Asa Bradford Churchill

From Find a Grave contributor

Co G 147th Pennsylvania Infantry
Residence: Bradford Co, Pa.
Muster in: Sept 20, 1862.
Killed in battle at Resaca, Ga.

Churchhill, who was only about five steps to my left, was shot thru the breast and instantly killed, but the body could not be removed until evening. He was shot early in the afternoon. The Rebel skirmishers and a battery of artillery kept up a continual fire all day. Many of our division were killed and wounded this day on the skirmish line.

Asa B. Churchhill was originally from McKean county. He joined us at Harrisburg, September 21, 1862. He was a stranger to all of us. His remains now rest in Marietta and Atlanta National Cemetery, in Marietta, Ga. Section A, grave 615. Churchhill was a good Christian soldier. On the evening of the 14th he and the writer went to a spring for water, and coming away he said to me while eating his hard tack: "I expect to be killed tomorrow and I want to die with a full stomach." He seemed to have a premonition that his life was soon to come to an end. In the evening, when the body was removed from the field for burial, a Bible was taken from his knapsack, and it was sent to his family at home, and we, not knowing how many stamps would be required, pasted them over almost all the cover, leaving just enough room for the address.

Oct 1 1863 "Our route thru Indiana finally ended at Jeffersonville on the Ohio River. Here we detrained and marched to the steamboat landing, boarded steamers and crossed the Ohio River to Louisville, Kentucky. At Jeffersonville the Government had a cracker bakery and as we marched by the factory fresh crackers were thrown to us. In this place guards were placed on every street in order to prevent straggling. Asa B. Churchill, of Company G, was placed on guard with strict orders not to let anyone pass. Captain Lavenburg, of Company E, came to where Churchill was on duty and wanted to go beyond the line. Churchill called "Halt!" The captain said, "I am going just where I want to go," Churchill again called "Halt!" And said, "If you move one step farther I will put my bayonet thru you." The captain saw that the guard was determined to obey his instructions and finally turned and walked away. Churchill was a good soldier and always did his duty faithfully."

Excerpts taken from "Lamented Comrade's Writings Tell of Service Of Locally Recruited, Civil War Unit in 147th Regiment" By M. S. SCHROYER contributed by Mary Jane Evertz (#47235203)

"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKZ-1SZH : 10 September 2021), Asa Bradford Churchill, ; Burial, Marietta, Cobb, Georgia, United States of America, Marietta National Cemetery; citing record ID 41342532, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.