Harrison Washburn was born around 1834 in Ohio. By 1860, he was living in Salt Rock, Ohio, in the household of Jacob and Bell Neff. He enlisted in the Union army early in the war, and he mustered in as a corporal in Company I of the 15^th Ohio Infantry. The regiment mustered out in August 1861.

 

Washburn returned to the Union army soon afterward, mustering in as a private in the 1^st Minnesota Light Artillery on October 11, 1861. The regiment took part in the Battle of Shiloh, the siege of Vicksburg, the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, the Atlanta campaign, and the Carolinas campaign. He remained devoted to the Union war effort. In February 1863, he wrote in despair that “there seems to be a general dissatisfaction in the north in regard to the Emancipation proclamation.” He insisted that “we are ruined forever if we fail as a nation to do our duty the people at home should not grumble as long as the Soldiers in the field dont.” He confessed that he was “sick of the war and would be glad to see it setteled on honorable terms, but I never want the South recognized as a nation.” He eventually earned a promotion to corporal, and he mustered out on June 30, 1865.

 

Washburn returned to Ohio after the war, and he married Elizabeth Martin on February 14, 1867. She was a widow with two children: Benjamin, born around 1862; and John, born around 1864. They lived in Washington, Ohio, and Washburn worked as a farmer. By 1870, he owned $200 of real estate and $700 of personal property. His wife probably died in the 1870s, and he married Mary Southard on April 16, 1877.

 

He applied for a federal pension in March 1882 and eventually received one. He moved to Arcade, Kansas, in the early 1880s. Records from 1889 list him as “Injured” and suffering from a “Hemorrhage.” His wife died by the early 1900s. In January 1907, he was admitted to the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Leavenworth, Kansas. His admission records list him as 5 feet, 11 inches tall, with gray hair and hazel eyes. He died there of meningitis on May 26, 1917.

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