A Civil War Story

CRAIL: One last mention of the Crail family. The three brothers, Sylvester, John and Aaron all chose to serve their country during the Civil War.

Sylvester, the eldest, mustered in with Company B the 79th Indiana Infantry on 9 August 1862. He saw action at the Battle of Stone River in Tennessee that December. He came down with a severe cold that settled in his back. During battle on 31 December, Sylvester was struck by a Confederate cavalry mount, became separated from his unit and was captured. He was a POW until July or August of 1863, when he was paroled. Sylvester was listed as being sick in the hospital in Louisville in August. He was hospitalized in Chattanooga in September. From October 1863 until January 1864, Crail was treated in Indianapolis. He was then transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps on 14 January. Sylvester served as a sergeant with the 94th Company, 2nd Battalion. [The VRC soldiers were severely disabled, but capable of handling light duty. This freed up able-bodied men to serve in the front lines.]

After the war, Sylvester tried farming for awhile, but his disabilities prevented him from being a success. He turned to driving hacks [early taxis] in Indianapolis. Sylvester suffered from back and kidney ailments that qualified him for an Invalid Pension in 1882. He also suffered from
disease of the lungs and eyes, chronic gripe, enlargement of the liver, rheumatism of the hips and lumbar region of the back.

Sylvester was married three times. He raised his 2nd wife's son and fathered four of his own. He and his 3rd wife applied for admission to the Indiana State Soldiers' Home near Lafayette in Tippecanoe Co., Indiana in 1897 and were accepted. Sylvester died there on 17 January 1898. He was buried in the cemetery at the Home.

John and Aaron enlisted in Company I of the 124th Indiana on 21 February 1864. John Crail, like his elder brother, contracted a cold while on duty. This happened at Decatur, Georgia in April 1864.
Crail's cold affected his lungs and throat .John also suffered rheumatism. John also suffered from chronic diarrhea and piles [enlarged and engorged blood vessels around the lower back passage] for the rest of his life. He was hospitalized in Atlanta from October - December. John was fit for duty by March 1865 and served out the rest of his enlistment.

Like Sylvester, John returned to farming after the war. By 1870, Crail had moved to Indianapolis and tried his hand at carpentry work. John also qualified for an Invalid Pension [1888]. By 1904, John was blind in his left eye and lost all of his teeth. Shortly before his death in 1907, John suffered from severe paralysis in his tongue, limbs and bowels.  He was buried in the Veterans' Section of Crown Hill. John and his wife Melissa had five children.

Aaron, the youngest, served with John. At the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in June 1864, the troops were hampered by torrential rains. Aaron was taken sick with chronic diarrhea and rheumatic swelling in his lower limbs. He was sent to the hospital; remaining until September then returned to duty at Decatur, Georgia. After a few days, Crail became ill again. Aaron was transferred from one military hospital to another and was discharged at Camp Dennison, Ohio on 6 June 1865.

Upon returning home, Aaron purchased a tract of land in Hamilton Co. [near Castleton] and returned to farming. The complications from the ailments contracted in Georgia developed into consumption [tuberculosis]. Aaron's family held off applying for an Invalid Pension because they expect him to pass at any time. Aaron died 0n 25 March 1868 at the age of 28. He left a widow and six children under the age of ten.

Three brothers served their country and all three came out physical wrecks. Aaron may have been the lucky one, surviving only three years. John suffered from his maladies for 42 years and Sylvester for about 33.