Wanted: Info on Massachusetts brothers who died during war

A private in the 34th Massachusetts, George Adams was killed at the Battle of New Market (Va.)

William Adams, a private in the 15th Massachusetts, died of wounds suffered at Antietam.

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William Levi Adams died of his Antietam
wounds nearly two months after the battle.
(Courtesy Susan L. Harnwell)

At least 40 sets of brothers from Connecticut who served in the Union army died during the war. It's not difficult to find others elsewhere in New England who suffered the same fate.

After a stop at a Civil War show in Sturbridge, Mass., on Saturday, I drove to nearby West Brookfield to visit Pine Grove Cemetery, where I found this old, tilted zinc memorial for brothers William and George Adams. They were two more young victims of the "wicked rebellion," two frequently used words of the era.  You may view an image of  George on the Find A Grave web site here.

A 22-year-old private in the 15th Massachusetts, William was wounded in the West Woods at Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862, and died at nearby Smoketown hospital nearly two months later. George, a 20-year-old private in the 34th Massachusetts, was killed at the Battle of New Market on May 15, 1864. His remains are believed to have been buried in Pine Grove Cemetery; William is likely buried at Antietam National Cemetery in Sharpsburg, Md.

I'm hopeful to find more about the Adams brothers and other siblings who served in the Union and Confederate armies who died during the Civil War. If you know of others, e-mail me at jbankstx@comcast. Your story could be included in my latest book project.

A zinc memorial for the Adams brothers in West Brookfield, Mass.