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Daniel Hatch Jones |
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biography Researched, written and submitted by Darren Jones, great great grandson
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Daniel Hatch Jones Not much is known of Daniel’s childhood, but we do know that he came from western Pennsylvania farmland in which his father owned 150 acres. On the 1850 Crawford County, Pennsylvania census the family was living within Randolph Township in Crawford County on their land. On Daniel’s enlistment papers it shows that his occupation was indeed a farmer. Most of Daniel’s biography begins at this point, with his enlistment into the Army. It was August 19, 1861 when Daniel joined the Army, the war was already underway with the siege and capture of Fort Sumter by the Confederacy, December 27, 1860 – April 14, 1861 and the first battle of Bull Run or Manassas, on July 21 of the same year. Several other battles and skirmishes had taken place and men on both sides were eager to sign up and join the fight. Daniel was one of them, having just turned 17 years old four months prior. He stood about 5’11” was dark complected with brown hair and brown eyes, of fine Welsh stock. His motivation for joining? Probably the same as many other young patriots, to preserve the Union and put an end to the institution of slavery. It was unlikely that very many men joined the Union at this early stage to emancipate the slaves, rather they were caught up in the excitement of a fight and the romance of war that is so often described in Literature during this particular time and age. However most Pennsylvanians were against slavery but it wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation, January 1, 1863 that slavery became the focal point of the war, and even then the people were divided by the moral validity of the act, both in the North and in the South. None the less the North felt that their endeavors, despite their motivations, were righteous and morally correct in the eyes of God, and the slaves would be freed. Daniel mustered into service September 3, 1861 as a private at Erie, Pennsylvania. He was placed in Company F of the 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers Regiment. He signed up for three years and his first Company commander was Capt. De Witt C. McCoy. The regimental commander at the time was Col. John W. McLane. The Erie Regiment, had originally been formed for three months'
service, it had hardly been disbanded when the news of the disaster at Bull Run aroused the nation to a new sense of danger.
Having received an order on the 24th of July, from the Honorable Simon Cameron, Secretary of War. Colonel McLane issued a
call, and in less than five weeks nearly a thousand men had responded, embracing nearly three hundred of the old regiment,
principally from the counties of Erie, Crawford, Warren, Venango, and Mercer, Pennsylvania. They rendezvoused at Camp McLane,
near the city of Erie, thus picking up the title the Erie regiment. On the 8th of September 1861, they were mustered into the
United States service, and the regiment was organized by the selection of the following field officers: John W. McLane,
Colonel; Strong Vincent, Lieutenant Colonel; Dr. Louis H. Naghel, Major. The regiment moved to Washington, D. C., September
18-20, 1861. They were than attached to Butterfield’s Brigade, Fitz John Porter's I encourage all that read this to read about the history of the 83rd, which is located within this web site. Daniel received his first marching orders, which were to move to
Washington D. C. in the defense there of, along with the rest of the regiment. Daniel was present during the siege of
Yorktown from April 5th to May 3rd and fell ill with Typhoid Fever, shortly after the battle. He was counted absent from duty
from May 20th through July 7th as he recovered in an Army hospital. Daniel, being out of service for a month, would have
suffered from the following symptoms of Typhoid; headaches, fever, and body aches within the first weeks of contracting Typhoid was most common at the beginning of the war; a result of poor discipline and sanitation of the first volunteers. Typhoid fever was sometimes called “camp fever,” “swamp fever,” or “continued fever.” More deadly than malaria and many of the more common camp illness, typhoid accounted for only about one-fourth of all soldiers sickness but caused one-fourth of all deaths from diseases. Typhoid fever progressively diminished during the progress of the war, and disappeared almost entirely from the veteran armies, a result of lessons in sanitation that soldiers learned from the hard road of experience. About five percent of recovered typhoid patients remain long-term carriers of the disease; they show no long-term effects but can pass the bacteria to others. Due to Daniel’s illness with Typhoid he missed such renowned battles
as the “Seven days’ Campaign.” This was the battle in which Lee ordered Confederate Calvary General J.E.B. Stuart to scout
General McClellan’s army. The reconnaissance information proved to be most valuable to Lee in planning his strategy for the
upcoming battle. Stuart, during his ride around the Army of the Potomac, captured tons of supplies and a number of prisoners
and was a major embarrassment to McClellan in Daniel was present on the muster for the remainder of his three-year enlistment, which ended February 16, 1864. He would participate in such battles as Fredericksburg December 12-15, 1862, the Chancellorsville Campaign April 26-May 6, 1863 and the Gettysburg Pennsylvania Campaign June 13-July 24, 1863. Again you can read more about the history of the 83rd on this web site. Motivated by reasons unknown, he reenlisted on the 15th at Rappahannock Station Va. possibly due to the incentives offered him. He was advanced one-month’s private wages, which was his rank at the time, of $13.00. He was also given a bounty for re-enlisting of $400.00 in which he received his first installment at the signing, for $60.00 and then received additional $ 50.00 installments per pay period. His second reenlistment was for another three years as a Veteran Volunteer under General Order No. 191 War Department series of 1863. On May 6, 1864 Daniel was promoted to Corporal, the second day of the battle of the Wilderness. A violent and bloody battle for both sides, it hardly seems fitting to take time out from such a battle to issue out promotions. I’m sure it was a quick field promotion at best. During this battle the woods, which were very thick, had caught fire and they burnt for days. The fighting was so close that both armies slept no more than a hundred feet from each other. During one disastrous moment of this battle, over a hundred of the wounded were caught by the fire and burnt to death. Two days later on May 8, 1864 Daniel would receive his “Red Badge of Courage,” at the battle of Laurel Hill, Virginia. The battle of Laurel Hill has been mostly forgotten in the obscurity of history and is rarely mentioned in text. Laurel Hill was a battle that took place the day after the Battle of the Wilderness had finished, and could be considered the official opening to the impending battle of Spottsylvania. The Battle of the Wilderness ended up being a violent and bloody draw with considerable loss on both sides. If it had to be said, then I guess Grant came out the victor with the strategic advantage of having possession of Brock Road. This road provided a quick route of only eight miles to Spottsylvania. Lee on the other hand would have to march his troops thirteen miles over worse roads to reach this particular point. Both Grant and Lee looked upon Spottsylvania as the major avenue of approach to Richmond. Grant believed if he held Spottsylvania than Lee would have to fight him in the open and he could cut Lee off from Richmond. Grant ordered Maj.-Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, the commander of the V Corp, in which the 83rd fell under, to advance his Corp to Spottsylvania on the night of the 7th. Sedgwick's Sixth Corp was ordered to follow Warren by the left behind Hancock on the Brock road. Maj.-Gen. Warren was delayed by having to help Sheridan's Calvary, who were being detained by Confederate General J. E. B. Stuart’s Calvary at Todd's tavern. After chasing off Stuart's Calvary, Warren was again delayed by the blocking of the Brock road by the mounted troops of the provost guard, and this delay gave Lieut.-Gen. James Longstreet's men under R. H. Anderson's command an opportunity to reach Spottsylvania in advance of Warren's corp. Warren's lead division was the 2nd, commanded by Brig. Gen. John C. Robinson. They deployed, at 8 A. M. on the 8th, into the clearing north of Spottsylvania Court House and were fired upon by Confederates upon Spottsylvania Ridge. Robinson was severely wounded in the first fire. Gen. Robinson would later receive the Medal of Honor in 1897 for his bravery and leadership while leading his brigade against the Confederates. Warren, upon arriving at Spottsylvania Ridge, or Laurel Hill, believed that he only faced Calvary after chasing off Stuart the night before. Warren did not know that Anderson, who had assumed command of Longstreet's I Corp, had taken a strong defensive position across Brock road at Laurel Hill and had thrown up breastworks. Warren's men were tired after the long night march and Warren himself frustrated at the delays he encountered. He ordered his tired troops forward without the benefit of reconnaissance or artillery support. "Never mind cannon! Never mind bullets! Press on and clear this road!" Shouted Warren. The 1st Division, commanded by Brig.-Gen. Charles Griffin, charged the hill; each regiment moving into line of battle as it arrived. Anderson's men, well fortified, unleashed solid volleys into the regiments of Griffin's Division causing the attack to waver and break down. The "Butterfield Twins,"-44th New York and 83rd Pennsylvania, made two of the more successful assaults. The 44th halted 20 yards from the Confederate line, firing a series of volleys. The 83rd Pennsylvania actually penetrated the Confederate works and fought hand to hand. The following is an excerpt from "Pennsylvania Volunteers", a multi volume set of rosters and short histories of Pennsylvania regiments. "During the night of the 7th the corps moved on to Spottsylvania, and at Laurel Hill, six miles from the Court House, found the enemy across its path. It was supposed that only cavalry was in front, and that the infantry had only to show itself to clear the way. The Eighty-third was ordered into position on the right of the road, the Forty-fourth on the left, and advanced under cover of two pieces of artillery. The troops were weary, and little enthusiasm in the charge could be excited. At the brow of the hill the rebel skirmishers were met and driven. It now became apparent that the enemy's infantry was present in force; but the line moved on, and now at a double-quick, with fixed bayonets. As it approached the wood where the enemy lay, it received a volley, and here it was discovered that he was protected by a breastwork of logs and rails, prepared to receive an assault. Secure in the position and in largely superior force, the rebels poured in a murderous fire. Maddened by this merciless slaughter, the Eighty-third rushed up to the very works, and a desperate hand to hand conflict ensued, in which bayonet thrusts were given and parried, several men of the Eighty-third crossing the works and striving in desperate valor to drive the foe. For half an hour did these two small regiments maintain the unequal contest, much of the time at close quarters; but were finally compelled to retire, having suffered a most grievous loss. The two lines, scarcely eighty rods apart, were thoroughly fortified during the night. The regiment had about fifty killed, and over a hundred wounded and taken prisoners. From its entrance to the Wilderness fight, to this time, it had lost over three hundred. Captain George Stowe and Lieutenant Alexander B.Langley were among the killed.” The following is an excerpt of “Judson's History of the
Eighty-third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, page 96-97. Judson also writes," The sun had by this time grown very hot, the men had marched all night without rest, had had no breakfast and their knapsacks were still upon their backs. The Eighty-Third filed out into the field on the right of the road, formed line of battle, and then advanced under cover of two sections of artillery, which were planted at different parts of the field. At the same time the Forty-Fourth (44th New York Volunteer Infantry) formed on the left of the road and advanced toward the enemy from that direction. We started without bayonets fixed and endeavored to get up a yell and
a double quick, but the men were too much exhausted either to run or yell. As we advanced some one suggested that the charge
would be more effectively made with fixed bayonets, and so the order ran along the line and the men fixed them as they went.
Company C was thrown out as skirmishers to protect our right, as a few rebels had been already discovered posted behind
temporary works in another body of woods on that flank. We found the rebel skirmishers lying upon the ground on the We found a whole brigade (from Kershaw’s Division supported by
Field’s Division of Longstreet’s Corps), several times our own number, thus entrenched; and, feeling secure in their numbers
and in their sheltered position, they stood their ground and commenced pouring in a murderous fire upon our ranks. Our men
maddened at this display of Southern chivalry, yelled "Cowards!" at the rebels and then rushed upon them and Our right flank was also exposed to the fire of their skirmishers who were posted, as we have stated, I another body of woods about fifty rods (275 yards) to our right. To contend any longer against such odds, so well protected, was madness. We had already lost heavily, and, if we had remained much longer, we should have been shot down; and so we fell back, without much regard to order, and left the ground to be disputed by the reinforcements which were already on the way to our support." (Judson, 196-198) The following is an excerpt from a report of Lieut. Col. De Witt
C. McCoy, Eighty-third Pennsylvania, commanding. The following is an affidavit from Daniel Hatch Jones to
Washington D.C. in the matter of his pension application dated June 27, 1891. Daniel recovered from his wounds and was returned to duty this time in Company D at the later part of July 1864. He received a promotion to Sergeant on January 1, 1865 while in winter quarters outside of Petersburg. He also received a pay increase from $13.00 a month as a Corporal to $17.00, and he continued to receive $50.00 installments per month from his enlistment bounty. Regardless of the promotion and increase in pay the conditions of
living were miserable at Petersburg. The winter of 1864-65 was unusually cold and dreary, and life was a struggle for
soldiers in the trenches at Petersburg, Va. “The cold north wind was chilling and terrible to withstand,” remembered a
soldier. Most of the remainder of Daniel’s service took place in and around Petersburg until April 2nd when the Confederates
abandoned their entrenchment’s. By then the war was So draws the conclusion of Daniel’s service to the Union. The 83rd Pennsylvania was ordered to march to Washington, D. C., May 2-12 and participate in the Grand Review on May 23. Daniel appears on the muster-out roll for June 28, 1865 as “absent home on furlough.” He was last paid $65.30 on December 31, 1864 so he was due at least 5 months back pay and a balance of $240.00 for his reenlistment bounty according to his service record. While in service to his country, sometime before the battle of Laurel Hill, Va. in 1864, his parents moved to the small town of Maquon along the Spoon River in Knox County Illinois. As the 83rd was being mustered out of service Daniel was making his way home to see his parents on early furlough. Either by train, walking, acquiring a horse or all of the above he was more than likely eager to see his parents who he probably hadn’t seen in a year or more if that. Daniel took his savings and bought some land to farm near London
Mills Illinois, just south of Maquon, across the county line in Fulton County and along the Spoon River. His parents probably
moved to this region due to the fertile black soil, this area is known as the most important farming section of Illinois. It
is sometimes called the garden spot of the nation. It may also be that Daniel’s father moved to this region because other
family members moved here some year’s prior. It’s believed that John’s brother Peter moved to this very town several
years Sometime between the summer of 1865 and the winter of 1868 he met and fell in love with Mary Ellen Mitchell of Ohio. She was born July 28, 1846 making her two years younger than Daniel was. They married January 27, 1869 in Knoxville, Illinois about 10 miles northwest of Maquon, he was 24 and she was 22 years old. Their first son, Newton Lewis Jones, was born December 12 of the same year. They had an additional five more children, they were Etta May, born May 16, 1872, Martha Silva, born August 26, 1874, Minnie Viola, born December 6, 1876, Warren Clayton, born February 18, 1879 and John William, born January 17, 1882. He joined the Masonic lodge in May of 1873 and became an active member in his community. By 1880 Daniel’s father was dead and his mother was living with him
and his family. His mother, Nancy was now 71 years old at this time. It’s is unknown as to the exact date of Nancy’s death,
but tragedy would strike in a different form. In 1884 on December 11th at the age of 38 Daniel’s wife, Mary died. At this
time it is unknown as to the cause of her death. Their youngest son John was only two years old, so Daniel was left with
allot to contend with alone without a mate. His oldest Whether fed up with Illinois politics and how farmers were being paid
less and less by the granaries, or simply wanting to run away from the sadness at the death of his wife, Daniel, with the
promise of virgin farmland offered to would be homesteaders, loaded up his wagon and children and headed west to Colorado. He
settled a homestead in Eastern The late 1880’s were a busy time, not only for the Jones’ family but also for the entire nation. In 1889, Montana, North and South Dakota and Washington were all admitted to the Union. Down in Oklahoma on April 22nd the “great Oklahoma land rush” began with the federal government opening up for settlement 1,900,000 acres of land to thousands of would be farmers and ranchers. By this time almost five years had passed since the death of his wife, but tragedy would strike Daniel’s family again. Warren Clayton, Daniel’s second to the youngest, died August 2nd, 1889 at the age of ten. Again, at this time it is unknown to the cause of this lad’s untimely death. Daniel’s oldest son, Newton was twenty and black smiting in Burlington during this time. On August 5th 1890, at the age of 46, Daniel applied for his pension
based upon his disability, a result of his wounds he incurred during the war. R. S. Hubbard notarized his first application,
which was witnessed by Henry R. Reynolds and J. N. Bean. Congress passed “The Act of June 27, 1890” which states a soldier
may receive a pension based on the following: Daniel’s disability claim was based on “paralysis of right arm,
shoulder and leg also rheumatism”. His attorney fee was $10.00 to file his claim.His pension record shows that he signed a
General Affidavit February 25,1891 declaring his enlistment and discharge from service, witnessed by T. G. Price, county
clerk. On December 22, 1891 he went before the Clerk of District Court T. G. Price, of Kit Carson County, to sign a sworn
oath that he had not attempted to file for pension other than the one he field under the Act of June 27, 1890, pension No.
696817. From reviewing Daniel’s pension record it appears he had to contend with the Record and Pension Office and all its
government bureaucracies. Again, in 1895 the federal government wanted a medical examination performed to Petitioner presents symptoms of kidney disease. Measure at waist is
45 inches, heart action irregular, and has a rate of 106 per minute, urine has a specific granity of 1022, contains mucous.
Pensioner has to urinate quite frequently through the day and has to get up at night. I believe he is wholly unable to earn
his support by manual labor. That this testimony is wholly prepared and written by deponent with out any aid from any other
statement either oral or written. That he has no interest in the prosecution of this claim. In witness whereof I have Daniel, while living in Burlington made many friends, he was an
active member in the Masonic lodge in which he ascended to the highest level obtainable, a 33rd degree mason, a level only
bestowed upon members that have done something honorable or heroic for his country or his community. In 1912 he was awarded a
mason apron which depicted his service to the Masonic lodge and the ranks that he obtained over the By 1910, despite the run around by the federal government, Daniel was
receiving his pension and living with his oldest daughter Etta May who was now married to Avalough D. Rogers and their two
children Hazel M. Rogers age 13 and Martin C. Rogers age 11. Avalough was a general farmer and Daniel, despite his age would
help out as best he could on the farm. Daniel’s daughter Etta May was a school teacher in Burlington. His oldest son, Newton
was also living near Burlington on Daniel lived his life, as best he knew how with dignity and respect for himself and others. He was last paid by the pension office $ 25.00 on August 4, 1914. A friend of Daniel wrote the following in honor of his memory. “One by one the pioneers of Kit Carson County are passing away. One
of the last to pay the debt of nature was Daniel H. Jones. He had been a resident of our county about 30 years. I have known
him 25 years as well as I remember. I think there was as little hypocrisy about him as any man I ever knew. He was the same Dan Jones to everyone he met, no matter whether it was a beggar, or tramp, or president, or king. He was one of the kind of men whose acquaintance wore well. The more you saw of him, the better you liked him. I worked with him when he was on the board of county commissioners (elected in 1891) and learned to admire him for his earnestness, honesty, and unflinching adherence to right and duty. He had tact for getting over difficult places and carrying his point that was simply irresistible. As an instance, one of the commissioners advocated strict parliamentary usage in the board, each member should arise to speak, address the chair, and if recognized should refer to the member of the board, as the honorable commissioner from district etc. Uncle Dan sat and listened without a word and when asked what he
thought about it replied about like this, "Boys, parliamentary usage is all right, but it is hard to learn old dogs new
tricks, I guess we have killed enough time, lets go to work, Mr. Clerk, what is the first thing on the program this
morning?" And the work commenced. He despised fraud and graft of every kind. He was optimistic and charitable. Not only
did he nurture faith in God and Christ but he had confidence in mankind. He loved to live here better than any other place. During his illness
when told by his physician that he could not cure him, he quietly and deliberately got his house in order for the change he
knew was near. He spoke to me about it, just as he would have a trip to Missouri, or any other place. Speaking about his
suffering he said, “I suffer, of course, but there is no kick coming from me, God has been very good to me, better a great
deal than I have been to him.” Lately, we had a many Daniel died in Burlington on August 14, 1914 at 4:30 p.m. of heart failure but was buried next to his wife, Mary Ellen in London Mills, Illinois on September 4, 1914, possibly his last wish before dyeing. Researched, written and submitted by
Darren Jones, great great grandson |
