The death of 3rd Great Uncle, George F. Skinner

My cousin Teresa Lagrange makes yearly calendars combining her artistic talents of artwork and adding lines and quotes from family diaries and letters. This year she used a line from a letter from our 3rd great-uncle, George F. Skinner from 1863 for the month of March. 

I wanted to add to his story and recently discovered his death was covered in a Medical Journal of the time which had been unknown to me. Sadly, I learned more about his death than his life.  His passing Hopefully provided a benefit to medical science for future doctors' knowledge if they came across the same wound.

George F. Skinner was born on November 10, 1833, in Raymond, Maine as the eighth child of Peter Skinner and Sarah Meserve.  He was raised in that part of Raymond that was set off to form the town of Casco, Maine.   He was living at home on the 1850 census of Casco at age 15 and listed as attended school during the year.  

At some point George left home and moved to Dexter, Maine before 1860.  His older brother, Andrew Skinner was also living in Dexter as a wheelwright with his wife, and son and his wife's sister and her family. George, age 25, was also a wheelwright, living with the family of Hannah Luce probably as a boarder.  Hannah was a widow with 6 children and appears to have rented rooms out from her home to make an income. It was likely that Andrew and George worked together as wheelwrights for the same person or in their own business.  Andrew named his first-born son, George which shows they must have been close as brothers.

The following year the Civil War would break out and despite being the youngest son in his family, he was the first to enlist.  His older brothers, John and Andrew Skinner would enlist in 1862 while his other brothers, Elias, Joseph and Frederick would appear on the draft records, but they never volunteered to serve or were called to serve.

George F. Skinner, age 27, enlisted on May 28,1861 as a private in Company H, 6th Maine Infantry; mustered in at Portland, Maine on July 15, 1861, for 3 years.  He was single with a fair complexion; gray eyes; brown hair; and stood 5ft 8in tall.  He listed his occupation as farmer despite being listed as wheelwright on the census the year before.  Born in Casco, but a resident of Dexter, Maine when he enlisted.  

The 6th Maine was involved in many big military battles.  George must have seen a lot by March of 1863.  George had been promoted to Corporal like his older brother, Andrew who entered the War in 1862. However, it was by his own request to that he be made a private from Corporal.  George may have found being a Corporal did not suit him.  He had survived both several battles and disease until this time.  The letter was likely written by George to his sister-in-law, Mary (Brown) Skinner, wife of his brother Andrew.  He may have been close to her as they had all lived in Dexter for him to refer to her as "sister Mary."  He mentions Andrew in his letter who at the time was in Louisiana during the War. The letter had been in the possession of Alice Skinner, his grandniece until her death in 1987 and was passed to her grandniece, Rosie (Walsh) Russell, until it was donated to the Dexter Historical Society August 22, 1991.  The letter being written to Andrew's wife, Mary explains how our family line came into possession of the letter.  There was no punctuation in his letter.

March the 13, 1863, Camp near bell plains [Virginia]

Dear Sister Mary, it is with plisure that I seat myself to rite a few lines to let you no that i am well at present and i hope that these few lines will find you in joying the same blessing  the last time that i hurd from home and that was yestersay the folks was all well at present  i haint hurd from andrew since you rote him after   all is quiet a long the rappahant to day  i don't hear of any movement yet i dont hear of any  i had my minature taken yesterday and i will send it to you to morrow it haint taken vary well it is hard getting a good one out hear  it is a vary fine hear to day and warm  i am going on gard to morrow  i wish that i was down to dexter to day  i don't no of much to rite to you that will interest you  i send my love to you and george and give my my love to An and mary,  An where is Ema Brown now I had a letter from vestia hill the other day, she red that you and she were going up to dexter and she was going to gat a chance to work in the mill.  This is all yours    G. F. Skinner.

No one in the family has ever seen the "miniature picture" of George.  He sent his love to "you and George" which would be Mary (Brown) Skinner and his nephew George Skinner.   His love to "An and Mary" were Mary's sister, Sarah Ann and her daughter Mary, both who were living with Mary in 1860 in Dexter, Maine and Emma Brown was Mary's niece.  

Just two months later, George was wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville.  His wound and eventual death were recorded in The Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion. Part III, Volume II. [1883]  (3rd Surgical volume) by U.S. Army Surgeon General's Office.

He died on May 17, 1863, in Washington, D.C.   He was buried in Washington, District of Columbia in the Military Asylum Cemetery.  His Company of 207 men would lose 21 to disease and wounds, 35 killed in battle.  

Although no photo of George has been found in the family.  The diagram of his fractured leg bone will continue on.