INDIANA TRAILS, BOONE COUNTY
BIOGRAPHIES OF CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS
STEPHEN
J. JETT 48TH VA., CO. E.
Is the son of John and Irene
Wolf-­Jett and was born in Scott County,
Va., May 22, 1844; he was living with his parents on their farm in
Scott Co. at the time of his enlistment, June 13, 1861 and he was enrolled in Co. E, 48th Va. V.1., this Co. being
organized on his father's farm and served in the 2nd Brig.,
Stonewall
Div., Army of Northern
Va. as a private; he was with this regiment in the fight at Bulk
pasture, Va., Kernstown, Port Republic, Winchester;
seven days fighting in front of Richmond, Va., in Aug. 1862, Manassas,
Cedar Run, Sharpsburg and Antietam; he was
discharged
from the Antietam battle field
in Sept., 1862, by furnishing a substitute.
Early
in the spring of 1864, he re-enlisted near Owensville, Kentucky. in
Col. Clay's Battalion of Gen. John Morgan
s command. Later in the spring of 1864 at the 2nd fight at Cynthia, Kentucky.,
he had the misfortune to lose his left arm near the shoulder. It was
amputated in the country and then he was taken
to a hospital at Cynthia for about six weeks, then at Lexington, Ky. a few
days when he was sent as a prisoner of war to Camp Chase, Ohio, where he
remained for six months, when he was released upon taking the oath of
Allegiance to the U.S., when he soon returned
to friends in Ky.
Oct. 3, 1873, in Scott Co., Va., he was
happily married to Margaret Snapp, daughter of Samuel and Rosie Webb
Snapp, who was born in Tennessee in 1849.
Four sons have crowned this union, John Samuel, Robert. dec., Ja.
Nathan and Carson. One brother, John Jell, who
was but a mere boy, served with Comrade Jett under Gen. John Morgan.
Mrs. Jett
s father, Samuel Snapp, Esq., served for a short time in Va. A half
brother, Samuel Snapp, also served from Va.
Comrade JeWs home with its modern improvements, his large farm of very rich land and through cultivation, his fine
improved stock, all
points to the
enterprise and intelligent care bestowed
on all; his home is located five miles south of Lebanon, Indiana.
Francis
Whiteley, Civil War Soldier
Courtesy of Jane and Verlin McClaine
One of Boone
County’s Civil War
soldiers was Francis Whiteley.
Whiteley enrolled in the 54th
Regiment of the Indiana Volunteers on October 22, 1862. He was
discharged from the service of the United States on the eighth day of
December, 1863, at New Orleans by reason of term of service expired.”
Military records show that Whiteley was born in Boone County and in
1863 was 25 years old. He was 5 feet - 10 inches tall, of fair
complexion, with blue eyes and light hair. By occupation, when
enrolled, he was a farmer.
Whiteley lived in the Advance community.
Relatives of Whiteley now possess a program of the15th and 16th annual
reunions of the 54th
Indiana Volunteers held in
Indianapolis in September of 1903 and 1904.
The program for the 1903 reunion opens as follows:
“At 10:30 a. m.,
after general hand
-shaking and greeting among the comrades, the 54th Indiana regiment was
called to order in Superior court room No. 1, Indianapolis, Ind.., with
a few remarks by Comrade J. H.
Van Valkenburg, president of the Fifteenth Annual Reunion.
Roll-call then proceeded and revealed the presence of thirty -six
comrades, just three and a half per cent of our original number. There
were about 10 who sent letters of regret and giving reasons for non
-attendance, and we estimate about 125 other survivors, who are absent,
which will make a total of about 170 still living.
Attending from Boone County were H. C. Hardy, Zionsvile, Company D.;
and Jas. P. Logan, Thorntown, and Frances Whiteley, Advance, Company F.
The program continued in the afternoon, “Comrade Mitchell spoke of
making a visit to Col. Mansfield in St. Louis. Said he met a royal
welcome and was well entertained; that the colonel took great pleasure
in talking over the old days of the 54th, and would gladly receive a
visit from any of the boys of the old 54th. In conclusion, the speaker
caused the tears to glisten in the eyes of many of the comrades as he
referred with a sad voice to the marked inroads which disease and age
were making on the matchless physique of Col. Mansfield. Instead of the
erect form, the elastic step and the shining locks as of yore, his hair
is grizzled, his form is bent. and he walks with halting step.”
In 1904 men from Boone County attending the convention included John W.
Forbes, of Advance, company F., and H. C. Hardy, of Zanesville, company
D.
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