David H. Roark, Illinois Soldier

Record of the services of Illinois soldiers...and in the Mexican war, 1846-8:

David H. Roark

David H. Roark's entry at Wikitree here.

Also see an article about Lawler and the Mexican War (excerpt below):

"After being mustered out, Lawler traveled to Washington... . Once back in the county he raised a second unit, an independent company of mounted troops that called themselves the 'Mamaluke Legion."'

"Lawler's company traveled by river again and boarded the steamers Fashion and Major Tompkins at Baton Rouge and proceeded to Vera Cruz. Upon arriving in Mexico, Lawler's company engaged in scouting duty for the Department of Tampico with the mission of harassing the Mexican guerillas and keeping open the road from the Gulf of Mexico to Mexico City. Sometime prior to Dec. 10, 1847, Lawler's men skirmished with Mexican cavalry at Horcasitas.  Lawler's company continued their activity for most of 1848, not returning home until the fall."

Lawler's Company of Dragoons (also known as the Third Independent Company of Illinois Volunteers) included Roark, David H., Private.

Source: Jane W. Crichton. 1965. Michael Kelly Lawler: A Southern Illinois Mexican War Captain and Civil War General. Thesis. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University. 19-50.

At Seralvo (Cerralvo)

Wagon In Texas

Journal of William H. Richardson, a private soldier ... (on the 29th):

Cerralvo mentioned here.

John O'Hare War Of Mexico Veteran

#1515

John O'Hare

Image 567 military bounty affidavit

Image 564 [coversheet]

Private, Company E
Commanded By
The Late Captain J. S. Rowland
1st Reg't Michigan Volunteers

Captain Rowland mentioned in this blog

Also mentioned:

Wife, Joannah O'Hare

Ellen O'Hare, daughter

William O'Hare, son

John O'Hare, son

Mexican Campaign Via Upshur County

Add caption

The author George C. Furber, was "engaged in the practice of law in Germantown.., " joined the 'Eagle Guards...' (Company G), after the May 24, 1846, Proclamation by the Governor.

In Texas, "we called at the next house, got some milk but could get no bread; the woman told us that they had to send thirty miles to mill--a horse mill, at that; fifty miles, in another direction, to a blacksmith's shop; forty miles to the nearest post-office, and seventy-five miles to a store, for sugar, coffee, calico; and not even a paper of pins, or a spool of thread, could be got under that distance. Yet her house is fixed upon as the county-seat of Upshur county...".

"Leaving this, we rode on, overtook the wagon, and, by steady traveling, got into the camp at sunset*."
 

See map of Texas counties in 1846.

George Noyes, Mexican War Veteran

#1516
George Noyes, deceased
Image 570 military

Image 568 coversheet

Wayne County, Michigan

Probate File #1516

George Noyes, deceased

Died: 11 July 1847

Image 570 military information

[Served under Captain John King and Colonel William Davenport]

George Nixon Noyes, son of deceased Sergeant George Noyes, received compensation from the government.

Census 1870

[White Lake, Oakland] Michigan,

Joseph P Fisher M 50 New York

Anna E Fisher F 47 Ireland

Florence J Fisher F 20 Michigan

Sylvia E Fisher F 16 Michigan

Franklin P Fisher M 12 Michigan

Edward A Fisher M 9 Michigan

Aliam S Fisher M 5 Michigan

Albert S Fisher M 0 Michigan

Robert Cuff M 38 England

George M Noyse M 23 Ohio

Mary E Noyse F 19 Michigan

Dan Mclaughlin M 16 Michigan

FindAGrave memorial for George Nixon Noyes.

Fort Jackson Noted In A Journal

Fort Jackson was mentioned in the Journal of William H. Richardson on the 16th of June (below):

Journal Of William H. Richardson, A Private Soldier in the Campaign of New And Old Mexico...
[Page 84]

A Married Mexican Officer

From The Taylor anecdote book: anecdotes and letters of Zachary Taylor:

American Army In Mexico City

Source

William Trousdale, a Mexican War veteran, parlayed his military success into the governorship of Tennessee.  He is my 1st cousin 7x removed.

James Hopewell Somerville

Mr. [James Pendleton] Kennedy obtained for her [Mrs. Somerville's] son, James Hopewell Somerville, the appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis...".  He served with distinction in the Mexican War.

Admiral Balch...remembered Lieutenant Somerville: that he was much liked, and that he was considered a promising and rising officer. He died of fever, at Key West, Florida, February 4th, 1850, aged 28 years, and he is buried there. [Source]

 Mrs. Sommerville

Plan Of Battle Of Buena Vista

Source

Campaigns Of The Mexican War

Source

Electus Backus Out West

A later diary (another chronicled a Seminole War in Florida)as described in the WorldCat database:

The 31-page diary by Electus Backus covers his time traveling from San Antonio to El Paso, Texas in 1850 and 1851. 

"...members of the Sitgreaves Expedition...".

From The Sitgreaves Expedition Report

"There is one diary page by Backus in June 1848 while he was taking part in the Mexican War...he mentions meeting General Stephen Kearny."

"There is also one letter by Electus Backus, Sr., to his brother Andrew in New York. This letter was written while he was with the US Army in New Orleans in 1809."

See a post regarding the probate file of Electus Backus's estate filed in Wayne County, Michigan.

James V. Acklin

Fold3

A  3  Tenn.

James V. Acklin

Pvt., Co. E, 3 Reg't Tennessee Infantry

Mexican War

Mch 1848 Loss

17 Mch 1848

Died at Molino del Rey, Mexico

Battle Of Sacramento

Battle Of Sacramento

28 February 1847

Sunday, 28th.  At sunrise this morning, we took up our line of march... .  From the Journal of William H. Richardson, a private soldier ... .

Confederate Officer Murdered Post-War

From the United States, Confederate Officers Card Index [Image 1026]:

Source [Image 1026]

Thomas Carmichael Hindman (1828-1868)

Kit Acklin's Service Record In The Texas Rangers

Statue At The Texas Ranger Museum 

Texas Rangers Service Records, 1830-1846, by Mrs. Frances Terry Ingmire, 1982 for *Christopher Black (Kit) Acklin below.  An interesting note: *Kit Acklin will be played by actor Trevor Donovan in the History Channel's original mini-series 'Texas Rising'

• Acklan, C. B., Pvt, Comm. Off.: Hays, J. C., Capt., Organ: Rangers, Enlist June 27, 1844, in Bexar Co., Disc.; August 27, 1844, Ranger Muster Roll.
• Acklin, C. B., Pvt.; Comm. Off.: Hays, John C., Capt.; Organ: Rangers; Enlist: 26 April 1841, Disc.; June 26, 1841, Ranger payroll.
• Acklin, C. B., Pvt., Comm. Off: (none listed?): August 28, 1844, in San Antonio; Disc. October 28, 1844, Ranger muster roll.
• Acklin, C. B., Pvt., Comm Off., Rangers, Enlist  August 28, 1844, in Bexar County; Disc., October 28, 1844, Ranger muster roll
• Acklin, C. B., Pvt, Comm Off   Hayes, John C., Captain; Organ.: Ranger muster roll, Enlisted October 29, 1844; Disc., 29 December 1844.  Ranger muster roll

Christopher Acklin was also a Captain in the Mexican War.


Also see Kit Acklin: The Report Of His Death Was Greatly Exaggerated

Captain Martin Scott's Probate File 1512

Michigan, Probate Records, Wayne Probate packets 1848-1849...:

Wayne County, Michigan

Probate File #1512

Image 500

Martin Scott

Captain Martin Scott addressed a letter to Major B. F. [Benjamin Franklin] Larned dated 10 September 1845, that stated "you are authorized on receiving satisfactory evidence of my death to turn over to any one of my sisters the $33 00 in your hands by me this day for which I hold your receipt...".

Addressing the question of the instructions in the letter being approved as a probate document, the following information was added:  "...is a good will, Captain S. being in the Army, a soldier on his march, in an expedition to Mexico, then the seat of active war...".

Captain Scott, of the 5th Infantry, late of the State of Vermont, left no children and his wife was provided for.  Scott heirs listed here.

In 1846 he was at the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma in Texas (Fold3).

Fort Martin Scott, Near Fredericksburg, Texas [Source - Jim's Blog]

Captain Scott was killed 8 September 1847 at the Battle of Molino del Rey, Mexico (per a document at Fold3).

Battle Of Palo Alto

Source

Raise A Corps Of Texas Rangers

Letters Received by the Adjutant General, 1822-1860:

Source - Hays McCullough File in Fold3

Contained in a letter sent from Austin [Texas] on February 21, 1846, by John C. Hays and Ben McCullough to General Sam Houston, "In accordance with your request you will see subjoined the names of those gentlemen whom we have thought qualified to receive commissions for office from the War Department of the United States, together with the office they should receive."  "We have depended entirely on you to induce the President of the United States to raise a corps of Rangers in Texas...".

Fold3

For Captains:

Robert A. Gillespie
Christopher B. Acklin
Samuel H. Walker
Michael Chivallie

Stonewall Jackson In The Archives

Examples from the Thomas J. Jackson Collection at the Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library:

A "Jackson Collection" document written before Thomas J. Jackson became the famous Stonewall Jackson:

T. J. Jackson to Gen. Gideon Pillow, November 11, 1847; autograph catalogue. Written in Mexico, this is a detailed note in which young Jackson respectfully disagrees with Pillow’s distribution of men, and asks for various reassignments.

Then during the Civil War era:

T. J. Jackson to Col. Thomas Jordan, August 16, 1861; l.s.  Letter regarding the flag of the 1st Michigan Regiment, captured at First Manassas by the 27th Virginia of Jackson’s brigade. Signed by Jackson.

See the link to the Thomas J. Jackson Collection for many more entries.

In addition, the Virginia Military Institute also has a link to Stonewall Jackson resources.