Private William F. Sarver

Over the weekend I was able to piece together the history of my husband's Great-grandfather. We just discovered he served in the Civil War. No one in the family realized this previously. In the 1900 US Fereral Census William was age 71 years and his second wife was just 42. She collected a Civil War pension for many years.

The Sarver Family relocated to Minnesota from Butler County, Pennsylvania. There is a Sarver Township in Butler County and even a Sarver Cemetery. William Foreman Sarver was born on the family farm in 1929, where his Father was a wagonmaker. He was married in Butler County, in 1849 to Mary Jane Davidson who was born in 1833. William and his new wife moved west to Carver County, Minnesota to homestead in the 1850's. His first wife soon died. He enlisted the first autumn of the Civil War. He was later discharged from the Army for disability after being wounded. It is not known at which battle the wound occurred. William remarried two years after the end of the war. He died on December 12th in 1912.


Minnesota Civil War Soldier - Private William F. Sarver, resided at Chanhassan in Carver County, Minnesota when he enlisted and was 32 years of age. His induction date was October the 5th, 1861. He served with the 4th Regiment Minnesota Infantry First Sharpshooters. His Unit served at Bennett's House on April 26th in 1865.

Minnesota 1st Company Sharpshooters History

Organized under authority of the Secretary of War at Fort Snelling, MN, and mustered into service October 5, 1861. Moved to Washington, D.C., October 6-10, 1861, and reported to Col. Berdan, at Camp of Instruction.

4th Regiment Infantry

Organized by Companies at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, as follows: Company "A" mustered in October 4, 1861. Moved to Fort Ridgly, and garrison duty there until March, 1862. Company "C" mustered in October 7, 1861. Also moved to Fort Ridgly and garrison duty there until March, 1862. Moved to Fort Abercrombie, and duty there until March, 1862 Regiment concentrated at Fort Snelling March, 1862, and moved to Benton Barracks, Mo., April 20-23, 1862. Moved to Hamburg Landing, Tenn., May 2-14. Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of Mississippi, May to November, 1862. 1st Brigade, 7th Division, Left Wing 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee, to December, 1862. 1st Brigade, 7th Division, 16th Army Corps, to January, 1863. 1st Brigade, 7th Division, 17th Army Corps, to September, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 17th Army Corps, to December, 1863. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 15th Army Corps, to April, 1865. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 15th Army Corps, to July, 1865.

Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., May 18-30. Pursuit to Booneville May 31-June 12. Duty at Clear Creek until August. Expedition to Rienzi and Ripley June. Moved to Jacinto August 5, and duty there until September 18. March to Iuka, Miss., September 18-19. Battle of Iuka September 19. Moved to Corinth October 1. Battle of Corinth October 3-4. Pursuit to Ripley October 5-12. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign November, 1862, to January, 1863. Reconnaissance from Lagrange November 8-9, 1862. Duty at White's Station and Memphis, Tenn., until February, 1863. Expedition to Yazoo Pass by Moon Lake, Yazoo Pass and Coldwater and Tallahatchie Rivers February 24-April 8. Operations against Fort Pemberton and Greenwood March 13-April 5. Moved to Milliken's Bend, La., April 13-15. Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25-30. Battle of Port Gibson, Miss., May 1. Jones' Cross Roads and Willow Springs May 3. Battles of Raymond May 12; Jackson May 14; Champion's Hill May 16; Big Black River May 17. Siege of Vicksburg May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Expedition to Mechanicsburg May 26-June 4. Surrender of Vicksburg July 4. Garrison duty at Vicksburg until September 12. Moved to Helena, Ark., September 12, thence to Memphis, Tenn., and Corinth, Miss., and march to Chattanooga, Tenn., October 6-November 20. Operations on Memphis & Charleston Railroad in Alabama October 20-29. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23-27. Tunnel Hill November 24-25. Mission Ridge November 25. Pursuit to Graysville November 26-27. At Bridgeport and Huntsville, Ala., until June, 1864. Operations about Whitesburg, Ala., February 2, 1864. Veterans on furlough March 5 to May 4, 1864. Moved from Huntsville, Ala., to Stevenson, Ala., thence to Kingston, Ga., June 22-25, thence to A1latoona July 5-6, and garrison duty there until November. Battle of Allatoona October 5. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Siege of Savannah, Ga., December 10-21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Salkehatchie Swamps, S.C., February 2-5. South Edisto River February 9. North Edisto River February 12-13. About Columbia February 15-17. Cheraw March 3. Battle of Bentonville, N. C., March 19-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14, and occupation. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20. Grand Review May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June 2-3. Duty there until July 19. Mustered out July 19 and discharged at St. Paul, Minnesota, on August 7, 1865.