John L. Smith
John L. Smith was born on March 19, 1846, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Leonard and Hannah Schmitt. His father was a German immigrant.
Smith enlisted in the Union army on November 10, 1862, and he mustered in as a private in Company K of the 118th Pennsylvania Infantry. The regiment took part in the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Overland Campaign. A comrade later described him as an “active, energetic soldier.” He was slightly wounded in the Battle of North Anna in May 1864. He was promoted to corporal on March 1, 1865.On June 1, 1865, Union officials transferred him to Company E of the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry. He mustered out on July 10, 1865.
He returned to Philadelphia after the war, and he earned a living as a mapmaker. In the early 1900s, he published a history of his Civil War regiment. He applied for a passport in February 1921, intending to travel to Jamaica that July. He died of heart disease in Philadelphia on April 1, 1921.
Image: John L. Smith (History of the 118th Pennsylvania Volunteers)
DATABASE CONTENT
| (2508) | Smith, John L. | 1846-03-19 | 1921-04-01 |
- Conflict Side: Union
- Role: Soldier
- Rank in: Private
- Rank out: Corporal
- Rank highest: Corporal
- Gender: Male
- Race: White
Documents - Records: 4
People - Records: 1
- (2508) Smith, John L. is the [friend of] (2430) Hopkins, Luther Wesley
Places - Records: 1
- (39) [birth, death] ~ Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Regiments - Records: 2
SOURCES
Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, available from Ancestry.com; Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1970, available from Ancestry.com; Passport Applications, 1795-1925, available from Ancestry.com; History of the 118th Pennsylvania Volunteers (Philadelphia, PA: J. L. Smith, 1905)
