Edward (Edmond) Slattery
Rank: Private, Co. G, 12th Regiment Massachusetts Infantry
Descendant: Terrance S
The mid 19th century was a time of great famine in Ireland. About one million people died and another million emigrated from Ireland. Edmond/Edward Slattery was one of them. He was born 30 July 1830 of to farm laborers. He migrated to America and arrived in Boston, Massachusetts 19 November 1853 aboard the “Star or Empire”. His occupation was listed as laborer.
Edward married Anne Lonergan on 17 February 1858 at St Stephen’s Church in the North End of Boston. They moved to Weymouth, Massachusetts where he worked as a “pudler”, which means he was in charge of a blast furnace at an iron mill. He and Anne eventually had eight children, two before the war, six after.
By 1863, the Civil War had been going on for two years. Edward decided to enlist. He enlisted 17 July 1863 and was listed as a 29 year old laborer and Ireland listed as his birthplace. His enlistment or draft was for three years. He was mustered into Company G 12th Regiment Massachusetts Infantry led by Col James Bates. The company was known as the “Webster Company” because it had been led by Daniel Webster’s son. By late 1863, the regiment was assigned to the 2nd Brigade (BG Henry Baxter), 2nd Division ( BG John C Robinson), 5th Army Corps ( MG Gouverneur K Warren).
Edward joined his regiment 19 December 1863 at its winter quarters in Culpeper, Virginia. On 4 May 1864, the regiment crossed the Rapidan at Germanna Ford, met two other groups, and bivouacked at Wilderness Tavern. The regiment went out on patrol, marched 17 miles, and came within 2 miles of the enemy with neither side knowing how close it was to the other.
The regiment became heavily engaged in the fighting at Saunders Field and suffered severely. Edward himself was wounded by a gunshot through his right hand and wrist, resulting in amputation of the 2nd finger on his right hand at the 5th Army Corps Field Hospital. He was sent to the hospital steamer “Connecticut”, then to Columbian College, and finally to Readville General Hospital in Readville, Massachusetts. Due to his disability, he was discharged 2 January 1865.
By 1870, Edward was recovered , back in Weymouth, and was again working as a laborer in a rolling mill where ingots of heated metal passed through rollers to produce sheets or bars of a required cross section and form.
In June 1898, Edward exchanged communications with the Department of Interior Affairs to confirm his marriage and children living with him as part of applying for his disability pension. In 1900, he was not working. Edward died in Weymouth 13 may 1905 of a cerebral hemorrhage and is buried in the St Francis Xavier Cemetery in Weymouth.