Lieutenant Josiah Baughman

Josiah Baughman

Lieutenant Josiah Baughman succumbed to a gunshot wound he received while attempting to arrest a deserter in Chaneysville, Pennsylvania, on November 11, 1862.

The deserter had left his unit at Camp Relay on October 22, 1862, and fled back home to Chaneysville, Pennsylvania. Lieutenant Baughman was given authorization from the Provost Marshal to arrest and apprehend the deserter. Lieutenant Baughman located the deserter at his parent's residence and requested assistance from a sergeant to assist him in the arrest. When both officers arrived at the house, they were granted entry by the father.

While Lieutenant Baughman escorted the deserter outside the home, the sergeant assisting him noticed the father grabbing a long rifle above the fireplace. The sergeant attempted to take the rifle, and during their scuffle, they heard a gunshot. The deserter reentered the home and admitted that he shot Lieutenant Baughman. He pistol-whipped the sergeant, allowing his father to aim his rifle at the sergeant. The deserter stopped the father, saving the sergeant's life. Lieutenant Baughman walked 100 yards to the sergeant's house, where he passed out. He died two days later.

The father of the deserter was arrested at the scene and charged with accessory to murder and was posted on a $20,000 bond. The deserter was never captured.

Lieutenant Baughman had served with the United States Army for three months. He was survived by his wife and three children.

He is buried at Everett Cemetery in Everett, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R), a Civil War veteran's association, named their post in Everett, Pennsylvania, the Lieutenant Josiah Baughman Post. G.A.R. dissolved in 1956 when the last Civil War veteran member died.