Leroy Francis Sampson was born in Temple Mills, Franklin County, Maine on Jan 8, 1843. His family lineage descended from the Mayflower family of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins. While still a boy, the family moved to the Minnesota Territory. Leroy's mother died in Red Wing in May, 1852. His father moved Leroy and his brothers and sister to St Anthony in 1853, when he was 10 years old. When the war began Leroy left the farm and joined Co D, First Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. He was 18 when he was mustered into Company D. He was 5' 7" tall. He had a light complexion, gray eyes and dark hair. He served through the battles of Bull Run, Fair Oaks and Savage Station without injury, but at the battle of Antietam he was not so fortunate. On Sept 17, 1862, as the First Minnesota crossed over the open stretch of field between the east and west woods, a division of Confederates fired into their flank and within moments fifty men were hit. Leroy was one of those down with a bullet wound in his right leg, just above the knee. He was able to get to his feet and follow the regiment north to a stone wall where they made a stand. Eventually he was sent to a field hospital. His wound was slow in healing and the surgeon decided that he was unfit for duty. He was discharged on Feb 2, 1863, from the hospital in Uplin, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Leroy returned to the family farm in Minnesota. In 1864, he settled in Excelsior and bought some land near Lake Minnewashta. He married Eliza Spaulding, at her home in the town of Chaska, on Feb 6, 1865. They traveled to Excelsior, where they planned to live. However, a week later he re-enlisted. The Union had exhausted its supply of volunteer soldiers by this time and now was enacting a draft to fill the ranks. Each community was required to deliver a certain number of men to state regiments. Some towns offered bounties to avoid mandatory drafting. Bounties such as this eventually persuaded Leroy to re-enlist. He enlisted in the First Minnesota Heavy Artillery on Feb 14, 1865. He was appointed 1st sergeant in Battery H. It is not known why his residence was listed as St Paul, or why his name was spelled as Leroy S Samsom. We are inclined to believe it was an error on the part of the enrolling clerk at the time of his enlistment. Such mistakes were not uncommon. The unit was sent to Chattanooga, TN. They spent the rest of the war on garrison duty in the area. During his years of service, Leroy served in 16 battles, was wounded twice, once, at Antietam, when he was shot in the leg, and another time when he had his gun shot from his hands by a cannon ball. He was discharged from the service, for the final time, on Sept 27, 1865. Leroy is pictured here on the left. His brother, John, who served in Hatch's Battalion of Independent Cavalry, is on the right. John served from August 5, 1864, until May 11, 1865. The picture may have been taken after both men had returned home from the war. His injury at Antietam did not cripple him, though he collected a pension which supplemented a growing income. Life after the war was good for Leroy. Over the years they had six children. In 1876, he established himself in a mercantile business in Excelsior. He worked as a butcher. Leroy was appointed postmaster in 1878. In 1879, he opened a drug store as well as buying a small steam excursion boat called the "Saucy Kate". By 1886, Leroy had earned enough to buy the Slater House, a popular hotel on the lake. He renamed it the Sampson House. It burned down but in 1896, he rebuilt the hotel. Leroy was described as "a natural born hotel keeper who looked and acted the part." Some years later his grandson, Webb Sampson, ran the hotel. George Webb Sampson and his wife, Ruth, were the last owners and operators of the Sampson House. They saw it torn down in 1961 to make way for apartment houses. Leroy was active in pursuits outside of business such as rowing races held on Lake Minnetonka, where he seldom won but certainly had a good time. He was active with the First Minnesota Veterans Association attending most of the annual meetings as well as hosting many old comrades at his hotel. He had an interest in his community and held every elective office in the city. As he grew older Leroy's family took on a more important role for him as he handed over most of his business to his five children. Leroy spent his last years in semi retirement, a respected member of the community. He died in St Petersburg, Florida on May 17, 1918, at the age of 75. He may have been wintering there when he assed away. His body was returned to E E Bardwell Undertakers in Excelsior for burial. On May 23, 1918, he was buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Excelsior. Unfortunately today there is no head stone marking the place of his grave. Sources: History of Hennepin County, Neill, 1881, p255-256. Roster of the Survivors, First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, 1917. Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society Collections, Vol XIV, June 1912, p 666. 1883 List of Pensioners, Hennepin County. National Archives pension records, Leroy Sampson. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
