Civil War Photos: Chester F. Dewey

In the course of my research on the 59th New York State Infantry Regiment - in which Charles W. Cronk, the son of Alfred and Sally Ann Carpenter Cronk, served - I came across this photograph of Chester F. Dewey, who was a private and later a sergeant in that regiment (here is the full information about the photograph, which is a carte-de-visite held at the New York State Military Museum). I found something incredibly engaging about his face and his expression. He looked like someone I would have gone to college with. I became even more interested in Dewey after reading the description of his service that is posted on the website of the New York State Military Museum:

Chester F. Dewey: Age, 21 years. Enlisted July 4th, 1861 at Lowville. Mustered into Company B as a private August 9th, 1861 for a three-year tour of duty. Promoted to corporal October 1st, 1862 and wounded in action December 13th, 1862 at Fredericksburg, VA. Promoted to sergeant December 31st, 1862 and transferred to Company C June 25th, 1863. Returned to the ranks in November or December 1863 and discharged July 11th, 1864 at Government Hospital for the Insane, Washington, D.C. 

I knew I had to find out more about this young man with the engaging face who had suffered so much as a result of the Civil War. What happened to him? Did he recover from his illness? Was he able to return to his life back home?

I was happy to learn that Sergeant Dewey did in fact recover, at least to the point where he was able to marry, have children, and become a successful contractor. Whether or not he ever fully recovered from the trauma of the Civil War, I can't say. Even today, military personnel have a difficult time dealing with PTSD and reintegrating into society after their service. As it turns out, I just saw the movie "Free the Mind" at the Rubin Museum of Art, which documented a study of meditation techniques in treating PTSD in soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan (as well as ADHD in one little boy) led by Dr. Richard J. Davidson. The soldiers in the study suffered from flashbacks, feelings of guilt, difficulty controlling their emotions, insomnia, disconnectedness from their lives, and alienation from the people around them. One soldier reflected on the anguish caused by switching between sets of moral standards. He did things in the course of duty, he said, that would be considered immoral in everyday life, and furthermore he was good at doing them.

Though the circumstances and conditions of the Civil War and the modern wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are vastly different, the effect of trauma on soldiers is probably pretty similar. But while "shell shock" was recognized after World War I, in the 19th century PTSD didn't even have a name. There would have been very little help or understanding for sufferers. I imagine that many would have simply suffered in silence.

This is a lot of speculation on a man who, for all I know, could have been hospitalized for reasons other than PTSD. However, given the psychological impact that the Civil War was known to have on soldiers, it's a reasonable assumption that Dewey's hospitalization was at least partly a consequence of the trauma he experienced at war. And if it wasn't, it's certain that many of his fellow patients at the Government Hospital for the Insane suffered from PTSD. If Dewey didn't experience the symptoms of PTSD himself, he certainly would have witnessed them in others.

*

Chester Franklin Dewey was born on August 12, 1840, in Conklin, New York, to Milton Dewey and Permelia Riggs. According to his biography in Life of George Dewey, Rear Admiral, U.S.N., and Dewey Family History (1898), "[h]is boyhood days were different from those of many, as he assumed responsibilities at the early age of ten years. He had but little of the light-heartedness and pleasures of boys in general; was learning trade of tinsmith when War of the Rebellion broke out."

Milton Dewey was a jack of all trades: a shoemaker, a harness maker, and a farm laborer, who was born in 1818 in Western, New York. He married Permelia Riggs, the daughter of George Riggs and Phoebe Caniff, on January 30, 1838, and they had nine children born between December 1838 and June 1866.

Milton and Permelia moved to Binghamton in 1864, which is likely the reason why Chester and his family settled there. In 1882, Milton and Permelia moved to Jersey City. His biography in Life of George Dewey noted that all nine of his and Permelia's children were living, "there never having been a death in the immediate family." All nine congregated for their parents' golden wedding in January 1888 - "under the same roof for the second time only since their birth." After Permelia's death later that year, Milton split his time between two daughters: Ida in Jersey City and Louise in Conklin, until he died in 1897.

Chester's biography in Life of George Dewey gives an account of his service that, not surprisingly, doesn't mention his time at the Government Hospital for the Insane. In fact, the dates given in the biography don't exactly match up with the dates given in Dewey's biography on the New York State Military Museum website. If the NYSMM account is true, then the Life of George Dewey account would seem to suggest that Dewey re-enlisted after his discharge at the Government Hospital, joining Co. H, 1st New Jersey Cavalry. This fact was confirmed by Dewey's record in the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database.

This article in the Binghampton Press, published in 1915 when Dewey was 75, sheds additional light on Dewey's military service, including an event that took place after Dewey joined the New Jersey Cavalry. Furthermore, it corroborates the above account that Dewey was wounded four times in service between 1861 and 1865, and also does not mention the Government Hospital for the Insane.

Binghamton Press, Dec. 6, 1915

I particularly like the paragraph at the end of the article, in which the author states that Dewey's "eyes brighten as he tells of how the 'boys,' as he calls them, performed deeds of daring during the four years' conflict."

Dewey's Civil War Muster Abstract is not much help, as it cuts off after his transfer to Company C on June 25, 1863.

Using these sources, as well as the information from this web I have reconstructed this chronology of Dewey's service.

July 4, 1861. Enlisted at Lowville, New York (Binghamton Press article says May 1)
August 9, 1861. Mustered into Company B, 59th New York Infantry, as a private (BP says August 8) October 1, 1862. Promoted to Corporal
December 13, 1862. Wounded in action at Fredericksburg, VA
December 31, 1862. Promoted to Sergeant.
June 25, 1863. Transferred to Company C
November/December 1863. Returned to ranks
July 11, 1864. Discharged at Government Hospital for the Insane, Washington, D.C.
October 7, 1864. Enlisted and mustered into New Jersey Cavalry
April 6, 1865. Wounded in action and taken prisoner
March 41, 1865. Wounded in action at Battle of Chamberlain’s Ford
May 3, 1865. Discharged at U.S. Army General Hospital
June 16, 1865. Discharged

There is still a lot I find confusing about this, and as you can see, I've only covered three out of four times that Dewey was wounded in action. The New York State Military Museum is the only source that places Dewey at the Government Hospital for the Insane. However, the dates given by the other sources don't preclude the possibility that Dewey was there in 1864. The question is, would a soldier who was hospitalized for mental illness in July 1864 be able to re-enlist in October 1864? Perhaps Dewey was sufficiently recovered, and/or perhaps the Union could use all the help it could get, especially from a soldier as tenacious and dedicated as Sergeant Dewey.

*

On January 17, 1869,  Dewey married Margaret Lawrence, the daughter of Edmund Lawrence and Betsy Bishop. In 1880, the couple lived in Binghamton, New York, with their two children, Florence Mabel and Frank Mortimer. A third child, Nellie Louise, had been born in 1874 and died in 1876. A fourth, Lillian Inez, would be born in 1881.

1880 US Federal Census

Dewey had retired by 1910, and died in 1925 at the age of 85. His obituary identifies him as a "veteran of [the] Civil War who shook hands with President Lincoln on visit to [the] White House." Other interesting facts: Dewey had "lasting regret that he was unable to take part in the battle of Gettysburg," as he was hospitalized at the time. He met Lincoln while still recovering from this wound. After the war, "he erected some of the best known houses and blocks in [Binghamton]."

Binghamton Press 1925

Margaret Lawrence Dewey died in 1932 at the age of 88. Her obituary called her a "descendant of pioneers" who could still remember "early conditions before the clearing of the pine forests east of Binghamton."

Binghamton Press 1932

This is the couple's gravestone in Floral Park Cemetery, Johnson City, New York. They were predeceased by their daughter Florence Dewey MacKnight, who died in 1917 and is buried beside them.

(Source)

After all of this research, I feel like I have some idea of the kind of person Chester Dewey was. For one thing, he was incredibly committed to the service, who received recognition for his bravery. Although he must have suffered greatly during the war, both physically and psychologically, he looked back on his service with pride and a hint of nostalgia. When he spoke of the "boys" who served in the war, he really did mean "boys." Dewey himself was only 21 when he  enlisted, and others were as young as 15 or 16. Perhaps because Dewey had been given a large amount of responsibility at a young age - per his biography - he was better equipped to handle the tremendous responsibilities of war than the other young boys who enlisted. Or perhaps not. I don't think anyone was truly prepared for the brutality of the Civil War, but despite what must have been a terrifying experience, Dewey was committed with seeing it through to the very end.

1. Milton Dewey (1818-1897) m. Permelia L. Riggs
1. Chester Franklin Dewey (1840-1925) m. Margaret Lawrence (1844-1935) in 1869
1. Florence Mabel Dewey (1869-1917) m. John D. MacKnight in 1897
1. Donald McKnight
2. Nellie Louise Dewey (1874-1876)
3. Franklin Mortimer Dewey (1879-1951)
1. Margaret Dewey
2. Virginia Dewey
4. Lillian Inez Dewey (1881-) m. Edward P. Morgan
1. Lois Morgan
2. Jack Morgan