Timothy Farrell

Age: 19

Allegiance: Union

Highest Rank: Private

Unit: Company A, 140th New York Volunteer Infantry

Occupation: Farmer

Timothy Farrell's parents were to be indentured servants in the Rochester area. Unfortunately, after leaving Ireland, they died and never arrived there. Timothy may have been born in Albany along the way; but, he and his sister completed the trip to Rochester.

By 1862, Farrell was making his living as a farmer, in the nearby town of Sweden. He was 19 years old and described as being 5' 7" tall with fair complexion, blue eyes and dark hair. On Aug. 15, 1862, Timothy Farrell enlisted for the period of three years into what would become Milo Starks' Company A of the 140th New York Infantry. Starks, the son of a Methodist minister, recruited his company primarily from the village of Brockport and surrounding towns of Sweden and Clarkson. Most of the men, like Farrell, came from farming families. Company A mustered into service on Sept. 13, 1862.

On Oct. 10, 1862, 1st Lt. Ira Clark, adjutant of the 140th, sent to the provost in Rochester a list of deserters from the 140th, which was also published in the Oct. 21, 1862 Rochester "Daily Union and Advertiser" newspaper. Farrell was on this list, although mistakenly, as Adjutant Clark would later point out, in a letter dated Nov. 16, 1862, from camp near Warrenton, Va., and published in the Dec. 4, 1862, Rochester "Democrat and American": "John Gilligan of Co. K, and Timothy Farrell of Co. A., were, by no intentional fault of their own, arrested and detained at Harper's Ferry as stragglers, and by mistake were reported to me as deserters. I am happy to be able to say that these men were really guilty of nothing in the shape of desertion."

Farrell was wounded three times. The first occurred during the Battle of the Wilderness and may have been slight since his name was not included on the list of casualties supplied by Surgeon Henry C. Dean. He was wounded in the left foot at Spotsylvania Court House (Myers Farm) on May 14, 1864. He was wounded again on March 31, 1865 at the battle of White Oak Rd. (Petersburg), Virginia; a casualty list copied from "New York Tribune" lists his wound as in the "hips."

Sometime later, he was transported from Lincoln hospital in Washington DC to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, but there was no room there, so he was sent to Rochester General Hospital and was mustered out of the service on June 27, 1865.

Afterward he moved to Michigan. His continued interest in the 140th is evidenced by his ownership of a copy of Oliver Norton's "Attack and Defense of Little Round Top," to which Timothy added many hand-written notes in the margins. Among his other memorabilia are a hand-written copy of Lee's surrender terms at Appomattox Court House, a gun, a sword, a leather pouch containing a coin, a Confederate bill, a powder horn, and a studio picture of Ulysses S. Grant.

While in Michigan, Farrell managed to stay connected with the 140th's regimental association and attended several reunions in spirit, if not body. The Sept. 20, 1912 issue of "Rochester Herald" contained an article about the 50th anniversary commemoration of the 140th's departure from city. It also noted that letters from those veterans unable to attend included one from Farrell, who was living in Rockford, Michigan.

He attended the 50th Anniversary Reunion of Gettysburg in 1913.

Timothy Farrell was not able to attend the 1915 reunion, but again sent a letter to his former comrades.

The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle of July 12, 1918 contains a story of the annual reunion. 31 men were able to attend. The photos of nine of them were printed, including Farrell (shown at the right). He was also noted as being one of the men that made remarks. This was the last reunion that Timothy Farrell attended. He died later that year.

Last Updated: 03/29/2002