Notes Regarding George Henry Siders Sr

I= ntroduction

A special thanks to Steve Cunningh= am for his hard work in organizing this reunion.&= nbsp; And, thanks to all those others who have made this reunion possible. It’s a privil= ege to share some things about my Great Grandfather George Henry Siders, who fough= t and was wounded here at Droop= Mountain. Also, a special note of appreciati= on to my first cousin, Betty Kessel McIntyre, for introducing me to our family genealogy and the fact that we had several relatives who fought in the Civil War.

Notes Regarding George Henry Si= ders Sr.

· My Great Grandfather, George Henry Siders, was t= he 5^th of twelve children, and his place of birth is somewhat uncertain. Several sources suggest that he wa= s born in Fayette County, VA (now WV), May 23, 1837, although in 1911, when George= was 74 years old, he stated that he was born in Bedford County, VA.<= /span>

· George’s father, David Henry Siders, was b= orn somewhere in Maryland in 1808. His mother, Jane Ter= ry, was born in 1811 in nearby Greenbr= ier County, VA (WV)= . David and Jane were also married i= n Greenbrier County in 1829.<= /b>

·       The family moved to Jackson County, VA (WV) sometime before the Civil War between 1850 and 1860.

·       The original spelling of the name was Siderstrieer or Sidenstricker.

·       There are very few records beyond the early 1800= s, probably because the Siders families were poor farmers and moved frequently.

·       George H. Siders married America Ann Miller on Christm= as Eve in 1863. That was about a mon= th and a half after his wounding here at the Battle of Droop = Mountain. Shortly after his marriage he went= back to his unit in Martinsburg, WV.
·       After the war they lived on Middle Fork, in Wash= ington District, Jackson County, WV, at the = mouth of Second Creek.

·       George and America had 11 children. Thankfully, back then large famili= es were common, because the 10^th of those children was my grandmother, <= st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Lydia A= nne Siders.

·       I remember visiting another of George and America’s children, George Henry Sid= ers, Jr. on his farm at Buffalo, in Putnam County in the mid 1960s. George Jr. = was their 6^th child, 3^rd son, and my Great Uncle. While there he invited my future w= ife, Carol, to go “egg pickin’” in his hen house.

·       George was a soldier during the entire Civil War= . He was 24 years old when he volunt= eered for 3 years on Sep 25, 1861, and mustered into Lt Powell’s Company, 8= ^th Regiment, VA Infantry (subsequently Co. K, 7^th WV Cav.).<= o:p>

·       George reenlisted for another 3 years as a Veter= an Volunteer soon after the battle of Droop Mountain on the first of Feb, 18= 64, in Martinsburg, WV, at which time he received $400 bou= nty. This had to be a big reenlistment = incentive for the just married George and his new wife, America. The Company Descriptive Book liste= d him as 5 feet 10 ¼ inches tall, complexion – fair, eyes – bl= ue, and hair – red. His occupation was listed as farmer.

·       At least twice (in Dec 1862 and Jan 1864) on mon= thly muster rolls George was listed on “extra or daily duty” as the = “company cook”. Prior to these d= uties as a cook, George had been sick or wounded, so perhaps his “KP” duties were not the result of deficiencies in other military responsibiliti= es.

·       George was promoted to Corporal about five months before the end of the war. Re= cords show that on mustering out he owed the United States $8 for the rete= ntion of one revolver.

·       George’s Civil War pension file at the Nat= ional Archives consists of over 150 documents to include his picture that appears= to have been taken around 1890. = The first document in his file is dated in 1873, and the last is dated just aft= er his death in 1922. That’s an average of about three documents a year for approximately 50 years. I have a copy of George’s en= tire pension file with me, if anyone would like to look through it.

·       George stated in a Declaration for Invalid Pensi= on in 1873 (when he was 36 years old) that he had been wounded in the right shoulder a= t Droop Mountain by the explosion of a shell. = He further stated that he was disabled for 2-3 months and in hospitals at Graf= ton and Martinsburg. (The Surgeon General’s Office could not substantiate or find records for the Pensi= on Office regarding treatment in these hospitals.)

·       In addition the War Department had some difficul= ty in verifying his wounding in order for George to receive a pension. The Consolidated Regimental Morning Reports for Nov 7, 1863 showed G. H. Siders wounded in action, on the 6th of Nov, however, the nature and location of the wound was not given.

·       The Casualty List for the 1^st Separate Brigade, Index 17, Line 38 reports George Syders (sp) “wounded – dislocation of right shoulder from falling at Battle of Droop Mountain, = VA, Nov 6, 1863”. There was no mention of a shrapnel= wound to his shoulder.

·       A medical exam in early 1883 verified GeorgeR= 17;s shoulder wound and also noted a gun shot wound to the left ankle and a heal= ed fracture of his left wrist that had not been properly set. We later learn in one of several d= octor exams that the bullet wound to George’s ankle occurred at Jackson River (around Aug 25, 1863) a few months before the battle of Droop Mountain. But, George was not on duty= . How/why was George shot in the left ankle? We don’t know. The exam also states that the left= wrist was broken before Droop Mountain, but we kn= ow nothing else.

·       Finally, after nearly 10 years from his initial application for a pension, George was approved in 1883, for $6/month effect= ive from the end of the war. Therefore, George was paid for over seventeen and a half year’s of back pension,= or about $1272. What a wi= ndfall! In today’s dollars (using the Consumer Price Index – CPI) that equates to over $24,000.<= /span>

·       George’s fellow solders, neighbors, and do= ctors continued to provide many sworn statements and affidavits from 1877-1901 re= garding his deteriorating health. Spe= cial mention was made regarding the contraction of rheumatism and heart trouble = while in the service. However, the Pension Office several times denied any increases based on the contraction = of rheumatism and heart trouble while in the military.
·       Several of George’s fellow soldiers provid= ed sworn statements regarding the status of his health over the years and are = included in his pension file. The foll= owing 11 members of his regiment are represented:

§       Elias [E-lie-us] Powell (1^st Lt/Capt, and Co. K Commander)=

§       Henry L. Carter (Co. K 1^st Sgt and later 1^st Lt)

§       Robison Spurlock Jr. (1^st Sgt/Orderly= Sgt and one of “8” Spurlocks in Co. K)

§       Peter C. Click (Pvt, Co. K and later Quartermast= er Sgt)

§       John E. Iman [Eye-mun] (Pvt/Sgt, Co. A)

§       Isaac F. Smith (Pvt, Co. K)

§       James H. Garrett (Pvt., C= o. F)

§       George W Parsons (Pvt, Co. K and one of 3 Parson= s in Co. K and one of 10 Parsons in the regiment)

§       William Colman (Pvt, Co. K)

§       James E. Parsons (Pvt, Co. K)<= /b>

§       Jacob H. Casto (one of 5 Pvt Castos in Co. E)

·       The following are some examples of individual st= atements found in George H. Siders’ pension file.

·       In 1898, Jacob H. Casto (Pvt, Co. E) provided the first of two of his statements in Siders’ pension file. Casto stated that he witnessed Sid= ers wound in the right shoulder by the explosion of a shell from the enemy̵= 7;s gun. He waited on him, did his washing, etc. (Jake had to be a real good friend to do his laundry!!) He remembered him being excused of= ten from duty after he was wounded. He also complained of rheumatism and heart trouble. (An interesting side note: On Mar = 17, 1864, Jacob H. Casto had married George’s sister, Mary Ellen Siders.)=

·       Jacob H. Casto provided a second statement in 19= 01 regarding George Siders wounding at Droop Mountain, even though it was supposed to highlight his contracting of rheumatism while still in the service:

“A shell exploded and a piece struck him in right shoulder from the enemy’s gun. I was about 20 yards from him when= he was wounded, and I saw the men taking him off the battlefield. The same shot killed William Le= wis (Corporal, Co. K) and wounded said George H. Siders in the right should= er. I heard him frequently complaining = of his shoulder and rheumatism after this battle.= I saw Dr. Combstock treating his wound.”=

·       Isaac F. Smith (Pvt, Co. K), and James H. Garrett (Pvt., Co. F) stated in 1877 that Siders was wounded at Dr= oop Mountain with a piece of shell thrown from the enemies battery that struck = him on the right shoulder while he was standing by a large cucumbertree. The entire statement is hand writt= en with the signatures of Smith and Garrett in the same handwriting. The handwriting and signatures are probably those of the Notary, M. A. Whiting. Isaac F. Smith’s signature in= another statement 15 years later is with an “X”.

·       You might have asked, what is a cucumbertree? I certainly did. If you answered Magnolia, you are right. Cucumbertrees are indi= genous to the Appalachian Mountains and can grow 60-80 feet in height with trunks two feet in diameter. The common name refers to the shap= e of the fruit. I want to look for cucumbertrees on the slopes of Droop Mountain during our battlefield tour today. Even = with extensive fires and tree cutting in the past, perhaps a few cucumbertree se= eds survived and are now growing nearby.

·       As we know from battle reports, some members of = the 8^th WV were drifting to the right into the 2^nd WV territory i= n their final accent up the face of Droop Mountain on Nov 6, 1863. One reason probably was the protec= tion of trees in that area. George Siders must have been one of those “drifters” and was near a la= rge cucumbertree. Who knows, that tree might have sa= ved George’s life, saved his marriage the very next month, and saved me to be born ei= ght decades later.

·       In 1882, the Pension Office asked the Postmaster= of Kentuck (Andrew J. Miller?), Jackson County, WV about information regarding Siders’ physical condition since his discharge.= (Miller’s answer: “He has b= een increasingly suffering.”) Can you imagine a government agency today asking your postman/postwo= man about your health and how you are doing?!

·       George Siders’ family physician, Dr. S. F. Beckwith, stated in 1890 that George was suffering from rheumatism and had heart trouble. Dr. Beckwith probably included the picture of George that is now in his pension record, since the handwriting seems to match.

·       Isaac F. Smith (Pvt, Co. K) stated in 1892 that = Siders contacted rheumatism from exposure and hardships of service. He waited on Siders and bathed his shoulder with liniment at the time of the wound. Isaac signed the statement with an “X”.

·       George W. Parsons (Pvt, Co. K) of Kentuck (Jackson County, WV) stated in 1892 that Ge= orge had contracted rheumatism from exposure during the war. Parsons also signed with an “X”.

·       William Colman (Pvt, Co. K) in a sworn affidavit= in 1895 said that he saw Siders fall from the wound on Nov 6, 1863, and that he was sent to the hospital. He = did not see him again for about four months.

·       George Siders provided a sworn statement in 1895= that he knew of no living doctor who treated him during the war. The following had died: Dr. Combst= ock, Dr. Jim Putney, Dr. Stanton, and Dr. Barlow. He further stated that if Dr. Rous= h is alive, his whereabouts are unknown.

·       Robison Spurlock Jr. (1^st Sgt/Orderly= Sgt in Co. K) stated in an 1896 affidavit that Siders was disabled :=

“By a shell which exploded a= nd a piece struck him. My reason i= s I was an eye witness. I was fir= st Sergeant of his Co. and was within ten f= eet of him when he received his injury. I took him off the battle ground and took care of him and herd him complain m= any times of his shoulder and was not able for duty.”

·       James E. Parsons (Pvt, Co. K) stated in 1896 tha= t he was near him when the shell exploded and saw him taken off. James said that he lived within 2 ½ miles of George and saw him frequently.

·       During April, 1894, Pension Office notes showed = that a report was made to Congressman J. Capehart and the status of George’s pension claim status was given to him. And, three years later in 1897, Pe= nsion Office notes show that Siders’ status was again given to Congressm= an Warren Miller regarding evidence as to the origin of rheumatism. These were two of at least three Congressional inquiries on Siders behalf in his pension file.

·       In 1899, Elias [E-lie-us] Powell (1^s=
t Lt/Capt, Co. K Commander) then living in Ontario, County of San Bernardino, California, provided a hand written General Affidavit that stated:

“On or about Nov 6, 1863, Ge= o. H. Siders a member of my Company K, 7^th West= Va Vol. Vet. Cav. Was struck by a piece of a shell that exploded close to us.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Stunned him so that I had to send = him to the rear. During the remainde= r of our service he frequently complained of pain in his right shoulder where he= had been struck by said piece of shell during the engagement at Droop Mountain.”

·       George received the following pension rates: = $6/month from 1866 until 1890 (for 24 years); $12/month from 1890 until 1907 (for 17 years); $15/month from 1907 until 1912 (for 5 years); $30/month from 1912 until 1920 (for 8 years); and= , $72/month from 1920 until 1922 (for 2 years).= As an interesting note, in his 59 years of pension payments George collected a total of about $9000.

·       George’s wife, America, died in 1909, 13 y= ears before he did. This should no= t be really surprising, since Am= erica had given birth and cared for 11 children, plus took care of an invalid hus= band.

·       In 1911 the Pension Office rejected Sider= s’ request for an increase in pension from $15/month to $30/month, due to his inability to prove his age as 75.

·       George then asked his Congressman to go to bat f= or him for at least a third time, but again to no avail. During Jan & Feb 1912, two let= ters were send to the Commissioner of Pensions by Congressman J. M. Hamilton asking for verification of George Siders age and status of his request for increase based on being 75. T= he Commissioner of Pensions responded that Siders, through their records, was = indeed only 74 and his application for increase was rejected.

·       George Henry Siders died a poor widower on Nov 8, 1922. In a letter to the Pens= ion Office on Nov 10, 1922, his son David complained that his brother-in-law had taken the last $72 pension check while he and brother, Charlie, had paid for the casket and suit.

·       George and his wife America are buried in the Ma= ngus Cemetery located on Middle Fork in Advent, Jackson County, WV.

·       The protracted applications year after year for increases in his Civil War Pension painted the picture of George as a man i= ncreasingly unable to work as a farmer, and who was very dependant upon his meager pens= ion.

·       Nearly 12 years after his death, one of George&#= 8217;s grandsons, Stinson Smith, applied for and received a military headstone on = Oct 16, 1934 at the C&O Railway Station in Charleston, WV. My sister, Marie Tinsley, remembers Stinson Smith as her first teacher at Second Creek School in Jackson County.

·       Today we honor George H. Siders and all the men = who fought here 143 years ago.

BACKGROUND

·       In addition to my Great Grandfather George Henry Siders, who fought here at Droop Mountain, his older brother (by 2 years) a= nd my Great Uncle, Thomas Lewis Siders, enlisted in the 22 VA Infantry, Company A= , on May 22, 1861, at 26 years old. Thomas was absent on sick leave Aug= 31, 1861, and there is no further record. Terry Lowry captured this brief military service in his Regimental History of the 22^nd Virginia Infantry, although his name is misspelled as “Seiders”. Some family records suggest that Thomas and George opposed each othe= r at Droop Mountain, however, that has not be= en proven. Other family tradition suggests that Thomas may have “skedaddled” to Missouri while on sick leave. This too has not been substantiate= d.

·       One of George Henry Siders younger brothers (by 9 years), John William Siders, another Great Uncle, enlisted as a Private in Company A, 7^th WV Cav on Feb 2, 1865, at 19 years old and was discharged on Aug 1, 1865. He received a pension for his six months of duty at $12/month beginning in Aug, 1891. I have a copy of his Pe= nsion Records from the National Archives. He died in 1915 in Clen= denin, WV.
·       To help balance my father’s side of the fa= mily mentioned above, my Great-Great Grandfather on my mother’s side, John Hayes Patton, was drafted into Company B of the 7^th WV Cav as a Private on Sep 26, 1864, at age 36. He was discharged on Jun 13, 1865.&= nbsp; I also have his Pension Records.&nb= sp; He died in 1920, also in Clendenin, WV.
·       So, I had two Great-Grandfathers and one Great U= ncle in the 7^th WV and one Great Uncle in the 22^nd VA Inf = (at least for a little while!). O= nly George Siders is known to have fought at Droop Mountain. Did my two Great Grandparents know= each other? Perhaps, but we have no records to prove any contact. But they could not have known that 3-4 generations later my father and mother w= ould meet and share the Siders and Patton genes.

The above was presented at the 7^th WV= Cav Descendants Reunion at Droop Mountain on October14, 2006, by Wi= lliam O. Kiser II, Great-Great Grandson of George H. Siders.