Red Badge of Courage?

Today is the day we remember and thank those men and women who gave their lives for our great nation. I salute them as well. I don’t come from a military family. My oldest brother served in the Marine Corps during peacetime following WWII. A great-great grandfather was wounded in the Civil War. He was shot in the abdomen during the Siege of Fort Wagner in South Carolina. That is the battle featured in the movie Glory, with Denzel Washington. I have all of that great-great-grandfather’s military records.

The only other military connection I can think of, from my family, is a different great-great-grandfather. Elias Kernechel. Below you can see his draft notice for the Civil War. Also below, you can see how he avoided service in that war.  Back in that day, if your family had money, you could pay for a substitute to take your place. That’s exactly what Elias did.

I don’t know enough about that time to say this was an example of cowardice. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t. I don’t know if they had draft deferments. I don’t know the circumstances of his life. I know you could pay for a replacement soldier. No need to fake bone spurs back then. Just pay some poor family to sacrifice a son for you. I will never know the details of the life of Elias Kernechel. His last name lived on as my dad’s middle name. I am thankful it stopped there!

So, again my thanks to all who sacrificed their lives so I have the freedoms I have today.  Take a look at my draft dodging great-great grandfather’s records below.