Alfred Elwood was probably born on July 6, 1842, or July 6, 1844, in Stoke-on-Trent, England, to John Elwood. His father was a boot manufacturer. The family immigrated to America around 1851 and settled in Rochester, New York. He grew up and attended school in Rochester before beginning work as a locksmith.

 

He enlisted in the Union army on July 24, 1862, and he mustered in as a sergeant in Company D of the 108^th New York Infantry. According to his service records, he was 5 feet, 11 ½ inches tall, with light hair and blue eyes. The regiment took part in the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, the siege of Petersburg, and the Appomattox campaign.

 

He was wounded three times: in the chest at Antietam, in the chest at Gettysburg, and on the chin at Cold Harbor. At Gettysburg, he later recalled, a bullet took “the flesh off three ribs…[He] went to the hospital and remained there about two hours and had my wound dressed, and then went back to the regiment again.”  Confederate forces captured him at Reams Station in August 1864, but he reportedly “escaped” and rejoined his regiment. He was promoted to 2^nd lieutenant in early 1865, and he mustered out on May 28, 1865.

 

He returned to Rochester after the war and resumed his work as a locksmith. He married a woman named Julia, and they had three children: Charles, born around 1868; Frederick, born around 1869; and Ermina, born around 1877. By 1870, they owned $3,300 of real estate and $400 of personal property. He applied for a federal pension in July 1890 and eventually received one. By 1900, he was working as an electrician. He played an active role in veterans’ affairs, attending regimental reunions and serving as department commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. He supported the Republican Party and attended party meetings throughout the late 1800s. His wife died in 1922, and he passed away in Rochester on November 20, 1926.

 

Image: Alfred Elwood (A Complete Military History and Record of the 108^th Regiment N.Y. Volunteers)

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