Wright, Carpenter N.

Birth

CARPENTER NELSON WRIGHT was born in 1843 Berne to Albert Wright (B. May 2, 1818, D. 1907) and his wife Roxanne (B. Feb 16, 1813, D. July 24, 1868). Carpenter was one of twelve children and the second boy.

Marriage & Children

Carpenter did not marry before he enlisted in the Civil War at age 18.

Occupation

Carpenter was a farmer like his father and older brother before he enlisted in the Civil War.

Military Service

Residence:	Berne
Place of Birth:	Berne, NY
Names of Parents:	Albert (Wright) and Roxyann
Marital Status:	Single
Occupation:	Farmer
Term of Enlistment:	3 years
Enlistment Date:	17 Nov 1861 9 Oct. 1861
Enlistment Place:	Oswego
Enlistment Rank:	Private
State Served:	New York
Regiment:	76th Regiment
Company:	I
Death Date:	16 Dec. 1862 or Dec 16, 1862
Place of Death:	Camp Convalescent, VA. or Fairfax Seminary, VA
Place of Burial:	Fairfax Cemetery

Additional Remarks: "Died at Camp convalescent Dec 16 1862 and buried at Fairfax Cemetery" Died of sickness. Fought in the 2nd battle of Bull Run and Anteidam. Enlisted at the age of 18 to serve 3 years.died of chronic diarrhea, December 15, 1862

Sources Used: Heroes of Albany; Town and City Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War; Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of New York, regimental rosters.

Life

Carpenter was born in Berne where his father Albert Wright was a successful farmer who owned land. Carpenter came from a large family of twelve children, the eldest 6 years older than he and the youngest 16 years younger. Carpenter's family lived surrounded by their pateranal relatives the Wrights. By 1860 Carpenter and his older brother George were both recorded as farm laborers.

Military Service

Carpenter's military service can be followed in a series of letters that he wrote home which were found in his pension file at the National Archives, Washington, DC. They have been transcribed by B. Conrad Bush of West Falls, NY and are available at www.bpmlegal.com/76NY/76wrightcn.html. In these letters he writes that he was generally happy in the military, but a little home sick. In February of 1862 they were guarding Camp Massachusetts in Washington, D.C. where the mud was a foot deep. Later in the spring of 1862, they moved to Fredericksburg, Va where he got sick with what the doctor said was yellow fever, but recovered. By the fall of 1862, Carpenter was continuously sick with diarrhea, fever and head aches. By the end of November 1862, the military had decided to discharge him because of his health issues, but he never survived to return home.

Death

Carpenter Nelson Wright died at Camp Convalescent, December 16, 1862, and was buried at Fairfax Cemetery.

Post Script

After Carpenter's death, his father Albert filed for his Civil War pension.. According to the pension papers filed by Albert Wright, Albert and his second wife Eldora Gifford were married in January 1864 by Squire D. Wright and lived in Berne. He had eight children living in 1867 when he filed the pension claim.

Additional Research Notes

Heroes of Albany

CARPENTER N. WRIGHT was born in Bern, and enlisted in Company I, Seventy-sixth Regiment, October 19, 1861. He died at Camp Convalescent, December 16, 1862, and was buried at Fairfax Cemetery.

Letters of Carpenter N. Wright

On the Internet are the Civil War letters that Carpenter N. Wright wrote to his father Albert Wright. In his last letter from a camp near Alexandria Virginia he wrote:

dear father i take my pen in hand to inform you that i am not Well yet i am very Sick i am getting my discarg and i Want you to Send me teen dolars as quick as you can i have not enough money to come.

Additional Media

Town and City Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War

Died at Camp convalescent Dec 16 1862 and buried at Fairfax Cemetery

76th Infantry WRIGHT CARPENTER N Age 18 years Enlisted Novem ber 17 1861 at Berne to serve three years mustered in as private Co I November 19 1861 died of chronic diarrhoea December 15 1862 at Fairfax Seminary Hospital Va

Sources