Sergeant James W. Armstrong went “missing-in-action” in October 1863 during the Battle of Philadelphia, Tenn., according to his service record. This husband and father seemed to have disappeared from the battlefield. His family, unsure of his whereabouts, reached out to Clara Barton in 1865 to find answers. They would find closure in the most unfortunate place.

(Library of Congress/Design by Ron Coddington)

Born in Aurora, Ind., in 1831, Armstrong was the eldest child of six. His father William moved to the Midwest and established a tailoring business, likely in the 1810s or 1820s. William participated in the Copperhead politics of his Democratic county, which may have prompted James to enlist in a Unionist regiment. Mustering into service at Louisville with Company E of the 11^th Kentucky Cavalry, James served one full year before the Battle of Philadelphia. His Union service record contains muster rolls for the fall of 1863 that note his “absent” status, saying he went missing after the battle concluded. In the February-May 1864 muster roll, which lists him as “still a prisoner,” an annotation was later added declaring that James had died from dysentery at the Andersonville Prison in Georgia. We can surmise that James’ capture was known by the regiment, but the location of his imprisonment was not.

James’ death at Andersonville occurred on May 13, 1864 based on his official service record. His name is not listed in Dorrence Atwater’s official record of soldier deaths, published with the help of Clara Barton. It is highly possible that confirmation of his unfortunate demise is hazy since his burial place was lost. James has no headstone at Andersonville National Cemetery. He was officially mustered out of service on July 15, 1865, along with his casualty sheet, which determined the official cause of death as dysentery due to imprisonment at Andersonville. Barton recorded him in the “Missing Soldiers” roll as #3615. It is possible that a fellow soldier mentioned James to Barton during a visit to Andersonville, which is how his story was later pieced together once his family wrote to her. The combination of Barton’s investigations and the publication of his casualty sheet led everyone to James. Even though James’ grave is lost – and missed by Atwater – his presence at that horrid prison camp was certain, and his family was able to find closure.

Wife Hannah filed for her widow’s pension in the summer of 1865, and their child Clara in 1869 (who was only four-months-old when her father enlisted in the Union Army). Hannah remarried in 1867, but passed away from tuberculosis in 1874. Clara, now an orphan, succumbed to a “nervous disease” two years later at the age of fifteen. Hannah and Clara are buried with the second husband back home in Aurora, Ind., while James still lies unknown at Andersonville.

About the Author

Madeline Feierstein is an Alexandria, VA historian specializing in psychiatric institutions, military hospitals, and prisons.. A native of Washington, D.C., her work has been showcased across the Capital Region. As the Lead Historian for the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, Madeline leads efforts to document the sick, injured, and imprisoned soldiers that passed through Civil War Alexandria. Additionally, she is a member of Emerging Civil War and works at Gravestone Stories interpreting the burials in Alexandria’s historically-rich cemeteries. Madeline holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminology from George Mason University and a Master’s in American History from Southern New Hampshire University. Explore her research and catch her next tour at www.madelinefeierstein.com.