing or Deep Run on June 5, 1863, when Sedgwick took the 6th Corps to see what Lee was up to at the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign. Haley describes the fight in one of his letters.

They were at Gettysburg but not engaged, suffering just one wounded, and were also in the sharp fight at Funkstown, MD, in the pursuit of Lee on July 10, and later in the year took part at Rappahannock Station. Haley was promoted Corporal April 25, 1864, though an obituary says early 1863, and was wounded on May 5, 1864, when the regiment took heavy casualties at the Wilderness, losing 6 officers and 36 enlisted men killed and another 11 officers and 211 men wounded, most of them in the initial fighting on May 5, when Haley was apparently wounded in the shoulder. This hospitalized him until mid-August, when he rejoined the regiment for Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign, possibly in time for the fight at Charlestown, but certainly in time for Opequon and Fisher’s Hill in September, and then Cedar Creek on October 19, where he suffered a gunshot wound to the right wrist that hospitalized him again, finally earning him a discharge on May 29, 1865, for disability from wounds and a disability pension. He is difficult to track postwar, but late in life worked for a time in the railroad yards at Rutland before his death there in 1901. We note that a family tombstone gives him the rank of Captain. Whether this was simply an error, postwar national guard rank, or an honorary title, etc., is unclear, but we find no wartime commission.

The group consists of 5 photographs (three tintypes and two CDVs) and five wartime letters, an 1867 probate letter appointing Patrick Haley guardian of a minor, and an album card with his obituary pasted on one side and on the other side notes on other, later family members. Two of the photos are CDVs. One of these, with a Vermont backmark, shows him full standing and is marked in ink over old blue pencil, “Uncle John Haley.” The card is likely a little postwar and shows him partially concealing his right hand by resting it on the back of a chair, which would make sense from his wartime wound. It serves, however, to confirm the identification of him both in the second vignette bust view CDV with a Washington, DC, photograper’s backmark that shows him in a uniform coat open to show a shirt with white collar and bowtie, and clearly showing two brass uniform buttons, and also identify him in the seated 1/6-plate tintype showing him wearing his kepi and infantry frock coat, with his trousers nicely tinted light blue, in front of a photographer’s painted backdrop.

Since the inscription on the full-standing CDV view refers to him as “uncle,” the material likely passed down through his brother Patrick’s family and two modern family notes identify the mustached soldier in the pair of ¼-plate tintypes as Patrick, but they clearly seem to be John as well. The mustache may have thrown off the descendants, but we note what seems to be a thin mustache on him in the full-standing CDV as well. The family apparently tried to make sense of the images by identifying the standing soldier next to the seated figure as John, but we see no resemblance and he is likely an army friend. One of the letters indicates Patrick had visited John in camp, but we find no military record for him- so a mere switching of identities is out.

Both of the cased ¼-plate tintypes are clear. The view in the left half of the case, with John and companion is a tad darker, but still very detailed. John is shown in loose shirt, kepi, and tall boots. In the other he wears a kepi, mounted overcoat and tall boots. The boots and use of a warmer mounted overcoat point to a photo taken in a winter camp.

We summarize the five letters in the group below:

6/9/63 Camp in the Meadow near Fredericksburg, John to Patrick, giving some details of the fight on June 3. “The Vermont brigad Crost the 3(rd) day of from when we came don to the river. The rebles was on the other side, as soon as we laid our Boats don, their was about 400 of them rose up and let us hav a voley. Our men opend on them with 35 Pases of artillery, thay maid it so hot for them that thay couldn't rase their heds, if thay would, (they would) lose part of their nose. If we fite Heare this time, it will be the Hardest battle that has been faught.”

9/16/63 John Healy Sr. to son, presumably Patrick, mentions Bridget got a letter from John, he did not know where they were going to move.

10/22/63 In Camp near Warrington. John to brother, presumably Patrick. Says army is on the move. Refers to him (Patrick?) having visited recently. Refers to hard fighting, mostly by cavalry. Mention of some men in the company.

12/14/64 from Jarvis USA Gen. Hospital, Baltimore, to Patrick. Says wound is healing. “I thought once that I would hav to get my hand amputated, but I am happy to inform you that I have got it all right yet . . . The bullet went in just back of my thumb joint, there was about two inches of the bone taken out, but I am doing well. . . I expected to be at home Christmas or new years, but you knead not look for me until I can give you my right arm to shake hands…”

2/2/65 John to brother, presumably Patrick, from Baxter Gen. Hosp in Burlington. Arrived from Baltimore, “When I came through Rutland night before last, I meant to have stopped, but my hand pained me so the that I did not dare to.”

This is a very nice, intact family grouping from a soldier with some serious combat service, and the wounds to prove it.  [sr][ph:L]

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