Roy Gustrowsky, a researcher extraordinaire and avid student of the 7th Wisconsin, transcribed an amazing set of letters written by Captain Henry F. Young. There are 20 letters which were written while Young was at the Siege of Petersburg. Roy transcribed these letters from the originals, which are located at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin. He is currently in the process of writing a regimental history of the 7th Wisconsin, and when he is finished I will link to it here in addition to providing a review on the site.
Roy writes:
Some time ago I completed a transcription of the Henry F. Young Papers. Young commanded Company F, 7th Wisconsin, from Nov. 1862 to muster out Dec. 1864, and during that time, participated in all the battles in which the Regiment was engaged. The Petersburg segment of his Papers consists of about 20 letters written from June 20,1864 to November 23,1864.The transcribed letters are not copyrighted; I would ask that anyone using them mention that the originals are at Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison.
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HENRY F YOUNG
Service & Biographical Info (compiled by Roy Gustrowsky)
Unless otherwise noted, info is from DESCRIPTIVE ROLL-7TH REGIMENT INFANTRY, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison
HENRY Falls YOUNG Captain, Company F, 7th Wisconsin Infantry
Enlisted 6/27/61. Mustered as Private 8/29/61 at Madison for 3yrs. Age 36 Married Residence-Cassville, Grant County
Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, Company F, 8/30/61 to rank same date by Governor Randall. No evidence of muster as 2nd Lieutenant.
Commissioned 1st Lieutenant, Company F, 4/10/62 to rank 4/1/62 by Governor Harvey. Mustered as 1st Lieutenant 1/27/63 to date 4/1/62 at Pratt’s Landing VA.
Detached in Bridge Corps & Construction Corps 5/2/62 to 9/62; returned to Company 9/15/62 (1).
Commanded Company F 11/62 to 2/63.
Commissioned Captain, Company F, 2/27/63 to rank 1/5/63 by Governor Salomon. Mustered as Captain 5/26/63 to date 3/1/63 at Pratt’s Landing.
Absent on 15-days leave from 5/27/63; rejoined Company 6/11/63.
Appointed Recruiting Officer of 7th WIS 11/25/63 for the enlistment of Veteran Volunteers; relieved of that duty 12/16/63 (2).
Missing, supposed dead, during Mine Run Campaign, “and there was great grief in Company F. When word was received that they had lost their favorite officer, there was a consultation and it was decided to raise money and have the body sent home for burial. The boys were going into their pockets, bring forth dimes, dollars and ‘V’s’, just as the captain came up and entered a vigorous denial that he was a dead man. I remember the shout that went up in Co. F, at the re-appearance of Capt. Young.” (3)
Mustered out 12/3/64.Term expired. Captain Young indicated in a letter to his wife Delia that he suffered from rheumatism and could not stand another winter campaign. Major Hollon Richardson, commanding 7th Wisconsin Veteran Volunteers, added this statement to the discharge request by Captain Young: “The Regiment being much in need of officers, at my request he remained in service until the campaign ended. I think he would not now go out of service were it not his business relations require his personal attention. He is a brave and has ever been a very useful officer.” (4)
Born September 23,1824 at New Castle, Lawrence County PA, son of William & Rachel Falls Young; oldest of four children. Parents died when Henry was about eight years old. He lived with an aunt’s family until coming of age. Clerked at a New Castle store for several years. Went West to the Rock Island/Moline IL area. Worked in the pineries on the Kickapoo River and ran lumber rafts to St. Louis MO. Moved to Millville, Grant County WI in 1850, where he was employed by Jared Warner, a prominent businessman. Married Delia Warner, daughter of Jared Warner, March 1,1853 and settled on a farm near Patch Grove. Their children: Jared, Laura, May and Harry. In 1858 he invested in, and managed, a flour mill in the Township of Cassville, “situated on Rattlesnake creek five miles from the village of Cassville.” In 1860, the Young household included Henry, Delia, age 24, born in WI; Jared,3, b. in WI; Laura,1, b. in WI; John Koll, 22, a farm laborer, native of Prussia.
After war service, he returned to WI. Bought the Jared Warner farm at Patch Grove in 1878 and lived there until 1900, when the Youngs moved to Bloomington, Grant County WI.
Republican in Politics. Agnostic. Member of the Free Thought Society at Patch Grove. Suffered a paralyzing stroke in 1894 and became an invalid.
Henry F. Young died February 5,1902 at Bloomington WI. Buried at Union Nagle Cemetery, Patch Grove WI. Preceded in death by a son and a daughter; survived by his wife, a son, a daughter, and a sister (5).
(1) Letter September 20,1862-HENRY F. YOUNG Papers, Wisconsin Historical Society
(2) Regimental Letter & Order Book, Special Orders #31, Year 1863; ibid., Special Orders #32
(3)Milwaukee Sunday Telegraph, September 27, 1885. Young related the Mine Run story at the Iron Brigade reunion in 1885. The article added: “It would be hard for a parent to think more of his children than Capt. Young does of the members of his old company. He is among those who insist that the wives of the soldiers suffered as greatly during the war as the soldiers themselves, and deserve as much praise.”
HENRY F YOUNG Papers-1864 Folder, Discharge papers. Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison; ibid., Letter dated October 30,1864.
(4) The Weekly Teller (Lancaster WI), February 20,1902
HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY WISCONSIN 1881(Butterfield), P. 976
US Census 1860, ancestry.com
HENRY F. YOUNG Papers-Discharge papers, 1864 Folder. Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison
US Dept. of Veterans Affairs Website: Nationwide Gravesite Locator.
Discharge papers of Captain Henry Young state birthplace as New Castle, Lawrence County PA.
Numerous letters of Captain Henry F. Young to wife Delia (HENRY F. YOUNG Papers) indicate that the Youngs had four children: Jared, Laura, May, and Janie. Letter dated November 13,1864, tells of death of daughter Laura. Delia Young stated in a letter February 22, 1898 to Mrs. Showalter that daughter Laura died of diphtheria. HENRY F YOUNG Papers, 1864 Folder, Letter dated June 9, 1864; &; 1865-1902 Folder.
The Weekly Teller (Lancaster WI), February 20,1902 states that the Youngs had four children.
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Letters of Henry W. Young:
- LT: June 20, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: June 27, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: July 2, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: July 15, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: July 26, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: July 29, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: August 4, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: August 6, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: August 23, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: September 2, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: September 5, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: September 15, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: September 19, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: September 27, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: October 6, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: October 13, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: October 21, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: October 22, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: October 30, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: November 5, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: November 7, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: November 10, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: November 13, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: November 20, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
- LT: November 23, 1864 Henry F. Young (7th Wisconsin)
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