John Burhyte Corey was one of eight children born to William Harris Corey and Katherine Burhyte. He lived at Empire township, Fond du Lac Co. WI with is wife Hannah. She was his first cousin, Hannah Burhyte. The couple married on December 4, 1849, Fond Du Lac, WI. They had a son Andrew Burhyte Corey born 23 Oct 1853, Taycheedah, Fond Du Lac Co., Wisconsin; died July 1943, Seattle, King Co., Washington).
Of interest; of William H. and Katherine Corey's eight children, the two boys served during the Civil War, John B. Corey gave his life. Of the six daughters, five sons-in-law also served.
John enrolled as a Private in Company A of the 21st Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers (Union Army) at Fond du Lac, WI, August 15, 1862. He was mustered into the military service of the United States at Camp Bragg, for the term of 3 years, on September 5, 1862. His brother William also served, as did the husbands of all six of his sisters. They were also from Fond du Lac. The first husband of one sister (Katherine) died at Andersonville; her second husband also served during the civil war.
SERVICE.- Pursuit of Bragg to Crab Orchard, Ky., October 1-16, 1862.Battle of Perryville, Ky., October 8.Guard duty at Mitchellsville till December 7. Moved to Nashville, Tenn., and duty there till December 26. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26-30. Jefferson December 30. Battle of Stone's River December 30-31, 1862, and January 1-3, 1863. From John's service record found in the National Archives, we find that six days after his last letter was written, on 30 December 1862 he was captured by Confederate forces and sent to Richmond, Virginia where on 16 January he was admitted to the C.S.M. (Libby Prison) Prison hospital. JOHN BURHYTE COREY died there, 03 February 1863 of pneumonia. The Regiment lost during service 5 Officers and 117 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 180 Enlisted men by disease. Total 305.
From John's service record found in the National Archives, we find that six days after his last letter was written, on 30 December 1862, he was captured by Gen. Bragg's Confederate forces. This Service Record conflicts with John's letters in that it reports:
30"about Dec. 14, 1862 prior to the Battle of Stone's River in Tennessee, John came down with pneumonia and was sent to the Reg. Hospital near Jefferson, Tenn. On Dec. 30, while confined in the hospital he was captured by Confederate forces. He was sent to Richmond, Virginia where on 16 January 1863 he was admitted to the C.S.M. Prison hospital.
Hannah subsequently remarried in 20 Feb 1866 to John Nixon Dobie in Fond du lac, WI.
John wrote approximately thirty-five letters to his wife Hannah before being taken prisoner. These are transcribed at: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~wifonddu/resources/scrapbook/corey.html
JOHN B COREY LETTERS ---- https://studylib.net/doc/11920603/john-b-corey-letters
These letters were written to Hannah (Burhyte) Corey from her husband John during the fall and early winter of 1862.
They were found in the home of Andrew Corey, his son, at 8345 13th NW, Seattle, WA about 1938 by Andrew's grandaughter May (Corey) Berglund. They were on the top shelf of the kitchen in a small oil stained cardboard box. May, who lived next door, took the oil covered letters and "rather foolishly" soaked them in cleaning solvent twice and let them air dry on the grass on the lawn in her back yard. The letters have remained in her possession since that time.
The history of the letters begins in Fond Du Lac County, Wisconsin. Then they traveled west to Browns Valley, Minnesota, back to Fond Du Lac, on to Minneapolis, Minnesota and finally to Seattle, Washington. Andrew and his wife, Clara (Hitchcock) Corey lived first in the Fremont area, later in the Ross neighborhood at 3rd NW and 43rd and finally in the Crown Hill Area of Seattle.
The letters were transcribed by May's daughter, Joan (Berglund) Penewell, who kindly sent copies of the transcriptions to me. Comments have been added for clarity, or to identify individuals when their identity is known. These additions are shown in [brackets] to identify them. Most of the bracketed information explaining the Civil War was provided by cousin Phillip Colson. Of further interest, it should be noted that in 1998 the original letters were brought to Madison, Wisconsin from Seattle by May, her half-sister Marian, her cousin Barbara who is the daughter of May's sister Mildred, and her daughter, Joan.
Joan's mother, May Corey Berglund, a great-grandaughter of John Burhyte Corey, has donated the original letters to the Wisconsin Veteran's Museum in Madison, WI for safekeeping and preservation. In addition to adding bracketed comments, I have corrected a great deal of the spelling to make the letters more easily read. I tried to leave enough of the original spelling to keep 2the flavor of the letters, while correcting words which were always misspelled, such as; rite for write, gard for guard, presant for present, etc. Some of the other misspellings, may actually have been misinterpretation of the script during transcription. Anyone using this information for any serious purpose should, of course, refer to the originals. This version was compiled by Ronald Whitney, December 1998.
Based on John's letters, there is a possible conflict with his service record as to the location of his capture. In John's service record, it states that on 14 Dec. 1862 he was "was sent to the Regimental Hospital near Jefferson, TN". From John's letters, he tells of not being fit for duty, but indicates that he was with his regiment on the 21 December. On that date, he wrote a letter from Camp Andru Johnson, TN. Further evidence that he was not in the Regimental hospital is the map of the camp showing the location of his tent that he drew for his son Andrew in this letter. In John's letter of 24 Dec. he tells of the rumored imminent movement of the Army. He further states, "I am enjoying very good health at present". The fact that John stated that he was feeling "good health at present" might not mean much when you take into account the fact that he was taking opium for his ailments as stated in his letter of Dec. 6th. Possibly at this time, he "felt no pain" as a result of this opium. When the Regiment's muster report was taken for Dec. John probably was absent for duty and listed in the Regimental Hospital. Did John leave Camp Andru Johnson Dec. 26, 1862 with his Regiment in Gen. Rousseau's Division during the advance on Murfreesboro or was he left behind as stated in his service record? This I do not know, but when he speculated in his last letter as to his destination; "I shall know when we get to our place of destination", I am sure that he never anticipated nor was he prepared for what awaited him. In Ronald Gancas' book, THE GALLANT 78, STONES RIVER TO PICKETS MILL, he states: "The full winter season had set into the Nashville Basin. December 30th saw a smattering of weather that had plagued the armies from the 26th of December, ~ On this next to last day of the year, several diarists reported heavy showers, bitter cold, and ice on the river." It was on this bitter cold winter day that John was captured. Just how or where one can speculate. Was he one of the many Union soldiers taken prisoner by Gen. Wheeler's cavalry while disrupting the Union lines of communication, or was he one of the one hundred and fifty Union soldiers captured by the Confederate 6th Kentucky Infantry on 30 Dec. during the early fighting at Stone's River, or was he as stated in his service record, captured by Confederate forces at the Reg. Hospital near Jefferson, Tenn John either had, or while a captive, came down with pneumonia. His health deteriorating, on 16 January he was sent to the C.S.M. Prison Hospital in Richmond, Virginia his final "Place of Destination", for JOHN BURHYTE COREY died there, 03 February 1863.In Mary Elizabeth (Allen) Colson's diary, for the year 1863 there is the following entry: "1863 Died in Libby Prison Richmond. February 3, 1863 Mr. John Corey, Husband of Mrs. Hannah Corey."
From John's letters, we can trace (Figure 1) the path of the 21st Wisconsin. The Regiment was mustered in at Camp Bragg, Oshkosh, WI on September 5, 1862. His first letter to Hannah was dated Camp Bragg, Sep. 08 1862. From Wisconsin, the 21st left for Cincinnati, OH on Sep. 11. John's next letter was dated Sep.14, 1862 and tells of being in Cincinnati and camping just out of Covington, KY. John wrote letters the 14th, 15th and 16th. In these he tells of camp life and being at Camp Soloman, and picking peas along the bank of the Licking River. On Sep. 24 and 29, he writes from Louisville, KY. Oct. 10, at Perryville, John writes after the Battle fought Oct 8th. to state he is OK. On Oct. 12 from Harrodsburg he tells of the major Battle fought at Perryville. In this letter, John states they left Louisville on Oct. 1 and went through Taylorsville on their march to Perryville. From Harrodsville, they pursued Gen. Bragg to Crab Orchard where they camped Oct. 16. From Crab Orchard, the army changed directions now moving west. On Oct. 22 and 27, John wrote from a camp 5 mi. west of Lebanon. Nov. 3, he was in Bowling Green, and from there the Regiment went to Mitchellsville, TN. On Dec. 11, John was in Nashville, and stayed at Camp Andrew Johnson. His last letter was written there, Dec. 24, 1862. On Dec. 26, the Army advanced from Nashville to Murfreesboro. John was captured Dec. 30, 1862 prior to the Battle of Stone's River.
In a short span of 117 days starting 05 Sep. 1862, with no preparation and little training, the 21st Wisconsin would be asked to fight in one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, given poor equipment, marched hundreds of miles with little rest, camping in freezing weather without blankets. As a result by Nov. 17, only 18 to 20 of the original 75 men of the regiment were fit for duty. By early December, John's letters indicate he was not able to perform his duties. He was physically exhausted, probably with pneumonia at that time. After all of these hardships, in late December the army was again planning to fight a major battle with the Confederates. John was captured while in this state of physical exhaustion. It is no surprise that he was not able to survive.
In reading these letters, one is amazed by what the citizen soldier endured during this war. And to think, Gen. Buell was relieved of command because he did not drive the men harder in pursuit of Bragg after Perryville. VOLUNTEER'S OUTFIT. -- Adjutant Gen. Utly addressed the following communication to Quartermaster Gen. Tredway . . ."It is the direction of the Commander-in-Chief, after some consideration, that the following outfit be allowed to each soldier in the Wisconsin active Militia: 1 cap, 1 eagle and ring, 2 flannel shirts, 2 pair of stockings, 1 tin or rubber canteen, 1 pompon, 1 coat, 2 pair of flannel drawers, 1 leather stock, 1 haversack, 1 cap cover, 1 pair trowsers, 1 pair bootees or shoes, 1 great coat, 1 knapsack. It is not deemed advisable to purchase at this time any further articles of outfitting such as rubber blankets, ponchos, &c. not until such time as the troops are called into actual service. Other articles, axes, saws, spades, and camp equipage, generally, will be hereafter considered."
Of interest; of William H. and Katherine Corey's eight children, the two boys served during the Civil War, John B. Corey gave his life. Of the six daughters, five sons-in-law also served.
John enrolled as a Private in Company A of the 21st Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers (Union Army) at Fond du Lac, WI, August 15, 1862. He was mustered into the military service of the United States at Camp Bragg, for the term of 3 years, on September 5, 1862. His brother William also served, as did the husbands of all six of his sisters. They were also from Fond du Lac. The first husband of one sister (Katherine) died at Andersonville; her second husband also served during the civil war.
SERVICE.- Pursuit of Bragg to Crab Orchard, Ky., October 1-16, 1862.Battle of Perryville, Ky., October 8.Guard duty at Mitchellsville till December 7. Moved to Nashville, Tenn., and duty there till December 26. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26-30. Jefferson December 30. Battle of Stone's River December 30-31, 1862, and January 1-3, 1863. From John's service record found in the National Archives, we find that six days after his last letter was written, on 30 December 1862 he was captured by Confederate forces and sent to Richmond, Virginia where on 16 January he was admitted to the C.S.M. (Libby Prison) Prison hospital. JOHN BURHYTE COREY died there, 03 February 1863 of pneumonia. The Regiment lost during service 5 Officers and 117 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 180 Enlisted men by disease. Total 305.
From John's service record found in the National Archives, we find that six days after his last letter was written, on 30 December 1862, he was captured by Gen. Bragg's Confederate forces. This Service Record conflicts with John's letters in that it reports:
30"about Dec. 14, 1862 prior to the Battle of Stone's River in Tennessee, John came down with pneumonia and was sent to the Reg. Hospital near Jefferson, Tenn. On Dec. 30, while confined in the hospital he was captured by Confederate forces. He was sent to Richmond, Virginia where on 16 January 1863 he was admitted to the C.S.M. Prison hospital.
Hannah subsequently remarried in 20 Feb 1866 to John Nixon Dobie in Fond du lac, WI.
John wrote approximately thirty-five letters to his wife Hannah before being taken prisoner. These are transcribed at: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~wifonddu/resources/scrapbook/corey.html
JOHN B COREY LETTERS ---- https://studylib.net/doc/11920603/john-b-corey-letters
These letters were written to Hannah (Burhyte) Corey from her husband John during the fall and early winter of 1862.
They were found in the home of Andrew Corey, his son, at 8345 13th NW, Seattle, WA about 1938 by Andrew's grandaughter May (Corey) Berglund. They were on the top shelf of the kitchen in a small oil stained cardboard box. May, who lived next door, took the oil covered letters and "rather foolishly" soaked them in cleaning solvent twice and let them air dry on the grass on the lawn in her back yard. The letters have remained in her possession since that time.
The history of the letters begins in Fond Du Lac County, Wisconsin. Then they traveled west to Browns Valley, Minnesota, back to Fond Du Lac, on to Minneapolis, Minnesota and finally to Seattle, Washington. Andrew and his wife, Clara (Hitchcock) Corey lived first in the Fremont area, later in the Ross neighborhood at 3rd NW and 43rd and finally in the Crown Hill Area of Seattle.
The letters were transcribed by May's daughter, Joan (Berglund) Penewell, who kindly sent copies of the transcriptions to me. Comments have been added for clarity, or to identify individuals when their identity is known. These additions are shown in [brackets] to identify them. Most of the bracketed information explaining the Civil War was provided by cousin Phillip Colson. Of further interest, it should be noted that in 1998 the original letters were brought to Madison, Wisconsin from Seattle by May, her half-sister Marian, her cousin Barbara who is the daughter of May's sister Mildred, and her daughter, Joan.
Joan's mother, May Corey Berglund, a great-grandaughter of John Burhyte Corey, has donated the original letters to the Wisconsin Veteran's Museum in Madison, WI for safekeeping and preservation. In addition to adding bracketed comments, I have corrected a great deal of the spelling to make the letters more easily read. I tried to leave enough of the original spelling to keep 2the flavor of the letters, while correcting words which were always misspelled, such as; rite for write, gard for guard, presant for present, etc. Some of the other misspellings, may actually have been misinterpretation of the script during transcription. Anyone using this information for any serious purpose should, of course, refer to the originals. This version was compiled by Ronald Whitney, December 1998.
Based on John's letters, there is a possible conflict with his service record as to the location of his capture. In John's service record, it states that on 14 Dec. 1862 he was "was sent to the Regimental Hospital near Jefferson, TN". From John's letters, he tells of not being fit for duty, but indicates that he was with his regiment on the 21 December. On that date, he wrote a letter from Camp Andru Johnson, TN. Further evidence that he was not in the Regimental hospital is the map of the camp showing the location of his tent that he drew for his son Andrew in this letter. In John's letter of 24 Dec. he tells of the rumored imminent movement of the Army. He further states, "I am enjoying very good health at present". The fact that John stated that he was feeling "good health at present" might not mean much when you take into account the fact that he was taking opium for his ailments as stated in his letter of Dec. 6th. Possibly at this time, he "felt no pain" as a result of this opium. When the Regiment's muster report was taken for Dec. John probably was absent for duty and listed in the Regimental Hospital. Did John leave Camp Andru Johnson Dec. 26, 1862 with his Regiment in Gen. Rousseau's Division during the advance on Murfreesboro or was he left behind as stated in his service record? This I do not know, but when he speculated in his last letter as to his destination; "I shall know when we get to our place of destination", I am sure that he never anticipated nor was he prepared for what awaited him. In Ronald Gancas' book, THE GALLANT 78, STONES RIVER TO PICKETS MILL, he states: "The full winter season had set into the Nashville Basin. December 30th saw a smattering of weather that had plagued the armies from the 26th of December, ~ On this next to last day of the year, several diarists reported heavy showers, bitter cold, and ice on the river." It was on this bitter cold winter day that John was captured. Just how or where one can speculate. Was he one of the many Union soldiers taken prisoner by Gen. Wheeler's cavalry while disrupting the Union lines of communication, or was he one of the one hundred and fifty Union soldiers captured by the Confederate 6th Kentucky Infantry on 30 Dec. during the early fighting at Stone's River, or was he as stated in his service record, captured by Confederate forces at the Reg. Hospital near Jefferson, Tenn John either had, or while a captive, came down with pneumonia. His health deteriorating, on 16 January he was sent to the C.S.M. Prison Hospital in Richmond, Virginia his final "Place of Destination", for JOHN BURHYTE COREY died there, 03 February 1863.In Mary Elizabeth (Allen) Colson's diary, for the year 1863 there is the following entry: "1863 Died in Libby Prison Richmond. February 3, 1863 Mr. John Corey, Husband of Mrs. Hannah Corey."
From John's letters, we can trace (Figure 1) the path of the 21st Wisconsin. The Regiment was mustered in at Camp Bragg, Oshkosh, WI on September 5, 1862. His first letter to Hannah was dated Camp Bragg, Sep. 08 1862. From Wisconsin, the 21st left for Cincinnati, OH on Sep. 11. John's next letter was dated Sep.14, 1862 and tells of being in Cincinnati and camping just out of Covington, KY. John wrote letters the 14th, 15th and 16th. In these he tells of camp life and being at Camp Soloman, and picking peas along the bank of the Licking River. On Sep. 24 and 29, he writes from Louisville, KY. Oct. 10, at Perryville, John writes after the Battle fought Oct 8th. to state he is OK. On Oct. 12 from Harrodsburg he tells of the major Battle fought at Perryville. In this letter, John states they left Louisville on Oct. 1 and went through Taylorsville on their march to Perryville. From Harrodsville, they pursued Gen. Bragg to Crab Orchard where they camped Oct. 16. From Crab Orchard, the army changed directions now moving west. On Oct. 22 and 27, John wrote from a camp 5 mi. west of Lebanon. Nov. 3, he was in Bowling Green, and from there the Regiment went to Mitchellsville, TN. On Dec. 11, John was in Nashville, and stayed at Camp Andrew Johnson. His last letter was written there, Dec. 24, 1862. On Dec. 26, the Army advanced from Nashville to Murfreesboro. John was captured Dec. 30, 1862 prior to the Battle of Stone's River.
In a short span of 117 days starting 05 Sep. 1862, with no preparation and little training, the 21st Wisconsin would be asked to fight in one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, given poor equipment, marched hundreds of miles with little rest, camping in freezing weather without blankets. As a result by Nov. 17, only 18 to 20 of the original 75 men of the regiment were fit for duty. By early December, John's letters indicate he was not able to perform his duties. He was physically exhausted, probably with pneumonia at that time. After all of these hardships, in late December the army was again planning to fight a major battle with the Confederates. John was captured while in this state of physical exhaustion. It is no surprise that he was not able to survive.
In reading these letters, one is amazed by what the citizen soldier endured during this war. And to think, Gen. Buell was relieved of command because he did not drive the men harder in pursuit of Bragg after Perryville. VOLUNTEER'S OUTFIT. -- Adjutant Gen. Utly addressed the following communication to Quartermaster Gen. Tredway . . ."It is the direction of the Commander-in-Chief, after some consideration, that the following outfit be allowed to each soldier in the Wisconsin active Militia: 1 cap, 1 eagle and ring, 2 flannel shirts, 2 pair of stockings, 1 tin or rubber canteen, 1 pompon, 1 coat, 2 pair of flannel drawers, 1 leather stock, 1 haversack, 1 cap cover, 1 pair trowsers, 1 pair bootees or shoes, 1 great coat, 1 knapsack. It is not deemed advisable to purchase at this time any further articles of outfitting such as rubber blankets, ponchos, &c. not until such time as the troops are called into actual service. Other articles, axes, saws, spades, and camp equipage, generally, will be hereafter considered."
John Burhyte Corey was one of eight children born to William Harris Corey and Katherine Burhyte. He lived at Empire township, Fond du Lac Co. WI with is wife Hannah. She was his first cousin, Hannah Burhyte. The couple married on December 4, 1849, Fond Du Lac, WI. They had a son Andrew Burhyte Corey born 23 Oct 1853, Taycheedah, Fond Du Lac Co., Wisconsin; died July 1943, Seattle, King Co., Washington).
Of interest; of William H. and Katherine Corey's eight children, the two boys served during the Civil War, John B. Corey gave his life. Of the six daughters, five sons-in-law also served.
John enrolled as a Private in Company A of the 21st Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers (Union Army) at Fond du Lac, WI, August 15, 1862. He was mustered into the military service of the United States at Camp Bragg, for the term of 3 years, on September 5, 1862. His brother William also served, as did the husbands of all six of his sisters. They were also from Fond du Lac. The first husband of one sister (Katherine) died at Andersonville; her second husband also served during the civil war.
SERVICE.- Pursuit of Bragg to Crab Orchard, Ky., October 1-16, 1862.Battle of Perryville, Ky., October 8.Guard duty at Mitchellsville till December 7. Moved to Nashville, Tenn., and duty there till December 26. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26-30. Jefferson December 30. Battle of Stone's River December 30-31, 1862, and January 1-3, 1863. From John's service record found in the National Archives, we find that six days after his last letter was written, on 30 December 1862 he was captured by Confederate forces and sent to Richmond, Virginia where on 16 January he was admitted to the C.S.M. (Libby Prison) Prison hospital. JOHN BURHYTE COREY died there, 03 February 1863 of pneumonia. The Regiment lost during service 5 Officers and 117 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 180 Enlisted men by disease. Total 305.
From John's service record found in the National Archives, we find that six days after his last letter was written, on 30 December 1862, he was captured by Gen. Bragg's Confederate forces. This Service Record conflicts with John's letters in that it reports:
30"about Dec. 14, 1862 prior to the Battle of Stone's River in Tennessee, John came down with pneumonia and was sent to the Reg. Hospital near Jefferson, Tenn. On Dec. 30, while confined in the hospital he was captured by Confederate forces. He was sent to Richmond, Virginia where on 16 January 1863 he was admitted to the C.S.M. Prison hospital.
Hannah subsequently remarried in 20 Feb 1866 to John Nixon Dobie in Fond du lac, WI.
John wrote approximately thirty-five letters to his wife Hannah before being taken prisoner. These are transcribed at: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~wifonddu/resources/scrapbook/corey.html
JOHN B COREY LETTERS ---- https://studylib.net/doc/11920603/john-b-corey-letters
These letters were written to Hannah (Burhyte) Corey from her husband John during the fall and early winter of 1862.
They were found in the home of Andrew Corey, his son, at 8345 13th NW, Seattle, WA about 1938 by Andrew's grandaughter May (Corey) Berglund. They were on the top shelf of the kitchen in a small oil stained cardboard box. May, who lived next door, took the oil covered letters and "rather foolishly" soaked them in cleaning solvent twice and let them air dry on the grass on the lawn in her back yard. The letters have remained in her possession since that time.
The history of the letters begins in Fond Du Lac County, Wisconsin. Then they traveled west to Browns Valley, Minnesota, back to Fond Du Lac, on to Minneapolis, Minnesota and finally to Seattle, Washington. Andrew and his wife, Clara (Hitchcock) Corey lived first in the Fremont area, later in the Ross neighborhood at 3rd NW and 43rd and finally in the Crown Hill Area of Seattle.
The letters were transcribed by May's daughter, Joan (Berglund) Penewell, who kindly sent copies of the transcriptions to me. Comments have been added for clarity, or to identify individuals when their identity is known. These additions are shown in [brackets] to identify them. Most of the bracketed information explaining the Civil War was provided by cousin Phillip Colson. Of further interest, it should be noted that in 1998 the original letters were brought to Madison, Wisconsin from Seattle by May, her half-sister Marian, her cousin Barbara who is the daughter of May's sister Mildred, and her daughter, Joan.
Joan's mother, May Corey Berglund, a great-grandaughter of John Burhyte Corey, has donated the original letters to the Wisconsin Veteran's Museum in Madison, WI for safekeeping and preservation. In addition to adding bracketed comments, I have corrected a great deal of the spelling to make the letters more easily read. I tried to leave enough of the original spelling to keep 2the flavor of the letters, while correcting words which were always misspelled, such as; rite for write, gard for guard, presant for present, etc. Some of the other misspellings, may actually have been misinterpretation of the script during transcription. Anyone using this information for any serious purpose should, of course, refer to the originals. This version was compiled by Ronald Whitney, December 1998.
Based on John's letters, there is a possible conflict with his service record as to the location of his capture. In John's service record, it states that on 14 Dec. 1862 he was "was sent to the Regimental Hospital near Jefferson, TN". From John's letters, he tells of not being fit for duty, but indicates that he was with his regiment on the 21 December. On that date, he wrote a letter from Camp Andru Johnson, TN. Further evidence that he was not in the Regimental hospital is the map of the camp showing the location of his tent that he drew for his son Andrew in this letter. In John's letter of 24 Dec. he tells of the rumored imminent movement of the Army. He further states, "I am enjoying very good health at present". The fact that John stated that he was feeling "good health at present" might not mean much when you take into account the fact that he was taking opium for his ailments as stated in his letter of Dec. 6th. Possibly at this time, he "felt no pain" as a result of this opium. When the Regiment's muster report was taken for Dec. John probably was absent for duty and listed in the Regimental Hospital. Did John leave Camp Andru Johnson Dec. 26, 1862 with his Regiment in Gen. Rousseau's Division during the advance on Murfreesboro or was he left behind as stated in his service record? This I do not know, but when he speculated in his last letter as to his destination; "I shall know when we get to our place of destination", I am sure that he never anticipated nor was he prepared for what awaited him. In Ronald Gancas' book, THE GALLANT 78, STONES RIVER TO PICKETS MILL, he states: "The full winter season had set into the Nashville Basin. December 30th saw a smattering of weather that had plagued the armies from the 26th of December, ~ On this next to last day of the year, several diarists reported heavy showers, bitter cold, and ice on the river." It was on this bitter cold winter day that John was captured. Just how or where one can speculate. Was he one of the many Union soldiers taken prisoner by Gen. Wheeler's cavalry while disrupting the Union lines of communication, or was he one of the one hundred and fifty Union soldiers captured by the Confederate 6th Kentucky Infantry on 30 Dec. during the early fighting at Stone's River, or was he as stated in his service record, captured by Confederate forces at the Reg. Hospital near Jefferson, Tenn John either had, or while a captive, came down with pneumonia. His health deteriorating, on 16 January he was sent to the C.S.M. Prison Hospital in Richmond, Virginia his final "Place of Destination", for JOHN BURHYTE COREY died there, 03 February 1863.In Mary Elizabeth (Allen) Colson's diary, for the year 1863 there is the following entry: "1863 Died in Libby Prison Richmond. February 3, 1863 Mr. John Corey, Husband of Mrs. Hannah Corey."
From John's letters, we can trace (Figure 1) the path of the 21st Wisconsin. The Regiment was mustered in at Camp Bragg, Oshkosh, WI on September 5, 1862. His first letter to Hannah was dated Camp Bragg, Sep. 08 1862. From Wisconsin, the 21st left for Cincinnati, OH on Sep. 11. John's next letter was dated Sep.14, 1862 and tells of being in Cincinnati and camping just out of Covington, KY. John wrote letters the 14th, 15th and 16th. In these he tells of camp life and being at Camp Soloman, and picking peas along the bank of the Licking River. On Sep. 24 and 29, he writes from Louisville, KY. Oct. 10, at Perryville, John writes after the Battle fought Oct 8th. to state he is OK. On Oct. 12 from Harrodsburg he tells of the major Battle fought at Perryville. In this letter, John states they left Louisville on Oct. 1 and went through Taylorsville on their march to Perryville. From Harrodsville, they pursued Gen. Bragg to Crab Orchard where they camped Oct. 16. From Crab Orchard, the army changed directions now moving west. On Oct. 22 and 27, John wrote from a camp 5 mi. west of Lebanon. Nov. 3, he was in Bowling Green, and from there the Regiment went to Mitchellsville, TN. On Dec. 11, John was in Nashville, and stayed at Camp Andrew Johnson. His last letter was written there, Dec. 24, 1862. On Dec. 26, the Army advanced from Nashville to Murfreesboro. John was captured Dec. 30, 1862 prior to the Battle of Stone's River.
In a short span of 117 days starting 05 Sep. 1862, with no preparation and little training, the 21st Wisconsin would be asked to fight in one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, given poor equipment, marched hundreds of miles with little rest, camping in freezing weather without blankets. As a result by Nov. 17, only 18 to 20 of the original 75 men of the regiment were fit for duty. By early December, John's letters indicate he was not able to perform his duties. He was physically exhausted, probably with pneumonia at that time. After all of these hardships, in late December the army was again planning to fight a major battle with the Confederates. John was captured while in this state of physical exhaustion. It is no surprise that he was not able to survive.
In reading these letters, one is amazed by what the citizen soldier endured during this war. And to think, Gen. Buell was relieved of command because he did not drive the men harder in pursuit of Bragg after Perryville. VOLUNTEER'S OUTFIT. -- Adjutant Gen. Utly addressed the following communication to Quartermaster Gen. Tredway . . ."It is the direction of the Commander-in-Chief, after some consideration, that the following outfit be allowed to each soldier in the Wisconsin active Militia: 1 cap, 1 eagle and ring, 2 flannel shirts, 2 pair of stockings, 1 tin or rubber canteen, 1 pompon, 1 coat, 2 pair of flannel drawers, 1 leather stock, 1 haversack, 1 cap cover, 1 pair trowsers, 1 pair bootees or shoes, 1 great coat, 1 knapsack. It is not deemed advisable to purchase at this time any further articles of outfitting such as rubber blankets, ponchos, &c. not until such time as the troops are called into actual service. Other articles, axes, saws, spades, and camp equipage, generally, will be hereafter considered."
Of interest; of William H. and Katherine Corey's eight children, the two boys served during the Civil War, John B. Corey gave his life. Of the six daughters, five sons-in-law also served.
John enrolled as a Private in Company A of the 21st Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers (Union Army) at Fond du Lac, WI, August 15, 1862. He was mustered into the military service of the United States at Camp Bragg, for the term of 3 years, on September 5, 1862. His brother William also served, as did the husbands of all six of his sisters. They were also from Fond du Lac. The first husband of one sister (Katherine) died at Andersonville; her second husband also served during the civil war.
SERVICE.- Pursuit of Bragg to Crab Orchard, Ky., October 1-16, 1862.Battle of Perryville, Ky., October 8.Guard duty at Mitchellsville till December 7. Moved to Nashville, Tenn., and duty there till December 26. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26-30. Jefferson December 30. Battle of Stone's River December 30-31, 1862, and January 1-3, 1863. From John's service record found in the National Archives, we find that six days after his last letter was written, on 30 December 1862 he was captured by Confederate forces and sent to Richmond, Virginia where on 16 January he was admitted to the C.S.M. (Libby Prison) Prison hospital. JOHN BURHYTE COREY died there, 03 February 1863 of pneumonia. The Regiment lost during service 5 Officers and 117 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 180 Enlisted men by disease. Total 305.
From John's service record found in the National Archives, we find that six days after his last letter was written, on 30 December 1862, he was captured by Gen. Bragg's Confederate forces. This Service Record conflicts with John's letters in that it reports:
30"about Dec. 14, 1862 prior to the Battle of Stone's River in Tennessee, John came down with pneumonia and was sent to the Reg. Hospital near Jefferson, Tenn. On Dec. 30, while confined in the hospital he was captured by Confederate forces. He was sent to Richmond, Virginia where on 16 January 1863 he was admitted to the C.S.M. Prison hospital.
Hannah subsequently remarried in 20 Feb 1866 to John Nixon Dobie in Fond du lac, WI.
John wrote approximately thirty-five letters to his wife Hannah before being taken prisoner. These are transcribed at: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~wifonddu/resources/scrapbook/corey.html
JOHN B COREY LETTERS ---- https://studylib.net/doc/11920603/john-b-corey-letters
These letters were written to Hannah (Burhyte) Corey from her husband John during the fall and early winter of 1862.
They were found in the home of Andrew Corey, his son, at 8345 13th NW, Seattle, WA about 1938 by Andrew's grandaughter May (Corey) Berglund. They were on the top shelf of the kitchen in a small oil stained cardboard box. May, who lived next door, took the oil covered letters and "rather foolishly" soaked them in cleaning solvent twice and let them air dry on the grass on the lawn in her back yard. The letters have remained in her possession since that time.
The history of the letters begins in Fond Du Lac County, Wisconsin. Then they traveled west to Browns Valley, Minnesota, back to Fond Du Lac, on to Minneapolis, Minnesota and finally to Seattle, Washington. Andrew and his wife, Clara (Hitchcock) Corey lived first in the Fremont area, later in the Ross neighborhood at 3rd NW and 43rd and finally in the Crown Hill Area of Seattle.
The letters were transcribed by May's daughter, Joan (Berglund) Penewell, who kindly sent copies of the transcriptions to me. Comments have been added for clarity, or to identify individuals when their identity is known. These additions are shown in [brackets] to identify them. Most of the bracketed information explaining the Civil War was provided by cousin Phillip Colson. Of further interest, it should be noted that in 1998 the original letters were brought to Madison, Wisconsin from Seattle by May, her half-sister Marian, her cousin Barbara who is the daughter of May's sister Mildred, and her daughter, Joan.
Joan's mother, May Corey Berglund, a great-grandaughter of John Burhyte Corey, has donated the original letters to the Wisconsin Veteran's Museum in Madison, WI for safekeeping and preservation. In addition to adding bracketed comments, I have corrected a great deal of the spelling to make the letters more easily read. I tried to leave enough of the original spelling to keep 2the flavor of the letters, while correcting words which were always misspelled, such as; rite for write, gard for guard, presant for present, etc. Some of the other misspellings, may actually have been misinterpretation of the script during transcription. Anyone using this information for any serious purpose should, of course, refer to the originals. This version was compiled by Ronald Whitney, December 1998.
Based on John's letters, there is a possible conflict with his service record as to the location of his capture. In John's service record, it states that on 14 Dec. 1862 he was "was sent to the Regimental Hospital near Jefferson, TN". From John's letters, he tells of not being fit for duty, but indicates that he was with his regiment on the 21 December. On that date, he wrote a letter from Camp Andru Johnson, TN. Further evidence that he was not in the Regimental hospital is the map of the camp showing the location of his tent that he drew for his son Andrew in this letter. In John's letter of 24 Dec. he tells of the rumored imminent movement of the Army. He further states, "I am enjoying very good health at present". The fact that John stated that he was feeling "good health at present" might not mean much when you take into account the fact that he was taking opium for his ailments as stated in his letter of Dec. 6th. Possibly at this time, he "felt no pain" as a result of this opium. When the Regiment's muster report was taken for Dec. John probably was absent for duty and listed in the Regimental Hospital. Did John leave Camp Andru Johnson Dec. 26, 1862 with his Regiment in Gen. Rousseau's Division during the advance on Murfreesboro or was he left behind as stated in his service record? This I do not know, but when he speculated in his last letter as to his destination; "I shall know when we get to our place of destination", I am sure that he never anticipated nor was he prepared for what awaited him. In Ronald Gancas' book, THE GALLANT 78, STONES RIVER TO PICKETS MILL, he states: "The full winter season had set into the Nashville Basin. December 30th saw a smattering of weather that had plagued the armies from the 26th of December, ~ On this next to last day of the year, several diarists reported heavy showers, bitter cold, and ice on the river." It was on this bitter cold winter day that John was captured. Just how or where one can speculate. Was he one of the many Union soldiers taken prisoner by Gen. Wheeler's cavalry while disrupting the Union lines of communication, or was he one of the one hundred and fifty Union soldiers captured by the Confederate 6th Kentucky Infantry on 30 Dec. during the early fighting at Stone's River, or was he as stated in his service record, captured by Confederate forces at the Reg. Hospital near Jefferson, Tenn John either had, or while a captive, came down with pneumonia. His health deteriorating, on 16 January he was sent to the C.S.M. Prison Hospital in Richmond, Virginia his final "Place of Destination", for JOHN BURHYTE COREY died there, 03 February 1863.In Mary Elizabeth (Allen) Colson's diary, for the year 1863 there is the following entry: "1863 Died in Libby Prison Richmond. February 3, 1863 Mr. John Corey, Husband of Mrs. Hannah Corey."
From John's letters, we can trace (Figure 1) the path of the 21st Wisconsin. The Regiment was mustered in at Camp Bragg, Oshkosh, WI on September 5, 1862. His first letter to Hannah was dated Camp Bragg, Sep. 08 1862. From Wisconsin, the 21st left for Cincinnati, OH on Sep. 11. John's next letter was dated Sep.14, 1862 and tells of being in Cincinnati and camping just out of Covington, KY. John wrote letters the 14th, 15th and 16th. In these he tells of camp life and being at Camp Soloman, and picking peas along the bank of the Licking River. On Sep. 24 and 29, he writes from Louisville, KY. Oct. 10, at Perryville, John writes after the Battle fought Oct 8th. to state he is OK. On Oct. 12 from Harrodsburg he tells of the major Battle fought at Perryville. In this letter, John states they left Louisville on Oct. 1 and went through Taylorsville on their march to Perryville. From Harrodsville, they pursued Gen. Bragg to Crab Orchard where they camped Oct. 16. From Crab Orchard, the army changed directions now moving west. On Oct. 22 and 27, John wrote from a camp 5 mi. west of Lebanon. Nov. 3, he was in Bowling Green, and from there the Regiment went to Mitchellsville, TN. On Dec. 11, John was in Nashville, and stayed at Camp Andrew Johnson. His last letter was written there, Dec. 24, 1862. On Dec. 26, the Army advanced from Nashville to Murfreesboro. John was captured Dec. 30, 1862 prior to the Battle of Stone's River.
In a short span of 117 days starting 05 Sep. 1862, with no preparation and little training, the 21st Wisconsin would be asked to fight in one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, given poor equipment, marched hundreds of miles with little rest, camping in freezing weather without blankets. As a result by Nov. 17, only 18 to 20 of the original 75 men of the regiment were fit for duty. By early December, John's letters indicate he was not able to perform his duties. He was physically exhausted, probably with pneumonia at that time. After all of these hardships, in late December the army was again planning to fight a major battle with the Confederates. John was captured while in this state of physical exhaustion. It is no surprise that he was not able to survive.
In reading these letters, one is amazed by what the citizen soldier endured during this war. And to think, Gen. Buell was relieved of command because he did not drive the men harder in pursuit of Bragg after Perryville. VOLUNTEER'S OUTFIT. -- Adjutant Gen. Utly addressed the following communication to Quartermaster Gen. Tredway . . ."It is the direction of the Commander-in-Chief, after some consideration, that the following outfit be allowed to each soldier in the Wisconsin active Militia: 1 cap, 1 eagle and ring, 2 flannel shirts, 2 pair of stockings, 1 tin or rubber canteen, 1 pompon, 1 coat, 2 pair of flannel drawers, 1 leather stock, 1 haversack, 1 cap cover, 1 pair trowsers, 1 pair bootees or shoes, 1 great coat, 1 knapsack. It is not deemed advisable to purchase at this time any further articles of outfitting such as rubber blankets, ponchos, &c. not until such time as the troops are called into actual service. Other articles, axes, saws, spades, and camp equipage, generally, will be hereafter considered."
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