Charles H. Turner
Charles H. Turner was born around 1839 in Amboy, New York, possibly to Henry and Lydia Turner. He grew up and attended school in Amboy, and by 1860, he was working as a farm laborer. He enlisted in the Union army on December 22, 1863, and mustered in as a private in Company L of the 14th New York Heavy Artillery on January 8, 1864.
Writing home that January, he expressed pride in his military service, noting that, “if I live it through I shal feel as thou I was one of the survivers of the great rebellion [and] if I die I die in a good cause.” The regiment took part in the Battle of the Wilderness, the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, the Battle of Cold Harbor, and the siege of Petersburg. Writing to his brother in May 1864, he confessed that he had “seen about all the fighting that I want.” Nonetheless, he remained resolute, insisting that, “if I can do anything to put this Rebellion down I will do it without a murmer.” He was killed in action near Petersburg on June 17, 1864.
DATABASE CONTENT
| (1218) | Turner, Charles H. | 1839 | 1864-06-17 |
- Conflict Side: Union
- Role: Soldier
- Rank in: Private
- Rank out: Private
- Rank highest: Private
- Gender: Male
- Race: White
Documents - Records: 5
- (2830) [associated with] ~ Anna E. Hall to Uncle, 30 June 1863
- (2831) [writer] ~ Charles H. Turner to Lyman Turner, 16 January 1864
- (2832) [writer] ~ Charles H. Turner to Lyman Turner, 25 February 1864
- (2833) [writer] ~ Charles H. Turner to Lyman Turner, 19 March 1864
- (2834) [writer] ~ Charles H. Turner to Brother, 21 May 1864
People - Records: 2
Places - Records: 2
Regiments - Records: 1
- (409) [enlisted] ~ 14th New York Heavy Artillery
SOURCES
1850 and 1860 United States Federal Censuses, available from Ancestry.com; New York Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900, available from Fold3.com; Charles H. Turner to Lyman Turner, 16 January 1864, Nau Collection; Charles H. Turner to Lyman Turner, 21 May 1864, Nau Collection.
