Guelph Marksman Medal
By
Dan Doyle
The spot where the artifacts were found appeared to have been a staging area or campsite. The round silver marksman medal looks like it was fashioned from a coin. The inscription on one side is "1st Volunteer Rifle Comp. Guelph" followed by "presented by Capt. Higinbotham to the Best Marksman". On the back is the date "1858" but the name of the marksman is missing.
The medal was placed in the custody of the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia, and Doug Wicklund, senior curator at the museum, has been searching for it's owner ever since. He contacted the National Archives in Ottawa and also made inquires of local museums in the Guelph area. Eventually Wicklund contacted the Guelph Mercury and the story appeared in the October 31, 2000 edition of the newspaper. My sister Nora Groenendyk, who lives in Guelph, sent me the article knowing of my interest in the Civil War and this web site that I created devoted to locating the graves of the Civil War veterans buried in Canada. One name on my list of veterans stood out and after months of research, in the final analysis it was determined that the mystery soldier from Canada had to be Thomas Smith Anderson.
Born in Guelph, Ontario, on April 12, 1842, Thomas Smith Anderson dropped the Anderson from his name and enlisted as Thomas Smith into the Union army with the 6th New York Cavalry, Company H, on March 4, 1864. He was severely wounded in the chest at Loudoun Valley, Virginia, on January 18, 1865 and was honorably discharged on August 9, 1865. Thomas died February 13, 1913 and is buried in Hamilton City Cemetery, Hamilton, Ontario.
HOW WAS HE FOUND? - THE ANATOMY OF THE SEARCH
Many wonderful things are happening because of the Internet. Informational web sites are being created by the thousands and provide an arena wherein everyone in the world can be a participant. This web site, which I created in 1997, provides a platform for the descendants of the Civil War veterans buried in Canada to document the location of their ancestors' graves and tell their story.
After reading the newspaper article I went to my list of Civil War veterans and found that in 1998 Albert Scouten of Ancaster, Ontario, had sent me the grave location and a short biography of his great great grandfather, Thomas S. Anderson. What stood out was the fact that Thomas was born and raised in Guelph.
For the moment this made him a prime candidate but there were other men from the Guelph area that also took part in the American Civil War. They were Henry Jackson who served with the 17th Michigan Infantry and Joseph B. Tolton who served with the 4th Michigan Cavalry.
The following questions then needed answers. Were any of these men at the Battle of the Wilderness? Where were their units during the war? Were they ever connected with the Guelph 1st Volunteer Rifle Company in 1858?
For help with the answers I asked my good friend Bill Lowe. Bill and I are members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Austin Blair Camp No. 7, Jackson, Michigan. Bill is a past Camp Commander and a recognized Civil War historian in Michigan.
He discovered that Henry Jackson, 17th Michigan Infantry, was killed in action at Campbell Station, Tennessee, on November 16, 1863, 6 months prior to the Battle of the Wilderness. He also discovered that the unit in which Joseph B. Tolton served, was engaged only in the states of Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.
Regarding Thomas Smith, Bill first confirmed that the roster of the 6th New York Cavalry, Company H, listed Thomas as a member of that unit. Further he found that Frederick Dyer's Compendium of the Civil War confirmed that the 6th New York Cavalry not only took part in the Battle of the Wilderness but was also camped and on patrol in the nearby counties just days before the battle.
What remained was the most difficult task of all and that was to link Thomas Anderson with the Guelph 1st Volunteer Rifle Company. It was learned from the newspaper article, that the present Guelph's 11th Canadian Field Artillery Regiment can trace its roots to the rifle company of 1858. Further, it was learned from old records still in existence that there was a Robert Anderson in the Guelph 1st Volunteer Rifle Company at that time.
In early 2002 Albert Scouten concentrated on researching his family roots in the Guelph and Hamilton areas. What he found would make anyone proud to be a descendant of these hard working early pioneers.
The Historical Atlas of the County of Wellington, Ontario, described them in these words: "Thomas Anderson Sr., ( grandfather of Thomas S. Anderson ) a respected Guelph Township pioneer, was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1772, where he was raised. He married Margaret Kidd. They came to Guelph Township with their family in 1832 and set on lot 16, concession 1B where he purchased 100 acres at $3.00 per acre. Two or three years later he purchased 50 additional acres at $6.00 per acre. He cleared these farms with the help of his sons and there he died in 1869."
The Anderson family migrated from Scotland with their nine children, six boys and three girls. Their second oldest son was John who was born in 1817 and died very young at the age of 37, leaving behind his wife Janet and six children. Thomas S. Anderson was the oldest of the six children and at the age of 12 became the man of the house. However the clan immediately stepped in and the grandparents with all the uncles and aunts helped raise John's children. One of these uncles was Robert Anderson.
The link to the medal and the Guelph 1st Volunteer Rifle Company is this: The date on the medal is 1858. That year Thomas S. Anderson was 16 years old and his youngest uncle, Robert, was 29 and a member of the Guelph 1st Volunteer Rifle Company. It is natural to assume that these two men spent a lot of time together. Census records of that time also indicate that Thomas remained with his family on the farm until 1864 when he went to New York to enlist in the Union Army.
In conclusion: We will probably never know who the marksman was. Maybe it was his Uncle Robert, or Thomas himself. However there is little doubt that Thomas was the soldier who lost the medal as he sat around that campsite 139 years ago.
After the war Thomas moved to Lockport, New York, and began learning the trade of confectioner. In 1870 he returned to Canada, changed his name from Thomas Smith back to Thomas Anderson and settled in Hamilton, Ontario. That same year he married Mary Jane Chapple.
In a short time Thomas opened a confectionery store on James St. North, specializing in baked goods and candy. The business prospered and was a landmark for over 35 years. He also ventured into real estate and became very successful, owning several properties on Oak Ave. Thomas was a highly respected and recognized member of his community. People who knew him described him as a religious and fun - loving person whom all the children wanted to be around. Family lore has it that children would coax him to part his long white beard and show them the chest wound he received at Loudoun Valley, which they said was big enough to hold a golf ball.
It was evident Thomas was proud that he had served in the Union Army. He was very active in the William Winer Cooke, Grand Army of the Republic ( G. A. R. ) Post No. 472 in Hamilton, becoming Aide de Camp on October 7, 1901.
Thomas Anderson died on February 13, 1913 at his home on 22 Oak Ave. He was survived by his wife and seven children.
Excerpt from the Hamilton Spectator - February 17, 1913
"The funeral of Thomas Anderson took place from his late residence and was largely attended. Rev. D. A. Moir officiated at the house and grave. Richard Butler, American Vice-Consul, spoke feelingly of the past life of the deceased. The pallbearers were: Three members of the G. A. R.; Henry Clark, James Melody and A. C. Fletcher, and three members of the Sons of Veterans of the G. A. R.; E. B. Bell, John Pett and George Elville."
Internment was in Hamilton City Cemetery, the same cemetery where William Winer Cooke was laid to rest and for whom the G. A. R. post was named.
William Winer Cooke was born in Mount Pleasant, Ontario, and became the most famous Hamiltonian to serve in the Union Army. He remained in the Cavalry after the war and fought and died with General George Custer at the Little Big Horn. He was buried three times. Once on the battlefield where he died, then in a military cemetery near the battlefield and finally in Hamilton.