Mathias Embry lived in Vincennes, Indiana. His date of birth and death, as well as his occupation, are unknown. Embry was a cousin of John Posey and possibly related to Charles Newton.
John Posey (1842?-1864) was a 22-year-old Black farmer from Vincennes, Indiana. Posey enlisted as a Private in the newly formed 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, Company D and arrived at Camp Meigs in Readville, Massachusetts on June 20, 1863. He was noted as being 5'11" with brown eyes and black hair. Following training at Camp Meigs, Posey was stationed briefly in Boston, M.A. before shipping out to New Bern, N.C. on July 21st, 1863. After a brief stay in New Bern, Posey arrived on Folly Island, South Carolina, and helped take control of Fort Wagner on September 7, 1863, before participating in operations against Fort Sumpter and Charleston. In February 1864, Posey moved with his regiment to Northern Florida before returning to the area around Charleston in April 1864. Posey participated in skirmishes around Charleston before the 55th joined with General William T. Sherman's forces as they marched through the Carolinas. Posey was killed in action on November 30, 1864, during the Battle of Honey Hill in South Carolina as the 55th Massachusetts charged a Confederate battery.
Charles Newton (1843?-1864) was a 21 year-old Black soldier from Vincennes, Indiaia. Newton enlisted as a Private in the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, Company C and was possibly related to John Posey and Mathias Embry. It appears from Posey's correspondence that Newton was wounded and sent to recover in or around Portsmouth, Virginia sometime in the fall of 1863 and was reported as still in the area by Posey through February 2, 1864. Newton died sometime before November 16, 1864 according to correspondence from a Peter Newton to Mathias Embry; however, Newton is not noted among the enlisted killed while serving in the 55th Massachusetts according to the records kept by the Association of the Officers 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
Citations:
"55th Massachusetts Regiment." National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/55th-massachusetts-regiment.htm. Accessed 20 March 2023.
Fox, Charles B. Record of the Service of the Fifty-fifth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. 1868. Vol. 2, Association of Officers of the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry records, Massachusetts Historical Society, https://www.masshist.org/collection-guides/digitized/fa0479/b02-f12#1. Accessed 20 March 2023.
"Newton, Charles." Soldier Details. National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldierId=6367BDBE-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A. Accessed 20 March 2023.
"Posey, John." Soldier Details. National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldierId=AA2FE7C3-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A. Accessed 20 March 2023.
"Union Massachusetts Volunteers: 55th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry (Colored)." Battle Unit Details, National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm?battleUnitCode=UMA0055RI00C. Accessed 20 March 2023.
Voices of the 55th: Letters from the 55th Massachusetts Volunteers, 1861-1865. Ed. Noah Andre Trudeau. Dayton, Ohio, Morningside, 1996.
January 31, 2023, 0.15 cubic feet; Collection includes correspondence addressed to Mathias Embry during the years 1863-1864. Nine of the letters are from John Posey, a Black soldier in the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment. The remaining four letters are from various individuals to Embry.
Minimally processed by Martha Elmore February 2023
Processed by John Dunning March 2023