Our Union Ancestors
We are the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, a lineal organization that descends directly from the Grand Army of the Republic: the first veterans organization of its kind that allowed rank and file soldiers and sailors to obtain membership - as opposed to being a strictly "officers only" organization. Similarly, our Members are men from all walks of life who are descended from the brave soldiers and sailors who fought to preserve the Union during the American Civil War,
1861-1865.
The following are short vignettes provided by Brothers of Major General Thomas West Sherman Camp no.1 about their Union ancestors and other significant Union soldiers and sailors with important significance to Aquidneck Island. We believe that not only it is our responsibility to share the stories of these men, but it is also our honor to represent them in words and deed.
Major General Thomas West Sherman
Thomas West Sherman (March 26, 1813 – December 31, 1879) was a United States Army officer with service during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.
During the May 27, 1863 attack on Port Hudson, Sherman was severely wounded, which led to the amputation of his right leg. His injuries were so severe that he was not expected to live, and the newspaper in his hometown of Newport, Rhode Island, printed an extensive obituary for him.
He served in command of his regiment and the post of Fort Adams, in Newport from July 29, 1866, to February 1869. He was in temporary command of the Department of the East from January to July 16, 1868. His final assignment was in command of his regiment and Fort Taylor in Key West, Florida from February 1869 to November 29, 1870.
Sherman retired from active service on December 31, 1870, as a major-general for "Disability caused by the Loss of a Leg in Battle."
Sherman lived at his home named "Twin Beeches" on Catherine Street in Newport until he died there on March 16, 1879, at the age of 66. He is buried in the Island Cemetery in Newport.
1st Lt. Charles E. Lawton
Bio coming soon.
Newport's Lawton Post no. 5, RIGAR was named in his memory.
Pvt. Jehu G. Long
Bio coming soon. Ancestor of Brother James P. McGuire
Major General Gouverneur Kemble Warren
Gouverneur Kemble Warren (January 8, 1830 – August 8, 1882) was an American civil engineer and United States Army general during the American Civil War. He is best remembered for arranging the last-minute defense of Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg and is often referred to as the "Hero of Little Round Top". His subsequent service as a corps commander and his remaining military career were ruined during the Battle of Five Forks, when he was relieved of command of the V Corps by Philip Sheridan, who claimed that Warren had moved too slowly. A post-war court of inquiry found that Sheridan's relief of Warren was unjustified. Unfortunately for Warren, these results were not published until after his death.
Warren's last assignment in the Army was as district engineer for Newport, Rhode Island, where he died of complications from diabetes on August 8, 1882. He is buried in Island Cemetery.
Newport's G.K. Warren Post no. 21, RIGAR was named in his honor.
A statue of him was erected on Little Round Top in 1888.
Pvt. Joseph Thomas Ray
Born in Virginia in 1847, Joseph Thomas Ray eventually made his way north, settling in Bristol, RI. No documented evidence has been unearthed to shed light on the circumstances of Ray’s move; it’s unclear if he was a freed man or an escapee of slavery.
At the age of 18, he hiked from Bristol to Providence to enlist with the Union forces in the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored). Enlistments were closed, but Ray was undeterred, as he signed on with the 118th U.S. Colored Infantry. Ray was honorably discharged in 1866.
He settled in Newport, in a house on 30 Kingston Ave. that still stands today. Ray was the oldest member of the board of stewards of Mount Zion African Methodist Church, serving for over 40 years. Heavily involved in his church, Ray also championed the interests of other African-Americans in the community.
Ray was a member of Lawton Post 5, RIGAR, and later the combined Lawton-Warren Post. At the time of his passing on May 1, 1943, he was the last Commander of that Post, the last duly installed Senior Vice Commander of the RIGAR, the last Grand Army of the Republic veteran to die in Newport County, and the last African-American Civil War veteran to die in Rhode Island. He preceded the last Rhode Island Union Veteran's death by six days.
He is buried in Braman Cemetery with a marker that notates his status as the Last Union Veteran in Newport County.
Pvt. John W.B. Davis
Bio coming soon. Ancestor of Brother Larry Davis.
