Civil War Veterans Buried In Washington State - Wesley Bailey

7^th IOWA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized: July, 1861 Burlington, IA
Mustered In: 7/23 & 8/2/1861 Burlington, IA
Mustered Out: 7/12/1865 Louisville, KY

REGIMENTAL HISTORY:

The 7^th Iowa was a three year infantry regiment. Its term of service was spent in the western theater of the American Civil War (ACW).
 

Leaving the state only a matter of days after the Federal muster of 8/21861 the unit proceeded to Jefferson Barracks located near St. Louis, MO. There, it was armed.
 

From St. Louis the 7^th proceeded to Cairo, IL, and then moved into Kentucky. Moving back into Missouri it saw its first action during the battle of Belmont (11/7/1861) where it and other Union troops were surrounded by the enemy. The regiment subsequently earned the praise of Union Gen. U.S. Grant for cutting a way to freedom through the Rebel lines.
 

In January, 1863 the 7^th embarked southward on steamers and subsequently took part in the Federal actions against Tennessee Forts Henry (2/6) and Donelson (2/11 - 17). From there it moved to Pittsburg Landing, TN where it fought in the battle of Shiloh (2/6- 7). 
 

The 7^th next marched into Mississippi. At Corinth (10/3 & 4) it lost nearly one third of its members engaged. The summer was spent scouting, foraging and guarding trains in Tennessee. In November it went into winter quarters at Pulaski.
 

Returning to the field in 2/1864 the7th regiment joined the campaign to capture Atlanta, GA. After the fall of that city (7/22) it marched to Savanah with the forces of Union Gen. W.T. Sherman.
 

The dawning of 1865 found the 7^th marching northward through the Carolinas. It reached Goldsboro, NC on 3/24.
 

The War ended, the 7^th participated in the Grand Review in Washington City. It then moved to Louisville, KY where it was mustered out of service and into history.

REGIMENTAL LOSSES:
Officers Killed Or Mortally Wounded: 7; Officers Died Of Disease, Accidents, Etc.: 4; Enlisted Men Killed Or Mortally Wounded: 134; Enlisted Men Died Of Disease, Accidents, Etc.: 160.

SOLDIER:
Residence: Richmond, IA   Age: 16.2 yrs.
Enlisted/Enrolled: 7/15/1861 Richmond, IA   Rank:  Pvt.
Mustered In: 7/24/1861 Burlington, IA
Mustered Out: 8/9/1864 Louisville, KY
Highest Rank: Pvt.
Rank At Discharge: Pvt.

PERSONAL/FAMILY HISTORY:
 

NOTE: The birth - to - death biographical profile of Wesley Bailey was created in April, 2022 near the end of the Covid-19 medical pandemic. It contains less depth of detail than many other biographies within this website because military service, pension and other veteran-related files housed in Washington, D.C.'s National Archives were not available. At a later time those documents may be obtained and the data contained therein added to the narrative which follows.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wesley A. Bailey was born on 4/19/1845.  His place of birth was Washington County, IA.
 

Parents of Wesley were Abram Bailey (b. 1811 PA - d. unk.) and Elizabeth (nee Kirkpatrick b. ca. 1813 OH - d. unk.) Bailey. The Baileys were a farming family.
 

As best as can be determined Abram and Elizabeth produced at least twelve children. Wesley was the eighth of those twelve.  Older than he were John Bailey (b. 1831 OH), Sarah Bailey (b. 1834 OH), Hannah Bailey (b. 1836 IA), Mara "Polly" Bailey (b. 1838 IA), Elizah Bailey (b. 1840 IA), Francis Bailey (b. 1841 IA) and James Bailey (b. 1853 IA). Younger were Ezra Bailey (b. 1847 IA), William Bailey (b. 1848 IA), Benjamin Bailey (b.1850 IA) and Samuel Bailey (b. 1853 IA).
 

Looking back notable with the birth states of the Bailey Children is that between 1834 and 1836 Abram moved his family from Ohio to Iowa. Looking ahead, by 1856 Abram's name is missing from the family roster. Likely he had died.
***********************************************************************************************************************************************
In April, 1861 civil war gripped America. In mid-July of that same year that sixteen year old Wesley answered his country's call for volunteer soldiers and enlisted in the U.S. Army infantry. His unit was Co. "H" of the 7^th IA Infantry. Without accessing his military service records about all we can say about Private Bailey's term of enlistment is that he survived the trials and privations of war and returned to civilian life in Iowa.
***********************************************************************************************************************************************
On 1/1/1865 in Washington County, IA Wesley married. His bride was Martha S. Cox. Martha had been born on 10/29/1847 in Richmond Washington County, Iowa. It is surmised that she and Wesley had known one another since childhood.
 

During their time together Wesley and Martha produced four children. To date, however, only three of their names have been found. The three were: Charles "Charlie" Bailey (b. 1865 or '66 IA), Lucy L. Bailey (1868 IA) and Edward Bailey (b. 1873 MI). At the dawning of the twentieth century only two of the four remained living.
 

After marrying, Wesley and Martha settled into farming in Iowa. However, sometime after the birth of Lucy in 1868, but before the U.S. Census of 1870 the Bailey family quitted Iowa and took up farming in Amber Mason County, MI. A decade later, in 1880 they were still in Mason County, MI but apparently had relocated to the community of Custer.
 

Providing some confusion in the matter of where the Baileys resided and when, is the ACW Veterans' census of 6/1890. According that tally, in 1890 the Bailey's were still living in Amber, MI.
 

Whatever may have been the Bailey family's pattern of moves, by the time of the U.S. Census taking of 1900 they were living in Seattle King County, WA.  What had drawn them to the Puget Sound region of the Pacific Northwest and when they had arrived here remain unknowns. In Seattle Wesley was employed by the King County Assessor's office, likely as a clerk.
 

Retired, Wesley Bailey died in Seattle on 3/31/1926. The location of his passing was apparently the family home located at 4011 Whitman. 
 

Cause of Wesley's death was Bright’s (kidney) disease with diverticulitis of the small intestine contributing. His passing came at the age of eighty years, eleven months and twelve days.
 

The old soldier was/is buried in the Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery on 4/4/1926. In 1926 that facility was located north of the Seattle city limits. Now, however, it is part of Seattle.
 

On 12/27/1871 Wesley had petitioned the U.S. Government for a disability pension based on ailments or conditions which he traced back to his days of Civil War soldiering. The request granted, he began receiving a monthly financial stipend which, by the time of his death, amounted to fifty dollars per month.
 

Almost immediately following Wesley's passing Martha requested the Government continue paying her at least a portion of her late husband's paycheck. That request was granted, but without accessing her widow's pension file the financial details of her stipend remain unknown.
 

Martha died in Seattle on 7/12/1934 at the Whitman Street home which, by that time, she was sharing with son Charles and his wife. The cause of her passing was complications of old age. She was/is buried in Evergreen Washelli with Wesley.

POSTED: 5/4/2022
UPDATED:

Veterans Affairs, Department of, Retsil Veterans Home, Member Files
https://digitalarchives.wa.gov/Record/View/AC206A8EE0B78AFE0EB1BE250D683D9E

Buried at Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Cemetery
Row: Section F