As regular readers will be aware, Andersonville Prison and Andersonville National Cemetery are regularly featured on this site. It is almost certainly the National Cemetery that contains more Irish American dead from the Civil War than any other in the United States. I have been working towards establishing a formal project examining the Irish and other immigrants buried in the cemetery, something I hope to formally get under way in the coming months.

The stories of those interred at Andersonville serve to remind us that the American Civil War was not just a conflict that impacted “Americans”, though we most often frame it that way. Many men who died between 1861 and 1865 who were not yet citizens, and in many cases their immediate families had never, and would never, set foot in the United States. Those widows, parents, children and siblings were left to suffer their loss thousands of miles away on the other side of the Atlantic. There were others who made the decision to call time on the “American dream”, and return to their country of origin following the death of their husband or son in Georgia. The gallery below features the headstones of men from Ireland, England, Scotland and Germany in Andersonville National Cemetery where a pension was claimed in Europe based upon their service, together with the details of where the dependent was located. Though far from a comprehensive list, it nevertheless serves as a reminder of how the Civil War impacted these “non-Americans”.

I hope that this will eventually become one element of what will ultimately grow into a wide-ranging resource focused on immigrants in Andersonville National Cemetery, and as I encounter more of these European pension connections I will add them to the gallery.

  • Benjamin Whittam, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery. Died 18 September 1864. Widow Elizabeth received her pension in PADIHAM, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND.
  • William Rippon, 58th Massachusetts Infantry. Died 24 August 1864. Widow Harriet recieved her pension in STOCKPORT, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND.
  • Joseph Holland, 143rd Pennsylvania Infantry. Died 30 July 1864. Widow Martha recieved her pension in MACCLESFIELD, CHESHIRE, ENGLAND.
  • Patrick Halpin, 5th United States Artillery. Died 1 June 1864. Widow Mary recieved her pension in MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND.
  • Abraham Oldham, 63rd New York Infantry. Died 28 September 1864. Widow Sarah received her pension in MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND.
  • Alfred Pimble, 16th Connecticut Infantry. Died 7 August 1864. Mother Elizabeth received her pension in BIRMINGHAM, WARWICKSHIRE, ENGLAND.
  • Samuel Lees, 26th Pennsylvania Infantry. Buried under his Alias Samuel Stone. Died 1 June 1864. Widow Mirah received her pension in BIRMINGHAM, WARWICKSHIRE, ENGLAND.
  • George Floyd, 39th New York Infantry. Buried under his Alias Alfred Perry. Died 9 October 1864. Widow Eliza recieved her pension in NOTTINGHAM, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, ENGLAND.
  • John Woffenden, 27th Massachusetts Infantry. Died 15 September 1864. Mother Hannah received her pension in MILNSBRIDGE, WEST YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND.
  • Thomas Affleck, 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery. Died 6 November 1864. Widow Margaret received her pension in GALASHIELS, SELKIRKSHIRE, SCOTLAND.
  • William McPherson, 14th New York Heavy Artillery. Died 30 August 1864. Widow Elizabeth received her pension in MONTROSE, ANGUS, SCOTLAND.
  • Walter Breckenridge, 73rd Pennsylvania Infantry. Died 24 August 1864. Widow Catharine received her pension in PAISLEY, RENFREWSHIRE, SCOTLAND.
  • Frederick Bernard, 39th New York Infantry. Died c. January 1865? Mother Lina received her pension in BAMBERG, UPPER FRANCONIA, GERMANY.
  • Frederick Heimsoth, 27th Massachusetts Infantry. Died 2 September 1864. Widow Anna received her pension in BREMEN, BREMEN, GERMANY.
  • August Heinrich Linne, 39th New York Infantry. Died 19 July 1864. Widow Maria received her pension in MÜNDEN, LOWER SAXONY, GERMANY.
  • Joseph Karch, 183rd Ohio Infantry. Died 20 March 1865. Widow Franziska received her pension in ‘TUSHEIM’, LANDAU, BAVARIA, GERMANY.
  • Heinrich Breitenkamm, 66th New York Infantry. Died 24 September 1864. Widow Anna received her pension in FESENFELD, BREMEM, GERMANY.
  • August Rühms, 73rd Pennsylvania Infantry. Died 31 July 1864. Mother Sophia Louisa received her pension in HILDESHEIM, LOWER SAXONY, GERMANY.
  • Gottleib Schäfer, 22nd Michigan Infantry. Died 14 June 1864. Mother Johanna received her pension in BUCHWALD, BRESLAU, GERMANY (NOW BUKOWIEC, POLAND).
  • Theodore Joseph Hackenberg, 11th Pennsylvania Reserves. Died 8 November 1864. Widow Theresa received her pension in WIPPERFÜRTH, BONN, GERMANY.
  • George Montag, 39th New York Infantry. Died 18 July 1864. Widow Elizabeth received her pension in KOBLENZ, RHINELAND-PALATINATE, GERMANY.
  • Christian Henry Wenzelberger, 73rd Pennsylvania Infantry. Died 6 March 1864. Widow Frederica received her pension in NECKARTAILFINGEN, BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG, GERMANY.
  • Casper Honegger, 55th Pennsylvania Infantry. Died 21 August 1864. Widow Sophia received her pension in MÜHLHOFEN, BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG, GERMANY.
  • Christoph Frederic Hartje, 99th Pennsylvania Infantry. Died 27 July 1864. Widow Anna received her pension in MEMMINGEN, SWABIA, BAVARIA, GERMANY.
  • Ludwig Schnded, 15th New York Heavy Artillery. Died 31 August 1864. Widow Maria received her pension in LANDSTUHL, KAISERSLAUTERN, RHINELAND-PALATINATE, GERMANY.
  • Owen Harrington, 30th Indiana Infantry. Died 28 September 1864. Mother Mary received her pension in ROSSCARBERY, CORK, IRELAND.
  • Michael Kinney, 42nd New York Infantry. Died 27 October 1864. Mother Bridget received her pension in GALWAY CITY, GALWAY, IRELAND.
  • Michael Sullivan, 69th New York Infantry. Died 18 August 1864. Widow Mary received her pension in KENMARE, KERRY, IRELAND.
  • Bernard Groogan, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. Buried under Alias Bernard Logan. Died 18 July 1864. Widow Bridget received her pension in MAGHERA, DERRY, IRELAND.
  • Owen Burns, 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Died 16 June 1864. Mother Mary received her pension in CARRICKMACROSS, MONAGHAN, IRELAND.
  • Thomas McCarthy, USS Housatonic. Died 30 July 1864. Widow Catherine received her pension in BALLYFEARD, KINSALE, CORK, IRELAND.
  • Hugh Coyle, 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Died 24 June 1864. Mother Eunice Coyle received her pension in CLONDAVADDOG, FANAD, DONEGAL, IRELAND.
  • Charles Devlin, 35th Indiana Infantry. Died 26 July 1864. Widow Margaret received her pension in RYLANDS, GORTIN, TYRONE, IRELAND.
Andersonville ‘linked’ to the locations where the pensions based on men featured above were claimed in Europe (Damian Shiels/Palladio/Find A Grave)

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References

Find A Grave (Images)