Nicholas Biddle, Unofficial Soldier

That Nick Biddle went to war with a company of Pennsylvanians from Pottsville is beyond doubt, as evidenced by the carte de visite photo that shows him wearing the uniform jacket of the Washington Artillerists, which later formed the nucleus of Company B of the Keystone State's Forty-eighth Infantry. Moreover, that he suffered a serious head wound during the Baltimore Riots of April 1861 is an event for which he was recognized at the time as the first man wounded in the Civil War.

His military record is one that commands attention and respect for his sacrifice.

Only Biddle never served in the army officially. Men of color were not allowed to enlist. That would come later. Instead, Biddle served as an orderly to Capt. James Wren, who went on to become major of the Forty-eighth. By the time African Americans were allowed to join, sixty-five-year-old Biddle was finished with army life.

His story is unlike any other individual I've researched for my column and books, as all were formally enlisted soldiers. And yet his short-lived experience helps frame the larger issue of race for which our ancestors struggled to deal with in four bloody years of war, and his personal story the sacrifice and dedication of an American to his country.

Where is the Body of Aaron Hunt Ingraham?

There can be no doubt that Aaron Hunt Ingraham of the Forty-eighth New York Infantry fell in action at Cold Harbor, Virginia, on June 1, 1864. His military service record, regimental history books, and other sources all confirm this fact, and that his body was buried on the battlefield and never recovered.

However, the location of his remains are now in question.

Yesterday, I received an email from Jim Kravchuk of the 150th New York Volunteer Infantry Association. Jim and others have been looking for grave sites of members of the regiment, and to date have identified more than 400. Jim, who lives in Amenia, the hometown of Aaron Ingraham, informed me that he "came across a large stone covered by brush that on one side of the stone it has one family [name] but the brush covered side has the Ingraham Family. Listed is Aaron H. Ingraham with a very old GAR marker in front of his name."

Is Lt. Ingraham's body buried beneath the stone? Or, does his remains rest on the Cold Harbor battlefield where he fell and the stone serve as a memorial to his life and military service? Further research will be necessary. One clue may be on the stone itself, which is located in the Amenia Island Cemetery. According to Jim, "the first burials at this cemetery didn't occur until 1869. There are some older stones there that were moved there from an older burial ground so that families could rest together."

Jim wants to clean the stone, and the Sons of Union Veterans have expressed an interest in rededicating the site.

If you have any information, please comment.