Hiram Dassance was born August 4, 1834 26 years old, carpenter, private, enlisted at Newfield, NY on July 25, 1863 in Co. D, 140 th NY Infantry Regt. Engaged in 5 battles. Prisoner of War on June 2, 1864 at Bethesda Church, Va. Missing in action at Milan, Ga. Presumed died in Andersonville prison. parents were Hosea and Elizabeth Curtis. black eyes, black hair, 5'6 3/4.
-Records of the Newfield Historical Society
DASSANCE, HIRAM.— Age. 26 years. Enlisted at Newfield, to serve three years, and mustered in as private, Co. D, July 25, 1863; captured in
action, June 2, 1864, at Bethesda Church, Va,; died, not dat, at Milan, Ga..; also borne as Rassance.[Note: Means some records have his surname misspelled]
-Information from Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York for the Year 1904: The 1st-12th regiments of cavalry, N.Y. vol. 1894-95 p 46
Dassance, Hiram
Side:
Union
Unit Name:
140 New York Infantry
Regiment:
140
State:
New York
Function:
Infantry
Company:
D
Rank:
Private
Description:
Held at Andersonville and survived
Capture Date:
1864-06-02 00:00:00.0
Capture Site:
Gaines Mill, Va
Alternate Name:
Remarks:
DIED AT MILLEN, GA
Source: National Parks Service, Prisoner Deaths, the Civil War
Hiram Dassance was drafted in Newfield, Tompkins County in July, 1863, just weeks after the Battle of Gettysburg.He was initally listed with 137th NY Volunteers Company I of the 137th N. Y., later with 140 New York Infantry, Company D
-Newfield Historical Society
I could find no record of a Union soldier with a surname of Dassance or Rassance buried at Andersonville [see A list of the Union Soldiers Buried at Andersonville Copied from the Official Record of the Surgeon's Office at Andersonville, by Atwater, Dorence, 1845-1910; Barton, Clara, 1821-1912 published by the Tribune Association, 1866]
Likewise he does not appear on the list of Union soldiers known to have successfully escaped from Andersonville or any other Civil War prison.
When Sherman's Union army took Atlanta on September 2, 1864, Confederate prison authorities knew that Andersonville would be a prime target of any Union thrust into the heartland of Georgia, and they began moving Union prisoners of war to more secure locations. Camp Lawton or the Millen Prison was opened in October 1864 near Millen, Georgia, in Jenkins County and had to be evacuated within six weeks, due to the advance of Sherman's army through Georgia. Given the available record, I believe that Hiram Dassance was imprisoned at Andersonville, was transfered to Millen Prison and died shortly thereafter of causes unknown.
Of note: Hiram Dassance's sister's diary was auctioned on eBay in 2013.
The seller's description noted in part 'Diary of Hila Dassance: a young teacher living with her parents in Newfield, N.Y. [Near Ithaca, N.Y.]Hila’s name is spelled three different ways on the census roles. For some reason, Hila does not refer to her brother Hiram (140th N.Y.) who died in Andersonville prison in 1864.... Several family members served in the Union Army, most in the 109th or 140th N.Y. Infantry.
Families often went to no little expense to recover the bodies of their Civil War dead; it is therefor possible that this is his actual resting place and not merely a cenotaph.
-------------------------
ecause many of the prisoners transferred to Millen prison were terribly debilitated from their incarceration at Andersonville, disease and death were not unknown. During the short time the prison was open, from late September to early November 1864, some 500 prisoners succumbed to disease.
When Millen Prison was hastily evacuated in December 1864, a book recording the death of 488 prisoners was left behind. The book was discovered by a Prebyterian clergyman, who cut out the leaves recording the list of the dead and brought them to to the Christian Commission.
After the conclusion of the war the bodies were exhumed. While the Millan dead were buried in an orderly manner they were, with two exceptions, buried with only identifying numbers, not names. However using the two named burials as reference points, it the list made it possible to identify many of the dead.
In 1867 Lawton National Cemetery was created and 748 bodies interred there. 685 were listed as casualties of the prison; the rest were victims of nearby battles. However, within a year, a dispute
over property rights with the previous owner of the cemetery land forced the removal of all remains to Beaufort National Cemetery in South Carolina.
Hiram Dassance's name does not appear on National Cemetery Gravesite locator. It is possible that he is among the unidentified dead at Beaufort, or that his body was identified and claimed by his family.
I would speculate that since his death occurred early in the short, troubled history of Millen his was one of the most easily identifiable bodies and was returned to his family. A careful reading of local newspapers might confirm this.
Source for information on burials at Millen prison: Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who Died in Defense of the American Union, Interred in the National [and Other] Cemeteries, Volumes 17-18 United States. Quartermaster's Dept U.S. Government Printing Office, 1868 p. 466-468
-------------------------
Submitted by Starfishin
-Records of the Newfield Historical Society
DASSANCE, HIRAM.— Age. 26 years. Enlisted at Newfield, to serve three years, and mustered in as private, Co. D, July 25, 1863; captured in
action, June 2, 1864, at Bethesda Church, Va,; died, not dat, at Milan, Ga..; also borne as Rassance.[Note: Means some records have his surname misspelled]
-Information from Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York for the Year 1904: The 1st-12th regiments of cavalry, N.Y. vol. 1894-95 p 46
Dassance, Hiram
Side:
Union
Unit Name:
140 New York Infantry
Regiment:
140
State:
New York
Function:
Infantry
Company:
D
Rank:
Private
Description:
Held at Andersonville and survived
Capture Date:
1864-06-02 00:00:00.0
Capture Site:
Gaines Mill, Va
Alternate Name:
Remarks:
DIED AT MILLEN, GA
Source: National Parks Service, Prisoner Deaths, the Civil War
Hiram Dassance was drafted in Newfield, Tompkins County in July, 1863, just weeks after the Battle of Gettysburg.He was initally listed with 137th NY Volunteers Company I of the 137th N. Y., later with 140 New York Infantry, Company D
-Newfield Historical Society
I could find no record of a Union soldier with a surname of Dassance or Rassance buried at Andersonville [see A list of the Union Soldiers Buried at Andersonville Copied from the Official Record of the Surgeon's Office at Andersonville, by Atwater, Dorence, 1845-1910; Barton, Clara, 1821-1912 published by the Tribune Association, 1866]
Likewise he does not appear on the list of Union soldiers known to have successfully escaped from Andersonville or any other Civil War prison.
When Sherman's Union army took Atlanta on September 2, 1864, Confederate prison authorities knew that Andersonville would be a prime target of any Union thrust into the heartland of Georgia, and they began moving Union prisoners of war to more secure locations. Camp Lawton or the Millen Prison was opened in October 1864 near Millen, Georgia, in Jenkins County and had to be evacuated within six weeks, due to the advance of Sherman's army through Georgia. Given the available record, I believe that Hiram Dassance was imprisoned at Andersonville, was transfered to Millen Prison and died shortly thereafter of causes unknown.
Of note: Hiram Dassance's sister's diary was auctioned on eBay in 2013.
The seller's description noted in part 'Diary of Hila Dassance: a young teacher living with her parents in Newfield, N.Y. [Near Ithaca, N.Y.]Hila’s name is spelled three different ways on the census roles. For some reason, Hila does not refer to her brother Hiram (140th N.Y.) who died in Andersonville prison in 1864.... Several family members served in the Union Army, most in the 109th or 140th N.Y. Infantry.
Families often went to no little expense to recover the bodies of their Civil War dead; it is therefor possible that this is his actual resting place and not merely a cenotaph.
-------------------------
ecause many of the prisoners transferred to Millen prison were terribly debilitated from their incarceration at Andersonville, disease and death were not unknown. During the short time the prison was open, from late September to early November 1864, some 500 prisoners succumbed to disease.
When Millen Prison was hastily evacuated in December 1864, a book recording the death of 488 prisoners was left behind. The book was discovered by a Prebyterian clergyman, who cut out the leaves recording the list of the dead and brought them to to the Christian Commission.
After the conclusion of the war the bodies were exhumed. While the Millan dead were buried in an orderly manner they were, with two exceptions, buried with only identifying numbers, not names. However using the two named burials as reference points, it the list made it possible to identify many of the dead.
In 1867 Lawton National Cemetery was created and 748 bodies interred there. 685 were listed as casualties of the prison; the rest were victims of nearby battles. However, within a year, a dispute
over property rights with the previous owner of the cemetery land forced the removal of all remains to Beaufort National Cemetery in South Carolina.
Hiram Dassance's name does not appear on National Cemetery Gravesite locator. It is possible that he is among the unidentified dead at Beaufort, or that his body was identified and claimed by his family.
I would speculate that since his death occurred early in the short, troubled history of Millen his was one of the most easily identifiable bodies and was returned to his family. A careful reading of local newspapers might confirm this.
Source for information on burials at Millen prison: Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who Died in Defense of the American Union, Interred in the National [and Other] Cemeteries, Volumes 17-18 United States. Quartermaster's Dept U.S. Government Printing Office, 1868 p. 466-468
-------------------------
Submitted by Starfishin
Hiram Dassance was born August 4, 1834 26 years old, carpenter, private, enlisted at Newfield, NY on July 25, 1863 in Co. D, 140 th NY Infantry Regt. Engaged in 5 battles. Prisoner of War on June 2, 1864 at Bethesda Church, Va. Missing in action at Milan, Ga. Presumed died in Andersonville prison. parents were Hosea and Elizabeth Curtis. black eyes, black hair, 5'6 3/4.
-Records of the Newfield Historical Society
DASSANCE, HIRAM.— Age. 26 years. Enlisted at Newfield, to serve three years, and mustered in as private, Co. D, July 25, 1863; captured in
action, June 2, 1864, at Bethesda Church, Va,; died, not dat, at Milan, Ga..; also borne as Rassance.[Note: Means some records have his surname misspelled]
-Information from Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York for the Year 1904: The 1st-12th regiments of cavalry, N.Y. vol. 1894-95 p 46
Dassance, Hiram
Side:
Union
Unit Name:
140 New York Infantry
Regiment:
140
State:
New York
Function:
Infantry
Company:
D
Rank:
Private
Description:
Held at Andersonville and survived
Capture Date:
1864-06-02 00:00:00.0
Capture Site:
Gaines Mill, Va
Alternate Name:
Remarks:
DIED AT MILLEN, GA
Source: National Parks Service, Prisoner Deaths, the Civil War
Hiram Dassance was drafted in Newfield, Tompkins County in July, 1863, just weeks after the Battle of Gettysburg.He was initally listed with 137th NY Volunteers Company I of the 137th N. Y., later with 140 New York Infantry, Company D
-Newfield Historical Society
I could find no record of a Union soldier with a surname of Dassance or Rassance buried at Andersonville [see A list of the Union Soldiers Buried at Andersonville Copied from the Official Record of the Surgeon's Office at Andersonville, by Atwater, Dorence, 1845-1910; Barton, Clara, 1821-1912 published by the Tribune Association, 1866]
Likewise he does not appear on the list of Union soldiers known to have successfully escaped from Andersonville or any other Civil War prison.
When Sherman's Union army took Atlanta on September 2, 1864, Confederate prison authorities knew that Andersonville would be a prime target of any Union thrust into the heartland of Georgia, and they began moving Union prisoners of war to more secure locations. Camp Lawton or the Millen Prison was opened in October 1864 near Millen, Georgia, in Jenkins County and had to be evacuated within six weeks, due to the advance of Sherman's army through Georgia. Given the available record, I believe that Hiram Dassance was imprisoned at Andersonville, was transfered to Millen Prison and died shortly thereafter of causes unknown.
Of note: Hiram Dassance's sister's diary was auctioned on eBay in 2013.
The seller's description noted in part 'Diary of Hila Dassance: a young teacher living with her parents in Newfield, N.Y. [Near Ithaca, N.Y.]Hila’s name is spelled three different ways on the census roles. For some reason, Hila does not refer to her brother Hiram (140th N.Y.) who died in Andersonville prison in 1864.... Several family members served in the Union Army, most in the 109th or 140th N.Y. Infantry.
Families often went to no little expense to recover the bodies of their Civil War dead; it is therefor possible that this is his actual resting place and not merely a cenotaph.
-------------------------
ecause many of the prisoners transferred to Millen prison were terribly debilitated from their incarceration at Andersonville, disease and death were not unknown. During the short time the prison was open, from late September to early November 1864, some 500 prisoners succumbed to disease.
When Millen Prison was hastily evacuated in December 1864, a book recording the death of 488 prisoners was left behind. The book was discovered by a Prebyterian clergyman, who cut out the leaves recording the list of the dead and brought them to to the Christian Commission.
After the conclusion of the war the bodies were exhumed. While the Millan dead were buried in an orderly manner they were, with two exceptions, buried with only identifying numbers, not names. However using the two named burials as reference points, it the list made it possible to identify many of the dead.
In 1867 Lawton National Cemetery was created and 748 bodies interred there. 685 were listed as casualties of the prison; the rest were victims of nearby battles. However, within a year, a dispute
over property rights with the previous owner of the cemetery land forced the removal of all remains to Beaufort National Cemetery in South Carolina.
Hiram Dassance's name does not appear on National Cemetery Gravesite locator. It is possible that he is among the unidentified dead at Beaufort, or that his body was identified and claimed by his family.
I would speculate that since his death occurred early in the short, troubled history of Millen his was one of the most easily identifiable bodies and was returned to his family. A careful reading of local newspapers might confirm this.
Source for information on burials at Millen prison: Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who Died in Defense of the American Union, Interred in the National [and Other] Cemeteries, Volumes 17-18 United States. Quartermaster's Dept U.S. Government Printing Office, 1868 p. 466-468
-------------------------
Submitted by Starfishin
-Records of the Newfield Historical Society
DASSANCE, HIRAM.— Age. 26 years. Enlisted at Newfield, to serve three years, and mustered in as private, Co. D, July 25, 1863; captured in
action, June 2, 1864, at Bethesda Church, Va,; died, not dat, at Milan, Ga..; also borne as Rassance.[Note: Means some records have his surname misspelled]
-Information from Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York for the Year 1904: The 1st-12th regiments of cavalry, N.Y. vol. 1894-95 p 46
Dassance, Hiram
Side:
Union
Unit Name:
140 New York Infantry
Regiment:
140
State:
New York
Function:
Infantry
Company:
D
Rank:
Private
Description:
Held at Andersonville and survived
Capture Date:
1864-06-02 00:00:00.0
Capture Site:
Gaines Mill, Va
Alternate Name:
Remarks:
DIED AT MILLEN, GA
Source: National Parks Service, Prisoner Deaths, the Civil War
Hiram Dassance was drafted in Newfield, Tompkins County in July, 1863, just weeks after the Battle of Gettysburg.He was initally listed with 137th NY Volunteers Company I of the 137th N. Y., later with 140 New York Infantry, Company D
-Newfield Historical Society
I could find no record of a Union soldier with a surname of Dassance or Rassance buried at Andersonville [see A list of the Union Soldiers Buried at Andersonville Copied from the Official Record of the Surgeon's Office at Andersonville, by Atwater, Dorence, 1845-1910; Barton, Clara, 1821-1912 published by the Tribune Association, 1866]
Likewise he does not appear on the list of Union soldiers known to have successfully escaped from Andersonville or any other Civil War prison.
When Sherman's Union army took Atlanta on September 2, 1864, Confederate prison authorities knew that Andersonville would be a prime target of any Union thrust into the heartland of Georgia, and they began moving Union prisoners of war to more secure locations. Camp Lawton or the Millen Prison was opened in October 1864 near Millen, Georgia, in Jenkins County and had to be evacuated within six weeks, due to the advance of Sherman's army through Georgia. Given the available record, I believe that Hiram Dassance was imprisoned at Andersonville, was transfered to Millen Prison and died shortly thereafter of causes unknown.
Of note: Hiram Dassance's sister's diary was auctioned on eBay in 2013.
The seller's description noted in part 'Diary of Hila Dassance: a young teacher living with her parents in Newfield, N.Y. [Near Ithaca, N.Y.]Hila’s name is spelled three different ways on the census roles. For some reason, Hila does not refer to her brother Hiram (140th N.Y.) who died in Andersonville prison in 1864.... Several family members served in the Union Army, most in the 109th or 140th N.Y. Infantry.
Families often went to no little expense to recover the bodies of their Civil War dead; it is therefor possible that this is his actual resting place and not merely a cenotaph.
-------------------------
ecause many of the prisoners transferred to Millen prison were terribly debilitated from their incarceration at Andersonville, disease and death were not unknown. During the short time the prison was open, from late September to early November 1864, some 500 prisoners succumbed to disease.
When Millen Prison was hastily evacuated in December 1864, a book recording the death of 488 prisoners was left behind. The book was discovered by a Prebyterian clergyman, who cut out the leaves recording the list of the dead and brought them to to the Christian Commission.
After the conclusion of the war the bodies were exhumed. While the Millan dead were buried in an orderly manner they were, with two exceptions, buried with only identifying numbers, not names. However using the two named burials as reference points, it the list made it possible to identify many of the dead.
In 1867 Lawton National Cemetery was created and 748 bodies interred there. 685 were listed as casualties of the prison; the rest were victims of nearby battles. However, within a year, a dispute
over property rights with the previous owner of the cemetery land forced the removal of all remains to Beaufort National Cemetery in South Carolina.
Hiram Dassance's name does not appear on National Cemetery Gravesite locator. It is possible that he is among the unidentified dead at Beaufort, or that his body was identified and claimed by his family.
I would speculate that since his death occurred early in the short, troubled history of Millen his was one of the most easily identifiable bodies and was returned to his family. A careful reading of local newspapers might confirm this.
Source for information on burials at Millen prison: Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who Died in Defense of the American Union, Interred in the National [and Other] Cemeteries, Volumes 17-18 United States. Quartermaster's Dept U.S. Government Printing Office, 1868 p. 466-468
-------------------------
Submitted by Starfishin
Gravesite Details
Prisoner of War, died at Andersonville, GA
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