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Parsons Profiles
Submitted By Philip Parsons
The following article was published in the Durand Express,
(Michigan) May 1930. It is an interview with my great-
grandfather in which he describes his experiences in the
Civil War.
SHERMAN’S MARCH TO THE SEA DESCRIBED BY
DURAND GUEST
Alexander Parsons Tells of Civil War on 88th Birthday
Durand, May 9 - Alexander Parsons is a guest of his daughter-in-law,
Mrs. F.L. Parsons and family, this week. May 7, Mr. Parsons celebrated
his 88th birthday, the occasion being honored with a family dinner at the
Parsons home here. Mr. Parsons is a Civil War Veteran having been
with the New York volunteers and later during the war marching with
Sherman to the sea. He received a slight wound in service. Mr. Parsons
is on his way east to attend Memorial Day services at his old Post (G.A.
R.) At Canajohariejohria, New York.
First Service
He first saw service at the battle of Chancelorville. Not long after he
entered the hospital with a siege of typhoid fever. While he was ill, the
company with which he had been connected, joined the western forces.
He later rejoined his comrades at Kennesaw Mountain after recovering
his health and started with General Sherman on his famous march to the
sea.At Peachtree Creek a company of union soldiers were resting and
having their noon meal when they were surprised by the appearance of
southern soldiers who at once started to take the Union soldiers prisoner.
Mr. Parsons ran into the wood but before going 20 feet, his eyes were
filled with rotten wood knocked up by gunfire. While cleaning his eyes
of the wood a ball whizzed close to the side of his head. “And then” Mr.
Parsons states “I took to my heels in earnest, and made my escape.”That
night he had to do guard duty. He related the experience of the lonely
vigil of guarding the battlefield strewn with dead and dying all around.
Speaking of the loss of life and destruction of property by both armies
Mr. Parsons said of the ruin wrought by Sherman’s army in the south,
“the most spectacular sight to me was the burning of the trees from which
rosin is contained. To see those green trees burning like oil soaked
seasoned wood shall
long to be remembered.
Mr. Parsons related that at headquarters, General Sherman who was
inspecting maps with others of the staff, put his finger on one map and
said “When we reach that point the war will end.” The spot he had
chosen to let his finger fall was where Lee later surrendered.
West to Washington
At the close of the war, all the soldiers went to Washington for the
Grand Review before being mustered out of service. It took two days for
soldiers to pass a given point.
Fifty years later, Mr. Parsons stated he was again in Washington for
the Grand Review and the remaining Civil War Veterans passed a given
point in the parade in less than half a day.
Mr. Parsons enlisted as a private, was made a corporal and was later
assigned to head the staff as an orderly at Washington.
In appearance, Mr. Parsons has for one of his years, an unusually
youthful bearing. He is medium height, a twinkle of mirth in his eyes that
grow thoughtful as he relates his experiences and closely cropped white
beard on a face not marked by wrinkles.
Mr. Parsons came to Durand Monday accompanied by the Rev. R.J.
Parsons and wife and grandson. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison form Camp
Custer.
Mr. Parsons will remain in Durand until leaving next week for the east.
Alexander 8 Parsons (Peter7, Elijah6, Elijah5, Aaron4, Daniel3,
Joseph2, Cornet Joseph1) was born May 7, 1842 in Sharon, New York.
On August 15, 1862, he enlisted in Company G. 134th Regt. NYS
About Alexander
Vol. Infantry* for 3 years. His recruiting officer was Henry Parsons.
He was discharged on June 10, 1865. According to his enlistment
papers, at the time of his enlistment, he was 20 years old, 5' 81/2" tall,
dark complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He was a farmer.
He was at the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, Lookout
Mountain, Chattanooga and Mission Ridge. He contracted typhoid fever
at the commencement of the battle of Gettysburg and was sent to a
Washington DC hospital. On May 3, 1864, he was shot in the left thigh at
the battle of Buzzards Roost and sent to Chattanooga. He was with
Sherman in his march to the sea and at the grand review in Washington
DC at the close of the war. He served as an orderly at Brigadier
headquarters from January 1865 until his discharge as his health did not
permit him to perform full duty. He was discharged a corporal. At the
end of the war, he moved back to Sharon where for the first year, he
lived with his brother James and was confined to a bed for the first
year. For four years, he was sick with kidney disease and could do no
manual labor. In 1869 he moved to Berlin, Wisconsin and took up
farming. On November 9, 1871, he married SARAH EVANS 09 Nov
1871, daughter of JOSEPH EVANS and MARAGARET. She was born
01 Dec 1842 in Wales, and died 28 Apr 1901 in Aurora, Wisconsin.
They had four children. After his wife died in 1901, he remarried, a
widower named Elizabeth Dockstader. He retired from farming in 1912.
In 1915, he was living in Lawyersville, NY. He died of heart failure on
April 18, 1937 in Bangor Wisconsin just 20 days short of his 95th
birthday.
*For detailed information about the 134th New York Volunteer Infantry
in the Civil War, read Under the Crescent and Star by George W.
Conklin, Axworthy Publishing, 1999.
“COB WEBS”
This is a return feature of the Chronicle. It was suggested to me by
Mary Sibbalds that we try it again. Mary by the way, has completed her
second book on the Genealogy of the Jeffery Parsons line. It contains the
6th and 7th generations and is available from Higginson Book Company,
148 Washington Street, Salem, MA. 01970, 1-978-745-7170 or www.
higginsonbooks.com I will post in CobWebs any inquiries about lost
ancestors or descendants. Please, give me as much information as you
can about this individual, but I ask that you exhaust all avenues before
you come to the Chronicle. Contact us if you have any information on the
following
MOST WANTED
#1. Joseph Parsons Jr. who married Mary Higgins in York, Maine, 1754.
Contact Mary Sibbalds at m.sibbalds@verizon.net direct and put either
Parsons or Parsons Query in subject line.
#2. Joseph Parsons who married Naomi Hitchcock in Springfield, MA.
on 15 March, 1768. This is not the Captain Joseph , son of Joseph and
Hannah Pinney Parsons of Willington, CT. Contact Bob Heath at
whitestarr@comcast.net.
Submitted By Philip Parsons
The following article was published in the Durand Express,
(Michigan) May 1930. It is an interview with my great-
grandfather in which he describes his experiences in the
Civil War.
SHERMAN’S MARCH TO THE SEA DESCRIBED BY
DURAND GUEST
Alexander Parsons Tells of Civil War on 88th Birthday
Durand, May 9 - Alexander Parsons is a guest of his daughter-in-law,
Mrs. F.L. Parsons and family, this week. May 7, Mr. Parsons celebrated
his 88th birthday, the occasion being honored with a family dinner at the
Parsons home here. Mr. Parsons is a Civil War Veteran having been
with the New York volunteers and later during the war marching with
Sherman to the sea. He received a slight wound in service. Mr. Parsons
is on his way east to attend Memorial Day services at his old Post (G.A.
R.) At Canajohariejohria, New York.
First Service
He first saw service at the battle of Chancelorville. Not long after he
entered the hospital with a siege of typhoid fever. While he was ill, the
company with which he had been connected, joined the western forces.
He later rejoined his comrades at Kennesaw Mountain after recovering
his health and started with General Sherman on his famous march to the
sea.At Peachtree Creek a company of union soldiers were resting and
having their noon meal when they were surprised by the appearance of
southern soldiers who at once started to take the Union soldiers prisoner.
Mr. Parsons ran into the wood but before going 20 feet, his eyes were
filled with rotten wood knocked up by gunfire. While cleaning his eyes
of the wood a ball whizzed close to the side of his head. “And then” Mr.
Parsons states “I took to my heels in earnest, and made my escape.”That
night he had to do guard duty. He related the experience of the lonely
vigil of guarding the battlefield strewn with dead and dying all around.
Speaking of the loss of life and destruction of property by both armies
Mr. Parsons said of the ruin wrought by Sherman’s army in the south,
“the most spectacular sight to me was the burning of the trees from which
rosin is contained. To see those green trees burning like oil soaked
seasoned wood shall
long to be remembered.
Mr. Parsons related that at headquarters, General Sherman who was
inspecting maps with others of the staff, put his finger on one map and
said “When we reach that point the war will end.” The spot he had
chosen to let his finger fall was where Lee later surrendered.
West to Washington
At the close of the war, all the soldiers went to Washington for the
Grand Review before being mustered out of service. It took two days for
soldiers to pass a given point.
Fifty years later, Mr. Parsons stated he was again in Washington for
the Grand Review and the remaining Civil War Veterans passed a given
point in the parade in less than half a day.
Mr. Parsons enlisted as a private, was made a corporal and was later
assigned to head the staff as an orderly at Washington.
In appearance, Mr. Parsons has for one of his years, an unusually
youthful bearing. He is medium height, a twinkle of mirth in his eyes that
grow thoughtful as he relates his experiences and closely cropped white
beard on a face not marked by wrinkles.
Mr. Parsons came to Durand Monday accompanied by the Rev. R.J.
Parsons and wife and grandson. Mr. and Mrs. Harrison form Camp
Custer.
Mr. Parsons will remain in Durand until leaving next week for the east.
Alexander 8 Parsons (Peter7, Elijah6, Elijah5, Aaron4, Daniel3,
Joseph2, Cornet Joseph1) was born May 7, 1842 in Sharon, New York.
On August 15, 1862, he enlisted in Company G. 134th Regt. NYS
About Alexander
Vol. Infantry* for 3 years. His recruiting officer was Henry Parsons.
He was discharged on June 10, 1865. According to his enlistment
papers, at the time of his enlistment, he was 20 years old, 5' 81/2" tall,
dark complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He was a farmer.
He was at the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, Lookout
Mountain, Chattanooga and Mission Ridge. He contracted typhoid fever
at the commencement of the battle of Gettysburg and was sent to a
Washington DC hospital. On May 3, 1864, he was shot in the left thigh at
the battle of Buzzards Roost and sent to Chattanooga. He was with
Sherman in his march to the sea and at the grand review in Washington
DC at the close of the war. He served as an orderly at Brigadier
headquarters from January 1865 until his discharge as his health did not
permit him to perform full duty. He was discharged a corporal. At the
end of the war, he moved back to Sharon where for the first year, he
lived with his brother James and was confined to a bed for the first
year. For four years, he was sick with kidney disease and could do no
manual labor. In 1869 he moved to Berlin, Wisconsin and took up
farming. On November 9, 1871, he married SARAH EVANS 09 Nov
1871, daughter of JOSEPH EVANS and MARAGARET. She was born
01 Dec 1842 in Wales, and died 28 Apr 1901 in Aurora, Wisconsin.
They had four children. After his wife died in 1901, he remarried, a
widower named Elizabeth Dockstader. He retired from farming in 1912.
In 1915, he was living in Lawyersville, NY. He died of heart failure on
April 18, 1937 in Bangor Wisconsin just 20 days short of his 95th
birthday.
*For detailed information about the 134th New York Volunteer Infantry
in the Civil War, read Under the Crescent and Star by George W.
Conklin, Axworthy Publishing, 1999.
“COB WEBS”
This is a return feature of the Chronicle. It was suggested to me by
Mary Sibbalds that we try it again. Mary by the way, has completed her
second book on the Genealogy of the Jeffery Parsons line. It contains the
6th and 7th generations and is available from Higginson Book Company,
148 Washington Street, Salem, MA. 01970, 1-978-745-7170 or www.
higginsonbooks.com I will post in CobWebs any inquiries about lost
ancestors or descendants. Please, give me as much information as you
can about this individual, but I ask that you exhaust all avenues before
you come to the Chronicle. Contact us if you have any information on the
following
MOST WANTED
#1. Joseph Parsons Jr. who married Mary Higgins in York, Maine, 1754.
Contact Mary Sibbalds at m.sibbalds@verizon.net direct and put either
Parsons or Parsons Query in subject line.
#2. Joseph Parsons who married Naomi Hitchcock in Springfield, MA.
on 15 March, 1768. This is not the Captain Joseph , son of Joseph and
Hannah Pinney Parsons of Willington, CT. Contact Bob Heath at
whitestarr@comcast.net.
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