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Civil War Veteran
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William joined the Union Army on June 12th 1861 at the age of 39. Became a Wagoner with the rank of Private
in Company D, 17th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment under the name Levi Burnett. Nobody is really sure why. A Wagoner was a teamster, He drives the wagon that either carried supplies (food, equipment) or the regimental baggage.
Like the signal corps or hospital nurse, you get detached from your regular service to become a wagoner. He didn't just ride a wagon, he had to take care of the horses. he had to feed them and curry them and try to
not work them overmuch. And he had to take care of the tack and the wagon and he didn't get all that much time to grab
a beer with the guys. He had to know when the horses need a break. When he was pushing them
too hard. When they're not working together. When the axles need greasing and about how far they could go without greasing
them. Being a teamster or wagoner was not a cushy job. He was not ordinarily expected to man
the ramparts or fix bayonets, but one of the primary objectives of an opposing force was to cut the line and capture the wagons. It did take a special skill-set to be a wagoner. It was not an assignment for the slacker. Maybe unglamorous, but if he liked horses, it was probably a great job. There are several neat accounts of how good
wagoners saved the bacon by being able to get their equipment and mules/horses safely and efficiently over rivers, mountains,
etc....In other words, it was a skill position. Not everyone has the patience to work with them plus all the other equipment.
Not to mention, you have to be able to fight in a pinch and it's real difficult to work a team and still defend yourself
in case the enemy pops up.
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mainly because of the fluid nature of genealogical research. Information sent to us by correspondents and/or relitives has been published in good faith, and has been checked, whenever possible, for accuracy against records in goverment archives, census records, etc. However, birth, marriage and death dates written in family Bibles, baptismal certificates, letters, stories, etc., and carved in stone in family tradition, often differ from those in official records. Please let us know of any discrepancies. The only way we can correct information is for someone to tell us in the first place. So contact us if you have further information on any families on this website. We won't publish your personal information unless you give us permission. |
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