 | Frank Bergquist graduated from Eddyville, IA, high school in 1958. After graduation, he entered the Army, serving 20 years in Missouri, Maryland, New Mexico, Germany, Iowa, Turkey, Kansas, S.E. Asia, and finally retiring in 1978 in Louisiana. Before retiring, Frank was assigned as an ROTC instructor at WSU and Kemper Military School until 1974. In 1978 he served as the Non-Commissioned officer in charge of operations at Fort Polk, LA. He has served as the Veterans Counselor (DVOP) with the Kansas Job Service Center National Service Office, with the Disabled American Veterans at the VA Regional Office in Wichita; Veterans Employment and Training Coordinator with the US Dept. of Labor at Ft. Riley, KS; Service Coordinator with Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation; Dept Adjutant-Treasurer and the Dept. Executive Director Dept. of Kansas Disabled American Veterans; and past President of the Wichita Civil War Round Table. Currently he is doing graduate work as an instructor in Genealogy and Military History at Wichita State and Kansas State Universities, and is the CEO for the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Stores in Wichita, KS. Bergquist has an AA from Kemper Military School and College from Boonville, MO. and a BGS from Wichita State University. He can be reached by telephone at 316-262-6501. He is located at 926 N. Mosley Wichita 67214. |
Veteran Affairs
2010-10-01 10:11:00
US Marines and the Civil War
Question: What role did the Marines play in the Civil War?
Answer: There were not many members in the USMC during the Civil War. It was like the regular army units during the civil war. The volunteer units got all of the glory, the money and the promotions. The regular units like the USMC had to make do with what they had. They served until their enlistments were over. Even though the Civil War was over.
One Civil War Marine who served from 1864 to 1868, is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, located on the Northeast corner of 9th and Hillside in Wichita, KS. It is an old cemetery, but not the oldest in Wichita. That is the one across the street at the Hillside Cemetery. But Maple Grove has the Grand Army of the Republic Pavilion that was erected by the Woman’s Relief Corps. The WRC was a woman’s auxiliary to the GAR. The Pavilion is going to rebuild but more about that in a later column. One of the graves clustered around the pavilion is that of George W. Oliver. There is nothing remarkable about his grave. He has a standard issue civil war veteran’s gravestone. But as you read the headstone it says: “U.S.M.C.” According to records George W. Oliver enlisted at Portsmouth, NH on September 14, 1864 for four years. His recruiting officer was a: “Lieut. Col. James W. Jones of the U.S. Marines. He was on board a “Receiving Ship.” George W. Oliver was born in Glasgow, Scotland. George was at the time of his enlistment age 27 years, 5 ¼ inches high, hazel eyes, Brown Hair, fair complexion, by trade or occupation a laborer. He enlisted as a substitute. He took the place of another individual in the USMC, probably who was going to be drafted. The going rate to pay a substitute was $300.00 plus some other state bonuses. The record further states that he was vaccinated. He was discharged from military service at Mare Island, CA on September 18, 1868, a little over four years of military service. Very little is known about his military service. His records consist of a single sheet of paper indicating he enlisted aboard a “Receiving Ship” and another indicating he was discharged from the USMC also aboard a “Receiving Ship.” The last record in his file lists him as “DROPPED” March 4, 1899, with a notation “DEAD”. He had served as a “Private”. A John P. Oliver (Relationship unknown) applied for reimbursement of burial expenses, with a notation that the burial expenses were paid by the I.O.O.F. and the GAR burial fund. Private Oliver died in February of 1899, from heart disease. His actual date of death various from paper to paper either the 19th or the 23rd. He was last paid a pension of $12.00 on January 4, 1899. Pension was paid on a quarterly basis. He indicated that his wife had died earlier; I presume she is also buried in Maple Grove, but I don’t know for sure. His children were “over age,” so he was not drawing any thing for them on his pension. His last occupation was that of a “Boarding House Keeper,” but was at the time of his pension application was totally unable to work due to asthma. Although his grave is not impressive, the headstone indicates he served his adopted country honorably in time of war.
