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Name: | McDonald, John |
| Rank: | Private | |
| Unit: | Company G | |
| Age: | 21 At Enlistment | |
| Height: | 5' 7" | |
| Eyes: | Blue | |
| Complexion: | Light | |
| Hair: | Brown | |
| Born: | County Kerry, Ireland | |
| Occupation: | Farmer | |
| Muster-In Date: | October 14, 1861 | |
| Enlistment Date: | November 1, 1861 | |
| Enlistment Place: | Springfield, Massachusetts | |
| Muster-Out Date: | September 27, 1864 |
Throughout his military and pension records obtained from the U. S. National Archives, John's last name appears spelled McDonnell and McDonald. The name McDonnell appears on a copy of John's death certificate obtained from the Holyoke, MA, City Clerk's Office. John died on June 6, 1905, in Holyoke, MA. There are pension documents signed by John with the last name McDonald. More than likely, the army had misspelled his name along the way and it was easier for John to sign the documents McDonald rather than McDonnell to get his pension.
Military Records:
This section includes copies of John McDonnell's military records copied from the National Archives. They include copies of his muster roles beginning October 14, 1861, in Springfield, Massachusetts, when he was mustered into service and runs through September 1864, when he was mustered out of service. Of interest is the fact that his last name is spelled two different ways throughout the muster rolls: McDonald and McDonnell. This is due to a clerical error. John's last name appears spelled McDonnell on a copy of his death certificate obtained from the Holyoke, MA, City Clerk's Office. John died on June 6, 1905, in Holyoke, MA. Although he signed documents as John McDonald, it is almost certain he originally spelled his last name McDonnell.
Roll Call Pages:
The other military records include a court martial hearing for John McDonnell. It appears that John went Absent Without Leave (AWOL) for thirty-six hours. He was brought up on charges by his sergeant and lieutenant, pleaded guilty (the smart thing to do), and was given a month's worth of "fatigue duty" and a $5.00 fine as his punishment.
Court Martial Pages:
Had he
pleaded innocent, he very well could have been charged with fleeing
in the face of the enemy, cowardice, or any other like charge that
probably would have resulted in a prison sentence or possibly death.
Again pleading guilty was probably the smartest thing he could have
done. A court martial sounds rather imposing when in fact it is the
general practice for the army to hold them for even the smallest of
infractions. The movies have made it out to be a soldier's death
sentence when it actually is only the army's military court
system.
Pension Records:
This section includes copies of John
McDonnell's pension records copied from the National Archives. They
include copies of forms filled out by John McDonnell, his doctor,
and his lawyer in an attempt to receive a "invalid
pension" from the U. S. government. It appears that an act was
passed on June 27, 1890, allowing Civil War veterans to file for a
pension if they could prove that they were not able to work as a
result of wounds or injuries sustained during the war. John retained
an attorney and filed several petitions. He was finally granted a
petition and later petitioned for an increase.
Of most importance are the two "GENERAL AFFIDAVIT" documents. The reason being that one of the "Affiant" signatures on each of the documents is signed by John J. Fitzgerald. John McDonnell had a sister Mary McDonnell. Mary married Patrick Fitzgerald and had a son: John J. Fitzgerald. Hence, John J. Fitzgerald was John McDonnell's nephew. This is the tie in to the Fitzgerald family.
Within the pension records, the following facts are revealed:
he was 21 when he enlisted, he was 5' 5", had a light
complexion, blue eyes, brown hair, he was born in county Kerry,
Ireland, his occupation was a farmer, and he never married. John
McDonnell died in June 6, 1905, at the age of 65.