John McDaniel

Their Story

John McDaniel was born into slavery, in Warren County Kentucky in about 1844.  John was given to John E. McDaniel in 1851 as a gift from his father.  John was 7 years old at the time and was hired out to Gideon McDaniel.  In 1867 John E. McDaniel filed a claim for John and was awarded $300 compensation for a slave who joined the Army.

John enlisted at Bowling Green, Kentucky on 6/27/1864.  Pvt McDaniel was assigned to Company K, 108^th Infantry Regiment (USCT). 

In the Regimental Description Book it lists John’s occupation as Farmer.  When you look at the records of the men of the 108^th Infantry Regiment most list their occupation as farmers.  Since most worked on plantations that is not surprising. The Description Book also shows him as 5-foot 10½ inched tall, with brown complexion, and brown eyes, and black Hair. The record also shows his service is owed to Gideon McDaniel, which means had permission to enlist.

Kentucky was a State that voted to secede from the Union but was immediately occupied by Union troops and never allowed to join the Confederacy.

There were approximately 180,000 Negro Slaves in Kentucky when the war started. This population of Slaves was one of the first major recruiting sites for the United States Colored Troops (USCT) 21 Regiments of Infantry formed in Kentucky.

Pvt McDaniel arrived at Rock Island Prison Barracks with the 108^th Infantry Regiment (USCT) on September 24^th, 1864.  Almost immediately he came down with measles.  After a short time in hospital, he was returned to duty. The record shows John present for the Pay Muster on October 1st, but shortly after was back in hospital. This time with typhoid fever. Pvt John McDaniel died on October 29^th, 1864.  He is buried in Grave Number 233, Rock Island National Cemetery.

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