Henry D Aikins

Henry D. Aikins

Henry D. Aikins was born in Franklin County, Vermont on March 21, 1838. He enlisted in August 1863 as a private in Company E, 1st Regiment Nevada Volunteer Cavalry. He was promoted on April 6, 1864 to Sixth Corporal and remained at this rank until his death, April 3, 1865, when he was shot from a pistol fired by Private Daniel Hughes of Company E on April 2, 1865. It is currently unknown if his death was a murder or an accident. Corporal Aikins was buried in the fort cemetery and there he lay forgotten until February 1885 when he and another 44 soldiers were re-interred in The Grand Army of the Republic General Custer Post No.5 section of the Lone Mountain Cemetery in Carson City, Nevada. Because the original wooden grave markers were used as fire wood during 1870 - 1885 by some of the local ranchers, when moving day came, there were no markers so they could not know who was who and they gave the soldiers new stone markers that simply read, "US Soldier."

Photograph courtesy of The Fort Churchill Museum and Herbert Rickards. Information from the Herbert Rickards and Will Tisch.

Henry D. Aikins