Aaron T. McNaghten, Fairfield County, OH, enlisted shortly after the firing on Fort Sumter, served his 6 months, got out, and re-enlisted in the Union Army during October 1861. Although he had been in the Federal Army for almost 2 years, he had not participated in an infantry battle.
His unit was transferred to the Department of the South in the summer of 1863. By the time of the transfer to South Carolina, he had risen in rank. 1st Sergeant McNaghten of Company D, 62nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, died in the famous attack against Battery Wagner on Morris Island, S.C., just as his letter indicates he would. Read the last letter he wrote to his parents and siblings.
For more about McNaghten and the Battle at Fort Wagner on Morris Island, read "For the Last Time on Earth" The Life and Death of Aaron Thomas McNaghten," by Wayne E. Motts, from the Hallowed Ground Magazine, Winter 2008.
The links posted by the Civil War Preservation Trust in the right column of the Motts article under the heading Resources for Morris Island offer maps, photographs, and an excellent slideshow about Morris Island for those among us fond of web surfing.
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