The other day, I was looking through my children's paternal
line for possible common ancestors they might share with one of their newly
found cousins on 23andme.com, and the next thing I knew, I was researching their
paternal 3rd great grandfather Christian Edward Zipperer's Civil War
records. What peaked my interest was this on his Civil War pension
application: "I was captured." "I was in prison." I
felt that I had to find out more about this. Where and when was he
captured? Where was he held and for how long? (Click on each image for a larger
view.)
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| From the Civil War pension application of Christian E. Zipperer. |
In the Confederate Army
Christian Edward Zipperer was born January 8, 1825, in
Effingham County, Georgia. He was five feet eight inches tall, with a ruddy
complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair. On September 7, 1861, at Savannah,
Georgia, he enlisted as a Private in Captain Bird's Mounted Company (Effingham
Hussars), Company A , 2nd Battalion Georgia Cavalry. He was 36 years old.
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A portion of the card file for the Oath of Allegiance for Christian E.
Zipperer when he was released from Fort Delaware. It notes his physical
description.
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A portion of the card file for Christian E. Zipperer of his enlistment
as a Private in Captain Bird's Mounted Company (Effingham Hussars), Company A,
2nd Battalion Georgia Cavalry.
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On April
30, 1862, Christian was discharged "by virtue of conscription act and paid
up in full May 3, 1862." He enlisted again in Savannah on November
10, 1862, in Banks' Company of Partisan Rangers. This company became
Company B, 21st Battalion, Georgia Cavalry on February 11, 1863, when it was
merged with White's Battalion. Christian was elected Jr. 2nd Lieutenant
of this company on March 20, 1863, while at Camp Easley in Christ Church
Parish, South Carolina. His pay requisitions show that he made $90.00 a
month as a 2nd Lieutenant.
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Special Orders No. 130 about the election of Christian E. Zipperer to
the rank of Jr. 2nd Lieutenant during the Civil War while he was
with Company B, 21st Battalion, Georgia Cavalry.
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By September 1863, Christian and his company were in
Waccamaw, South Carolina. He signed a requisition at that time for corn
and rice to feed the horses at "Camp Ward" in Waccamaw. That
same month, he asked for and was granted 20 days leave to go home to check on
his family (see below). At this time, he and his wife Salome Seckinger had nine
children.
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Letter
from Christian E. Zipperer to General Thomas Jordan, written on September 21,
1863, asking for a leave of absence to check on his family's welfare.
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Below is
a transcription of the letter:
Clam Bank So. Ca.
Sept. 21st 1863
Genl. Thomas
Jordan, Chief of Staff.
Genl.
I most
respectfully petition through to the Comdg Gen. Dept. So. Ca. Ga. & Fla.
for a leave of absence for twenty days. My reasons for wanting a furlough is
simply this: I am a poor man and have a large family to support and the man I procured the lives of has gone to the war leaving my family entirely alone.
If I could get twenty days leave of absence I could so arrange my affairs that
would keep my family from suffering.
Very respectfully
submitted
C. E. Zipperer
2nd Lieut
Co. "B"
21st Georgia Batt Comp[?]
On February 13, 1864, the 21st Battalion was dissolved and
Christian's Company B, along with Companies A, C, and E, was consolidated with
the 24th Battalion Georgia Cavalry and the Hardwick Mounted Rifles to form the
7th Regiment Georgia Cavalry. Ordered to Virginia, the 7th Regiment
joined up with P.M.B. Young's and Gary's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia
(see National
Park Service, Civil War, Confederate Georgia Troops).
Christian's unit was Company E.
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Notation at the bottom of Christian E. Zipperer's card file for his January-February 1864 Muster
Roll about the formation of the 7th Regiment Georgia
Cavalry.
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Battle of Trevilian Station
In the summer of 1864, Union Major General Philip H.
Sheridan headed out on June 7 to destroy the Virginia Central Railroad junction
located at the town of Gordonsville, Virginia. Confederate Major Generals
Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee arrived at Trevilian Station, a stop on the
railroad in Louisa County east of Charlottesville, Virginia, on June 10 to halt
Sheridan's advance. The battle began the next day on June 11, 1864, and
it was the day that Christian was captured (see Trevilian Station Battlefield
Foundation). The battle continued on June
12, but by this time, he was on his way to a northern prison.
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A portion of a map of the Battle of Trevilian Station that took
place on June 11, 1864. I've added the label and arrow pointing to the 7th
Regiment Georgia Cavalry's position. (Map by Hal Jespersen, www.posix.com/CW; Wikipedia Commons, File:
Trevilian Station June 11.png)
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Google Earth aerial of Trevilian Station today.
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A Northern Prison
Christian
arrived at Fortress Monroe at Point Lookout, Maryland, on June 20, 1864, and on
June 23, he was transferred to Fort Delaware, on Pea Patch Island, Delaware.
He was checked into the prison on June 25. What were prison
conditions like at Fort Delaware? Who was looking after his family while he was
there? I imagine he was worried about how they were getting along without him
and wondered whether or not he'd make it out of the prison alive.
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A portion of the card file for Christian E. Zipperer's Prisoner of War
register. It notes his name, rank, where and when he was captured, and when he
arrived at Fort Delaware.
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Google
Earth aerial of Fort Delaware, Pea Patch Island, Delaware, where Christian E.
Zipperer was held prisoner during the Civil War.
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Once at the fort, Christian was given one set of clothes,
an overcoat, and one blanket. (Some sources say the men were given additional
clothing.) While in prison, he endured the hot summer, a very cold
winter, and the spread of contagious diseases. The prisoners tried to
make the best of things. They had a handwritten newspaper called Prison Times, and they held debates and concerts. Some of the
prisoners set up businesses to earn money, and they even had their own
charitable organizations to help their sick and less fortunate prison
mates. In June 1864, there were 8,000 prisoners at the fort that was
built to hold far less. The barracks were overcrowded and drafty, and some
prisoners died from exposure during the winter. With overcrowding and the
weakened condition of the men, diseases were rampant. Over 200 prisoners
and guards died from a small pox epidemic that broke out in October 1864
(see Fort
Delaware State Park, Prison Camp Trail Guide, A Brief History of Fort Delaware and Fort
Delaware State Park, Timeline of the Civil War at Fort Delaware).
Christian
was released on June 4, 1865, after he swore an Oath of Allegiance to the
United States, nearly a year after he arrived at Fort Delaware. Now he
could go back home to Effingham County, Georgia, and his family. I wonder
how long it took him to get home and what he found when he got there.
Catherine
---
Sources
used:
1. C. E. Zipperer (2nd Lt., 7th Georgia Cavalry,
Civil War), Record Group 058-01-001, Confederation Pensions and Records,
Pension Office, Pension Applications. Images. Georgia's Virtual Vault (http://cdm.sos.state.ga.us:2011/cdm/ : accessed 20 June 2013).
2. Compiled Service Records, C. E. Zipperer,
Pvt., 2nd Battalion Georgia Cavalry, Confederate Soldiers Who Served in
Organizations from the State of Georgia. Carded Records, compiled 1903-1927,
documenting the period 1861-1865. Record Group 109. National Archives,
Washington, D.C. Images. Fold3 http://www.fold3.com/ : accessed 24 June 2013)
3. Compiled Service Records, C. E. Zipperer, 2nd
Lt., 21st Battalion Georgia Cavalry, Confederate Soldiers Who Served in
Organizations from the State of Georgia. Carded Records, compiled 1903-1927,
documenting the period 1861-1865. Record Group 109. National Archives,
Washington, D.C. Images. Fold3 http://www.fold3.com/ : accessed 24 June 2013)
4. Compiled Service Records, C. E. Zipperer, 2nd
Lt., 7th Georgia Cavalry, Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations
from the State of Georgia. Carded Records, compiled 1903-1927, documenting the
period 1861-1865. Record Group 109. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Images. Fold3 (http://www.fold3.com/ :
accessed 24 June 2013)
5. National Park Service, Civil War, Confederate
Georgia Troops, 7th Regiment, Georgia Cavalry (http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-regiments-detail.htm?regiment_id=CGA0007RC : accessed June 29, 2013).
6. Trevilian Station Battlefield Foundation,"
The Battle, June 11-12, 1864"(http://www.trevilianstation.org/battle.htm : accessed June 29, 2013).
7. Fort Delaware State Park, Delaware City, Delaware.
"Fort Delaware During the Civil War" (http://www.destateparks.com/park/fort-delaware/civil-war/index.asp : accessed June 29, 2013).
