8 May 1865
15 September 1865

Webmaster: griffing@fnal.gov

The Civil War Letters of John Norris





 

Biography of Captain John Norris
by Darrel Salisbury

John Norris was born on March 15, 1837 in Bridgewater, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, the son of John Meredith Norris and Sarah (Fitzrandolph) Norris. His mother died when John was 18 months old. It is probable that his father remarried soon after.

In his diary, John states that he lived in Bridgewater until he was 7 years old (that would have been about March, 1844). He further states that his family moved to a farm four miles northeast of Bridgewater, living there not quite two years. John went to school most of that time. In the fall of 1845, his family moved to a farm on the banks of Lake Barron, five miles northeast of Niles, Berrien County, Michigan. John describes Lake Barron as being about one and one-half miles long and three quarters of a mile wide, with abundant fish of many kinds. John says that his step-mother (Jane Baden) died of consumption (tuberculosis). That was in March of 1849. John was 12 and the family was living on the farm of Dr. Finley on Lake Barron. John 's father was very ill at this time and he and his brother, James, put in the crops. He says that he went, more or less, to a country school about two miles from his home.

On February 7, 1852, John went to Niles to learn the printing business with Darius B. Cook, publisher of the Niles Republican newspaper. He served as an apprentice with Mr. Cook until December 15, 1855. He spent most of the winter of 1855-56 at his father's home which was then one mile west of Niles. His father was absent, having gone to Philadelphia.

On April 7, 1856, John married Emily R. L. Willard, " Emma", in Buchanan, about five miles west of Niles. He worked for Mr. Carleton at the Niles Enquirer in the summer and fall of 1856.

In December, 1856, he moved to Elgin, Illinois and formed a partnership with Eliphalet Owen to publish the Elgin Gazette. This partnership was dissolved in June 1857 and on July 3, 1857, John contracted with R. L. & G. B. Mayo and Jacob A. Simons of Sycamore, DeKalb, County, Illinois, to publish the DeKalb County Republican Sentinel. In April, 1859, John purchased the newspaper and renamed it the DeKalb County Sentinel. John 's health was not good and his diary indicates that he was not prospering, In April, 1861, he sold the Sentinel and decided to go to Philadelphia. John arrived in Philadelphia on July 7, 1861. His uncle, John M. Stetler, proposed to help John start anew in Philadelphia, but, before this could be done, John was stricken with erysipelas, a painful disease, also known as St. Anthony's Fire. When John recovered, he decided to enlist in the United States Army.

In October, 1861, authority was granted to Charles Angeroth, of Philadelphia, to recruit a battalion of heavy artillery -- soon after extended to a regiment -- which was designated the Second Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, One Hundred and Twelfth of the Line. [i.e., the 112th regiment in order of formation]  A camp was established at Camden, New Jersey and Regimental Headquarters was established at 506 Vine St. in Philadelphia. The regiment was recruited principally from the Counties of Allegheny, Franklin, Monroe, and the City and County of Philadelphia.

John Norris enlisted on November 16,1861 in Philadelphia for a period of three years and was appointed Quartermaster Sergeant of Battery G. John was 24 married, with 2 sons.

The Regiment was mustered in in January, 1862 and, on January 9, Batteries D, G and H were ordered to Fort Delaware. [Fort Delaware was on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River at the present town of Delaware City, DE]  On 25 February, the remaining seven batteries were ordered to Washington, D. C.  On Sunday, March 9, before the batteries moved, word was received that the Confederate ironclad, CSS Merrimac, was coming. All guns were loaded and lookouts were posted, but the Merrimac never arrived. On March 19, 1862, the batteries left Fort Delaware at eleven P. M. and arrived at Fort Lincoln, Washington, D. C. on the 21st of March.

John Norris was Quartermaster Sergeant of Battery G, stationed at Fort Lincoln [in the area of the present National Arboretum] when, on September 26, 1862, he was promoted to 2nd Lt in Battery E. His wife, Emily Roxy Levina WILLARD Norris was then a nurse at Cranch Hospital, located at 6th and D and, later, 6th and E Streets, Washington, D. C.

On September 14, 1863, John Norris returned to Battery G, being promoted to 1st Lt. On March 26, 1864, the Regiment was transferred to Fairfax County, Virginia, occupying Fort Ethan Allen and Fort Marcy near the Chain Bridge.

In the Spring of 1864, the Regiment had far more men, 1836, than authorized and, on April 18, 1864, a new regiment, the Second Provisional Heavy Artillery, was formed from the excess, with a cadre of Officers and NCO from the old regiment. John Norris was promoted, on 20 April 1864, Brevet (temporary) Captain, commanding Battery B of the new regiment.

The Regiment was assigned to the Ninth Corps of the Army of the Potomac and participated in the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 6, & 7, 1864, and marched on Petersburg. It took part in the Battle of Cold Harbor, June 1-3, 1864 and here its history becomes muddled, as its parent organization, the Second Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, had been transferred to the Army of the Potomac, and arriving at Cold Harbor, on June 4, proceeded with that Army, including the Second Provisional Heavy Artillery, to Petersburg. Both units were placed on the right wing, from the Appomattox River to Jerusalem Plank Road.

Although called Heavy Artillery, these units were used as infantry. The Second Provisional made a charge at Petersburg on June 17 and the Second Pennsylvania "Veterans" on June 18. And, when the mine was exploded on 30 July, the Second Provisional Heavy Artillery formed part of the Brigade that led the charge into The Crater and suffered heavy losses in killed. wounded, and captured. John Norris, in his diary, states that he was appointed to lead the 1st Battalion of the 2d Provisional into The Crater.

John Norris was among those captured. He is listed as a prisoner of war from July 30, 1864 to March 25, 1865. He surrendered his sword to Capt. John W. Beaton, Company H, 41st VA Infantry [Part of the Old Dominion Brigade led by General Mahone]. Capt. Beaton presented the sword to Capt. Norris ' son, Calvin C. J. Norris on April 15, 1902, as related in a Washington Post article dated April 17, 1902. In the article Capt. Beaton says that he and Capt. Norris were together long enough to become friends before Capt. Norris was sent to a prison camp, though he does not say how long that was. Pension files indicate that he was held at Columbia, South Carolina until December, 1864, but do not say when he arrived there. One source has him at a camp on the grounds of what had been an asylum for the insane. Another source says that he was released from this camp on December 9, 1864, but does not say where he was from December 10, 1864 until March 25, 1865, when he was officially returned to duty. He survived in confederate prison by selling his belongings and bartering for food and a single wool blanket. When he was released, the family claims he weighed a meager 90 pounds.

After being released, he was promoted to Captain on April 24, 1865 and was mustered out with his battery on January 29, 1866 at City Point (Hopewell, Prince George County), VA.

He returned to Washington, D. C., where his wife and sons, John Willard Norris; Calvin Columbus Jackson Norris; and Francis Elias Spinner Norris were living. He returned with them to Sycamore, IL, where they lived until returning to Washington, D. C., in the summer of 1868. John was again involved with the publishing of the True Republican and Sentinel until January, 1868. John Norris died in Washington, D. C. on December 14, 1868 of service related causes.