For our Vegas Voice Veterans Day tribute, we focus on Civil War Veteran, Harvey Holmes. Ruthie Easterling contacted me following our November 2024 story about Petty Officer John Lawrence Brown. She maintains she has the original Civil War discharge document from her grandfather, Private Harvey Holmes.
This is his story:
Harvey was born in 1842 in Brown County, Ohio. The 1860 Federal Population Census shows he worked as a farm laborer in LaPorte, Indiana. He enlisted in the Union Army and mustered into Company C, 29th Infantry on August 27, 1861.
This unit fought in the Battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Stones River, Liberty Gap, and Chickamauga. The regiment mustered out on August 2, 1865.
There is also evidence that Harvey’s father, Harvey Holmes, Sr. also served in the Civil War. Harvey Holmes Sr. was born in 1807 and mustered in Company I of the 35th Regiment on 16 November 1861.
Records show that Harvey Holmes Sr. was a Wagoner responsible for delivering supplies to the army. At some point he became disabled and was discharged in 1862 at Bardstown, Kentucky. There are no records indicating that father and son served together or even knew the other had entered service.
Few records exist on Harvey until he married Netta Della McAffee in 1899. Despite the age difference, (he was 57 and she was 17 when they married) they had seven children.
Tragically, Harvey became incapacitated due to rheumatism and was placed in a nursing home. Netta, much younger, couldn’t support the children. They were all admitted to the Indiana Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s Home in 1909.
Curiously, troubling notes surfaced in Private Holmes’s records. The Adjutant General of Indiana noted his mustering in on August 27, 1861, and mustering out on August 2, 1865. A single note indicated he deserted, while another indicated Absent Without Leave (AWOL) from February 25 to March 1, 1864.
Despite these notes in Private Holmes’ records, Holmes received a pension on October 3, 1889, and his widow received the pension on October 16, 1916, raising doubts about the information.
I consulted with Richard Haynes, a military research expert at the Family Search Center in Las Vegas. He reviewed the Holmes discharge form and noted it wasn’t an original from 1865. It was signed and dated on October 9, 1889, likely a re-creation of his discharge form documenting his military service.
Civil War veterans faced many hardships after the war. The Pension and Disabilities Act of 1889 significantly changed their financial support, expanding eligibility criteria to include veterans with service-related injuries and disabilities, regardless of cause.
This legislation increased the number of veterans qualifying for pensions and provided much-needed financial assistance to aging soldiers with health issues. A basic pension ranged from $6 to $12 per month for veterans with disabilities.
Private Holmes’ reasons for going AWOL are unknown. Many soldiers were farmers before the war and left their farms to fight. Civil War experts said many returned home for seasonal work and then returned to their unit without punishment. Perhaps this was the situation with Holmes.
Approximately 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers died from combat, disease, and other causes during the Civil War. Private Holmes’ story shows the hardships faced by these veterans.
The military history of the Holmes family continued as Ruthie’s father, William R. Holmes, 1901-1989, enlisted in the Army on 11 July 1918. He was discharged on December 20, 1918, just weeks after World War I ended on November 11, 1918.
In addition to her veteran father, Ruthie’s cousin, Robert Deane Woods, was a naval aviator that was shot down over North Vietnam on October 12, 1966. Lieutenant Woods spent 2,336 days in captivity in the Hanoi Hilton before being released during Operation Homecoming on March 4, 1973.
He was awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action on 12 and 13 October 1966. Lieutenant Commander Woods passed away in 2023 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
We honor all who served on this Veterans Day.
