The following is an article by author BeardsOverFredericksburg from the January 1865 issue of Duffel Blog's Civil War-era predecessor, The Knapsack Gazette.
TROY, N.Y. — Pvt. Seamus Achilles O’Connell may have only been in the Union Army for a month, but he is already proving himself as a soldier and infantryman.
O’Connell, the son of Irish immigrants, is the first man in his household to serve in the Union military. Despite being a fresh fish, he has made his family and country proud by not only enlisting with the 169th New York Volunteer Infantry, but also purchasing an 1857 mustang soon after mustering into the service.
Shortly after receiving his first bi-monthly pay of $13, O’Connell went to a saloon in nearby Brunswick and quickly became betrothed to Theresa Hayes, a fancy-girl who works there. Wanting to impress her further, he went to a used-horse dealer right outside camp and financed the acquisition of a tamed feral horse for $120, to be paid over 60 months at 46% interest.
