Soldiers from the 12th Veteran Reserve Corps

In 1964, Mrs. Jessie Fleming donated a number of military related items to the historical rooms of the Sandusky Library, in memory of the Fleming family. Now those items are housed at The Follett House Museum and the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Included in the bequest were several cartes-de-visite of Civil War soldiers, all of whom served in Company H of the 12th Veteran Reserve Corps. The Veteran Reserve Corps , which was originally known as the Invalid Corps, allowed partially disabled soldiers to serve on light duty. Usually the soldiers in the Veteran Reserve Corps had already served in a regular unit during wartime. Only soldiers who were considered “meritorious and deserving” by their commanding officers were recommended for the VRC.

Robert Leavell served in the 75th Indiana Volunteer Infantry before being assigned to Co. H. of the Veteran Reserve Corps. A listing on the National Gravesite Locator, from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, indicates that Robert Leavell is buried in the Marion National Cemetery in Indiana.

Joseph Flickinger was a private in Co. H of the Veteran Reserve Corps. There were actually several Civil War soldiers with this name, serving from a variety of states in the United States.

Pictured below are A. J. Biddison and John Mayers. According to his Civil War Pension File, Annias J. Biddison served in the 97th Ohio Infantry as well as in Co. H., VRC.

William H. Begley was a Corporal when he joined Co. H of the 12th Veteran Reserve Corps. His carte-de-visite appears more ornate than the images of the privates from the same unit.

If you have Civil War ancestors, visit the Sandusky Library, where you can access Ancestry Library Edition. Many military records from several different wars are available at Ancestry. Another valuable online resource is the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System. Freely available from any computer, this database provides basic information about the military service of men from both the Union and Confederacy. Histories of individual regiments are also available at the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System.