Edward Friel
Edward Friel was probably born in Ireland. He immigrated to America and settled in Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the Union army on September 23, 1861, and he mustered in as a private in Company D of the 96th Pennsylvania Infantry later that day. The regiment took part in the Seven Days’ Battles, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Overland Campaign.
He described Fredericksburg as “the grates slauter that ever was witnessed by the eyes of man and it seems it was fought to please the abolishants of the north so that they would have something to put in there papers.” If General George B. McClellan remained in command, Friel insisted, “sutch a slauter would never have taken place.” He went missing on May 10, 1864, during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.
DATABASE CONTENT
| (1776) | Friel, Edward |
- Conflict Side: Union
- Role: Soldier
- Rank in:
- Rank out:
- Rank highest:
- Gender: Male
- Race: White
Documents - Records: 1
- (5870) [writer] ~ Edward Friel to Neal Friel, 23 December 1863
People - Records: 3
- (1775) Hagerty, Thomas is the [friend of] (1776) Friel, Edward
Regiments - Records: 1
- (480) [enlisted] [D] ~ 96th Pennsylvania Infantry
SOURCES
Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, available from Ancestry.com; Edward Friel to Neal Friel, 23 December 1862, DL1263.003, Nau Collection.
