Stories of Enlow Genealogy

By Leonard Enlow

This is a Civil War story about two brothers, George and Jesse Sprowls, who were my 3^rd cousins twice removed. They joined Company K Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers during the month of August 1862 in Washington County which is in the Southwest corner of Pennsylvania. On the Fourth day of September 1862, 96 men were mustered into service. On April 28^th only 65 personnel marched out of camp. The other 31 men had come down with fever, dysentery, and other sicknesses. They then marched in to the Chancellorsville battle (April 30 – May 6). They fought in this battle May 1—5, then headed to Gettysburg. The brothers were in the Wheatfield Battle where During July 2^nd, 1863, five of the regiment were killed, including Jesse.

George survived Gettysburg and on May 8^th, 1864 he was in the “Battle at Todd’s Tavern, Virginia,” in this battle one journal stated “George Sprowls had his hair combed by a ball that took his hat off.” Then on May 12^th, George was severely wounded and taken prisoner.

NOTE. Found in a war journal: Mr. Amos Sprowls, of Liberty, Neb., a brother of Comrade Geo. Sprowls, wrote in answer to inquiry concerning George that he was wounded and made prisoner at Spotsylvania, May 12, 1864, kept in hospital at Richmond two months; thence sent to Andersonville prison; thence, owing to Sherman's march to the sea, sent to North Carolina; thence, at close of war, sent to Fortress Monroe to be conveyed by ship to Annapolis, Md. Three transports were loaded; and one of these, the "Governor," encountered a storm on Chesapeake Bay and sank with 1,600 souls. Sprowls was among them, as he was never heard of afterwards. A Mr. W. S. Crafto, living near Washington, Pa., reported seeing him on his way to Fortress Monroe. I have not been able to find any mention of a ship "Govenor" sinking in Chesapeake Bay. Recently I found a newspaper story (The Washington Times Communities, 7 February 2012) about a civil war transport called the "SS General Lyon that sank off Cape Hatteras, N.C. This ship was transporting Union soldiers, some that were from confederate prosons. This could be the ship that George was on.

This detail came from a book: “History of Co. K, 140^th Penna. Volunteers 1862-’65” by B.F. Powelson First Sargent, Company Historian. It was printed by The Carnahan Printing Company in1906.

Here is a guy who survived all these battles, wounded, spent two months in a hospital, then survived Andersonville, and then to drown within sight of his home state.

HOWEVER: I have pictures of a Memorial Stone, for George and Jesse M. Sprowls, in Stony Point Cemetery, Washington County, Pennsylvania that stated:

George SPROWLS: Co K 140th Regiment PA Volunteers. Supposed to have died at Andersonville.

Could not read the entire inscription. This is just a portion of inscription: Regiment was making a charge, he was wounded and taken prisoner with other and sent to Richmond and placed in the 3rd ward of Hospital where he remained until sent to Andersonville, that prison of untold horrors and suffering. And here further knowledge of his fate ends.

HOWEVER

While writing up this story for I did some more investigation.

PROBLEMS:

1. Contacted a person (Kevin Frye) who is near Andersonville and did a look up of prisoners for me. He could not find any SPROWLS as having been there.
2. He did some more research and found George SPROWELS as having mustered out on 5-31-1865 with notation that he was absent, sick at muster out.
3. I found in another book on the regiment: that Sprowls, Jesse was wounded at Spotsylvania 12May1864 (I thought that this was George) and NO mention of George. Later investigation found that this was another Jesse SPROWLS. He enlisted on September 4, 1862 as a Private in the 140th Pennsylvania Infantry Company A. Wounded on May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia. He is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
4. Found two more books that list Jesse M. as having been killed at Gettysburg.

So was George at Andersonville and drowned after the war or not?