Fort Mifflin – Loganalogy- Your Family Historian

Browsing the homepage of my Ancestry database reveals upcoming birthdays and anniversaries, including both marriages and deaths. August 3rd was the anniversary of my 3rd great-grandfather, Mathias J. Chapman, passing away on my mother’s side. As I reviewed his details, I realized I had very little information and couldn’t recall the last time I had researched about him.

As I reviewed my information to verify its accuracy, something caught my attention. First, he had served in the Civil War, and second, he had been incarcerated as a “rebel deserter.” His imprisonment took place at Fort Mifflin in Pennsylvania. ¹ I knew I had to dig into this further!

Peggy Seymour possesses a family bible that indicates Mathias was born approximately in 1841 in Spotsylvania, Virginia, to Herman and Ann Chapman. (Peggy and Barbara are the daughters of Ellen Seymour, who is my great-grandmother’s first cousin on her father’s side.) Mathias married Sarah J. Crutchfield in Goochland, Virginia, on January 4, 1861, at the age of 19. The bible also notes that Mathias and Sarah had a child in 1862, but unfortunately, the baby passed away the same year.²

Mathias joined the Confederate Army during the Civil War on August 29, 1861. Historical records indicate that he had a fair complexion, blue eyes, and sandy hair. He stood 5 feet 9 inches tall. According to NARA records, he completed his service in October 1862 and transferred to the Virginia King William Light Artillery Battery. He mustered out again on December 15, 1862, and once more on January 15, 1863. On June 20, 1863, he was categorized as a “rebel deserter” and was imprisoned at Fort Mifflin until his release on November 17, 1863.

The NARA has “Descriptive Book of Arrested Deserters” ledgers, but the one he would be in is not online. I am waiting for the NARA to get back to me with their information on him. These books usually have descriptive information, so I hope they tell me more.

Update 6 Sep 2024: From the NARA via email:

The National Archives does not have Confederate pension files in our custody. Pensions based on military service in the Confederate States of America were authorized by some Southern states, but not by the federal government. To see if a former Confederate or his widow received a pension, contact the state archives of the former Confederate state where the veteran or his widow lived after the Civil War.

Confederate records that are in the custody of the National Archives are located in Record Group 109 War Department Collection of Confederate Records. These records are incomplete, due to the hazards of war and the destruction of records at the end of the Civil War. RG 109 consists of records that were captured by, or surrendered to, Union forces during and at the end of the Civil War, as well as records that were later donated to, or purchased by, the U.S. War Department.

Fort Mifflin held three kinds of prisoners: Confederate prisoners of war, Union soldiers, and civilians. The prisoners were held in the Fort’s three largest casemates or bombproof shelters.

The same gentleman who emailed me also sent me his Oath of Allegiance.

The oath of allegiance probably refers to a list of prisoners in Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania, who signed a document indicating that they had taken the oath of allegiance. This document is located in RG 109 Entry 199 Records of Confederates in Union Prisons, under Pennsylvania. Although the National Archives is not appropriated to provide free copies of records in our holdings, because the number of pages involved is small and because the series is not available on microfilm or in digital form, we have made a one-time exception. A complimentary scan of the endorsement page and of the page where Chapman signed his name is attached.

In July 1863, Fort Mifflin started to accommodate Confederate prisoners of war taken during the Battle of Gettysburg, which occurred from July 1 to July 3. At its highest occupancy, the fort held up to 216 Confederate POWs in its largest casemate. Their time at Fort Mifflin was short-lived, as many were eventually moved to larger facilities like Fort Delaware, or they were released after pledging allegiance to the United States. ³

By: Seth Eastman – http://www.history.army.mil/html/artphoto/pripos/eastman.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=125473364

According to the records, Mathias’s desertion coincided with the birth of their child. The family Bible also notes that his wife, Sarah passed away in 1863.

While Mathias was stationed at Fort Mifflin, a significant skirmish took place in Hagerstown, Maryland. Already an important center for trade and transportation, Hagerstown would later be instrumental during the Civil War. In July 1863, while Mathias was still imprisoned, Hagerstown played a key role in the Confederate army’s retreat from Gettysburg. Following the Union victory at the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee and his troops aimed to cross the Potomac River into Virginia. Union cavalry, led by General H. Judson Kilpatrick, attempted to intercept the Confederate forces and engaged them in Hagerstown. Lee had established a garrison in the area to protect their rear. The subsequent Battle of Hagerstown lasted seven hours, involved around 2,000 soldiers, and resulted in close to 200 casualties.⁴ Interestingly, being labeled a ‘rebel deserter’ and becoming a POW may have ultimately saved Mathias’s life.

My great-grandmother’s notes indicate that he served as a drummer boy during the Civil War, but there are no documents to support this claim. They only show that he was part of Light Artillery units, although it’s possible he served in both roles.

One year after his release from Fort Mifflin, he married my third great-grandmother, Mary Isadore Burns, in Hagerstown, Maryland, just over the border from Pennsylvania. Their wedding took place at Saint Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church (now John Wesley United Methodist Church) and was officiated by Rev. George W. Heyde. ⁵ Mathias worked as a brick mason, and they welcomed three sons while living in Pennsylvania. In 1872, the family moved to Virginia, where they had three more sons and one daughter.

By 1896, Mathias was serving as the superintendent of Cedar Grove, Elmwood, and West Point cemeteries, and he was later elected as the “Keeper of the Cemeteries.”

In 1894, he was elected to his present office, and he has fulfilled his duties in an able manner that leaves no room for criticism. Under his supervision, great changes have taken place. Under his care, great attention has been given to the cemetery grounds, and they have been kept neat and beautiful, a fact that is appreciated by all those who have loved ones there entombed. Mr. Chapman is well in touch with his fellowmen and is a member of K of P Lodge No. 56. Vandalia Lodge No. 57. I. O. O. F. No. 79, Orinoco Tribe, I. O. Red Men; Palestine Tent No. 40, Rechabites, and Friendship Council No. 4. Chosen Friends. He has intelligent plans for the further improvement of the cemeteries, and his past efforts for the public good should entitle him to a continuance in the office. All of the property in his care is well kept, and a special improvement is noted in the West Point Cemetery. When he went into office, he found that place overgrown with weeds and the branches choked with underbrush. The weeds have been removed, the underbrush cut away, and the cemetery is now a neat, well-kept, and slightly place, that is a credit to Norfolk.⁶—

Mathias passed away from a stroke at 11:00 a.m. on August 3, 1898, at the age of 56, in Norfolk, Virginia.⁷