Grave #6145A: Alexander Allison

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Alexander Allison, Co. C., 96th Pennsylvania Infantry. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant as the Chancellorsville Campaign began in 1863 and was shot during the Battle of Salem Church on May 3, 1863. Alexander Allison died May 5th after arriving at a hospital near Aquia Creek. Alexander Allison and three of his brothers died during the Civil War, and one other Allison brother is likely buried as an unknown in the cemetery here.

Images

Alexander Allison

Grave #6145A: Alexander Allison

"The Allison Brothers." From Schuykill County in the Civil War.

The Allison monument at Port Carbon Presbyterian Cemetery

Plant, Building, Window, Flag of the united states

Alexander Allison's mother filed for and earned a pension after his death

Pension file, page 1

Brief in the pension case of Agnes Allison. She was awarded a pension of $15 per month starting from the day of Alexander Allison's death.

Declaration of Agnes Alexander for her pension claim

Alexander declaration, page 2. The second section includes affidavit of two others who witnessed Agnes Alexander's deposition and could also testify to her reliance on Alexander Allison for support.

Alexander declaration, page 3.

Pension file, page 6

Agnes Allison was paid $10 per month between January 1862 and April 1863 from the Military Relief Board.

These monthly payments were allotted by Alexander to be paid directly to his mother.

Agnes Allison was originally certified for a pension of $8 per month. However, she and her attorney challenged the amount due to Alexander Allison being an officer rather than a private.

Second page of the pension certificate with notes about the amount dispute.

Adjutant General report for Alexander Allison (April 1, 1865)

Adjutant General report for Alexander Allison (September 14, 1863)

There appeared to be some inconsistency in the record about Alexander Allison's promotion to 2nd Lieutenant evidenced here and on the pension certificate above.

Pension file, page 14

Pension file, page 15

Rectangle, Handwriting, Paper, Paper product

Pension file, page 16

This 1863 letter from Captain Issac E. Severn of Co. C explains the issue with the records showing Allison's promotion to 2nd Lieutenant. Severn explains that the promotion was done during a time of battle the paperwork was delayed, but that Allison was acting in the position of 2nd Lieutenant when he was killed.

Severn letter, page 2

Agnes Allison was able to get her pension amount increased to $15 and Alexander's range fixed to 2nd Lieutenant

Pension file, page 20

Deposition by two acquaintances who could confirm Agnes Allison's identity, relationship to Alexander Allison, and her need for financial support.

Deposition, page 2

Pension file, page 23

The Allotment Card showing that Alexander Allison designated money from his pay to be paid to his mother each month. This is what was listed in the previous account by Jacob Huntzinger in the pension file.

Reverse of allotment card

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Between Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville stands a battle-scarred brick church. Salem Church became the center of the storm on May 3-4, 1863 as part of the Chancellorsville campaign. The Union troops who had attacked Marye’s Heights and taken them, were headed west to reinforce Hooker’s main force, but they were intercepted by Confederates near the church grounds. Twenty-three year old 2nd Lieutenant Alexander Allison of the 96th PA was shot in the stomach on May 3rd, was transported to a hospital at Aquia Creek on May 5th, and died just hours after arriving. His younger brother, nineteen year old John, served under Alexander as a corporal in the same regiment. He was also killed at Salem Church but he body was never recovered; he may lie in the cemetery under an unknown marker.

Many families experienced at least one death in their family, some experienced several. There is a well-known story of Lydia Bixby, who reportedly lost five sons during the war and received a letter of condolence from Abraham Lincoln. While the letter is real, Mrs. Bixby did not actually lose all five of her sons in the war. Alexander Allison, buried here, however, is part of a true tragedy. His mother, Agnes Allison, began the war as a widow with six sons and sent four of those sons to war. All four died. Twenty-three year old Alexander and nineteen year old John, serving under Alexander as a corporal, were killed at Salem Church. Older brother George was shot in the hip at the Bloody Angle on May 12, 1864 while serving with the 56th PA and died in a hospital in Washington DC. Their other brother James served with the 1st PA Cavalry until November 1862 when he was injured after his horse threw him and discharged. In 1864 he reenlisted with the 48th PA Infantry and was killed at Bethesda Church near Richmond. Agnes Allison lost perhaps more sons than any other mother in the North, ending the war as a widow with only two of her six sons still alive. After the war, Union veterans named the local Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) post after her sons and the community organized a funeral for her when she died in 1887. In 1908 the community of Port Carbon erected a monument to Agnes Allision and her sons at her gravesite.

Sources

Pfanz, Donald C. "Where Valor Proudly Sleeps: A History of Fredericksburg National Cemetery, 1866-1933." National Park Service, 2007. (Available at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP)

Cemetery Roster & Book File, Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP

Image Sources(Click to expand)

"The 48th/150th: Agnes Allison's Sacrifice...The Story of the Allison Brothers of Port Carbon." The 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. June 6, 2014. Accessed March 22, 2021. https://48thpennsylvania.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-48th150th-agnes-allisons-sacrifice.html.

Photo by Kathleen Thompson

"Agnes Smart Allison." FindAGrave.com. Accessed March 22, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/184547181/agnes-allison.

Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900, compiled 1949 - 1949, documenting the period 1861 - 1942. NARA Record Group 15, Catalog ID 2588825. Accessed through Fold3, March 19, 2021.

Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Widows and Other Veterans of the Army and Navy Who Served Mainly in the Civil War and the War With Spain, compiled 1861 - 1934. NARA Record Group 15, Catalog ID 300020. Accessed through Fold3, March 19, 2021.

Grave #6145A: Alexander Allison

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information