Lt. George W Seaman
Head
Quarters 45th Ky. Mounted Infantry
Vanceburg, KY.
Nov. 28, 1864
Lt.
Vance
Prov. Marshal Gen
Lexington, Ky.
Lt.
I take the
liberty of Sending directly to you, a prisoner instead of Sending him through to
Col Gallup at Louisa Ky. A notorious Guerilla Geo. W. Seaman, 1st Lt.
Co. (C) 2nd Ky Mt. Rif Conderate Army.
He came in with a small party he has been consealed [sic] by Some
Sympathisers for the last (10) ten days. He
was captured after a long Search on the Ohio Side of the River by Capt. A. B.
Coggeshall (Comdg. Detch at this point) of the 114th U. S. C. I.
We have been Searching the Country for him ever Since he came in the
Country.
Lt. Seaman has
been in here three times Recruiting. He
has taken a great many horses from this Country we have arrested him as a Spy.
He can not be looked upon as any thing else.
I would recommend that [sentence incomplete] accordingly. We don’t want him Sent back to this
County unless it is to be Shot. The
Grand Jury has found true Bills against him three times for treason.
I am, Lt. Very Respectfully your obedient Servt,
L. M. Clark
Lt. Col. 45th Ky
[The
indictments can be read on pages 673, 710, and 757 of Civil Order
Book N in the Kentucky Archives, Frankfort.]
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Head
Quarters Detachment 114th USCI
Vanceburg
Ky
December
5, 1864
Sir:
I have the honor to make the following statement with regard to George W.
Seaman.
The said George W. Seaman came into this county in the last of August or
first of September 1862. He had 16
or 17 men with him and made a raid of angular rout through the county of about
50 miles, he took out with him at that time about 20 men (recruits) and stole 4
or 5 horses 1 from Robert Bedford 1 from Henry Bruce 1 from William Kissick some
from John Lovel, The other men that went with him either furnished their own
horses or went on foot.
George W Seaman was here the second time in February 1863, so far as I
know he came alone. He was in the
County about 10 days concealed by his friends, after concocting his plans left
the county at night took 15 or 16 men with him, and stole horses from the
following named persons, 2 from W. Seth Parker 2 from F. M. Carr 2 from Samuel
Stephenson 1 from John Voires and 1 from John Thomas.
He was in this county divers other times but this could not be proven to
a demonstration.
At the time the said George W. Seaman was arrested he was in the County 4
or 5 days concealed from sight of the union citizens.
Crossed the Ohio river and was in the State of Ohio 2 or 3 days to the
best of our information. He was
arrested about 12 miles from the Ohio river in Ohio and about 20 miles from his
Father's residence the place where he formerly lived.
The said George W. Seaman took (or stole) saddles and arms at the same
time he was in here, wherever he could find, or could carry them.
A.
B. Coggeshall
Capt. Comdg
Detachment
114th
USCI Vanceburg, Ky
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These two letters are in the National Trust Archives file of Lt. George
W. Seaman, who was born 16 February 1837 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and
came with his parents and siblings to Clarksburg in Lewis County Kentucky in
1858. Prior to that, the family lived in Jackson County, WV.
George was bondman when his
sister, Margaret Seaman married
William I. Willim of Lewis County in February 1859 and when his sister
Susan Seaman married A. O. Harding
in December 1859. He was appointed
Constable of District 3in Clarksburg in
1860.
In 1861 he joined the 5th Kentucky “Ragamuffin Regiment”
as a 12 month man. September 1862 he was enlisted by Col. John May [sic]
into the 2nd Kentucky Rifles, Company C, in Piketon and was
elected Lieutenant 24 October 1862. The
Company Muster Roll of September 1 to November 30 reads that he was in Capt. N.
P. Leforgee’s Company, Johnson’s Battalion, Kentucky Mounted Rifles.
October of ’62 he appears
on a Roster of 2nd Battalion Kentucky Mounted Rifles, Gen. Geo. B.
Cosby’s Brigade, Maj. Gen. J. C. Breckinridge’s Division, Army of West
Virginia and East Tennessee; organized Oct. 22. 1862 and mustered into
Confederate service Oct. 22, 1862 for 3years.
In July of 1863 Seaman submitted a requisition
for three days’ forage for eleven horses used in escorting General W.
Preston to Abingdon. On 25 July
1863 he submitted another form to reimburse him for providing ration for eight
recruits and three of his men, Sergeants Henry Atchison,
Daniel (or David?) Eckman,
and M. M. Teager [Michael Moore
Teager of Lewis County] under
orders of General Humphrey Marshall.
George Seaman was sent to prison at Camp Chase, Ohio
and the next record in Lewis County was the
County Court May term of
1865. He was “in Custody”
in the case of the Commonwealth against him “et als” for Grand Larceny, and the case of Commonwealth against Thomas
Bevan and George Seaman for
stealing the Voirs horse. Next
case was against him and Charles Bevans for stealing Seth Parker’s horse.
Another case was against him and David Stout, T. Stout, Charles Bevan and
Thomas Carr for horse stealing.
George Seaman’s brother, David G. Seaman, posted bond of $200 per case and guaranteed his appearance at the November 1865 term. When the November Circuit Court convened, George was there. One by one, the cases were dismissed. [Civil Order Book O.]
*****************************************************************************************************************************
Mary Jane
Seaman Sparks was the Great-grandmother of this author.
Mary Jane’s daughter, Ella Leota Sparks, married in June 1900 at the
Vanceburg Christian Church, and she asked Mary Jane to write down the names of
her (Ella’s) three aunts and two uncles with their birth dates and
places so that she could put them in her Bible.
Next to each name she wrote “Now Alive” when appropriate.
All but Margaret and Susan were now alive.
They had been buried in the Woodland Cemetery near Vanceburg. David
Seaman was living [in Hancock County, Indiana with his daughter, Cora Seaman
Eakes. Elizabeth Seaman Carter was in the same county with her husband Powhattan
Carter.] David died in 1904 and is buried in the Pioneers
Cemetery in Hancock County. Mary
Jane died of Breast cancer in 1908, but the fate of George W. Seaman after 1900
is a mystery.
Marilyn
P. Steber
4464 Castelar Street #104
San Diego, CA.
webmaster@civilwar.morganco.freeservers.com
Let Us Pray Our For Troops In Foreign Lands
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