Conflict: Civil War
The Harvard Regiment was formally called the 20th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, but so many of the soldiers were young Harvard graduates that the nickname stuck. The regiment was formed just a few months after the war began and continued … Continue reading
Conflict: Civil War
After Allen Morse died in 1864 from illness contracted while a prisoner of war at Andersonville Prison, his widow, Philinda, applied for a widow’s pension. Widow’s pensions had been around since the Revolutionary War, but it wasn’t until the Civil … Continue reading
Conflict: Civil War
During the Civil War, the soldiers’ deadliest enemy was disease, and Private Allen Morse was no exception. After three months of captivity in Andersonville Prison, Allen would join the staggering statistic of Civil War deaths caused by disease and malnutrition—60% of … Continue reading
Conflict: Civil War
Allen Morse’s life was not so different from those of many men in the Civil War era. Born in New York in 1833, he grew to be a healthy 5’8″ man with blue eyes and brown hair. Although there seem … Continue reading
Conflict: Civil War
Adelia’s story is an intriguing one. Her first husband, Joseph Springer, died in 1864 after serving as a private in Company A, Seventh Michigan Cavalry. When she applied for a pension in 1865, she was a widow with four children … Continue reading