1st US Cavalry Identification Disc Todd's Taverm

[nchistory]

One of Sheridans Rough Riders. Lil Phils Orderly Sergeant. (NY, MA, MN)

Identification disc Washington 3B Stahl, of Myla Seamens Converse, Sgt. Co. E, 1st US Cavalry. Recovered at Todds Tavern. According to Stahl, this disc style is considered rare and only 10 examples were known at time of him publishing. This tag, was lost by Converse May 7-9, 1864 at Todds Tavern, his unit the 1st US, as well as the 1st NY Dragoons took the heaviest casualties of any units engaged.. He was wounded for the 3rd time a few days later at the Battle of Meadows Bridge, the forced crossing of the Chickahominy. He must have been very fond of Sheridan, as his 1st son was named Phillip Sheridan Converse.

Captain Myla Seamens Converse' (Chester* (308), Hezekiah,7 Chester,' Lieut. Jacob,* Ensign Edward,* Samuel,2 Sergeant Samuel,2 Deacon Edward1), born in Schroon, Essex Co., N. Y., 19 March 1843; moved thence, with his father, in March 1860, to Webster, Mass., where he was employed in S. S. Slater and Son's woolen mill till 21 May 1861. He enlisted for three years or during the War in Co. I, 15th Mass. Volunteers, and served throughout the war. The first engagement in which he participated was the Battle of Ball's Bluff, Va., in October 1861. In that battle his brother William Franklyn Converse was captured, and afterward died in Libby Prison, Richmond, VA. In March 1862, the regiment with which Myla S. Converse was enlisted went to Harper's Ferry, Va.; crossed the Potomac at Harper's Ferry, and went to Winchester, Va., with General Shields. After Gen. Stonewall Jackson was driven out of Winchester, his division, Gen. John Sedgwick in command, returned to Washington; took steamers at Washington, going down the Potomac to Fortress Monroe, Va. From Virginia they went to Yorktown where the division was assigned to the Second Army corps then commanded by Gen. E. V. Sumner. After the evacuation of Yorktown they went to West Point, Va., on the York River, by steamers, where they disembarked and had an engagement with the enemy. From there they took boat again and went to White House Landing where they disembarked, crossed the peninsula to the Chickahominy where they took part, together with the First Minnesota, in building the great Grape Vine Bridge on which General Sumner moved his corps across to the opposite side of the river to reinforce the left wing of the Colonel's army on the 31 May 1862, during the battle of Fair Oaks. In this engagement about four o'clock in the afternoon, the 15th Mass. arrived on the field and immediately became engaged. At about half past four Myla Seamens Converse was severely wounded in his right thigh, the thigh-bone being broken, and

 

just as he was to be carried from the field he received another wound through the right hand. He was sent back with others of the wounded to White house landing where he took steamer for Philadelphia. He was in a hospital on Wood Street, near 22nd Street from about the 6th or 7th day of June, 1862, until the latter part of July, when he received a furlough and went home for thirty days. He reported to his company again for duty at Sharpsburg, Va., on the morning after the Battle of Antietam. From there they went with the Army of the Potomac to Falmouth, Va., where his regiment participated in the battle of Frederick City, Va., fought by General Burnside. After this engagement the wound in the leg gave Mr. Converse some trouble in regard to marching, and he enlisted in the First U. S. Cavalry, under an order from the War Department, for the term of three years. He was assigned to Company E. Soon he accompanied the company to the front where the 1st Cavalry was assigned to what is known as the Reserved Brigade of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac, then commanded by General Stoneman. Their first engagement was at Kelly Ford, Va., on the 17th day of March, '63. This was at the beginning of General Stoneman's Raid. Their next engagement was at Beverly's Ford, June 10th, 1863; Goose Creek, June 19th; Upperville, June 21st; Gettysburg, July 3rd; Williamsport, Md., July 6th; Boonesville, July 8th; Falling Water, July 15th; Manassas Gap, July 21st; Brandy Station, Aug. 1st, and Aug. 3rd; at Mine Run, Va., Dec. 5th; on General Custer's Raid, Feb. 28th and 29th, '64; at Spottsylvania, May 7th; in the Wilderness, Va., May 8th; on General Sheridan's Raid, May 9th to 14th; at Beaver Dam, May 10th; Yellow Tavern, May 11th; Chickahominy River, May 12th, (here again he received another slight wound on his right arm just below the shoulder, which, however, did not lay him up from service); Horseshoe £hop, May 28th; at Cold Harbor, May 30th and 31st; at Trevilian Station, June 12th; at Deep Bottom, Va., July 28th; at Newtown, Aug. 12th; Shepherdstown, Aug. 29th; at Shepherdstown, Va., Sept. 1st; at Winchester, Sept. 19th; at Wilford, Sept. 23rd; Waynesboro, Sept. 28th; at Edinburgh, Oct. 8th and 9th; at Cedar Creek, Oct. 19th; on the Gordonsville Raid, Dec. 20th to 28th; on the Loudon Valley Raid, Jan. 5th to 8th, 1865; at Waynesburgh, Va., Mar. 21st; Dinwiddie Courthouse, March 30th; at Five Forks, Va., April 1st, April 2nd, 1865 and April 3rd; at Evergreen Station, April 8th; at the surrender of General Lee's army at Appomattox, Apr. 9, 1865.

These engagements are copied from the back of his discharge, which discharge he received from Co. E, 1st U. S. Cavalry, signed and approved by Capt. George C. Sanford, commanding Co. E, 1st U. S. Cavalry, approved by A. G. Brackett, Col. commanding 1st U. S. Cavalry, also attested and approved by Major General Philip S. Sheridan, commanding Department of the Gulf.

He was detailed in the spring of 1865, just before the surrender of Lee's Army, to report to General Sheridan's Headquarters, then being a sergeant of Co. E, to take command of orderlies; went from Washington to New Orleans with General Sheridan when he went down to take command of the Department of the Gulf. He was mustered out at New Orleans on the 17th day of December, 1865, by reason of expiration of term of service. This ended his military service.

In the spring of 1866 he returned to Webster, Mass., and was there employed in S. S. Slater and Sons' woolen works until 10 May 1871, when he removed to Becker County, Minn; he has since been continuously engaged in farming in Northern Minnesota. At this time (1902) he resides in Detroit, Minn., and is engaged in farming and real estate. The religious denomination of the family is Baptist. On 17 November 1863, he was appointed by Governor Merriam, Military Storekeeper for the State of Minnesota, with the rank of Captain, which position he held until January 1899, when, by an order of Governor Lind, he was placed on the retired list of the National Guard of the State of Minnesota. He has served six years on the Staff of the Governor of Minnesota; two years as a member of the Republican State Central Committee; for six years a member of the Congressional Committee of his congressional district; for several years Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of the Town of Lake Eunice; served as Treasurer of the School District for nine years; was for four years President of the Becker County Agricultural Society; for two years Vice President of the State Agricultural Society; and for one year President of the Town Council of the city of Detroit, Minn.

 

While a resident of Webster, Mass., he married in Thompson, Conn., 26 November 1866, Mary Elizabeth Emerson, of Thompson, born in Smithsfield, R. I., 9 March 1846, died in Lake Eunice, Minn., 22 February 1881, daughter of David Emerson, who was born in Oxford, Mass., 3 August 1816. Her mother was Adeline Andrews, born in Uxbridge, Mass., 21 April 1826.

 

Myla Seamens Converse married, second, in St. Paul, Minn., 24 June 1883, Mrs. Grace Elizabeth Hall (Nuttle) of Boston, Mass., who was born in Rochdale, England, 21 January 1846, daughter of Edmund Nuttle of Rochdale, England. Her father moved with his family to this country when his daughter, Grace was two years old; he died in Webster, Mass., 20 January 1880. Her mother was Mary Reiges of Rochdale, England; she died in Webster, Mass., 22 January 1881.

Myla S. Converse was appointed Deputy US Marshal, and died November 9, 1905 Detroit Lakes, Becker County, Minnesota.

Children of Myla Seamens and Mary Elizabeth (Emerson) Converse:

1) Philip Sheridan Converse,10 born in Thompson, Conn., 15 July 1871; engaged as book-

keeper with the Commonwealth Lumber Co., Frazer, Minn., with which firm he had

been more than four years up to 1902.

 

2) William Freeman Converse,10 born in Lake Eunice, Becker Co., Minn., 30 April 1878;

employed by the state of Minnesota in Grain Department office, 222 Corn Exchange

Minneapolis, Minn.

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[kanemono]

Very nice piece and research. Thanks for sharing.

Dick

[vonmoen]

It's interesting that they misspelled "Cavalry" and "entered".

[nchistory]

It's interesting that they misspelled "Cavalry" and "entered".

Actually its fairly common for words to be misspelled on ACW ID discs, yet 90% of the time it is contained to their name. Whats interesting is they got his first name (MYLA) correct, as HDS transcription got it wrong, but military muster rolls have it correct. I guess sutlers in the field hand stamping individual letters did the best they could.

[USCapturephotos]

Oh man. Love this. Did you recover it? What other artifacts were found around it. I think dug id discs, identifications shields and inscribed corps badges are my favorite dug items from the Civil War. I found one in all my years of digging and cherish it to this day even though I dug it over 20 years ago. By the way, he was in the area at one point nearby to where I dug mine....just outside of Winchester, Va in a fall of 1864, Union 6th Corps camp.

Paul