;
Daniel Engle of Schuylkill County – Died in Rebel Prison
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on May 1, 2014
Daniel Engle (or Engel) enrolled in the 96th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company H, as a Private, on 1 October 1861, at Donaldson, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, and was mustered into service on the same day at Pottsville. He gave his age as 32, but other records indicate he was actually born in 1829 and was closer to being 42 years old. On 5 March 1862, he was promoted to Corporal and on 14 May 1864, he was captured near Spotsylvania Court House. Although some records state that he was taken to Andersonville, the pension application file of his widow clearly state that he was held prisoner at Florence, South Carolina, and died there on 1 November 1864.
The following documents from the pension files (Fold3) report his death.
Adjutant General reports enrollment and muster as a Private, 14 October 1861. On the muster out roll, dated 21 Oct 1864, he is reported Corporal, died at Florence, South Carolina, 1 November 1864, of scurvy and diarrhea, while a prisoner of war….
Died in the Rebel Prison at Florence of sickness, exhaustion and fatigue leaving… a widow and only one child named Daniel J. Engle who was born 8 August 1854.
He is reported Corporal, died at Florence, South Carolina, 1 November 1864 of scurvy and diarrhea while a prisoner of war.
And with other of the same company were captured in a skirmish near the River Po, Virginia, on the 14th day of May 1864 and was carried away by the Rebels and has every reason to believe that he died in some Southern Prison. That this Daniel Engle was in good health at the time he was taken prisoner and had been in the service since 1861….
No evidence of death on file….
The last document notes that the records of veterans and prisoners were transferred to the 95th Pennsylvania Infantry.
Some interesting information from the pension application file of Mary A. [Hoffman] Engle follows.
Mary A. Hoffman was born 12 April 1830 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. She could not read or write and placed her mark on the application papers. She married Daniel Engle on 27 December 1848 in Pennsylvania. She had one child with Daniel Engle, Daniel J. Engle who was born 8 August 1854 in Donaldson, Schuylkill County, and was baptized at Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, on 9 November 1854. The young Daniel was delivered by a midwife who had died at the time Mary made application for her husband’s pension, so Mary had to produce witnesses to verify his birth.
On 1 May 1873, a fire destroyed Mary’s dwelling house and her pension certificate was lost in the fire. She applied for a replacement certificate.
Mary A. [Hoffman] Engle died on 27 July 1917 at the hospital of the Schuylkill County Almshouse in Schuylkill Haven. Her remains were returned to Tremont for burial.
From other sources: In 1870 Mary was living in Tremont with her son Daniel J. Engle. Mary was working as a tailoress and Daniel, age 16, was working as a machinist. Mary appeared in the 1890 Veterans’ and Widow’s Census of Tremont, Schuylkill County.
——————————–
Comments