Eclectic Ann: Thomas McNeil - Civil War soldier

I wanted to get his story into my blog. I wrote it a few years ago for Veteran's day.

I didn't think that I was going to have a Veteran's Day story to tell this year, but email came to the rescue today. I received the Military Service Record for Thomas McNeil today. So here is a brief story of his life and service, hoping for more details to come yet.

Thomas McNeill was born about 1825 in Ireland. He probably came to America about 1848 or 1852, possibly thru Castle Garden, the predecessor of Ellis Island.

The 1860 census shows him as a farmer living in Exeter, Luzerne Co, PA with his wife Mary Ann Morris and 4 children, John 8, Fallie 7, Thomas 4 and Elizabeth 1. A 5th child, Mary Ann was born about 1862 after Thomas enlisted in the Union Army.

His enlistment date is given as Nov 20, 1861 in Luzerne County. He became a Private in the 56th Penna Infantry Company I. The Regiment stayed at Camp Curtin in Harrisburg until March 8, 1862 when it left for Washington DC. Near the end of April 1862, the regiment left the Washington area and was engaged in repairing damage done to the Fredricksburg-Norfolk Railroad. Most of the summer of 1862 was spent doing guard duty until August 16, 1862 when the regiment heard it’s first sounds of enemy shells passing overhead near Gainesville, Virginia.

The 56th participated in many of the more well known battles, such as South Mountain, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Petersburg, and was known a s one of the better Regiments by reputation. At Gettysburg, the 56th is credited with firing the very first shot of the battle.

In April 1863, just 3 months before the Battle at Gettysburg, Thomas is shown on his Muster Roll records as being detached to duty with the Division Commissary. He would be shown in this capacity until Feb 1864. On March 7, 1864, he was discharged by reason of re-enlisting back into his same company and regiment at Culpepper, Virginia. Those who reenlisted received a furlough to Philadelphia.

After his re-enlistment, he is simply shown as present. So it is assumed that the Commissary duty had ended. Commissary duty would have involved feeding the armies. So whether he was a cook or worked in a warehouse or some other position is not known. This does not necessarily mean that he did not see battle in the months he served the commissary. He could have been supplying food to troops in the field as well. He mustered out of the army on July 1, 1865 near Washington.

Right now, this is all that is known of his military service. After the war, Thomas and Mary Ann had two more children, James in 1867 and Jennie in 1870. The 1870 census has the family living in West Pittston, Luzerne County and Thomas is working as a laborer. In 1880, Thomas and family are back living in Exeter. 4 of their children still live with them.

Thomas is supposed to have died on Jan 9, 1882 in Wyoming or Exeter, Luzerne county. But his estate was apparently still being settled around Feb of 1887 according to a newspaper notice. Also an Army supplied headstone was not provided until July of 1887. Thomas’s widow, Mary Ann, also applied for a widow’s pension in 1890, based upon Thomas’s service, but no proof of that as yet. In 1900 and 1910, Mary Ann was living with her son James’s family in Exeter. Mary Ann would live until Christmas day of 1910, one day after her 87th birthday. They are buried in Wyoming Cemetery in Luzerne county.

Thomas McNeil is Tom’s great great grandfather and grandfather of Ruth Gray Sinton.