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§ William Beets :   A shoemaker from Antwerp, enlisted in the Regular Army at Albany on May 12, 1855. Affected to the 2nd Artillery and 8th Infantry, he was discharged at expiration of service at Fort Fillmore, New Mexico on May 12, 1860, before the Civil War. No other trace of him. The "Beets" I found are generally of German ancestry and none fit with this William Beets.

Curiously, the only “other” William Beets I found having served during the Civil War, enlisted in the Confederate Light Artillery, Edgar's Company, Texas State Troops (Alamo City Guards).

§ Joseph Jacoby:   Following the 1900 census and his military records, Joseph Jacoby  was born in Hachy, Luxemburg (province), and emigrated to the States in 1853. If he dates his birth as being May 1841 in the 1900 census, the age given in various documents varies greatly and can be 1831, 1836 or 1838.

Information received from the Arlon area[1] says he is a son of Nicolas Jacoby born Hachy on 8 July 1788 and Elisabeth Mathay, born 3 January 1792. They emigrated to the Belgian settlement of Sheldon, Wyoming county, New York in May 1853 with their children: Marguerite, Dominique, Nicolas, Elisabeth, Joseph born Hachy 15 March 1835.

Another Belgian in the 2nd Artillery, a laborer, 23 y.o., he enlisted on April 6, 1859 in Co. A at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and reenlisted for three years at Culpeper Va, a Private, February 19, 1864. In August 1865, the regiment was reunited at Fort McHenry, near Baltimore, and sailed from there, via the Isthmus, for California and arriving at San Francisco in September. The regiment was still in California at the end of service of Joseph Jacoby  on February 19, 1867.

Joseph Jacoby  enrolled for a third time in the 12th Infantry, Co. B on April 20, 1870 at Camp Independence situated in Inyo County, California, about three miles from the town of Independence, in the Owens River Valley, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. The post was established in 1862 to provide protection for the area's miners, who were troubled by Indian marauders. Temporarily abandoned in 1864, it was reoccupied in March 1865, due to renewed Indian depredations. Joseph Jacoby was still at that post when he was discharged June 30, 1871 for disability.

From California, he went north, and we found him in 1887 in the Washington territory, Clallam County, a laborer

Partially blind and deaf and living in Port Angles, the county seat, he entered the Soldier's home at Orting, Pierce Co in 1890 and stayed there till his death that occurred on December 10, 1913. He is buried in the Home cemetery (grave 4-D-6).

[1] Thanks to Jean-Marie Zimmerman from Messancy for giving the information and to Annette Biazot from Florenville for transmitting it.

§ Francis Wathier , Belgian or French ?

Francis Wathier , 25 y. o. enlisted in the 2nd Artillery Co. D on May 8, 1861 in Chicago, Illinois. He declared himself a laborer, born Arlon, Belgium. There is a biographical sketch of his fife in the "Biographical sketches of leading citizens of Cumberland County New Jersey" published in Boston by the "Biographical Review Publishing Company" in 1896. Unfortunately (for us) in all the story he figure himself a Frenchman, like in the censuses, where he is registered as being born in France like his parents:

 

Francis Wathier , the oldest cigar manufacturer of Millville, was born at Longvue, France, February 2, 1835, son of Nicholas and Margaret (Andre) Wathier. The father was a general merchant at Longvue, where his life was spent. His wife bore him nine children, of whom Francis, Charles, and John B. came to the United States.

Charles settled in New Orleans, served in the Mexican War to its close, was subsequently engaged in business for several years in New Orleans, and finally returned to France, where he died.

John B. also settled in New Orleans, and, after conducting a successful hotel and restaurant business at the corner of Franklin and Custom-house Streets for a number of years, sold out and returned to France. After the close of the war he came back to the United States, going this time to the West, where he lived in different parts of Colorado and New Mexico. He has since been to Europe again, and now lives retired in Millville.

Francis Wathier  received his education in the schools of France. In 1855 he came to America, settling first in Milwaukee, Wis., where he soon secured a position as clerk in a grocery store. Later he became an interpreter for a large company, a position that he was well qualified to fill, having learned in France to speak German, Holland-Flemish, and English as well as French. The work, however, proved too great a tax on his strength, and he resigned. He then became the New York agent for a man owning a large tract of land in Michigan. Mr. Wathier's business was to get emigrants to settle on the land, at which he was very successful. Soon after the beginning of the Civil War, on May 8, 1861, he enlisted for general service in the regular United States Army. He was placed in the artillery, and sent to the Army of the Potomac to start the first "flying artillery." In August, 1 86 1, after that was accomplished, he was transferred to the Army of the Potomac, with which he took part in twenty-two different battles, the more important being those of Yorktown, Gaines Mill, first and Second Hull Run, first and second Fredericksburg, Antietam, South Mountain, the seven days' retreat, and the battle of Gettysburg. At Culpeper, Va., on November 8, 1863, a portion of his foot was shot off. After submitting to field amputation at Mayor's farm-house, he was sent to the Columbian College Hospital at Washington, where, when he had recovered, he acted as assistant surgeon until he was honorably discharged on June 28, 1864. In the service he had heldi the ranks of Corporal and Sergeant.

From Washington he went to Philadelphia, where he remained for a time on account of ill health. Then he accepted a position in the arsenal at Bridesburg, Pa., working there until the close of the war, ten months later. After this he was engaged in the cigar and tobacco manufacturing business, successively in Philadelphia and Trenton. From Trenton he came to Millville, where he has been for the past twenty-five years, and is now the oldest cigar and tobacco manufacturer in this place. The business, which is confined to the manufacture of first-class goods, has materially increased since he came here, and now he furnishes employment for four or 'five people besides his three sons. His was the first union shop started in Millville. The product from this manufactory is sold at wholesale and retail.

Mr. Wathier  married Miss Pauline C. Leibig, of Philadelphia, a native of Mount Holly, N.J., and has four children - Charles, Frank J., Louis, and Amy. He was a member of Union Pest, No. 55, of the Grand Army, at the time it consolidated with Tice Post, under the name of Sharp Post, No. 2, has served in all the chairs, and has been a delegate to the State encampment. For twenty-two years he has been a member of Manumuskin Tribe, No. 13, Improved Order of Red Men. Both he and Mrs. Wathier are communicants of the Lutheran church.

 

I searched for traces of Charles and John B. and found one John B. Wattier of New Orleans who is surely the brother of Francis, enrolled in the 3rd Regiment European brigade (garde francaise) in the Belgian Infantry Company; a John B. Wathier in the New Orleans 1870 census: a bartender born Belgium; and a John B Wathier in the Los Angeles city directory of 1890, barkeeper at 60, San Pedro.

Note: there is no such town in Belgium and France with the name of "Longvue". But, there is a town "Longwy" in France, along the Belgian frontier, near Arlon.

 

§ Antoine De Meyer  and § Aime De Bleeckere

Those two names are referred in the “Official Records of the Civil War”, a thing not very usual, when their Unit, the Second Artillery, battery A, was stationed at Fort Pickens.

At the begin of the war, 51 men defended the four forts of Pensacola Bay, too few to defend all the Forts. They concentrated in Fort Pickens and held it. All the summer reinforcements were sent from both sides and at the begin of the Fall, the Confederate tried to capture the Fort. Before dawn, on October 9, more than 1,000 Confederates landed four miles east of Fort Pickens and advanced against the Union lines. Union troops counterattacked. Overpowered, the Confederates ran and rapidly crossed the bay to safety.

The Colonel commanding the Fort termed the attack a "gross insult to the flag" and was determined to punish the Confederates through a massive display of Union firepower from both Fort Pickens and ships in the gulf. At 10 a.m. Saturday morning, November 22, 1861, an all-day bombardment began. The Confederates did not wait long to respond. The next day both sides continued their bombardments. During those two days, 5,000 Union and 1,000 Confederate projectiles were fired from the big guns.

Loomis L. Langdon, commanding a Battery, sent his report of the bombardment to Maj. LEWIS G. ARNOLD, First Artillery, U.S. Army, Commanding Batteries.

SIR: Pursuant to instructions from the colonel commanding, I have the honor to report as correctly as I can the service rendered by the battery under my command during the bombardment of the 22d and 23d of November.

This battery, consisting of four 10-inch sea-coast mortars, was directed at the opening of the firing on the steamers lying at the navy-yard wharf. One or two effective shots were made, but the result of the firing being unsatisfactory, the mortars were directed to Fort Barrancas and the sand battery to the left of Fort McRee. The firing at the latter was the best. So many shots were being thrown at Fort Barrancas from other guns that I was unable to mark the effect of mine. In the afternoon the mortars were fired more slowly and greater care taken to distinguish the shots. A marked improvement in the firing was observed. The last shots were fired after dark, during the rain-storm, and were thrown at Fort Barrancas.

On the second day (the 23d) I had a table of fire carefully kept, and the range, charge, length of fuse, and effect of each shot accurately noted. The navy-yard and sand battery near Fort McRee received all my attention, two mortars being directed at each point the whole day, and the firing slow and regular. The effect was very satisfactory, and after the signal was hoisted on the Niagara "Too great a ravage," I succeeded in placing the shells with good effect.

The men behaved admirably, exposed as they were without a splinter-proof and to the falling bricks and earth from the parapet above. The fragments of bursting shells frequently came among them, and a shell fell in their midst, but burst without injuring any one. the most exposed man was Private Arthur R. Kermer, of Company C, Third Infantry, quartermaster's clerk, who, assisted by Corporal Schonborn, of Company K, Second Artillery, remained on the parapet the whole of the second day recording the shots, and they both rendered good service. Corporal Mulvihill, of Company C, Third Infantry; Corporal Baby, Company L, First Artillery; Sergeant Magnitzky, Company C, Second Artillery, and Privates De Bleeckere  and De Meyers, of Company A, First Artillery, I would mention for their care, attention, and coolness. The non-commissioned officers bore the fatigue without being relieved during the whole time, and deserve much credit.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,                                         LOOMIS L. LANGDON,

 First Lieutenant, Fifth Artillery, Commanding Battery.

Antoine De Meyer enlisted in the U.S. Army in the 2nd Artillery Co L at the age of 32 on May 5, 1854. A bookbinder from Antwerp, he enlisted in New York. He reenlisted May 5, 1859 at Fort Ripley, Minnesota. Soon after the November battle, he was discharged fort disability at Fort Pickens, on January 1, 1862.
Aime De Bleeckere
enlisted in the U.S. Army in the 4th Artillery Co D at the age of 41 on January 8, 1861. A soldier, from Bruges, he enlisted in Washington. He was discharged of the service for disability October 1, 1862 at Metairie Race Course, in New Orleans.

Those two are like ghosts. I found nothing about them in America. I suppose, but it’s only a supposition, they died very soon after their discharge or went back to Belgium. No Civil War pension was ever filled for Aime De Bleeckere. I don’t, either, find them in the emigrant’s arrivals.

Northern row of guns at Fort Pickens, after two day’s firing
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1861/december/fort-pickens-bombardment.htm

For Antoine De Meyer , a pension file was filled the day of his discharge, October 1, 1862. His application nr 2,959 and his certificate 10,124 are in the earliest of the Civil War. His pension of $4 was paid in the District of Columbia from March 1862 to March 1864, and somewhere reduced to $2. No payment was made after that date. One hint! an Antoine De Meyer enlisted in the 5th New York Heavy Artillery in January 25, 1864, in New York City. The age given, 35 y.o., is not corresponding. He was enlisted to serve 3 years but died of disease on July 25, 1864 in Field Hospital at Sandy Hook, Maryland. It’s maybe the same man.

As to the battle at Fort Pickens, it was for nothing. When the bombardment ended late on November 23, little had been gained or lost by either side. At Fort Pickens, one man had been killed by enemy fire and two guns had been disabled (one had burst from too much use). The Confederates did not suffer many casualties or loss of equipment either, despite the fierce bombardment. Fort McRee was heavily damaged, however. The Union army obtained control of Pensacola’s harbor in May 1862, not as a consequence of the battle, but through the Confederates’ decision to abandon the harbor and remove their soldiers from the region. The Union forces took control of the deserted navy yard and the nearby forts, and they held Pensacola for the remainder of the Civil War.

 

 

§ Louis Soucy, from Mons, 23 years old, enlisted on October 18, 1862 at New York city, to serve three years, in the 174th New York Infantry, Co. F. He was mustered in as private on November 5, 1862 and discharged, February 26, 1863, to enlist in Battery C, second U. S. Artillery  in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He deserted Aug. 27, 1864 but was released from service June 13 1891 under act of Congress approved April 11, 1890.