Submitted by Ginny Reifenberger
How kind of you to reply to my message! I am so sorry you have no photos of Alex-it would have been great to see him.
Did you know that he was stabbed by his son-in-law Thomas Campbell after a argument concerning Alex's daughter Amanda Ann whom Thomas married in 1880? It nearly killed him-Thomas followed him, knocked him down and stabbed him twice in the back-the second laceration was near his kidney, about 8" long, and the first was near his left shoulder-this wound nearly incapacitated him. He eventually had to give up farming, and lived on his pension. His files have complete records of this. Thomas & Amanda were divorced around 1886. Both of them remarried.
Alex also divorced Christina Hall-Amanda's mother, in 1873. Amanda was 11 years old at that time. Christina first sued him, accusing him of drunkenness and cruelty. He countered, charging her with adultery with a James Rayburn of Boyd County, Ky. After the divorce, Christena did marry Mr. Rayburn, they lived in Boyd County. christena lived until at least 1900, but I have been unable to find her final resting spot. Alexander then remarried Lucy Layne Johnson, they were married around 11 years when she died, about 3 weeks after she had a baby. Less than a year later, he married Minda Webb Guillen, and she and Christena fought over the pension after Alexander died Christena charged that she and Alexander were never officially divorced, but a divorce decree was produced, so she was out of the running for the pension. It eventually went to his minor son by Lucy and his daughter by Minda Webb, The pension files have info about all of this. Alex's son went of to the Arizona Territory in 1900, but he eventually returned to Ohio and died there.
I have been tracking my Baldwin and Campbell's for some time now, the history of the families is fascinating.
Originally, the Baldwins came from Virginia, so they had Southern roots that I have so far been able to trace. But they chose to fight for the Union, which makes me wonder if they weren't part of the original Virginia settlers somehow. I would need to go back to Solomon's parents (Solomon Baldwin was Alex's, Jarvis, John & John W.'s father). Alex was born in Russell Co Virginia but there is no record of birth for him that I am aware. Alex named his first son Solomon after his own father.
Yes, I know that several of the battles Alex was involved in were in and near Louisa,Ky where he first lived before he went to Lawrence County Ohio,. One of the affidavits from his first wife Christena tells of how they lived and farmed near there before he got the measles. She had to ride to get him and take him home for about four months before he healed enough to return to his unit. (This would have been around 1862 or so). His commander charged him with desertion, and had him courtmartialed, although Alex testified that he was given leave by his commander to go home, which was verified by his first wife in her affidavit, and the affidavits of his brother and mother also. (The court martial was subsequently dropped). His illness was originally thought to be so serious that she feared he wouldn't live, but he was a tough old bird and came through.
Ironton Register; July 7, 1887 (Transcribed by Sherry Pettit):
King Salt Works down in Virginia, on the Va. and Tenn. R.R., seems to have been in much demand by both sides during the war. The Confederates wanted it for the salt and the Union boys desired it because the other side wanted it. Many a fight was had there and in that neighborhood; and when the Union troops would make a dash on it, thinking they would surely capture the place they were pretty sure to find it well defended.
Alex Baldwin, of Co. B., 39th Ky. (Mounted Infantry, US), tells us of his experience, on a raid in that quarter, in October, 1864. He says: "We were ordered from Louisa, Kentucky, to make a raid on King's Salt Works. We started out, 4000 strong, under Gen. (Stephen G.) Burbridge. On the 6th day after we started, we arrived before the place at about 9 o'clock in the morning, and immediately made preparations to charge the reb breast works. For this purpose, a colored regiment was ordered to charge the rebel position. They advanced with courage and spirit. Poor fellows! Many of them were shot and killed in that unsuccessful attack and the ground was strewn with their dead and wounded.
Our regiment, which was cavalry, was in a valley about half a mile from the works, and in plain view of the rebs. We counted off by eights for every eighth man to hold eight horses, and when this was done the regiment dismounted and started forward to attack. I was one of the lucky eight that were left back to hold the horses, and thought I had struck an easy job. In fact, I was very happy thinking how safe I was and wondering who of the boys moving to the attack would never come back. But these thoughts didn't last long. The regiment had hardly started when the shells began whizzing about us. They seemed to come around me by the dozen. Well, it must have been a shell that hit me or exploded very close to me, for when I waked up, my brother Jarvis and I were on all fours in the middle of Clinch River. The stream was very shallow and we didn't drown, but whether we were blown there or knocked there or dragged there, I don't know. All I know is that whereas the shells flew thick as rain, when I waked up I was crawling through the low current of that little river.
I crawled on across the river and up a small drain, in the direction of our regiment and there I came to my Captain, sheltering himself under his horse. Col. (Charles) Hanson then came up and said the rebs had shot 13 holes in him, and then he went back to the top of the point where he was shot and left on the field. Our regiment was ordered back at 4 o'clock, and took position in some timber, but the fighting continued till sun down, when it ceased. I then went back to where I held the horses, to see if they were any left, but found several dead and the others gone. We built camp fires on the field at night and while they were burning got away from there, but the rebels, who had been largely re-enforced, closely accompanied us and made it hot for us till we reached the line dividing Virginia from Kentucky. We were three days without rations, but the bushwhackers kept us well supplied with hot bullets.
We had a very hard time getting out of there, but I had the satisfaction in December following to enter their fort at King's Salt Work's, and helped myself to what I liked best, providing it was there.
But we got the fort at last through the sacrifice of many a brave comrade.
Baldwin, Alexander, Corporal, Company B. B. Jun. 6, 1834, Russell Co., Va.; s/o Solomon Baldwin & Sarah Elliott. Owned 100 acres in the area of the left hand fork of Big Mud Crk., Floyd Co., Ky., from 1858. Mar. Christina Hall, Jan. 19, 1859, in Pike Co., Ky. Divorced in 1873. Floyd Co., Ky., res. before war. Mentioned in Regtl. Ord. Bk., Sep. 1, 1864: prom. from priv. to corp.; Spec. Ord. No. 73. Mar. next Lucy Layne Johnson, who died after about 11 years of marriage. Listed in Tom Clutter's roster of Lawrence Co., OH, Civil War Veterans. Appd. and recd. a pension in 1884 as a res. of OH. Mar. last Minda Webb Guillen. D. Oct. 1, 1895; bur. Hecla Furnace Cem., near Ironton, Oh. Widow, Mindie [?], appd. unsucc. for a pension on Nov. 5, 1895, as a res. of OH. Next friend, Mindie Baldwin, appd. for and recd. a pension on behalf of soldier's minor children (his son by Lucy and his daughter by Minda) in 1903 as a res. of OH.