Emery T. Kingsbury was one of the many men of Franklin who fought to preserve the union by fighting in the Civil War. He was born in Massachusetts in the year 1840.  In 1860 he was living with Francis B. Ray a rich manufacturer of the age of 36 who had no relation to Kingsbury.  L. Ray, Francis’s wife, their son William, age 6, and an Irish immigrant by the name of Margaret Buckley lived in the house in Norfolk as well. Kingsbury’s occupation in the 1860 US census was listed as a farmer. There is not much information on Emery’s personal life, but his war regiment has plenty of records and accounts of where they were and where they went.

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            On September 26, 1862 the 45th Massachusetts regiment was organized at Camp Miegs in Reedville to be trained.  Kingsbury was in Company C of the regiment.  In November the regiment left for Morehead City, North Carolina on the steamboat Mississippi. Between November 29, 1862 and January 3, 1863 Company C was separated from the rest of the 45th on a special duty.  During that time the remainder of the regiment fought the confederate armies at Kinston on December 14, 1862 and at Whitehall on December 16, 1862. The Union army, under command of Gen. John C. Foster defeated Nathan’s and Evan’s Brigades at Kingston. Foster led his troops against Robertson’s Brigade at Whitehall, where neither side was victorious.

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            On January 17-22, 1863, after Company C had rejoined the rest of the regiment, it went on a reconnaissance mission toward Trenton. Four days later the 45th was on post guard duty at Newbern until April 25. On that date Kingsbury’s group moved to the south of the Neuse River at the mouth of the Trent.  On the 27th of April there was an expedition towards Kingston to go up the Atlantic and North Carolina railroads. In June the regiment fought Lee’s Brigade at Newbern, North Carolina.  By the 24th of June the 45th was moving back to Morehead City to return to Boston. They arrived in Boston on June 30, 1863.  Emery T. Kingsbury and his regiment mustered out on July 8, 1863.