With you permission this is how the biography will look insofar as Private John H. Henry. I've been at this for awhile and I don't believe I would have found this soldier without your help.
Private John H. HENRY - Inscription on tombstone #2126 reads “JAMES H. HENRY CO. F 1 ARK. REG. C.S.A.” He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862.
According to Gibson County, Tennessee marriage records (Given name spelled as Johnathan) Henry married (Given name spelled as July) Strother on April 15, 1836.
The 1850 United States census listed John Henry; born about 1839, in Tennessee living in the household of J. G. Henry; born about 1819, in Tennessee (Occupation listed as a brick mason) and Julia Henry; born about 1823, in Tennessee (She was noted as could not write). Other household members included: James Henry; born about 1837, in Tennessee and Susan Henry; born about 1841, in Tennessee and William Henry; born about 1843, in Tennessee and Marion Henry; born about 1845, in Tennessee and Samuel Henry; born about 1846, in Tennessee and Alfred Henry; born about 1848, in Tennessee. The household was noted as living in district 14 in Weakley County, Tennessee and the census was taken on October 11, 1850. The compiler notes Gibson and Weakley counties are adjacent to each other in western Tennessee.
Speaking to Cathy Lattus, a genealogist at the Greene County library in Paragould, Arkansas she found information from the work of Mr. Rowland stating J. G. Henry had moved with his family to Greene County, Arkansas in 1856 from Tennessee. The compiler notes there seems to have been some boundary issues between Clay County, Arkansas and Greene County which are adjacent to each other in extreme northeastern Arkansas.
The 1860 United States census listed his name as John H. Henry; born about 1839, in Tennessee and listing his occupation as a farmer, living in the household of Johnathan J. Henry; born about 1819, in Tennessee and listed his occupation as a brick mason, and Julia Henry; born about 1822, in Tennessee. Other household members included: Susan Henry; born about 1841, in Tennessee and William Henry; born about 1844, in Tennessee and (Spelled as Marian) Henry, a male born about 1846 in Tennessee and Samuel Henry; born about 1848, in Tennessee and Thomas Henry; born about 1850, in Tennessee and George Henry; born about 1854, in Tennessee and Nancy Henry; born about 1856, in Arkansas. The family household was living in Chalk Bluff, Arkansas in Greene County with the nearest Post Office listed as Chalk Bluff. The 1860 United States census in Chalk Bluff Township was taken on September 24, 1860.
The compiler wishes to thank Bryan Howerton of Arkansas who has a long standing reputation for his knowledge of Arkansas soldiers during the war. Mr. Howerton stated: “My suspicion is that J. H. Henry may be John H. Henry, Private, Co. F, 3rd Confederate Regiment Infantry. This man enlisted when the outfit was part of "Hindman's Legion", later splitting off to become Co. F, 1st Arkansas Battalion Infantry, later becoming Co. F, 18th (Marmaduke's) Arkansas Regiment Infantry, which was redesignated as the 3rd Confederate Regiment Infantry about January 31, 1862. Unfortunately, the surviving muster rolls of the 3rd Confederate do not include the period March to April 1862. John H. Henry was present when the organization was formed, and is missing on the rolls following the Battle of Shiloh.” The compiler notes many of the soldiers from Company F of Marmaduke’s 18th Arkansas did originate from Greene County, Arkansas and the United States census reports seem to indicate his correct name was John H. Henry and that the 3rd Confederate Infantry Regiment was with the 3rd Army Corps under General Hardee at the Battle of Shiloh.
Muster Records with the Compiled Military Service Records listed John H. Henry as originally enlisting on July 27th 1861 and is found under the command of Marmaduke with the 18th Arkansas Infantry at www.fold3.com. Private John H. Henry was in Company F and reported his age as twenty-one (which dovetails with the age in the census) and enrolled for the duration of the war at Chalk Bluff, Arkansas and it was noted his traveling to place of rendezvous was thirty-five miles. The records validate Mr. Howerton’s statements as it was redesignated as Company F of the 3rd Confederate Infantry Regiment in January 1862 and Private John H. Henry is noted as being present for duty. The compiler notes while the Battle of Shiloh was a huge engagement the number of Confederate soldiers named J. H. Henry from Greene County, Arkansas is extremely limited.
The newspaper Cincinnati Gazette dated April 18, 1862 listed his name as J. H. Henry with the 1st Arkansas Infantry with a listing of Confederate sick and wounded from the Battle of Shiloh on the transport the Magnolia which arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 17, 1862. His name can be located on page one in column seven. The Magnolia left Pittsburgh Landing (The Union’s name for the Battle of Shiloh) on April 14, 1862 at 12:30 p.m. The Magnolia had been rented by the State of Ohio on behalf of United States Sanitary Commission and brought back both Confederate and Union sick and wounded soldiers from Shiloh. The compiler notes there were fifty-seven Confederate troops listed onboard the Magnolia. The compiler notes there were two other transports that also arrived in Cincinnati due to the battle one of which was the transport Monarch. The compiler further notes that Federal hospitals were flooded with wounded from Shiloh on points along both the Mississippi River and the Ohio River.
Federal POW Records listed a Private J. H. Henry with Company F of the 1st Regiment Arkansas Volunteers appearing on a list of Confederate prisoners who have died in General Hospitals in the Department of Ohio. The list was with the Medical Director’s Office in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was noted that Private J. H. Henry was taken prisoner at the Battle of Shiloh and had been wounded and died as a result of a gun-shot wound and listed his death as April 23, 1862 at the hospital at Camp Dennison, Ohio.
A copy of the original Camp Dennison burial records listed Private James H. Henry of Company F 1st Arkansas Infantry as died on Wednesday, April 23, 1862 due to a gun-shot wound and was buried in grave number 15 at the Waldschmidt Cemetery. The compiler notes these records were located at the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, Ohio and it is now the compilers opinion that his given name was John and not James as reported by the Camp Dennison burial records.
Mr. Howerton further stated “It's a stretch, but it's conceivable that John H. Henry might have identified himself as a member of the old 1st Arkansas Battalion when captured. The Camp Dennison hospital record is kind of a fluke. There should be an accompanying POW record for the man. Most POW records include prison hospital records if the prisoner was admitted, but in this case there is only the hospital record.” From the research gathered by the compiler, Mr. Howerton’s assessments are valid. And the compiler notes this is not the first time given names and surnames and units have been misidentified at Camp Dennison and the Waldschmidt Cemetery.
After the war the State of Ohio decided to remove all Confederate dead in the State to two locations, Johnson’s Island near Lake Erie and the Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery near Columbus, Ohio. The compiler notes that the efforts by the Quartermasters Department were not entirely successful in removing all of the Confederate dead to these two locations. Private Henry was one of the thirty-one Confederates reinterred from the Waldschmidt Cemetery near Camp Dennison, Ohio to the Camp Chase Cemetery in 1869.
The compiler notes according to the 1870 United States census the Henry household had moved from Greene County, Arkansas to Butler County, Missouri. (Given name spelled as) Jonathen G. Henry; born about 1816 in Tennessee with Julia Henry; born about 1822, in Tennessee. Other household members were: Thomas Henry; born about 1851 in Tennessee and George W. Henry; born about 1853 in Tennessee and Nancy Henry; born about 1857 in Arkansas. The household was living at Gillis Bluff, Missouri in Butler County and the nearest Post Office was listed as Poplar Bluff.
If the compiler were making the tombstone it would read: “JNO. H. HENRY CO. F 3 CONFED. INF. REG. C.S.A.”