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CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE AND CAREER OF GILBERT JOHN HUDSON (1820 1881 CE)

by Donald J. Ivey

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Gilbert J. Hudson. Photographic carte de visite as Major of the Third Michigan Cavalry Regiment, c. 1863, and signed G.J. Hudson Maj 3d Mich Cav. (Detroit Public Library, Burton Historical Collection, Detroit, MI)

PREFACE Admittedly, this is not a story of high drama or great turmoil. Gilbert J. Hudson was typical of many of the company and field grade officers who served in the Civil War, and without whose services neither side could have managed to mount an effective war effort. He was a good man, educated, intelligent, a man respected by his peers, a leader of the community. So while this is not a tale of dramatic heroism it is a tale of a far gentler and more subtle form of courage survival. He survived nearly 4 years of service in one of the bloodiest theatres of the war. He saw the pain and the tragedy and the madness of the war, and he took it home with him and lived with it for the rest of his life. Gilbert Hudson left behind no memoirs, but through the records that are left for us to glean, we can make him speak again to tell us the story of his life - a life that spanned more than 3 decades and stretched from the farmlands of New York to the gold fields of California - and for me, this is the greatest challenge of all. In preparing this paper, I would especially like to thank many of the kind people of the State of Michigan who helped me in the research of this story - Ms. Julia Carr, Mr. Royce E. Curlis, Grand Secretary of the Michigan Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, and Mr. Marvin Barnes, Secretary of the Masonic Lodge at Paw Paw. Without the assistance of these people, I could not have uncovered Hudson's story to the extent that I have. It has been my privilege to bring this narrative to you, the reader - and most importantly - this has been a true labor of love for myself.

D.J. Ivey May 12, 1985

TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I. Title The Early Years (1820-1851) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page

II.

California Prospector (1852-1855) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

III.

Paw Paw Businessman & Community Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

IV.

Citizen Soldier (1861-1865) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

V.

The Autumn Years (1865-1881) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE AND CAREER OF GILBERT JOHN HUDSON (1820 1881 CE)

Chapter I: The Early Years (1820-1851)

1820 May 8 Born at Auburn, Cayuga County, State of New York, the younger son of Henry and Esther Hudson.

1836 Hudson's family moves from New York to the Michigan Territory, where they settle near Dexter in Lima Township, Washtenaw County. Here he would work as a farmer during the summer seasons while teaching school winters.

1837 January 26 Michigan is admitted to the Union as the twenty-sixth state in the United States of America.

1843 May 5 Gilbert and his older brother John move to Almena Township in Van Buren County, Michigan, where they purchase 160 acres of land which they clear up to begin farming on. He also purchases a half interest in a drug store located in the nearby village of Paw Paw at about this period in time.

1849 January 20 Gilbert and his brother purchase an additional 80 acres of land in Almena. August 31 Gilbert, John and John's wife Maria sell the original 160 acre tract of land which they purchased in 1843 for a profit of $700.00. September 4 Initiated into the Apprentice Degree of Free and Accepted Masons at Lodge Number 25 in Paw Paw. He was an active and highly respected member of this organization throughout the rest of his life. December 27 Raised to the degree of Master Mason in the Lodge. This was the highest degree that could be obtained by a member of the Masonic fraternity.

1850 August 12 United States census records for Van Buren County, Michigan list Hudson as a laborer residing alone in Almena. No values are recorded on his real or personal estates.

1851 July 19 Marries Sarah Mariah Prater Longwell at Kalamazoo, Michigan. Known as Maria, she was the daughter of William Prater of New York and the widow of Theodore Longwell, a prominent citizen of Paw Paw who died in 1849. October 9 Maria Hudson purchases a parcel of land in Paw Paw village from her former in-laws Selleck and Mary Longwell. This is apparently the same location where Hudson would establish his residence in the village, on East Main Street next to .the village school.

Chapter II: California Prospector (1852-1855)

1852 Enticed into joining the gold rush in California, Hudson sells his interest in the drug store to his partner and in the company of his wife and several other families from Paw Paw, he travels the overland route across the Great Plains to California. He settled in Sacramento and worked in the mines near the town prospecting for gold. October Birth of son, Charles Henry Hudson, in California (probably in Sacramento). He later became a merchant at Marcellus in Cass County, Michigan.

1855 April 22 Birth of son, Frank Gilbert Hudson, in Sacramento. He would later become one of the leading retail merchants and community leaders in Paw Paw after his fathers death.

Chapter III: Paw Paw Businessman & Community Leader (1856-1861)

1856 Returns with his family to Paw Paw, where he repurchases his old drug store in partnership with his friend Joseph Kilburn. Together, they re-establish the business as the retail drug firm of Hudson & Kilburn. During this period also, Hudson would become a very prominent and active member of the community at Paw Paw, serving at various times as Supervisor of the township and as President of the village. He was also one of the leading promoters of educational interests in the village and served one of the longest terms as a member of the Town Board of Education in Paw Paw's history.

1857 July Birth of daughter, Elizabeth Maria Hudson, in Paw Paw. Known as Lizzie, she became the wife of George A. Briggs of Paw Paw and after his death, she married Dr. John C. Reynolds of Battle Creek in Calhoun County, Michigan.

1860 June 26 United States census records for Van Buren County, Michigan list Hudson as a druggist residing with his wife and three children in Paw Paw. His mother is also listed as residing with the family there. Hudsons real estate holdings are valued at $1,200.00 and his personal estate is valued at $1,500.00. November 6 Abraham Lincoln is elected as the Sixteenth President of the United States. Like many of his fellow Michiganders, Hudson was strongly pro-Union and antisecessionist in his political sentiments. December 20 South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union. She is followed in rapid succession by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana in January.

1861 February 4-8 Delegates from the first six seceding states assemble in convention in Montgomery, Alabama. There they proclaim the organization of the Confederate States of America and they adopt a provisional constitution for the new government. Eventually, a total of 11 Southern states would secede from the Union and join the Confederacy. March 4 Lincoln is inaugurated as President of the United States in Washington, District of Columbia.

Chapter IV: Citizen Soldier (1861-1865)

1861 April 12-13 Confederate artillery batteries under the command of Brigadier General Pierre G.T. Beauregard fire on Federal troops in Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The next day the fort surrenders. April 15 President Lincoln proclaims that a state of insurrection" exists and calls for 75,000 militia volunteers to serve for a period of three months in the U.S. Army. Later, on April 19th, Lincoln orders a naval blockade of the Confederate States. During this period, Hudson is very active in helping to organize and equip a volunteer militia company known as the Lafayette Light Guard. They are the first unit to go to the front from Van Buren County. August-September Hudson raises and organizes a company at Paw Paw to serve in the Third Regiment of Michigan Cavalry Volunteers. The company, numbering about 200 men, is almost wholly composed of Van Buren County residents. September 17 Elected Captain of the company.

October 3 Hudson's company is mustered into United States service as Company C of the Third Michigan Cavalry at Camp Anderson near Grand Rapids, Michigan to serve for a period of 3 years. Hudson is commissioned as Captain of the company to take rank as of September 17, 1861.

1862 December 1, 1861- February 25 Company C is stationed with the Third Michigan at Benton Barracks near St. Louis, Missouri. March 13-14 The regiment first sees action at the capture of New Madrid, Missouri while under the command of Brigadier General John Pope, commander of the Military Division of Missouri. The Confederate defenders of the town subsequently fled to Island No. 10 in the channel of the Mississippi River. March 14-April 8 The Third Michigan serves with the Army of General Pope during the siege of Confederate forces on Island No. 10 while stationed at New Madrid. When the Confederates finally surrender the island on April 8, vast amounts of arms and supplies are captured. The defeat is a major one for Confederate forces in the region, and greatly weakens their control over the Lower Mississippi River.

May 10-31 The regiment again serves under General Pope at the siege of Corinth, Mississippi, where it is principally engaged in scouting and reconnaissance expeditions throughout the area. The regiment also served in an engagement with Confederate forces at Farmington, Mississippi on May 5. Union troops occupy the town on May 30, only to find that Confederate forces under General Beauregard have already been evacuated south to Tupelo, Mississippi. June 16-c.July 26 Hudson is absent with leave from the regiment and the leave is later extended by proper medical certificates. He may have been suffering from ill effects caused by the drinking water at New Madrid, which caused an extremely high death rate in the regiment while it was stationed there. July 26 Third Michigan serves in another engagement with Confederate forces at Spanglers Mills, Mississippi. September 10 The regiment serves under Brigadier General William Rosecrans at an engagement with Confederate forces at Bay Springs, Mississippi. September 19 The Third Michigan again serves under General Rosecrans at the Battle of Iuka, Mississippi. The battle was a major victory for Union forces and the Third Michigan was said to have particularly distinguished itself in action while under the command of Captain Lyman G. Wilcox. October 2 Hudson suffers a bad fall from his horse while leading his company on a nighttime reconnoitering expedition near Corinth. The accident causes a dislocation and fracture of his left ankle, an injury which never heals completely and which will affect him for the remainder of his life. October 3-4 The Third Michigan serves at the Battle of Corinth, where General Rosecrans defeated Confederate forces under Generals Earl Van Dorn and Sterling Price. Hudson probably does not serve in this battle because of his ankle injury. October 6-December 5 The regiment sees further action in various engagements with Confederate forces at Hatchie, Hudsonville, Holly Springs, Lumkin's Mills, Oxford and Coffeeville, Mississippi.

1863 February 27 Hudson receives and accepts a commission from Governor Austin Blair of Michigan promoting him to the rank of Major. He is mustered into service in the Field & Staff of the regiment at Jackson, Tennessee. His commission as Major is to take rank as of November 1, 1862. March-May Regimental muster rolls for this period list Hudson as commanding a detachment of cavalry at Bolivar, Tennessee.

June 18-19 Commands 6 companies from the Third Michigan and Second Iowa Cavalry Regiments. His mission was to attack and cut off retreating Confederate forces at Panola, Mississippi while destroying all forage, transportation, or other property that could be of use to the Confederate Government. In the course of the raid, the detachment skirmished with Confederate forces at Coldwater Bridge near Panola. One of Hudsons men is wounded, while 1 Confederate is killed and 2 are captured. The detachment also destroys a railroad bridge across the Yockeney Creek along with a flour-mill, a sawmill, a tannery mill with stock, 50,000 bushels of grain and 400 bales of cotton. On the conclusion of the raid on the 19th, Hudson and his detachment rejoin the main column of cavalry at Panola for further operations against Confederate forces in Northern Mississippi. July 13 The Third Michigan fights in a heavy engagement with Confederate forces at Jackson, Tennessee. A final desperate charge by the regiment successfully broke the Confederate lines and forced them to retreat from the town with heavy losses. August 13-14 Hudson again commands a detachment of 7 companies of the regiment. The detachment leads the advance of Union forces capturing the town of Grenada, Mississippi, where large amounts of Confederate machinery and rolling stock were located. Over 60 enemy locomotives and more than 400 railroad cars are destroyed in the engagement, along with an immense amount of railroad stock, machinery, and commissary stores. September 3 Requests a leave of absence from the regiment to return to Michigan. He explains that My business is in a deranged condition and my presence is absolutely necessary to prevent great loss and further pecuniary embarrassment. The leave was apparently not granted. October 12-13 The Third Michigan again sees action, this time engaging Confederate forces at Byhalia and Wyatts' Ford, Mississippi. October 28 Hudson again requests a leave of absence from duty, this time on account of ill health. An accompanying medical certificate from Dr. P. William O'Toole, Assistant Surgeon of the regiment states that Hudson has been suffering from jaundice for about two months and that a change of climate [is] absolutely necessary for his recovery, and to prevent permanent disability. November 14- December 3 Absent from the regiment with sick leave; he probably returns home to Paw Paw to recuperate from his illness. November- December During this period, the regiment is engaged in constant scouting and reconnaissance expeditions in Northern Mississippi and Western Tennessee, where it encounters and engages Confederate forces under Generals Forrest and Chalmers. The regiment participated in several skirmishes at Ripley, Orizaba and Ellistown, Mississippi and at Purdy and Jack's Creek, Tennessee.

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1864 January 27 The Third Michigan is mustered into United States service as Veteran Volunteers while at winter quarters in LaGrange, Tennessee to serve for an additional period of 3 years or for the duration of the war. February 8-March 9 Hudson is absent with leave on veterans furlough with the regiment in Michigan. March 16-May 18 The regiment is transferred to St. Louis, where it serves as dismounted cavalry on provost duty in the city while awaiting the arrival of horses, arms and equipment. March 18 John B. Hudson, Hudsons brother, dies of chronic diarrhea (probably dysentery) at Gayoso U.S. Army General Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. He had enlisted as a recruit in the Third Michigan only 4 months before his death. April 27 Appointed member of a military commission and court martial convened at St. Louis. In this capacity Hudson served to investigate and try a case (or cases) involving offenses against military law. May 24 The Third Michigan is transferred to the Department of Arkansas, where it is remounted and begins operations against Confederate forces under General Shelby. The regiment succeeded in driving Shelbys army beyond the Arkansas River while dispersing various guerrilla bands that also operated in the region. June-August Regimental records list Hudson as commanding a detachment of several companies at the Remount Camp at DuValls Bluff, Arkansas. During this period, Hudson commanded several detachments of the regiment operating in the vicinity of Brownsville, Arkansas. October Probably due to financial problems connected with his drug business, a parcel of land owned by Hudson in Paw Paw is sold at a public tax auction. November The regiment establishes its headquarters at Brownsville Station, Arkansas on the Memphis & Little Rock Railroad, where it garrisons the post there until February. While stationed here the regiment was occupied in scouting expeditions along the railroad line while securing large supplies of beef for the Union army. December 7-13 Hudson commands a detachment of 5 companies of the regiment sent from Brownsville on a scouting and foraging expedition along the Arkansas River. In the course of the expedition, Hudsons men capture 5 Confederates and collect 400 head of cattle with no losses or injuries reported. This was typical of the operations conducted by the regiment during this period of its service.

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1865 March 14 The Third Michigan is transferred to the Military Division of West Mississippi to serve under Major General E.R.S. Canby in the impending campaign against Confederate forces at Mobile, Alabama. March 19 Hudson suffers a serious injury to his left leg while superintending the loading of horses on the Steamboat Champion near the mouth of the White River in Arkansas. The gang plank of the steamer was accidentally thrown against his left leg, breaking his left fibula and causing severe lacerations to the ligaments of his left ankle. This injury, like the one suffered at Corinth 2 years previously, would also never heal correctly and would render him partially crippled for the rest of his life. March 21 Admitted to Officers U.S. Army General Hospital in Memphis. The injury is diagnosed as a Fracture of the internal mallolus of left leg, and is treated by simple dressings. March 24 Hudson requests a leave of absence due to his injury. An accompanying medical certificate from Samuel L. Jessup, Assistant Surgeon U.S. Volunteers further attests to the extent of the injury. March 29-April 17 Absent from the regiment while on sick leave in Michigan.

April 9 Confederate General-in-Chief Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia to General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. April 12 Mobile, the only major city still in Confederate hands, is taken without a fight by General Canby. The Third Michigan is employed there on outpost duty until May, when it is selected to serve as General Canbys escort party on the occasion of the formal surrender of General Taylors Confederate forces east of the Mississippi River to Canby at Citronelle, Alabama on May 4. April 14-15 President Lincoln is shot by actor John Wilkes Booth while attending the comedy Our American Cousin at Fords Theater in Washington. He dies the next day and is succeeded in office by Vice-President Andrew Johnson. April 21 Hudson is re-admitted to the Officers General Hospital at Memphis after his return from furlough. April 26 The Confederate Army of the Tennessee under General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders to General William T. Sherman at Durham Station, North Carolina. Johnstons army is the second major Confederate force to surrender to Union troops. May 9 Hudson is released from the Officers Hospital at Memphis and returns to duty with his regiment, now stationed at Carrolton, Louisiana.

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May 17 General Philip H. Sheridan is given command of the Military Division of the Southwest, where scattered units under Confederate General Kirby Smith continue to resist. The Third Michigan is transferred to this Division for duty as part of an expedition which is to be sent into Texas. June 2 General Kirby Smith finally surrenders the Trans-Mississippi Department Army to Union forces at Galveston, Texas. He is the last Confederate general to surrender, and except for minor skirmishes and some guerrilla activity in the West, the war is at an end. June 6 Hudson is honorably mustered out of United States service as a Supernumerary at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. June 10 Hudson obtains a medical certificate from Dr. Albert Thompson, Surgeon of the Third Michigan at the regiment's camp in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The certificate, attested to by Major E.B. Nugent, the commander of the regiment, confirms all injuries suffered by Hudson while in the service and states that he is entirely unfit for further military duty and will be unable for several months to do any kind of labor towards procuring a livelihood.

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Chapter V: The Autumn Years (1865-1881)

1865 Late June Returns to his family in Paw Paw and resumes work as a druggist in his business with his partner Joseph Kilburn. By this time he was now also suffering from chronic diarrhea and disease of [the] lungs contracted while in the service.

1866 March 23 Repurchases all of the land located in Paw Paw previously sold at a public tax auction for a nominal price.

1868-1876 Serves as Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge at Paw Paw. He was highly praised as a capable and efficient presiding officer in this, the highest office in the Lodge.

1869 Elected High Priest of the Lodge, an office which he will hold until his death.

1870 August 19 United States census records for Van Buren County, Michigan list Hudson as a retail druggist residing with his wife and 3 children in Paw Paw. His real estate holdings are valued at $6,000.00 and his personal estate is also valued at $6,000.00

1873 Appointed District Deputy Grandmaster of the Free and Accepted Masons in the 4th District of Paw Paw.

1878-1879 Serves a second time as Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge at Paw Paw.

1879 April 11 Now very seriously ill and suffering from the effects of his wartime service, Hudson applies for a veterans invalid pension from the U.S. Department of the Interior Pension Office in Washington, D.C. In his affidavit he alleges that he has always been and still is very much disabled and lame in consequence of his injuries. The pension is subsequently granted on October 29, 1881.

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1880 June 19 United States census records for Van Buren County, Michigan list Hudson as a drug dealer residing with his wife and daughter in Paw Paw. A servant, Amanda Ostrander, and a boarder, Oren Durham, are also listed as residing with his family at this time. No values are recorded on his real or personal estates in this census.

1881 September 3 Hudson executes his Last Will and Testament. In his will, Hudson bequeaths all of his property to his wife. He also directs that on her death, his property should be divided up equally between his 3 children with additional bequests of $250.00 each to be given to his children Charles and Lizzie. December 19 Dies at his residence in Paw Paw, age 61 years, 7 months and 11 days. The cause of death was given as consumption. December 21 Funeral held at the Methodist Episcopal Church at Paw Paw. Hudson was buried under the auspices of the Masonic fraternity in the church cemetery there.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Barnes, Marvin, Secretary of Paw Paw Lodge No. 25, Free and Accepted Masons. Letter to author regarding Gilbert J. Hudson's masonic activities. Paw Paw, Michigan, no date. Brown, George H. Record of Service of Michigan Volunteers in the Civil War, 18611865. Volume 33. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Ihling Bros, and Everard Printers, 1905. Carr, Julia, Genealogist. Letter to author regarding Gilbert J. Hudson's masonic activities. Lansing, Michigan, December 18, 1984. Curlis, Royce E., P.G.M., Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Michigan Free and Accepted Masons. Letter to author regarding certain Masonic degrees. Grand Rapids., Michigan, August 20, 1984. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Microfilm copy M 653, roll 562. Filed in the Michigan State Library, Lansing, Michigan. General Orders, No. 191. War Department, Adjutant General's Office, Washington, D.C., June 25, 1863. Filed with the National Archives and Records Service, Washington, D.C. Gillet, Orville. "Diary of Lieutenant Orville Gillet, U.S.A., 1864-1865," The Arkansas Historical Quarterly. Ted R. Worley, editor. Volume XVII, pages 164-204, Summer, 1958. "Hudson, Gilbert J." Masonic membership records. Filed in the Grand Lodge of Michigan Free and Accepted Masons, Grand Rapids, Michigan. "Hudson, Gilbert J." Military service, medical and pension records as Captain and Major of the Third Michigan Cavalry Regiment. Filed with the National Archives and Records Service, Washington, D.C. Linton, Calvin D., Ph.D., editor. The Bicentennial Almanac. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc., 1975. Ninth Census of the United States, 1870. Microfilm copy M 593, roll 706. Filed in the Michigan State Library, Lansing, Michigan. Obituary of Gilbert J. Hudson. The True Northerner. Paw Paw, Michigan, December 26, 1881, page 5. Pakula, Marvin H., William J. Ryan and David K. Rothstein. Centennial Album of the Civil War. New York, New York: Castle Books, 1960.

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"Record of Events." Company C, Third Michigan Cavalry; Field and Staff, Third Michigan Cavalry. Filed with the National Archives and Records Service, Washington, D.C. Robertson, John. Michigan in the War. Lansing, Michigan: W.S. George & Co., State Printers and Binders, 1882. Rowland, Captain O.W. A History of Van Buren County. Volumes I-II. Chicago, Illinois: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1912. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. Microfilm copy M 432, roll 363. Filed in the Michigan State Library, Lansing, Michigan. Special Orders, No. 150. Headquarters, Department of the Gulf, New Orleans, Louisiana, June 6, 1865; No. 281 Head-Quarters, 16th Army Corps, Memphis, Tennessee, November 12, 1863. Filed with the National Archives and Records Service, Washington, D.C. Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. Microfilm copy T9, roll 608. Filed with the Michigan State Library, Lansing, Michigan. United States War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I, volume XXIV, part II (1889); volume XLI, parts I-II (1893); volume XLVIII, part I (1896). Washington, D.C: Government Printing Office. Van Buren County, Michigan Public Records. Books E,F,G,H, 9,52,57 and Liber B (1843-1882). Filed in the Van Buren County Courthouse, Paw Paw, Michigan. Wilcox, Lyman G. At the Front with the Third Michigan Cavalry. Chicago, Illinois: Samuel Harris & Co., 1918. ________. "The South in Civil War Times," Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. Volume II, pages 12-38, April 5, 1894. Wood, W. Birkbeck, and William B. Hesseltine. "American Civil War," Encyclopaedia Britannica. Volume 1. Chicago, Illinois: William Benton, 1972, pages 730-742.

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