Civil War Veterans Buried In Washington State - Silas Stall

Silas H. Stall

Representing: Union


G.A.R Post

  • Oliver Morton Post #10 Snohomish, Snohomish Co. WA

Unit History

  • 9th Iowa Infantry B

See full unit history

Silas  Stall
Full Unit History

9th IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized:
July/August, 1861 Dubuque, Iowa
Mustered In: 9/24/61 Dubuque, Iowa
Mustered Out: 7/18/65 Louisville, Kentucky

Regimental History

REGIMENTAL HISTORY:

  This three year "western-theater" regiment was organized in Dubuque, Iowa during the summer of 1861 and mustered into federal service on September 24th.  A few days later it proceeded to Benton Barracks near St. Louis, Missouri where it remained until the middle of that year's month of October.  It was then assigned to railroad guard duty. 

  In January, 1862 the 9th joined the Army of the Southwest with whom it was first engaged with the enemy at Sugar Creek, Arkansas. During this action its division drove before it a force three times its number.

 On the 4th of March, 1862 the unit's colonel was sent to Huntsville, Alabama with a brigade composed of handpicked men - including members of the 9th.  Word was the enemy was approaching. That word confirmed, the force was ordered to Pea Ridge, Arkansas. After a determined and grueling 14 hour march the small command arrived at Pea Ridge and took part in a pitched battle which lasted two days. During this action the 9th lost nearly 200 killed and wounded. 

  From Pea Ridge the regiment moved through Missouri and Arkansas before going into camp in that latter state. It was to remain there for five months.

  1863 began with the 9th taking part in the Union movement against Arkansas Post Arkansas.  From there it moved towards Vicksburg, Mississippi.  In early May it took part in the battle of Jackson and on the 18th reached Vicksburg where, the next day, it lost a number of men in an assault on the enemy's fortifications.  Four days later it lost another 100 men during a second assault.

  With the capitulation of Vicksburg on July 4th, the 9th moved onto Jackson and, after the evacuation of that city, went into camp near the Big Black River. From there, in September it returned to Vicksburg and took a steamer to Memphis, Tennessee. From Memphis it traveled by rail to Corinth, Mississippi and then to Chattanooga,   Tennessee where it took part in the "battle above the clouds." Following the Chattanooga action the regiment pursued the retreating Rebels as far as Ringgold Gap, Georgia. It then went into winter quarters.

  During the winter of 1863/’64 enough of the regiment re-enlisted to garner it "veteran volunteer" status. With furloughs home concluded by March, '64 the 9th returned to Chattanooga, Tennessee and joined the forces of Union Gen. William T. Sherman as they moved upon Atlanta, Georgia.

  During the Atlanta campaign the 9th was engaged at Resaca, Dallas, New Hope Church Big Shanty, Kennesaw Mountain, the Chattahoochee River, Decatur, Atlanta, Jonesboro and Lovejoy's Station. After the evacuation of Atlanta it went into camp, but in October was sent in pursuit of Confederate Gen. Hood's fleeing troops. Soon after this, the regiment began the "march to the sea."

  From Savannah, Georgia the regiment moved by steamer to Beaufort, South Carolina.  In that state it participated in the capture of Columbia and in various minor scrapes. The war having ended, it marched in the Washington, D.C. Grand Review before moving to Louisville, Kentucky for final muster.

Soldier History

SOLDIER:
Residence:
Madison, Iowa   Age: 19.5 yrs.
Enlisted/Enrolled: 8/12/61 Anamosa, Jones Co., Iowa   Rank: Pvt.
Mustered In: 9/24/61 Dubuque, Dubuque Co., Iowa
Mustered Out: 7/19/65 Louisville, Kentucky
Highest Rank: Cpl.  

Family History

PERSONAL/FAMILY HISTORY:

  Based on available documentation and ancestral information, Silas H. Stall was the eldest of four children born to George (b.1817 PA) and Mary (nee Lazier b. 1824 OH) Stall. George was apparently a farmer/laborer.   (Note: The family surname would, at times, also appear as Stahl, Stoll or, as would be the case when Silas was in the army, Silons and even Stowell).

  While no specific birth date has been found for Silas and birth years range from 1842 to 1846, based on his military service records, as best as can be determined his birthday was circa March 1, 1842.  His birth state was Ohio.   Silas' younger siblings were, as follows: Sarah J. (b. 1846 OH), John S. (b. 1850 OH) and W.W. (b. 1853 IA).As noted by the birth of W.W., by 1853 the Stalls had quitted Ohio, likely because of new farming opportunities in Iowa.  

  It was on August 12, 1861, in Anamosa, Jones County, located in central Iowa, that teenaged farmer Silas Stall enlisted in the U.S. Army volunteer infantry.  Muster - present/absent - records for Silas' company "B" of the 9th Iowa Infantry show him present up until 10/31/61, but provide no entry for November and December.  The same is true for the first two months of 1862. However, for the remainder of the '62 calendar year he was present for duty. Those duties ranged from assignment to a pioneer (construction) party in June, '62 as well August through October, In November and December he was assigned as a company cook...

  1863.  Private Stall was present for duty throughout this year, but with some new experiences compared to those of 1862.  Firstly, on 5/22, during Union Gen. U.S. Grant's initial assaults on the Rebel fortified city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Silas received a wound – apparently not serious - to his right leg.  Later, in August, he was admitted to the regimental hospital   for some type of internal problem.  How long and for what specific reason he was hospitalized is not clear as there are no present/absent listing for his company in November and December of that year.  Hospital records, however, for the 13th day of the latter month show him present.

  On January 1, 1864, in Woodville, Alabama, Private Stall re-enlisted as a "veteran volunteer." This event provides our first look at his physical characteristics.  According to records, he was, at the time 21.10 years of age, stood 5' 6"/7" tall, had blue eyes, light hair and a light complexion. For reenlisting he received a $400 bonus or "bounty", the majority of which, beyond $60 which was paid him later the same month, would be received in later increments. Also for reenlisting, on 2/3 he received at least a 30 furlough home.

  For the remainder of 1864 it appears Silas was present for duty although around mid- year he received a pay stoppage of seven cents for loss of an unidentified piece of army ordinance. Despite this financial "setback", by August, or at the very least September he had assigned as a teamster in the quartermaster corps of the 1st division of the 15th army corps. On September 24th, likely after his teamster assignment, his company promoted him to the rank of corporal, a promotion that Silas may not have initially known about, as October 2nd special orders from headquarters of the 1st division, 15th army corps in East Point, Georgia returning him to his company from his special quartermasters duty, refer to him as "private" Stall. Exactly, however, when the return to his unit actually transpired is not clear as from January to March '65 he was again absent service as a divisional teamster, likely in the army corps' commissary.

  Medical records from 1865 note two sufferings for Corporal Stall, the first being a urine problem in January and the second being a May hospital visit for treatment of a boil.  Neither appears to have been significant in nature. Years later, he would suffer from varicose veins of the left leg the onset of which allegedly occurred the previous year. 

  On June 2, 1865, the war by then over, Corporal Stall received a second thirty day home furlough.  While on this absence, without having to return to his regiment, then stationed at Louisville, Kentucky, his financial accounts with the U.S. military were settled and he was mustered out of and discharged from the service.  

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  As is often the case with Civil War veterans, their exact place of settlement - and even their whereabouts after separating from the military - is not documented.  As for Silas Stall, it appears he did not settle in Iowa, but took up farming in Davis County, Missouri.  If this was the case, it is not known how long this Missouri stay lasted as Silas cannot be located in the U.S. Census for 1870. What is known, however, is that on 7/3/74 in or near the community of Troy, Doniphan County, Kansas he wed one Margaret "Maggie" Raleston  (b. 1854 or  1856, PA.). The couples' only child, Mary C. "Mamie" would be born ca. 1876/'77 in Missouri.  Thus, if Silas had left Missouri for Kansas prior to his marriage to Maggie, the couple had returned to the Show Me State by the year their daughter was birthed.

  1880 another U.S. Census.  This national population tally found the Stalls - Silas then employed as a sawyer - residing in Kokomo, Summit County, Colorado.  Once again, when and why they moved there is not known. It was in that community, the following year, that Silas made a claim for a U.S. Government disability pension based on his leg wound received during his days of Civil War soldiering.  Apparently he had first entered such a claim in 1877 through a Washington, D.C. attorney's office, but the pension request had, for some undocumented reason, never been processed. The new pension claim request indicated that when he had enlisted Silas was a farmer in good physical condition, but now he was totally disabled.

  Five years following the '80 census Silas - now considered a machinist - and family were domiciled in Pitkin County, Colorado. Once more, why the intra-state move had been made is not documented. Within four years of that date, however, Silas had made a large territorial jump by moving from Colorado to Washington Territory. Interestingly, not until after his death in 1894 were his wife and daughter again mentioned in available documents. 

  Once in Washington, Silas settled on the Puget Sound island of Vashon in or near the community of that same name. Vashon Island is located just west of Seattle in King County.

  On October 9, 1889 Silas crossed the sound to Seattle for a medical examination pertaining to his continuing pursuit of a pension based on his war wound.  The resulting examination read, in part, as follows: "5'8" age 44 - Original gunshot wound in on the inner aspect of right tibia about its middle.  There is a notch along the inner edge of the tibia as though (illegible) had been broken off.  The scar is not bad looking. (It) is adhered to the bone, but from the nature of the position over the bone it is not deformed.....We cannot think it is a very serious debility but may be because the applicant complained of weakness of limb and inability to stand long at a time, numbness and rheumatic pains. (He) has clusters of varicose veins on inner aspect of left leg - not as large as a pencil nor very thickly knotted - skin unbroken. . We should have said at its place that the scar on the right leg is about 1/2" by 1.5". small scar just below - can't tell whether of exit or entrance - says wound was long time getting well.  Has two or three old external piles - not now sore. Vital organs examined - find nothing worthy of note. Vision and hearing normal.  Entitled 2/18 rating for disability cause by wound of right leg, 2/18 for varicose veins - total: 4/18."


  Shortly after this medical examination was conduction Silas was granted a pension as the Civil War soldier' and sailor's census for 1890 noted that the Vashon resident was pensioned. (Ed note: While this special census placed Silas on Vashon Island, King County, conflicting documents dating from February of the same year indicate he was a resident of Bothell, Snohomish County.  Even more perplexing are additional documents from August and October of 1890 which again refer to his h address as being Vashon, King County, WA.)

  The initial amount of Silas' pension was apparently $4 per month. That stipend however was relatively short lived because as of April 20, 1892 it had been upped to $12. Of note here is that by that date he had departed Vashon Island and King County and had settled north of there in the Snohomish County community of Snohomish City.

  Silas H. Stall died in Snohomish, Snohomish County, Washington on or about April 9, 1894. Cause of death was listed as consumption (tuberculosis). Silas was buried in Snohomish's Woodlawn Cemetery.

  Immediately Following Silas' passing, Margaret, his widow,  submitted  widow's pension paperwork to request at least a portion of her late husband's Civil War-related financial benefits. Somewhat surprisingly, in that initial document dated 4/11/94 she listed her address as Snohomish, Snohomish County, Washington. Had he and she been together all along following the move from Colorado? Had they separated for a time during or following Silas' move to Washington? Available documents are silent in terms of answers for these questions. Additionally, of particular interest in this widow's pension process Margaret noted that she and Silas' seventeen year old daughter Mary/"Mamie" had died on September 25, 1893, and had been buried in Snohomish's Woodlawn Cemetery. Margaret had suffered the loss of her entire married family in less than one year.

  While likely Margaret was .successful in her efforts to obtain a U.S. Government widow's pension there is no available documentation pertaining to that fact. Finally, exactly when and where she died and her place of burial is not known.

Cemetery

Buried at Woodlawn Cemetary Snohomish


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