9th Vermont graves in the New Bern National Cemetery

Since my post on the casualties from Newport Barracks, I wanted to share some pictures that I took at the New Bern National Cemetery in New Bern, North Carolina. The pictures are of the graves from four of the five members of the 9th Vermont killed in action on February 2nd, 1864. They were taken on February 17, 2009. Information on each solider is from the books The Ninth Vermont Infantry: A History and Roster by Paul G. Zeller and "We are Coming Father Abra'am" The History of the 9th Vermont Volunteer Infantry 1862-1865 by Don Wickman.




The first picture is the grave of Private Nathan C. Smith, 27, from Company D of the 9th Vermont. Smith was a farmer from Brookfield, Vermont and enlisted on December 23, 1863. He was mustered into service on January 2, 1864, exactly one month before he was killed in action at Newport Barracks. He was killed instantly after being stuck by a minie ball. At the time of his death all he had to his name was a watch and $13.00 (Zeller 137).







The second picture is the grave of Sergeant William Piper,25, from Company D of the 9th Vermont. He left behind his wife Augusta Glynn, 24, and their two year old child Francis.











The third picture is the grave of Private Matthew Riley, 28, from Company G of the 9th Vermont. Riley was a farmer from Randolph, Vermont. Riley was struck in in the left thigh by a shell fragment. His comrades helped him back to Beaufort on the retreat on the night of February 2, but he died on February 6 at Hammond General Hospital in Beaufort (Zeller 135)







The forth picture is the grave of Private Joseph Osier, 18, from Company C of the 9th Vermont. Joseph enlisted two days after his brother Peter on December 23, 1863. Joseph Osier was described as "a fine looking little fellow only 18 years old, and a new recruit. He died fighting bravely (Zeller 135)." He had picked up a rifle for the first time in his short service that morning (Wickman 285). Peter Osier was also wounded during the battle and was captured by the Confederates. Peter would be paroled from captivity on December 6, 1864 only to die nine days later of his wounds. He is buried in the Annapolis National Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland.