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The Life of GEORGE W. WARNER

George Washington Warner was born in Glastonbury Connecticut on 9 May 1832 and was married to Catherine Doherty, previously of Ireland, in July of 1853. By 1860, Warner and his family were living and farming in Oxford Connecticut and already had four young children - five by 1862. However, when President Lincoln called for 300,000 volunteers to fight in the summer of 1862, Warner could not resist and left his wife and small children at home to join the 20th CVI Company B - the "Derby Company." The 20th CVI fought at the Battle of Chancellorsville, May 1963 with significant casualties and then again at Gettysburg in July with orders to retake some entrenchments on Culp's Hill with support from the Union artillery. Unfortunately some of the Union shells fell short and hit its own men. Private Warner was the most badly wounded when a shell exploded near him and his right arm was severed from his body and blown a distance away. His left arm was so badly mangled that it was amputated a short time later. Warner survived with his wounds and was discharged and sent back to Connecticut on 7 October 1863. Unable to farm he moved his family to a three family home on Edgewood Avenue in New Haven. He would father three more children and support his family by his disability pension of $8 a month and by selling items such as books and CDVs - small picture cards of himself and at least two with his family. Eventually his pension increased to a maximum of $100 in 1889. On 3 July 1885 when the 20th CVI returned to Gettysburg to dedicate their monument on Culp's Hill, Warner was chosen to unveil the monument. George Washington Warner is resting at Evergreen. The information in this article was provided by Bob O'Brien, member of the advisory board, The Civil War Round Table of South Central CT. /div>/div>

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