The following table depicts what I know about my ancestors’ involvement in the American Civil War. All of those listed are my great-great-grandfathers. To the best of my knowledge no one in a previous or succeeding generation fought in the war.
| David Schuler | Arrived in U. S. immediately after the war. |
| William Fischer | Too old. |
| Charles Wagner | Served with the Union Army throughout the war. |
| Joseph Stephen Bader | Never came to the U. S. |
| George Blanchard | Unknown |
| Owen McCoy | Served with the Union Army as did several of his sons. |
| William Schneider | Unknown but I suspect he served. |
| Edward James Flanagan | Served with the Union Army |
I don’t know the circumstances under which the others served but I’m pretty confident about Charles Wagner. He served from 1861 to 1865, mustering out as a captain and participating in some of the toughest actions of the war. I’m confident he was fighting to free the slaves. I suspect that Edward James Flanagan’s indulging his adventurous streak had something to do with it. Not to mention a sign-up bonus. He was only 14.
William Schneider is my greatest genealogical puzzle. He, like Charles Wagner, died rather shortly after the war at a fairly young age. I suspect they both died as a consequence of the privations they endured during the war.
Not sure I’ve mentioned this before, but I was adopted. I recently found my birth mother and my birth father’s name, but haven’t yet traced their ancestry.
For my adoptive family, I’ve traced back with some certainty to the late 1600s. There’s no direct proof, but the first paternal family immigrant was likely one of Oliver Cromwell’s prisoners who was sent to the US after the Battle of Worchester.
During the Civil War, my direct paternal line was in Mississippi and several of my ancestor’s brothers fought in a Mississippi regiment. I haven’t researched the unit’s actions or participation.
After the war, many in the family moved to Texas and then in the late 1800’s Colorado, where my grandparents were both born.
In that case I have a story for you. We have a dear friend who was adopted. She recently and quite unexpectedly got into contact with her biological mother through a DNA testing service. As it turns out her biological mother had been looking for her. They met—she’s practically her biological mother’s twin. I do not for a moment suggest that all similar stories have such happy endings but it can happen.