Moesch Monument

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Colonel Joseph Moesch commanded the 83rd New York Infantry and was killed May 6, 1864 at the Wilderness. Moesch's remains were recovered and reinterred in the National Cemetery in 1887 and the veterans of the 83rd NY placed this monument at his grave. This is one of the few privately funded and unique headstones in the cemetery.

Images

Colonel Joseph A. Moesch

Moesch Monument

Moesch Monument

NY Muster Roll showing Moesch mustered into the 83rd NY in May 1861 as 1st Sergeant and promoted to Captain of Co. B in October. This roll also shows he was wounded at Fredericksburg in December 1862.

Rectangle, Font, Parallel, Tints and shades

NY Muster roll showing Moesch's promotions to Lt. Colonel and then Colonel in 1863, as well as his death in action May 6, 1864.

Moesch's widow was able to apply for a pension for herself and their child after his 1864 death.

Pension file, page 1

Pension file, page 2

Declaration for Widow's Pension (June 30, 1864) (pension file, page 44)

Back of widow's pension declaration (pension file, page 45)

Pension file, page 46

Pension file, page 47

Pension file, page 49

Pension file, page 50

Brief in the pension case for Moesch's two daughters, Melanie and Josephine. Once Moesch's widow remarried, the family had to file for a Minor's Pension for the two girls. (Pension file, page 3)

Affidavit confirming the birth and baptism of Margaret Josephine Moesch (June 30, 1864) (pension file, page 35)

Pension file, page 36 (back)

Adjutant General report of October 11, 1864 (pension file, page 39)

Adjutant General's Report for James Moesch (November 1, 1864) (pension file, page 6)

Verena Moesch's deposition presenting the affidavits of Amelia Ziegler and John Kohl as evidence of her marriage to Joseph Moesch (February 7, 1865) (pension file, page 40)

Back of Moesch deposition (pension file, page 41)

Deposition of Amelia Zeigler stating that she was witness to the marriage of Verena and Joseph Moesch in Switzerland (February 7, 1865) (pension file, page 33)

Zeigler deposition, page 2 (pension file, page 34)

Deposition of John A Kohl confirming that Joseph and Verena Moesch were husband and wife (February 7, 1865) (pension file, page 27)

Back of Kohl deposition (pension file, page 28)

John A Kohl appointed guardian of Melanie and Josephine Moesch (February 9, 1865) (pension file, page 24)

Guardianship paperwork, page 2 (pension file, page 25)

Guardianship paperwork, page 3 (pension file, page 26)

Declaration of Minor Children for Pension filed by the Moesch children's' guardian John A. Kohl (April 28, 1865) (pension file, page 4)

Pension file, page 5 (back of Declaration)

Birth and Baptism record for Margaret Josephine Moesch, born in 1856 (May 1, 1865) (pension file, page 18)

Back of birth and baptism record (pension file, page 19)

Notary on 1864 marriage certificate (pension file, page 15)

Verine (Rau) Moesch remarried in August 1864 to George Lichte (August 1, 1864, record September 15, 1865) (pension file, page 16)

Handwriting, Font, Rectangle, Monochrome

Back of marriage certificate (pension file, page 17)

"Proof that there are no other heirs" submitted by Verena (Moesch) Lichte (September 15, 1865) (pension file, page 29)

Pension file, page 30

Pension file, page 31

Verena (Moesch) Lichter on the births of her two children (September 15, 1865) (pension file, page 42)

Back of Lichter deposition (pension file, page 43)

Affidavit of Dr. Francis Lewis Hedler who was the physician at Josephine's birth in 1856 (September 15, 1865) (pension file, page 37)

Back of Hedler affidavit (pension file, page 38)

Surgeon General's Report, March 28, 1866 (pension file, page 7)

Evidence of Melanie Moesch's birth on February 20, 1852 (March/April 1867) (pension file, page 12)

Birth record, page 2 (pension file, page 13)

Notary from the U.S. Consulate in Switzerland verifying the previous records (April 8, 1867) (pension file, page 14)

The Minor's Pension case for the Moesch children was delayed by conflicting dates within some of the records of when Melanie Moesch was born. The widow's pension filed in 1864 stated that she was born February 26, 1853, however, The guardianship paperwork filed for the Minor's Pension by John Kohl in 1865 stated that Melanie was 13 which would mean she was born in 1852. This discrepancy meant that the family needed to provide more documentation to correct the birthdate to February 12, 1852.(Pension file, page 54

In addition to the discrepancy of the eldest daughter's birthdate, there was a mix-up in the date that the Moeschs were married. In Verena's application for a widow's pension and the affidavit by a witness to her marriage the wedding date was given as May 1852. With Melanie's birthdate being in February 1852 that apparently raised the question of her being an illegitimate child, or a child born before her parents were married. This necessitated the family to seek documentation from records in Switzerland of the Moesch's marriage and Melanie's birth.(January 25, 1868) (pension file, page 55)

(pension file, page 56)

Evidence of Marriage for Joseph and Verine Moesch (March 1868) (pension file, page 8)

Evidence of marriage, page 2 (pension file, page 9)

Pension file, page 32 (March 23, 1868)

Possibly a second record of Melanie Moesch's birth (same date-February 20, 1852) (March 1868) (pension file, page 10)

Birth record, page 2 (pension file, page 11)

Pension file, page 20

Pension file, page 21

Pension file, page 22

Pension file, page 23

Pension file, page 48

Brief in the claim of Verena Moesch for a widow's pension shows that she received a pension of $30 per month (pension file, page 51)

Brief in the claim of Josephine Moesch for Minor's Pension (pension file, page 52)

Adjutant General's Report of February 26, 1866 (pension file, page 53)

Pension file, page 57

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Colonel Joseph Moesch is honored by one of the few privately funded headstones in the cemetery. Colonel Moesch commanded the 83rd New York, and is the 2nd highest ranking officer buried in the cemetery. The thirty-two year old officer was killed at the Wilderness May 6, 1864 while leading his regiment. His body was carried to the division hospital, placed in a rude coffin, and originally buried in the cemetery at Ellwood. The two men who buried him remembered the location of his grave and he was reinterred in the National Cemetery in 1887. Cemetery Superintendent Andrew Birdsall oversaw the interment of Moesch’s remains into the National Cemetery on October 10, 1887 in grave #6618. Shortly afterwards, veterans of his regiment planned to place a monument on his grave. These plans were delayed because the regiment was also raising funds for its monument at Gettysburg, but once the Gettysburg monument was finished they turned their attention back to the Moesch monument. The monument was dedicated on September 24, 1890 in a ceremony largely attended by regiment veterans.

Fredericksburg National Cemetery is a soldier’s cemetery. There are no generals buried here and only a few field officers. The vast majority of the soldiers interred here are enlisted men or company-grade officers who are not represented by a monument like that dedicated to Humphreys’ men. Their memories are honored by a simple stone marker of which you will mainly see two types. Those shaped like a headstone mark the gravesites of identified soldiers. The smaller, square stones mark the graves of the unknown. These stone carry two numbers: the top number identifies the plot, the bottom number tells the number of bodies in that plot. There are also larger white headstones which mark the graves of soldiers who served in the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. Of the 15,00 Union soldiers buried here, 85%--17 out of every 20—are unknown.

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)

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Hussey, George A. History of the Ninth Regiment N.Y.S.M.--N.G.S.N.Y. (Eighty-third N.Y. Volunteers) 1845-1888. Edited by William Todd. New York: Published under the auspices of veterans of the Regiment, 1889. Accessed February 22, 2021. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008730201.

Photo by Kathleen Thompson

New York, Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900. New York State Archives. 14-020. Accessed through Fold3, March 23, 2021.

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 23, 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 23, 2021.

Fredericksburg National Cemetery

Moesch Monument

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information