Page 67 - Armstrong Bloodline - ebook_Neat

left shoulder and hip, his left leg was noticeably shorter than his right leg, and he was suffering severe
intestinal disorders. When discussing his ailment, he frequently tied the cause of his physical problems to the
gunshot wound he had suffered at Shiloh. He also complained that it felt as if something in his side or bowels
was ready to burst. He began losing weight, dropping from about 170 pounds to approximately 110 pounds by
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May 1884. His lameness intensified and he began using a cane. A Mr. E. D. Vanpelt, whom Alva worked for
near the end of his life, said that Alva was getting quite feeble and had once told him “Van, this trouble in my
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side will kill me in six months”. These words proved to be prophetic.

Approximately three months before his death he suffered massive hemorrhages from his bowels and stomach.
His friends and neighbors, William and Lillia Griffith, visited with him almost daily, and Mr. Vanpelt also visited
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him regularly. Although he fought the after- effects of his injury for over 22 years, in the end it was Shiloh
that would claim him. He suffered another hemorrhage, and on Monday, July 21, 1884 he died – less than one
nd
month before his 42 birthday. The cause of death was shown as ulceration of the stomach and bowels. No
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autopsy was performed.

John Rolla Armstrong, the grandson of Alva's younger brother Rolla, passed on the following story that had
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been recounted to him by his uncle, Ransom Sidney Armstrong (1873-1939), of Chelsea, MI:

His Uncle Ransom, when apparently a young man, had once gone to visit his Uncle Dave, and indicated that he
had worked for him one summer on his farm in North or South Dakota (he didn't remember for sure). He said
that Dave grew grain and described the planter he had and how it took until noon to make one round of the
field. He also mentioned that he had helped his uncle dig a root cellar and recalled how they had found frost in
the ground in August. Ransom also had related how it was still light enough at 9 p.m. to read the paper on the
porch. Two final recollections were that this same Uncle Dave later went to Iowa and grew corn, and that he
also had some sons. It seems reasonable that the Uncle Dave referred to above is actually my great-
grandfather Alva, who this branch of the family seemed to know as David Alva (this is further supported by
information received from other family members). I never knew for sure that he had done much farming, but it
is certainly possible that he did. We know that by 1880, Alva's wife had died, and that he had moved to Iowa.
By this time Ransom Sidney was only a young boy of six or so; therefore, it is a bit of a stretch to call him a
young man at that time. However, boys of that age, in those days, might have been expected to provide some
help, although working for the summer, may have been a somewhat optimistic choice of words. Alva's sons
would have been about eight/nine and five/six at the time, so I am sure the boys were able to find plenty to do
to keep themselves busy. To my knowledge, this is one of the few family memories of my ancestor that has
endured over the years.

How do you sum up a person's life? What is his legacy? Alva was not particularly well-educated, he did not
enjoy the social standing of his brothers, he did not seem to be blessed with good fortune, and he was
certainly not rich. Does this mean his life had no meaning – that his life made no difference? To me it seems
quite the reverse. From what I have learned of him he seems to exemplify what a person of conscience and
honor is all about. While older, wiser people might have (and probably did) urged him not to expose himself to
the hazards of an infantryman in the Civil War; he volunteered to do it not once, but twice. He chose to fight
for what he believed in and was at the forefront of some of the most pivotal events of the Civil War; and
although it finally killed him, he was there to be counted when it mattered. He fathered four children, and
although beset by calamity, he did not sit back and allow himself to be overwhelmed, but never stopped trying
to find a better life for his family. While life provided him with precious few opportunities, and history has
forgotten him, I, who never knew him, will never be able to forget him. And for those family members who
read of him here – my hope is that you will also remember him as an honorable man who fought for a future
you now enjoy, and who is worthy of your respect.

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