Our ongoing research as #TheMonumentalProject to establish the service history of American Civil War Veterans often takes us down some interesting paths. Such was the case of William Jones, Company C, 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry who was wounded in action at Reams Station in 1864. William was also member 16 of the London Branch of American Civil War Veterans.
William utilised friends, family and the Lord Mayor of London to support his pension claim after the Civil War. He felt passionate that the United States should honour its obligations to veterans, particularly as he had been wounded in action. “I fully expected that when I volunteered under the Stars and Stripes, in the event of my being wounded or crippled, I should have been fully cared for by the Government under which I served” he wrote to the Pension Bureau, “As the flag under which I served was glad of the soldiers services, so I think it ought not to grudge ample remuneration in his age and frailty...”
William had joined the 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry on August 6th, 1861, and as a Private had been attached to Company C. The 11th were originally known as "Harlan's Light Cavalry", was raised as an independent regiment, during the months of August and September 1861, but later received official designation. A gunshot wound that occurred at Reams Station, Virginia in June 1864, and his subsequent capture was a large part of his campfire tales. The content of his endeavours whilst surviving the Union are without doubt true. However the steps he took to secure his pension, and maintain a subterfuge was fathoms long.
Personality, persuasion or simply persistent, whatever his attributes William stands out in the story of American Civil War veterans. Not just because of service the Union, nor being wounded in action and surviving alone on a battlefield for four days, but because he also never relinquished in his efforts to secure a pension.
In order to foster the best chances of gaining the pension, William enlisted help from a range of people prepared to attest concerning his identity, service and health. Employers testified concerning his work ethic, family members were prepared to lie on oath to help him. He was able to gain the help of the Lord Mayor of London. Willaim was even prepared to marry his wife twice to underpin his claim. This was all because his surname was not actually Jones, but Lander.
Surprisingly William Lander was able to fool “the grand conquistador” pension examiners in Washington D.C. The size of the pension file, nearly 200 pages long is illustrative that William never gave in and fully intended to secure ‘ample renumeration’ for his injury at Reams Station.
Early years in London
William was born on April 23rd, 1837, in Shoreditch East London, the son of John Lander, a shoemaker and Sarah, a laundress. By 1851 William was an errand boy, his father was absent, an inmate at the workhouse. He lived with his siblings, mother, older sister Sarah and her husband Henry Walker at Essex Street. Henry would later be employed in providing affidavits for William’s pension.
In the summer of 1861 William was a painter, living at 6 Willows Walk Shoreditch, when he married Marie Ann Hartrop. The service took place on June 17th, 1861, at St James Church in the parish of Shoreditch. William was bachelor, Mary a spinster and the daughter of William Hartrop. Lost to history is the circumstances as to why, but within six weeks of the wedding, Mary’s husband was in the United States enlisting as William Jones, a shoemaker.
William maintained his service with the 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry, even re-enlisting. However it was aa gunshot wound of his left leg which at Reams station, Virginia. June19th, 1864 which changed his situation drastically. He was left for four days on the battlefield before taken prisoner. Thereafter he received extensive treatment in hospitals, even after he was discharged August 13th, 1865. Being wounded in action left him incapacitated until 1866 when he was able to return home to London, and his wife Mary.
The Battle of Reams Station
Recollecting the origin of his disability and services to the Union rendered William wrote that it, “Arose from receiving a mini ball through my left leg between the knee and ankle at the Battle of Ream station Virginia on the 29th of June, 1864 I lay on the field without receiving any assistance until the fourth day of July, following when I was picked up by the enemy and conveyed to Petersburg and confined in an old church for about two months, and during that time, not having had necessary medical attention, combined with an insufficient diet of rations, weakened me so much that an operation on my leg had to be postponed.
I was then taken to Richmond and paroled Sept 24th and from there to St John's Hospital. Sent to camp Parole about October 1st, 1864, from there, transferred to Chestnut Hill Hospital. February 7th, 1865 were underwent an operation for the removal of splintered bone. Next, I was transferred to Christian Street Hospital, where I underwent another operation and had one more splintered bone removed. Ultimately, I obtained my discharge at Richmond on August 13th, 1865.
Not receiving proper treatment, when a prisoner was the cause of the operations I underwent. Also the lapse of time, ensuing left my legs so weak for ever since, I have felt its painful effects, especially when attending at my work any length of time. Also, owing to exposure and privatations on the march, I unfortunately contracted a rheumatism which has since proved chronic, so much so that at various periods of the year I am unable to follow my employment as the sub joined letters will show, in addition to which the joints of my fingers are becoming enlarged and stiffened, which heavily disables me all together…
…Dr Harlan was taken prisoner along with me at Ream station, June 29th, 1864. Dr Harland attended to my wound, ( a gunshot wound, left leg between the knee and ankle) for two months while a prisoner at Petersburg, Virginia, Dr Harland lived at a corner of 19th and Chestnut, Philadelphia…and when in Christian Street Hospital, an apparatus was made for my wounded leg, it was riveted to my boot. buckled round my thigh, had one joint at the upper ankle and another at the knee, bound with leather and laced up the front. While lying wounded at Camp parole I had six weeks sick furlough when at Chestnut Hill Hospital, I was put under chloroform and had portions of bone removed from my leg...
…I had six weeks furlough from Camp parole. The latter end of 1864 and during that time, I lodged with a Mr. Broadfield at number 1626 Beckett Street, Philadelphia, returned to Camp Parole, and from there, transferred to Chestnut Hill Hospital. February 7th, 1865, in and on October 6th, following I was transferred to Christian Street Hospital, and lay there until February 2nd, 1866, when I was ordered to Washington to receive my discharge. The journey to Washington so affected my wound, I was compelled to return to Christian Street Hospital, where I made a few days when the hospital was closed, then with other invalids was sent to the pensioners home Philadelphia, I was there a week or so when I sailed for England by the [vessel] City of New York, about the same time as the City of Boston was lost. During all this time I could follow no recuperation while lodging at Beckett Street, the wound [illegible…], and my landlord had his family doctor to attend me, but I cannot find his name or address, neither can I Now recollect even the names of the physicians who attended me in the hospitals, and I am doubtful if ever knew them, with the exception of Dr J, C Harlan…”.
Reams Station resulted in heavy engagements “In which both divisions suffered severely” recalled . historian Samuel Penniman Bates. The furious clash between blue and Gray on the day William was wounded in action, “Lasted from early in the morning until two o'clock in the afternoon, when the command was obliged to retreat by a circuitous route, abandoning most of its artillery and material. In a charge of the Eleventh on the last day, many brave and gallant officers and men fell. The loss of the regiment in this raid was one hundred and thirty in killed, wounded, and missing. Among the killed were Captains Bailey, Loomis, and Reynolds, and Lieutenant Tears, and Captain Roberts mortally and Major Ackerly severely wounded. Surgeon Harlan was captured, and Lieutenant Barclay wounded and captured. For rapidity of march and endurance of the men, this raid has not been excelled, nearly five hundred miles having been marched in ten days, including the time engaged in fighting.”
The time for fighting finally concluded for William when he was discharged at Portsmouth, Virginia on August 13th, 1865. However he still had a struggle with health and hospitalisation, and was not paid off until February 1866, in Washington, D.C. He received $567.97 from the U.S. Government, and finally fit enough for travel returned to London in 1866 sailing to Liverpool via the SS City of New York and thereafter reuniting with Mary.
The start of Subterfuge in Shoreditch.
In 1871 the couple lived at 7 Regent Street, Dunstan Road, Shoreditch and William was employed as a painter. In time he turned his attention to pensions , not just painting, which initiated a complex trail involving multiple players and layers of deceit, which on the face of it was only because he used an alias to enlist. On the 11th November 1882 the application process even included William appearing before the Lord Mayor of London, the right, Hon Henry Edmund Knight (1833-1917), William made his declaration maintaining his surname was Jones.
Thereafter Mary made a sworn statement to the Pension Bureau that William ‘Jones’ came to lodge with her at 15, Watson's Place, Ware Street, Kingsland Road during 1866. She omitted to say that William was her husband returned from the Civil War, “And was then on crutches with a wounded leg. I clearly recollect his being seized with rheumatism within a few months after living with me, and which has gradually increased in severities and is now incurable. I have had to nurse and tend him during these attacks for several weeks at a time, which has left a weakness incapacitating him from doing scarcely any work for weeks longer. In fact, he does not seem to me to have, in any way, recovered the first attack in 1866 your respectfully. Mary Ann Lander”
Pretence for a pension further continued when William remarried Mary on May 14th , 1894 as St Mary's Church Haggerston, London. Mary used the surname of Lander, William his alter ego of Jones. The certificate of that marriage was later provided to the Pension Bureau, in March 1898. The ‘newlywed’ couple completed the certificate even claiming they were both widows. Regardless of the risk or consequences he was able to enlist support from friends, family and officialdom to verify his claim of incapacity, but all maintained his surname was “Jones”. Participants included Henry Hartrop, Williams brother-in-law, who recalled that “William Jones some 20 years ago coming to live with my sister Mrs Lander, laundress, 15 Watsons place, are Street, Kingsland Road, has frequently called for my washing. About that time I used to sit with him on an evening listening to his tales about America and being wounded…”
In 1906 Mary passed away and William remarried Annie Moring on August 24th 1908, probably having little idea of the fabrication of facts that had gone on before .William reverted to using his surname of Lander. In 1910 he answered to the call of John Davis and joined the roll of the London Branch as their 16th member. His relationship with a new wife, and opportunities to tell, listen to campfire tales with veteran comrades was cut short when William on November 28th 1911. At Compasses yard Waltham Abbey, Essex. He had apparently fallen and after a seizure, Annie nursed him for seven hours, but during that time he remained unconscious until he passed away. He was buried at Waltham Abbey cemetery.
Curiously in death the deceit continued. The name “William Jones” was recorded on the death certificate his rank or profession was described As an “Army pensioner of the United States of America”.. On April 23rd, 1912, John Davis accompanied Annie to countersign her declaration for a widow's pension.
Thereafter things began to unravel for the participants in the pensions pretence. On January 7th , 1913 the pension Bureau wrote to Annie Lander, “You are advised that you are above cited claim for pension under the general law filed May 6, 1912, is rejected on the ground that the soldier's death from Cerebral haemorrhage is not as accepted as due to gunshot wound of left leg, for which he was pensioned, nor is it shown to have been otherwise due to his military service. Very respectfully, J, L Davenport Commissioner”.
Annie was only given reimbursement of the expenses of the last sickness and burial of William, the bill for physicians expenses and undertakers, came to £6 3S and 6d, or the equivalent of $30.05 which was reimbursed. Despite providing numerous letters from witnesses confirming William Lander and Jones were one and the same it seems the pension bureau were unconvinced Annie was worthy of a widows pension. By July 1916 they were still rejecting the claim due to her “Inability to prove that you are the lawful widow of the soldier….$30.05 represents the total sum to which you are entitled based on the soldiers service”.
In our research we have established that so many veterans used alias surnames, which were often disclosed for pension claims. Therefore, with the benefit of hindsight, considering the monumental effort William went to; marriage, mayors etc, to maintain his soldiers surname was Jones, was it all really worth it, he had served the Union well, and was surely deserved of appropriate recognition for such an endeavour.
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