Harrison T. May - G.A.R., Bishop Post

Harrison Trent May was a Henry County, Ohio, native when he was drafted in July, 1863.  He was unmarried at the time and living in Flatrock Township. 

But Harrison was already enlisted and in the thick of battle by the time of his draft. He served in Company F, 68th O.V.I., enlisting October 8, 1861 and then was discharged on June 10, 1865.  His obituary noted that he was wounded at the Battle of Peach Tree Grove on July 20, 1864.

This was the last battle between Sherman and the siege on Atlanta. The plan was to sever the railroad line to Atlanta to cut off Confederate supplies.  It was the first battle for the newly appointed John Bell Hood as Confederate commander and it was a catastrophe for him and his troops.  The five hour battle left many more Confederate dead than Union.  In checking two sources, Company F of the 68th was not listed as being at that battle, so somewhere there may be a mistake in the history for Harrison. Many other smaller skirmishes occurred around that time and place. But, there is no doubt that he was part of the Atlanta campaign.

On Christmas Eve, 1867, Harrison married Hester Sophronia Cole and in the 1870 census, they were settled in Flatrock Township, Henry County - Harrison, 30; Sophronia, 25; Max Walter, 9/12 and Nancy Cole, 70, Hester Sophronia's mother.  Harrison was farming there with real estate valued at $2400.

By 1880, the family had moved to Defiance where Harrison worked at the wheel factory.  Carrie, Frank, and Paul were added to the family.  By 1900, the family home was at 120 Summit Street.  Harrison, at 60, was a rural letter carrier, an occupation he would have until his old age.  Earnest P. (Paul) was still at home.

By 1920, Harrison had retired and he, at 80, and Hester S., at 75, had welcomed into their Summit Street home their son Paul E., 40, now widowed and a motor tester at Defiance Truck, and their grandson, Paul E., Jr. 8, and Harrison's niece, Florence E. Heath, 67, a singer.

Hester Sophronia Cole May died on March 21, 1922.  Her obituary appeared in the Crescent-News on March 22, 1922: 

Harrison lived five years more until February 20, 1927, when he died at his home at the advanced age of 87.  He was buried in Riverside Cemetery, Defiance.

Harrison T. May at www.findagrave.com

(This is part of a series on Civil War veterans of Defiance County who were part of the G.A.R., Bishop Post, that headquartered in the city.  Formed in 1879, the post was named after a local man, Captain William Bishop, Company D, 100th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Army who died as a result of wounds received in battle.  The veterans' photos are part of a composite photo of members that has survived.  If you have other information or corrections to add to the soldiers' stories, please add to the comments!)