THEORDORE WINCHELL -- 83rd and 97th INFANTRYMOVED TO MINNESOTA FROM PLATTSBURGH - In 1863, twenty-five-year-oldTheodore Winchell, who was living in Plattsburgh with his father,Martin, was drafted. It is noted on the 1863 draft registration listthat he was a black man. His father came to Plattsburgh from Connecticutby way of Whitehall and Burlington after his wife died. Theodoreenlisted in the 83rd Infantry in Plattsburgh and was mustered intoCompany I on July 7th. His Muster Roll abstract lists him as mulattowith black eyes, black hair and 5' 6½" tall. During July and Augustabout 85 men from the Plattsburgh area joined the regiment. They went tothe Army of the Potomac in Virginia a couple of months after the 83rdhad sustained 82 casualties at Gettysburg.In November, the 83rd was in the Mine Run Campaign with their newrecruits and had 29 captured in action. Their first engagement of 1864was at The Wilderness where nine of their number were either killed inaction, wounded or were taken south to die in Confederate prisons.After Spotsylvania in May and then Cold Harbor inJune 1864, the 83rd was mustered out, but the 3-year men likeTheodore, were transferred to the 97th Infantry who were alongsidethem in the field. The 97th spent the rest of their service in thePetersburg area with the Army of the Potomac. After the Fall ofPetersburg on April 2, 1865, Theodore was promoted to corporal on April3rd. The regiment then chased Lee to Appomattox Court House where hesurrendered on April 9th. The regiment returned to the Washington areaand they mustered out a Ball's Crossroads, VA, on June 18th.By 1880, Theodore had married a girl from Franklin County, Jane Hayle,and they were living in Beaver Valley, MN. The 1890 Veterans Schedulesshow he was suffering from heart disease and a rupture in his stomach,however he lived for 40 more years and, in all the subsequent censuses,he is enumerated as being white. Jane died in 1911 and Theodore joinedher in the Beaver Valley Cemetery in 1930.
