Civil War Veterans Buried In Washington State - Mathew McCauley

107^th ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY
Organized: Summer, 1862 Camp Butler, Springfield, IL
Mustered In: 9/4/62 Camp Butler, Springfield, IL
Mustered Out: 6/21/65 Salisbury, NC

REGIMENTAL HISTORY:

  The 107^th, a three-year, western-theater regiment, was composed of six companies of recruits from De Witt County, Illinois and four from nearby Platt County.  It left the state on 9/30/62 and travelled to Jeffersonville, Indiana where it arrived on the morning of 10/1. Shortly thereafter a slight skirmish occurred between the regiment and Rebel commander John Hunt Morgan's advance forces moving toward Elizabethtown, KY. During this action the unit suffered no casualties, but did succeed in capturing some of the enemy.

  Next action for the 107^th came in November, 1863 near Loudon, TN. There it lost one man killed and had several wounded. It then engaged the Rebels at Campbell's Station and again at Dandridge, TN.

   In the spring of 1864 the unit joined Union Gen. W.T. Sherman's campaign to seize Atlanta, GA. Having its first engagement at Rocky Face Ridge it was next engaged at Resaca It also participated in all the engagements around Kennesaw Mountain and the subsequent fighting outside the City of Atlanta itself.

  The regiment next met the enemy at Spring Hill, TN where it suffered small loss. During the battle Franklin it captured two stands of the enemy's colors. It then participated in the battle for Nashville.

  Following Nashville the 107^th was transferred to North Carolina where it assisted in the capture of Fort Anderson. From there it was moved to Raleigh where it remained until the final Confederate surrender. The War having ended, the regiment went to Salisbury where it remained performing guard duty until final muster.

  Regimental losses: 3 officers killed or mortally wounded; 0 officers died of disease, accidents, etc.; 27 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded; 122 enlisted men died of accidents, disease, etc. 

SOLDIER:
Residence: Wapella, De Witt Co., IL   Age: 20.1 yrs.
Enlisted/Enrolled: 8/12/62 Clinton, De Witt Co., IL   Rank: Pvt.
Mustered In: 9/24/62 Camp Butler, Springfield, IL
Mustered Out: 6/14/65 Washington D.C.
Highest Rank: Cpl

PERSONAL/FAMILY HISTORY:

  Matthew Marion McCauley was born June18, (or 28) 1842 in Jacksonville, Madison County, Illinois.  His father was James M. McCauley (b. ca. 1788 PA?) His mother was Florence Furguson/Fergusen/Furgesen (b. ca. 2/03 PA) Matthew had two half- sisters - Ann Eliza (b.1/18/28) and Mary Eliza (b. 1830) from his father's first marriage which apparently ended with that unidentified wife (perhaps named Eliza?) dying, and three older brothers: William Woods (b. 5/25/34), James Harvey (b. 3/20/37) and Benjamin Furgeson (b. 1839 or '41 PA). 

  On 10/24/42, less than four months after Matthew's birth, his father, James McCauley, died.  The second Mrs. McCauley died 3/3/45.  The deaths resulted in Matthew and brother, Benjamin being found in the Carroll, Washington County PA home of one Margaret Hamilton at the time of the 1850 U.S. Census. Whether or not Ms. Hamilton was a relative is not known.

  Following the 1850 census no information is available pertaining to Matthew's life until 8/12/62 when, in Clinton, De Witt County, Illinois he enrolled as a private in Captain Turner's company of the 107^th Illinois infantry.  That organization would later become company "B" of the 107^th. For enlisting he received a $100 bonus or "bounty," $25 of which was paid up front with the balance to come later.  At enlistment Matthew's vital statistics were as follows: Age - 20.1 yrs.; Height - 5'7.5"; Complexion - light; Eyes - light; hair light.  His occupation was listed as "farmer." While in the military his surname would at times be shown as McCaulley.   Although he had enrolled as a Private, Matthew quickly rose to the rank of corporal.  He apparently attained that ranking at the time of his being mustered into federal service.

  Company present/absent records for the latter part of 1862 show Corporal McCauley as present. The same holds true throughout 1863 with a May/June notation from that year that he was detailed as a clerk, apparently at regimental headquarters. Beginning in December, 1863 and throughout 1864 he was primarily shown as being absent from his company, not because of being AWOL, but because he was on detached service, first at division, and then at corps headquarters where he appears to have been in charge of maintaining the desertion roll. The first months of  1865 found Corporal  McCauley - for some unexplained reason -  reduced to  the rank of private - on detached service as a "mail agent" and, ultimately, with the post office department.

  Exactly where Matthew settled upon leaving the army is not known.  However, as of November, 1865 he was in Madison, Iowa. He evidently remained there until November, 1869 when he jumped far westward to Contra Costa, California.  Why the move was made is not known. Also not known is why, in May of 1871 Matthew moved back to Iowa, settling in Adair County.  There he remained until 1878 when he again travelled west, this time to Snohomish County in Washington Territory where he likely settled in or near the community of Arlington. Still, his exact whereabouts are undocumented as his presence is not tallied in the 1880 U.S. census.

  Although the date is not known, sometime, likely in the early 1880s in Island County, WT, Matthew married Frances Laurell Darling. The couple's first child Lena Bell/Ball was born on 9/23/83. Three other children would follow, all being born in Washington Territory: James Wilson (b. 4/4/85), Frederick "Fredie"Ferguson (b. 6/15/86) and Maud "Maudie" M. (b. 1888).

  While U.S. Census date is not available for 1890 - most of it having been destroyed by fire - a pre-statehood notation for 1889 in Washington Territory noted Matthew as being employed as a farmer. Although it is not specifically stated, likely this was in the Arlington area.

  1891. As of June 17^th of that year Matthew had begun the paperwork to obtain a U.S. Government disability pension based on ailments which traced back to his days of Civil War soldiering. A Seattle medical examination later that year recorded him suffering from chronic diarrhea and kidney complaints. The former reportedly occurred every two or three minutes and resulted in piles (hemorrhoids), bloody discharges, stomach troubles and rheumatism. Finding him to be emaciated and debilitated, the examining surgeon recommended a pension be granted for chronic diarrhea, piles and rheumatism.  While the onset date of that pension nor the amount is not documented, likely the stipend was $12 per month.

  In 1892 Matthew's wife Frances died leaving him - like his mother before him when his father died and, upon her death, others - responsible for the care of four small children. Who assisted him in this ordeal is not revealed in available documents.

  At the end of 1894 Matthew's life again took a hit.  In December of that year his $12 per month pension stipend was - for some unexplained reason - cut to $8. Early the following year a Snohomish County pension board of review looked at his life situation and reported that the old soldier was suffering from muscular rheumatism of the back and hips, was restless and unable to sleep at night and was greatly emaciated. Suffering from chronic dysentery, palpitations of the heart and dyspepsia, he was unable to support himself and his family by performing manual labor.   An affidavit from an Arlington logger friend from this period noted that even though Matthew had four children under the age of ten years to care for, he was able to provide him only the very slightest of work because of Matthew's inability to perform manual labor. A recommendation was then made that his pension be returned to the $12 level.  At some point it appears that recommendation was accepted as during the remainder of his life his monthly stipend continued to increase until it amounted to $40 per month at the time of his death.

  Matthew McCauley was to continue residing in Arlington the rest of his life.  In 1900 the census for that community noted the widowed farmer's household as being comprised of, besides himself, his daughter Lena, son James, son Fred, daughter Maud as well as a 21 year old nephew CC McCaulley and a forty year old male boarder. A decade later the household consisted of Matthew, Maud and James.

  Former Civil War soldier Matthew Marion McCauley died on 4/17/19. Cause of death is not known.  He was buried in Arlington’s Harwood community cemetery.

Buried at Harwood Cemetery Arlington