UNIT: Company C, 34th New Jersey Infantry
HOMETOWN: Shamong
BORN/DIED: 1835–1889
RANK: Private
GRAVE LOCATION: Old Tabernacle Cemetery, Row 10 Lot 3
Approximate Grave Location:
[GRAVE MAP PLACEHOLDER: David Wells]
Old Tabernacle Cemetery, Row 10 Lot 3
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Hear My Story
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Read My Story
I was born in 1835. I was 29 years old when I was mustered in as a recruit Private in Company C of the 34th New Jersey Infantry on September 9, 1863. I served with Gilbert Knight and Isaac Taylor, who were also mustered into Company C of the 34th and are buried in this cemetery.
The 34th Infantry Regiment was made up of 10 companies. The companies were organized in Beverly, NJ. Most of our encounters between December 1863 and November 1864 occurred in Kentucky. In December 1864, the regiment moved to Nashville, Tennessee, then onto Eastport, Mississippi, and in January, to New Orleans, Louisiana. In March, we were involved in a land campaign to Alabama to take Mobile from the Confederates. We participated in the siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely. Both forts were captured. The falls of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely permitted our Union troops to subsequently enter Mobile unopposed after the conclusion of the Civil War, occupying it on April 12, 1865. The regiment lost over 170 men, with over 90% dying from disease rather than battle wounds. I was honorably discharged at Montgomery, Alabama, on June 9, 1865.
After the war, I lived with my wife, Patience, and our three children in Shamong, NJ. In 1867 I owned land and lived next to Charles Kemble. I worked as a day laborer, and I died in 1889 at the age of 54.
David Wells (Old Tabernacle Cemetery Row 10 Lot 3)
(November 15 1860 New Jersey Mirror)
Timeline
1835: Born.
September 9, 1863 (own entry): Mustered into Company C, 34th New Jersey Infantry as a Private. Isaac Taylor’s entry implies a different enlistment date.
1865: Served in the Mobile campaign, including Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely.
June 9, 1865: Honorably discharged at Montgomery, Alabama.
After the war: Lived in Shamong with his wife Patience and three children; worked as a day laborer.
1867: Owned land next to Charles Kemble.
1889: Died at the reported age of 54.
