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Cason, John R.

 Person

Biographical Note

John R. Cason was born ca. 1843. He lived in Watson, Marshall County, MS, and enlisted as a private on 1 June 1861 in Company 'I' of the 17th Mississippi Infantry. He was in and out of hospitals throughout his military career, but despite that he was promoted to third Lieutenant on 27 April 1862. He was captured by Union forces in the Battle of Gettysburg on 2 July 1863. He spent the next three years in various Union prisons, and was one of the officers in the "Immortal 600" group of 600 POWs who were used by Union troops as human shields for 45 days during the assault on Charleston. Cason took the oath of allegiance and was released on 12 June 1865. On 14 August 1866, he may have married Susan M. Bryant (conflicting information in the Confederate Veteran article suggests that it may have been a different John R. Cason who married Susan M. Bryant). In 1905, at the age of 61, he entered the Confederate Soldiers Home in Higginsville, MO, which was established to house indigent veterans of the Confederate military. He died in 1909 and was buried in the cemetery associated with Higginsville, MO.

Chronology:
Chronology of Cason's service
1 Jun. 1861
Enlisted as Private in Co. 'I' 17th Mississippi Infantry at Corinth, MS
19 Jul.-4 Aug. 1861
Admitted to the General Hospital in Charlottesville
27 Apr. 1862
Promoted to 3rd Lieutenant
14 Nov. 1862
Admitted to the General Hospital in Charlottesville with bronchitis
6 Dec. 1862
Returned to duty
18 Feb. 1863
On 30 day furlough
2 Jul. 1863
Captured at Gettysburg
18 Jul. 1863
Transferred to Fort Delaware
20 Aug. 1864
Forward to Charleston, SC
21 Oct. 1864
Transferred to Fort Pulaski, GA
19 Nov. 1864
Sent to Hilton Head, SC
12 Jun. 1865
Received at Fort Delaware
12 Jun. 1865
Took oath and released from Fort Delaware

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

John R. Cason Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-2008-026
Abstract

The collection includes the journal of John R. Cason, a Confederate Lieutenant and one of the Immortal 600, containing lists of other prisoners he encountered following his capture at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War.

Dates: 1864 - 1865

John R. Cason Papers, 1864-1865 (Ms2008-026)

 Digital Record
Identifier: Ms2008-026

Additional filters:

Type
Digital Record 1
Collection 1
 
Subject
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Prisoners and prisons 1
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 1