Military Monday ~ Richard Engle - A Civil War Veteran Admitted to the Battle Mountain Sanitarium

Just what is Battle Mountain Sanitarium and why was Richard Engle admitted to this place?  Battle Mountain Sanitarium is now part of the Veterans Affairs Black Hills Health Care System. But in 1907 it opened its doors as a branch of The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. It's located in Hot Springs, South Dakota. I've included a photo of the sanitarium below (photo by Alexander Daubert at Wikimedia Commons).

As to why Richard Engle was admitted here, it appears from the document below, that he was suffering from several health problems.

This document (below) from the U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938 Collection¹ which I found on Ancestry.com is full of interesting and valuable genealogical information.  If you don't have an Ancestry.com subscription, don't worry.  I discovered that the U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938 Collection is also available on FamilySearch.org as well.

This document is separated into four different sections - Military History, Domestic History, Home History, and General Remarks.

Let's take a look at the information contained within each section of Richard's record.

Military History

• Time and Place of Each Enlistment -
  • First Enlistment
    • Time and Place of Enlistment – September, 1861 at Plymouth, Ohio
    • Rank – Private
    • Company and Regiment – Company G, 63rd Ohio Infantry
    • Time and Place of Discharge – June 18, 1864 at Washington D.C. [33 mos.]
    • Cause of Discharge - by reenlistment
  • Second Enlistment
    • Time and Place of Enlistment – June 18, 1864 at Washington D.C.
    • Rank – Private
    • Company and Regiment – 7th Volunteer Reserves
    • Time and Place of Discharge – November 16, 1865 at Washington D.C.
    • Cause of Discharge – G. O. 155
• Disabilities When Admitted to the Home
  • Incontinence of Bowels
  • Arterial Sclerosis
  • Hemorrhoids with small Fistula
  • Cataract in Left Eye
  • Epileptic Attacks

Domestic History

• Where Born – Ohio
• Age – 77
• Height – 5'6"
• Complexion – Fair
• Color of Eyes – Blue
• Color of Hair – Gray
• Read and Write – Yes
• Religion – Prot. (I Assume that means Protestant)
• Occupation – None
• Residence Subsequent to Discharge – South Dakota
• Married or Single – Married
• Name and Address of Nearest Relative – Sarah A. Engle, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Home History

• Rate of Pension – $20.00
• Date of Admission, Re-Admission and Transfer – ad B.M.S. 3-12-08 (March 12, 1908, not sure what those initials stand for)
• Date of Discharge and Transfer – 4-8-09 (April 8, 1909)
• Cause of Discharge – OR (not sure what this means either)

General Remarks

• Papers
  • Admission Paper – 1
  • Certificate of Service – 1
  • Pension Certificate – #202.972

Isn't this an amazing amount of information gleaned from a one-page document?  I already have the full Civil War pension file for Richard Engle, the husband of my 2nd great-grandaunt, Sarah Amanda (Waterman) Engle.  But this document is still an amazingly interesting and valuable find.  And if I wasn't already in possession of Richard's pension file, this document provided the pension certificate number.  How cool is that?

The National Home for Disabled Veteran Soldiers didn't only care for Civil War veterans.  It also cared for veterans of other conflicts as well.  So, if you have a military ancestor, I would encourage you to check out this awesome record collection on Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 Ancestry.com. U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Historical Register of National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1749, 282 rolls); Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.^↩