"THEY SHALL NOT BE FORGOTTEN"

Memorial cemetery on the hill

       Ennis Church served as Regimental Surgeon for the 9th Michigan Infantry that cold winter in West Point, Kentucky.  For most of the green soldiers, this was their first time away from home.  Wet ground and freezing temperatures made life in the camps miserable.  Few of them knew how to make a proper bunk of straw or rails.  The many hardships combined with the less-than-ideal sanitary conditions proved too much for many of the men.

       A measles epidemic struck the camps and many of the men developed pneumonia as a complication.  The people of West Point opened their homes to these sick men.  During this bleak period the Ditto-Lansdale House, on the northeast corner of 4th & Elm, was pressed into service as a military hospital.  It was ironic that in many instances the mothers, wives or sisters of the Confederate soldiers who were off fighting for the South were kindly nursing the U.S. soldiers back to health.  Dr. Geoghegan and Dr. Fletcher of West Point assisted Ennis Church in this overwhelming crisis.  Among the local women who nursed the sick, under these severe conditions, were Mrs. Guthrie and Miss Mallie.

       Colonel William Duffield, commander of the 9th Michigan, reported on December 23, 1861, to Brigadier-General John Robertson, "Our sick list is rapidly decreasing and now shows only 156 instead of the 316 as per enclosed monthly return.  I have had all the men and officers of this command vaccinated to guard against a visitation from Smallpox which is prevalent in several brigades now in Kentucky."

       Many of war's casualties were not on the battlefield.  In grateful remembrance, we honor the service and ultimate sacrifice of the men that gave their lives while serving the U.S. at Fort Duffield and West Point, Kentucky.

Date     Name Rank Co Unit Cause of Death

1861

28-Oct Joseph  Duffee                                 Private  K       9th Michigan Meningitis

8-Nov Benjamin Franklin Johnson Musician Band 37th Indiana Died of disease

13-Nov Gardner Vanzile                         Private K       9thMichigan Dysentery

13-Nov James Winters Private D                 9thMichigan Fell into Cistern

16-Nov George Husker ~ Private D 9th Michigan Died of disease

18-Nov Franklin Waite* Private A 9thMichigan Measles

18-Nov Joel Kerr Corporal H 9th Michigan Died of disease

19-Nov Daniel Pearsons Private I 9thMichigan Measles

21-Nov Francis M. Stockwell Private I 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

23-Nov Ignatus Long Private B 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

23-Nov William L. Plants Private D 9thMichigan Measles

24-Nov Asahel Leet Musician H 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

25-Nov Lafayette Porter Private H 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

26-Nov Daniel B. Cutler Private F 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

27-Nov Almond Ray Knight Private G 1st Wisconsin Died of disease

27-Nov Alexander Sutton Private C 1st Wisconsin Died of disease

29-Nov Jessie L. Benson Private B 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

30-Nov Reuben C. Smith* Private K 9thMichigan Measles

1-Dec Charles Jordan Bugler G 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

2-Dec Miles Woods Private H 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

3-Dec Ionia Sweet Private H 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

3-Dec Emil Casper Fisher # Private C 1st Wisconsin Killed by accident

4-Dec Gunder L. Edwards Private H 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

4-Dec Clark W. Weston* I 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

4-Dec Adonijah N. Chamberlain Musician Band 9th Michigan Died of disease

4-Dec Henry Redner ~ Private C 9th Michigan Measles

6-Dec Philip G. Cudworth Jr * Private A 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

8-Dec Garret S. Quick Private E 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

8-Dec Charles B. Sweet ** Private H 9th Michigan Typhoid Fever

9-Dec Jason Mills* Private D 9thMichigan Pneumonia

9-Dec Charles L. Wright ~ Private H 9th Michigan Typhoid Fever

11-Dec Isaac Columbus Tower Private A 9thMichigan Measles

13-Dec John K. Beyers Private H 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

15-Dec Gordon Snell ~ Private H 9th Michigan Typhoid Fever

16-Dec James Drown Private F 9thMichigan Typhoid Fever

31-Dec Anson R. Lewis ~ Private C 9th Michigan Typhoid Fever

11/? George Klaber # Private K 1st Ohio Drowned

11/? John B. Long # Private H 1st Ohio Drowned

1862

1-Jan Russell H Farnham~ Private C 9th Michigan Pneumonia

17-Jan Philetus Bacon ~ Private C 9th Michigan Pneumonia

18-Jan Robert Evans ** Private H 9th Michigan Hemorrhage of the Bowels

18-Jan Earlman Vaughn Private A 9th Michigan Typhoid Fever 

9-Feb Richard W. Presley * Private H 9th Michigan Died of Disease

17-Feb William Wilson Musician D 9th Michigan Typhoid Fever 

24-Feb Ira Wheeler Private H 9th Michigan Typhoid Fever 

28-Mar Charles Anthony ** Private F 1st Mich. L.A. Pneumonia 

12-Aug Conrad Gleb # Private C 28th Kentucky Drowned

24-Sep Leonard Jones ** Private D 9th Kentucky Chronic diarrhea

" Note: In 1868, 27 Unknown,9th Michigan were disinterred and moved to New Albany National Cemetery, New Albany, Indiana. 

27 of the men listed above are included in the Unknown burials.                                 

* Also has a memorial headstone in Michigan.

** Reinterred in New Albany National Cemetery, in 1868.

 # Burial place unknown.

 ~ Also has a memorial headstone in Fort Duffield Memorial Cemetery.                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Buried in Nashville National Cemetery and also has a memorial headstone in Fort Duffield Memorial Cemetery:

1862

27-Mar Patrick O'Brien Private H 9th Michigan Typhoid Fever


Note: Batteries F and G, 1st Michigan Light Artillery were the only artillery units stationed at Fort Duffield.  Battery G was here only a short time and lost no men while here.  Battery F lost only one man while stationed at Fort Duffield and he was Charles Anthony.  It is believed that the unknown soldier listed above is him.


West Point, Kentucky's Civil War Dead

As of 2015, research concludes that 48 Civil War Soldiers died while here at West Point which includes:

(39) 9th Michigan Infantry

(3) 1st Wisconsin Infantry

(2) 1st Ohio Infantry

(1) 37th Indiana Infantry

(1) Battery “F”, 1st Michigan Light Artillery

(1) 28th Kentucky Infantry (U.S.)

(1) 9th Kentucky Infantry (U.S.)

Most died from diseases and a few from accidents.

31 Civil War Soldiers were disinterred from the West Point area in 1868 and of those 31, 29 were disinterred from the “Michigan Cemetery” on the adjacent hill southwest of the fort. Another Soldier was disinterred from outside of James Young Family Cemetery and the other was disinterred from Mrs. Young’s meadow near a beech tree about a mile from town. All 31 were reinterred in plots A 174-205, Soldier’s Cemetery, New Albany, Indiana (Presently know as the New Albany National Cemetery.)

Records also show that (10) 9th Michigan Infantry, (2) 1st Wisconsin Infantry and (1) 37th Indiana Infantry were sent home for burial. No records have been found about the burials of the remaining 4 Soldiers.


Additional information may be sent to Fort Duffield Heritage Committee:

fortduffield@gmail.com


Regardless of the actual burial location of these Soldiers, it is important that:

“THEY SHALL NOT BE FORGOTTEN”

Fort Duffield Heritage Committee

City of West Point, Kentucky

Check out our New Ceremonial Podium.

Dillon Skees for his Eagle Scout project built us a new podium. The following were instrumental in accomplishing this task.

Youth

Dylan, Aydan, Mason, Laura, Megan, Jaden, Collin, Evan, Jacob, Sam, Zach

Adults

Scott, Rebecca, David, Gary, James, Declan, Wes, Billy, Allen, Casey, Amanda 



Bruce Fortin discussing the final product with Dylan Skees and troop leader Wes Turley. They all did a wonderful job.