DuShane, J. Smith, 1838-1922

Schoolteacher, lawyer, and Union Army soldier J. Smith DuShane was born in New Castle, Lawrence County, Pa. DuShane enlisted on 31 August 1861 as a sergeant in Company K of the 100th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. Most of his war career, 1861-1862, was spent in coastal South Carolina and Virginia. After being wounded in the shoulder at Second Manassas (Bull Run), 29 August 1862, DuShane was discharged from the army. He then returned to New Castle and married schoolteacher Adela McMillan (b. 1841). In September 1864, DuShane was admitted to the bar in Lawrence County, where he eventually served one term as district attorney. He had been a schoolteacher before the war and was again listed as such in the 1880 census.

From the description of J. Smith DuShane letters, 1860-1862. WorldCat record id: 58752416

J. Smith DuShane was born in New Castle, Lawrence County, Pa., on 19 September 1838. He worked as a teacher before enlisting on 31 August 1861 as a sergeant in Company K of the 100th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, known as the Roundheads. From November 1861 to July 1862, DuShane was stationed in South Carolina, spending most of his time there in the towns of Beaufort and Hilton Head. On 16 June 1862, he participated in the Battle of Secessionville, James Island, S.C. Shortly thereafter, his unit was shipped to Virginia, moving inland and northward by way of Newport News and Fredericksburg. On 29 August 1862, DuShane was wounded in the shoulder at Second Manassas (Bull Run), ultimately resulting in his discharge from the army later that year. He returned to New Castle and married schoolteacher Adela McMillan (b. 1841), a longtime friend with whom he had corresponded throughout his time in the army. They are known to have had at least two children, daughter Birdie (b. 1866) and son Clair (b. 1868). In September 1864, J. Smith DuShane was admitted to the bar in Lawrence County, where he eventually served one term as district attorney. By the 1880 census, he was again listed as a schoolteacher. In 1898, DuShane was president of the Roundhead Society, a group of 100th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment veterans. He died in New Castle on 26 April 1922.

From the guide to the J. Smith DuShane Letters, 1860-1862, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)