More on the 59th OVI

Lieutenant Colonel Granville Adolphus Frambes

I've been able to get out the last couple of weeks and find some of the gravesites of men from the 59th in Brown and Clermont Counties, east of Cincinnati.  The Find A Grave virtual cemetery for the 59th is up to 287 names now.  As I look to add pictures to Find A Grave for those men without one, I often come across other 59th OVI men in the same cemetery that I did not have on my list, an it just adds to the enjoyment of this project.  I've also been going through the 59th's roster and adding men to the list, but that often takes some effort using a few resources.  The men of the 59th, for the most part, have Anglo last names and very common first names, so searching, especially when one does not have a date of death, can be problematic.  

I am also doing some research through old newspapers with accounts of the 59th.  One source mentioned an interesting tidbit that I hope to verify - that during the election of 1863 70 of the 300 or so men who voted in the 59th that election selected Clement Vallandigham instead of John Brough for governor.  This was unusual as the vast majority of Ohio men serving in the war voted for Brough.  This election result of the 59th was reported in The Daily Gate City (in Keokuk, Iowa) on November 3rd, 1863.  If another source can be found to verify this result, it would indicate that the men of the 59th were a mixed group when it came to political persuasion and then finding out why some voted for Vallandigham would also make an interesting story.

The fine folks at Stones River National Battlefield have provided me with their file on the 59th.  There are some letters written by men of the 59th that I need to go through.  I soon hope to have the 59th's files from Shiloh and Chickamauga as well.  Putting these together will help determine if there is enough interesting material to write a regimental history of the 59th.  

More on the 59th to come as I continue to plug away!