Marlin Philemon Stevens
: Company F, 64th Regiment, NY State Volunteers. Age 18 years. Enlisted August 15, 1861 at Little Valley to serve three years; mustered in as First Sergeant, Co. F on September 10, 1861; returned to the ranks on February 16, 1862; promoted Sergeant on November 13, 1863, discharged on January 16, 1864 near Germania Ford, VA.
References:
"Adjutant General's Report, 1901"
In Marlin's Daily Journal (1 January 1881 to August 1882), he reflects his life from age twelve until his twenties by reflecting upon past "4th of July's":
"4th of July. Did not get up as early as I used to 25 or 30 years ago. 26 years ago {Marlin was twelve} I got up at 3 o'clock and went to Randolph with Sam and Hawk Monroe, stayed to see the fireworks, which lasted till nearly mid-night, got home very, very tired. I was working for "Bill" @ $ 4.00 per month. 21 years ago {Marlin was seventeen} I was working in "East-Bethany General Company" for a man by the name of Jay @ $11.00 per month. I got up as soon as day light and done a days work and then went on horse back to Batavia. 20 years ago I was working for Geo @ $ 13.00 per month, we had potatoes west of the big barn on Harris place. 19 years ago {Marlin was Nineteen years old} I was on board a gunboat {Gunboat St. Lewis later name changed to} "Baron De Kalb" lying in the Mississippi River, off of Memphis. I was sick from working in water and getting stuff off from the vessels we sunk in engagement. June 6th, I think, my shipmates were very kind, they went ashore and got me everything they could think of {for his illness}. 18 years ago {Marlin was twenty} I was among the volunteers who went ashore and manned a Fort in Rear of Vicksburg, I was only a short distance from General Grant, they were arguing upon terms of surrender. I saw the first white flag hoisted on Confederate Fortifications. I was in the city 2 hours after and saw some 25,000 as fine as soldiers as I ever saw in either army. Such scenes are never forgotten.
Three of Marlin's brothers also volunteered to fight in the Civil War; George, Silas and Judson. The following note is from Ann Boser regarding the brothers:
From "History of Napoli" page 3, complied 1965 by Kent Burroughs, Trustee Napoli Cemetery Records. In the back of the Cemetery Book.
"Among the first settlers in 1820, Levi Stevens settled on lot 21. The letter had eight children, viz.; W(illia)m, Charles, Amariah, Silas, George W., Marlin P., Judson D. and Hannah Moriah.
Onoville
George W. Stevens - Pvt. B Reg 199 PA. Vol. 13 Sept. 1864-26 June 1866, Dislocation of R. elbow joint also heart disease.
Little Valley
Silas Stephen's - priv. C Co. 19 Reg. NY HAT. Enlisted 15 Aug 1864 - Disc. 21 June 1865, length of service 0 yr., 11 m., 6 d. Rheumatism
Silas Stevens - Co. F, 64 Inf. Enl. Aug 26 1861, wounded Fair Oaks.
Judson Stevens - 111th Inf. Enl. Aug 26, 1864
Marlin P. Stevens - age 18 yrs. Co F 64 Inf. Enlisted Aug 15, 1861 - disc Jan 16, 1864, near Germania Ford, Va.
Randolph
Asa J. Reed 64th Inf. Enlisted Feb 6, 1865
Silas - Mustard in as a corporal Oct 18, 1861, promoted to Sergt. Nov 13, 1863, wounded in the neck at Fair Oak discharged for disabilities July 28, 1864 at Philadelphia, PA
Records from the National Archives for Marlin gives the following information, dated 30 Jan 1902:
"Marlin P. Stevens, Co. F 64, Regt. N.Y. Inf. Was enrolled Aug 15, 1861 and it has been determined that he was discharged this service by reason of his transfer on the following day to the Miss. Gunboat Flotilla.
From M.J. he held the rank of Pvt., 1st Sergt. Pvt. & Sergt. And during that period the rolls show him present except as follows: Feb 28/62 abt. This man volunteered to go upon the Gunboat on the expedition down the Miss. Subsequent rolls to Aug 31/63 detach on gunboat service since Feb 16/62. Place of birth Little Valley, NY age 18 years, occupation, Farmer, height 6 feet, ¼ inches; complexion light; color of eyes, blue, color of hair brown.
The medical records show him treated as follows; Nov 15/61, diagnosis not stated Jan 30&31/62 Diarrhea: Feb 11 to 14/62 laryngitis. The records also show M__ P. Stevens, Seaman S. of St. Louis treated in Genl hospl. Mound leity, ill July 11 to 29/62 for Fever. Intermit, red to duty. No additional record of disability found. By authority of the Secretary of War- signed . Date Jan 29 1902, Commissioner of Pensions.
Marlin was in Company F, 64th New York, Volunteer Infantry for 6 months when he volunteered for service, transferring to gunboat service on the Mississippi Expedition assigned to the "St. Louis" later renamed the "Baron De Kalb".
The book "DIVIDED WATERS", The Naval History of the Civil War, by Ivan Musicant, Chapter 13, Stinkpots and Turtles, and pages 179 to 305, recounts the history of St. Louis -DeKalb:
"The Mississippi River, the natural highway through North America, played a supreme role in the Civil War, and the naval operations on its broad, muddy waters contributed decisively to the defeat of the Confederacy. For the Union, conquest of the lower river Cairo, Illinois, to the Gulf of Mexico holds equal strategic rank with the coastal blockade and Sherman's march from Atlanta to the sea in winning the war. It was a most arduous campaign, grinding down both ships and men, and not ending until the fall of Vicksburg in July 1863"
"The St. Louis' bottom was laid down on September 27, 1861"
"In their launching sequence, the immortal seven took the names of river cities: Carondelet, St. Louis, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Mound City, Cincinnati, and Cairo. The stinkpots ranged freely about the rivers."- They were very powerful vessels, squat, hunkering, and menacing in their aspect, the first purpose built ironclad's in the Western Hemisphere. "If well handled," Rodgers said, "these boats will be most formidable adversaries."
"Grant immediately ordered a counterattack and the Union regiments advanced under the cover of the St. Louis' and Louisville's battering artillery. Lew Wallace recalled, "the guns of the fleet opened fire again. I recollect yet the positive pleasure the sounds gave me." The Confederate generals now faced three choices: surrender; hope for a battlefield miracle; or try again to cut their way out to Nashville"
"The flotilla managed to silence all but one of the shore batteries, but not without cost. In the St. Louis, one of the old army 42-pounders exploded, killing two men and wounded thirteen; "another proof," Henry Waike noted, "of the truth of the saying that the guns furnished the Western Flotilla were less destructive to the enemy that to ourselves."
"On July 5th…later the force reached the town of Napoleon at the mouth of the Arkansas and White rivers. The tinclads, each with two seamen casting a lead, and boats at the ready for sweeping mines, formed the van. Behind came the Louisville, Baron De Kalb (the former St. Louis)…
"It was a formidable force: the ironclad's Chillicothe and De Kalb, five tinclads, two Ellet rams, and the tug S. Bayard towing three barges of coal. Thirteen transports carrying Brigadier General Leonard Ross' 4,500 men formed the army's contingent.
"The De Kalb, a stout turtle, fared better, firing deliberately at the fort for the remainder of the day, making good practice.
"After the Chillicothe withdrew, rebel prisoners and deserters reported Fort Pemberton had fired its last ammunition and De Kalb's fire had passed through seven banks of cotton bales, which, as Porter later noted, "must have made the place untenable."
"There were six heavy guns mounted in the enemy's works and one vessel was captured which had formerly been a gunboat. Unfortunately, while the "De Kalb" was moving slowly along and firing on the enemy she ran foul of a floating torpedo, which exploded, and the vessel sank almost immediately, a second torpedo exploding under her stern as she went down.
With the exception of the loss of the "De Kalb" whose officers and men were all saved, the expedition was a complete success."
About one month after a mine sank his ship, Marlin Philemon Stevens returned to the 64th NY regiment, August 31, 1863, promoted sergeant, November 13, 1863.
"The Rains keg torpedo was simply a beer keg filled with powder and sealed at each end with a cone. Its detonation device was a plunger that would strike a percussion cap, which in turn would ignite the powder charge when the torpedo was struck by a boat or ship bottom. Another device was a simple demijohn filled with powder and similarly detonated by a plunger mechanism. Both these devices would be anchored by long lines to the bottom and then allowed to sway with the current just below the surface--hence the term "sway torpedo." Such a torpedo sank the Union gunboat Cairo in the Yazoo River of Mississippi in December 1862.1 Another such device sealed the doom of the U.S.S. Baron de Kalb on the same river on July 13, 1863"
General Robert E. Lee, his Confederate troops exhausted, surrounded, he is forced to seek peace terms with General Ulysses Grant at Appomattox courthouse.
The Civil War ends, April 9th, 1865
Marlin is honorably discharged near {Stevensburg or} Germania Ford, Virginia, Jan 16, 1865. Co. F, "Cattaraugus" 64th NY Regiment mustered out 14 Jul 1865 at Washington, DC.
Marlin wrote a Daily Journal from January 1, 1881 to August 6, 1882, a 109 page journal, hand written on, now faded, white lined paper, in a green cardboard diamond- shaped textured covered ledger-notebook, measuring 5 3/8" x 8" x 3/8". The following are excerpts from his Journal;
"August 10th, 1881. I went up to see Lucy, gave her $ 1.00 which pleased her as much as to buy a boy a knife. Drove down to Quaker Run and went to Pete Burquells, found them all well and pleased to see me. We sat up till 10 o'clock relating the brave things we done in the Army & Navy. We were both in the same Company "F" 64th NY and Gunboat " St Lewis", afterwards called "Barron DeKalb" She was sunk on Yazoo River near Yazoo City in 1863. I have forgotten the date, but soon after the surrender of Vicksburg. I was in a Naval Fort when Vicksburg surrendered and I was on a gunboat {Baron DeKalb} when sunk.
December 28, 1901 Marlin, age 58, filled out and notarized an 'Application of Invalid Person' per the Act of June 27, 1890, stating he is "partly unable to earn support by manual labor by reason of Rheumatism, Heart, Stomach, Piles (have) used up (his) physical condition."
May 5, 1902 in a "General Affidavit" Marlin states, "while serving in Co. F, 64th Vol. Inf., I with others in conformity with special orders enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to the gunboat "St. Louis" also known as the "Baron De Kalb", where I served until about August 1863, when I was discharged. I then returned to my former command and was I due time honorably discharged. The exact date I cannot now give, having lost both discharges.
June 6, 1903. In a "General Affidavit", R. Pattison makes a statement regarding Marlin; "He is and has suffered from piles (hemorrhoids), sometimes better sometimes worse, so that he can do no manual labor. I believe him to be used up by reason of having piles and other disabilities.
April 8, 1913, Marlin, in a notarized statement, says; That a record of my birth was made in the family bible and that said bible was destroyed about the year 1864 in a fire which burned the residence of my father Levi Stevens, about two and one half miles from Little Valley, NY…I have two brothers now living, older than myself from whom I can furnish proof of my age… Silas H. Stevens residing in Bone Steel, South Dakota and Amariah G. Stevens, residing in Cold Water, Michigan ages respectively 76 and 77 years.
July 3, 1914, Certificate No. 106.907, class act of May 11, 1912 pensioner Marlin P. Stevens in service - 64th NY inf. & Navy…I have the honor to report that the pensioner who was last paid $23, April 4, 914 has this day been dropped from role because of death, 31 May 1914.
April 26, 1907, Marlin writes in his "Declaration for Pension" he is 64 years of age, his height is 6 feet ¼ inches, complexion dark, color of eyes dark, color of hair dark, occupation Farmer, born in Little Valley, NY. Since leaving the service he had resided in: Coldwater, Michigan to 1876, New York State to 1883, and since then in Woodbury County, Iowa. He is currently receiving a monthly pension of $6.
"Martin P. Stevens died May 31,1914 (71 YEARS OLD). Funeral services were held at the Evangelical Church and Burial in Pierson Cemetery. The G.A.R. post of Correctionville had charge of the graveside Service. A large number of the G.A.R. Post of Kingsley and Correctionville were present and all Business Places closed. He ran a livery stable in Pierson and his wife (EMMA) ran a Hotel and Dining Room after his death." {Copied from a paper sent to me by my mother, Aurelia Stevens.}
Marlin P. Stevens profession and skills: 1st Sergeant Co. F, 64th New York "Cattaraugus Volunteers" Infantry & Navy, livery stable, manager, Horse Trader-Tamer-Team Driver, Farmer, Butcher, Woodsman, Carpenter, Entrepreneur and businessman.
