Civil War Veterans Buried In Washington State - Rudolph Hany

21^st OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized: April, 1861
Mustered In: 5/22/61 Camp Taylor, Cleveland, OH
Mustered Out: 8/12/61 Columbus, OH

37^th OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized: 9/9/61 - 3/1/62 Cleveland, OH
Mustered In: 3/4/62 Clifton, WV
Mustered Out: 8/7/65 Little Rock, AR

REGIMENTAL HISTORY: (21^st)

  The 21^st, a three month eastern theater regiment was enrolled as follows: cos.  "A", "F" and "G"  4/19,20 & 26 at Findlay; Co. "B" 4/23 at Findlay; Co. "C" 4/25 at Perrysburg; Co. "D" 4/20 at Ottawa; Co. "E" 4/20 at Kalida; Co. "H" 4/23 at Fostoria; Co. "1" 4/26 at Elmore, and "K" 4/24 at Defiance. All companies then proceeded to Cleveland where the regiment was formed and began preparations to take the field.

  While in Cleveland it was found that the volunteer quota for troops under the first call to arms had been filled, but state officials found they still had nine full regiments in camp that had to be taken care of - the 21^st being one of them. As such, with Ohio being a "border" state and therefore liable to be invaded, these "extra" forces were mustered into state service to provide more effectively for defense.

  On 5/23/61 the unit moved to Gallipolis with a stop at Columbus for arms and accouterments. Once at Gallipolis it remained in camp until 7/3 when it was ordered to Ravenswood, West Virginia to reinforce other Union troops who were expecting an attack by Rebel forces encamped at Ripley, W VA. Instead of waiting to be attacked, however, the 21^st made a forced march to Ripley and drove off the Rebel troops. It then returned to Gallipolis via steamer.

  On 7/11 the regiment marched to Red House on the Kanawha River from whence it was ordered on reconnaissance to determine Confederate positions. During this period it performed a gallant and successful bayonet charge at Scary Creek which cost the 21^st 2 killed, 2 mortally wounded and a number of slightly wounded. It then remained in the field until called home for final muster.

  Regimental losses: 4 killed in battle, 3 drowned and 8 died of disease.
 

REGIMENTAL HISTORY: (37^th)

  The 37^th, a three year regiment was to have the distinction serving in both the "eastern" and "western" theaters. In the spring of 1862 it moved from Cleveland, Ohio to a point along the Kanawha River in West Virginia. Shortly thereafter it was engaged in fierce, but unsuccessful fighting at and near the town of Princeton. Cost of the action was one officer and thirteen enlisted men killed two officers and forty six men wounded and fourteen men missing, fairly high losses for a unit's baptism of fire.

  In August the regiment was engaged in an expedition to Wyoming Court House during which a detachment was ambushed and surrounded by the enemy. Although the Federals managed to cut their way out of the predicament they suffered another two killed plus one officer and seven men captured.

  Before the end of 1862 the 37^th was also under fire at Fayetteville and Cotton Hill. During the retreat that followed it lost two killed, three wounded and sixty two missing. Of the latter group, a large number were teamsters and those guarding the wagon train.

   In early 1863 the regiment was transferred westward where it took part in the bloody, but unsuccessful assaults upon the enemy's fortifications at Vicksburg, MS. During those actions and the resulting siege of that city nineteen were killed and seventy five wounded.

  After the mid-year surrender of Vicksburg the 37^th participated in the movement upon and capture of Jackson. It then moved on to Tennessee where, at Missionary Ridge outside Chattanooga it lost five men killed and thirty six wounded during an assault on Rebel positions.

  In March, 1864 three quarters of the regiment re-enlisted for another three years. After the resulting furloughs the unit joined in the advance of Union Gen. W.T. Sherman's troops upon Resaca, GA. During this action two officers and one enlisted man were killed and ten men were wounded. It then saw action at Dallas and New Hope Church.

  The 37^th next went into line of battle before Kennesaw Mountain and participated in the disastrously bloody assaults upon the Confederate works which cost the unit four killed and nineteen wounded.  Despite the poor outcome for the Federals, the Rebels were forced to fall back and abandon the position. 

  On 7/22 the regiment held a position on the right of the division in breastworks abandoned by the enemy. There the unit was flanked by the Rebels leading to losses of four killed, ten wounded and thirty eight taken prisoner. Shortly thereafter, at Ezra Church the 37^th, deployed as skirmishers on the extreme right frustrated Confederate attempts to turn that union flank. Losses there were one killed and five wounded.

  Following the fall of Atlanta, GA, the 37^th participated in Sherman's famous "march to the sea" before, in early 1865, turning northward for the Carolina's Campaign. With an end to four years of bloody conflict shortly afterwards, the unit marched to Washington, D.C. for the Grand Review before being shipped to Arkansas for final muster.

SOLDIER: (21^st)
Residence: Inf. Not Avail.   Age: 19.5 yrs.   
Enlisted: 4/23 or 25/61 Perryville, OH   Rank: Pvt.
Mustered Out: 8/12/61 Columbus, OH
Highest Rank: Pvt.
                                                                                                                                   

SOLDIER: (37th)
Residence: Inf. Not Avail. Age: 20.11 yrs.
Enlisted: 11/13/61 Toledo, OH Rank: Pvt.
Mustered In: 11/13/61 Toledo, OH
Mustered Out: 8/7/65 Little Rock, AR
Highest Rank: Sgt.  

PERSONAL & FAMILY HISTORY:

  Rudolph Hany was born Nov. 1841 in the municipality of Diessbach Switzerland.  Diessbach is a municipality located in the district of Buren and the canton (state) of Bern.  There is no documentation pertaining to his parentage or possible siblings. Also, there is no information pertaining to his childhood, formative or early teenaged years.  According to the 1900 U.S. Census, Rudolph reportedly came to the United States sometime in the year 1860. However, that census also lists his month and year of birth as October, 1843. Whether he came alone or with members of his biological family is not known.  

  In April, 1861 the still-teenaged Rudolph answered the first call to arms by his adoptive country by enlisting in the army. At that time he was described as being 5'8" tall, fair complexioned, with gray eyes and light hair. His occupation at the time was noted as "farmer and blacksmith."

  Despite his initial three months of military service being in a unit that actually saw some combat action, Private Hany appears to have passed his trials by fire without incident. Available military service records make no mention of illness or wounding and his muster out roll notes contain only references to a monies advanced him for clothing and payment due him. 

  Rudolph remained out of the army only a short time before re-enlisting anew, this time for three years. Once again, his military experience proved to be primarily positive. While there are there no reported instances of wounding or illness, there is notation of a knee injury which occurred at Young's Point, LA across the Mississippi River from Vicksburg, MS. In the spring of 1863, while building a corduroy road near a landing spot on the river - no doubt but to facilitate the movement and crossing of Union Gen. U.S. Grant's forces into  Mississippi in order to sweep around behind and attack the City of Vicksburg - a tree fell across him and injured his left knee. Treated in an army hospital near Milliken's Bend, MS, Rudolph returned to duty, but in later years when applying for a U.S. Government disability pension based upon his service-related injury, a comrade noted that "he never walked the same."  

  Rudolph also fared well in terms of his service-related performance by rising in rank, first from private to corporal on 11/1/62 and, later, from corporal to sergeant. The latter rank was attained on 1/1/65 after he had re-enlisted in February, 1864 as a veteran volunteer for an additional three years. For the re-enlistment he was paid a bonus or "bounty." 

  With the War and military service behind him Rudolph reportedly returned to Ohio and settled in Toledo. However, he cannot be located there, or anywhere else for that matter, in the 1870 census. 

  The next documentation for Rudolph comes from 1/1/73 when, in White Pigeon, St. Joseph County, MI he married to Sarah Derr (b. PA). Pension papers relate her age as eighteen years (b. 8/55), but the 1870 U.S. census for Elkhart, IN placed her age at that time as thirteen  years (b. ca. 1857)

  Whether sixteen or eighteen at the time of her marriage, she and Rudolph's first child, Flora was born 2/27/77 in Elkhart, IN. A second child, Fred, was born 8/3/85 in St. Paul, Ramsey County, MN. In 1910 Sarah would tell census takers that she had borne three children of which two, Flora and Fred, were living. When and where the un-named third child was born and how long it lived is not known.

  In 1880 the Hany's were residing in Elkhart, IN. At the time Rudolph's occupation was listed as "machinist." Five years later they were in St. Paul, MN. As best as can be determined, they remained there until sometime between 1901 and 1907. By the latter year they were residing in the City of Everett, Snohomish County, Washington. As with the when, exactly why the westward move was made is not known. Also, it appears they may have lived at two Everett addresses - 1917 Highland Ave. and 2019 Highland Ave. It was at the latter Rudolph died of pneumonia on 10/8/07.

  In June of 1892 Rudolph had begun the paperwork process to obtain a U.S. Government disability pension based on chronic rheumatism of the left knee, catarrh of the head and partial deafness, all of which he traced to his years of Civil War service. The request was routinely rejected until 3/1/97 when a stipend of $6 per month was inaugurated because of his lack of ability to perform manual labor due to his rheumatism. Sight and hearing problems appear to have been also noted. The monthly payment was upped to $8 per month in 1900 and to $12 per month in 1907 only months before his death. 

  Following her husband's death Sarah petitioned the government to continue receiving at least a portion of Rudolph's pension. In April, 1908 the request was granted at a rate of $8 per month, an amount that was, by early 1910, jumped to $12 per month. That same year, on 2/15 a marriage certificate was issued to Sarah and Nicholas Plambeck. This terminated her pension payments. 

  At the time of their marriage Sarah was a widow and Nicholas a widower. One year older than Sarah, Nicholas was of German heritage and owned/operated a laundry business in Everett. The two remained together until Mr. Plambeck's death on 6/2/37 in Everett. 

  With her second husband's death it appears Sarah reapplied for receipt of a portion of Rudolph's Civil War service pension. One notation indicates the process was initiated on 9/1 in Seattle, WA while another indicates her monthly allowance to have been $40 per month as of 7/7.

  Whatever the pension initiation date, by 8/8/37 Sarah had departed Everett and was living south of Everett in a downtown Seattle, King County, WA hotel room. Her address at the time was given as the Oakes Hotel 816 1/2 Pike. Available documentation is murky as to whether this was also her married daughter, Flora's, address or if Flora lived elsewhere in Seattle. While the hotel residence was reported "non-permanent" it appears likely Sarah remained there until her death. Sarah Plambeck died 12/7/1940 at Seattle, King Co. WA. Her remains were returned to Everett for burial in that city's Evergreen Cemetery next to Rudolph. 

Buried at Evergreen Cemetery Everett
Row: 15
Site: 188

Chris Keyes
Port Orchard, WA