Cushman, Mahlon D.

Mahlon D. Cushman, a Union soldier during the Civil War, served as a private in Company I of the 16th Connecticut Infantry Regiment, 1862-1864. As part of the Union garrison at Plymouth, N.C., the 16th Connecticut, with the 18th Army Corps, defended against a Confederate land and naval attack, 17-20 April 1864. On 20 April 1864, the Union garrison at Plymouth surrended, and Cushman was sent to the Andersonville Prison at Camp Sumter, Ga. He was paroled in November 1864 and discharged with disability in June 1865.

From the description of Mahlon D. Cushman diary, 1864. WorldCat record id: 227005086

Mahlon D. Cushman, a Union soldier during the Civil War, served as a private in Company I of the 16th Connecticut Infantry Regiment from 1862 to 1864. Enlisting on 11 August 1862, Cushman joined his company on 24 August 1862. As part of the Union garrison at Plymouth, N.C., the 16th Connecticut, with the 18th Army Corps, defended against a Confederate land and naval attack, 17-20 April 1864. On 20 April 1864, the Union garrison at Plymouth surrended, and the Union soldiers there become known as Plymouth Pilgrims.

Like other captured enlisted men and non-commissioned officers, Cushman was sent to Andersonville Prison located at Camp Sumter, Ga. According to his diary, he arrived at Andersonville on 2 May 1864. After three months of imprisonment, Cushman was parolled on 26 November 1864. He was discharged from the Union Army with disability on 8 June 1865.

From the guide to the Mahlon D. Cushman Diary, 1864-1864, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)