For a private who was wounded and captured in the battle of the Wilderness, Va., and died as a prisoner of war at Andersonville Prison
7 3/4 x 9 3/4, imprinted form, filled out in ink.
Certificate To Be Given To Volunteers At The Time Of Their Discharge To Enable Them To Receive Their Pay, &c. I Certify, on honor, that Mark Chase, a Private of Captain Davenport's Company H of the 6 Regiment of Infantry Volunteers, of the State of Vermont, born in Fayston, State of Vermont, aged 26 years, 5 feet, 11 1/2 inches high, blue eyes, black hair, and by occupation a laborer, having joined the company on its original organization at Roxbury, and enrolled in it at the muster into the service of the United States on the 14 day of Aug., 1861, to serve in the Regiment for the term of three years, and having served honestly and faithfully with his Company to the present date, is now entitled to a discharge by reason of Surgeon's Certificate of Disability. The said Mark Chase was last paid by Paymaster to include the 28 day of Feb., 1862, and has pay due him from that time to the present date. Given in duplicate, at Carver Hosp.[ital], this 19 day of May, 1862. By command of General Wadsworth, Wm. A. Bradley, Asst. Surg., U.S.A. in Charge of Hosp.
Light age toning and wear. There is a small hole in the document at left. This causes the loss of a few of the imprinted words, but none of the handwritten content. Slightly trimmed at the edges. Very desirable Vermont regiment, and anything associated with Andersonville is always in high demand.
Mark Chase, enlisted on August 14, 1861, as a private, and was mustered into Co. H, 6th Vermont Infantry. He was discharged on May 19, 1862 for disability. He re-enlisted as a private on November 27, 1863, and was mustered back into Co. H, 6th Vermont Infantry. He was wounded and captured on May 5, 1864, in the battle of the Wilderness, Va., and confined in the notorious Andersonville Prison, Ga. He died at Andersonville on June 3, 1864, and is buried in Andersonville National Cemetery, Grave #2811.
The hard 6th Vermont Infantry, was part of the famous "Vermont Brigade." The regiment received its "baptism of fire" during the Peninsular campaign in the spring of 1862, at Lee's Mills, Va., where they crossed Warwick Creek, through water up to their waist, under a severe and galling fire, and attacked the enemy's works. During this action the regiment lost 23 killed, and 57 wounded. They also fought in the battles of Williamsburg, Golding's Farm, Savage's Station, where the regiment lost 21 killed, and 54 wounded and missing, White Oak Swamp, Crampton's Gap, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, where they captured 250 Rebel prisoners, Gettysburg, Funkstown, Md., Rappahannock Station, the Mine Run campaign, the Wilderness, where out of the 441 men that went into the battle, 69 were killed, and 127 wounded, thus losing almost half of their strength, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Weldon Railroad, Ream's Station, Fort Stevens, Charlestown, W.V., Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, and Sailor's Creek.
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