Wills, Luella Pension for Ex-Confederate Soldiers James T. Thurman, aged 72, and still suffering from a Civil War wound to his thigh, “weak lungs” and a “chronic cough”, submitted this pension application, on 18 June 1913, to the Adjutant General’s Office, in Jefferson City, Missouri. After a long life of physical labor, he could do no more. His physical condition, he said, made it impossible for him “to do manual labor” any more and he needed financial assistance. Like many Confederate soldiers, Thurman was illiterate and required the assistance of Notary Public Hemmit Dale to complete the application form. His “mark” is visible between the J. and T. of his “signature.” The application is marked “approved & service papers returned” and dated 9 July 1913. Thurman’s pension application is accompanied by two documents: a “Memorandum of Service” and an Adjutant General’s certificate authenticating his Civil War service. The documents indicate that Thurman was a resident of Bloomington, Macon County, Missouri and had enlisted as a private in Company B, 5th Missouri Regiment Infantry Volunteers in Springfield, Missouri, on 11 January 1862. Thurman had previously served in Company F, 4th Regiment, 3rd Division of the Missouri National Guard. 15.1.a 22663 1027 19130618 eng text application forms 21.7cm x 28cm United States Missouri Jefferson City (Mo.) Military pensions United States Civil War, 1861-1865 Thurman, James T. United States History Civil War, 1861-1865 Veterans Confederate States of America. Army Thurman, James T. contributor Military History mh Civil War cwar Hegler, Sarah 7/16/2012 Special Collections Staff Pick Collection staffpick 0015 Pension for Ex-Confederate Soldiers James T. Thurman, aged 72, and still suffering from a Civil War wound to his thigh, “weak lungs” and a “chronic cough”, submitted this pension application, on 18 June 1913, to the Adjutant General’s Office, in Jefferson City, Missouri. After a long life of physical labor, he could do no more. His physical condition, he said, made it impossible for him “to do manual labor” any more and he needed financial assistance. Like many Confederate soldiers, Thurman was illiterate and required the assistance of Notary Public Hemmit Dale to complete the application form. His “mark” is visible between the J. and T. of his “signature.” The application is marked “approved & service papers returned” and dated 9 July 1913. Thurman’s pension application is accompanied by two documents: a “Memorandum of Service” and an Adjutant General’s certificate authenticating his Civil War service. The documents indicate that Thurman was a resident of Bloomington, Macon County, Missouri and had enlisted as a private in Company B, 5th Missouri Regiment Infantry Volunteers in Springfield, Missouri, on 11 January 1862. Thurman had previously served in Company F, 4th Regiment, 3rd Division of the Missouri National Guard. Thurman, James T. 19130618 Text application forms J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University eng 22663 United States--Missouri--Jefferson City (Mo.) Military pensions--United States--Civil War, 1861-1865 Thurman, James T. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Veterans Confederate States of America. Army The document may be more significant for what is doesn’t say. It doesn’t say how Thurman served honorably throughout the war until he was paroled after the surrender in April 1865. The 5th Regiment, under the command of Col. James McCown, Lt. Col. Robert S. Bevier, and Maj. Owen A. Waddell, was involved in nearly continuous combat during the war. It fought at Iuka (19 Sept. 1862) and Corinth, Mississippi (3-4 Oct. 1862), Lexington, Tennessee (18 Dec. 1862) and at Pea Ridge [Elkhorn Tavern] Arkansas (7-8 Mar. 1862), where it was part of Brig. Gen. John S. Bowen’s command. Thurman got his thigh wound from a shell fragment at Pea Ridge. It participated in the simultaneous battles of Grand Gulf (29 April, 3 May 1863) and Port Gibson, Mississippi (30 April – 1 May 1863) while defending Vicksburg. A few weeks later the regiment fought at Champion’s Hall, also known as Baker’s Creek (16 May 1863). The 5th was captured en masse, on 4 July 1863, when Vicksburg fell to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s forces and spent several months as prisoners of war. The harshness of the siege and subsequent captivity can only be guessed. Gen. Bowen never recovered from the effects and died on 13 July 1863. After an exchange of prisoners, the understrength 5th joined Brig. Gen. Francis M. Cockrell’s Brigade and was consolidated with the 3rd Regiment, and served with General John Bell Hood’s army in Tennessee (Nov. 1864-Jan. 1865) and during the Atlanta Campaign (1 May – 8 Sept. 1864) where it fought at Allatoona (5 Oct. 1864). Transferred to to the defense of Mobile (17 Mar. – 12 April 1865) it participated in the Battle of Fort Blakely, Alabama (1-9 April 1865). The 5th, which mustered 476 men in May 1862, suffered staggering casualties during the war. It lost 6 killed, 62 wounded, and 19 missing at Corinth; 4 killed, 49 wounded and 37 missing at Champion’s Hill; 20 killed and 52 wounded during the siege of Vicksburg; the combined 5th/3rd Regiment lost a total of 128 casualties (killed and wounded) during the Atlanta Campaign (18 May – 5 September 1864) alone. It lost hundreds more by disease and desertion. By the end of the war there were few left to surrender. The survivors of the bloodbath, including James T. Thurman, then faded from history. 3rd Division Missouri National Guard 3rd Missouri Regiment Infantry Volunteers (CSA) 4th Regiment Missouri National Guard 5th Missouri Regiment Infantry Volunteers. Company Alabama Arkansas Atlanta Campaign (1864) Bevier Robert S. (Lt. Col. CSA) Bloomington Missouri Bowen John S. (Brig. Gen. CSA) Champion's Hill Mississippi (1863) Civil War Cockrell Francis M. (Brig. Gen. CSA) Confederate States of America Corinth Mississippi (1862) Dale Hemmitt (Notary Public) Fort Blakely Alabama (1865) Franklin and Nashville Campaign (1864-1865) Franklin Tennessee (1864) Georgia Grand Gulf Mississippi (1863) Grant Ulysses S. (Gen. USA) Hood John Bell (Gen. CSA) Iuka Mississippi (1862) Lexington Tennessee (1862) Macon County Missouri McCown James (Col. CSA) Mississippi Missouri Missouri. Adjutant General' s Office Mobile Alabama (1864) Notary Publics Pea Ridge Arkansas (1862) Prisoners of War (1864) Soldiers Pensions Springfield Missouri Tennessee Campaign (1864) Thurman James T. (Pvt. CSA) Vicksburg Mississippi (1863) Waddell Owen A. (Maj. CSA) local, filename 22663.0001 54286788 image/tiff 6.0 PRONOM PUID: fmt/10 little endian uncompressed MD5 a28495f90dd9eff2f57b8cb6985ef1a7 ecu:digital_collections 3648 4958 RGB 217 mm 280 mm 20120725 Khazanie, Rita Epson Expression 10000XL Silverfast Ai v6.6.1r6 object plane in. 400 1 400 1 8 integer 3 internal local, filename 22663.0002 53450672 image/tiff 6.0 PRONOM PUID: fmt/10 little endian uncompressed MD5 252e9573fedb2f87450677a6a5510935 ecu:digital_collections 3592 4958 RGB 217 mm 280 mm 20120725 Khazanie, Rita Epson Expression 10000XL Silverfast Ai v6.6.1r6 object plane in. 400 1 400 1 8 integer 3 internal