Garrett Smith (65th USCT)

Garrett (Gerritt) Smith was born into slavery around 1843 in Albemarle County, Virginia, to Jeremiah Smith and an unnamed mother. His owner, Thomas Peevy, moved the Smith family to Montgomery County, Missouri, sometime before the war, and Smith's mother probably died there on May 2, 1855. Smith worked as an enslaved farmer on Peevy's land. He enlisted as a private in the Union army on December 12, 1863, on Wellsville, Missouri, and mustered into Company F of the 65th USCT Infantry Regiment on January 6, 1864, at Benton Barracks in St. Louis. His service record describes him as 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with black hair, dark eyes, and a dark complexion. The army stationed the regiment in Louisiana, and Smith died of chronic dysentery in the regimental hospital in Morganza on December 20, 1864. After the war, Smith's father Jeremiah remained in Montgomery County, Missouri, on land belonging to Thomas Peevy. Jeremiah Smith suffered from chronic rheumatism, and in 1873, he began receiving an $8 monthly pension for his son's wartime service.

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DATABASE CONTENT
Name:Smith, Garrett
Alternative names:
  • Smith, Gerritt (alternative name)
Roles:
  • Soldier
Gender:M
Race:Black
Regiment/Ship:
RegimentCompany
65th Regiment Infantry U.S. Colored Troops F
Branch of service:Army
Enlistment/Muster:
TypeDatePlaceAccepted/RejectedAgeStatusReason
Enlistment1863-12-12Wellsville, MOaccepted20Slave
Muster In1864-01-06Benton Barracks St. Louis, MO
Muster Out1864-09-27Regimental Hospital Morganza, LADeath
Residence at enlistment:Wellsville, MO
Rank In:Private
Rank Out:Private
Highest rank achieved:Private
Pensions:
Person 1Person 2NumberRelation Type
Smith, Garrettnoneapplication-invalid
Smith, Garrettnoneapplication-minor
Smith, GarrettSmith, Jeremiah206469.0application-parent
Smith, Garrettnoneapplication-widow
Smith, GarrettSmith, Jeremiah163495.0certificate-parent
Birth date:1843
Birth date certainty:About
Birth place:Albemarle County, VA
Death date:1864-09-27
Death place:Regimental Hospital Morganza, LA
Causes of death:disease: chronic diarrhea
Occupations:Farmer
Relationships:
Person 1Relation TypePerson 2
Peevy, Thomasowner ofSmith, Garrett
Smith, Jeremiahparent ofSmith, Garrett
SOURCES

Compiled Service Records for Garrett Smith, RG94, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington, D.C.; Pension Records for Garrett Smith, RG15, NARA, Washington, D.C.; Frederick A. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, vol. 3 (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Company, 1908).