Charles Louis Behn

Charles Louis Behn

Charles Louis Behn was born on September 24, 1839, in Hamburg, Germany as Carl Ludwig Behn. In 1863, he came to New York, and began his life in the United States where he would spend the rest of his life. He anglicized his name sometime thereafter to Charles Louis Behn. In October of 1864, he enlisted in the Union Army under the name of Carl Bone, as a substitute for Isaac P. Feetson at Kingston, New York. He was placed in Company I of the the 68th New York Volunteer Infantry. Throughout his military service he was stationed in Georgia, and Tennessee, and participated in the Battle of Decatur, Tennessee in which he was wounded when a fragment of shell entered his cheek, injuring his left eye and causing memory loss. He was discharged from service in October of 1865. In 1865, he married, he married Henrietta Fink, and had four children, John Franklin, Margaret Francis, Clara Winifred, and Julius Bradford. They stayed in New York for a good many years, through which time Charles ran a store in the Bowery. Around 1885, Charles traded his shop for a Homestead in Haddam, Connecticut and moved his family there. While there, his wife adopted a child and raised him as part of the family. His wife died there in 1918.

When his son moved to Brockton, Massachusetts in 1920, Charles followed, living with his son for awhile. In 1922, Charles joined the Fletcher Webster Grand Army of the Republic Post 13 of Brockton, and served in many leadership positions there, including Junior Vice-Commander. he was also an Honorary member of the Brockton Lodge of Elks, and the Brockton Veterans of Foreign Wars. Post. On the February 8, 1930, Charles passed away at the Chelsea Soldiers Home in Chelsea, Massachusetts at the age of 91. He was buried a few days later in the Melrose Cemetery, on Pearl St. in Brockton. He was buried in a veterans plot, and his stone bears the name he served under in the war, Carl Bone. Oblivious6@aol.com.

Charles Louis Behn