Pioneer History by Richard C. Schmal
Andrew Moore's Sons and and the Civil War
(from the April 29, 1992, Lowell Tribune)Andrew Moore and his wife, Irena (Hines) Moore, both natives of Broome County, N.Y., were married in New York and, in 1837, moved with their family to West Creek Twp. in Lake County. They purchased the claim of John Stein -- 160 acres of good farm land -- on which they built a cabin and made improvements. Their farm was the site of one of the earliest schools in West Creek Twp.
They soon moved on to Will County, Ill., however, purchased land, and lived there until 1845, when they decided to return to West Creek. They bought another farm and lived there until 1865, when the family moved into Lowell, and Andrew was in the retail business until his retirement in 1872.
Andrew Moore was the first Justice of the Peace in West Creek Twp., holding the office for a period of 10 years.
The Civil War years of 1861-1865 were tragic times for the Moore family. All seven of their sons volunteered for service in the Union Army, and three died, while the four who survived all suffered life-long disabilities.
The oldest son, Andrew Franklin Moore, always known as Frank, was born in Windsor, N.Y., in about 1827 and was the only one of the seven brothers to enlist for three years and actually complete his term of duty. He enlisted at Sherbourne, Ill., on Feb. 1, 1862, and was mustered out three years later at Pocataligo, S.C. He had been a blacksmith before the war, and his service record had him listed as a gun-smith in Company F, 64th Illinois Infantry.
His hospital stays amounted to one year, and he had frail health when he was discharged. He and his brother William became partners in a saw mill at Argos after the war. Frank moved to Coos Bay, Oregon, sometime between 1872 and 1878, where he died May 13, 1881.
The second son of Andrew Moore was Ambrose Hines Moore, born in Binghamton, N.Y., in 1829. Although history books show all seven of the brothers served in the war, his actual military record has not been found.
James Nathaniel Moore, the third son of Andrew Moore, was educated in the log schools of West Creek Twp. and at the age of 19 began to learn the carpentry trade at Joliet, Ill., where he soon became the partner of Norman Brown, a contractor and builder there. In 1856 he married Mary Ault of a pioneer Lowell family.
He came to Lowell in 1863 and on Oct. 3 of that year enlisted in Company G, 12th Indiana Vol. Cavalry. He trained at Kendallville for several months, until the regiment left Indiana for Nashville, Tenn., in May 1864, where they were attached to the Army of the Cumberland, defending the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, until November.
In May they were guarding the rails from Decatur to Paint Rock. The outfit took part in many encounters, including Big Cove Valley, Flint River, Paint Rock Station, and Moore's Hill.
James was wounded at Tullahoma, Tenn., when during the thick of a battle, he was disemboweled by a mini-ball. He dressed his wound the best he could under the conditions and was able to survive.
Nearby lay a young Southern boy who was wounded in about the same way, so James tended to the boy's wound and probably saved the life of the young Rebel soldier, Jesse Vick. The two soldiers became good friends and wrote letters for a great many years. After the battle, James was sent to the hospital in Tullahoma, and Jesse Vick became a prisoner of war. James acquired malaria during his service in the south and was affected by it for the rest of his life, though he outlived his brothers. He was almost 82 when he died.
Derastus Torrey Moore, the fourth son of Andrew Moore, was born in Binghamton, Broome County, N.Y., in about 1834.
In August of 1862 he and his brother William enlisted and were mustered into Company H, 100th Illinois Infantry at Sherbourne, Ill.
Derastus probably fought on many fronts before he died Dec. 17, 1863, three months after having his right elbow and left ankle broken by enemy fire at the battle of Chicamauga, Ga. He was taken prisoner after he was wounded, and was later paroled to the Union troops.
His wounded leg was amputated in Alabama, where he served for a time as a medical assistant. A few months later he died from his wounds at the Cumberland Hospital at Nashville.
William R. Moore, the fifth son of Andrew Moore, was born May 13, 1836, in Adrian, Mich., probably at the home of his Uncle William Moore, when Andrew and his family were on their way west. William, who served in Company H, 100th Illinois Inf., enlisted in August 1862.
He was severely wounded at the famous Battle of Stoney River, Tennessee, on Dec. 31, 1862, but was able to serve until the end of the war. He was wounded directly over the heart by a musket ball, treated at the field hospital, and soon returned to duty, though the wound caused permanent damage to his heart and lungs. After the war he was able to take part in the running of a sawmill with his brother for a time, and then he retired to a small farm near Argos.
Isaac W. Moore was the sixth son of Andrew Moore, and though he was not the first of the brothers to enlist, he was the first one to die in battle, on Dec. 29, 1862, at Gallatin, Tenn., at the age of 20. He enlisted at Crown Point on July 29, 1862, and served in Company A, 73rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
Lewis Albert Moore, the seventh son of Andrew Moore, was born in Will County, Ill., in about 1846 and enlisted on Nov. 6, 1863, mustered into Company G, 12th Indiana Cavalry at Kendallville. He was only 18 years old when he died of smallpox there on Apr. 3, 1864, never having left training camp.
The names of three of the Moore brothers are engraved on the 1905 Three Creeks soldiers' monument in Lowell. The names of James, Lewis and Isaac Moore are listed on the large stone honoring the soldiers and sailors from the three townships Cedar Creek, West Creek and Eagle Creek who served during four wars during the 1800's.
Dorothy Schroeder of Quincy, Wash., a member of the pioneer James Moore family, shared a wealth of information from her unfinished book about her ancestors.
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