Birth
Lucius Edward Ball was the son of Robert Ball (B. Jan 9, 1809) and Anna Barbara Dietz (B. Oct 17, 1815, D. Oct 16, 1897). He was born in Albany[1] Berne[2][3]on March 14, 1843. He was the fifth child of sixteen.
Occupation
Before he served in the Civil War, Lucius worked as a carpenter.[1]
Military Service
| Name: | Lucius Ball |
| Residence: | Berne[3] |
| Place of Birth: | Berne[3] |
| Date of Birth: | 14 March 1842[3] |
| Names of Parents: | Robert Ball and Barbara Dietz[3] |
| Marital Status: | Single[3] |
| Occupation: | Carpenter[3] |
| Term of Enlistment: | 3 years[3] |
| Bounty Received: | $100.00[3] |
| Enlistment Date: | 1 Aug 1862[1] |
| Enlistment Place: | Berne, New York [3] |
| Enlistment Rank: | Private[1] |
| State Served: | New York |
| Regiment: | 7th Regiment NY Heavy Artillery |
| Company: | Company D[1] |
| Wounded on: | 3 Jun 1864[1] |
| Wounded at: | Cold Harbor, VA[1] |
| Died on: | 6 Jun 1864[1] |
| Place of Death: | Cold Harbor, VA[1][4][3] |
| Place of Burial: | Cold Harbor, VA[3] |
| Additional Remarks: Enlisted at the age of 21.[1]"Killed in Battle at Cold Harbor June 3rd 1864 Buried on the field"[3] Born in Albany County, NY, age 21 years, Occupation,carpenter, Blue eyes, Dark hair, light complexion, 5'7" tall.[2] |
| Sources Used: Ancestry.com, American Civil War Soldiers, 1865 Census, Berne, Albany Co., NY; Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of NY for the year 1898; Keating, Robert, Carnival of Blood: The Civil War Ordeal of the Seventh New York Heavy Artillery, Published by Butternut and Blue, Baltimore, Md 1998;Town and City Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War |
Death
Lucius died on June 6, 1862 at Cold Harbor, Virginia. He had been wounded in the thigh three days before and had laid in shallow pits with William A. Post and Daniel McCollock (of New Scotland) without the availability of shelter, food or water under the blazing June sun. By day they were pinned to their protected pit by Confederate fire and every night they attempted to move closer to the safety of the Union lines. Only Daniel McCollock survived long enough to reach safety.[1]
This story was remembered in the Ball family and was told to Allan Deitz by Clyde L. Ball: Lucius and William A. Post fought side by side during the battle. After both were wounded they tried to get back to their lines by crawling at night under cover of darkness, but didn't make it. They were found together on the battlefield. [5]
Lucius's parents Robert Ball and Anna Barbara Dietz never saw all of their children together because Lucius died before he could see their last child, his sister Cora Ball.[5]
Other Media
Newspapers
Knickerbocker News dispatch from the field June 8, 1864 reports death of Lucius E. Ball and William A. Post, both of Berne.
Carnival of Blood
Keating, Robert, Carnival of Blood: The Civil War Ordeal of the Seventh New York Heavy Artillery, Published by Butternut and Blue, Baltimore, Md 1998 Born: Albany [should be Berne], NY. Age 19. Occupation: carpenter. Enlisted, August 1, 1862, as private in Co. D; wounded in the thigh by a shell fragment, June 3, 1864 at Cold Harbor; lay between the lines without treatment, food, or water, until June 6, when he died.
Heroes of Albany|Heroes of Albany
Clark, Rufus Wheelwright, "Heroes of Albany; A memorial of the Patriot-martyrs of the City and County", 1867 LUCIUS E. BALL enlisted August 6, 1862, in the One Hundred and Thirteenth Regiment. Killed in battle at Cold Harbor.
Town and City Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War
Formal name: Complete Record Relating to Officers, Soldiers, and Seamen Composing the Quotas of Troops Furnished to the United States..in the War of the Rebellion The registers provide military service data and personal biographical information regarding the men furnished by each town or city during the Civil War.
Note from Jerome D. Ball, brother of Lucius, concerning his death and the tin type image of Lucius
Sources
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Keating, Robert, Carnival of Blood: The Civil War Ordeal of the Seventh New York Heavy Artillery, Published by Butternut and Blue, Baltimore, Md 1998
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 NY Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, Ancestry.com Military databases
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 Town and City Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War
- ↑ Clark, Rufus Wheelwright, "Heroes of Albany; A memorial of the Patriot-martyrs of the City and County", 1867
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Clyde L. Ball as told to Allan Deitz
Researcher: Allan Deitz
