Bienville Families: Palmer family, Bienville Parish Louisiana Submitted by Donna Sutton ladyhawke1214@hotmail.com ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ John P. Palmer John P. Palmer was born in 1837 in Georgia and died November 1892 in Bienville Parish, LA. On September 28, 1865 he married Mary “Polly” Hester in Bienville Parish, LA. She was born in 1839, probably in Alabama, and died in 1881 in Bienville Parish. She spoke the German language, and it was said that her father was a missionary who went to Germany and came back with a German wife named Mary. Polly’s first husband was George Washington Curry who was killed at Vicksburg during the Civil War. John and Polly had four children: 1. Willie (short for Wilhelmina?) Ann Palmer - b. 1867 LA, d. 1948 Bienville Parish, married George Washington Sutton on January 22, 1890 in Arcadia, LA 2. Charles W. Palmer - b. 1867 LA, married Nancy L. Boddie in 1885 in Bienville Parish. It is said that Charles knew Jesse James. 3. Mary E. Palmer, b. 1871 LA, married William A. Crawford 4. Bettie P. Palmer - b. 1874 LA, married 1)W. B. Boddie, and 2) John Irwin or Ervin Sutton, brother of George Washington Sutton. Living near the John P. Palmer family in the 1870 LA census was John’s brother William Palmer (spelled “Palmore” in the Bienville Parish probate dockets). William was born in 1847 GA, his wife Mary J. was born in 1841 SC, child John was born in 1859 LA, and child Patric was born in 1869 LA. John Palmer served in the Civil War in the 9th Regiment, Co. C (Bienville Blues). According to Guide to LA Confederate Military Units by Arthur Bergeron (shelved at the Bienville Parish Library), the 9th Regiment was “one of the most distinguished Louisiana units in the war.” They arrived at Manassas on July 21, 1861, but arrived too late to participate in the battle. In May 1862 they were sent to the Shenandoah Valley where they joined General Stonewall Jackson’s army. The 9th Regiment participated in the 2nd Manassas Campaign (August 28 - 30, 1862) and suffered nearly 100 casualties. “When the regiment ran out of ammunition on August 30, the men threw rocks at the attacking enemy soldiers until new ammunition could be brought up.” The regiment was held in reserve at the Battle of Fredericksburg, yet 12 of its men were killed or wounded by enemy fire. The regiment participated in the attack on Gettysburg which routed Federal troops. In the Battle of Rappahannock Station, the regiment made a counterattack to try to recover the cannons of the Louisiana Guard Artillery, but 130 officers and enlisted men were captured by the enemy. The remnants of the 9th Regiment fought in the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5, 1864, and participated in all the battles fought in the Shenandoah Valley during the summer and fall of 1864. “When the army surrendered at Appamattox on April 9, the regiment was the strongest of all the Louisiana units, with 4 officers and 64 enlisted men. In the course of the war, approximately 1,474 men served in the regiment. Of this number, 233 were killed, 349 died of disease, and 4 died in accidents; this was the highest death rate of all Louisiana units in Virginia. At least 115 men deserted the regiment. Three of the regiment’s 4 colonels became generals during the war.” John Palmer’s Civil War record (26 pages of photocopies) is on file at the Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge. He enlisted in the 9th Regiment at Camp Moore on July 7, 1861. According to these records, he was born in Georgia, his occupation was farming, his place of residence was Sparta, LA, and he was single. Below is a summary of his Civil War records: § June 9, 1862 - he was admitted to the CSA General Hospital in Charlottesville, VA, to be treated for typhoid fever § October 2, 1862 - on the Company Muster roll he was listed as “Absent - Sick”. § July 1 - 3, 1863 - he appeared on a report of casualties in Hays Brigade in the battles near Gettysburg. He had been wounded on July 2. § August 20, 1863 and October 31, 1863 - he appeared on the Hospital Muster Roll of the 3rd Division, Jackson General Hospital, Richmond, VA § January 17, 1864 - he appears on the Morning Report of Jackson Hospital, Richmond, VA. Diagnosis: “V. S. left knee mini ball” § May 6, 1864 - he was diagnosed with Chronic Dysentery and was given 60 days furlough. His place of residence was documented as Macon, GA. § September 19, 1864 - he was captured at Winchester, VA. He had been shot in the leg, and the wound was treated with a simple dressing. § October 29, 1864 - he was admitted to the USA General Hospital, Wests’ Buildings, Baltimore, MD, with the following diagnosis: “G.S.W. calf of right leg, ball striking tibia. Missile: 3 round balls. Wounded at Winchester, Sept. 19, 1864.” He had been brought in from Shenandoah Valley. § January 3, 1865 - as a prisoner of war, he was transferred to Point Lookout, MD § February 17, 1865 - he appeared on the muster roll of a detachment of paroled and exchanged prisoners at Camp Lee near Richmond, VA. He had been exchanged on February 10, 1865.