Recap The Tigerish Glare: Part One and Part Two On the evening of 29 June 1898, Private Sherman Sayles of the 3rd Missouri Regiment complained of a headache to the night nurse, who notified Camp Alger medical attendant Private Lake. While Lake went to the dispensary to mix some morphine, Private Sayles pulled out a … Continue reading The Tigerish Glare: part three
mental illness
The Tigerish Glare: part two
Notice of Sherman Sayles' suicide attempt appeared in newspapers throughout the country. It's hard to know if my great-grandfather, Clifton Sayles, subscribed to any of them. He may not have learned of his younger brother's peril until the Chase City, Virginia family was contacted by administrators at St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, D.C. Sherman had traveled … Continue reading The Tigerish Glare: part two
Horizons Expand
In early February I tracked Christopher Sherman Sayles, my great-grandfather's youngest brother, to St. Elizabeth's Hospital, a mental asylum for the residents of the District of Columbia and for the veterans of the US armed forces. Sherman had enlisted in April 1898 with Company C, Third Missouri Volunteers, Second Division, Second Corps, swept up by … Continue reading Horizons Expand
On Horizons
CW: Suicide attempt I think of my 19th century ancestors' lives as bound by the geography of their landscapes. What they observed out their front doors and across the lane framed their beliefs, thinking, their sense of opportunity. The assembly of characters in their lives were tied by blood or marriage or business. Their movements … Continue reading On Horizons
Madness Monday: What Happened to Christopher Sherman Sayles?
Christopher Sherman Sayles was welcomed into the village of Alfred Station, New York sometime during 1862, the year his father, Ira B. Sayles, enlisted in the 130th Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry of the Union Army. This youngest child of Ira and wife, Serena White Sayles, was named for his paternal grandfather, Christopher Sayles. Sherman … Continue reading Madness Monday: What Happened to Christopher Sherman Sayles?
Shoots, Roots, and Leaves 