SERVICE: Joseph Clay Dukes was 19 when he enlisted for the Union November 6, 1861. Joseph went with his brother and cousin to join-up with Company B of the 11th Kentucky Infantry. All of the 11th Kentucky was mustered in on December 9, 1861. To December 31, 1861, Joseph was “present”—and had already received $13.00 from the state of Kentucky and Lieutenant J. H. Reno. For January and February, 1862, Joseph was “absent”, sick at Calhoun, Kentucky (this would be Camp Calhoun, in present-day Mclean County). On the muster roll for March and April, 1862, Joseph is listed as “present.” If he was, indeed, “present” for April, Joseph would have been at the Battle of Shiloh, in the fighting on the 7th (see also “An Overview of the American Civil War,” in this book for more details). For June 30, 1862, the muster roll for Joseph says “absent”—sent to hospital at Hamburg, Tennessee. April 30 to August 31, 1862, it is not stated as to whether Joseph was “present” or “absent”. However, remarks say: “discharged Aug 10/62, .” Further down it says “xAppears on roll with red ink.” The “x” in this case is used to substitute our modern-day asterisk (*). Joseph was discharged on account of disability, and it says he was discharged July 5, 1862, and then was re-discharged July 25, 1862. The Adjutant General’s Office War Department in Washington (D.C.), dated December 19, 1882, says “Discharged July 25, 1882 [it was supposed to mean 1862] at Louisville, Kentucky, on the surgeon’s certificate of disability. The discharge paper, the readable section, says “General disability he is only 16 years old and of unusual frame certain [enlarges?] of a __ ______ (like swelled cervical glands) showing on the neck.” However, all censuses show that Joseph wasn’t sixteen like his paper states—by going on the all of the 1800 censuses Joseph is listed in, they says he was 18-19 at his enlistment time. Either way, Joseph would fight again soon--but this time in the 26th Kentucky Infantry.

Joseph C Dukes