Gorham, Hiram J.
|
MILITARY SERVICE Age: 18, credited to St. Johnsbury, VT Unit(s): 4th VT INF Service: enl 2/21/62, m/i 4/12/62, PVT, Co. I, 4th VT INF, reen 3/28/64, pr CPL 10/28/63, pr SGT, pow, Weldon Railroad, 6/23/64, Andersonville, sent to Blackshear SC, prld 4/28/65, tr to Co. A, 2/25/65, m/o 5/23/65 See Legend for expansion of abbreviations VITALSBirth: abt 1844, St. Johnsbury, VT Death: 10/12/1921 Burial: Hampton National Cemetery, Hampton, VA Marker/Plot: B/9121G Gravestone researcher/photographer: Tom Ledoux Findagrave Memorial #: 0 (There may be a Findagrave Memorial, but we have not recorded it) MORE INFORMATION Alias?: None noted Pension?: Yes, 4/14/1891, TN Portrait?: Unknown College?: Not Found Veterans Home?: ME, TN, VA (If there are state digraphs above, this soldier spent some time in a state or national soldiers' home in that state after the war) Remarks: None DESCENDANTS (Are you a descendant, but not listed? Register today) |
BURIAL: Copyright notice  Hampton National Cemetery, VA Check the cemetery for location/directions and other veterans who may be buried there. |
Hiram J. Gorham
Hiram J. Gorham. Born in St. Johnsbury, and son of Irvin Gorham. Age eighteen years. Enlisted as a private in Company I, 4th Regiment, February 11, 1862, and mustered into United States service as a recruit April 12, 1862, according to Adj. General Washburne's report.
Gorham gives the time of his enlistment as February 21, 1862, and of mustering into United States service as March 20, 1862. Re-enlisted March 28, 1864. Promoted Corporal. Promoted Sergeant, and transferred to Company A, February 25, 1865. Mustered out of service May 23, 1865.
Sergeant Gorham was taken prisoner on Weldon Railroad, June 23, 1864, and was a prisoner ten months and five days.
Mustered out of service as a paroled prisoner, May 23, 1865. He was engaged in the actions of South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Marye's heights, Salem Heights, Gettysburg, Funkstown, Mine Run, Rappahannock, Station, Cold Harbor, PEtersburg and Weldon Railroad. Sergeant Gorham was at home on his re-enlistment furlough at the time of the battle of the Wilderness, and rejoined his regiment at Cold Harbor, June 1, and participated in action the same day, during which a piece of shell tore off a portion of one of the heel-irons of his boot. The same pierce of shell struck a comrade, by the name of Hartshorn of Company D, in the calf of his leg. In the action on the Weldon Railroad, a short time before he was captured, Gorham was struck by a spent all, in his left shoulder. The ball passed through his coat but did not penetrate to the flesh, causing only a temporary lameness.
On the morning of the action at Weldon Railroad Sergeant Gorham, while on picket line, discovered a rebel soldier, captured him, and took him to the headquarters of Gen. Wright. When taken prisoner on the 23d of June, he, with others of the 11th and 4th Regiments from Vermont captured at the same time, after a detention of a few days at Petersburg, Richmond and Lynchburg, were removed toward Georgia. At a point some ten miles north of Greensborough, N.C., at a wood station, at about eleven o'clock at night, Sergeant Gorham and F. J. Hosmer of the same Company, jumped off the cars and made for the woods, and traveled westward toward Tennessee. This was the 6th of July. On the 22nd they had reached the county of Watauga, on the Blue Ridge, in the western part of North Carolina, about seven miles from Boone Court House, when they fell into the hands of rebel soldiers searching the mountains for refugees. At this time it was raining. They were making their way through the bushes, when half a dozen rebels suddenly rose up from concealment, leveling their guns upon them, ordering them to surrender. Being unarmed, resistance was useless. They were taken to the guard-house, and the next morning, with their arms tied together with hickory bark, they were marched to Boone Jail. After two or three days, with about forty other prisoners, they were again tied, two together, and then all together, and marched forty miles, to a railroad station, at Morgantown. they were then taken to Salisbury prisoner, where they remained one week, and from thence to Andersonville about the 10th of August. In October they were taken to Savannah, remaining there about a month, when they were removed to Millen. After two or three weeks they were taken again to Andersonville, via Savannah, stopping at various places a week or so at a time, reaching Andersonville about the 23d of December. About the middle of April they were taken to Baldwin, Florida, and then five or six miles south, beyond the picket line of the rebels, and directed to Jacksonville, within the Union lines, which place they reached the night of the 28th of April. Here the perils of a prison life ended. Sergeant Gorham served his country faithfully and bravely.
Source: Albert G. Chadwick, compiler, Soldiers Record of the Town of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-5,(C. M. Stone & Co., St. Johnsbury, VT., 1883), pp. 69-71