breadcrumbs: Captain Thomas Leonard

Originally published on Blogger 2/9/2012

A revised and expanded version of this story appears in

Snapshots and Short Notes, Kenneth Wilson, Univ. of North Texas Press, 2020.

Some of the research on this card had already been done for me by Chris Warner of Kansas, the previous owner of this real photo postcard. The image is of a handsome couple in front of their house in Austin, Minnesota, on the Fourth of July, 1911. As you can see the old Civil War veteran is wearing his Grand Army of the Republic ribbon and his reunion hat (1) with the GAR emblem sits on his knee. His wife stands beside him, and the house is decorated with flags and banners to celebrate the holiday.

The card is addressed to Miss Mattie J. Lang, Austin, Minnesota, and its handwritten message reads, "We wish you a happy birthday and many returns of July 4th," and is signed, "Mr. & Mrs. Leonard." A seemingly later note was written on the back: "Mr. & Mrs. Leonard were next-door neighbors in Austin to Grandma and Grandpa Lang, Aunt Mattie and Aunt Minnie Lang."

With a magnifying glass or the magic of the computer, you can make out the details of the ribbon that Mr. Leonard is wearing. Here is a detail of that part of the photo:

The ribbon reads, "In Memoriam, McIntyre Post 66, Austin, Minnesota," and above is the symbol of the Grand Army of the Republic medal.

Captain Leonard was born in 1842 and died in 1916, five years after the above photo was taken. He is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, Minnesota, and a picture of his grave monument is available at www.findagrave.com.

Thomas Leonard enlisted in Vermont in 1861 as a private into F Company, 3rd Infantry (Vermont), and was mustered out in 1865. He was promoted to sergeant (date unknown) to 2nd. Lieutenant in 1864, 1st Lieutenant, and Captain in 1865.

Leonard apparently saw considerable action during the war because he is listed as having been wounded on July 10, 1863, at Funkstown, MD, and again at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864, and again only six days later at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, on May 12, 1864.

The following three paragraphs, compliments of Wikipedia, give some brief details of these three Civil War engagements:

The Battle of Funkstown occurred near Funkstown, Maryland, on July 10, 1863, during the Gettysburg Campaign. Union forces of the Army of the Potomac attacked the rear guard of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during its retreat from Pennsylvania following the Battle of Gettysburg. Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry, posted at Funkstown, posed a severe risk to the Union army. Stuart was determined to wage a spirited defense to ensure Lee time to complete the fortifications protecting his army and his avenue of retreat. Gen. John Buford’s Union cavalry division encountered Stuart’s crescent-shaped, three-mile-long battle line. By early evening, the Union Army began withdrawing, and Stuart had kept the Federals at bay for yet another day. The day-long battle resulted in 479 casualties.

The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties.

The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged from Confederate General Robert E. Lee's army. It moved to the southeast, attempting to lure Lee into battle under more favorable conditions. Elements of Lee's army beat the Union army to the critical crossroads of Spotsylvania Court House and began entrenching. Fighting occurred on and off from May 8 through May 21, 1864, as Grant tried various schemes to break the Confederate line. Ultimately, the battle was tactically inconclusive, but with almost 32,000 casualties on both sides, it was the costliest battle of the Overland campaign.

Captain Leonard would undoubtedly have had some harrowing stories to tell, and although those details have been lost to us, this wonderful real photo postcard and the notes on the back of it connect us to his life in a very real way.

If you know more about Captain Leonard's history or that of his neighbors, the Lang family, please add your comments to the blog or email me.

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.

–– José Narosky

1. The Grand Army of the Republic was a Civil War veterans' organization formed in 1866. GAR posts formed in many towns and cities where members gathered for camaraderie. Leonard's hat was the regulation uniform hat of the organization and would have been worn at GAR meetings, Civil War parades, memorials, and reunions.