EDWARD MCDONALD

VETERAN OF THE CIVIL WARS AT HOME IN MARIETTA

Before you hear his brogue, or hear his name, you will know he is Irish by the twinkle of his blue eyes and the good humor of his face. He has lived in Marietta many years, a quiet whole industrious worker in humble but responsible positions where fidelity counts. He was born in Belfast 76 years ago and had sailed 76,000 miles in a ship of the British Navy before he was out of his teens. He was only sixteen years old when The Crimean War began (1854)and he went to it as a member of the hospital corps. He was on the scene when the "Charge of the Light Brigade" thrilled the world and helped to bear the torn and bleeding survivors from the field. His eyes were misty and his voice sank to a shaken whisper as he told me of the Angel of Arimea, Florence Nightingale. "Oh, but the soldiers worshiped her! She was just a plain good woman but only the Lord knows the good she did putting hearts into the poor wounded boys after that desperate charge." In answer to details about that awful event of war, Mr. McDonald said Blacklava is a hard locked harbor of the Black Sea and the historic heights so celebrated in song and story are really no more than hills, nothing like as big as either one of Kennesaw Mountains. These hills had troops on them with guns pointing towards the narrow pass through which the English Cavalry.... The famous six hundred charges they struck their spurs into their horses and held them there and the poor beast, blind with pain and fear dashes between the cross fire from the two batteries. They went through the pass and came back under the hail of shot and pitiful remnant. Mr. McDonald spoke in connection of Sir Cohn Campbell, Lord Cardigan and Captain Nolan. But their connection with the dreadful campaign in the Crimean is historical. "What did the charge of the Light Brigade accomplish?". He said, "Well, Ma'am, it kept the Russians from reaching our supplies but an earthquake rumbled around and out into the sea and destroyed seventeen transports filled with clothing, food, etc. for the French and British troops." There is a bad scar on one side of Mr. McDonald's nose, but that was by an Indian arrow in New Mexico in 1865.I was shot in my leg in the Crimean and was in the hospital a month. Then I rested at Malta which Lord Byron called a Military hot house. On the Isle of Malta they have new potatoes every month of the year. And it is a fine place for regaining health.

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MR. MCDONALD RETURNED FROM THE GREEN ISLE - VISITED OLD IRELAND AFTER SIXTY YEARS ABSENCE. BROTHER AND SISTER DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM. ATTENDED THE CORONATION OF KING & QUEEN.

Mr. Edward Mcdonald, one of the oldest and best known residents of Marietta has just returned from a trip to his old home in Ederny, Ireland. He left home when a boy, fourteen years of age and has not been back until this summer. Mr. McDonald sailed from New York on May the 6th on the White Star Line steamer, "Baltict" and landed in Liverpool on the 16th of May. On the trip across the ocean, the "Baltic" passed by Belfast, Ireland and Mr. McDonald saw the White Star Liner, "Olympic" in her dock just before her maiden voyage. The "Olympic" is the largest ship afloat and cost ten million dollars. Mr. McDonald found his old home without any trouble, and his older brother and two sisters still living there. They had not seen him in sixty years. He asked his brother if he could get a few days lodging and was finally allowed to stay. He remained in the house two days without letting his brother and sisters know who he was. Finally his brother noticed that he used his left hand and told him he resembled "Ed" and that "Ed" was left handed too. Mr. McDonald replied that since his brother had been so good at guessing who he was, he would take him up to London to see the coronation of King George (June 22, 1911), and Queen Mary (of Teck). The invitation was accepted and after the two brothers had returned from London, Mr. McDonald remained in Ederny about two weeks before sailing home. Mr. McDonald came to the United States in 1856 and landed in New York where he resided until the war between the states broke out. He joined the Union Army and fought through out the war in the Third Delaware Regiment under command of Major Baily. He was wounded in the battle of Gettysburg. Mr. McDonald has served the city of Marietta in several official capacities. He was city marshall from 1878 to 1882. From 1882 until 1888, he was jail keeper and during that time, he never lost a prisoner. After getting out of jail, as he expresses it, he was night watchman for four years. Mr. McDonald fought in the Crimean Wars with the English troops and was in the battle of Inkerman, Techernan and Sebastopol. He is one of the few men living today who saw the "charge of the Light Brigade" from the heights of Blacklava. When the Civil War in America began, Mr. McDonald came over and joined the Federal Army. He was at Gettysburg at the dreadful charge of General Pickett's Brigade.

The infomation on this page comes from hand written copies of Atlanta area newspaper articles on the life of Edward McDonald living in Marietta, Georgia around 1912. He was born in or near Belfast, Ireland (abt 1828, was 52 in 1880) and later lived in Ederny, Ireland with his brothers and sister. He was the husband of Hariette Johnson and/or Cornelia, and the father of John Hugh McDonald and Mary C. McDonald. He fought in the Crimean War, and was also a member of the Third Deleware Regement of the Union Army during the Civil War. The Third Delaware Infantry Regement was mustered in for three years service between February and May of 1862. The Third Delaware was under the command of Colonel Samuel H. Jenkins and consisted of 30 officers and 780 men. The entire regiment was mustered out on July 3, 1865.Information in parenthesis were inserted from other historical documents as a point of reference. If you have any additional information concerning this person, please e-mail [email protected]

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