Person:George Alford (3)

1860 Census:
Name George W Alfred
Event Place Antwerp Township, Van Buren, Michigan
Age 28
Birth Year (Estimated) 1832
Birthplace Canada
HOUSEHOLD
George W Alfred 28 Canada
Maria Alfred 23 New York
Frank Alfred 6 Michigan
Stella Alfred 3 Michigan
George Alfred 1 Michigan
CITING THIS RECORD: FamilySearch [4]

George W. was in Company D, 6th Michigan Infantry; he enlisted 20 Aug 1861 and died at Baton Rouge, LA, from wounds he received in action at the Battle of Port Hudson 28 Jul 1863. Aged 29.

He is buried in the Baton Rouge National Cemetery, the original one in the city. His name is misspelled: Alfred.

From Jack Adams: "From Lawton, Michigan George enlisted at Dowagiac for 3 years service at the age of 28 as a Corporal on August 3, 1861. He served with the Regiment until he was wounded in action on June 30, 1863 at Port Hudson, Louisiana. He was taken to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where on July 28, 1863 he died of his wounds and is now buried there in the National Cemetery, Grave #2381. His Michigan service record lists him as George W. Alfred.

The things that I got from my grandmother of George Alford's included two lead bullets, or slugs, when I told the people that at the museums that adjoins the cemetery they told me that whenever possible during the civil war when personal items were sent home they included whatever it was that killed the man. George lived almost a month after he was wounded so we presume that he died of infection."

The following is a final section of a letter from George Washington Alford to his sister Anna Alford. Date is uncertain, but thought to be spring of 1862:

“-a few shots we did and killed five when the Laurel Hill passed they gave her a peppering, they fired in all about 135 shots killing one man and wounding one while we with our rifles killed five and not fired a hundred shots We ran out of wood and nearly out of steam, so we ran down to the woodpile which was out of their range and by the time we got wooded and steamed up the no. 8 and no. 3 gunboats and the sloop of war Brooklyn came down and we all went but when we got there the battery had fled so the no. 3 gunboat opened on the town with shell from an eleven inch Columbia and she gave them about twenty five when they showed their shirt tails, on the appearance of the white flag the firing ceased and we all went ashore and found the town deserted except (words missing) one shell from the gunboat bursted in a store and killed the man who owned it. We stayed all night there and plundered the town taking away everything valuable, we got all kinds of dry goods fancy goods carpeting boots and shoes watches and jewelry hats caps coats pants vests tobacco cigars wine whiskey brandy razors knives forks and spoons pocket cutlery and other articles to numerous to mention. When we arrived here we found that one of our sloops of war had been having a little fuss---a band of those accursed guerillas had been into the city and fired on a small boat load of our Marines they were going from the ship to the shore, they did not kill any but three were badly wounded, the old Commodore ordered his men to fire the bow gun at that, it was fired, then he ordered two rear guns fired, the men did not understand the order so they gave them a whole broadside and I tell you it made some big holes in the buildings, one ball went over (words missing) from the river and killed a bull, it frightened the people so that they all left for the woods and the (words missing) of them (words missing) not got some yet, they think we are a-going (words missing) the city. We have good times here on picket guard, I am a picket now, two miles from the garrison where we are quartered we get all the milk and corn bread we want, fresh meat too, when we want something we take it, I was badly in need of something to read so yesterday I went into an old Rebels house and went to a bookcase and helped myself to such as I liked. I took seven nice books and a novel or two. I found a good overcoat and a good vest hanging on a nail upstairs so I took them. The paper I am writing this letter on I took from the sanie house, so you can see what liberal people Sucesh are as the sheets are larger than you ever saw before. I hope you will not find fault if it is not full. The weather is very dry and hot, new potatoes and cabbage have been here in the market for over six weeks, I saw green corn, roasting ears two weeks ago, there is a man near our picket line who is an officer in the Rebel Army in Virginia, he is up there fighting Yankees as they call us Northern men and we are here eating his corn and sugar. His plantation is 1200 acres, we went up there yesterday and took everything he had. We got four hundred hogsheads of sugar, seven hundred barrels of molasses, a lot of corn, over a hundred head of cattle horses mules, a lot of hogs sheep and goats, several wagons, one fine carriage, one buggy, and all of his slaves, it would have done your heart good to see the nigers grin when they found out we were going to take them away too, it leaves ole Birds plantation in a bad fix, him in the Army, and his wife off in the woods, and his cane without nigers to hoe it.

June Seventh

I received a letter from Maria last evening dated May 13th making four since we landed in New Orleans. I received one the same day we landed here and also one from Lon and one from Delos, his was written after the battle at Shiloh where he had the fun of giving Sucesh a lick, we are in hopes of giving them a crack here soon. I have got charge of two outposts, one of them is on the principle avenue leading out of the city and is in a grove of live (word missing) and magnolias. I have got me a good bed made Out of a bale of cotton under a tree, so I lie in the shade and loll all day. Potatoes are worth seven dollars a bushel here, flour can't be bought, when there was any it was worth thirty dollars a barrel. They have no money here except shin-plasters, several men have told me they have not seen five cents in silver in nearly a year, they have bills from five cents to five dollars. Thirty dollars in gold will buy a hundred dollars in Confederate treasury notes. Now, Anna, I want you to kiss the little gal for me and when you write tell me how she gets along. I want you to take good care of her so that I can see her when I get home. I have not got any little girl any more, my little Stella has gone and left me and I don’t know how I shall live without her when I get home. Give my love and respects to those that inquire about me, tell them I am scorching in the hot sun of Louisiana among the Rebels and the aligators but I think I can stand it of my Anna can. I have had awful hard fare since I left (word missing) I'm (word missing) I- there nine days of an- (word missing) spent on transport two days from Baltimore to Virginia, nine days from there to (word missing) Island, seven days from there to New Orleans, twenty one days on the Cere up and down the river and most of that forty nine days we lived on hard crackers and water, we had enough to eat but no place to cook it on ship board, we have been here since the 29th inst. We came out on picket last Wednesday and will stay a week, last Monday night at eleven o’clock we were called up to march out in the country to clean out a Rebel camp but when we got there the cowards had showed us a clean pair of heels. So we laid down on our guns by the roadside till morning, and then we filled our shirts with blackberries and started for home. There is hundreds of acres of blackberrys here, the largest and sweetest I ever saw. I can go out here and pick a pailful in twenty minutes, they are as long as my thumb, figs are plenty here and so are oranges, apples do not grow here, some years peaches are plenty, wheat barley and oats do not grow here. They have very good corn here but most of the crops here is cotton and cane. Write soon to George W. Alford Sixth Michigan Regiment Company D. 2nd Brigade in General Butler’s Division Baton Rouge Louisiana Via New York. At the top of one page, written upside down was the following: Be sure to put on Via New York Anna. Give my love to Mother and all the folks at home and tell them to write.”

Source: John K. Adams

GEORGE WASHINGTON ALFORD; Company D, 6th Michigan Infantry

George enlisted at Dowagiac for 3 years service at the age of 28 as a Corporal on August 3, 1861. He served with the Regiment until he was wounded in action on June 30, 1863 at Port Hudson, Louisiana. He was taken to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where on July 28, 1863 he died of his wounds and is now buried there in the National Cemetery, Grave #2381. His Michigan service record lists him as George W. Alfred.

Source: http://www.michiganinthewar.org/photos/alford.htm

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Find A Grave.

   [[1]
   and
   [[2]]

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Michigan in the War.

   Photo of George W. Alford, and his military record.[[3]]

3.   Sixth Regiment Infantry, Michigan in the War
   pages 261-69, 1882.

   John Robertson,(W.S. George & Co, State Printers, 1882).