Biography of Samuel Findley

Samuel Findley
Company B
1843-1865

Samuel Findley was born September 20, 1843 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania to James and Elizabeth Findley. It is not known how many siblings he had, but he did have one younger brother who was blind. According to his pension records, he was five feet eleven inches tall with hazel eyes, dark hair, and a ruddy complexion. He worked as a day laborer.

On February 15, 1863, approximately one year before Samuel enlisted in the Civil War, his father died. Samuel, then, became the family's only source of income. He left his mother his bounty from the War when he enlisted. She was able to purchase land in the amount of $145 and support herself "out of her own industry" with some assistance from the county relief fund.

In February, 1864 when Samuel was 20 years old, he enlisted in Wooster, Ohio to serve three years and became a Private in Company B of the 60th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. On June 6, 1864, he was captured at Bethesda Church while in action at Cold Harbor, Virginia. Two other soldiers from Company B, Samuel D. Miller and Thomas Hall, stated Samuel was taken prisoner while on duty on the skirmish line. Samuel was confined in Richmond on the 7th before being sent to Andersonville Prison. He became a prisoner at Andersonville, but was fortunate to be counted among the survivors. He was paroled at Savannah, Georgia on November 19, 1864.

His pension records listed his engagements as the following: Nye River on May 9, 1864; Spottsylvania on May 12-17, 1864; North Anna River on May 25, 1864; Salem Church on June 1, 1864; and Cold Harbor on June 7, 1864 "the day he was captured." Samuel was last seen in July 1865 by William H. Shreve, another soldier taken prisoner at the Wilderness. Samuel was seen at an exchange point on the James River between City Point and Richmond, where he was to travel North on the boat. William H. Shreve helped Samuel on board one of the steamers and believed him to be "in a perfectly helpless condition, his feet being nearly rotted off from the effects of gangrene." Samuel had scurvy and was rapidly wasting away. William was then placed on another boat and that is the last time he saw Samuel.

On August 19, 1865, Elizabeth Findley, Samuel's mother who was a resident of Shreve, Wayne County, Ohio at the time, stated that her son was deceased. It is assumed that he died on the exchange boat on the James River in July of 1865.

A special thanks to Alexandra J. Finley for contributing this information.