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William P. Nichols

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William P. Nichols

Birth
Hartland, Niagara County, New York, USA
Death
27 Jan 1865 (aged 23)
Hartland, Niagara County, New York, USA
Burial
Hartland, Niagara County, New York, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
Aged 23 Years 1 mo 24 da

Son of
Samuel and Elizabeth Nichols
Natives of England

"A VICTIM TO REBEL STARVATION"

Civil War Solider
24th NY INF Battery

Enlisted age 21 years, Nov 9, 1861 at Hamlin, NY.
Mustered in as private Dec 7, 1861 to serve 3 years.
Re-enlisted Jan 1, 1864.
Captured at Plymouth N.C. April 20, 1864.
Paroled at Charleston, S.C. Dec 16, 1864
Died Jan 26, 1865 while at home on furlough.

Held prisoner for 8 long months alongside his brother Samuel in Camp Sumter. Both brothers suffered from malnutrition and died only 4 weeks apart.

The Nichols brothers are buried side-by-side.

THE BATTLE OF PLYMOUTH (April 20, 1864):
In the spring of 1864, the Confederates mounted a campaign to reverse these defeats. General George Pickett led a division to the area and launched a failed attack on New Bern in February. Now, General Robert Hoke assumed command and moved his army against Plymouth, fifty miles north of New Bern. He planned an attack using the C.S.S. Albemarle, an ironclad that was still being built on the Roanoke River inland from Plymouth.

With 7,000 men, Hoke attacked the 2,800-man Union garrison at Plymouth on April 17. His troops began to capture some of the outer defenses, but he needed the Albemarle to bomb the city from the river. The ironclad moved from its makeshift shipyard on April 17, but it was still under construction. With workers aboard, Captain James Cooke moved down the Roanoke. The Albemarle's rudder broke and the engine stalled, so it took two days to reach Plymouth. When it arrived, the Rebel ship took on two Yankee ships, sinking one and forcing the other to retreat. With the ironclad on the scene, Hoke's men captured Plymouth on April 20.

The Confederates lost 163 men killed and 554 wounded, but captured the entire Union garrison and vast amounts of supplies and arms. The Union lost about 150 killed and wounded, while several hundred of the captured soldiers eventually died at the notorious Andersonville Prison (Camp Sumter) in Georgia.

Andersonville Prison (Camp Sumter)
Camp Sumter, commonly called Andersonville, was one of the largest military prisons established by the Confederacy during the Civil War. In existence for 14 months, over 45,000 Union soldiers were confined at the prison. Of these, almost 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, and exposure to the elements. The largest number held in the 26½-acre stockade at any one time was more than 32,000, during August of 1864. Today the beauty of the prison site belies the suffering that once took place inside the stockade.

Aged 23 Years 1 mo 24 da

Son of
Samuel and Elizabeth Nichols
Natives of England

"A VICTIM TO REBEL STARVATION"

Civil War Solider
24th NY INF Battery

Enlisted age 21 years, Nov 9, 1861 at Hamlin, NY.
Mustered in as private Dec 7, 1861 to serve 3 years.
Re-enlisted Jan 1, 1864.
Captured at Plymouth N.C. April 20, 1864.
Paroled at Charleston, S.C. Dec 16, 1864
Died Jan 26, 1865 while at home on furlough.

Held prisoner for 8 long months alongside his brother Samuel in Camp Sumter. Both brothers suffered from malnutrition and died only 4 weeks apart.

The Nichols brothers are buried side-by-side.

THE BATTLE OF PLYMOUTH (April 20, 1864):
In the spring of 1864, the Confederates mounted a campaign to reverse these defeats. General George Pickett led a division to the area and launched a failed attack on New Bern in February. Now, General Robert Hoke assumed command and moved his army against Plymouth, fifty miles north of New Bern. He planned an attack using the C.S.S. Albemarle, an ironclad that was still being built on the Roanoke River inland from Plymouth.

With 7,000 men, Hoke attacked the 2,800-man Union garrison at Plymouth on April 17. His troops began to capture some of the outer defenses, but he needed the Albemarle to bomb the city from the river. The ironclad moved from its makeshift shipyard on April 17, but it was still under construction. With workers aboard, Captain James Cooke moved down the Roanoke. The Albemarle's rudder broke and the engine stalled, so it took two days to reach Plymouth. When it arrived, the Rebel ship took on two Yankee ships, sinking one and forcing the other to retreat. With the ironclad on the scene, Hoke's men captured Plymouth on April 20.

The Confederates lost 163 men killed and 554 wounded, but captured the entire Union garrison and vast amounts of supplies and arms. The Union lost about 150 killed and wounded, while several hundred of the captured soldiers eventually died at the notorious Andersonville Prison (Camp Sumter) in Georgia.

Andersonville Prison (Camp Sumter)
Camp Sumter, commonly called Andersonville, was one of the largest military prisons established by the Confederacy during the Civil War. In existence for 14 months, over 45,000 Union soldiers were confined at the prison. Of these, almost 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, and exposure to the elements. The largest number held in the 26½-acre stockade at any one time was more than 32,000, during August of 1864. Today the beauty of the prison site belies the suffering that once took place inside the stockade.



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