My g-g-grandfather Pvt. Henry Alexander Saumel was also in Co. H of the 47th and mustered in on the very same day (Mar. 25th, 1862, in Fredericksburg). He was from the eastern part of Caroline County, near Passing. My understanding is that Company H was almost exclusively Caroline County boys. My ancestor also spent time in military hospitals, and died barely a year after the war was over from "consumption of the bowels." That is how his wife defined it on her application for a state pension in 1900 (she received $25 a year thereafter). It's highly probable that James and my Henry were friends. It is unknown where Henry is buried. I've searched and searched. I'm not finished searching yet, but it's looking more like his gravesite is lost to the ages. His wife is buried at Bruington Baptist in King and Queen County, but Henry's final resting place is a big mystery.

Bob Julian
Sweetwater, TN
regulars@charter.net