[Pg 2]Joseph King Fenno Mansfield was born in New Haven, Conn., December 22,1803. His early education was obtained in the common schools of his state.At the age of fourteen he entered the military academy at West Point,being the youngest of a class of forty. During the five years of hiscourse, he was a careful and earnest student, especially distinguishinghimself in the sciences, and graduating in 1822, second in his class.
He was immediately promoted to the Corps of Engineers, in which departmenthe served throughout the Mexican war. In 1832 he was made 1st Lieutenant;three years later Captain.
His gallantry and efficiency during the Mexican war were rewarded bysuccessive brevets of Major, Lt.-Colonel and Colonel of Engineers.
In 1853 Mansfield was appointed Inspector General of the army, and in theprosecution of his duties visited all parts of the country.
At the outbreak of the War of the Rebellion he was in the Northwest, butin April, 1861, was summoned to Washington to take command of the forcesthere. On May 17, 1861, Mansfield was promoted to the rank of BrigadierGeneral in the regular army.
He rendered valuable service at Fortress Monroe, Newport News, Suffolk,and finally at Antietam, where he was mortally wounded, September 17,1862.
It was bad enough and sad enough that Gen. Mansfield should be mortallywounded once, but to be wounded six, seven or eight times in as manylocalities is too much of a story to let stand unchallenged.
These pages will tell what the members of the 10th Maine Regiment know ofthe event, but first we will state what others have claimed.
The following places have been pointed out as the spot where Mansfield waswounded and all sorts of particulars have been given. Besides these a manwith a magic-lantern is traveling through the country showing Burnside’sbridge, and remarking, “Here Mansfield fell.”
The spot marked A on the map is said to have been vouched for by a “NewYork officer of Mansfield’s staff.”
B is where the late David R. Miller understood the General was wounded bya sharpshooter stationed in Miller’s barn, west of the pike.
C is where Capt. Gardiner and Lieut. Dunegan, of Co. K, 125th Penn. Vols.,assured me[1] that the General fell from his horse in front of theircompany.
[Pg 4]D is where, in November, 1894, I found a marker, that had been placedthere the October previous, by some one unknown to me. These are the fourprincipal places which have been pointed out to visitors. Still anotherspot was shown to our party when the 1-10-29th Maine Regiment Associationmade its first visit to the field, Oct. 4, 1889; it is south of A, but Idid not note exactly where.
E. There has also been published in the National Tribune, which has animmense circulation among the soldiers, the statement[2] of Col. John H.Keatley, now Commandant of the Soldier’s Home, Marshall-town, Iowa, wholocates the place near the Dunker Church.
Col.