JOSEPH
WIER
176th New York Infantry
Private, Company D
1st Sergeant Company K
Middle Island
Joseph Wier
176th New York Volunteer Infantry
Private Company D
1st Sergeant Company K
Joseph Wier was
born on January 27, 1844 at Newburg, New York. He was
working as a clerk when the war began.
On September 4, 1862 Colonel Charles Gould received
permission to recruit a regiment called the "
Ironsides " for a period of three years. This
regiment would be designated as the 176th New York
Volunteer Infantry.
Joseph Wier
enlisted on September 9, 1862 at New York City for a
period of 3 years. Wier was 19 years of age, stood
5'7" tall, and had blue eyes and brown hair when he
enlisted in Company D.
After a three month
training period the regiment left New York on January 13,
1863. The regiment was loaded on the transport Alice
Connor, and arrived at New Orleans on February 17, 1863.
The regiment was assigned to the Department of the Gulf
under General Nathaniel Banks. Company D. was detailed as
a provost guard at the Parish of La Fourche, Louisiana.
On May 4th, 55
members of company D reported to the regiment at
Tigerville. Wier remained at Thibodeaux and on June 20th
was attacked by Confederate forces, which captured ten
men including Wier. The rest of the company was forced to
pull back to La Fourche Crossing and June 21st the
Company participated in the battle of La Fourche Crossing
and lost 6 men. On June 23rd the Confederates attacked
again and over 400 men from the regiment were reported as
being taken prisoner.
General Banks, who was in charge of the Gulf forces made
the following official report of the incident:
During the
investment and siege of Port Hudson, the enemy west of
the Mississippi had been concentrating, and on June 18
one regiment of infantry and two of cavalry, under
command of Colonel [J. P.] Major, captured and burned two
of our small steamers at Plaquemine, taking 68 prisoners,
mostly convalescents of the Twenty-eighth Maine
Volunteers. The same force then passed down the river and
Bayou La Fourche, avoiding Donaldsonville, and attacked
our forces on the 20th at La Fourche Crossing, on the
Opelousas Railway, cutting off communication between
Brashear City and New Orleans. They were, however,
finally repulsed, but renewed their attack on the 21st,
which resulted in their again being repulsed, leaving 53
of their dead upon the field and 16 prisoners in our
hands. Our loss was 8 killed and 16 wounded.
Re-enforcements were sent from New Orleans, but the enemy
did not renew the attack. Our forces were under command
of Lieut. Col. Albert Stickney, Forty-seventh
Massachusetts Volunteers. Subsequently they fell back to
Algiers.
Orders had been sent to Brashear City to remove all
stores, and hold the position, with the aid of the
gunboats, to the last; but the enemy succeeded in
crossing Grand Lake by means of rafts, and surprised and
captured the garrison June 22 [23], consisting of about
300 men, two 30-pounder Parrott guns, and six
24-pounders. The enemy, greatly increased in numbers,
then attacked the works at Donaldsonville, on the
Mississippi, which were defended by a garrison of 225
men, including convalescents, commanded by Maj. J. D.
Bullen, Twenty-eighth Maine Volunteers.
Joseph Wier
remained a prisoner until August 17, 1863 when he was
paroled in a prisoner exchange. On October 26, 1863 Wier
was transferred to the newly formed Company K, where he
was promoted to 1st Sergeant.
In December he was
reported as absent, attending a general court martial as
a witness. He remained with the regiment at Madisonville
for January and February. On February 15, 1864 Wier was
discharged by expiration of his term of service. Wier had
seen enough of war and did not reenlist. After his
discharge he returned home to New York until 1867, when
he moved to Cincinnati Ohio. While in Ohio he met and
married Mary Cook. The marriage produced a daughter,
Maud, but ended in divorce in 1872. Wier moved back to
New York where he remained until moving to Missouri in
1877. Slowed by an ailing heart, Wier moved to the
National Soldier's Home in Indiana in 1892. In 1894 he
moved to the National Soldier's Home in Kansas.
These homes were
for veterans suffering from service injuries or who were
unable to take care of themselves. A farm and workshops
were usually attached to these homes as they tried to be
as self sufficient as possible. While at the soldier's
home in Kansas, Wier met and married Orilla Habert on
October 20, 1896. The couple left the soldiers home after
the marriage and returned to live in New York City where
Wier died on December 29, 1926.