Jump of Topic: David Perkins Putnam's Civil War Letters

While going through some of my parent's documents I found a set of Civil War records they had transcribed from David Perkins Putnam.  He was not a direct ancestor, but my father had received them from someone in southeaster Ohio. Though I think my father had planned on publishing these, I don't think they ever were.  I am going to post the transcriptions here.


Here is the summary that my father put together:

David Perkins Putnam

Born Aug. 19, 1841 in Marietta, Ohio

Son of George Putnam and Susan Allen Westcott, married Sept 16, 1840 in Marietta. Descendant of General Israel Putnam (after whom Marietta’s Putnam street is named) and General Putnam’s son, Colonel Israel Putnam, who settled in Belpre in 1788.

First of 7 children ( David, Sarah, Elizabeth, Susan Ella, George Israel, May and Alice).

Sergeant, 1st Sergeant, 2nd Lt., 1st Lt. and eventually Capt. in the 92nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry regiment. This regiment was formed in Sept. of 1862 with companies A, B and D mustered in at Gallipolis and the other seven companies at Camp Marietta. It appears that most of the men in Co. A came from the Athens area while most of the regiment were from Washington county. 

David served from 1862 to 1865, the entire time with the western army and this service included Sherman’s.. campaign from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and then to Savannah and to Virginia at war’s end.

Entered army on Aug. 1, 1862. Co. A of 92nd O.V.I. mustered in on Sept. 17, 1862 in Gallipolis. D.P. appointed sergt in Co. A on this date. Promoted to 1st sergeant in April, 1862, to 1st Lt. of Co. I on Feb. 3, 1863 and to Capt. of Co. A on Nov. 18, 1864.Mustered out of service June 10, 1865 near Washington, D.C.  David’s army service record supplements the information in his letters, especially in periods not covered by the letters.

David and his parents moved to a farm in rural Athens county sometime between 1841 and 1861. After the war he married Lucia Smith. They had only one daughter who died young. He died in Athens, Oh., in March , 1914, and his obituary was published in the Marietta Times on March 19, 1914.

 David’s letters home were provided by Stephen Morgan Wells, of Dover, N.H., the grandson of   David’s brother, George. George was a long time resident of Athens, Oh., and the founder of a jewelry store in Athens.

The letters have never been published before. Included herein are exact copies of  David’s very neatly handwritten originals. In a very few cases I have omitted or changed a few words to make the letters more easily read and one of the  letters from Chattanooga, Tenn. in Oct., 1863, may not be transcribed since the ink has faded so badly.

By Robert E. Putnam
     
I am  the 6th cousin, 3 generations removed, of David Perkins Putnam. Our mutual ancestor was John Putnam of Aston Abbotts, Buckinghamshire, England, and Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first Putnam to come to North America. He arrived in either 1639 or 1640 and was granted land in Salem Village (now Danvers) in 1641. Nancy Putnam Hollister is the first cousin, four generations removed of David Perkins Putnam.