My veteran ancestors are some of the nearest and dearest to my heart. Not just because my husband is a service member, but because I think of all the sacrifices that these people went through in service to keeping our country whole and safe.

Many moons ago, when I first started on my family history journey, I joined the Daughters of the American Revolution. While putting together a ninetieth birthday picture collage for my grandmother I came across her family lineage that traced back to a Revolutionary War veteran. To be honest, the paperwork for this line was relatively easy! But just tracing this lineage wasn’t enough. I wanted to learn more!

Ezekiel Dye’s youngest son, Furman Dye, recorded a story told by Ezekiel to him when he was a young boy:

“Father was a Revolutionary soldier, and although I was only ten and a half years old at the time of his death, his recital of the incidents and experiences that he passed through as a soldier is fresh in my memory. He belonged to the "Light Horse" and his Captain's name was Nixon. He was at the battle of Monmouth and after the battle was detailed to help bury the dead. He told how they dragged the dead through a fence and how the rails were stained with blood. This seemed horrible to me. The battle was fought on a very hot day in June and father told how the soldiers suffered with the heat and thirst and that on the march to Monmouth they stopped in a grove to water. While on the march an old woman came out with sweet cakes in her apron and offered Washington some. He thanked her for them, but did not eat any being afraid of treachery and poison. He also told of how Lee disobeyed orders and how angry Washington was when he came up and how he put Lee under guard. Besides the Battle of Monmouth father was in a number of other slight skirmishes.”

Not all veterans leave a written or oral record for us to find. We can still step into their experiences through their compatriots who do leave records (there are many diaries, memories, and letters out there).

While researching the five Lewis brothers who served in the Civil War these diaries provided insight into the brothers’ experiences. James Lewis, the youngest brother to serve, was only fourteen years old when he enlisted on 10 December 1863. The enlistment papers state that he was eighteen but given census records that is incorrect and likely a lie that the local recruitment officers allowed to pass. James’s father signs his permission for his son to join.

James did not leave a written diary or reminiscences for his descendants. Using Compiled Service Records, written histories, and diaries we know that James was likely part of the Lynchburg campaign in the summer of 1864 which resulted in a horrific retreat by Union forces through southern West Virginia.

Col. Daniel D. Johnson of the Fourteenth wrote his Regimental Report on Christmas Day 1864 from Opequon Bridge in Winchester, Virginia, and recounted the horrors of that march:

"We were now entering a barren mountainous country almost out of rations in forage and a very limited supply in the country through which we were to pass and we must travel nearly 200 miles before we could reach supplies. The command was without bread for eight days. The suffering endured from hunger and fatigue was intense, yet they bravely met the trial and marched almost continually day and night. There were many poor fellows who laid down by the roadside and died, but the 14th Regt lost none in this way."

Another excellent way to learn about our service members’ experiences is through the Library of Congress. The Library has a Veterans History Project Collection that collects and preserves the stories of veterans from World War I through the most recent conflicts. This collection is online and free. You may search the collection using names, regiments, or browse the collection. Simply searching World War I brings up multiple pages, one of which is the Quincy Claude Ayers Collection. This collection includes his diary that he kept during his service in World War I. There are also audio recordings of various service members. It is a special feeling when you can listen to these veterans recount their war experiences.

These are the experiences that we need to honor. A fourteen-year-old suffering such a long march with little to no food after engaging in his first battles is hard for us to imagine. But James wanted to serve the Union cause so badly that he somehow convinced his father to sign off on his enlistment. This commitment to the Union and the idea of America resonates for all of us. It is why young men and women have signed up to fight for this county over its almost two hundred and fifty years of existence. And while some of our ancestors’ stories are still a mystery, it is highly likely that you have at least one who fought at some time for our country. Veteran’s day is a great day to memorialize these ancestors, but they should be remembered all the other days too.