Bio: Charles F. French :Pittsfield, Merrimack Co, New Hampshire

****************************************************************************
USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical
information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research
and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all
copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format
or presentation by other organizations or persons. Persons or
organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of
presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or his
legal representative and then 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.

Submitted by: Rick Giirtman  rickman@worldpath.net
Date: March 16, 2001
****************************************************************************

From the Book
'History of Pittsfield, N. H. in the Rebellion'
by H. L. Robinson, published 1893


CHARLES F. FRENCH.

The French family has been prominent in town for more than one hundred
years. Abram French came from Seabrook to build the meeting-house, now the
Town hall, for the proprietors of the town, and soon after settled in town.
He raised a large family of children. His grandson, Charles F. French was
born in Belmont, July 12, 1840, a son of Charles and Sarah F. (Burleigh)
French. When three years of age, his parents returned to Pittsfield. He
attended our public schools, and the academy, and worked for his father,
who was a farmer and bootmaker, until he enlisted in Company G, Fifteenth
New Hampshire volunteers. He was mustered into service October 11, 1862.

At that time he was a very active young man, and entered into camp life with
his customary zeal, but the enervating climate of Louisiana soon began to
tell upon his energy, although he continued to do his duty with his company
until May 26, 1863, when he was detailed to the ambulance corps as a driver.
This position he held until his regiment was ready to return home after the
fall of Port Hudson, when he rejoined his command and was mustered out of
service, Aug. 13, 1863.

The next day after his detail above spoken of, Gen. Neal Dow, the celebrated
apostle of temperance, received the wound which subsequently caused the loss
of his leg. Comrade French was directed to take the general out to ride
every day--in fact he became General Dow's coachman. The general commenced
speculating in cotton, and French drove him all over that section of the
country, so that he might secure a large quantity of that staple. One day
they came very near running into a large party of the rebels, but escaped,
as they supposed, unnoticed. After leaving General Dow at his quarters, a
house far to the rear of our lines, French drove to the place where the
ambulances were encamped. That night the rebels captured General Dow and
took him to Richmond, where from neglect his wound grew so bad that his leg
had to be amputated. Most of the men in the service thought a position in
the ambulance corps a sinecure--or, as they expressed it, a " soft job,"
--but the reverse was true, for the exposure to disease, with but little
chance for recuperation in case of being ill, rendered that service one of
the most dangerous in the army. One had to work day and night until every
sick or wounded comrade was cared for, and until every officer who could
command you had been satisfied that he could not think of anything more to
do. Then you could go to your quarters, but not to rest. No matter how
tired you were, no matter if you were hungry, sleepy, or thirsty, your team
must be cared for, which generally meant two hours' hard work. Then you
could hunt around and find something for yourself to cat. After cooking it
you could crawl into your ambulance if you wanted to, to sleep; but
generally these would get so lousy during a campaign that most drivers
preferred the ground.

Fortunate, indeed, was the driver who could stretch himself on Mother Earth
before midnight, and still more fortunate was he if allowed to sleep until
four o'clock in the morning. This life he must lead until the days became
weeks and the weeks, months --enough to break down the strongest man.

During one of his numerous marches, Comrade French lost the Testament that
had been presented him by the good people of Pittsfield. This book was
picked up by a member of a New York regiment, who, a quarter of a century
later, wrote to the address found on the fly-leaf. In this way a
correspondence was opened that led to the book being restored to the former
owner. Of course Mr. French prizes it very highly, owing to its history.

He has always made his home in this town since his discharge.

Some men in Concord speaking of the home-coming of the men from this town in
the Fifteenth regiment said, " They looked like a company of men coming out
of their graves. " Their complexion surely resembled that of the dead, their
flesh was nearly gone from their bones, their eyes were sunken, and they
could hardly walk--some did not. Some went to the hospital to die, but all
who could entered coaches in Concord to be carried to their homes. When near
the village they were met by a delegation of friends and neighbors who
welcomed them home. Their best friends could scarcely recognize them, so
changed were they from disease and exposure.

The prowess of the old Roman legions has been told in song and story for
more than a thousand years ; yet when one of their regiments had lost 10 per
cent of their members by disease or wounds they were said to be decimated,
and were retired and given posts of honor. Pittsfield sent 147 men into the
army during the war; of these, fifty-nine either died or were discharged as
permanently disabled, making over 40 per cent, of the whole number. If we
add to this those who were discharged by reason of the expiration of their
term of service and who were permanently disabled at that time, it would
amount to more than one half of the entire number. The most conspicuous
examples of this havoc were the men of the Fifteenth regiment, who had
served in Louisiana.