At the time of the eruption of the Civil War, Andrew P. Dyer was living in Sevier County, Arkansas Apparently Andrew’s sympathies were with the Confederacy as both he and his brother-in-law, James Cowley, enlisted in the 19th (Dawson’s) Arkansas Infantry Regiment on 18 Oct 1861 at Center Point, Arkansas.
On January 11, 1863, both James Cowley and Andrew Dyer were captured by the Union Army at Arkansas Post, Arkansas, and both were sent to military prison at Camp Douglas, Illinois near Chicago. It was here that James died of small pox on March 18, 1863. Probably in despair and seeing no way out, Andrew signed an "Oath of Annunciation & Allegiance" on that same date and was released from prison. The terms of this oath essentially required Andrew to forego any further allegiance to the Confederacy, uphold the U.S. Constitution, and not try to escape through Union lines.
Three months later, June 1863, Andrew, who is now living in Macoupin County, registers for military service with the Union Army. Andrew eventually enlists in the Union Army, 97th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Company A, on 21 Mar 1864 at Bunker Hill, Illinois. Company A of this regiment was made up of men from Macoupin County. (Company A had been activated on 16 Sep 1862; so Andrew must have joined them later in the war.) When Company A was deactivated in July 1865, Andrew was transferred to the 37th Illinois Infantry Regiment, Company D. He was mustered out on 16 May 1866, in Houston, Texas.
Contributed by Willis Dillon, great-grandson of Andrew P. Dyer
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This page was last updated
07/01/2022