Our second subject, John F. Skinner Jr.'s great grandfather, is John Alexander Baer. On January 1, 1862, John Baer was in transit to the state of Kentucky, where the Civil War was heating up quickly. He was in a new regiment, the 40th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which was formed from volunteers in the area surrounding Lafayette, and had enlisted for three years.
For the next few days, there will be some background posts to describe some of the events for John up to the start of 1862.
Background - Early Years - John A. Baer
John Baer was born in Missouri. John's mother died when he was only four years old, and he was left an orphan several years later when his father died also. John then came to Indiana and worked on farms in Tippecanoe County. We know little else of his childhood. He later makes mention in his diary of attending the church at Wild Cat, which was one of the first churches started after the founding of Tippecanoe County.
John, like everyone else, was no doubt watching with growing concern as secession took hold in the South. A few deep South states seceded initially, and then soon after the inauguration of President Lincoln, the more northerly states in the South also seceded. With the attack and siege of Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, war fever then came to the North, and President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers. John Baer, then 20 years old, volunteered immediately and was assigned to a 90 day regiment, the 10th Indiana.
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