The following information was abstracted from Compiled Military Service Records, Records of the Adjutant General's Office, Record Group 15, National Archives Building, Washington, DC.
These compiled military service records include summary 'cards' drawn from (for example)
1. Company Muster-In Rolls which detail the months in service (or absence and the reason), promotions and demotions, reenlistments;
2. Company Muster-Out Rolls
3. Descriptive List of Deserters (if applicable)
4. Muster and Descriptive Rolls of Veteran Volunteers [for those who reenlist, and which basically duplicates reenlistment info we gleaned from the Illinois State Archives web site]
5. Detachment Muster-out Rolls
6. Special Muster Rolls
7. Casualty Sheets (if applicable)
8. Memorandum from Prisoner of War Records (if applicable)
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Abstracted information: Company E, 59th Regiment Illinois
Soldier: Nicolaus SMITH [known in St. Clair County, Illinois census and church records as Nicolaus SCHMIDT] --Muster In: at St. Louis Arsenal, Missouri 7 Aug 1861, joined at Illinoistown [now part of East St. Louis, Illinois] --Co. Muster Roll Jan/Feb 1862: absent - sick with furlough dated Feb 1, expires March 1 1862 --Casualty Sheet: Slight face wound at Mission Ridge 25 Nov 1863 at Chattanooga while in 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 4th Corps of Company E 59th Ills at shown in "Book 10B 1863 page 7, Army of the Cumberland;" and "Book 9 - C page 460, Dept of Cumberland" --Detachment Muster-out: 31 Dec 1863, roll dated at White Sille [sic], Tennessee 12 Jan 1864, last paid date 31 Oct 1863 with $6.97 due to soldier. Remarks: "MO [mustered out] by reason of reenlistment as a Vet Vol." -- Veteran Volunteer Enlistment: Whiteside, Tennessee dated 1 Jan 1864. Nicolaus signed with an "X" instead of his name, and the person inscribing Nic's name wrote it as Nicolaus Smith; Nicolaus was 26 years 11 months old at this time. --Muster and Descriptive Roll of Veteran Volunteers, Whiteside, Tennessee dated 12 Jan 1864: $340.00 due to soldier to be 'credited to' Centerville [sic], St. Clair Co., Ills. [This was followed by 30 days furlough Jan/Feb 1864.] --Company Muster Roll Mar/Apr 1865: promoted from Pvt to Corporal 'to date' Apl 14 [18]64 Vet. Non Commission Officer --Descriptive List of Deserters dated 30 June 1865 describes Nicolaus as age 26, 5 feet 7 inches, fair complexion, hazel eyes and light hair; born St. Clair County, Ills, a farmer. --Company Muster Out Roll dated 8 Dec 1865 at New Braunsfels, Tex showed he had been paid $210 through 30 Apl 1865; deserted at Cairo 19 June 1865. He took 1 rifle (musket) valued at $19.25 and accoutrements valued at $3.68, total = $22.63 [sic]; this money due to the U.S. [no further notes about this]. |
[Note: Research commissioned by Mr. Wiesenborn determined Nicolaus lived with George Wiesenborn after the war -- see 1870 U.S. census, Illinois, St. Clair, Township 1 South Range 9 West, Centreville P.O., page 583 (stamped), family no. 165/ dwelling no. 174. Nicolaus Schmidt died in March 1873 and was buried in Salem Cemetery. See Todten Register fur der Zions Gemeinde [Death Register for Zion Church], Millstadt, Illinois [now Zion UCC]; and Don Slinkard, Death Register for the Zion Community [1836 - 1985], (Millstadt, Ill.: the author, no date). Salem Cemetery is now called Baltz Cemetery.]