Existing comment:
With war's arrival, John Patterson left Almira and their two children to fight for the Union. He helped raise what became a company of the 102d Pennsylvania Infantry, and by virtue of diligent service in many battles he rose steadily in rank. Although shot through the right lung in 1862, Patterson recovered and by the start of the 1864 Overland Campaign was a colonel in command of his regiment.
Meanwhile, Almira Wendt Patterson carefully followed the war through newspapers. She beseeched her husband to avoid the scourge of alcohol. And she freely (and forcefully) offered her opinions on major events and issues of the day. In November 1863, she gave birth to a third child, Mary -- a child Colonel Patterson saw only once, during a 30-day furlough in April 1864. |