Colonel Clement E. Warner of the 36th Wisconsin in the first half of 1864. (Image courtesy of David Warner and siblings, used with permission, all rights reserved.)
This page contains letters written by Colonel Clement E. Warner of the 36th Wisconsin, who participated in the Siege of Petersburg and lost his arm to amputation after the second Battle of Deep Bottom in August 1864.
Clement E. Warner biography: Clement Edson Warner was born in Batavia, New York in 1836 before moving with his parents to Wisconsin. He went to the University of Wisconsin in 1857, teaching for some time before becoming a farmer, a passion of his in life. He even commented about his dislike of teaching in one of his letters! Warner was a devout man, something commented on frequently by others who came into contact with him. Interestingly, Warner did NOT join up early in the war, citing his farming operation and not being in a good position to leave it at that time. Warner hired a substitute, put his affairs in order, and accepted a commission in the 36th Wisconsin in 1864. He was commissioned a captain and led Company B, the company he helped to recruit, before combat deaths saw him take up the command of the entire regiment. He was hit in the arm at Second Deep Bottom in August 1864 and had to undergo an amputation near the shoulder. After his sister nursed him back to health in a Washington, D. C. hospital he was able to return to duty in December 1864. He resumed command of the 36th Wisconsin and led that unit until the end of the war, fighting again at Petersburg and also in the Appomattox Campaign. After the war, Warner married Eliza Noble in 1867, returend to farming, and was involved in politics, becoming a Wisconsin State Senator. Several of his descendants have also served as public servants in the Wisconsin State Assembly and Legislature. For a full biography by Elizabeth M. Warner as well as the letters written by Clement Warner during the Civil War, see The Letters of Colonel Clement Edson Warner, available free to read on this site.
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Letters of Colonel Clement E. Warner:
(Note: Individual letters will appear below as they are posted at The Siege of Petersburg Online.)
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