Dennis, Thank you very much for this. It certainly gives me some new leads. I have a letter written by John Whitehead Byron to an aunt in Australia in 1865. This woman, a widow, had come out to Melbourne to see if it was a suitable place to bring her young son and daughter from Ireland. JWB wrote to tell her that he had seen the children and that they were doing well. She then returned to Ireland and returned with the children to settle in Australia. Of the children, (a son and a daughter) the son had two sons of his own. The eldest was my godfather who tried for many years to find out what had happened to the writer of the letter to his grandmother, a letter which he greatly treasured. Through contacts in the US army he was told that JWB had not applied for an army pension and my godfather therefore assumed that the veteran had died young. I now have the grandmother's letter in my possession and have wanted to find out if JWB had left any family of his own. Last year I posted a similar message to the Byron surname list on Family History.com and have just recently received a message from a Michael Kane. He said that he had researched a magazine article about Americal Civil War soliders who returned to Ireland for the Fenian uprising. It was he who discovered the letters written by Byron to O'Brien from Kilmanhain gaol. Michael Kane has said that he would send me more information and I have replied to that surname list saying that I would be very interested to receive this. I have not heard from him and would very much like to know how I could contact him. Do you know of this Michael Kane at all? I'd also be very grateful if you could tell me how I could apply for the information on Mary Ann's application for a widow's pension. Thank you very much again. Anne ----- Original Message ----- From: Dennis J. Francis <fran@ees.eesc.com> To: Anne Kelly <akmk@netspeed.com.au> Cc: <CIVIL-WAR-IRISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, 5 January 2001 12:02 Subject: Re: [CIVIL-WAR-IRISH] Colonel John Whitehead BYRON > Anne Kelly wrote: > > > > I am researching John Whitehead BYRON of the 69th NYSV. > ---------------------- > A John W. Byron was commissioned 2nd lieutenant in Company E, 88th NY on > 21 Sep 1861; he was 21. Rose to become Major and as senior officer, he > also took command of what was called the Consolidated Brigade; this was > formed in mid-1864 when what was left of the NY regiments were brigaded > with other NY units, while the 28th MA and 116th PA were brigaded > elsewhere. He was promoted to LtCol in March 1865. > > John applied for an invalid pension in April 1879. His wife Mary Ann > applied for a widow's pension in June 1909; she filed from Ohio. > > The service record states that in addition to being in the 88th NY, he > had also been in the 69th NY, but it appears this was the NY State > Militia, which was in Federal service for only a few months in '61 and > fought at 1st Bull Run under Corcoran. A number of its members went on > to form the nucleus of the NY volunteer regiments which formed Meagher's > Irish Brigade. > > From "The Irish Brigade and Its Campaigns" by D.P. Conyngham: > > "Captain J.W. Byron of Company E (88th NY) before consolidation, > rejoined the regiment as adjutant - vice McClellan, killed at Gettysburg > - November, 1863, and continued as such till June, 1864, when he was > commissioned major. Was taken prisoner at the battle of Reams' Station, > Virginia, August 25, 1864; was exchanged in February, 1865, and > commissioned lieutenant-colonel, but was not mustered in. He was > mustered out of service with the regiment, July, 1865. An active, > intelligent officer." > > > Dennis > mailto:fran@ees.eesc.com