The Military and POW Timeline of Washington Marion Crawford
When we read a Civil War pension file or compiled military service record page by page, it can feel like we’re looking at fragments — muster rolls, pay vouchers, hospital records, prisoner-of-war memoranda. Each document stands alone.
But when those documents are transcribed, arranged chronologically, and viewed together, something powerful happens.
They become a story.
The infographic below was created from careful transcriptions of Washington Marion Crawford’s compiled military service record and his pension file. Every date comes directly from those original records — enlistment rolls, promotion notations, capture reports, prisoner transfers, hospital admissions, and muster-out documentation.
Rather than summarizing his service in a few sentences, I wanted to see it unfold visually — the steady service, the sudden capture, the long months of imprisonment, the parole, the medical examination, and finally the journey toward discharge.
The Timeline at a Glance
Washington Marion Crawford:
- Enlisted: May 3, 1861
- Promoted to Sergeant: January 1, 1863
- Captured: September 22, 1863 (White Ford / Liberty Mills, Virginia)
- Imprisoned: Richmond → Andersonville → Charleston
- Paroled: December 10, 1864
- Hospitalized: Camp Parole, Annapolis
- Diagnosed: Chronic bronchitis and general debility
- Mustered Out: April 5, 1865
Nearly fifteen months of his four-year service were spent as a prisoner of war.
The military file records him first as “Absent” and then as “Missing in action since Sept. 22, 1863.” But the POW records fill in the rest — confinement, parole, hospital admission, furlough home to Indiana, and eventual return for final processing.
Why This Timeline Matters
Military records often feel administrative. They list dates. They record pay. They document absence.
But arranged chronologically, those entries reveal the arc of a life interrupted by war.
Enlistment.
Promotion.
Capture.
Andersonville.
Hospital.
Home.
Muster-out.
The paperwork closes in April 1865.
The story does not.
