SEVENTH GENERATION

236. Henry Wisore BLESSING was born on 27 Sep 1843 in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pa.. He died on 8 Dec 1886 in Lisbon, Linn Co. Iowa. He has descendant number 1-9-4-1-2. He was buried in Lisbon Cemetery, Lisbon , Iowa. He was a farmer/merchant/soldier. Henry W. Blessing, his parents and brothers and sisters and a number of other relatives and friends came to Lisbon, Iowa in the spring of 1850, from Dauphin Co., Pa. Tragedy struck them on the way down the Ohio river when the steamer "Belle of the West" caught fire and sank. Some lost their lives and all lost all of their posessions so they arrived at what is now Lisbon Ia. with their worldly possessions gone but thankful for their lives being spared. Three sisters were kept afloat in the water by their quilted petticoats acting as live preservers long enough to be saved. The young man who saved them
later came to Lisbon with idea of marrying one of them but each had other plans and turned him down.

A group of fifty relatives and friends from Pa. had come to this area (Lisbon Iowa) in 1847 and 1850 and made the nucleus of the town which they named Lisbon. There had been only a few scattered settlers in the area before that. Henry W. Blessing was 18 years old when he went into the Civil War. He was a corporal in Co. C 16th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He was captured and in the Andersonville prison from July 28 to
September 13, 1864. While in prison he kept a diary. The origional written on double sheets of paper, is in his daughter Mrs. Eva Blessing Burr's possession as of July 1958. A copy was donated by Mrs. S. F. Emerson, Lisbon, Iowa to the Marion, Linn Chapter Daughter of the American Revolution. This writer, Robert W. Blessing, has an 11 page typewritten transcribed copy of the said diary.

A few excerpts from that diary are as follows with the spelling as Henry wrote it:

East Point Ga. July the 22 1864
Well I will try and give a short dictate of the engagement of today we was attackt this afternoon about 1 oclock the enemy engaged us in front fore about 1 hour and then they surendred to us and as we wastaking them back the Rebs had flankt us on our left and got in to our rear and then they crossfire on us from every side and then they demanded the surendr of our Regt and we seen that it was useless to try to resist so we surendred to them and then we was taken to Atlanta and then they took us and took our names and then they took us to East Point so that made a distance of 17 miles that we marchet from 3 oclock untill 12 oclock that night. ther was 215 of our Regt taken prisoners the rest of the Regt was a building brestworks thear was 19 hundrd of us all together hear at East Point they gave us some rations it was crackers and become one cracker for one days rations and thees crackers was made out of brand and shorts and ground peas Well we
thought that was slim rations but when it com to March 4 days on three of them crackers.

East Point Ga July 23 1864:
We layd in camp hear all day nuthing of eny encouragement for us to day the boys are all well yet and I am well my selph and I hope the lord may spare my life until I get through this fore this is an awfall place fore a human to stay in East Point Ga July 24 1864
We layd in the stockade all day we are in hearing distance of the artilery out in front they have not brought eny prisoners since we came in. Now I will give a small history of the City of Atlanta this is a very nice place but it is desertet at the present the citizens
have all left the town since the fighting is going on thear it is a large place fine buildings thear Our men was a sheling the city when we was going through thear the shells was a busting all around.

East Point Ga July 25
We left this place this morning we marchet 15 miles and then they put us in camp fore the night this is a fine looking country here the country is full of refugees from Atlanta the woods is full of them, fore they have not got eny place to go to. I don't know where we are going to yet but they say that we are a going to Anderson Ga. which place is 162 miles from Atlanta.

Camp in the Wilderness July the 26th
We marchet the distance of 9 miles we are still on our way to Anderson. They say that we will take the cars tomorrow and go to Anderson. I hope we will for I am tired of marching but I am well yet and I hope thet the Lord will speer my life.

Grifen Ga July 27 1864
We marchet 9 miles today and took the cars fore Anderson Ga. we went as far as Maken Ga today and stayed there untill the next morning they put 75 of us in each car and was so hot that we must smuther hear and they don't let us go out to get eny water. Camp
Sumpter Anderson Ga. July the 28th
We arived at this horibel place this afternoon of all the sufrings that ever I seen is hear you can't twalk throught the streets hear without stepping on a sick man or dead man. thear is a fence around hear we are in a 30 achr lot the fence around hear is about 20 feet high and they have guards all around on the top and if you cross the dead line then they will shoot you without halfing you they shoot from one to two every day they have now organized a police numbering five hundred and they keep the camp in order About four weeks before we came in hear they hung six of our men in camp hear for murders thear was a gang of thieves and murderers in camp hear. So that when eny new men would come in hear they would steal the last thing that they had but the plice hung six of them and the boys pounded four to death they say it was awful how they went on a man wasn't safe to go to the creek to getsome water There is from 50 to 60 men dies every day I think that is a shame how the Rebs uses our men hear and I think that our government ought to try and get our men out of hear fore if they leave them in hear all winter the half of them will die fore there is most half of the men in hear aren't abel to crall fore they must lay out in the sand the Rebs have taken thear blankets away from them and some of the men is most eaten up with the sand sores. thear is but three shade trees in the whole stockade but they don't do much good fore 30 thousand men. We are a stoping on the south side of the hill and the sun comes down very hot on us. Some of the guards that is a guarding us hear in the stockade aren't over ten years they are all
boys and old men old grey headed men and they watch us evry chance they get to shoot us they have not got no more mursy on us than a dog has on a piece of meat.

Camp Sumpter Anderson Ga August 17th
Well I have bin little under the weather fore a few days but I feal a little better now the rest of the boys are all well yet thear is not much talk about us getting out of hear soon The prisoners are dying very fast hear now they average from 75 to a hundred a day thar was 130 died the other day they most all die with darihia nd skervy and dropsy the poor fellows cant get no help fore the hospitals are all but thay are a putting up some more and thay take some sicxk out every morning.

Camp Sumpter Anderson Ga August 24
I am well yet but I feal prety weak fore we dont get helf enough to eat in hear Thear is a good deal of talk about us a getting out of hear soon Thear was some officers in hear and they took them out of hear today thear was a Col of a negro Regt in hear they took them out to Charleston fore exchange The sun is so hot in hear that we most burn in the daytime and in the night the mosketers eat us up most they dont let us sleep half the night.

Camp Sumpter Anderson Ga Sept 8 1864
Well they are still taking the prisoners out of hear they was at it all night and all day yesterday they have taken out about ten thousand since they comencet and will take out some men tonight but they are a leaving a good many sick that is not able to stand to ride on the cars We have got very fine weather hear now my helth is very good but I dont get enough to eat we have bin on helf rations ever since we have bin hear but 4 days we got full rations then they cut us down I think that we will be in our lines in about two weeks well I will be very glad when we get in our lines when they comence to take the boys out of hear thear was 32 thousand in hear and thear has bin 9 thousand of the prisoners died since this camp was hear.

Sep 13th 1864
We took the cars at Andersonville Georgia this evening fore Atlanta Georgia fore exchange and we arrived at Rough and REady on the 22nd Sept fore exchange and we was exchanged at ten oclock a gladder set of boys never was than us when we was exchanged the Rebs gave us a small piece of cornbread and a small piecs of bacon the night that we left Andersonville and that was the last that we got until we came to
Atlanta Ga ther was 469 of us exchanged thear at one time I am with my Regt now and we get a plenty to eat

He was married to Louisa Loucella HANDLEY (daughter of Jeramiah W. HANDLEY and Abigail ANDREWS) on 31 Dec 1868 in Lisbon, Linn Co. Iowa. Louisa Loucella HANDLEY was born on 20 Jan 1848 in Illinois. She died on 20 Oct 1923 in Bartlett, Nebraska. Henry Wisore BLESSING and Louisa Loucella HANDLEY had the following children:

+401 i. Gertrude Lenora BLESSING.
+402 ii. Lauren Edward BLESSING.
+403 iii. Avonia May BLESSING.

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