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Sergeant John Leighton
d.15 Apr 1865 New Orleans, LA
Family tree▼ (edit)
m. 26 Apr 1837
(edit)
m. 30 Sep 1859
Facts and Events
John Leighton was born around 1838 on a farm in Colchester, Essex, Canada West (now Ontario). John Leighton's age varies between the 1850 U.S. Census for Trenton, Michigan, the Canadian Census of 1851, the U.S. Census of 1859, his military death record in 1865 and a family cenotaph. Although educated and literate, John never identified a birthdate. Military record indicate age 29 at time of death, within a year of age 28 on the Thornton family cenotaph at Blake's Prairie-Sargent Cemetery in Wisconsin. John first appears in the 1850 U.S. census for Trenton, Michigan as 'John Lightning' age 12 along with brother 'Thomas Lightning' age 0 in the custody of neighbors. John resided with the family of Francis Butler, domicile 90 and Thomas with the family of Alvah Bovee, domicile 101, both within two blocks of the other in downtown Trenton. Father Thomas was absent, likely while employed in Mackinaw, Michigan and their mother Mary was likely deceased following childbirth complications. Thomas the elder remarried Sarah Van Camp in 1854. John reappears in the Canadian Census of 1851 as "John Lighton," a dependent of maternal uncle Peter Wright (brother of Mary Wright) in Colchester Township, Essex, Canada West (Ontario) at the age of 12. The Scouse accent common in the Leighton family's original home near Liverpool potentially accounts for the pronunciation with a long "I," evident in alternate spellings including "Liton" and "Lighton," in the 1851 census record for John's grandmother Ann, listed as "Ann Liton." John attended school under the guardianship of uncle Peter Wright. Brother Robert Leighton was recorded as "Robert Lighton" "age 5" in the guardianship of "Theodoor Wright" also a brother of Mary Leighton (nee Wright) and husband of "Arabelah (alternately Arabella) Wright" (nee Leighton) Thomas Leighton's younger sister. John Leighton appears on two 1859 records; a marriage certificate and the US Census of 1860. The marriage certificate dated 30 September 1859 records his father as Thomas Leighton and his place of birth as Colchester, Canada. His marriage was to Hellen Thornton, of Cambusnethan Parish, Scotland. Hellen emigrated with her family to the US by way of Hamilton, Dundas, Canada West (Ontario), settling in a small Scotch and Scotch-Canadian enclave around 1853 near Beetown and Glen Haven, Wisconsin. They were married at John Thornton's residence, Hellen's brother while in the presence of Peter Thornton, Hellen's father. Reverend Walter Scott, United Presbyterian Church Canada of Dawn, Lambton County, Canada solemnized the union. Most of the document is written by Walter Scott, but hand-writing indicates personal signatures from John Leighton, John Thornton and Peter Thornton. John Leighton subsequently appears in the US Census of 1859, listed as a "farmer" on a farmstead in Tafton (now Bloomington), WI, with a birth place in Canada West, confirming that the aforementioned "Colchester" is Colchester Township, Essex, Ontario and not Colchester County, New Brunswick. John and Hellen Leighton had two children, Mary and William (Bill) Leighton, born in 1860 and 1863 respectively, and identified in postwar pension records for surviving children. John enlisted on 12 August 1862 was mustered in as fifth corporal with Company D, 33rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry in October 1862 at Camp Utley, Racine, WI. The 33rd departed for combat shortly thereafter, arriving in Waterford, Mississippi in late December 1862 before encamping at Holly Springs, Mississippi in January 1863. During this time the 33rd and nearby 12th Wisconsin received news via mail and press reports of Union casualties at Fredericksburg, Virginia in December. Brothers Phillip and William were both listed in national newspapers and John likely learned of their fate during this time. John and the 33rd fought at Vicksburg, Jackson and Tupelo, Mississippi, throughout the Meridian and Red River Campaigns, pursued Sterling Price in Missouri in late 1864 and took part in A.J. Smith's successful two-day assault on John Bell Hood's left flank at the Battle of Nashville in Tennessee in December 1864. John was successively promoted from fifth corporal to third sergeant with Company D during the war. Service records indicate John survived a brief illness in camp in Tennessee and traveled home on furlough, likely the only time he saw his son before his death. On 30 March 1865, during the fourth day of the siege of Spanish Fort, Alabama during the Mobile Campaign, John Leighton and Company D were securing rifle pits 200 yards from Spanish Fort. Company D expended 26000 rounds of rifle ammunition holding the position, but were exposed to direct artillery fire down the length of their exposed flank from Lumsden's Battery. John and five messmates were killed or severely wounded by a round from Lumsden's guns, that wounded John in both legs and shattered his hand. He was transferred to the US Army hospital in New Orleans, LA with company mates 1st Sergeant James T. Delaware and Private Richard Lander. His hand was amputated in hospital and his medical condition thereafter deteriorated. John died of infection 16 days later on 15 April 1865 and was buried in Chalmette National Cemetery. He was survived by wife Hellen and children Mary and William. Hellen and the Thorntons memorialized John on the Thornton Family Cenotaph at Blake's Prairie-Sargent's Cemetery outside Bloomington, Wisconsin and he is also listed on the Grant County Civil War Memorial in Lancaster, Wisconsin. Image Gallery
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