Alphonzo Chillson was born on Christmas day in Essex County, New York, in 1835. (family information) Sometime before the 1840 census, his family moved to Riley Township, St. Clair County, Michigan, from Chilson (Ticonderoga), New York. In the 1860 census, he was listed as an ambrotype artist (glass photography.)
In his enlistment papers he listed his occupation as artist. His height was listed at 5 feet 10 1/2 inches tall. Among his records from the National Archives was a letter dated May 1864 from his father to Secretary Seward asking that Alphonzo's body be returned to the family in Michigan. The letter stated that Alphonzo had requested that his body be brought home to Michigan if something were to happen to him.
According to "American Civil War Soldiers" (Ancestry.com) Alphonzo enlisted on 21 Aug 1861 as a Corporal at the age of 25. His residence was listed as Memphis, Michigan, and he mustered into service at Almont, MI on August 12, 1861. On September 6, 1861, he joined Company L and was mustered into the First Michigan Cavalry as a corporal at Detroit. On July 1, 1862, he was promoted to Full Sergeant.(Archival records)
According to Alphonzo's archive records during November and December 1861 he was "absent on Special Duty - detailed by order of Colonel Brodhead with General Banks body guard as of December 16, 1861."
In the early part of the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, the 1st Michigan Cavalry Regiment was added to the 5th, 6th, and 7th Michigan Cavalry units to form the Michigan Brigade under Gen. George Armstrong Custer. On June 30, the new unit fought their first battle at Hanover, Pennsylvania. On July 2, the unit fought at the Battle of Hunterstown and on July 3, they fought their first major battle in the Battle of Gettysburg on the East Cavalry Field. "The 1st was ordered to charge into a growing mounted melee in the center at a gallop. Horses were said to have gone end over end. Custer's cry of "Come on, you Wolverines!" became the rallying cry of the brigade. The Wolverines took 257 casualties that day. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Brigade)
After Gettysburg the Michigan Brigade followed the Confederate retreat and at the Battle of Falling Waters on July 14, 1863, Alphonzo captured the colors of the 47th Virginia. Along with the colors, he and Sgt. Lyon took 70 Confederate prisoners including a Major. (http://www.macombmicw.com/) Today, the flag captured by Alphonzo is housed in the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.
The Michigan Brigade fought in every major campaign of the Army of the Potomac from Gettysburg to the surrender at Appomattox Court House in April 1865.
According to “A Cavalryman with Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade: Personal Recollections by J.H.Kidd, "the First Regiment of the Michigan Brigade was designated as distinctively a saber regiment, the Fifth and Sixth for fighting on foot, as they were armed with Spencer rifles, and the result was that with them, dismounting to fight when in contact with the enemy in the early part of their terms of service became a sort of second nature. The First had a year's experience with the cavalry before the others went out, and it was in a saber charge at the Second Battle Of Bull Run that Brodhead,its first colonel, was killed. The First Vermont, like the First Michigan, was a saber regiment and went out in 1861. The First Vermont was at some point attached to the Brigade."
In January of 1864, Alphonzo re-enlisted into the First Michigan Veteran Volunteer Cavalry at Camp Stoneman, Va., He was granted his 400 dollar bonus for re-enlisting and went home to visit his family. He came back for duty but he was killed in action at the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 11, 1864, in Henrico County, Virginia, north of Richmond. (U.S., Registers of Deaths of Volunteers, 1861-1865) The First Michigan Cavalry had joined a large cavalry convoy led by Sheridan and made its way to the Richmond area in May 1864. The goal was to intercept J.E.B. Stuart's Cavalry. Stuart was mortally wounded in the ensuing battle at the abandoned tavern. As to where exactly Alphonzo fell, Robert Krick, author and former chief historian at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park speculated: "The 1st Michigan Cavalry made a mounted charge up the Telegraph Road toward the close of the fight, about when Stuart was shot. Unless you find something from a comrade that describes your relative's death, then all you can do is speculate about when he was hit. But that final charge up the road is likeliest. If you find the Stuart monument, that is your best place to see the pitiful remnants of the battlefield, and probably be close to where Chillson was shot." The story of that battle, especially that charge of the 1st Veteran Unit is dramatic. See http://150spotsylvania.com/somewhere-near-yellow-tavern/
According to the "U.S., Civil War Pension Index; General Index to Pension Files, 1861 - 1934," Clarissa claimed her son's pension on February 28, 1882 and George W. claimed it on May 3, 1897.
In his enlistment papers he listed his occupation as artist. His height was listed at 5 feet 10 1/2 inches tall. Among his records from the National Archives was a letter dated May 1864 from his father to Secretary Seward asking that Alphonzo's body be returned to the family in Michigan. The letter stated that Alphonzo had requested that his body be brought home to Michigan if something were to happen to him.
According to "American Civil War Soldiers" (Ancestry.com) Alphonzo enlisted on 21 Aug 1861 as a Corporal at the age of 25. His residence was listed as Memphis, Michigan, and he mustered into service at Almont, MI on August 12, 1861. On September 6, 1861, he joined Company L and was mustered into the First Michigan Cavalry as a corporal at Detroit. On July 1, 1862, he was promoted to Full Sergeant.(Archival records)
According to Alphonzo's archive records during November and December 1861 he was "absent on Special Duty - detailed by order of Colonel Brodhead with General Banks body guard as of December 16, 1861."
In the early part of the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, the 1st Michigan Cavalry Regiment was added to the 5th, 6th, and 7th Michigan Cavalry units to form the Michigan Brigade under Gen. George Armstrong Custer. On June 30, the new unit fought their first battle at Hanover, Pennsylvania. On July 2, the unit fought at the Battle of Hunterstown and on July 3, they fought their first major battle in the Battle of Gettysburg on the East Cavalry Field. "The 1st was ordered to charge into a growing mounted melee in the center at a gallop. Horses were said to have gone end over end. Custer's cry of "Come on, you Wolverines!" became the rallying cry of the brigade. The Wolverines took 257 casualties that day. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Brigade)
After Gettysburg the Michigan Brigade followed the Confederate retreat and at the Battle of Falling Waters on July 14, 1863, Alphonzo captured the colors of the 47th Virginia. Along with the colors, he and Sgt. Lyon took 70 Confederate prisoners including a Major. (http://www.macombmicw.com/) Today, the flag captured by Alphonzo is housed in the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.
The Michigan Brigade fought in every major campaign of the Army of the Potomac from Gettysburg to the surrender at Appomattox Court House in April 1865.
According to “A Cavalryman with Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade: Personal Recollections by J.H.Kidd, "the First Regiment of the Michigan Brigade was designated as distinctively a saber regiment, the Fifth and Sixth for fighting on foot, as they were armed with Spencer rifles, and the result was that with them, dismounting to fight when in contact with the enemy in the early part of their terms of service became a sort of second nature. The First had a year's experience with the cavalry before the others went out, and it was in a saber charge at the Second Battle Of Bull Run that Brodhead,its first colonel, was killed. The First Vermont, like the First Michigan, was a saber regiment and went out in 1861. The First Vermont was at some point attached to the Brigade."
In January of 1864, Alphonzo re-enlisted into the First Michigan Veteran Volunteer Cavalry at Camp Stoneman, Va., He was granted his 400 dollar bonus for re-enlisting and went home to visit his family. He came back for duty but he was killed in action at the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 11, 1864, in Henrico County, Virginia, north of Richmond. (U.S., Registers of Deaths of Volunteers, 1861-1865) The First Michigan Cavalry had joined a large cavalry convoy led by Sheridan and made its way to the Richmond area in May 1864. The goal was to intercept J.E.B. Stuart's Cavalry. Stuart was mortally wounded in the ensuing battle at the abandoned tavern. As to where exactly Alphonzo fell, Robert Krick, author and former chief historian at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park speculated: "The 1st Michigan Cavalry made a mounted charge up the Telegraph Road toward the close of the fight, about when Stuart was shot. Unless you find something from a comrade that describes your relative's death, then all you can do is speculate about when he was hit. But that final charge up the road is likeliest. If you find the Stuart monument, that is your best place to see the pitiful remnants of the battlefield, and probably be close to where Chillson was shot." The story of that battle, especially that charge of the 1st Veteran Unit is dramatic. See http://150spotsylvania.com/somewhere-near-yellow-tavern/
According to the "U.S., Civil War Pension Index; General Index to Pension Files, 1861 - 1934," Clarissa claimed her son's pension on February 28, 1882 and George W. claimed it on May 3, 1897.
Alphonzo Chillson was born on Christmas day in Essex County, New York, in 1835. (family information) Sometime before the 1840 census, his family moved to Riley Township, St. Clair County, Michigan, from Chilson (Ticonderoga), New York. In the 1860 census, he was listed as an ambrotype artist (glass photography.)
In his enlistment papers he listed his occupation as artist. His height was listed at 5 feet 10 1/2 inches tall. Among his records from the National Archives was a letter dated May 1864 from his father to Secretary Seward asking that Alphonzo's body be returned to the family in Michigan. The letter stated that Alphonzo had requested that his body be brought home to Michigan if something were to happen to him.
According to "American Civil War Soldiers" (Ancestry.com) Alphonzo enlisted on 21 Aug 1861 as a Corporal at the age of 25. His residence was listed as Memphis, Michigan, and he mustered into service at Almont, MI on August 12, 1861. On September 6, 1861, he joined Company L and was mustered into the First Michigan Cavalry as a corporal at Detroit. On July 1, 1862, he was promoted to Full Sergeant.(Archival records)
According to Alphonzo's archive records during November and December 1861 he was "absent on Special Duty - detailed by order of Colonel Brodhead with General Banks body guard as of December 16, 1861."
In the early part of the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, the 1st Michigan Cavalry Regiment was added to the 5th, 6th, and 7th Michigan Cavalry units to form the Michigan Brigade under Gen. George Armstrong Custer. On June 30, the new unit fought their first battle at Hanover, Pennsylvania. On July 2, the unit fought at the Battle of Hunterstown and on July 3, they fought their first major battle in the Battle of Gettysburg on the East Cavalry Field. "The 1st was ordered to charge into a growing mounted melee in the center at a gallop. Horses were said to have gone end over end. Custer's cry of "Come on, you Wolverines!" became the rallying cry of the brigade. The Wolverines took 257 casualties that day. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Brigade)
After Gettysburg the Michigan Brigade followed the Confederate retreat and at the Battle of Falling Waters on July 14, 1863, Alphonzo captured the colors of the 47th Virginia. Along with the colors, he and Sgt. Lyon took 70 Confederate prisoners including a Major. (http://www.macombmicw.com/) Today, the flag captured by Alphonzo is housed in the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.
The Michigan Brigade fought in every major campaign of the Army of the Potomac from Gettysburg to the surrender at Appomattox Court House in April 1865.
According to “A Cavalryman with Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade: Personal Recollections by J.H.Kidd, "the First Regiment of the Michigan Brigade was designated as distinctively a saber regiment, the Fifth and Sixth for fighting on foot, as they were armed with Spencer rifles, and the result was that with them, dismounting to fight when in contact with the enemy in the early part of their terms of service became a sort of second nature. The First had a year's experience with the cavalry before the others went out, and it was in a saber charge at the Second Battle Of Bull Run that Brodhead,its first colonel, was killed. The First Vermont, like the First Michigan, was a saber regiment and went out in 1861. The First Vermont was at some point attached to the Brigade."
In January of 1864, Alphonzo re-enlisted into the First Michigan Veteran Volunteer Cavalry at Camp Stoneman, Va., He was granted his 400 dollar bonus for re-enlisting and went home to visit his family. He came back for duty but he was killed in action at the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 11, 1864, in Henrico County, Virginia, north of Richmond. (U.S., Registers of Deaths of Volunteers, 1861-1865) The First Michigan Cavalry had joined a large cavalry convoy led by Sheridan and made its way to the Richmond area in May 1864. The goal was to intercept J.E.B. Stuart's Cavalry. Stuart was mortally wounded in the ensuing battle at the abandoned tavern. As to where exactly Alphonzo fell, Robert Krick, author and former chief historian at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park speculated: "The 1st Michigan Cavalry made a mounted charge up the Telegraph Road toward the close of the fight, about when Stuart was shot. Unless you find something from a comrade that describes your relative's death, then all you can do is speculate about when he was hit. But that final charge up the road is likeliest. If you find the Stuart monument, that is your best place to see the pitiful remnants of the battlefield, and probably be close to where Chillson was shot." The story of that battle, especially that charge of the 1st Veteran Unit is dramatic. See http://150spotsylvania.com/somewhere-near-yellow-tavern/
According to the "U.S., Civil War Pension Index; General Index to Pension Files, 1861 - 1934," Clarissa claimed her son's pension on February 28, 1882 and George W. claimed it on May 3, 1897.
In his enlistment papers he listed his occupation as artist. His height was listed at 5 feet 10 1/2 inches tall. Among his records from the National Archives was a letter dated May 1864 from his father to Secretary Seward asking that Alphonzo's body be returned to the family in Michigan. The letter stated that Alphonzo had requested that his body be brought home to Michigan if something were to happen to him.
According to "American Civil War Soldiers" (Ancestry.com) Alphonzo enlisted on 21 Aug 1861 as a Corporal at the age of 25. His residence was listed as Memphis, Michigan, and he mustered into service at Almont, MI on August 12, 1861. On September 6, 1861, he joined Company L and was mustered into the First Michigan Cavalry as a corporal at Detroit. On July 1, 1862, he was promoted to Full Sergeant.(Archival records)
According to Alphonzo's archive records during November and December 1861 he was "absent on Special Duty - detailed by order of Colonel Brodhead with General Banks body guard as of December 16, 1861."
In the early part of the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, the 1st Michigan Cavalry Regiment was added to the 5th, 6th, and 7th Michigan Cavalry units to form the Michigan Brigade under Gen. George Armstrong Custer. On June 30, the new unit fought their first battle at Hanover, Pennsylvania. On July 2, the unit fought at the Battle of Hunterstown and on July 3, they fought their first major battle in the Battle of Gettysburg on the East Cavalry Field. "The 1st was ordered to charge into a growing mounted melee in the center at a gallop. Horses were said to have gone end over end. Custer's cry of "Come on, you Wolverines!" became the rallying cry of the brigade. The Wolverines took 257 casualties that day. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Brigade)
After Gettysburg the Michigan Brigade followed the Confederate retreat and at the Battle of Falling Waters on July 14, 1863, Alphonzo captured the colors of the 47th Virginia. Along with the colors, he and Sgt. Lyon took 70 Confederate prisoners including a Major. (http://www.macombmicw.com/) Today, the flag captured by Alphonzo is housed in the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.
The Michigan Brigade fought in every major campaign of the Army of the Potomac from Gettysburg to the surrender at Appomattox Court House in April 1865.
According to “A Cavalryman with Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade: Personal Recollections by J.H.Kidd, "the First Regiment of the Michigan Brigade was designated as distinctively a saber regiment, the Fifth and Sixth for fighting on foot, as they were armed with Spencer rifles, and the result was that with them, dismounting to fight when in contact with the enemy in the early part of their terms of service became a sort of second nature. The First had a year's experience with the cavalry before the others went out, and it was in a saber charge at the Second Battle Of Bull Run that Brodhead,its first colonel, was killed. The First Vermont, like the First Michigan, was a saber regiment and went out in 1861. The First Vermont was at some point attached to the Brigade."
In January of 1864, Alphonzo re-enlisted into the First Michigan Veteran Volunteer Cavalry at Camp Stoneman, Va., He was granted his 400 dollar bonus for re-enlisting and went home to visit his family. He came back for duty but he was killed in action at the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 11, 1864, in Henrico County, Virginia, north of Richmond. (U.S., Registers of Deaths of Volunteers, 1861-1865) The First Michigan Cavalry had joined a large cavalry convoy led by Sheridan and made its way to the Richmond area in May 1864. The goal was to intercept J.E.B. Stuart's Cavalry. Stuart was mortally wounded in the ensuing battle at the abandoned tavern. As to where exactly Alphonzo fell, Robert Krick, author and former chief historian at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park speculated: "The 1st Michigan Cavalry made a mounted charge up the Telegraph Road toward the close of the fight, about when Stuart was shot. Unless you find something from a comrade that describes your relative's death, then all you can do is speculate about when he was hit. But that final charge up the road is likeliest. If you find the Stuart monument, that is your best place to see the pitiful remnants of the battlefield, and probably be close to where Chillson was shot." The story of that battle, especially that charge of the 1st Veteran Unit is dramatic. See http://150spotsylvania.com/somewhere-near-yellow-tavern/
According to the "U.S., Civil War Pension Index; General Index to Pension Files, 1861 - 1934," Clarissa claimed her son's pension on February 28, 1882 and George W. claimed it on May 3, 1897.
Inscription
Alphonzo W./ Co. L/ 1st Mich. Vol. Cav./ Dec. 25, 1835./ May 11, 1864./ His Body rests/ in Va. near/ Richmond.
Gravesite Details
Body buried at battle site immediately after battle. Later most likely reinterred to Richmond National Cemetery and buried in an unknown group grave.
Family Members
Parents
