Charles Woods
| Charles was from
Danville, PA, born in 1841. He enlisted as a private in Co. H (The Baldy
Guards) of the 93rd Regiment PA Inf. And was mustered in with the rest
of the regiment on October 25, 1861 at Camp Curtin, Lebanon, PA. He was
immediately detailed to be a hospital steward, most likely because of
his pre-war occupation as a druggist, detached from the 93rd and sent to
Chesapeake Hospital, Fortress Monroe, VA. In September 1862, he was
discharged from the 93rd and he enlisted in the Regular Army to continue
serving there as a hospital steward. He remained at Fortress Monroe for
the duration of the war and was discharged on September 26, 1865.
The National Archives has some extensive records on him because he made claims to the government several times to have his pension increased due to disability. He claimed that his heart problems, rheumatism, vertigo, shortness of breath, eczema of the hands and blood poisoning were caused by his war service. On his Declaration for Invalid Pension made in 1896, he claimed that all those problems were the result of his job embalming dead soldiers while he was a hospital steward at Fortress Monroe. Considering the types of chemicals he was probably using and the lack of sanitary safety in those days, Charles Woods was probably right about what caused his physical problems-but the government didn't buy his argument-some things never change.
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