Honoring Military Service

I have ancestors who fought in all major wars in this country: the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Because Memorial Day began as a way to honor those who died in the Civil War, I will focus on my Civil War ancestors in this post. First, a list of those who served:
   
   

James Lindsley Ferguson

James Lindsley Ferguson, 1829-1899, from Ohio
James Spellman, 1812-1887, from Ohio
John Addison Kerchner, 1844-1926, from
        Pennsylvania
Edmond Bennett Helwick, 1844-1914, from Iowa

I have two Confederate ancestors as well, both from what became West Virginia, serving in Virginia units: Burwell Charlton, 1827-1868, and William H. Ogden, 1825-1877.

There is a family story that another ancestor, Joseph F. Legron from Ohio was drafted and paid another man to go in his place. That man was killed in the War. My grandfather and his sister knew the name of the substitute. Unfortunately, they died before I was interested in recording his name. Apparently there are military records that do list the names of the draftees and substitutes; researching those records is on my to-do list.

Edmond Bennett Helwick

Edmond Bennett Helwick enlisted at age 18 with his brother, John Jacob Helwick, in August of 1862. Their unit, Company C of the 19th Iowa Infantry, took part in the siege of Vicksburg. A few months later, both brothers were taken prisoner on September 29, 1863, at the Battle of Stirling's Plantation near Morganza, Louisiana. They spent 10 months at Camp Ford at Tyler, Texas. James Irvine Dungan, a fellow soldier in Company C of the 19th Iowa Infantry who was also taken prisoner at Sterling Farm, kept a diary and wrote the History of the 19th Iowa Infantry soon after the war ended in 1865. He paints a vivid picture of the miserable conditions of the prison camp.