Isaac Vandicar

Isaac Vandicar was born in 1844 in New York. At the time of his enlistment he was employed as a farmer in the small community of Huron, Michigan. He may have been working the family farm. Isaac enlisted in Company K on August 5, at Huron. He was 18 years of age. Several other 18 year-olds from Huron enlisted on that day, Sherman Rice, John Pattee, Charles Hosmer and Artemas Hosmer. Perhaps they were school chums.

Isaac was with the 24th during the battle of Fredericksburg, where 4 men in company were killed and another three were wounded. He was also with the Regiment during Burnside's Mud March.

In early February 1863, Captain Stewart, commander of Battery B 4th, U.S. Artillery called for volunteers from the volunteer regiments of the Iron Brigade to help man his guns. In addition to men from Wisconsin and Indiana, 22 Michigan men enlisted. Among them were Isaac Vandicar and John Pattee. Their motivation for volunteering for artillery service is unclear. It may be that in the aftermath of the Mud March, the prospect of riding rather than walking appealed to them.

Isaac seems to have been very boyish, with a charming innocence. He certainly seems to have been well liked. Captain Stewart appointed Isaac his personal orderly, a position of some importance.

The Battery was lightly engaged during the action at Fitzhugh's crossing. Isaac escaped injury during the fighting at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, where the Battery B was heavily engaged and took a large number of casualties. The terrain in the Wilderness precluded the use of artillery, and Isaac passed through yet another battle unharmed. The Wilderness was immediately followed by the engagement at Spotsylvania a few miles to the east. The Battery was heavily engaged, and poor Isaac was killed in action at near Spotsylvania, Virginia on May 8, 1864.

Buell (p. 182) describes Isaac's death:

One of the touching incidents of the slaughter at Spottsylvania was the death of Isaac Vandicar, from the 24th Michigan. He had been the Captain's Orderly for some time, and as such had taken care of "Old Tartar, " who was always esteemed as one of the most important and meritorious "comrades" in the Battery. Ike was serving as No. 5 on one of the guns in the left section, and an exploding case shot literally made a sieve of the poor boy. He was struck in the face, breast, abdomen, and groin by shot, all from the same case. Some of the boys started to carry him away in a blanket, when he said "I must see the Old Man!"

They called Stewart, who came to him and said "Van, my poor boy, what can I do for you?"

Nothing, Captain," replied Ike, with perfect composure, "I know I must die, but I wanted to say good-bye to you, and I want you to see that 'Old Tartar' has good care after I am gone!"

Stewart wrung Ike's dying hand, turned away from him and when he came into our section, though it was the very hottest of the fight, he was visibly affected.

Isaac was probably buried on the field. Therefore it is probable that his body would likely have been collected when the Union dead were interred in the Fredericksburg National Cemetery a few years later. If so, he is among the "UNKNOWNS".