Thomas Parr
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(Narrative by Deborah Malafronte) Thomas Parr mustered into the 17th Michigan Infantry, Company E, at Ypsilanti, Michigan, on August 19th, 1862. He reputedly lied about his age, stating he was 42 (but was actually 45 years old) at the time of enlistment. On September 14th 1862, less than 30 days after enlisting, he was engaged in the battle at Turners Gap in South Mountain, Maryland, the precursor to Antietam. The bravery of the 17th at South Mountain earned the unit the name of "The Stonewall Regiment". Three days later, on September 17th, 1862, Thomas and his fellow soldiers marched 15 miles from South Mountain to Antietam where they fought in battle and helped to secure the famous Burnside Bridge.
Several letters that Thomas Parr wrote home to his wife Mary during the war are still in existence today. In these letters, Thomas writes about everything from the battles at South Mountain and Antietam to the price of tobacco in Virginia. He often mentions two fellow soldiers, Robert Wheelock and Robert Vining, who were from nearby towns in Michigan. These two soldiers were his close friends and the then 18 year old Robert Vining cared for Thomas when he was wounded somewhere near Fredericksburg.
Thomas served for one year and was discharged in July of 1863, due to general debility, at the age of 46. He went home to the town of Superior which no longer exists today but was near Ann Arbor. We are presently still unable to locate his gravesite.
I would be pleased to correspond with anyone wishing to contact me regarding this unit.
e-mail: DMalafront@aol.com
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01 September 2002