Simon HARTZELL

                   [DWHIP.ftw]

[Simon Hartzell Family.FTW]

       Simon Hartzell enlisted in Co. "D" of the 1st Reg. W. Va.Volunteers. He was sworn in on Feb. 25, 1864 at Wheeling W. Va. Simonsuffered a gunshot wound to the right leg on June 5, 1864 in the battleof Piedmont, Va. near Staunton, Va. He was left at the hospital inStaunton. It is not known just when he was taken prisoner by theConfederates. He was then transferred to Andersonville Prison in Ga.. Thedate of his transfer is not known. Copies of his military records are inthe family possession.
Source----Military Service Records, National Archives, GSA, Washington, DC

Nov. 15, 1864, Simon died of dysentery and was buried there at the Prison cemetery. Grave # 12014.
Source----Prisoners who died at Andersonville Prison--Atwater list. Page67.


       April 1st the unit joined General Sullivan's command at Webster, W.Va. where it was attached to the command of General Hunter in hiscampaign thru the Shenandoah Valley and the Battle of Piedmont, June 5th,1864 and at Lynchburg June 17-18th in the Armies retreat to the KanawahRiver.
    Source--- Civil War Regimental Histories State of W. Va.

       The Valley Campaign of 1864 started in early May when Union GeneralGeorge Crook with 6,000 men marched out of the Kanawah Valley of WestVirginia southeast toward Dublin, Virginia. At the same time UnionGeneral Franz Sigel with 9,000 men marched south into the ShenandoahValley from Martinsburg Virginia. Confederate General John C.Breckinridge was ordered by General Robert E. Lee to drive the UnionArmies out of the Shenandoah Valley. Breckenridge with 6,500 men marchednorth from Staunton, Virginia and the two armies met at New Market,Virginia on May 15, with the Union Army being defeated. Sigel with histroops retreated north and out of the Valley. Union losses, 96 dead, 520wounded and 225 captured or missing. Confederate losses, 43 dead, 474wounded, and 3 missing.---- According to the account General Sullivan andthe 1st. West Virginia was there.---- Meanwhile Crook and his men weredefeated at Dublin and retreated back into West Virginia. Lee badly inneed of men ordered Breckinridge to join him at Hanover Junction leavingthe valley virtually  unguarded.
       May 19, General Grant replaced Sigel with Major General David Hunterto take over a "utterly demoralized and stampeded army". Hunter orderedCrook out of West Virginia and to move on Staunton, Virginia. May 26,Hunter with the rejuvenated Army of the Shenandoah, 8,500 men marchedsouthward again. On the march Hunter ordered the burning of anythingremotely connected with the Confederate Army and many homes not, inretaliation, and earned the name "Black Dave" by the Federal troops. May30, the army reached New Market and paused to bury the Union dead fromthe May 15, battle. June 2, the army was camped at Harrisonburg. Hunter,learning that the confederates were at Mount Crawford, eight miles south,turned southeast toward Port Republic. June 5, after a minor skirmish theConfederates pulled back to Piedmont, a little village with a singlestreet of wood framed houses. At 1 P.M. the Union attacked theConfederate lines and after heavy fighting the Confederate retreated.Union casualties 420 killed or wounded and taking 1,000 plus prisoners.Confederates 600 killed or wounded. June 6, Hunter marched into Stauntonand unleashed an orgy of destruction. According to the account, at theVirginia Hotel Hospital they found numerous barrels of apple brandy whichthey proceeded to drink. June 8, Crook, with 10,000 men, joined Hunter atStaunton and on June 10, they marched on southward toward Lynchburg.There Confederate General Jubal Early had arrived to meet them. After twodays of fighting, June 17- 18, the Union retreated back north the waythey had came, on thru Staunton and westward into the Kanawah Valley ofWest Virginia, leaving the way clear for Early to march back to Stauntonand eventually on north toward Washington. Union losses 940 killed orwounded. Confederate losses were maybe 500 killed or wounded. June 26General Early was back at Staunton preparing his army for the marchtoward Washington.
Source--- THE SHENANDOAH IN FLAMES, The Valley Campaign of 1864, byThomas A. Lewis and the editors of Time-Life books.

Addendum,
       Simon Hartzell at age 49, with 9 children, lied about his age on his enlistment papers, giving his age as 42. The draft at that time wastaking men up to age 45 but there were men over that age, wanting to showthat they were able to fight, enlisting in units for over draft age men.As to why Simon enlisted, my guess was for the $100.00 bonus, at thattime it was a lot of money. The 1850 Greene Co. PA. census lists Simon'soccupation as a laborer. On his enlistment papers he states he was afarmer but the census doesn't indicate he owned any land.
After studying the history it is my belief that Simon was taken prisoner,about June 26, after the Confederates arrived back at Staunton. Accordingto his records he was left at Staunton after being wounded in the battleof Piedmont. There was a hospital at Staunton and he was probablyrecuperating there unable to travel. From there he was probably sent bytrain to Andersonville as Staunton was on the Virginia Central R. R. andby accounts the bulk of the prisoners arrived by train at Andersonville.

   Feb. 16, 1998
Bob HartzellSource Bob Hartzell e-mail
Came from Greene County
Civil War, died in Andersonville prison, known as Simon
born between 1812-1815

[WhipkeyAntill2.FTW]
Information from V. K. Mason; source:
(1) Margaret Hamblin.