McCracken, Henry

1843 - 1924  (81 years)

• Name	McCracken, Henry
  Birth	5 Mar 1843  [1]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	MCCR.H004
  _FGRAVE	76599914
  Military Service	American Civil War, Corporal, Company G, 42nd Indiana Infantry Regiment  [2]
  	Henry enlisted as a private in Company "G" 42nd Regiment of Indiana Volunteers on 28 September 1861 at the age of 18. His brothers John James, Thomas,and William Nelson McCracken enlisted at the same time. They were mustered in on 10 October 1861 at Evansville. During December of 1861 the 42nd was ordered to move its camp from Henderson to Calhoun, Knetucky, where there was a concentration of Union troops. The weather was cold and rainy making the roads ankle-deep in mud. Each man was required to carry about seventy-five pounds of equipment in his knapsack in addition to his rifle and haversack. At night the regiment usually had to make camp in the mud and get their water from any availables stream. It was not long until one-third of the regiment was sick with typhoid, measles, pneumonia and dysentery. The result for Henry McCracken was frostbitten feet which caused him to have painful, swollen feet throughout his three years of service. In the spring of 1863 Henry became ill with fever and was in a regimental hospital near Murfeesboro, Tennessee. His brother "Nelson" went to visit him every day until the 42nd moved on, leaving Henry in the hospital. When Henry rejoined his unit several months later his relatives were shocked to see him because he had lost his hair as a result of his illness. At the Battle of Resaca, 15 May 1864, the 42nd was being supported by a battery of six pound Napoleon guns. These were muzzle-loading cannons with a maximum effective range of 800 to 1,000 yards. They fired two to three rounds a minute. The cannons were on a hill above a branch of water. Company "G:, 42nd, as below the artillery and some of the men were ordered to lay down in the water to protect themselves. The water was cold and Henry went into the water reluctantly and only after he was ordered to do so by his officers. He laid in the water for several hours with cannons being fired over his head. When he came out of the water after dark he had a fever. As a result of fever, exposure and the concussion of the cannons, his hearing was damaged. Henry McCracken was discharged as a Corporal, 17 October 1864 at Villanova, Georgia.
  		Flag of the United States, 35 Stars (1863-1865) This flag was flown by the Federal States during the United States Civil War. The flag of the United States of America from 1861 to 1863, with 34 stars for all the 34 states. In 1863 a 35th star was added to represent the new state of West Virginia (the loyal northwestern counties of Virginia), and in 1864 a 36th star for Nevada (previously the…
  		American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865)
  		42nd Indiana Infantry Regiment
  Death	30 Dec 1924  [1]
  Burial	Bethany Cemetery, Washington, Daviess County, Indiana   [1]
  		Headstone, McCracken, Henry and Mary J.
  Person ID	I46523	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	18 Feb 2021

  
  

  Father	McCracken, John W.,   b. 8 Jan 1807, Mason County, Kentucky d. 8 Jul 1897, Daviess County, Indiana (Age 90 years)
  Mother	Webber, Sarah Jane,   b. 8 Aug 1808, New York d. 2 Nov 1889, Daviess County, Indiana (Age 81 years)
  Marriage	Y  [3]
  Family ID	F17189	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Hanks, Mary Jane,   b. 1 Jan 1847   d. 13 Oct 1904 (Age 57 years)
  Marriage	Y  [1]
  Children	1. McCracken, Minnie,   b. 1877   d. 1974 (Age 97 years)   2. McCracken, Byron Valentine,   b. 1883   d. 1955 (Age 72 years)
  Family ID	F17205	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Oct 2026

  
  

• Event Map

  Burial - - Bethany Cemetery, Washington, Daviess County, Indiana  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S13952] http://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, McCracken, Henry and Mary J., (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76599914/henry-mccracken), none. (Reliability: 2). [S13953] http://www.findagrave.com, Obituary, McCracken, Henry, (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76599914/henry-mccracken), none. (Reliability: 2). [S13945] https://www.findagrave.com, Headstone, McCracken, Sarah J., (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40576311/sarah-jane-mccracken), none. (Reliability: 2).