James W Walsh was born on March 31, 1837, at Great Falls, New Hampshire. He came to Minnesota in 1856. He settled in Minneapolis and found work as a iron moulder. James was 24 when the war began. He was mustered into Company D on April 29, 1861. He stood 5' 8" tall. He had a light complexion, gray eyes and black hair. James was the cousin of Robert Plummer, also of Company D. He was slightly wounded in the shoulder at Antietam. He wounded again at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, during the unit's suicidal charge. He received a gunshot wound in his back on the right side. This could have happened when what was left of the regiment retreated back up the hill, after they had made their stand at Plum Run. The ball entered on the right side of his spine and exited near his right nipple. He was sent to a hospital in West Philadelphia to recover. Also there were comrades Andrew Quist, Marion Abbott, Tom Galvin and Sam Tenney. After being there for four months he was transferred to the Invalid Corps on December 12, 1863. James was mustered out with the First Minnesota on May 5, 1864, at Ft. Snelling. James got married the next day. He and Louisa Koutz were married at Long Lake, just west of Minneapolis, on May 6, 1864. They lived in Minneapolis after the war and he continued working as an iron moulder. They raised a family of five children; four lived to adulthood. They were William E (12/27/71), James B (6/17/74), Annie (11/12/75) and Effie (1/28/78) and Irene (died young). On April 25, 1882, James joined the George N Morgan GAR Post #4 in Minneapolis. The 1883 roll of Civil War pensioners lists him as living in Kilkenny in Le Sueur County at the time and receiving a pension for his Gettysburg wound. Shortly thereafter he must have moved to 2541 2nd Ave S in Minneapolis. In 1888, James and Louisa separated under what must have been unpleasant terms. She claimed that he deserted her. He claimed that she deserted him and was "not of good repute and good moral character". He also stated that his wife's character was "not good for the reason of the disreputable and bad company she kept". However, the children went to live with her. In 1903 she was living in Clear Lake, Polk County, Wisconsin. She was making a living from taking in washing and doing ironing. At that time she also made a claim for 1/2 of James' military pension. Her claim was that he deserted her and thus she deserved 1/2 of his pension. No evidence was found to prove that she was of bad character and in fact the contrary was found. Her petition was granted and she received $15 a month. As her health failed she may have moved back to Minneapolis to live with one of her children. Her residence was listed as Mineapolis, when she died at Northwestern Hospital on January 19, 1909, of cancer of the uterus and pelvis. She was buried in Amery, Wisconsin. James refused to pay for any of her funeral expenses and their children had to cash her last pension check to pay the bill. She was 60 years old. James retired as an iron moulder in Oct 1902, and on the 25th of that month entered the Minnesota Soldier's Home. At the time of his admission he said he was suffering from the effects of the gun shot wound he received during the war. His previous address was #317 Groveland Ave, in Minneapolis. By 1923 James was deaf, blind and needed full time care. He was 91 years old, when he died at the home's hospital on February 23, 1929. He was buried in the home's lot at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Section 24, Lot B, Tier 9, Grave 12. In his will he left $1 to his son William. He had the remainder of his assets divided between his other three children, Effie Thompson, who lived in Littlefork, Minnesota and Anne, who had not married, and James. Both Anne and James lived in Amery, Wisconsin. Sources: 1859 Directory of St Anthony and Minneapolis. Roster of the George N Morgan Post, GAR, 1903, p 101. The St Paul Pioneer, August 4, 1863. National Archives pension records, James W Walsh Seventeenth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees, Minnesota Soldiers Home 1904, Review Publishing Co, St Paul, MN, 1905, MHS, pp 50-51. The St Paul Pioneer Press, Sept 6, 1909. Roster of the First Minnesota Infantry, 1910. Roster of the Survivors, First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, 1917. Minnesota Soldier's Home file, James W Walsh. Lakewood Cemetery file, James W. Walsh. 1883 Roll of Civil War Pensioners, Le Sueur County. Death Certificate, MHS. Military Pension Records, Robert Plummer, Nationla Archives, Washington DC. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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