Webster Joshua Richmond (1843-1863)
- My great grandfather was named Sylvester Richmond. He was a soldier in the 138th Indiana, and his name (S. Richmond) is on your Three Creeks Civil War monument as being a resident of West Creek Township. He also had two brothers in the war, Joshua Richmond (J. Richmond) and David Richmond (D. Richmond), of the 20th Indiana. They are listed as being from Cedar Creek Township.
At some point, and I dont know when, the Richmonds left Ashtabula. They apparently headed to Indiana, perhaps to join up with Davids sisters in Lake County, but I can find no trace of them in the 1860 census anywhere. In May 1861, Joshua enlisted in the 12th Indiana Infantry for a one year tour. He was probably about 16, but his age is listed as 18. He is listed as Webster J. (for Joshua) Richmond. He enlisted in Grant County, so that may be where the Richmonds were living, but I cant find them there.
Two months after Joshua enlisted in the 12th, brother David Richmond enlisted in Company B, 20th Indiana, for a 3 year tour. He enlisted from Lake County, so at this point he at least was a resident.
After Joshuas one year enlistment with the 12th was finished, he came back to Indiana and immediately reenlisted, this time in the 20th Indiana, B Company, and joined his brother David. I have copies of Joshuas muster roll, and he was excused for special duty with an ambulance corps for a few months in the fall of 1862. Unfortunately he was with the 20th when they were in Gettysburg the following summer, because he was killed. He is one of the lucky soldiers to have his own grave and gravestone at the Gettysburg Cemetery, possibly because his brother was there to identify him.
I have copies of Joshua's compiled military service record, which I ordered from the National Archives. It had his muster records (basically, was this soldier present during this month? and then he could be paid), the casualty sheet, form for examining a recruit (this is very interesting and a bit funny, they ask if you've been sick, have you ever had fits, ever had a head wound, ever had the "horrors," are you in the habit of drinking.....he answered yes to that one), his volunteer enlistment form, and so on.
Also, his name apparently was Webster Joshua Richmond. In his first tour with the 12th, he was known as Webster. All his recruitment papers for the 20th, say Webster J. or Webster, but his muster roll says Joshua, so probably that is the name he preferred.
The following comes from page 113 of Lake County, Indiana, from 1834 to 1872 by Rev. T. H. Ball:
- The Twentieth went to Hatteras Inlet, to Fortress Monroe, aided in the capture of Norfolk, and joined the Army of the Potomac. Its various fortunes and conflicts as a part of this great army need not here be detailed. It finally reached Gettysburg, July 2, 1863, where, says Venable, "the greatest and most important battle of the whole war was fought." He adds, "The fury of the third day's engagement is indescribable. Whole brigades were almost utterly destroyed. The slope of Cemetery Hill, upon which the hardest struggle occurred, was literally heaped with the slain." Here the Twentieth, says our Adjutant General, "lost its commanding officer, Col. John Wheeler, and 152 men and officers killed and wounded." Among those killed were besides Col. Wheeler of Crown Point, two others of our soldier boys, George W. Edgerton and J. Richmond. The regiment was afterwards at New York City on guard duty, and then at the battle of the Wilderness, and at other noted engagements.
| Name | Where Dying | When |
| Col. John Wheeler | Gettysburg | July 2, 1863 |
| George W. Edgerton | Gettysburg | July 2, 1863 |
| Horace Fuller | Wilderness | May 5, 1864 |
| Lawrence Frantz | Spootsylvania | May 12, 1864 |
| John Griesell [Griesel} | David Island | August 16, 1862 |
| M. Hafey | Pittsburg | -- |
| C. Hazworth | -- | May 26, 1863 |
| Wm. Johnson | Petersburg | June 18, 1864 |
| Albert Kale | Camp Hampton | Dec. 17, 1861 |
| Wm. Mutchler | Camp Smith | April 25, 1862 |
| P. Mutchler | Washington | July 15, 1862 |
| James Merrill | Wilderness | May 5, 1864 |
| S. Pangburn | Andersonville | November 6, 1864 |
| C. Potter | -- | -- |
| D. Pinckerton* [Pinkerton] | -- | -- |
| J. Richmond | Gettysburg | July 2, 1863 |
| John F. Torr* [Farr] | Washington | November 24, 1862 |
| Isaac Williams | -- | July 5, 1863 |
| Charles Winters | City Point | June 19, 1864 |
The Cedar Creek Cemetery Index at the Lowell Public Library lists Joshua Richmond's grave as being in Row R18. According to the index, his hedstone indicates that he died July 2, 1862, at age 19 years, 11 monts and 4 days. It adds "Co B 20TH Ind Inf -- Killed in Battle in Gettysburg, PA." Since the Battle of Gettysburg actually took place in 1863, it is likely that the indexer mad an error in copying.
Go to Joshua W. Richmond, "Pioneer History Index," for further information.
Return to Civil War Veterans
Return to Lowell Biographies.