Notes, sources for Consider H. Willett post

1.  Eugene Arus Nash, A History of the Forth-Fourth Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry – in the Civil War 1861-1865 (Chicago: R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, 1910; reprint, Dayton, Ohio: Morningside Book Shop, 1988), P. 152; Records of Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois; E.R. Lewis, Deceased Soldiers of Cook County, Oak Lawn Historical Society (Oak Lawn, Illinois: Cook County Commissioners, 1922).

2.  The Clem brothers started searching for Civil War relics with metal detectors in the early 1960s; Lake, Griffing & Stevenson, An Illustrated Atlas of Washington County, Maryland (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1877) Page 49.

Consider H. Willett

3.  Charles S. Harris, Civil War Relics of the Western Campaigns 1861-1865 (Mechanicsville, Virginia: Rapidan Press, 1987), P. 69; Howard R. Crouch, Civil War Artifacts – A Guide for the Historian (Fairfax, Virginia: SCS Publications, 1995), Pages 167-172.

4.  See photograph of Willett’s badge below. Note: Crease where metal was once bent.

5.  Nash, A History of the 44th New York Volunteer Infantry, Page 456.

6.  Ibid., P. 456; Consider H. Willett’s Military Service Records, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

7.  Nash, A History of the 44th New York Volunteer Infantry, Page 14;  http//www.forttejon.org/ny44/

8.  Military Service Records, National Archives; William A. Frassanito, Gettysburg – A Journey in Time (New York: Scribner’s Sons, 1975), P.14; Battles and Leaders of the Civil War – Volume III (New York, London, 1956), P. 293.

9.  Ibid., Pages 309, 314-315; Champ Clark, Gettysburg – The Confederate High Tide (Alexandria, Virginia: Time Life Books, 1985), P. 78; Frassanito, Gettysburg – A Journey in Time, Page 159; Coming under fire within minutes after taking position just below the summit, Vincent’s Brigade took full advantage of the enormous boulders on Little Round Top. Following costly assaults of Hood’s division, the Federal stone breastworks found in the 1863 photographs were constructed on the night of July 2 and early morning July 3.

10.  Clark, Gettysburg – The Confederate High Tide,  Page 68.

11.  Nash, A History of the 44th New York Volunteer Infantry, Pages 152, 300; Harry W. Pfanz, Gettysburg: The Second Day (Chapel and London: The University of North Carolina Press, 1987), Page 237; It might be noted those from the 44th New York who deserve credit for assisting Sergeant Willett in this daring rescue mentioned in the regimental history were as follows: Charles A. Prudhom, David J. Ferris, Oliver W. Sturdevant and Horace F. Mills. Charles A. Prudhom survived the war and died Aug. 19, 1909, at his home in Larned, Kan. David F. Ferris survived the war, but was killed in an "unknown" accident March 31, 1865, at Skunk’s Hollow, Va. Oliver W. Strudevant resigned from the army April 6. 1866, at Galveston, Texas and last record shows him living in Oneida, N.Y. Horace F. Mills was listed as Brevet-Major March 13, 1865. His date of death is unknown.

12.  Ibid., Page 152

13.  Robert D. Hoffsommer, The Aftermath of Gettysburg: The Story of the Casualties, Civil War Times Illustrated – Special Gettysburg Edition (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Historical Times Inc., 1963), Page 63; Military Service Records, National Archives, Washington D.C.
14.  Ibid.; David Ward Wood, Chicago and Its Distinguished Citizens, (Chicago, Illinois: Milton George & Company, 1881), Pages 260-263.

15.  Historical Sketch of the State Normal School (Albany, New York: Press of Brandow & Barton, 1884), Page 156; Albert James Willett, Willett Families of North America (Albany, New York: Willett House Publication, 1944), Page 171; John W. Leonard, The Book of Chicagoans (Chicago: A.N. Marguis & Company, 1905), Page 616; Wood, Chicago and Its Distinguished Citizens, Pages 260-263.

Willett identification badge found by relic hunter
Richard Clem in 1986. The badge is about
the size of a postage stamp.

16.  In a letter from Ed Lane – April 6, 1997 – to the author, he wrote: “I acquired the solid cherry dining room suite from Consider H. Willett in the early 1950’s. As I may have mentioned in our phone conversation, we had just started up a new occasional table division at the Lane Company in 1951. I was responsible for it since I was the one who talked my father, the founder and CEO of our company, into making something in addition to cedar chests.” So, perhaps it was a piece of Willett furniture that gave Mr. Lane the idea to branch out into other fields evolving into the Lane Home Furnishings. Edward Lane died in April 2004.

17.  Invaluable material provided by Elizabeth Welch and Lois Ross of Louisville made it possible to complete the story of the hero of Little Round Top. They supplied numerous articles from the Louisville Courier-Journal pertaining to the Willett Furniture Co. and an obituary of Consider Willett Jr. Several unpublished family photographs of the captain were also shared with this forever grateful writer. Lois Ross left this earth June 8, 2002. Her cousin, Elizabeth “Dixie” Welch, went to join her Dec. 4, 2003.

18.  Records of Oak Woods Cemetery; Nash, A History of the 44th New York Volunteers. Only portions of Willett’s letter from Fredericksburg are used here from the regimental history. The full letter that was published in the Albany Evening Journal on Dec. 20, 1862, can be found in the regimental history on Page 321. Through the assistance of Elizabeth Welch, contact was made with Judith Mullins Gorham, of Muskegon, Mich. Her husband, William N. Gorham, is a great-grandson of Captain Willett. Judy provided extensive genealogy on the Willett family that greatly added to this research project.