CIVIL WAR PENSION: Lorenzo MERRITT, Becker Co., MN Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Fran M. Roen ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** Lorenzo Obit Merritt b. 2-9-1844 Ohio d. 1-12-1927 s/o Alpheus Merritt and Mary Jane Gilbert married Mary Jane Battles b. abt. 1848 Penn. d. 1-27-1914 Becker Co., MN They were married 8-5-1865 Mpls., MN Merritt, Lorenzo Union Infantry 1st Regiment, Minnesota Infantry Lorenzo enlisted in the A Batter. 1 on April 1, 1864 He was wounded in the leg at Petersburg and discharged in the hospital on July 15, 1865. Because of his wounds he was forced to draw on his pension early in life. Surgeon’s Certificate dated Sept 13, 1875 from Rochester, Mn has this to say about Lorenzo’s wound: “A crater as large as a man’s hand about 7/8 of an inch deep on the posterior part lower third of the of the right thigh. He walks lame if he walks much and says that the leg is weak and painful.” About the battle: Petersburg, Virginia, became the setting for the longest siege in American history when General Ulysses S. Grant failed to capture Richmond in the spring of 1864. Grant settled in to subdue the Confederacy by surrounding Petersburg and cutting off General Robert E. Lee's supply lines into Petersburg and Richmond. On April 2, 1865, nine-and-one-half months after the siege began, Lee evacuated Petersburg. Located twenty-five miles south of Richmond in Petersburg, Virginia, the battlefield contains 2,460 acres and is made up of six major units. These units contain battlefields, earthen forts, trenches and Poplar Grove National Cemetery. Collectively, they reveal the story of the longest siege in American warfare and the experiences of the nearly 150,000 soldiers from both sides of the trenches. From Petersburg National Battlefield ------------------------------------------------- Petersburg The Breakthrough Virginia American Civil War April 2, 1865 With Confederate defeat at Five Forks on April 1, Grant and Meade ordered a general assault against the Petersburg lines by II, IX, VI and XXIV Corps on April 2. A heroic defense of Fort Gregg by a handful of Confederates prevented the Federal’s from entering the city that night. Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill was killed trying to reach his troops in the confusion. After dark, Lee ordered the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond. Grant had achieved one of the major military objectives of the war: the capture of Petersburg, which led to the fall of Richmond, the Capitol of the Confederacy. Result(s): Union victory Location: City of Petersburg Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 2, 1865 Principal Commanders: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee [CS] Forces Engaged: Armies Estimated Casualties: 7,750 total (US 3,500; CS 4,250) http://battlefieldvacations.com/east/peters.asp