On February 14, 1861, at the age of about 17, Timothy Sheridan enlisted as a private in the Union army. At the time he was a farm laborer living in Castleton, Vt. He is described as being 5 feet 6.5 inches tall, with blue eyes and sandy colored hair.

After serving three years in the 7th Infantry, Company A, Timothy deserted on Sept. 27, 1864 in Brattleboro Vt. He was arrested October 4 1864 in Elizabeth, N.J. The papers from his military file state, "He came to this office with a broker to enlist as a volunteer and was about to be sworn in the service when he voluntarily stated that he could not be sworn in as he was already in the service of the U. S. and produced his furlough and that he had been on a spree and had cousin Ted to enlist again". Timothy had been on a furlough but did not return when the furlough expired.

In a statement taken at Washington St. Prison, Alexandria, Va., Timothy says, "I re-enlisted into the United States service, Feb 15th, 1864 at Barancas, Fla. I received $210 bounty. I left the regiment while passing through New York on a pass. I did not return at the expiration of my pass, but reported the next A.M. (Oct. 4, 1864) to the Marshal in Jersey City, and asked to join my regiment, but he committed me to prison." It seems Timothy deserted for a short time, but had a change of heart and went back to re-enlist.

He was forwarded to Washington, D. C. October 10, 1864 and was received at Forrest Hall Prison, Georgetown, D. C. He was then sent to Alexandria, VA on October 21, 1864, received at Defenses South of the Potomac October 31, 1864 and sent to Camp Distribution Dec. 17. He rejoined his regiment on January 5, 1865. Timothy finished his term and was mustered out March 14, 1866.

The desertion charge was later removed from his record. Timothy was born in 1846 Co. Tipperary, Ireland and died May 17, 1870, at the age of 24, when hit by a train while working on the railroad tracks in Castleton, VT. Members of his family claim that the accident was in part due to the hearing loss Timothy incurred while fighting in the war. He is buried in Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Rutland, Vermont.

John Sheridan Jr., a half brother to Timothy Sheridan, who also served in the war. They shared the same father (John Sheridan Sr.) but had different mothers. John jr. was a product of the first marriage, while Timothy was of the second marriage of John Sr. to Catherine Carey. John was born in Co. Tipperary Ireland and emigrated to the U. S. in 1850, settling in Castleton, Vt.

John signed up, at the age of 30, as a private in Company A of the 7th Infantry, on September 3, 1864. He is described as being 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a light complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.

At the time of his enlistment, John was a farm laborer in Castleton, Vt. He was married to Julia Morris and had the following children: Mary born 1856, Patrick born 1857, Bridget born 1858, Robert born 1860, John born 1864, James Edwin born 1867, and William E. born Jan 1870.

John was only in the service for two months when he became ill. By November 25, 1864 he had chronic diarrhea and fevers and was admitted to St Louis U.S. Army General Hospital in New Orleans, La. He stayed there until he rejoined his regiment in February of 1865. John then had an accident and was sent back to St Louis hospital. His pension claim states, "In New Orleans, La., Jan. or Feb. 1865 while assisting others in the moving of a building, a lever came against his left leg below the knee joint, fracturing the bone and several weeks previous to the injury being received he has an attack of chronic diarrhea." On April 14 John was transferred to Castleton, Vt and on the 15th was admitted to the Gov. Smith Hospital in Brattleboro, Vt. He remained in the hospital until his honorable discharge on June 3, 1865.

The illness and leg injury would continue to affect John's health for the remainder of his life. His pension files contain several doctor reports describing John's deteriorated condition until his death in November 1898. One report lists, "this man is so disabled from ulcer left leg as to be unable to perform manual labor." By the age of 60 John is described as "walking very lame, heart action much weakened, eyes grown so weak he is almost blind and has chronic diarrhea." The cause of death is listed as "atrophy of the heart that was due to a gradual absorption of poisonous matter arising from chronic ulcers upon the limbs and intestinal lesions."

When John died he left behind his second wife Anna. His first wife, Julia, died in 1875. John married Anna later that same year. The second marriage produced no children. At the time of his death in 1898 John "owned a house, a barn and 2.5 acres of land not worth more than $500. There was also 20 or 25 acres of woodland on a mountain owned by him which is not worth more than $50." John died in Castleton, Vt., but it is not known at this time where his grave is located.

Source: John and Timothy Sheridan are 2nd-great-granduncles of Susan Fox, Simpsonville SC, who contributed this article. Quotations from their service and pension records.