Frederick Richardson

He was a 24 year old accountant in New Orleans when he enrolled as First Lieutenant, Company F, 5th New Orleans Infantry on 4 June 1861 at Camp Moore, LA. He was appointed Captain, date not stated - probably about 28 June 1862 on the resignation of Captain Osian F. Peck.

He was present with his Company at Sharpsburg and described the action there:

...Our brigade was ordered into a corn-field to the support of two batteries, which were firing from either flank. Shortly after obtaining our position, the enemy’s shells came so thick and fast that General Hays ordered us to lie down. Our Company was small, and we (the officers) laid down behind it. William, Lieutenant Caufield’s brother, was leaning immediately in his front. Nick was reclining on his elbow, conversing with Lieut. [James] Gubbins of our camp. Lieutenant Fitzpatrick, of Company B, by the side of him, was struck, and Nick remarked: “Fitz, you are hit.” Many of those surrounding us were uttering exclamations of “Oh,” etc., as they were shot, when, all at once, a shell from the enemy plunged through my poor camp, passing first through the body of Willam, then cut off the leg of John Fitzsimmons, then both feet of D[avid] Jenkins, and passed through my poor friend Nick, entering at the small of the back, coming out at the breast, tearing out and exposing his heart. I immediately jumped up, but he was beyond the possibility of being assisted. I advanced my face close to his and called him by name, but his eyes were fixed, and he was supporting himself on his elbow in his last throes. Oh! the anguish I feel at the sight of my poor friend, who, a moment before, was buoyant in spirits, even whilst the leaden messengers of death were dealing destruction around us, now in the hands of his Maker, and the thought rushed fast to my mind of the feelings of his poor mother and family on hearing of the loss of her two boys, the pride of her heart. In Lieutenant Caufield we have lost a brave and efficient officer, one idolized by our company, and beloved by the officers and men of his regiment. By the one shot I lost three killed – Lieutenant Caufield, William Caufield and John Fitzsimmons. Beside David Jenkins, who had both of his feet cut off. The regiment went into the fight with about one hundred men, and lost in killed and wounded 57...

He was killed in action at Gettysburg, PA on 1 July 1863.

Basic information from Booth1, with details from Bergeron2. The quote above from a letter by Richardson printed in the Memphis Daily Appeal on 11 October 1862, transcribed online by Stuart Salling on his Louisiana in the Civil War blog.

c. 1837; Montreal, CANADA

07/01/1863; Gettysburg, PA