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Commissioner of Pensions
I have been requested to give you a
full and complete statement of the disability and how contracted in the
claim of Absalom Ross, Pvt., Co. D, 70th Regt., Ind. Vols. No. claim
528821
First, I notice that my orders of
discharge from Gunboat Silver Lake no. 2 from General Thomas headquarters
was dated Nov. 26th, 1864 with orders to report to my regt. without delay
but the regt. being with Gen. Sherman on the march through Georgia, I was
placed at Fort Negley at Nashville, Tenn. to await developments and while
there from Nov. 26, for several days, there was very cold weather from
which I contracted cold from sleeping in barrack that had just been
erected out of green icey lumber without fire or covering as we could get
no wood not sufficient to cook with. My head raised and broke and
discharged from my ears which has caused deafness ever since and also I at
the same time contracted rheumatism of the back which has been very severe
at times and often for weeks not able to work at all and at no time able
to do any hard work. I am by ocupation a carpenter but for the last few
years am not able to do anything like full work. If the evidence of the
physician is not sufficient, I can give you all you nead on that matter.
But at the time of contracting the disability, it was at quite an exciting
time, and among strangers, and for a short time it might not be possible
that men wood reklect the circumstances at this late date. The reason I
did not apply sooner was that I thought maby I could get along with out
it, but am badly cripeled up and my dependence for a support for my self
and family depends on manuell labor and my deafness disqualifies me for
any thing else.
I will here state that the surgeon
of the 12th Ind. Battery I think it was gave me medicine for my disability
at the time and also furnished me a warm room until I got better but
whether he took any notice of it or not I cannot say. And I do not know
his address or whether he is alive yet or not. I did not think at the time
that the disability would be more than temporary and leaving in a short
time afterwards have lost all traces. Evidence I can give plenty evidence
that when I went in the army and that I was sound and that when I joined
the Regt. about the 22 or 23 of April 1865 I was not so. The fourgoing is
a true statement of the case and how I contracted my
disability.
P.S. there was none of my company
with me at the time I was disabled nor any commissioned officers except of
the aforesaid Battery.
(signed) Absalom
Ross
Subscribed and sworn to before me
this 16th April, 1887 (seal, signed) A.J. Baker, Justice of the
Peace
P.S. I have no interest in the
prosecution of above claim. A.J. Baker, J.P.
(This is a verbatim transcription
of the letter that Absalom Ross wrote to the Commissioner of Pensions
regarding his disability, a result of his Army service in the Civil War. A
copy of the original letter was obtained from the National Archives, is in
my possession and is on file. John H. Ross, Aug.
1999)
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