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Community Corner

Newton's Civil War Monument Soldiers

Happy Friday!  Here is the next installment of Newton Civil War soldier bios from the 61 men whose names appear on the Newton Soldiers' Monument.  William Freeman died on January 5, 1863:

William N. Freeman
Two Massachusetts communities claim William Freeman as one of their own: Newton, and Sandwich, MA.  Having died of typhoid fever according to one source, and consumption in an another, the end result was sadly the same.  Born in Sandwich, MA in 1833 to Henry and Mehitable Freeman, William, a carpenter, joined the Union Army from West Newton.   Freeman, 29, enlisted on May 24, 1861 and served in the Mass. 1st Regiment, Company I.  Two other men from Newton, whose names also appear on the Soldier’s Monument, enlisted with Freeman on the same day: Leroy S. Bridgman, 18, and William Rogers Benson, 19.  Bridgman was originally assigned to Co. F, but later transferred to Co. I. 

For two years, Freeman participated in several battles before being felled by disease.  The Mass. 1st fought in Manassas, Va., July 16-21; occupied the Fairfax Court House July 17; fought in the Battle of Bull Run July 21; participated in the siege of Yorktown April 16-May 4; fought in the Battle of Williamsburg May 5; and Seven Pines from May 31-June 1. Freeman’s last major conflict in which he served was the Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 12-15, 1862.  Freeman died on January 5, 1863 in Philadelphia, PA.

William N. Freeman was honored as both a Newton and Sandwich son.  Men from Sandwich who died in the war, most of whom were glass factory workers, are honored collectively by a monument in Eaton Square, Sandwich, erected in 1911.  Freeman’s name appears alphabetically on the Newton Soldiers’ Monument.  Freeman is buried in Sandwich, MA.  His name was on the Newton monument when it was dedicated in July 1864.

If anyone reading this knows more about Freeman or his family, please feel free to let us know!
(info obtained primarily from www.ancestry.com)

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