Find My Dead

Genealogy of Sharon & Scotty

You are here: Home / McLean/Frith/Brimlow/Brown / Peter B. McLean, 1st Lt, Co H, 87th NY Inf – 2

McLean/Frith/Brimlow/Brown

Peter B. McLean, 1st Lt, Co H, 87th NY Inf – 2

The Civil War & its cost –
Part 2 – Three Rough Years.

Once Peter B. McLean had been removed from the hospital tent near Yorktown, his long journey home had just begun. Affidavits and depositions found in his pension file and in his wife Susan’s application for a widow’s pension provide the details of the experience.

In a 29 Jan 1890 declaration, Peter B. wrote of his departure from Yorktown and return home. I have provided a transcript (with clarifications) below the image.
peterbstate1
“Was taken from Hospital tent before [on the lines in front of] Yorktown about May 5th 1862 to Fort Monroe in wagon & boat to Baltimore & cars [train] enroute home while suffering with fever & became deranged & out of head and was put in Soldiers Home at Philadelphia. They sent for my wife. I remained in Philadelphia that one week & then taken to my father’s house 125 Grand St Brooklyn L.I. [Long Island] Dr. Hanford was sent for. I remained there to the fall about October then was removed to my own home 275 Graham Ave. Was confined to the house till May 1863 confined to house a whole year & gained strength enough to go out & do light work in fall of 1863 had a relapse & was sick again 1864 a whole year until Spring 1865. & have Rheumatism & diarrhea ever since.” The last line in the paragraph is about his ruptures (hernias in the groin) and that he is unable to do any manual labor.

Dr. William H. Hanford, mentioned above, was the McLean family physician. On 14 Mar 1890, he provided an affidavit stating that he had been Peter B.’s physician before the war and

knew him to be sound and able. “I did not see him again till about May 12th 1862. When he came home from seat of war suffering with typhoid Malaria and diarrhea. From May 12th 1862 to May 1863 I saw said Peter B McLean daily during which time he was confined to his house and a confirmed invalid, through the balance of the year 1863. I saw him about three times per week. At the end of 1863 a relapse set in which lasted a whole year. And it was at beginning of 1865 before Mr. McLean had so far recovered that he could again go out of doors. During the year 1865 his chronic diarrhea left him. And since that time 1865 Mr. McLean has been able to do some light work. Yet suffering from Malaria nearly every month since 1865 till the present time frequently developing into rheumatism till he has become a cripple and totally disabled.”

These two statements from the 1890s are fairly straightforward, but they don’t tell you what really happened on a personal level. The 1898 deposition of his widow and family members are a little less clinical. I’ll provide relevant pieces of those depositions in the next two posts and links at the end of the last post to complete transcripts.

Deposition of Susan W. McLean, 10 Feb 1898

I received a telegram from one of the officers of that hospital that he was there sick and out of his mind and not in a condition to travel and for someone to come and take him home. I, with my bro-in-law Charles McLean, dec’d, went to Philadelphia PA and to said hospital and remained there a week before we could take him home. He was then sick with typhoid fever and out of his mind. I cannot recollect how long he had been in that hospital. The hospital was a private one and conducted by wealthy people of Phila PA for sick and disabled soldiers. Do not recall location. As soon as my husband was able to travel I brought him home to Brooklyn N.Y. One of the attendants of the hospital named Smith, never knew first name, was detailed to go with us. The Surgeon being afraid that my husband might become violent and unmanageable, thought it best to have one of the attendants accompany him. For a full year after he came home he was partially out of his mind and unable to do any work at all. He took a dislike to his home and went to his fathers, Charles McLean, dec’d, house and remained there for some time. Said we were all Devils and that he could not live with us. His nervous system was all gone. After he got better he came back home and for the next year he seemed to improve, but went to work to soon and was again taken sick with typho malarial fever and was sick for about a year and had the same trouble with his head as he did with first attack. From that time to the date of his death he was more or less a sufferer from the results of the fever.

Deposition of Ruth Reed (Susan’s sister), 17 Mar 1898

I remember very well when Peter McLean came home from the service. They lived in Williamsburg and I lived within about half a mile of their house. I saw him right away – within a week sure. He was then a sick man. He went to his fathers, on Grand Street, Williamsburg, shortly after his return and was with him I should think, a year. I can’t recall whether I first saw him at his wife’s or at his fathers house. I saw him perhaps once a month during that year. He was confined to the house during the year and part of the time to his bed. He had had a fever in the army – so I was told – and was suffering from results of it. He was out of his head. I saw him when he appeared to be flighty. All that I personally knew during that year following Mr. McLean’s discharge was that he was out of his head and confined to the house and part of the time to his bed.

Deposition of Mary E. McLean (sister-in-law), 19 Mar 1898

I remember when he came back from the service it was in May or Jun 1862 and saw him within a month after. He was then suffering from the results of a fever and was out of his mind at that time. Was very thin and emaciated. I do not recall what kind of a fever he had. He went to his fathers house shortly after and remained there some months. Was confined to the house and to his bed a part of the time. Was flighty at time and took a notion that he did not want to stay at his home so went to his fathers house. He was sick probably a year before he was able to do anything. I saw him frequently during that year and know he was unable to do anything. His father had to support the family.

While there were hospitals for the seriously ill and wounded, most soldiers were sent home to be cared for as soon as possible. Once discharged, their pay stopped and the burden of their care and support fell on the families. Susan McLean was fortunate that her father-in-law was able to support the family during this period. Pensions at the time were reserved for those who were maimed, hospitalized, or completely disabled. While Peter B. appears to fit the criteria as disabled, no pension or support was filed for prior to 1890.

In Part 3, I’ll cover the years between 1865 and 1892.