Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-27
"DIED IN SERVICE"
Case of a Massachusetts, Veteran Of
the Civil War Exclaimed.

with the line "died in the service
against his name in the roster OF the old
Ballard, a pensioner of the Civil War,
lives III the South End district of Boston
enjoying himself in spite of age and in
reference is made to the fact that for
more than forty years he has been ON
cially dead.
Not loag ago Mr.: Ballard attended a
reunion of the survivors of old Company
G of the 9Th at Worcester, and answered
to his name at rollcall, says The Boston
Globe This gave rise to a public state
his old comrades since the war. and that
he appeared to them as one returned
from the other world.
This was scarcely the fact, since Mr.:
Ballard has attended many Il reunion OF
his old company in years past; but that
his name appears in the war roster of his
company among those who died In ser
mourned him for dead are strictly true.
His name is given in book entitled
Historical Sketch Of the Old 9Th .Regi-
fy in '9ss M among hese sn
How this error occurred makes a good
story. and one that Mr. Ballard has often
In 1861 Mr.. Ballard was employed as a
ca binetmaker in a car factory in Worces-
ter. He went to the front with the 9Th
when it passed through Baltimore.
He saw hard service. At the end Of an
enlistment Of III days he was mustered
to re-enlist, which he did in the 18th reg
iment. y, S. infantry. He at once went to
the front in Company D. Captain Chip
man. and rose to be corporal.
Of Gaines Mill, June 81 1862. In this
sanguinary engagement. in which the
no Cnnfodarafoc rly a. tho II IN
infantry was in Sykes brigade. on the
right Of the line. which sustained some
of the hardest fighting Of the day.
like those of every other private soldier,
are confused. He fought all day, and
toward the end of the battle. became
his rornmand he did not learn for months
afterwarG, for he was left for dead on
the iieid
The next day the Confcderatcs. while
uron lin. He was unconscious. but they
took him with other wounded to nos
pital camp at Savage's Station. There
he recovered consciousness.
He remembered nothing Of how he lost
his senses. but had dim recollection
that Re had been. struck by the. heavy
limb of a tree which had been shot off
He found himself suffering from a wound
in his foot from a spent ball.
He vas sick and weak. and he thought
HIS fIltIlCeS III ReltInS DdCk w HIS TeSI-
ment slim. for McClellan's army. to which
he belonged. was in retreat. and the Con-
federates were pressing them hard.
Whom his name was required by the
ConfeGerhtes he gave 1t as Thomas Ball.
and AS such he was entered on the list of
prisoners. He was about ten days in the
hos.ital camp at Savages Station. He
made friends with a prisoner whose name
was Maxwell a giassblower from South
Boston.
Maxwell helped him in many ways.
~. L.
as Il crutch and fetching him water. One
day he went out on this service for the
last time. He never came back, and BAL
lard believed he was shot by a sentry,
which was very likely the case.
Ballard was row taken with the other
prisoners to Richmond. where he was
committed to Castle Thunder" and later
to Libby Prison. He was in Libby prison
for four months, when he ESCAPED by
taking the name of man who had died
and whose name appeared on list of
prisoners to be exchanged.
In this way Ballard got back to the
north. He was exchanged at Annapolis.
and reioined his regiment. the 11th at
Harper's Ferry after being absent from
Meanwhile. his commanding officer had
written to his sister, Mrs. e. M. Morse,
of Charlestown with whom Mr.. Ballard
lives Ives hro West Newton
Mill. Ills comrades had seen him on the
field. apparently corpse. which. in that
day of slaughter. was. accepted as evil
dence that he was dead.
Mr.. Morse had tried hard to locate his
body. and to have it brought North for
burial.
''Rut they couldn't find any trace of
me" said Mr.. Ballard recently. "for. you
see. l wasn't dead. When I got back to
my comDany you should have seen the
bows take me on their shoulders,
guess I didn't touch the ground for a
mile I was the happiest dead man you
ever saw
II found my camp effects had been
sold as the law requires when a soldier
dies. 1t brought thirteen cents! I was
soon back in the thick of it. I was in a
tyshurg."
After being mustered out in 1866 Mr.
Ballard returned to Boston and secured
an appointment as letter carrier. He
was No. p in the list Of carriers. He
continued in this service for more than
a quarter Of century. and as souve-
mir of the esteem in which he was held
by people on his route. he carries a
handsome gold watch, presented him in
1859 by residents Of Dwight street
Death from starvation. was the YER
dict at Shoreditch (EnglanO inques;