William Dickerson Freeman

Obit

Submitted by Bobbi Mann

William Dickerson Freeman, Co. B, 112th. Volunteer Infantry, Stark County, Illinois. Enlisted at Bradford on Aug. 12, 1862

William was born April 8, 1839 in Lawrence County, Ohio and died July 17, 1918 in Janesville, Greenwood County, Kansas. (Left Lawrence County when he was 18 to settle in Bradford, Stark County, Illinois.) He was the son of David Parker and Nancy Martin Freeman and the grandson of William and Sarah Parker Freeman who settled in Lawrence County in the late 1820s. He was a brother of James Freeman who served with Company A ,188th. Ohio Volunteer Infantry and Moses Alfred Freeman who served with Company H, 6th. Reg. Ohio Cavalry Volunteers.

William was 23 years of age 6'1 1/2" high, fair complexion, hazel eyes, auburn hair and a farmer when he enlisted. ______________________________________________________________________________

Nov. 17th. 1892

Personally appeared before me, Lynis Brocock, a Notary Public for said Stark County, State of Illinois, Francis J.Liggett, aged 48 years of Bradford, Stark County, Illinois, who first being sworn on his oath deposes and says: ______________________________________________________________________________

I was a Private in Company B, 112th. Regiment Illinois Volunteers and was well acquainted with William D. Freeman, the above named claimant who was a Private in the same company. I was well acquainted with the claimant William D. Freeman for some five years before the breaking out of the late Civil War. Freeman and myself enlisted together and at the same time in the said Company B, 112th. Illinois Volunteers.

On the morning of the 18th. Of Sept. 1863, William D. Freeman, myself and two other boys of the same Company were captured by the enemy while in action in line of duty at Cleveland, Tennessee, after our capture we were taken by the enemy to Dalton, GA, thence to Atlanta and then to Richmond, VA and on the 27th of September 1863 we were imprisoned on Belle Island. Remaining there until the 10th. Day of March 1864. During our stay on the Island, all through the hard winter we were compelled to sleep on the bare sand with not even a straw under us and not a blanket, overcoat or anything else to cover ourselves with. To keep from freezing eighteen of us slept together, lying huddled up together "spoon fashion" to increase the animal heat that we might live at all.

William D. Freeman during all my acquaintance with him up to that time, had been a hearty, robust man having no ailments whatever. During the month of January of our stay on the Island he complained heavily of Rheumatism in his back and hips, brought on as unvarying behavior by the extreme exposure we had to undergo in sleeping on the ground in a more than half frozen condition. We were taken from the Island to Andersonville in Georgia, getting there on the 18th.Day of March 1864. Here again we were compelled to sleep on the bare cold ground. Freeman continued to suffer much with the Rheumatism contracted on the Island.

Soon after our imprisonment in Andersonville, Freeman, myself and another prisoner by the name of Stacy plotted to make our escape. On the 24th. Day of May 1864, we put our plot into execution and escaped. We hid ourselves in swamps, were chased by bloodhounds and were hunted down like wild beasts. Stacy was recaptured in about 3 or 4 days and taken back to Andersonville. Freeman and myself kept in hiding the best we could and kept on traveling toward the Union lines-meeting with many discouragement's and hair breath escapes. After about twenty days of suffering, untold hunger and fatigue, we reached Sherman's Army and the Etowah River in Georgia. We were delayed much during the day of our escape, on account of Freeman being unable to travel having the Rheumatism so severe in his back and hips, when we got into our lines we were each given a furlough for 30 days. We went home together, went back to the service together, remained together when discharged at the same and together, went home together and lived until 1878 when Freeman went to Kansas to live.

Francis J. Liggett