Jacob M Field (abt. 1842 - 1864)

Born about Jan 1842 in Indiana, United States

Ancestors

Died 21 Jul 1864 at about age 22 in Andersonville Prison, Sumter, Georgia, United States

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Biography

Job Field was a POW in Andersonville Prison during The United States Civil War.

Job Field Died while a Prisoner of War in Andersonville Prison during The United States Civil War.

American Civil War soldier and prisoner who died at the infamous Andersonville Prison.

Civil War Official Record

Job was born about 1841-2^[1]. He is the son of Sargent Leonard Field and Plumilla Jane Wright. Enlisted 7/15/1861 5th Iowa Co K from York Delaware, age 19. Captured at Chattanooga (Missionary Ridge) TN 11/25/1863. Confined at Richmond VA 1/23/1863. Sent to Andersonville GA 2/15/1864. Admitted hospital 7/12/1864. Died 7/21/1864 of dysentery and anasarca. Grave #3705. Register # 5242. ^[2]

Job’s Fifth Iowa Regiment fought in the Second Battle of Corinth on October 3-4, and throughout the fall of 1862 and into January of the New Year they were part of General Grant’s central Mississippi campaign. Their next battle was at Port Gibson on the first of May. This was a violent month, with successive battles at Raymond, Jackson and Champion’s Hill. The monumental siege of Vicksburg followed with the Fifth Iowa Infantry providing some key assaults on heavily fortified positions. Of the 350 men engaged the regiment lost 19 and 75 were wounded. Vicksburg finally surrendered on the Fourth of July. After Vicksburg the regiment returned to Tennessee and conducted operations against the Memphis & Charleston railroad in Alabama. Next was the battle of Chattanooga on November 23-25, 1863. During the battle, Company K fought with distinction on Missionary Ridge. The Firth Iowa’s casualties in this battle included 2 killed, 22 wounded and 82 captured or missing. All of the captured were from Company K, along with their Corporal, Charles Fosdick. The captured men were marched and imprisoned at Belles Island in Richmond Virginia and eventually transferred to the notorious Andersonville Prison.

500 Days in Rebel Prisons

He is briefly mentioned in the book "500 Days in Rebel Prisons" by Charles Fosdick (formerly of Company K, 5th Iowa Volunteers), 1887, PDF online at http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/georgiabooks/do-pdf:gb0500, page 52:

At least half of those in the stockade were sick, and thousands unable to move from where they lay. The lice, flies, and maggots seemed to increase two-fold daily. The lice filled the filthy rags of the sick and dying, and crawled up the bare limbs of the living until those alone became almost unbearable. The great blue flies swarmed by the million over us, and blower the eyes, nose, and mouth of the sick, which would soon hatch and those organs would become infested with the wriggling larvae... Great clouds of mosquitoes and gallinippers would swarm in and claim their share of spoils of the human flesh.

Many of our hundred had died and their places had been filled by members of the 111th New York. Sammy Rull was given charge of the hundred. Ten were yet living. Isaac and David Loudenbeck, Co. B 5th Iowa were now in the last stages of rotting scurvy. Graves No. 9438 and 10224. Sergeant James W. Cowles, of my company K 5th Iowa, in the last stages of scurvy, with great running sores. Daniel Bixler, Co. B 5th Iowa, was afflicted with scurvy and gangrene sores on his feet and legs. Grave 9846.

Just a few feet away were four more of my company: Matthew F. Sparks, Albert T. Weliver, Job M. Field and William Tippery, all four slowly dying of diarrhoea and scurvy.

Sergt. Oliver H. Smith and Sergt. Chas. E. Walrath had each had an arm amputated from the effects of the poisonous vaccine while at Belle Isle. Walrath died and Smith was paroled with the sick. Two men of the 4th Minnesota, Grant and Kelly, both middle-aged men, who had diarrhoea and had wasted away until they were merely living skeletons.'

All of the above except Oliver H. Smith, died in the following six weeks, leaving me the only survivor of our original mess of twenty men who had been turned into Andersonville only four months previously.'

Description of Capture at Missionary Ridge

page 8 describes the capture:

On the 24th the whole army advances and engages the enemy, driving him from his most advanced position and shortening the distance to his main lines of defence. The army spends a sleepless night, rearranging their lines and replenishing their empty cartridge boxes, for a general assault on the morrow. When daylight dawns the army is in line, awaiting orders to move forward to battle. Thomas is successful in the center, and carries the rebel works on the west end of Mission[ary] Ridge and drives everything before him. Bragg rallies his beaten army, and marches to the right on double-quick and launches them against Sherman, to prevent a flank movement which would cut him off from his avenue of retreat. Sherman has now treble his own number to contend with.

The troops advance very slowly, and the enemy disputes every inch of ground. Men fall thick and fast; our ranks are becoming thinned and no reinforcement within reach. Our 40 rounds of cartridges are running low, and the sun seems to refuse to go down to put an end to the dreadful carnage. To stay in the open field, contending with a superior force, strongly fortified, was more than men could stand. Gen Matthias gave order to "fix bayonets," which was taken up by our Colonel, who shouted at the top of his voice: "Fifth Iowa, fix bayonets, charge!" The brigade presses up on the steep hillside, only to be mowed down by canister and minie ball. They reach the rebel works and jump inside. The struggle is a hand-to-hand one; rebel and Yank go down together. Pierced through with each other's bayonets. The rebels are reinforced, we are surrounded and ninety-five of the 5th Iowa are prisoners of war. We were marched to the rear through five miles of rebel infantry, and down to Chickamauga station.

Charles Fosdick Biography

From Charles Fosdick biography^[3]: As a member of the color guard during the battle of Missionary Ridge (on Tunnel Hill) at Chattanooga, Tennessee, November 25, 1863, he and about ninety other members of the Fifth Iowa were taken prisoner. He narrowly escaped death as he and some of his companions were swept into the Rebel entrenchments atop the hill.

With only the clothing on his back, Fosdick and fellow enlisted members of the Fifth were imprisoned through the bitter winter of 1863-1864 on Belle Isle at Richmond, Virginia.

In early March, Fosdick and a detachment of prisoners were crowded into boxcars for a long ride deep into Georgia, to their next place of imprisonment, the newly constructed Camp Sumter, better known as Andersonville. Here he survived great deprivation for the next seven months. When released in 1865, he was the only surviving member of his company who was taken prisoner.

Descendant Bob Fields found his grave# and location at the Andersonville National Historic site in Georgia.

Census Records

Listed in 1850 (My Division, Marshall, Indiana) and 1860 (Honey Creek, Delaware, Iowa) census along with the rest of his family. Age 19 on July 14 1860, age 8 on 29 Aug 1850, age 19 at enlistment on 7/15/1861. This narrows his birth date between Aug 29 1841 and July 15 1842.

References

1. ↑ Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925 Record for Wesley A Fields. 1856 Delaware, York, 6
2. ↑ Civil War Service record for Job Field.
3. ↑ http://www.scriptoriumnovum.com/i/p/fosdick-c.html Charles Fosdick Biography

Sources

• Bob Fields, from my grandfather's written family history, and secondhand knowledge. Entered Dec 31, 2011.

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51154625/job-m-field: accessed 12 April 2023), memorial page for Job M Field (1841–21 Jul 1864), Find a Grave Memorial ID 51154625, citing Andersonville National Cemetery, Andersonville National Historic Site, Macon County, Georgia, USA; Maintained by John C. Anderson (contributor 47208015).

• U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928–1962, A1 2110-B. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland.

• Andersonville, Georgia. Andersonville Prisoner of War Database. Andersonville, GA, USA: National Park Service, Andersonville National Historic Site. Lists Cause of Death: DYSENTERY, Remarks: JACOB M. FIELD [2]; JACOB FIELD [3], Reference: p 12 [3]; p 713 [427], Location of Capture: MISSIONARY RIDGE, TN, Date of Capture: 25 Nov 1863, Page: 113, Code: 13705, Grave: 3705.

• Burial Ledgers. The National Cemetery Administration, Washington, D.C. (Original records transferred to NARA: Burial Registers, compiled 1867-2006, documenting the period 1831-2006. ARC ID: 5928352. Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773–2007, Record Group 15. National Archives at Washington, D.C.
• Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Quartermaster General. (09/18/1947–08/01/1962). Burial Registers of Military Post and National Cemeteries, compiled ca. 1862–ca. 1960. ARC ID: 4478151. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.