Thomas H. Stieren Served in the Civil War
A brief military profile of my 2x great-grandfather
I haven’t done a lot of research on Thomas aside from understanding some of his military experience. I have a cousin who secured and kindly shared Thomas’ Civil War pension files which were full of gruesome details.
According to some of Thomas’ records, he was born in Germany 27 May 1834. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen prior to volunteering for the Union Army in December of 1861. He was part of Company I, Regiment 5 Iowa Cavalry, known as Bracket’s Battalion.
He joined at Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota but was soon transferred to Benton Barracks in Missouri for training. While there he was injured when he was kicked by a horse to his chest.
Starting in Fall of 1862, his regiment moved to Fort Heiman on the border of Tennessee/Kentucky. While there his responsibilities included patrol duty as well as an expedition to destroy a railroad bridge over the Tennessee River. Scouting and protecting the area on horse was a daily task. After going into camp at night and while taking care of his horse he received a strong kick in the “private parts” by his horse and was hospitalized for treatment and never returned to his Company afterwards.
Thomas’ injuries disabled him for the remainder of his life making him unable to consistently provide for his family. In the affidavits filed with the Pension office, one doctor said “He is totally unable to earn a support by manual labor by reason of disease of right testicle. Sternum right side. Disease of prostrate gland, incontinence of urine. Disease of rectum. Cough, vertigo and palpitation of heart. Cataracts. General and senile disability.” Sadly, since he only served for twelve months, his pension amount was minimal.
The medal on his jacket appears to be that of a fraternal organization of Union Soldier veterans.
If you know more about Thomas, his battalion or the medal on his jacket, please share!
Nobody talks much about injuries from horses. But when they were used in great numbers there must have been a lot of terrible injuries to both men and horses. Stieren's injuries sound terrible, leaving him unable to manage his bodily functions. It must have been terrible for his family. Did he live long after his discharge?
That sounds horrible to be kicked by a horse! I cannot imagine. So cool that you went back that far in your historical research!