Grave #3615 William C. Morgan

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

William C. Morgan, Major, 3rd Maine. Prior to serving as Major, William Morgan served in Company F of the regiment. He was Captain of Company F by the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 and took command of the regiment on July 3. Morgan was reenlisted in December 1863 as Major and was killed at North Anna May 23/24, 1864.

Images

Captain William C. Morgan

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Captain William C. Morgan

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Grave #3615 William C. Morgan

Transcript of the M.E. Andrews letter, October 2, 1892

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Andrews letter, page 2

William Morgan's family received a widow's pension and then a minor's pension after his death

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Pension file, page 1

Widow's Declaration for Army Pension (June 21, 1864) (pension file, page 51)

Pension file, page 52

Adjutant General's Report for William C. Morgan (September 9, 1864) (pension file, page 11)

Testimony of Amanda Morgan about her marriage to William Morgan (January 5, 1865) (pension file, page 20)

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Because Amanda Morgan could not find a legal record of her marriage to William, Eliza King and Anna McLure made this statement that they were present and witnessed the marriage (January 5, 1865) (pension file, page 21)

Pension file, page 22

Notary (pension file, page 42)

Statement from the town clerk of Cornville that there is no record of the marriage of William and Amanda Morgan (January 12, 1865) (pension file, page 12)

Pension file, page 13

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Pension file, page 39

Pension file, page 40

Statement of George C. Hudson, 2nd Lieutenant of the 3rd Maine, on William C. Morgan's death at North Anna (January 23, 1865) (pension file, page 37)

Notary for Hudson statement (pension file, page 38)

Notary for Wheeler statement (pension file, page 25)

Family members of Rev. Wheeler (who married William and Amanda) testify to his death, and consequently his inability to provide a statement confirming the Morgan marriage (February 10, 1865) (pension file, page 26)

Pension file, page 27

Statement of the town clerk of Pittsfield saying there is no record of death for Rev. Wheeler (February 10, 1865) (pension file, page 28)

Pension file, page 29

Brief in the Widow's Pension case of Amanda Morgan (February 18, 1865) (pension file, page 50)

Amanda remarried in 1870 to Oliver Case who was then appointed the guardian of her two children with William, Francis and Emma (May 3, 1870) (pension file, page 30)

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Pension file, page 31

Second copy of guardianship paperwork (May 3, 1870) (pension file, page 32)

Pension file, page 33

Notary for pension paperwork (pension file, page 7)

As guardian of the two Morgan children, Oliver H. Case, Amanda Morgan's second husband, applied for a Minor's Pension after their marriage (May 25, 1870) (pension file, page 8)

Pension file, page 9

Pension file, page 10

Notary for 1870 marriage record (pension file, page 14)

Record of marriage for Oliver Case and Amanda Morgan, married February 12, 1870 (May 27, 1870) (pension file, page 15)

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Pension file, page 16

Notary for birth record (pension file, page 17)

Record of birth for the Morgan children: Frank A born November 7, 1860 and Emma A born November 9, 1862 (May 30, 1870) (pension file, page 18)

Pension file, page 19

A pension of $25 per month was approved for Francis and Emma Morgan in August 1870, after their mother remarried (August 16, 1870) (pension file, page 3)

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Minor's Pension, page 2 (pension file, page 4)

Pension file, page 5

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Pension file, page 6

Oliver Case hired an attorney to help in the pension case for the Morgan children (August 23, 1870) (pension file, page 34)

Pension file, page 35

Second copy of attorney paperwork (pension file, page 36)

Claim for Increase of Pension (May 8, 1873) (pension file, page 48)

Pension file, page 49

Notary (May 17, 1873) (pension file, page 41)

Increase of Minor's Pension (June 10, 1873) (pension file, page 44)

Increase, page 2 (pension file, page 45)

Pension file, page 46

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Pension file, page 47

Emma Morgan was dropped from the pension roll in 1879 because she turned 16 (January 16, 1879) (pension file, page 23)

Pension file, page 24

Pension file, page 2

September 25, 1907 letter about the Morgan pension case (pension file, page 43)

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

When William Morgan's wife, Amanda, filed for a widow's pension, comrade George Hudson testified that "Major William C. Morgan, late of the 3rd Reg't Maine Vols. was wounded on the evening of the 23rd day of May 1864 while engaged in a charge on the enemy's works at the North Anna River, and that he died from the effects of that wound on the morning of the 24th day of May 1864."

The inability to transport soldiers’ bodies meant that they remained far away from home. Many families were unable to bury their loved ones or visit their graves. For some, locating and visiting the graves remained a hope long after the war. For M. E. Andrews, the dream of finally visiting the grave of her only brother, Major William C. Morgan (grave #3615), who died at the North Anna River in 1864 was fulfilled twenty-eight years after his death. In the fall of 1892 she traveled to Fredericksburg and enlisted the help of the cemetery staff to find William’s final resting spot among the thousands of graves. Finally, she stood before the headstone of her only brother and wrote to her sister: "I wish my dear sister, that you could see it, it is one of the most beautuful spots I ever saw, at the head of the grave there is a beautiful Japonica tree which shades it, I was pretty well overcome, and the tears dropped fast [.] I felt and know that he was beside me, I knelt down on the grave and sobbed, as I knelt there, there was a little Japonica Apple fell right into my lap, from the tree, the man picked it up and gave it to me saying that it was a message to you Mrs Andrews, he was very kind and gave me several shoots from the tree. I brought them home, and am trying to root them, if they root you shall have one." Andrews continued on to talk about providing funds to decorate William’s grave on a regular basis.

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

Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP. Edward W. Stacy Collection, Ms. 06042.

"3rd Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment." The Civil War in the East. Accessed May 18, 2021.

Maine at Gettysburg: Report of Maine Commissioners Prepared by the Executive Committee. 1898. Accessed May 18, 2021. https://www.maine.gov/civilwar/books/Maine_at_Gettysburg.pdf.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

"3rd Maine Soldiers, Four Identified CDVs." Cowan's: A Hindman Company. June 2013 auction. Accessed May 18, 2021. https://www.cowanauctions.com/lot/3rd-maine-soldiers-four-identified-cdvs-127029.

"Morgan, William C." Civil War Era Soldiers' Portraits. Digitalmaine repository. Accessed May 18, 2021. https://digitalmaine.com/arc_civilwarportraits/739/.

Photograph by Kathleen Thompson

Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP. Edward W. Stacy Collection, Ms. 06042.

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, ID 2588825, T289. Accessed through Fold3, May 18, 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, ID 300020. Accessed through Fold3, May 18, 2021.

Additional Information

Where Valor Proudly Sleeps: A History of Fredericksburg National Cemetery, 1866-1933, by Donald C Pfanz