History of Frazee Family in the Civil War

My Great Grandfather, Captain Isaac Newton Frazee

.

Ancestry of the

Frazee Family
Renville County
Minnesota

It had been known in the Frazee family that we had a relative who served in the Civil War. Not much was known about who he was and just exactly what he did in the Union Army. Several years ago I was at the Vicksburg Battlefield and learned that the National Park Service has a list of everyone who served in the Civil War, Union or Confederae. On a chance that I might learn some- thing about this relative I looked him up. I also looked up the name of my Great Grandfather who was about the same age. I learned that the mystery service member and my Great Grandfather were brothers and they both served in the 100th Indiana Infantry. By using the internet I have been able to learn a lot more about the Frazee brothers who fought with the Union Army and this is what I learned.

Created by Bob Frazee
Copyright 2018, all rights reserved.
Updated: 5 Feb 2013; 2 Feb 2014, 7 April 2017, 23 May 2017, 24 March 2018

The Frazee Clan


Oliver Sidney Frazee
aka: "The Boss" and "Grandpa"
Grandpa visited his brother in Arizona, 1951
Some of Isaac's genes are in each of us.



I am constantly adding new informaton to this page so
you may find some repetition and information not in the best
sequence but this is a work in progress and
Under Construction so come back often.

28 March 2018

The Frazee Brother's Military History in the Civil War

   
Antiock Cemetery, Jay County, Indiana

Isaac Newton Frazee, and his younger brother, Abner J. Frazee, both living in Indiana, served in the Civil War. Isaac, the older of the two, enlisted in the 19th Indiana Infantry Regiment (Volunteers) in July, 1861, and was promoted to Corporal before his discharge (date and reason unknown).

On August 28, 1862, Isaac Newton Frazee next enlisted in Company H, 100th Regiment Indiana Infantry (Volunteers). His younger brother Abner J. Frazee enlisted at the same time. Isaac enlisted as a 1st Sargeant (probably because of "prior service" which means he was not a raw recruit) and Abner was a Private. The Regiment fought with General Grant at the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, participated in the Battle of Chatanooga at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge and then marched to Atlanta and Savanah with General William Tacumseh Sherman. At the end of the war Abner was still a Private and Isaac had been promoted to Captain of Company H, 100th Regiment Indiana Infantry. In doing my research at the various National Civil War Parks I found it was hard to find references to the 100th Infantry Regiment. I learned after my trip that the Union Regiments were attached to larger units (ie. The 100th Infantry Regiment was initially attached to the 2nd Brigade, District of Memphis, Tenn., 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee) Since units were frequent reassigned to new Divisions and Army Corps it is necessary to start searching at the Division or Corps level.

I have contacted the State of Indiana and obtained a copy of the history and rosters of the 19th Indiana Infantry Regiment (Volunteeers) and the 100th Infantry Regiment (Volunteers) as well as enlistment, discharge, and burial records of Issac Newton Frazee and Abner J. Frazee.

I thought it might be of interest to know how the military organization is structured. It comes second nature to me because of my military expereince in the 4th Armored Division in Germany and having attended the Command and General Staff Collage. But it may not be so clear to other. So if you have an interest:

The infantry in the Civil war and up to the end of the Cold war had the following command hierarchy from top to bottom:

Army - there can be more than one Army depending upon geographical ares of the theater of operations is. An Army will have command and control over one or more Corps.

   Corps - A Corps will have command and control over several Divisions, again depending on size of theater of operations.

      Division - A Division will have command and control over several Brigades.

         Brigade - A Brigade will command several Regiments/Battalions.

            Regiment/Battaliion - A Regiment will command several Companies

               Company - A Company is made up of several platoons which it controls

The object of this organization is to have versatility and a known command structure. So units cn be shifted around as needed and everyone knows where he fits in the structure and who his immediate commender is. Thus intially the 100th Indiana Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, District of Memphis (the Army), 13th Army Corps

Units the 100th Infantry Regiment (Volunteers) was attached to
and list of major battles.
:

Organized at Fort Wayne, Ind., and mustered in on September 10, 1862.

Left State for Memphis, Tenn., 11 November 11.

2nd Brigade, District of Memphis, Tenn., 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee, November, 1862.

1st Brigade, 1st Division, District of Memphis, 13th Army Corps, November to December, 1862.

1st Brigade, 1st Division, 17th Army Corps, December, 1862, to January, 1863.

1st Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Army Corps, January to July, 1863.
(Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi: May - July, 1863;

Siege of Vicksburg; Confederates surrendered July 4, 1863 (the same day as the Battle of Gettysberg took place)


Map of the Siege of Vicksburg - 1963

1st Brigade, 4th Division, 15th Army Corps, July, 1863 to August, 1864
15th Army Corps Commanded by MG William Tecumseh Sherman
.
(Battle of Missionary Ridge, Chatanooga, Tennessee: November, 1863;


Battle of Missionary Ridge, 1863


Missionary Ridge, March, 2018

Battle of Knoxville, Tennessee: November, 1863;


Rescue of Knoxville - November, 1963

Battle of Atlanta, Georgia, May 1864)


Battle for Atlanta - May 1864

2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 15th Army Corps, August, 1864 to September, 1864.

2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 15th Army Corps, September, 1864 to June, 1865.
Savannah, Georgia, December, 1864)


The Battle for Savannah - Decemberf 1964

In the Civil War the Union army was made up of Regiments of Volunteers organized within the individual States. Similar to the National Guard today. The United States had no standing army to speak of. Raising an army was left to the states. The states formed the units and picked the uniforms -- this is why you see pictures of Civil War uniforms of all colors and design at the start of the war. The units formed by the states were designated "Volunteers". A unit formed by the federal government were disignated "Regular". When officers where commissioned they might have a rank of "Volunteer" or "Regular". Getting a regular army commission was important. General Grant and General Sherman were both Volunteers but later commissioned as Regular Army.

When the units were adequately trained it could be integated into the Union army. This gives some insight to the 2nd Amendment which prohibits the federal government from infringing on the right to bear arms -- it was essential for the states to be able to form a malitia which could be incorporated into a federal armed force. Men enlisted into companies based upon the county they lived in. Both 1st Sgt Isaac Newton Frazee and Pvt Abner Frazee enlisted in Company "H", of the 100th Regiment Indiana Infantry, Jay County on August 28, 1862, for three years of service. See page 558, Company H, Roster of 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry. This Regimental History shows the Company was present at the Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the Battle of Chatanooga, TN, at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, The relif of Knoxville, the Battle for Atlanta, Georgia, and marched to the sea with General William Tecumseh Sherman. They were mustered out on June 8, 1865, in Washington, D.C.

Imagine this if you will: Most people in the 19th Century lived, and died, within 50 miles of where they were born. They never saw any more of the country than that. These soldiers of the 100th Indiana Infantry Regiment marched and fought their way from Indiana to Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia and then to the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., before returnng to their beloved homes in Indiana. It staggers the imagination.

Forming army units during the Civil War was unique and left to the individual states. The number of the Regiment would tell you something about how early in the war it had been formed. Thus the 19th Indiana Infantry Regiment (Volunteers) would have been formed much earlier than the 100th Indiana Infantry Regiment (Volunteers). There was a very small federal army and the Volunteer units would be incorporated into larger military unites which were commanded by Federal Officers. Sometimes someone would try to organize a Regiment but not enough Companies could be filled so that Company would be incorporated into an existing Regiment. If the casualties of a Regement where high it might be incorporated into another Regiment. (i.e. The 19th Infantry was incorporated into the 20th Infantry)

There are a number of factors which played an important role in the conduct of the Civil War.

The first to be considered were the river systems running through the heartland of the United States. The Mississippi River cut the country in half and thus control of the Mississippi was essentual to cutting the Confederacy in half. Thus control of Memphis, Tennessee, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Vicksburg, Mississippi, were so important. Vicksburg was the hardest to capture because of geography -- high banks overlooking the river to the west and fortifications to the east. The most important tributaries of the of the Mississippi were the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee rivers because they allowed both the Confederate and Union armies to transport large numbers of soldiers and vast supplies long distances cheaply and fast. All these rivers flowed from the Appalachian Mountians west to the Mississippi. Steam steam boats which could travers both with and against the current were invaluable.

Here's an interesting historical perspective: Do you remember Samuel Clemons, "Mark Twain"? He grew up in Hannibal, Missiouri, a small river town on the banks of the Mississippi River north of Saint Louis. As a teenager he had the "wonder lust" and wanted to travel the Mississippi. Like a lot of young men in Hannibal he aspired to be a riverboat pilot. He started his apprenticeship in 1857 and in 1859, at the age of 23 he was awarded a license as a Mississippi Riverboat pilot. This career came to an abrupt end and he went on to other pursuits; do you know why? It was the Civil War. The Union navy shut down all river boat traffic on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Only military naval traffic was allowed. Clemons' boat, and hundreds of others, were dry docked and anyone making a living on the river had to search for different professions. Believe it or not Samuel Clemons joined the Confederate army but after two days he decided this was not a life for him so he deserted. He traveled west to Virginia City, Nevada, where he got a newspaper job and his writing career was born.

The Second thing which was important to fighing the war were the railroad systems which had been developed. It allowed vast number of troops and supplies could be shipped inland long distances,fast and were not affected by bad weather. Military supplies (weapons, ammunition, medical equipment and rations -- the army lived on coffee and hardtack) which had to be shipped by horse drawn wagons were slow and could get bogged down in bad weather. Thus control of the railroad centers and lines were important. The Battle of Shiloh took place because Union troops were being sent to Corinth, Mississippi, an imporant railroad junction for the Confederacy which supplied the Mississippi River stronghold of Memphis, Tennessee. Union troops were sent deep into Tennessee on the Tennessee River and landed at Pittsburg Landing just a short distance from Corinth, Mississippi. The same is true for railroad centers at Chatanooga, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia. The goal of Sherman's march to Savannah, Georgia, was to capture the second largest seaport serving the Confederacy. It demonstrated to the population that the South was loosing the war and destroyed the morale of the South.

Third was the development of the telegraph. Armies live by command and control. Knowing where the enemy is located and being able to move your forces to the right place is imporant. Thus, in a matter of minutes General Grant was able to control the movement of his forces which were spread over thousands of miles throughout the Confederacy. If a Confederate unit was discovered in a certain place General Grant or General Sherman were able to move their forces accordingly. Likewise, if a unit was in trouble reinforcements could be sent quickly and abort a defeat. Prior to the telegraph messages were sent by "runners" on foot or "couriers" on horseback. If you apply this concept to today's modern army you can understand the advantage to a unit which has access to air craft and satillite survallance.

What got me started on creating these notes about the Frazee brothers in the Civil War was reading the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant which I purchased for $0.99 on Kendle. General Grant describes in detail his boyhood, attendance at West Point, and his his military career. It is fascinating how Genereal Grant's experiences at West Point and then the war against Mexico influenced his stratigies in the Civil War. Many of his classmates and commrades in the Mexican war became Southern Generals. He knew how they would respond in battle -- which ones would run, which ones would bluff and then retreat and which ones would stand and fight.

It is often not understood that the Confederate Army was never a cohesive unit with one General which had command control of all the Confederate Armys. There was no central command structure like General Grant was "General in Chief". Each Confederate state had its own army which for the most part operated independently from the other armys. At the start of the war each Confederate state formed its own army and the senior officer was suppose to be a Brigadier General (one star). It appears there was only a loose co-ordination through Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy. But Virginia inticed Robert E. Lee to be it's army's Commanding General and they made him a Major General (two stars). This caused some consternation among the other Brigidier Generals of other states because it meant he out ranked them but he had no official command over the other Confederate forces. The Army of Northern Virginia, led by General Robert E. Lee, was the target of the Union forces, the Army of the Potomic, because of the threat it posed to Washington, D.C. When General Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia that did not end the war but Lee knew the other General's would see the futility of continuing and would surrender in time. At Appommattox General Grant asked General Lee to order the Commanders of the remaining active Confederate armys to surrender to the union forces. General Lee responded that he only commanded the Army of Northern Virgina and because these other units were not under his command he had no authority to issue such an order. As a result it was several months, and battlefield deaths, later but eventually all the Generals surrendered their armies and the Civil War was officially over -- but President Lincoln did not live to see it.

I have recently read three very interesting, books on the Civil War:

Two of the books are about the Union Army. American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant, by Ronald C. White, 2017, and William Tecumseh Sherman: In the Service of My Country, A Life, 2017, by James Lee McDonough. These biographies describe the Civil War as seen by these two Generals. You will get an opportunity to see an overall view of the war as experienced by each of these senior commanders in two separate theaters of the War. You will get a better idea of the battles where Indiana's Company H, 100th Infantry Regiment was engaged. General Sherman was a real military scholar and philosopher. He understood better than most about the causes and the eventual outcome of the Civil War. He knew that the Confederacy had no idea what a war would bring to the South. He also understood the Union would prevail because it was a manufacturing giant and had a greater population base to draw new recruits. Both General Grant and General Sherman understood the Union would just "over power" the Confederacy. I recommend you consider reading these books.

The third book, Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee by Michael Korda, 2014, is a very interesting biography of General Lee which give a perspective of the war from the Confederate's view. Naturally its focus is on the Army of Northern Virginia which General Lee commanded. A West Point Graduate, who made his reputation while serving in the Mexican war, Captain Lee was the darling of General Winfield Scott, the General-in-Chief of the United States Army. Although he had limited command experience President Lincoln offered Colonel Robert E. Lee the command of the Army of the Potomac. Lee turned it down because he could not fight against his native state -- this gives you an insight on how many people in the south considered themselves citizens of a state and not of the United States. Col Lee resigned his U.S. Army commission to take command of the Army of Northern Virginia. The Confederacy never had a chance to win the Civil War and the personalities and conflicts between the various Confederate Generals only exacerbated the problem.

Click on a name and go directly to that family member

Isaac Newton Frazee

(1839 - 1892) (Civil War Veteran)

        

Abner J. Frazee

(Younger brother of Isaac Newton Frazee, Civil War Veteran)

         Oliver Sidney Frazee (1878 - 1955)

Online Books:
100th Indiana Infantry Officer Roster - Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, Volume 3, by W.H.H. Terrell, Adjutant General, Indiana, 1866 View Entire Book
100th Indiana Infantry Soldier Roster - Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, Volume 6, by W.H.H. Terrell, Adjutant General, Indiana, 1866 View Entire Book

One Hundredth Indiana Infantry. — Cols., Charles Case, Sanford I. Stoughton, Albert Heath, Ruel M. Johnson; Lieut Cols., Albert Heath, Ruel M. Johnson, John W. Headington; Majs., Robt. Parrott, Ruel M. Johnson, John W. Headington, William H. Vernamon. This regiment was organized at Ft. Wayne in Aug., 1862, two companies, organized for the 98th regiment being assigned to it to complete its organization, and it was mustered in Sept. 10, 1862.

[The unit]... left the state Nov. 1 [1862], for Memphis, where it was assigned to the 2nd brigade, 1st division, Army of the Tennessee. [editor's note: The Battle of Shiloh took place as Grant and Sherman were moving to capture Memphis and the 100th Regiment Indiana Infantry did not join Grant's army until after the Battle of Shiloh 6-7 April 1862] It moved in the first expedition against Vicksburg, but was forced to turn back by the enemy's capture of Holly Springs, and was assigned to garrison and railroad guard duty at Collierville. In June, 1863, it joined the Army at Vicksburg, took part in the siege and then moved against Jackson, where it was constantly engaged until the evacuation. It was then in camp at the Big Black river until Sept. 28, when it sailed to Memphis with the 4th division, 15th army corps, thence moved to Stevenson and Bridgeport, Ala., and Trenton, Ga. It was in the movement in which the left flank of Bragg's army was turned and the enemy driven from his position on Lookout mountain. The regiment then marched to Chattanooga in time to participate in the storming of Missionary ridge, its division gaining the crest of the hill and holding the position against repeated assaults. The loss of the regiment was 132 in killed and wounded. After pursuing the enemy as far as Graysville, it was ordered to Knoxville for Burnside's relief and thence proceeded to Scottsboro, Ala., which place was reached Dec. 26. On May 1, 1864, it joined in the Atlanta campaign and was engaged at Dalton, Snake Creek gap, Resaca, Dallas, New Hope Church, Big Shanty, Kennesaw mountain, Nickajack creek, Cedar Bluffs, Chattahoochee river, Decatur, Jonesboro and Lovejoy's Station. After Atlanta's evacuation it was encamped at East Point until it went in pursuit of Hood in October, moving as far as the Tennessee river and then returning to Atlanta. As part of the 2nd brigade, 1st division, 15th corps, it moved upon Savannah and was engaged in a desperate fight at Griswoldville, where repeated assaults by the enemy were repelled. From Savannah it moved by steamer to Beaufort, S. C, thence through the Carolinas, assisting in the capture of Branchville, Columbia, Georgetown and Cheraw, S. C, and fought at Bentonville, N. C. It was at Goldsboro from March 26 until April 10, then moved successively to Raleigh, Richmond and Washington, D. C, where it was mustered out June 9, 1865, and the recruits were transferred to the 48th Ind. The original strength of the regiment was 968; gain by recruits, 86; total 1,054. Loss by death 237; desertion, 31; unaccounted for, 11.

[Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 3]


History of the 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry

Overview:

Organized at Fort Wayne, Ind., and mustered in September 10, 1862. Left State for Memphis, Tenn., November 11. Attached to 2nd Brigade, District of Memphis, Tenn., 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee, November, 1862. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, District of Memphis, 13th Army Corps, to December, 1862. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 17th Army Corps, to January, 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Army Corps, to July, 1863. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, 15th Army Corps, to August, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 15th Army Corps, to September, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 15th Army Corps, to June, 1865.

Service:

Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign. Operations on the Mississippi Central Railroad November 26, 1862, to January 10, 1863. Duty at Colliersville, Tenn., and along the Memphis & Charleston Railroad till June 7. Ordered to Vicksburg, Miss., June 7. Siege of Vicksburg June 14-July 4. Advance on Jackson, Miss., July 4-10. Siege of Jackson July 10-17. Camp at Big Black till September 28. Moved to Memphis, Tenn., thence march to Chattanooga, Tenn., September 28-November 20. Operations on the Memphis & Charleston Railroad in Alabama October 20-29. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23-27. Tunnel Hill November 23-24. Mission Ridge November 25. March to relief of Knoxville, Tenn., November 28-December 8. Moved to Scottsboro, Ala., and duty there December 17, 1863, to May, 1864. Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign May 1 to September 8. Demonstration on Resaca May 8-13. Near Resaca May 13. Battle of Resaca May 14-15. Movement on Dallas May 18-25. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Brushy Mountain June 15. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Nickajack Creek July 2-5. Chattahoochie River July 5-17. Battle of Atlanta July 22. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Ezra Chapel, Hood's second sortie, July 28. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy Station September 2-6. Operations against Hood in North Georgia and North Alabama September 29-November 3. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Griswoldsville November 22. Siege of Savannah December 10-21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Reconnoissance to Salkehatchie River, S. C., January 25, 1865. Congaree Creek, S. C., February 15. Columbia February 16-17. Battle of Bentonville, N. C., March 19-21. Mill Creek March 22. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D. C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20. Grand Review May 24. Mustered out July 8, 1865. Recruits transferred to 48th Indiana Infantry.

Regiment lost during service 2 Officers and 56 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 173 Enlisted men by disease. Total 234.

Isaac Newton Frazee (3) a Civil War Veteran
(This author's great grandfather)


Captain Isaac N. Frazee
Mustered into service as a Private on July 29th, 1861
Born 04 January 1839
Died 29 August 1892
Buried Antiock Cemetery, Jay Co. Indiana

(Antioch is a small farming community southeast of
Portland, IN, in Pike Township. The cemetery is on the
southeast corner of CR 500 S and Boundary Pike.
Janice Stucky, Jay County Historical Society Librarian)

Private Frazee was discharged from the 19th Indiana early in
the war because of disability after being promoted to Corporal.
He again joined the Army on August 28th, 1862 as a
1st Sergeant in Company H of the 100th Indiana Infantry.
He rose in the ranks and when he mustered out in June of 1865 he was the Captain of Company H.

He received a pension after the war.

Isaac Newton Frazee (3), He was born January 4, 1839, in Miami County, Ohio. He moved to Jay County, Indiana, in 1847. He enlisted in Company C, 19th Indiana Volunteer Infantry where he rose to the rank of Corporal. The roster of Company C, 19th Regiment Indiana Infantry has no comments about his service or reason for dischage for disability in the remarks section. After being discharged, he enlisted in Company H, 100th Indiana Volunteer Infantry on August 28, 1862, as First Sargeant. He was Promoted to First Lieutenant. on January 9, 1865, and to Captain on May 1, 1865.

The roster of Officers of the 100thst Regiment Indiana Infantry, Company H, lists 1st Lieutenant Isaac Newton Frazee, of Bluff Point, IN, as having been commissioned on January 9, 1865, and promoted to Captain on May 1, 1865.

Civil War Records of the National Park Service has this information about Isaac N. Frazee, 19th Regiment, Indiana Infantry. He entered as a private and was discharged as a corporal. (These records say nothing about his service in the 100th Regiment Indiana Infantry.) His military records can be obtain from the National Archives, Film M540 roll 25. Full service records of Civil War Veterans may be obtained from the National Archives.


National Park Service
History of the 19th Regiment, Indiana Infantry

(Note: The following information about the 19th Indiana Infantry Regiment is now available on-line from the National Park Service. This data was not available when the comments below by Bruce Catton were originally prepared in the late 1950's. Most of the following about the 19th Indiana Infantry Regiment is unrelated to Corporal Frazee's history because he was dischaged sometime before 28 Aug 1862 when he enlisted in the 100th Infantry Regement as a 1st Sergeant.)

Overview:

Men enlisted into companies based upon the county they lived in. The Unit Roster for the 19th Regement Indiana Infantry lists Isaac Newton Frazee, a resident of Randolph County, as having enlisted on July 29, 1861. The record does not reflect what happened to him. See also: Company C, "Winchester Grays", 19th Regiment Indiana Infantry and Alphabetical List of Members of the 19th Regiment Indiana Infantry

Nineteenth Indiana Infantry. — Cols., Solomon Meredith, Samuel J. Williams, John M. Lindley; Lieut. -Cols., Robert A. Cameron, Alois O. Bachman, Samuel J. Williams, William W. Dudley, John M. Lindley; Majs., Alois O. Bachman, Isaac M. May, William W. Dudley, John M. Lindley, William Orr. This regiment was organized and mustered in at Indianapolis July 29, 1861. On Aug. 9 it joined the Army of the Potomac at Washington. Its first engagement was at Lewinsville, Va., Sept. 11, where it lost 3 men killed and wounded and 3 missing. It next fought at Falls church, after which it went into quarters at Fort Craig, near Washington. On March 10, 1862, it was attached to McDowell's (1st) Corps, with which it moved towards Fredericksburg and then toward the Shenandoah Valley. It remained at Warrenton until Aug. 5, 1862, when it made a reconnaissance towards Spottsylvania Court House.

[I am presuming that Corporal Frazee was discharged from the 19th Indiana Infantry Regiment before this time because he enlisted in the 100th Indiana Infantry Regiment on 28 Aug 1862. The 19th Indiana Infantry continued its military campaigns with the Army of the Potomac around Washington, D.C. While the 100th Indiana Infantry was assinged to the Army of Tennessee with General Grant.]

Because it is quite lengthy and has nothing to do with Isaac Newton Frazee's service I have created a separate location for the entire history of the glorious 19th Indiana Infantry Regiment. It was with the Army of the Potomac right up to General Lee's surrender of the Army of Virginia at Appomattox Courthouse.

Abner J. Frazee (3), a Civil War Veteran, Son of Jonathan Frazee and younger brother to Isaac Newton Frazee,was born in Portland, Indiana, and never married. Betty Magnuson nee Frazee has the original Civil War discharge document (shown below) of Abner J. Frazee signed by Isaac I.(?) Frazee, Captain, dated June 14, 1865. (This document is not too legible because my aunt, Wilma Frazee, in an effort to preserve the document penciled over the hand written portions and they may not be accurate. The National Park Civil War records list Isaac N. Frazee, Captain, Company H, as a member of the 100th Regiment of Indiana Infantry.) I imagine that since Abner never married that his discharge papers fell into the hands of his brother, Isaac Newton Frazee, a younger brother who also served in the Civil War. Isaac Newton Frazee is the father of Oliver Sidney Frazee and the grand father of Donald Lee Frazee, whose wife was Wilma Frazee, and great grandfather of Betty Frazee who has the document.


Gravestone of Abner J. Frazee
Company H, 100th Indiana Infantry
Antioch Cemetery, Portland, Indiana


Copy of Discharge Paper
Private Abner J. Frazee
14 day of June 1865

To All Whom It May Concern:

Know ye, that Abner J. Frazee a Private of Captain (?) ..... Company, (C)100th Regiment of Indiana Infantry Volunteers, who was enrolled on the Twenty Eight day of August, one thousand eight hundred and Sixty One to serve three years or during the war, is hereby   DISCHARGED   from the service of the United States this 14th day of June, 1865, at Indianapolis, Indiana by reason of Telegraphic Order .. dated May 18, 1865. (No objection to his being re-enlisted is known to exist*.)

Said Abner J. Frazee was born in Jay County in the State of Indiana, is Eighteen years of age, Five feet Nine inches high, Dark complexion, Black eyes, Black hair, and by occupation when enrolled, a Farmer.

Given at Indianapolis, Ind. this Fourteenth day of June 1868.

s/ Isaac N. Frazee
Captain
Commanding the Reg't

{*this sentence will be erased should there be anything in the conduct or physical condition of the soldier rendering him unfit for the Army}

The document contains a round green stamp stating:

Bounty Paid
June 29, 1867
B.J. Moore,
Paymaster U.S.A.

(The Discharge was signed by his brother, Captain Isaac Newton Frazee)


Civil War Records of the National Park Service has the following information about Abner J. Frazee, 100th Regiment, Indiana Infantry. The unit's roster indicates it fought at the Battle of Vicksburg. [His military records can be obtained from the National Archives, Alternative Name: Film M540 roll 25. Full service records of Civil War Veterans may be obtained from the National Archives.]

Isaac Newton Frazee next appears as the First Sargeant of Company H, 100th Regiment Indiana Infantry having enlisted on August 28, 1862. This roster states that he was promoted to First Lieutenant. The Roster of Officers of the 100th Regiment Indiana Infantry lists him commissioned a First Lieutenant in Company H on January 9, 1865, and promoted to Captain on May 1, 1865. He was mustered out with his Regiment on May 28, 1865

The One Hundredth Regiment was organized in the Tenth Congressional District during the month of August, 1862, and rendezvoused at Fort Wayne. Two companies, recruited for the Ninety-Eighth regiment, in the Eighth Congressional District, were assigned to the One Hundredth Regiment, completing its organization, and the regiment was mustered into the service on the 10th of September, 1862, with Sanford J. Stoughton as Colonel. On the 11th of November the regiment left for Memphis, Tennessee, and arrived there on the 16th. The regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade, First Division, Army of the Tennessee, and on the 26th moved with an expedition through Northern Mississippi, having Vicksburg for its objective point. The movement, however, was unsuccessful, owing to the surprise and capture of Holly Springs by the rebels. The column then returned to the vicinity of Memphis, and the regiment was assigned to garrison duty at Collierville, and as guards along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.

On the 9th of June, 1863, the regiment embarked on transports, and joined the army of Gen. Grant at the siege of Vicksburg, arriving in front of the velpe! works on the 14th. The regiment took part in the siege of Vicksburg, and after its surrender, moved with Sherman's army upon Jackson, Mississippi, arriving in front of that place on the 11th of July. Five days were occupied in the seige of Jackson, the regiment being constantly engaged. On the 16th the rebel army evacuated and our forces entered the place and destroyed its military resources. During these movements, the regiment was commanded by Lieut, Col. Albert Heath, and formed part of the First Brigade, First Division, Sixteenth Army Corps. From Jackson the regiment to the Big Black river, where it remained' in camp during {he summer.

On the 28th of September the regiment marched to Vicksburg, embarked on transports, and sailed to Memphis, arriving there on the 9th of October. The regiment, at this time, belonged to the Fourth Division, Fifteenth Army Corps. The regiment moved with its division, on a rapid march across the country, to Stevenson and Bridgeport, Alabama; thence over Sandstone Mountain, and down Lookout Valley to Trenton, Georgia, and succeeded in turning the left flank of Bragg's army, then in position upon Lookout Mountain. This column secured a foothold on the Mountain, and drove the enemy from position, but without following in pursuit, pushed for Chattanooga, and, after a rapid march, reached that place on the 23d of November. On the 25th the column moved upon the enemy's stronghold on Mission Ridge, and took part in that severe battle. Its division gained the crest of the hill and held the position, notwithstanding the concentric fire of the enemy's artillery and his repeated assaults. The fight lasted from 10 0'clock in the morning until dark, and the attack on the enemy's left was so persistent as to draw vast masses of the enemy to that flank, and enable General Thomas to break through the enemy's centre. In this battle the regiment lost one hundred and thirty-two killed and wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Heath was severely wounded early in the action, and Major R, M. Johnson assumed command of the regiment.

The next morning the command moved in pursuit of Bragg's army as far as Graysville. It then moved towards Knoxville, for the purpose of relieving General Burnside. This was accomplished, the head of our column reaching Knoxville on the 6th of December. The regiment then returned with its division to Scottsboro, Alabama, arriving there on the 26th of December. But a few weeks before this army had left the banks of the Tennessee river, with only two day's rations, and no extra clothing, and during that time had fought a severe battle, and marched over eight hundred miles, through mud, rain and snow, part of the command barefooted, and yet all was endured without a murmur. The regiment remained in camp at Scottsboro until the 1st of May, 1864.

The entire Army of General Sherman moved from Chattanooga early in May, 1864, on its campaign against the Gate city of Georgia " - Atlanta. The two hostile armies were separated by Rocky Face Ridge, cloven by Buzzard's Roost Gap, through which runs the railroad. This pass was so fortified as to render it unapproachable. Sherman decided to turn the position. The Army of the Tennessee moved through Snake Creek Gap and threatened the enemy's rear at Dalton. The regiment was attached to this army and took part in all its movements and battles, being engaged at Dalton, Snake Creek Gap, Resacca, Dallas, New Ilopo Church, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain, Nicknjack Creek, Chattahoocheo River, Decatur, Atlanta, Cedar Bluffs, Jonesboro, and Lovejoy's Station. The regiment then moved with its corps to Atlanta, and camped at East Point, after marching and fighting nearly one hundred days.

On the 3d of October the regiment marched with its corps in pursuit of Hood, and after forced marches through Northern Georgia and Alabama, drove flood across the Tennessee river, left Gen. Thomas to meet and check his further career, and returned to its old camping ground near Atlanta.

At daybreak on the 14th of November the regiment moved with the column for Savannah and the sea. Atlanta lay behind, a mass of smouldering ruins-before was an untrodden path, an unknown enemy and adventure. The march of that army was marked by destroyed railroads and a ruined country. The regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade, (Walcott's,) First Division, Fifteenth Army Corps, in this march. On the 22d oof November, near Griswoldville, Georgia, its brigade was engaged in a desperate fight. Our position was defended by a slight barricade. The enemy made an assault with a largely superior force, and four pieces of artillery; he was, however, completely repulsed. The action continued four hours, and the enemy made several assaults, only to be met with severe loss. General Walcott was wounded, and Col. Catterson, of the Ninty-Seventh Indiana took command of the brigade Forty-nine prisoners were captured, and the regiment complimented by the commanding General. After a perilous march through almost impassable swamps, morasses and over swollen streams, the column debouched in front of Savannah on the 10th of December, which city our army entered on the 23d From Savannah the regiment moved with its corps by steamer to Beaufort, South Carolina, and thence through the Carolinas, capturing successively Branchville, Columbia, Georgetown and Cheraw, South Carolina, and met the enemy at Bentonville, North Carolina, where a severe battle ensued, and the enemy were defeated and driven from the field. The column then moved to Goldsboro, reaching that place on the 26th of March, 1865, having marched thirteen hundred miles and fought seventeen battles since leaving Chattanooga in May, 1864. The regiment remained at Goldsboro until the 10th of April.

It then moved with the army to Raleigh, where it remained until after the surrender of Johnston's army. The regiment then marched by the way of Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, District of Columbia, reaching that place on the 20th of May, 1865. The regiment remained in camp near Washington until the 9th of June, 1865, when it was mustered out of service, the remaining recruits being transferred to the Forty-Eighth Indiana, with which organization they continued to serve until its muster out at Louisville, Kentucky, on the 15th of June, 1865.

The regiment left for the field with an aggregate of nine hundred and thirty-seven men, and returned with six hundred and eighteen men for muster out. It has lost in killed in action and died from wounds, eighty nine; discharged for disability by reason of wounds, or otherwise, two hundred and twenty-five ; died from disease, one hundred and fifty-total casualties, four hundred and sixty-four.

The One Hundredth has marched, during its term of service, four thousand miles, been engaged in twenty-five battles, and has been engaged as skirmishers nearly one-third of the time it has been in the field. After its muster out it started for Indianapolis. and upon its arrival there was present at a public reception in the State House grounds on the 14th of June, and welcomed with addresses by Governor Morton and others. It's members then dispersed to their respective homes.


Russell L. Frazee's Comments about the Civil War.

In the mid 1950's my father, Russell L. Frazee, Grandson of Isaac Newton Frazee, became interested in the Civil War but his research tools were limited (no internet back then) and it may have been sparked when he read several books by Bruce Catton, include Glory Road, This Hallowed Ground, and A Stillness at Appomattox, which he recommended reading. His comments about the war were more generic about the civil war but nothing specific about his Grandfather's role in it:

"Anyone interested in Civil War drama and the feelings and passions of the battlefield may find these works worth reading. The following information was gleaned from Bruce Catton's Mr. Lincoln's Army edited in 1954 and in whose book the famous Black Hat Brigade and its exploits are frequently referred to. This latter book is an interesting historical work about the Civil War as view through the Army of the Potomac, with all of its failures, misfortunes, and lack of leadership on the top level.

The 19th Indiana Volunteer Infantry was the pet regiment of Gov. Oliver P. Morton of Indiana. A sketch of the regiment's career is printed in "Indiana at Antietam," pp 107-123. The 19th Indiana, with the 2nd, 6th, and 7th Wisconsin Regiments, was assembled in Fredericksburg in the spring of 1862 and placed under the command of young John Gibbons. This outfit, the 19th Indiana, 2nd, 6th and 7th Wisconsin Regiments became known as the "Black Hat Brigade," which was to become famous throughout the remainder of the Civil War. The men of this outfit were outfitted, beyond regulations, with black felt hats and white gaiters/ hence their nickname, "The Black Hat Brigade." It served with valor in the army of the Potomac under McClellan, Hooker, and Meade, the army often referred to in Civil War history as "Mr. Lincoln 's Army." The Black Hat Brigade fought with distinction in the battles of Gainesville, Warrentown, South Mountain, Antietam, Second Battle of Bull Run, and the Battle of Gettysburg. It was at the battle of South Mountain that the Black Hat Brigade became known as the "Iron Brigade." The accepted story is that McClellan, watching its progress up the gap of South Mountain, had exclaimed in admiration: "That brigade must be made of iron!" Whatever its origin, the name stuck, and the brigade lived up to it valiantly the next summer at Gettysburg. See Gibbons Personal Recollections. 20th Indiana Volunteer Infantry." [Catton's book Stillness at Appomattix mentions the Iron Brigade in the Battle of Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor.]

Web Master's Note: (Robert Frazee, son of Russell L. Frazee and Great Grandson of Isaac Newton Frazee, Captain, Company H, 100 Regiment Indiana Infantry) It is interesting to note that my father appears to have known nothing about Isaac's discharge from the 19th Indiana Infantry Regiment and subsequent enlistment in the 100th Regiment Indiana Infantry. Oliver Frazee, Russell's father and my grandfather, the son of Isaac Newton Frazee, was about 38 years old when his father died and may not have discussed much about Isaac's experieneces in the Civil War. Some of those battles were so horrific and Isaac may not have talked about it, as is common of many returning soldiers. Isaac died before Russell was born and therefore Russell did not know his grandfather.

All of the above history of Isaac's Civil War experience has been developed by me following a visit to the battlefield in Vicksburg, Mississippi about 2015. There is a Monument to the Indiana units which served at Vicksburg but I had no knowledge that my Great Grandfather served in one of the units. I should go back and get a picture.

Isaac Newton Frazee was married twice. His first marriage was to Adelia Coldren who was a sister of Charles Coldren's father (Hosea Coldren who had married Mary Frazee, a daughter of David (2) Frazee by his first marriage.) Of this first marriage to Adelia Coldren, one child, a daughter was born about 1851, named Clara (4) Frazee.

    Isaac Newton Frazee (3) second marriage was to Ruth Ann Cox. Ruth Ann Cox was born August 11, 1846. She died November 23, 1886, at the age of 40 years. Isaac died August 29, 1892, and was buried at Antioch Cemetary, Jay County.


    Isaac Newton and Ruth Ann Frazee nee Cox
    (Photo provided to family members by Wilma Frazee nee Hyndman)

    Of his second marriage to Ruth Ann Cox there were born seven children all of whom were born in Portland, Indiana: Jonathan C.P. Frazee, Rebecca M. Frazee, Ada M. Frazee, Bernie Frazee (also known as James Frazee), William Frazee, Elizabeth Edna Frazee, and Oliver Sidney Frazee.

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  • 7. My Grandfather, Oliver Sydney Frazee was married twice. First to Ruth Fields and they had one daughter, Gladys. Gladys had one son, J.D. Latham who served in the U.S. Army in WWII.

    Oliver's second marriage was to Elizabeth Wiest and they had five children: Russell, Donald, Hazel, George and Vivian. Russell's son, Robert vserved with the 4th Armored Division during the Vietnam war. Hazel's son, Jerry Bjerke, served in Vietnam as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force.


    Family of Oliver and Elizabeth Frazee
    Oliver and Elizabeth Frazee
    Gladys, George, Russell, Donald Vivian & Hazel


    Go to Isaac Newton Frazee in the 19th Indiana Infantry


    This page was created by Bob Frazee, Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.)

    Bob at Grand Tetons, 2015
    Belli at the Grand Titons, June 2015


    If you have any questions, or corrections, just write to Belli.

    Have a good day and come back again.