Pvt. Hiram Bland

SEE "Timeline" for chronological order of life events including any photos and documents as available; SEE "Media" for any documents and photos included from "Timeline" as available.

MEMORIALS: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=47936183 (Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery,Ohio); http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=59998629 (Upper Mill Creek Cemetery,GA); http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13979329 (Nichols Cemetery,GA)

Hiram Bland was born around 1824 in Bulloch County, Georgia, son of William and Susannah (Alderman) Bland.

Around 1851 in Bulloch County, he married Jane "Jincy" Crumpton (a). The 5 children of Jincy and Hiram Bland were Ivy or Ivey (1852), Timothy (1854), Susan (1856), Mary 'Polly' (1858) and Asbury "Berry" (1860) Bland. Hiram was a farmer.

On June 10, 1861, Hiram Bland enlisted as a private into the Confederate States Army Company I, Georgia 9th Infantry Regiment. In late 1861, he came down with typhoid fever. Around July 18, 1862, he was discharged for debility and older age, but then later, he was able to reenlist in the 1st Georgia Infantry Regiment. In July 1864, he was captured during the Battle of Atlanta, GA and taken to Union prison at Camp Chase, just outside Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio.

On Nov. 24, 1864 during the Civil War, around age 40, he died after 4 months in the prison. He was buried in the prison cemetery about half a mile away. His body was at rest for just a few hours in grave No. 513, just steps from Sullivant Avenue. A team of three grave robbers, led by Dr. Joab Flowers of Columbus, Ohio, stole 6 bodies, including the body of Hiram, with the intention of selling them to a Cleveland medical school for dissection and research. Dr. Flowers would have received $20 for each body. The bodies were to have been transported by train, but it's unclear how far they got because the three robbers were arrested two days later. It has never been verified what happened to the bodies. His wife, Jincy, was known to have waited on their home porch, after the war ended, hoping for a homecoming that never happened (a).

On Memorial Day, May 26, 2009, a special service at Camp Chase Cemetery on the Hilltop, Columbus, Ohio, included honoring Confederate soldier Hiram Bland (b).

Footnotes: (a) Later, Jincy married a second time to Hiram Jones with her burial in Upper Mill Creek Cemetery, Statesboro, Bulloch County, GA; (b) Comments from amateur historian & Sons of Confederate Veterans member, Dennis Ranney and Great Great Granddaughter Ann Hartman; (c) SEE his "Timeline" section for May 26, 2009 news article of event on Memorial Day to honor Hiram Bland or Link below and June 20, 2009 Memorial Marker Dedication

References: U.S. Census; Roster of Confederate Soldiers of Georgia 1861-1865; The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, May 26, 2009 issue; SEE Documents if available under “Media” or “Timeline” events

Links: http://borocast.com/2015/05/confederate-soldier-remembered-for-more...; Link:http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2009/05/26/headstone....; Link:http://www.history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs62x/gacwmb/webbbs_config.pl

Note: Overview arranged by family researcher Jim Semple, Jr., subject to additions & corrections.

Birth: Nov. 24, 1823 Death: Jul., 1864

Husband of Jency (Crumpton) Bland.
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A stone for Private Hiram Bland. (Date: Tuesday, 20 January 2009, 12:04 pm). This coming Memorial Day at the Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery located in Columbus, Ohio, The SCV Camp 1535 will honor the life of Private Hiram Bland who was a member of the 1st Georgia Infantry Regiment. His body with others would be stolen on November 24th 1864 by Dr. Flowers and company. Desendants of the Bland family will be at the Camp Chase Cemetery to take his long awaited tombstone back to Georgia and set it next to Private Bland's wife. Although the exact location of Private Bland's body as of yet has NOT been located we feel we are within a stones throw from locating his final resting place.

An excellent source of information on the American Civil War comes from the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, commonly referred to as the OR.

According to the OR's Series 2, Volume 7, pages 1161-1162 the following is what happened at Camp Chase, Ohio on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24, 1864).

"On the night of the 24th instant the bodies of six deceased prisoners were stolen from the grave-yard attached to camp where prisoners only are buried. I arrested the perpetrators of this outrage and referred the matter to General Hooker and was by him directed to turn the prisoners and papers over to the prosecuting attorney of this county, which I have done. Respectfully referred to the Commissary-General of Prisoners."--W. P. Richardson.

And on November 30th 1864 the newspaper, the "Crisis," confirmed the macabre event.

"Body Snatchers" "It has been discovered that an organized band of body snatchers, resurrectionists, exists in this city, whose practice it is to rob the graves at Camp Chase of dead bodies which are shipped to the medical college at Cleveland for dissection.

Dr. Flowers of this city is said to the leader in this business, and he was arrested in company with one or two less respectable assistants, last week, by the Post Commander at Camp Chase. The parties were discharged upon their parole, to appear at such time as the military authorities designate.

There is a State law by which the robbing of graves is pronounced a high crime punishable by imprisonment in the Penitentiary. It is understood that twelve bodies were exhumed last week. Dr. Flowers' excuses has action on the ground that "subjects were needed at the Cleveland Medical College and that the bodies were those of rebels, who were fit for nothing but dissection!"

And then the "Columbus Gazette" yet again confirmed the story with a little different version.

Body Snatching" "Considerable talk has been occasioned in this city this week, by the arrest, by the Military authorities at Camp Chase, of sundry persons from this city and Cleveland, Ohio, who had been engaged in digging up bodies of deceased rebels from the grave yard in that vicinity. This was done for the purpose of procuring subjects for the Cleveland Medical College.

It is alleged that about a dozen bodies have been thus procured. The parties were released on their parole to appear at such time as the Military authorities shall designate. At the time of the arrest, it is stated, Dr. Flowers, of this city, was along with the parties arrested; but it is claimed that he had no connection with the matter further than to show the location of the burying ground. So great is the repugnance of the community to body snatching, that few will be found ready to justify the invasion of even a rebel's grave. Our Military authorities should see to it that the practice is stopped."

And another Columbus newspaper, the Ohio Statesman, verified the story:

"Resurrectionists" "It seems that a systematic exhuming of the dead bodies of rebel prisoners buried at Camp Chase, has been going on for some time past, in order to supply a Medical College at Cleveland with subjects for dissection. An agent of the College from Cleveland it is said has been in the city for some time, engaged in forwarding this business, through the aid of such persons as he could enlist in the service.

Among others, Dr. Flowers of this city, is charged with being a principal actor in the affair. The Doctor, we understand, was arrested on Friday night by the military authorities, and taken to Camp Chase, and released on giving bail for his appearance on a future day."

The five soldiers whose bodies were sold to the medical college dissection room in Cleveland were:

--Hiram Bland of Georgia. --Jonathan Lindley of Georgia. --John W. Lester of Tennessee. --A. J. Hensley of Virginia. --Thomas Stephens of Louisiana.

Curtis Hooks was also dug up, but his body was returned to the cemetery and buried in a different row and grave.

These five above soldiers did NOT have tombstones or bodies at the Camp Chase Cemetery. Next year a special event in Columbus, Ohio will be held for those missing Confederate soldiers.

The Camp Chase body snatcher was one Dr. Joab R. Flowers. He was never convicted of the crime and after the war he was even elected to the Columbus City Council.

Prior to the Camp Chase Cemetery the Southern men were buried at the local City Cemetery in Columbus on Livingston Avenue After the war many of those Confederates were moved to Camp Chase Cemetery. As a city councilmen in Ward 3, Dr. Flowers wanted the Livingston Avenue cemetery moved. And so it was. Was Dr. Flowers covering up his tracks? Early indications say yes.
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The men arrested for the stealing the bodies were Doctor Joab R. Flowers, Joseph Sterling, and Mr. Carpenter.

GEDCOM Source

@R850488214@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

GEDCOM Source

1,60525::29056694

GEDCOM Source

@R850488214@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

GEDCOM Source

1,60525::29056694

GEDCOM Source

@R850488214@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

GEDCOM Source

1,60525::29056694

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@R850488214@ U.S., Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,1124::0

GEDCOM Source

1,1124::1160756

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@R850488214@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

GEDCOM Source

1,60525::29056694

GEDCOM Source

@R850488214@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.

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