Barckley, Michael Henry
Birth
Michael Barckley was born November 15, 1840 in Knox[1], Albany County, N.Y, the son of Henry Barckley and his wife Magdalene Livingston.[2] He had a younger brother Edward Barckley.[3] His paternal family, which had German origins, had settled in Guilderland several generations previously.[3]
Education
Michael was always a serious student who had a great love of books.[2] He attended the local public schools in Knox.[3] Michael entered Union College[1] in 1861, graduating with honors in July 1862.[2][4]
Occupation
Michael was working as a clerk at the time of his enlistment.[1]
Marriage
Michael did not marry.[3]
Life
Michael was raised on a farm in Knox, where his father Henry worked as a farmer and merchant.[3][5] His father was active in local affairs holding the various positions including that of postmaster.[3][6] As a result, Michael grew up in a well to do family that allowed him time for studies, but also stressed the importance of civic responsibility. He attended the Reformed Dutch Church in Knox.[2] He was admired and respected by all who knew him and his loss to the community brought a sadness to all.
Military Service
His records can also be found under Michael J. Barckley and Michael H. Barclay.
| Residence: | Knox[7] |
| Place of Birth: | Knox, NY[7] |
| Date of Birth: | 18 May 1843[7] |
| Names of Parents: | Henry (Barckley) and Magdalena Livingston[7] |
| Marital Status: | Single[7] |
| Occupation: | Clerk[7] |
| Term of Enlistment: | 3 years[7] |
| Bounty Received: | $100.00[7] |
| Enlistment Date: | 15 Aug 1862[1] |
| Enlistment Place: | Albany, N.Y. or Knox, NY[7] |
| Enlistment Rank: | First Lieutenant[1] |
| State Served: | New York |
| Original Regiment: | 113th N.Y. V. I.[8] |
| Company: | Company K[1] |
| Regiment renamed Dec. 1862: | 7th Regiment NY Heavy Artillery[1].[9] |
| Company: | Company K |
| Promotion Rank: | Commissioned First Lieutenant |
| Promotion Date: | 8 Sept 1862 with rank from 14 Aug 1862 |
| Wounded in Action at: | Cold Harbor, VA[1] |
| Wounded on: | 5 June 1864[1] |
| Death Date: | Died 6 July 1864[1][2] |
| Death Place: | Died from amputation of right leg at Carver US Hospital in Washington, DC with his mother at his side.[2][1] |
Additional Remarks: "After being in service nearly two years was wounded in right leg so that amputation was necessary from which he died Remains buried in Knox Cemetery."[1]Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag;
invalid names, e.g. too many |
| Additional Sources Used: Annual Report of the Adjutant-General for 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; Clark, Rufus Wheelwright, "Heroes of Albany; A memorial of the Patriot-martyrs of the City and County", 1867 |
Military Experience
Michael was well thought by his neighbors in Knox so that when he decided to serve in the Civil War, 21 other men from the area joined him.[1] As a result of his college degree and these enlistments, he was commissioned First Lieutenant of Company K.[1] The Reverend E. E. Taylor of Knox on behalf of the people of Knox presented Michael with a sword, sash, belt and pistol.[2]
Death
Lieutenant Michael Barckley died a of shell wound to his right knee received 4 June 1864 at Cold Harbor.[1] He died on 6 July 1864, with his mother Magdalene at his side as a result of amputation at the hospital in Washington DC.[2] His funeral services were held in Knox at the Reformed Dutch Church on Sunday July 10, 1864 with Reverends William P. Davis and E. Vedder officiating.[2]
Lieut Michael Henry Barckley
Birth: Nov. 15, 1840
Death: Jul. 6, 1864, District Of Columbia, USA
He died on July 6, 1864 at Washington, DC from wounds sustained at Cold Harbor.He was a Civil War soldier.
Burial: Knox Cemetery, Knox. Albany County, New York, USA
Created by: KBrownst
Record added: Jul 31, 2010
Find A Grave Memorial# 55700483
Burial
Lt. M. H. Barckley is buried in Knox Cemetery.[10]
U.S., Burial Registers, Military Posts and National Cemeteries, 1862-1960 about Michael H Barclay[11]
Name: Michael H Barclay
Death Date: 6 Jul 1864
Cemetery Ledger: Soldier's Home
Burial Place: Washington, DC
Age at Death: 23
Birth Year: abt 1841
Michael H. Barclay Record Number 2579, NO plot information, Ward 79, 7th NY Heavy Artillery, 1st Lieutenant, Company K, Knox, Albany County, Single, Parents live in Knox, Albany Co., Father is Edward, Died from exhaustion, amputation right thigh, 23 years old, native of New York, died July 6, 1864, not buried, died at Carver Hospital, taken home.
Additional Research Notes
"Originally enrolled as the 113th New York Infantry Regiment when mustered into service on August 18, 1862, the unit was converted into the Seventh New York Heavy Artillery in December, 1862. An additional two companies were added, bringing the Seventh Heavy to twelve companies."[1][1] His remains were buried at the Knox Reformed Cemetery.[1]
- 113th Regiment or NY 7th Heavy Artillery Company K - Soldiers recruited by Michael Henry Barckley
Additional Media
Historical Documents
More info
The Knox Historical Society has many historical documents related to Barckley at the Saddlemire Homestead in Knox, including original letters and military papers. Many are difficult to read, and transcriptions are open to discussion.
Additional Documents
Sword
Michael Henry Barckley's sword is on display at the Saddlemire Homestead in the center of Knox beside the Fire House and in front of the Knox Town Hall. Thanks to Allan Dietz for reminding us.
War Record of Famous Albany Regiment of 1862
Huested, Alfred B. War record of famous Albany Regiment of 1862 : History that was read by Dr. A. B. Huested at the reunion of 100 survivors on the occasion of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the old 113th Regiment, later known as the Seventh Heavy Artillery. 1912. from http://dmna.state.ny.us/
Warner's Diaries
Barckley is mentioned in Diaries of George H. Warner
Carnival of Blood
Photo by permission of Morrisville State College Library, Morrisville, NY
More Info
The following excerpt is from Carnival of Blood, by Richard Keating:
- Page 3
In the rural hamlet of Knox, in farm country ten miles west of Albany, young Michael Barckley gained a commission as first lieutenant in Company K, primarily because he was a recent college graduate, but he had also managed to convince twenty-one men from the small community to enlist in the Regiment. His recruiting efforts were then a cause for admiration and celebration, during the patriotic euphoria which gripped the Northern States in the summer of 1862. Three years later, Barckley and sixteen of the twenty-one were dead, and the mood would be far different."
- Page 154-6
Another popular officer was struck down that day. Nearly two years earlier, when he had been mustered in as a First Lieutenant in Company K, Michael Henry Barkley had been presented with a sword and sash, and a belt and pistol, given to him by the citizens of his small home town of Knox, in rural Albany County. At the ceremony , he had been reminded that the Bible "cursed [him] who keepeth back his sword from blood." And then they had sent him off to war, with a prayer that invoked God, not only to protect him, but also to grant him an honorable death and a heavenly salvation: " May God sustain you in your trials, give you a valiant heart, shield you from evil, and return you and your comrades to us again in peace. If it may be, or if it must be, that you fall, be yours an honored grave,...by and by to enjoy the bliss of heaven."
In accepting the gifts, the Union College graduate promised "...to hold them sacred, to use them where duty calls, and never return them dishonored." Keeping his word, his sword had been blooded during the assault, and on that Sunday morning, when a Rebel shell fragment ripped through his right leg just above his knee, his trial was indeed about to lead to an honored grave. In an effort to save his life, his leg was amputated above the knee that same day. Three days later, while waiting to be put aboard a hospital transport, he wrote to his father, explaining the situation, and urging him not to worry: "Do not be alarmed, as I am getting along first rate." But Barckley was destined to die in a Washington hospital on the evening of July 6. Just before his death, he remarked to his mother, "I could not die in a better cause."
At his funeral in the Knox Dutch Reformed Church four days later, his sword lay amongst flowers strewn upon his flag-bedecked coffin. His pastor described the ceremony: "Citizens from every direction flocked to the house in mourning until the church was filled to its unmost capacity, the vestibule crowded, and the grounds in front filled by a multitude from far and near.... After the ceremony, the assembly followed his remains, in slow and solemn procession, to the new cemetery and on a most beautiful spot, overlooking the place that gave him birth,.... was deposited the lifeless form of the once loved and noble youth...."
Union College Alumni in the Civil War
Union College Alumni in the Civil War 1861-1865 by Union University, Schenectady, NY, Published 1915 page 91
"1862 Michael Barckley A.B. 1st Lieut. 7th NY Heavy Artillery, Killed at Cold Harbor, Va June 5, 1864"
Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs
Reynolds, Cuyler, Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, NY 1911 page 1605-6
"Michael, born in Knox in 1840, educated in the public schools, and grew to manhood on his father's farm; when the civil war broke out he was active in raising a company and went to the front as lieutenant of Company K, Seventh New York Heavy Artillery; at the battle of Cold Harbor he was wounded by a bursting shell, taken to a military hospital at Washington, D.C. where he died from the effects of his wound, 1864; he was unmarried his memory is preserved in Altamont where Michael Barckley Post, Grand Army of the Republic, is named in his honor."
Additional Research Notes
Town and City Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War
New York, Town Clerks' Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War, ca 1861-1865 about Michael Henry Barckley[11]
Name: Michael Henry Barckley
Birth Date: 15 Nov 1840
Birth Place: Knox, Albany Co, New York
Father: Henry Barckley
Mother: Magdalen Levingston
Residence Place: Knox
Enlistment Date: 26 Jul 1862
Enlistment Location: Knox, Albany, New York
Regiment: 7th Regiment
Company: K
Rank: 1st Lieutenant
Race: White
New York, Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900
New York, Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900 about Michael H Barclay[11]
Name: Michael H Barclay
Age: 22
Birth Year: abt 1840
Birth Place: Knox
Enlistment Year: 1862
Enlistment Location: Albany, New York
Muster Year: 1862
Separation Details: Died
Separation Date: 6 Jul 1864
Civil War Record Summaries
U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles about Michael H Barclay[11]
Name: Michael H Barclay
Residence: Albany, New York
Occupation: Clerk
Age at enlistment: 22
Enlistment Date: 15 Aug 1862
Rank at enlistment: 1st Lieutenant
Enlistment Place: Albany, New York
State Served: New York
Was Wounded?: Yes
Survived the War?: No
Service Record: Promoted to Full 1st Lieutenant on 14 Aug 1862.Commissioned an officer in Company K, New York 7th Heavy Artillery Regiment on 18 Aug 1862.Mustered out on 06 Jul 1864 at Carver Hospl, Washington, DC.
Birth Date: abt 1840
Sources: New York: Report of the Adjutant-GeneralCarnival of Blood: Civil War Ordeal of 7th NY Heavy Artillery
U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 about Michael H. Barclay[11]
Name: Michael H. Barclay
Side: Union
Regiment State/Origin: New York
Regiment Name: 7 N.Y. Heavy Art'y.
Regiment Name Expanded: 7th Regiment, New York Heavy Artillery
Company: K
Rank In: First Lieutenant
Rank In Expanded: First Lieutenant
Rank Out: First Lieutenant
Rank Out Expanded: First Lieutenant
Film Number: M551 roll 6
American Civil War Soldiers about Michael Barclay[11]
Name: Michael Barclay
Enlistment Date: 15 Aug 1862
Enlistment Place: Albany, New York
Side Served: Union
State Served: New York
Service Record: Promoted to Full 1st Lieutenant on 14 Aug 1862.
Enlisted as a 1st Lieutenant on 15 August 1862 at the age of 22.
Commission in Company K, 7th Heavy Artillery Regiment New York on 18 Aug 1862.
Died from wounds Company K, 7th Heavy Artillery Regiment New York on 6 Jul 1864 at Carver Hospl, Washington, DC.
Sources: 14
Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York
7th NY Heavy Artillery
BARCLAY, MICHAEL H. — Age, 22 years. Enrolled August 15, 1862, at Albany; mustered in as first lieutenant, Co. K , Seventh Artillery (originally One Hundred and Thirteenth Infantry), August 18,1862, to serve three years; wounded at Cold Harbor, Va., June 5, 1864; died, July 6, 1864, from amputation of right leg, at Carver Hospital, D. C.; commissioned first lieutenant, September 8, 1862, with rank from August 14, 1862, original.
(Note the misspelling of his name in this official report.)
History of the County of Albany - Tenney and Howell
Knox: Michael H. Barckley, born in the town of Knox, graduated at Union College, raised a company in his town, was wounded at Cold Harbor and died July 6, 1864.
Heroes of Albany
- Heroes of Albany - Complete Text - more details for Lt. Barckley
Carnival of Blood
BARCKLEY, MICHAEL H. - Born: Knox, NY. Age:22. Occupation: clerk. Enrolled, August 15, 1862, as first lieutenant in Co. K; wounded in the right knee by a shell fragment, June 5, 1864, at Cold Harbor; died, July 6, 1864, from amputation, in hospital at Washington, DC. Buried in Knox Reformed Cemetery.
Census Records
| 1850 United States Federal Census about Michael Barckley[11] Name: Michael Barckley |
1860 United States Federal Census about Michael Barckley[11] Name: Michael Barckley |
New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center
7th Regiment Artillery (Heavy), NY Volunteers Civil War Newspaper Clippings from http://dmna.state.ny.us/
Of the hundreds of articles, this is the one that describes the battle in which Barckley was wounded.
Altamont Enterprise Article - July 21, 2011
The article below appeared in the Altamont Enterprise on July 21, 2011. It tells the life history of Lt. Barckley. For the text version, click here.
Altamont Enterprise Article - Page 1 - July 21, 2011 
Altamont Enterprise Article - Page 2 - July 21, 2011
Sources
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 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 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Clark, Rufus Wheelwright, "Heroes of Albany; A memorial of the Patriot-martyrs of the City and County", Publ 1867, pg. 545
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Reynolds, Cuyler, Hudson-Mohawk Genelaogical and Family Memoirs, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, NY 1911 page 1605-6, Ancestry.com
- ↑ Union University Schenectady, NY, Union College Alumni in the Civil War 1861, 1865, Published 1915, page 91, Google Books
- ↑ Gazetteer and Business Directory of Albany and Schenectady Co., NY for 1870-71 by Hamilton Child
- ↑ United States Official Postal Guide by United States Post Office Department, Published 1851 page 138, Google books
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 Town and City Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War
- ↑ Howell, George Rogers, History of the County of Albany, NY from 1609-1886, W. W. Munsell & Co., 1886
- ↑ "American Civil War Soldiers" (Ancestry.com)
- ↑ www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyalbany/cem/KnoxCemetery.html
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 www.Ancestry.com
