Co.D, 2nd U.S.Sharpshooters. Train collision, Virginia
Hello!, I,m doing genealogy and I.m trying to find out more about a relative Named Sanford S. Bartlett who was mustered into service on Nov. 1, 1861in Augusta, Maine. He was 18 years old from Belgrade, Maine. He died in a railroad collision on June 1,1862. The Adjutant General's Annual Report pg 106 said"We arrived at Catlett Station May 31st, and there we took cars for Front Royal,Va., via Manassas Junction. When near White Plains, about 3 o'clock on the morning of June 1st, 1862, the train in our rear by some mismanagement came into collision with ours, nearly demolishing several cars, killing one man and wounding twenty-two others, some severely,(all in our company) Does anyone have any ideas of where I might get further information? The U.S. government or the state of Maine has no info on his burial place. It is surmised he was burried near this train depot called White Plains. I don't know what town that would be in. Has anyone ever heard of the others that were injured? Love to hear what comments you might have for me. Thanks. Gail
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Ancestry.com...
...Has him listed in the 1860 US Census
as Sanford Bartlet
residing in Belgrade with
Emery, Lydia, and Eliza Tilson
there is also a Vileda Hersom living there as well.
Oddly enough, there is a Sanford A Bartlett living in Camden who was the same age.
He lived with Thomas, Eliza, Edgar, Georgiana, and William H. Bartlett.
Also residing at the address is a Sarah Moody.
No other info on that site.
Sorry, hope the stuff I gave you helps.
2nd Lt Eric R. Reeder
United States Army
Corps of Topographic Engineers
"Hawks and Eagles fly like Doves"
also...
... the only Sanford Bartlett I find in the Union Army was from company C, 72 Illinois Infantry.
Doubt there is a connection.
2nd Lt Eric R. Reeder
United States Army
Corps of Topographic Engineers
"Hawks and Eagles fly like Doves"
Pvt. S.S.Bartlett
All the information on Pvt. Bartlett appears to be correct. He was a Private with the 2nd USSS Co D. The White Plains they are referring to is near I-81 outside of Roanoke. This area was heavily contested during the time around Pvt. Bartlett's death, and the tracks are reported by many accounts to had been in poor condition.
I'll search for the specific accidents in the Official Records and see if there is any mention of it.
Will
OR
There were no mention of a train accident in the Official Reports. At the time the Federal Army was withdrawing from the Peninsula campaign and the 2nd USSS were being sent to the Valley to counter Stonewall Jackson. Any accident reports became secondary in importance. I will check to see if there are any records for the final resting place for Pvt. Bartlett. Most of the time the bodies would be sent home except during active campaigning, there are records somewhere.
Will
I bow....
... to Will's superior source material!
2nd Lt Eric R. Reeder
United States Army
Corps of Topographic Engineers
"Hawks and Eagles fly like Doves"
A wish
I wish the source material were better! It is really amazing that we have so much information available and yet sometimes it fails us when looking for details.
Will
S.S. Bartlett
Thanks very much for your reply. I may have to give up on my search. Thanks to people such as yourself, I get pieces of information that may lead me to my ancester. Do you think that any of the other injured men in the collision would have written letters that are now published somewhere? Thanks again.
Gail
S.S. Bartlett
It's interesting how life works. My son now lives in Lynchburg Va. and had been working in Roanoke. Thank you for your help. You have given me another lead. I'll check for cemeteries around Roanoke. He was probably buried somewhere without even a headstone. What's your thought about getting information through some of the other men who were injured or just present on the train that day? Thank you again for your effort.
Gail
I too have spent some time
I too have spent some time looking up his name in cemetary lists, im finding other bartletts, and Bartlett Road in belgrade...but even they are incomplete lists, and I have found in the farmington area headstones for people who arent actually buried there, that died in Prison or far in the field... I have seen at least three mentions of the train collision but the prime info still eludes me.....
Seamus
".....and with a prick upon my thumb, something wicked this way comes..."
MacBeth
Webpage
Gail you may want to try this web site
http://www.berdansharpshooters.com/
Most of the Sharpshooters are dubbed Berdan's Sharpshooters. They may have more information on the topic simply because this is their realm of the hobby. They also have a message board for information.
I will keep you information on file and forward any further information if I come across any. You may want to contact the State as well as their is a section that has listed all the known locations of buried veterans. The website here is
http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/genealogy/
For everyone else here is a little information on the 2nd USSS
2nd U.S. Sharpshooters, Co. D
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Muster In: November 2, 1861
Muster Out: February 18, 1865
Length of Service: 3 years 3 months
Engagements
Falmouth, VA
Rappahannock Station, VA
Groveton, VA
2nd Bull Run, VA
South Mountain, MD
Antietam, MD
Fredericksburg, VA
Chancellorsville, VA
Gettysburg, PA
Wapping Heights, VA
Auburn, VA
Kelly's Ford, VA
Locust Grove, VA
Mine Run, VA
Wilderness, VA
Spottsylvania, VA
Po River, VA
Fredericksburg Pike, VA
North Anna, VA
Totopotomy, VA
Cold Harbor, VA
Weldon Railroad, VA
Petersburg, VA
Streawberry Plains, VA
Deep Bottom, VA
Jerusalem Plank Road, VA
Peebles Farm, VA
Poplar Spring Church, VA
Hatchers Run, VA
Boydton Road, VA
Casualties
11 Killed
20 wounded (5 mortally)
8 missing
15 died of disease
Will