John M. Fitchpatrick (1845-1920)

FITCHPATRICK, GAGE

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 10/31/2021 at 12:02:47

From Nevada Representative September 23, 1920 (page 1)

JOHN M. FITCHPATRICK

Old Time Citizen and Union Soldier Passes

John M. Fitchpatrick, formerly of Story county, a brother of J. A. Fitchpatrick, met instant death form an accidental fall from the window of a third story room in which he had lived for the past 15 years at the hotel in Hebron, Nebr., at 5 o'clock Sunday morning. No further particulars are reported.

He was born April 1st, 1845 in Indiana, he moved to Iowa in 1854 and in 1863 enlisted in Company I, 8th Iowa Cavalry, which he was in constant active service until July 30th, 1854 [should be 1864], when he was captured in on of the raids around Atlanta, with whole command, at Newman, Ga., and taken at once to Andersonville and remained in the rebel prison until March 1st, 1865 when a genera exchange was made. He loathed the coarse food supplied and his stomach was in constant rebellion and had it not been that his nearest comrades constantly skirmished for rice he certainly would have succumbed to starvation. He was too weak to walk and his comrades carried him to the train, and when across lines secured a place for him in a hospital at Wilmington, N. C. As an incident tending to show his condition at that time, he relates that after remaining in the hospital about ten days it was announced that all exchanged prisoners of war able to march to the levy would be started north that day, but the surgeons advised him he was not able to make it and replied he wanted to try it anyway, and with some assistance he got out of the building and joined the procession, but tumbled over and was unable to rise. A negro drayman came along and John hailed him and asked for a ride, and the darkey told him to hop on, and being told he could not do so he requested the driver to dismount and lift him, to which the darkey replied that he could not lift him, but being further persuaded he ventured a try, then exclaimed, "Good Lord, Massy, you are only a bunch of bones," which was an actual fact. He reached the boat and finally reached home and safety, a couple of months later weighing in at 90 pounds. He recuperated very slowly and in fact never did recover from the horrible effects of prison life. As soon as able to travel he went west to Lincoln, Nebr., and took a homestead and tried to work it, but after two or three years gave it up and returned home, and after working in the clerk's office for some time went to Hebron, which has been his home ever since. In 1880 he married Annie Gage of Fairbury, who died 7 or 8 years later. He leaves one son, Neil G., now connected with British Columbia Telephone company at Van Couver, B. C. He always enjoyed the high esteem of his friends and neighbors.