CEDAR COUNTY, NEBRASKA - Civil War Veteran Gave Long Service Joseph Morris of Wynot Put in Almost Five years in the Union Army ==================================================================== NEGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the NEGenWeb Archives by Carol Tramp Permission granted by: Rob Dump, Editor, Cedar County News ====================================================================== CEDAR COUNTY NEWS July 23, 1925 Civil War Veteran Gave Long Service Joseph Morris of Wynot Put in Almost Five years in the Union Army Records for having served in the Civil war the longest of any man now living in Cedar County are claimed by Joseph Morris, who is now living with his daughter, Mrs. C Claude McDonald of Wynot, for he was a member of the Union Army for four years, ten months, and four days. Mr. Morris is now an old white-haired man, who observed his 81st birthday last March 18. His age is telling on him, for he has nearly lost his eyesight now. He is spending the last days of his honorable fruitful life at the home of his daughter, looking forward to the time when he will join the good wife who has gone on before him and who took the light of his life with her. He was born in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1844. His parents moved to St. Frances, Missouri, two years later, and were among the early pioneers of that country. Here Mr. Morris grew to young manhood on a farm of 160 acres which he helped cultivate from a wild piece of land into a fruitful farm. The education he received was begun and completed in 18 months, he says. He was only 17 years of age when he the civil war broke out but with a boy’s eagerness for war he enlisted in a Missouri regiment on June 15, 1861. the battle of Athens, Missouri was the first fight in which he had part and here he learned that war is not all glory, for he saw the serious and tragic side of it, the loss of life and the breaking up of homes. Shortly after reaching home a call was sent the regiment to come to Columbus, Kentucky, to enter into a campaign against General Forrest, the noted Southern leader whose clever attacks kept them always on alert. A battle was expected with him at Clinton, Kentucky, the Union troops preparing breastworks, but the fight failed to materialize. Mr. Morris then went to Vicksburg to help re-enforce the Union army there, and later his regiment went to Memphis, Tennessee to again ward off some of General Forrest’s attacks. This noted Confederate general was finally forced to surrender July 4, 1863. At the time of the expiration of his enlistment, Mr. Morris went back to the army as a season veteran, signing up for three more years. General Sheridan was preparing at that time to make a raid from Vicksburg to Meridian, Mississippi, and Mr. Morris joined his forces. After the battle of Champaign Hill had been fought Mr. Morris was sent home on a 30 day furlough. On his return home he found that his father had been forced to move three times to keep the Confederates from confiscating his property. When his furlough was up, Mr. Morris joined the Union forces again at Red River, but there he was ordered to Memphis again. He was later in the big battle between General Hood and General Thomas at Nashville, General Thomas finally winning the tow day encounter and winning immortal fame as “the Rock of Chickamuga.” A march southward toward New Orleans followed. On this march the supplies of General Thomas’s army were captured and for the days the army subsisted solely on corn, Mr. Morris grinding his into hominy to make it more palatable. Mr. Morris was one of the Union soldiers who fought on after the war was really over. The union troops captured Fort Blakely on the afternoon of April 9, 1865. On that same day General Lee surrendered, but Mr. Morris and the other union soldiers were on their way from Fort Blakely to Montgomery, Alabama, and did no hear of Lee’s surrender until two weeks later. The end of the hostilities as far as they were concerned came when General Sherman received General Johnson’s surrender on April 22. Receiving his discharge on April 19, 1866, Mr. Morris went to Okaloosa, Iowa, where he married Miss Elizabeth Golden. They lived there for six years and then went to Montezuma, Iowa, where Mr. Morris lived until the death of his wife. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Morris. they are Edward, who lives at Mason City, Iowa, Charles E. of Los Angeles, California; Frank of Alberta Canada; Mrs. McDonald of Wynot and Justus who died at Hibbing, Minnesota, in 1921. He has 16 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. Other members of his family have also made war records. Mr. Morris served in the civil war while his sons Frank and Justus and his son-in-law were in the Spanish American War, and a grand son, Ralph Morris, and grandson-in-law, Jack Freese were in the World war. Mr. Morris has written quiet a bit of poetry during his live, some of it having been accepted for publication.