Friday, April 21, 2006

I'm still in Madison, but I have some time on my hands so I'll tell you all about something I found today. Compiled Civil War Service record for Charles H. Patterson (my great, great, great grandfather) shows he joined up in August 1862 along with his brother Lysander (didn't know he existed!). There's a description: Charles was rather tall at 6'1, with brown hair and blue eyes and a fair complexion. He lasted just over a year and a half in the infantry and in late 1863 he and his brother deserted. Guess he got fed up and decided to leg it! The brother got clean away, but Charles was later arrested and spent the next year under lock and key at the attractively titled Fort Swelling in Minnesota until he was dishonorably discharged. I did giggle. Anyway, he may not have been much of a soldier, but at least he was good looking.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't blame them!! I would have deserted from the Civil War as well.

Anonymous said...

That's great! Have you eaten any cheese??

Lauren said...

So I'm assuming he fought for the Yanks?

(I'd desert, too if I was fighting for them Northerners. :) )

Lauren said...

By the way, any hot guys up there?

Bilaeva said...

He was in the 30th Wisconsin Infantry, so a Yankee he was. I'm afraid I didn't eat any cheese. It was all in blocks and I just didn't fancy it. And there was a really nice and good looking young man working in the Historical Society Archives yesterday. We got on really well, if I'd met him on the Thursday I might have invited him to show me around Madison. But it just didn't happen that way.

Lauren said...

Darnit.