Sgt. Henry Speare, 12th Regiment, Company D, WV Volunteers Henry Speare was born Melchior Spori in Baerenthal, Bade-Wurtemberg, Germany in 1835. He told his family that he did not want to become the family priest, and he ran away to the United States. In New York, the officials asked him his name and they wrote down Henry Speare. He made his way to Wheeling, in western Virginia, and became the town shoemaker. He told people that he had no interest in that 'argument' between the states, he was a German.
One night he and the (black) freeman who was working for him were asked to help pull a wagon out of a ditch. When they got there to help, other men jumped out and jumped on the two of them with the idea that they were going to capture the freeman 'to sell him down river,' even though he had his papers! Henry and the freeman fought them off and they ran away.
Henry was terribly upset. He went to town and in his (Protestant) church he told everyone he was not going to live in a country that allowed something like that to happen and he hoped all of his friends and neighbors felt the same way. It was time to stand up and fight!
He led the way to creating the new 12th Regiment, and as you may notice, his enlistment precedes its creation by three days.
Henry was assigned to duty in the Shenandoah Valley where he fought at New Market and several other towns. Occasionally he was sent back to the Wheeling area to recruit soldiers. A few days before the end of the war he was captured and sent to Andersonville Prison Camp where he was released after 6 days.
He married happily, had one son, bought a farm, and lived to 1910.
--Jan Speare
One night he and the (black) freeman who was working for him were asked to help pull a wagon out of a ditch. When they got there to help, other men jumped out and jumped on the two of them with the idea that they were going to capture the freeman 'to sell him down river,' even though he had his papers! Henry and the freeman fought them off and they ran away.
Henry was terribly upset. He went to town and in his (Protestant) church he told everyone he was not going to live in a country that allowed something like that to happen and he hoped all of his friends and neighbors felt the same way. It was time to stand up and fight!
He led the way to creating the new 12th Regiment, and as you may notice, his enlistment precedes its creation by three days.
Henry was assigned to duty in the Shenandoah Valley where he fought at New Market and several other towns. Occasionally he was sent back to the Wheeling area to recruit soldiers. A few days before the end of the war he was captured and sent to Andersonville Prison Camp where he was released after 6 days.
He married happily, had one son, bought a farm, and lived to 1910.
--Jan Speare