William Hays of the 62nd Pennsylvania

by Carolyn Hays Raham (craham at bellsouth dot net)

When I was at Gettysburg, the National Park Service people at the desk at the visitor center told me that the unit was called the "Rimersburg Raiders." I had asked because my great grandfather, William Hays, Co E served in this unit for 3 years.

His pension records show that following the Wheatfield battle at Gettysburg, he was in the field hospital "laid up with sore feet he having traveld for some time and during the said battle without shoes." He had to pick the wheat from between his toes as they went back and forth in the field.

Following Fredricksburg he wrote on Dec 18: "I have seen some hard fights and the battle field where the fields was covered with blood and the groans of dying men in all directions / we had a hard battle at fredericksburg and done no good / we had to cross the river back again / our company is now detailed at the division hospital / we bury from 8 to 10 men every day ..."

From a letter several months after enlistment amidst hopeful rumors that the Union Army had taken General Lee and 15,000 men, William wrote on October 1st, 1861: "Dear Father, I have nothing more hardly to say only we have a grate man y Sick people in our ragiment with the favor and ague and Sam died with it but none of us has it yet and i hope won't.."

February 22, 1863 from camp near Falmouth, VA: "Dear Father,.....you talked about me haveing a pair (of boots) that i bought from lieut River Second handed for four Dollars the(y) will do me this winter boots is verry high here the(y) are from $8 to $12 and it is hard to do without here for it is verry muddy all winter...."

May 24, 1863 from Camp Near Falmouth, VA: "I thin(k) this summer will end the war. I thin(k) the Rebs are getting sick of it, for some of them says they are that we took prisoner when we were over the river. The men would give it up on any terms, but their officers will not do that. So it will go on yet a while. Our boys are getting in better Spirits ever(y) day, and we think a great dale of Hooker. The boys will fight for him to the last, but still we cannot let little Mc out of our head. He is the man that will never be forgotten by our soldiers of the Potomac Army and it is reported that he is going to get command some place, but we do not know where."

October 23, 1863 Camp near New Baltimore,VA: Dear Father,....we had some more hard marching since i last rote to you...we are laying about four (miles) east of warrington town...we had to carry eight days rations all the time and you may know it was hard, but i hope the time will soon (come) when the weary soldier shall have rest but it will not be on the top of virginia soil but the(y) are a great many rests under it at present... there is one thing i would like to have when I get in to winter quarters that is i would like to have a little box sent to me i am almost starved now all we get is hard crackers full of worms and buggs we have to throw mos of them away..."

Toward the end of his three years of service there was talk about reinlistment and the possibility of going to the gold mines with some friends, but William returned home instead. His pension records show that friend wrote, "prior to his enlistment he was a sound and able bodied man and able to work a full day...I saw him right after he came home from the army in July 1864. He then was thin in face & form & very much emaciated & complained of Liver & Kidney trouble. It was very doubtful whether he was fit or able to do any work then whatsoever."

Nevertheless, six months later William married Catherine Ann John and had 16 children, 10 of whom survived to adulthood. He was able to do farming and lumbering, and served two terms as Armstrong County auditor. He died at age 69 on February 8, 1908 of pneumonia, and is buried at St. Mark's Lutheran Cemetery near Adrian, PA. His obituary stated that "He had a kindly heart and a generous nature, and was square and upright in his dealings, and made friends wherever he went."

This page maintained by James J. White at jw3u@andrew.cmu.edu who solicits information on resources for this web site.
URL: http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~jw3u/round/table.htm
(c) May 1997