Pvt. Martin DeBord (1820-1902)

Pvt. Martin DeBord, 3rd great-grandfather of brother Louis Mosier, was born on April 8, 1820, in Washington County, Virginia. He enlisted in Company A, 37th Illinois Infantry Regiment in August 1861 after learning of the Union defeat at First Bull Run. He was discharged in November 1861 due to disability. He was the father of Pvt. John W. DeBord.

Pvt. John W. DeBord (1845-1914)

Pvt. John W. DeBord, 2nd great-granduncle of brother Louis Mosier, was born March 9, 1845 in Owen County, Indiana to Martin Debord and Sarah Elizabeth (Baker) Debord. He enlisted in Company A, 37th Illinois Infantry Regiment with his father Martin in August 1861. John was only 16 years old when he enlisted but his muster-in roll says he was 19. John's father, Martin, might have helped the under-age John lie about his age so he could enlist. According to his company's muster-in roll, upon his reenlistment Pvt John DeBord had blue eyes, sandy hair, a fair complexion, and was 5 ft 10 in tall.

As a member of Company A, John was in one of the "flanking companies." In this regiment's case, the flanking companies were armed with 5-shot Colt repeating rifles while the rest of the companies carried single shot rifled muskets.

John became seriously ill in November 1861. A brief description is below.

In the fall of 1861 John contracted typhoid fever, developed gangrene and had several toes amputated. Although eligible, he would not accept an honorable discharge for disability and wrote that he would, "rather have died than to have returned home...without doing [his] country any good whatever." Thus, with unwavering devotion to the Union, John set out to rejoin his regiment near the Arkansas line. During the journey he contracted the small pox and was hospitalized in Rolla, Missouri. He was finally well enough to rejoin the 37th at Cassville, Missouri in May 1862.