This biography of Washington Marion Crawford was reconstructed from careful transcriptions of his compiled military service record and his Civil War pension file. Rather than relying on secondary summaries, I worked directly from the original documents — muster rolls, prisoner-of-war memoranda, hospital records, medical certificates, pay accounts, and pension applications. Each page was transcribed in archival form, preserving original wording, dates, and remarks. When read individually, these records appear routine and bureaucratic. But when assembled chronologically, they reveal a powerful narrative arc: enlistment, promotion, capture, imprisonment at Andersonville, medical debility, and final discharge. By weaving together these primary sources, the administrative paperwork becomes something more — a documented story of service, survival, and lasting physical cost.
The Civil War Service of Washington Marion Crawford
When Washington Marion Crawford enlisted on May 3, 1861, he was just twenty-three years old. A farmer by trade and an Indiana native, he joined Capt. McIrvin’s company of the Harris Light Cavalry at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. That company would soon become Company H of the 2nd New York Cavalry — a regiment that would serve with the Army of the Potomac through some of the war’s hardest campaigns.
At the time of enlistment, Crawford committed to three years of service. He likely had no idea that his military experience would stretch nearly four years — and include fifteen months as a prisoner of war.
Steady Service and Promotion
Crawford’s name appears consistently on the company muster rolls throughout 1861 and 1862. There are no remarks of illness, desertion, or disciplinary action — simply the steady record of a cavalryman doing his duty.
By January 1, 1863, his service had earned him promotion to Sergeant, elevated “vice Hunter reduced.” As a non-commissioned officer, Crawford would have been responsible for maintaining order, overseeing equipment, and helping lead men in the field. It was a position of trust — and one that suggests he had proven himself reliable.
But 1863 would bring a dramatic turn.
Capture on the Rapidan
On September 22, 1863, during operations near White Ford at Liberty Mills on the Rapidan River in Virginia, Sergeant Crawford was captured by Confederate forces.
After that date, the muster rolls change tone:
“Absent.”
“Missing in action since Sept. 22, 1863.”
Within a day he was confined at Richmond, Virginia. Months later, on February 18, 1864, he was transferred south to Andersonville Prison in Americus, Georgia — officially known as Camp Sumter.
Andersonville
Andersonville has become one of the most infamous prison camps of the Civil War. Overcrowded and undersupplied, the camp was plagued by disease, exposure, and malnutrition. Though Crawford’s military file does not describe daily conditions, it records the dates that frame his ordeal.
He remained a prisoner from September 22, 1863 until December 10, 1864 — nearly fifteen months in captivity.
That length of confinement alone tells a story of endurance.
On December 10, 1864, Crawford was paroled at Charleston, South Carolina. One week later, on December 17, he reported to Camp Parole near Annapolis, Maryland, where he was admitted to Hospital Division No. 1.
The descriptive roll taken at this time offers a rare physical snapshot:
- Age: 26
- Height: 5 feet 10 inches
- Light complexion
- Gray eyes
- Red hair
- Occupation: Farmer
- Born in Indiana
The image is vivid — a young Midwestern farmer who had survived one of the war’s harshest prisons.
The Physical Cost of Imprisonment
On December 30, 1864, Crawford was furloughed home to West Lebanon in Warren County, Indiana.
Less than a month later, on January 28, 1865, he was examined by Dr. F. M. Tebbs. The diagnosis was stark:
- Chronic bronchitis
- General debility
The physician certified that Crawford would not be fit for military service for at least thirty days.
Chronic bronchitis was common among Andersonville survivors. Exposure to the elements, weakened immune systems, and poor camp sanitation left many men with lingering respiratory illness. Crawford’s condition was serious enough to warrant formal medical certification and notarization.
The war had not ended for him simply because he had been paroled.
Return and Final Muster-Out
Crawford returned from furlough in March 1865 and reported again to Camp Parole. On April 8, 1865 — just one day before Lee’s surrender at Appomattox — Special Orders directed him to proceed to New York City for final muster-out processing, his term of service having expired.
His official muster-out was effective April 5, 1865.
Pay records show that he received compensation for September and October 1864 — months during which he had still been a prisoner of war. Transportation allowances were recorded. Accounts were certified. The paperwork closed.
But the experience surely did not.
The Arc of His Service
Washington Marion Crawford’s military story follows a powerful arc:
Enlisted → Promoted → Captured → Richmond → Andersonville →
Paroled → Hospitalized → Furloughed Home →
Returned → Mustered Out
He served from May 3, 1861 to April 5, 1865.
Nearly fifteen of those months were spent as a prisoner of war.
His file is composed of muster rolls, pay accounts, medical certificates, and hospital records — the quiet language of bureaucracy. Yet within those pages is the story of resilience. A young farmer who rode with the Union cavalry, rose to sergeant, endured captivity at Andersonville, survived chronic illness, and returned home at war’s end.
The records do not tell us how he felt when he stepped back onto Indiana soil. They do not describe his physical strength in the years that followed.
But they do preserve something just as important:
He survived.The Civil War Service of Washington Marion Crawford
When Washington Marion Crawford enlisted on May 3, 1861, he was just twenty-three years old. A farmer by trade and an Indiana native, he joined Capt. McIrvin’s company of the Harris Light Cavalry at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. That company would soon become Company H of the 2nd New York Cavalry — a regiment that would serve with the Army of the Potomac through some of the war’s hardest campaigns.
At the time of enlistment, Crawford committed to three years of service. He likely had no idea that his military experience would stretch nearly four years — and include fifteen months as a prisoner of war.
Steady Service and Promotion
Crawford’s name appears consistently on the company muster rolls throughout 1861 and 1862. There are no remarks of illness, desertion, or disciplinary action — simply the steady record of a cavalryman doing his duty.
By January 1, 1863, his service had earned him promotion to Sergeant, elevated “vice Hunter reduced.” As a non-commissioned officer, Crawford would have been responsible for maintaining order, overseeing equipment, and helping lead men in the field. It was a position of trust — and one that suggests he had proven himself reliable.
But 1863 would bring a dramatic turn.
Capture on the Rapidan
On September 22, 1863, during operations near White Ford at Liberty Mills on the Rapidan River in Virginia, Sergeant Crawford was captured by Confederate forces.
After that date, the muster rolls change tone:
“Absent.”
“Missing in action since Sept. 22, 1863.”
Within a day he was confined at Richmond, Virginia. Months later, on February 18, 1864, he was transferred south to Andersonville Prison in Americus, Georgia — officially known as Camp Sumter.
Andersonville
Andersonville has become one of the most infamous prison camps of the Civil War. Overcrowded and undersupplied, the camp was plagued by disease, exposure, and malnutrition. Though Crawford’s military file does not describe daily conditions, it records the dates that frame his ordeal.
He remained a prisoner from September 22, 1863 until December 10, 1864 — nearly fifteen months in captivity.
That length of confinement alone tells a story of endurance.
On December 10, 1864, Crawford was paroled at Charleston, South Carolina. One week later, on December 17, he reported to Camp Parole near Annapolis, Maryland, where he was admitted to Hospital Division No. 1.
The descriptive roll taken at this time offers a rare physical snapshot:
- Age: 26
- Height: 5 feet 10 inches
- Light complexion
- Gray eyes
- Red hair
- Occupation: Farmer
- Born in Indiana
The image is vivid — a young Midwestern farmer who had survived one of the war’s harshest prisons.
The Physical Cost of Imprisonment
On December 30, 1864, Crawford was furloughed home to West Lebanon in Warren County, Indiana.
Less than a month later, on January 28, 1865, he was examined by Dr. F. M. Tebbs. The diagnosis was stark:
- Chronic bronchitis
- General debility
The physician certified that Crawford would not be fit for military service for at least thirty days.
Chronic bronchitis was common among Andersonville survivors. Exposure to the elements, weakened immune systems, and poor camp sanitation left many men with lingering respiratory illness. Crawford’s condition was serious enough to warrant formal medical certification and notarization.
The war had not ended for him simply because he had been paroled.
Return and Final Muster-Out
Crawford returned from furlough in March 1865 and reported again to Camp Parole. On April 8, 1865 — just one day before Lee’s surrender at Appomattox — Special Orders directed him to proceed to New York City for final muster-out processing, his term of service having expired.
His official muster-out was effective April 5, 1865.
Pay records show that he received compensation for September and October 1864 — months during which he had still been a prisoner of war. Transportation allowances were recorded. Accounts were certified. The paperwork closed.
But the experience surely did not.
The Arc of His Service
Washington Marion Crawford’s military story follows a powerful arc:
Enlisted → Promoted → Captured → Richmond → Andersonville →
Paroled → Hospitalized → Furloughed Home →
Returned → Mustered Out
He served from May 3, 1861 to April 5, 1865.
Nearly fifteen of those months were spent as a prisoner of war.
His file is composed of muster rolls, pay accounts, medical certificates, and hospital records — the quiet language of bureaucracy. Yet within those pages is the story of resilience. A young farmer who rode with the Union cavalry, rose to sergeant, endured captivity at Andersonville, survived chronic illness, and returned home at war’s end.
The records do not tell us how he felt when he stepped back onto Indiana soil. They do not describe his physical strength in the years that followed.
But they do preserve something just as important:
He survived.
My 2nd great grandfather also survived Andersonville. He married in 1866 and lived to be 69 years old. I haven’t done much research on his life with military records, but I’ve often wondered about his health and life after that ordeal. I should put that on my to-do list.
Comments are closed.