John Sanborn

Researcher: Leah Socci

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            John F. Sanborn was enlisted in the Civil war until October 2, 1862. He began and ended his journey as a private. He was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts on February 12, 1843. He fought in many battles and was part of a strong company in the Civil War.

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            John Sanborn was part of Company A in the 22nd Massachusetts regiment. This regiment fought many battles in Virginia like, Rappahannock Station, and the 2nd Bull Run. The 22nd regiment fought in many more battles. They had a total of 319 men killed in their regiment by the end of the war. They were organized from September 4 to October 6, 1861 and then finally moved to their first destination of Washington D.C. One of the better-known battles was the siege of Yorktown on April 5. John Sanborn was involved in this and many of the other battles; the most well known is the Battle of Bull Run. Their regiment mustered out on October 17, 1864, but Sanborn had already been discharged won disability.

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            The 22nd regiment lost 9 of their officers during service, 207 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 officer and 102 enlisted men killed by disease. Disease was a large part of the problem in the war. The soldiers became ill often and there was not enough proper medical care to get them back to health quickly, therefore disease was a major killer.

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            John Sanborn fought and struggled to stay in the war. He was forced to discharge because of disability. Following the civil war he moved to Somerville, Massachusetts in 1887. The 22nd Massachusetts regiment lasted three years and fought over 40 battles. Although Sanborn only fought for one year, he helped his country in many ways.