GEORGE E. LONG
Born: ca. 1846 in Louisiana or Delaware
Died: 27 August 1884
Married: No record of date
Wife: FRANCIS (a.k.a. FANNY) _____________
Born: 1856 in Pennsylvania
Children: Granville (b. 1876 in PA), Alfred (b. 1878 in PA)
George is the son of Mahaly Long (b. 1817) who was living in Frankford, Sussex Co., Delaware in 1892. Francis (Fanny) m.(2) Mr. Hill.
George E. Long: George E. Long was born in Louisiana or Delaware about 1846. He died August 27, 1884 according to his widow, Fanny Long. His mother was Mahaly Long of Frankford, Sussex County, Delaware. In 1873, George was aged 27, 5' 6" tall and 152 lbs. with a "Mulatto" complexion. George stated that he did not live in Coatesville for seven years prior to his enlistment for the Civil War. He lists his occupation as a Sailor prior to the war and complained that his injury during the war prevented him from going back to sea. He states that he sailed from South America to New York during his time at sea.
Military Service: George E. Long, Pvt. is incorrectly listed as having served in the 8th Regiment on his tombstone. George enrolled on 2 Sept. 1864 at Camden, New Jersey in Company A, 41st Regiment USCT for a period of three years. He actually enlisted as a substitute for Alfred C. Pedrick of Clayton Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey who was "liable to be drafted." His service was of short duration before he was hospitalized in late October 1864 in Virginia. He spent much of his time until his discharge in June 1865 at various hospitals in Virginia.
Pension Application: The Pension File for George includes indications of serious disease that was unrelated to the Civil War service and was probably the reason why George was never approved for an Invalid Pension. In November or December 1864 George stated that he was working o n the construction of Fort Brady, Virginia and helping to lift a heavy log using hand spikes up to the parapet when one of the other soldiers slipped and the log landed on George, injuring his back and hip permanently. George was immediately taken to the "Flying Hospital" and remained for two weeks. After that, George was sent to the Hospital at Point of Rocks, Virginia for two months and then to Camp Hampton at Fort Monroe. Two friends of George, Sergeant Henry P. Louden and Corporal William B. Fitzgerald were in the same Regiment and submitted an affidavit supporting his statement of injury. Despite the above statements, the military files kept for the various hospitals indicated that his initial treatment in October 1864 was for diarrhea with a diagnosis of Syphilis. He returned to duty in January 1865 but was readmitted to the hospital at Fort Monroe in March 1865 with Secondary Syphilis. George was mustered out at Fort Monroe on June 23, 1865.
George Long filed for an Invalid Pension 27 February 1873 from Coatesville, Pennsylvania claiming the back and hip injures prevented him from working more than half of the time.
In September 1880 and July 1882 George wrote long letters to the Pension Office explaining how his paper work had been mishandled by the Sanitary Commission in Wilmington, Delaware and that a Bounty promised him at the time of his discharge was never paid.
In 1883, ten years agter George's original attempt to obtain an Invalid Pension he submitted a Disability Affidavit claiming chronic rheumatism. This was also unsuccessful.
In 1885, Fanny Long, the widow of George Long, wrote to the Pension Office but did not submit all the required documentation for a Widow's Pension.
In 1892, Mahaly Long submitted an application for a Mother's Dependent Pension. No immediate action by the Pension Office was evident.
In 1897, The Pension Office was apparently reviewing the file and requested the Coatesville Post Office to confirm the soldier's death and Fanny's address. The Post Master at Coatesville, A. C. Jackson, replied that George had died about 1884 and that Fanny was living in Mortonville, Pennsylvania, having remarried to a Mr. Hill. The Pension Office also wrote to the Postmaster at Frankford, Sussex Co., Delaware asking about the mother of George Long who had submitted a Dependent's Pension Application in 1892. The Postmaster in Delaware wrote back that the mother of George Long, Mahaly Long, was still living in Frankford. Another cryptic note in the Pension file on September 30, 1897 stated that "The attached papers are the only "live" things in the case and they only have a name to live. No further communications from Mahaly Long is in the file.
Neither the Invalid Pension Application for George, nor the Dependant Mother Application for Mahaly were ever approved.
Family and Friends: George Long was married to Francis (Fanny) Long and they had two sons, Granville and Alfred, as listed in the 1880 Federal Census. George's mother was Mahaly Long. Very few of George Long's friends are documented in the Pension File. Sergant Henry P. Louden and Corporal William B. Fitzgerald, both from Coatesville are the only friends found mentioned in the files.
Mahaly Long's Dependent Mother's Application in Delaware, included signatures of Robert S. Long (b. 1832) and Elizabeth C. White (b. 1852) and was notorized by William S. Long.
Associations in George E. Long's Pension File:
Affidavists: Henry P. Louden, William B. Fitzgerald
Attorney: William W. Dudley, Washington, DC
Clerk: James H. Wynn
Justice of the Peace: Henry G. Thomas, Benjamin T. Lewis
Notary Public: William J. Kauffman, Coatesville; William S. Long, Sussex Co., Delaware
Physician: L. S. Morrison, George R. Spratt, E. V. Luing (sp?), Dr. Stone
Postmaster: A. C. Jackson (sp?), Coatesville; John B. Howard, Frankford, Delaware
Prothonotary: John A. Rupert
Witnesses: Robert L. Long, Elizabeth C. White, Henry G. Thomas, William H. White, William B. Fitzgerald, Enoch Dunlap