This story is the first of three Civil War ancestors of my grandson in law.
The
Biography of
Civil
War Veteran
Jacob
C. Miles
1833
– 1909
Copyright,
2022, Ann M Sinton
Biography
of Jacob C. Miles (1833-1909)
Civil
War Veteran
Jacob Miles was born on Apr 7, 1833 in Clearfield county,
Pennsylvania, the son of Obediah Miles and Lavina Armogast. The Miles family had lived in Pennsylvania
since Jacob’s 3rd great grandfather, Richard Miles, emigrated to
America from Wales. The 1850 census
shows Jacob, age 17, living in Porter Twp, Clarion Co, PA with his parents and
6 younger siblings. According to his
obituary, Jacob moved to Clarion county in his youth and soon bought a small
farm in Redbank township and later he sold this property and bought a place in
Millcreek where he lived for the rest of his life.
Jacob married Susanna Reese on Dec 21, 1854 in Clarion
county and in the 1860 Census, he is listed as a Teamster living in Madison Twp
in Clarion county. His wife, Susanna, is
listed along with 3 children – Minerva age 5, John age 3 and Fielding age 2
months. His personal estate is worth
$200. There were two other children born
to Jacob and Susanna but they must have died young as they are not listed. In 1862, a fourth child Elmer was born.
Jacob
Miles and wife Susanna Reese Miles
12th Cavalry Flag
Jacob Miles' Enlistment paper and Muster Roll
In June of 1863, Jacob registers for the draft and on Mar
26, 1864 in Meadville, Jacob enlists in the 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry Company L
as a Private at age 31. Jacob would serve for the
remainder of the Civil War, a little over a year, and muster out on July 20,
1865 in Winchester, Virginia. At the
time Jacob would have joined the regiment, the 12th was located in
the Winchester, Va area. They participated in skirmishes and battles in Virginia & West Virginia, as well
as performed Guard or Scout Duty, at Winchester, Loudon Co, Charlestown,
Duffield Station, Bolivar Hts, Hillsboro, Charleston again, Snicker’s Ferry,
Ashby’s Gap, Berry’s Ford, Kernstown, Winchester again, Bunker Hill,
Martinsburg, Cherry Run, Winchester, Charlestown, Hallstown, Mt Zion Church,
Harpers Ferry, Hamilton, Goose Creek and back to Winchester.
Examples of Sutler's Chits of the 12th PA Cavalry Regiment
These would be used to purchase non-military issued items by the soldiers. The sutler's followed the regiments from camp to camp.
Jacob's Pension File CardJacob’s pension file and service record do
not mention any wounds from his service nor being taken prisoner. As many other soldiers, his disabilities
stemmed from diseases and conditions caused just by the everyday life of being
a soldier at that time. According to a
book about the 12th PA Cavalry called “Leather and Steel”, the 12th
was a hard luck regiment. There were
problems with it’s leadership and timing of battles and their locations. The 12th always seemed to get the
worst of it. Most of the time Jacob was
with the 12th, was spent in the Shenandoah Valley where the guerilla
raider John Mosby operated at the end of the war. It is not known if Jacob was ever a mounted or
unmounted cavalry trooper. Late in the
war, many cavalry regiments were educed to being unmounted due to a scarcity of
remount horses and the thought that mounted cavalry attacks were reckless. Later in the war, the carbine was the weapon
of choice in the cavalry, but they also carried a revolver and a saber. Jacob states in his pension application that he was a cook. As such, he may have been permanently assigned to that duty or the duty could have been rotated through the Regiment or Company.
In 1888, documents in Jacob’s Pension File, describe him
as 5’10” in ht, 145 lbs, fair complexion, brown hair and blue eyes. Jacob states that he contracted disease of
the liver & kidney while acting as a cook
for the regiment at Bolivar, Virginia in
December of 1864. He also states
that he contracted chronic diarrhea and piles in July 1865. A comrade’s affidavit tells the same story
for Jacob, also saying that he was an asst. cook and had to carry 5 gallon camp
kettles full of water for the regiment which caused his liver & kidney
ailments.
The 1865 Quartermaster manual describes Camp Kettles this way:
""to be of 3 sizes, made of good American sheet iron, and so as to fit into each other in nests of three; - viz. No 1, the largest size, should be 12 inches in diameter and 11 3/4 inches deep, and to contain 4 1/2 gallons. No 2 should be 10 1/4 inches in diameter, 11 1/2 inches deep and to contain 3 1/;2 gallons. No 3, should 9 1/2 inches in diameter and 11 1/4 inches deep and contain 2 1/2 gallons. All to have iron wire bails, 5/16 of an inch diameter, the ends of which drawn down to a point. Weight of a nest of three kettles, 17 1/4 to 17 1/2 pounds.""
A really detailed description of Civil War cooking can be found here: https://www.libertyrifles.org/research/uniforms-equipment/commissary-cooking
Camp Kettles
Below are several letters written by Jacob to the Pension Office
27 July 1892
Jacob was approved a pension of $12 a month for
these disabilities in 1890. By 1907,
Jacob was collecting $15 a month and in 1908, his pension was increased to
$20. After Jacob died in 1909, his widow
Mary was able to collect a widow’s pension of $12 a month until her death in
1921. For each increase in pension
amount the applicant had to have a new medical exam and provide proof of injury or disease, marriage
and children.
The 1870 census shows Jacob’s family living in Limestone
Twp, Clarion county. His occupation is as a Dyer and his personal estate is
worth $500. Jacob and Susanna would
have four more children, Wilbert, Lewella, Washington and Jacob as well as an
infant who died on Sep 6, 1872. Susanna died on Sep 7, 1872, most likely from
childbirth complications.
Jacob
Miles and 2nd wife Mary Wyant
Less than a year later, Jacob married his second wife,
Mary Wyant(Wiant), on July 17, 1873. They would have three children, George,
Lavina and Sarah before 1880. In this
census, Jacob is shown as a farmer in Redbank Twp, Clarion county. With wife
Mary, children Fielding, Elmer, Wilbert, Lewella, Mead(Jacob), George, Lavina
and Sarah living with them. The older
boys are shown as working as farm laborers.
The 1890 Veterans Schedule of the Census, counts Jacob as
living in Fisher Twp, Clarion Co, with his dates of service and unit along with
notes describing his war disability as “Liver complaint, Piles, and Chronic
Diarrhea” recorded.
In 1896, a notice of a Sheriff's sale of a property owned by Jacob Miles appeared in the Clarion Democrat. It contains a detailed description of the property.
By 1900, all of his children were off on their own except
for George & Sarah. Jacob was still farming with son George. And on July 30, 1909, Jacob passed away at
the age of 76. Jacob’s obituary describes him as a well known citizen who had
lived an honored and honorable life.
Jacob converted to the Methodist Episcopal faith over 40 years before
his death and was known as a most exemplary Christian man respected and beloved
by all for his good works.
Mary would show up in 1910 as a widow living on their
farm with George and the now married, Sarah and her family. By 1920, it seems that Sarah’s husband has
taken over the farm, but Mary still lives with them as an 85 year old widow and
also son George is still with them. At
87 years old, Mary dies in Oil City, Crawford Co, PA on Sept 4, 1921 at the home
of a daughter. Jacob, along with both Susanna & Mary are all buried in the
Fisher Methodist Cemetery in Fisher, Clarion county.
Obituary in the Clarion Democrat on 5 Aug 1909
Fisher Methodist Cemetery
Jacob and
Susanna are my son in law's 3rd great grandparents.
The lineage to
my son in law is:
Jacob
Miles (1833 - 1909)
Fielding
Miles (1860 – 1949)
Harry
L Miles (1900 – 1970)
James
R Miles (1937 – 2004)
Sources:
Ancestry.com
National Archives
Newspapers.com
https://www.libertyrifles.org/research/uniforms-equipment/commissary-cooking
Find A Grave
http://www.pacivilwar.com/12thflag.html
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/civil-war-chit-wm-sherwood-sutler-293822175
https://www.civilwartokens.com/Event/LotDetails/2687613/183-PA1205B-R9-NGC-F15-12th-Cavalry-Civil-War-Sutler-token
"Leather & Steel" The 12th Pennsylvania Cavalry in the Civil War, Larry B. Maier, Burd Street Press, 2001.
Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2025. All rights reserved
_and_18th_U.S._Veteran_Reserve_Corps_Infantry_Regiment,_in_uniform_with_musket_in_hand_and_bucktail_on_LCCN2017659633.jpg)
