Pittenger, William, 1838-1896
Biographical Note
William J. Pittenger, son of Abraham and Elizabeth Gladfelter Pittenger, was born in Ohio in 1838. While working as a Missouri schoolteacher in 1862, Pittenger enlisted in Company D of the 93rd Illinois Infantry. In February 1863, he was assigned to the U. S. Army Signal Corps. Pittenger contracted small pox one month later but resumed duties in April and participated in the siege of Vicksburg and, later, in Sherman's march to the sea. He mustered out with his regiment in June, 1865. In 1867, Pittenger married Ella Shafer (1850-1899); the couple would have five children. In 1879, the Pittengers moved from Illinois to Wichita, Kansas, where William Pittenger became a prominent farmer. A member of the I. O. O. F., Pittenger served as a member of the local school board and as a township trustee. He died in 1896, and is buried in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Sedgwick County, Kansas.
Citation:
History of the State of Kansas(Chicago: A. T. Andreas, 1883).Citation:
"Civil War Diary Bares Vivid Story" - Wichita Eagle Magazine,January 6, 1957.Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Diary
William J. Pittenger Diary
This collection contains the diary of William J. Pittenger, a soldier serving in the 93rd Illinois Infantry and the U. S. Army Signal Corps during the American Civil War. Entries cover day-to-day activities, the Union advance down the Mississippi River, and the siege of Vicksburg. The diary is accompanied by a 1957 newspaper article about the diary.