A Legacy of Music and War: The Civil War Journeys of Franklin B. French & Isaiah Stevens

A Story of Service, Sacrifice, and Survival

Franklin B. French (1820-1912)

Service: 13th Maine Infantry, Company D
Enlistment Date: December 5, 1861
Muster Out Date: September 14, 1865
Key Battles: Sabine Cross Roads, Pleasant Hill
Final Rank: Musician
Post-War: Returned to Maine, lived as a farmer

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Isaiah Stevens

Birth Date: July 1818- March 1887
Service: 5th Maine Infantry, Company E
Enlistment Date: December 11, 1861
Discharge Date: April 1862 (Medical Discharge due to injury)
Key Battles: Siege of Yorktown
Final Rank: Private
Post-War: Discharged due to injury, returned to farming 🔗 FindAGrave

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Civil War Search

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TimeLine

1861

The Civil War Begins

April 12, 1861

The Civil War begins with the Battle of Fort Sumter.
🔗 Wikipedia

1861

The Civil War Begins

December 5, 1861

Franklin B. French enlists in the 13th Maine Infantry Regiment as a musician.

1861

The Civil War Begins

December 11, 1861

Isaiah Stevens enlists in the 5th Maine Infantry Regiment as a private.

1862

Gulf Coast Operations & Peninsula Campaign

February 12, 1862

Franklin is stationed at Ship Island, Mississippi, a Union stronghold securing the Gulf Coast.

1862

Gulf Coast Operations & Peninsula Campaign

April 5 - May 4, 1862

Isaiah fights in the Siege of Yorktown, part of the Peninsula Campaign.
🔗 Wikipedia

1862

Gulf Coast Operations & Peninsula Campaign

April 1862

Isaiah sustains a hip injury and is medically discharged from the Union Army.

1862

Gulf Coast Operations & Peninsula Campaign

Franklin continues serving in the Union Army, later deploying to Texas.

1863

Texas Coast Campaign

November 27-30, 1863

Franklin participates in the Battle of Fort Esperanza, a Union victory securing Confederate forts along the Gulf Coast.
🔗 Wikipedia

1864

Red River Campaign & Major Battles

April 8, 1864

Franklin fights in the Battle of Sabine Cross Roads, where Union forces suffer heavy losses and retreat.
🔗 Wikipedia

1864

Red River Campaign & Major Battles

April 9, 1864

Franklin participates in the Battle of Pleasant Hill, attempting to regain momentum but ultimately retreating.
🔗 Wikipedia

1864

Red River Campaign & Major Battles

April 23, 1864

Franklin takes part in the Battle of Cane River Crossing, assisting in the Union's strategic retreat.
🔗 Wikipedia

1863April 9, 1864

Texas Coast Campaign

May 16, 1864

Franklin is involved in the Battle of Mansura, another engagement during the Union retreat from Louisiana.
🔗 Wikipedia

1864

Shenandoah Valley Operations

July 13-23, 1864

Franklin's regiment joins the Expedition to Snicker’s Gap, Virginia, engaging in Union counter-movements in the Shenandoah Valley.
🔗 Wikipedia

1864

Shenandoah Valley Operations

August–October 1864

Franklin helps in the Defense of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, protecting a key Union supply line.
🔗 Wikipedia

1865

End of the War

April 9, 1865

General Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the war.
🔗 Wikipedia

1865

End of the War

September 14, 1865

Franklin is officially mustered out of service from the Union Army, having served for the entire war.

Post-War Life of Franklin B. French & Isaiah Stevens

1865-1870

Franklin returns home to Abbot, Maine, and resumes life as a farmer and community leader.

1870

Census

1870 Census

Franklin and his family appear in the U.S. Census as residents of Abbot, Maine.
🔗 Ancestry.com Census Records

1880

Census

1880 Census

Franklin is recorded living with his son and grandson in Abbot.

1887

Census

1887 Census

Isaiah Stevens passes away in Abbot, Maine. His gravestone marks his Civil War service.
🔗 FindAGrave

1890

Veterans Census

1890 Veterans Census

Franklin is documented as a Civil War veteran living in Maine.
🔗 Fold3 Military Records

1900

Census

1900 Census

Franklin, now widowed, continues living with family in Maine.

1912

Census

1912 Census

Franklin passes away at age 91 and is buried in Abbot Village Cemetery.
🔗 FindAGrave

Interactive Battle Maps

Historical Documents & Archives

1850 United States Federal Census for Franklin French

1860 United States Federal Census for Franklin French

1870 United States Federal Census for Franklin B French

1880 United States Federal Census for Frank B. French

1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census for Franklin B French

1900 United States Federal Census for Franklin French

Maine, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1584-1999

Massachusetts, U.S., Marriage Records, 1840-1915 for Franklin B French

New York, U.S., Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900 for Franklin French

Site MenuMiane, U.S Veterans Cemetery Records, 1676 - 1918 for F B French

U.S., Adjutant General Military Records, 1631-1976 (1)

U.S., Adjutant General Military Records, 1631-1976 (2)

U.S., Adjutant General Military Records, 1631-1976

U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865 for Franklin French

U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918

Muster Rolls, Enlistment Papers, Pension Applications

Marriage Records, Family Correspondence

a family celebrating a seasonal festival

community celebrating a seasonal festival

illustration of Franklin, Nancy, and their children

Census Data, Veteran Benefits

Franklin B. French’s Grave

Isaiah Stevens’ Grave

Newspaper Archive

Major Civil War Events

📜 The Outbreak of War: Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861)
“The War Commenced—Attack on Fort Sumter by the Rebels”
Source: The New York Times, April 13, 1861
🔗 Read on The New York Times Archive

📜 The Surrender at Appomattox (April 9, 1865)
“Glorious! Reported Surrender of General Lee and His Army!!”
Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 10, 1865
🔗 Read on The Philadelphia Inquirer Archive

📜 The Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln (April 14, 1865)
“Murder of President Lincoln”
Source: Daily Morning Chronicle, Washington, D.C., April 15, 1865
🔗 Read on Daily Morning Chronicle Archive

Honoring the 13th Maine Infantry Regiment

🖼️ Officers of the 13th Maine Infantry, circa 1862
🔗 View on Maine Memory Network

🖼️ Group Photograph of Men from the 13th Maine Infantry
🔗 View on Digital Maine
🔗 View on Maine State Archives

Additional Resources

📖 Maine Newspaper Project
A collaborative effort by the Maine State Library to digitize historical newspapers.
🔗 Explore Maine Newspaper Project

📖 Chronicling America
Library of Congress archive of historical newspaper pages from 1777-1963.
🔗 Browse Chronicling America

A Legacy of Music and War: The Civil War Journeys of Franklin B. French & Isaiah Stevens

Franklin B. French (1820-1912)

Franklin B. French (1820-1912)

Isaiah Stevens

Isaiah Stevens

Civil War Search

TimeLine

Interactive Battle Maps

Historical Documents & Archives

Muster Rolls, Enlistment Papers, Pension Applications

Marriage Records, Family Correspondence

Census Data, Veteran Benefits

Franklin B. French’s Grave

Isaiah Stevens’ Grave

Newspaper Archive

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