Wilson Sproul
Wilson Sproul was born around 1842 in New Jersey to James and Julia Sproul. His father was a carpenter and farmer who owned $7,000 of real estate and $1,200 of personal property by 1860. He grew up and attended school in Raritan, New Jersey.
 
He enlisted in the Union army on September 29, 1861, in Brooklyn, New York, and mustered in as a private in Company C of the 87th New York Infantry on October 2. He took part in the siege of Yorktown, the Battle of Williamsburg, the Battle of Seven Pines, and the Second Battle of Bull Run. The army transferred him to Company C of the 40th New York Infantry on September 6, 1862, and he participated in the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, and the siege of Petersburg.
 
He was absent without leave in the fall of 1863, but he eventually rejoined his regiment. He remained devoted to the Union. In August 1864, he hoped that the "United States or the Northern States [would] unite as one main body and try to whip out this stain that is upon our banners...we must hope all for the best and do all in our power to suppress them, witch I believe will be done if it takes three more or six years to do it in." 
 
He mustered out on October 6, 1864, when his term of enlistment expired. He returned to his parents’ household in Raritan after the war, and he remained there until at least 1880. He earned a living working in a sawmill. He applied for a federal pension in January 1900 and eventually secured one. He died on November 4, 1904.
1372
DATABASE CONTENT
(1372)Sproul, Wilson18421904-11-04
  • Conflict Side: Union
  • Role: Soldier
  • Rank in: Private
  • Rank out: Private
  • Rank highest: Private
  • Gender: Male
  • Race: White

Documents - Records: 37

  • (3150) [associated with] ~ Jonathan Sproul to James W. Sproul, 8 December 1862
  • (3158) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Sister, 2 February 1864
  • (3160) [associated with] ~ Jonathan Sproul to James W. Sproul, 16 May 1862
  • (3162) [associated with] ~ Jonathan Sproul to Alice Sproul, September 1862
  • (3163) [associated with] ~ Jonathan Sproul to James Sproul, 8 August 1863
  • (3164) [associated with] ~ Jonathan Sproul to Garret Sproul, 22 October 1863
  • (3165) [associated with] ~ Jonathan Sproul to Garret Sproul, 29 January 1862
  • (3177) [associated with] ~ Jonathan Sproul to James W. Sproul, 10 July 1862
  • (3178) [associated with] ~ Jonathan Sproul to James Sproul, 7 November 1862
  • (3179) [associated with] ~ Jonathan Sproul to James Sproul, 5 December 1862
  • (3181) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James Sproul, 7 September 1864
  • (3182) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James W. Sproul, 4 August 1864
  • (3183) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James Sproul, 28 June 1864
  • (3185) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Sister, 22 November 1863
  • (3186) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James W. Sproul, 2 May 1862
  • (3187) [associated with] ~ Jonathan Sproul to James W. Sproul, 21 September 1862
  • (3197) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Alice Sproul, 12 March 1864
  • (3198) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Sister, 19 March 1864
  • (3199) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Alice Sproul, 10 July 1864
  • (5595) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James W. Sproul, 23 December 1861
  • (5596) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Alice Sproul, 12 March 1862
  • (5597) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Alice Sproul, 12 March 1862
  • (5598) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Alice Sproul, 31 July 1862
  • (5599) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James W. Sproul, 20 September 1862
  • (5600) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Alice Sproul, 19 December 1862
  • (5601) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Alice Sproul, 12 March 1863
  • (5602) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Alice Sproul, 3 August 1863
  • (5603) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James Sproul, 17 August 1863
  • (5604) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James W. Sproul, 21 August 1863
  • (5605) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James Sproul, 1 August 1864
  • (5606) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Alice Sproul, 12 August 1864
  • (5607) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Alice Sproul, 24 August 1864
  • (5609) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Sibling, 1864
  • (5610) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to Unknown, 1864
  • (5611) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James Sproul, undated
  • (6288) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James Sproul, November 1863
  • (6289) [writer] ~ Wilson Sproul to James Sproul, 12 November 1863

People - Records: 6

  • (1372) Sproul, Wilson is the [sibling of] (1351) Sproul, Jonathan
  • (1373) Sproul, Alice is the [sibling of] (1372) Sproul, Wilson
  • (1388) Sproul, James W. is the [sibling of] (1372) Sproul, Wilson
  • (1391) Sproul, James is the [parent of] (1372) Sproul, Wilson
  • (1412) Sproul, Garret is the [sibling of] (1372) Sproul, Wilson
  • (1631) Sproul, Elizabeth is the [sibling of] (1372) Sproul, Wilson

Places - Records: 1

  • (415) [birth, death] ~ New Jersey

Show in Map

Regiments - Records: 2

  • (340) [enlisted] [C] ~ 40th New York Infantry
  • (446) [enlisted] [C] ~ 87th New York Infantry
SOURCES

1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 United States Federal Censuses, available from Ancestry.com; New York Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900, available from Fold3.com; Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, available from Ancestry.com; Wilson Sproul to James Sproul, 1 August 1864, DL0950.011, Nau Collection