Military: CWR: Ludington, Alfred Neroin of interest in Somerset County, PA

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Keith Petenbrink and 
Meyersdale Public Library.
Transcribed and proofread by: Keith Petenbrink.

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Ludington, Alfred Neroin

* Born July 16, 1836 in Petersburg, Somerset Co. Pa. 
* Died June 8, 1932 in Boise, Idaho 
* Private Co. C 39th Regiment Iowa Infantry 
* Enlisted Aug. 9, 1862 
* He was assigned duty to guard the colonel's tent. One evening he was summoned 
by the colonel's darky cook to eat supper with his commander. When he was 
relieved from duty he accepted the invitation and made a very hardy meal. As his 
eye wandered around the tent he saw a quarter of beef rolled up in a piece of 
canvass lying under the colonel's bunk. That night when he was off duty he waked 
up two or three of his mess and set them to digging a hole, right under the camp 
kettle that hung on a chain from the center of the tent. He went back to the 
colonel's headquarters, cut a hole in his tent so he could reach under the bunk 
and thus obtained the beef. They wrapped the beef in paper and buried it in the 
hole and covered it with ashes so that there was no trace of what had been 
hidden. Next morning the colonel had a detail looking for the stolen beef, but 
it was not recovered. Alfred and the others had to use the beef at night. 
Another time Alfred was out on a foraging squad about two miles from camp. He 
found a nice fat hog in a pen. He knew if he took the hog then it would have to 
be shared with the regiment. That evening he told eight or ten of the boys about 
the hog. They started for the hog pen, agreeing with the picket to give him part 
of the meat if he would let them pass. They were all well mounted. It was very 
dark and Alfred, being the only one to know the location of the pen, was 
selected to kill the hog. He killed the hog with a single stroke of his bayonet, 
but the animal gave one squeal, but it was enough to bring twenty or thirty 
rebels to the scene. Everyone got away except for Alfred. Before he could get 
out of the pen the as enemy were around him in every direction. His only chance 
was to lie flat on his stomach in a cabbage patch. The rebels hunted for him for 
what seemed a very long time. They found his horse and searched for him as 
second time. They stepped over and around him, but because of the darkness did 
not find him. When at length they gave up the search he lost no time in getting 
out of the place. 
* Invalid Pension: Applied Dec. 13, 1889 and Feb. 18, 1907, Application #743418, 
Certificate #511295

SOURCE:
* Internet search 
* Footnote.com