William Henri Mädel

His full name was Diederich Wilhelm Heinrich Madel. William Henri Mädel, son of Henry Mädel and Anna Nagel, was born on October 8, 1843 in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana.

He was enumerated with his parent Henry Mädel under the name of "Hy W Mädel" on the 1850 U. S. Census for New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana. He was listed as a six-year-old white male born in Louisiana.

William served in 1861 in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, stationed at New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana. He served in the Louisiana Artillery, Hutton's Company (Crescent Arty., Co. A) as a corporal. This unit became the Seventh Louisiana field artillery in August, 1864, and Company E, siege train, army of the Trans-Mississippi at a later date. More research is necessary to determine if this 'H. Madel' is the correct William Henry or Henry William Madel

Organization: Organized at New Orleans on March 27, 1862. It served as part of the crew of the CSS Louisiana in April 1862. Captured upon the fall of New Orleans on April 28, 1862. Reorganized at Jackson, Mississippi in December 1862. In 1863 it frequently served aboard the various vessels serving on the Red River. It was serving as heavy artillery from January 1864. Most of the company was captured at Fort De Russy, March 14, 1864. The remainder was surrendered by General E. K. Smith, commanding Trans-Mississippi Department, on May 26, 1865.

First Commander: T. H. Hutton, CPT

Assignments: Department #1 [aboard the CSS Louisiana] (Mar-Apr 62); 4th Military District, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana (Dec 62-Jan 63); Artillery, District of West Louisiana, Trans-Mississippi Department [frequently serving gunboat crews] (Feb 63-Sep 64); Siege Train, Trans-Mississippi Department (Sep 64-May 65)

Battles: New Orleans [aboard the CSS Louisiana] (April 18-25, 1862); Fort Taylor [capture of the USS Queen of the West] (February 14, 1863); Capture of the USS Indianola on the Mississippi River [aboard the CSS Webb] (February 24, 1863); Fort De Russy vs. USS Albatross [aboard the CSS Grand Duke] (May 4, 1863); Fort De Russy (March 14, 1864); Red River Campaign (May 10-22, 1864); Simsport [detachment] (June 8, 1864)

From Bergeron, La. Confed. Units, 28-29: "Organized in New Orleans on March 27, 1862, this company manned guns aboard the Confederate ironclad Louisiana. The men performed well during the engagements near Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip in April, 1862. Following the scuttling of the Louisiana and the surrender of the forts, the men of the company became prisoners of war. The company reorganized at Jackson, Mississippi, in late December, 1862, and, armed with muskets, acted as a provost guard in that city for several weeks. In early 1863, the men reported for duty in western Louisiana and received orders to go to Fort DeRussy on the Red River. The company manned some of the fort's heavy guns during the engagement with and capture of the Federal ram Queen of the West on February 14, 1863. Placed aboard the cottonclad Webb, the men participated in the capture of the Federal ironclad Indianola on the Mississippi River on February 24. Major Joseph L. Brent, commander of the expedition that captured the Indianola, praised the men for their gallantry and skill and named Lieutenant Thomas H. Handy of the company as prize master. On May 4, the men worked the guns of the gunboat Grand Duke during an engagement with the Federal gunboat Albatross on the Red River near Fort DeRussy. Following the evacuation of that fort, the men moved to Shreveport and garrisoned Fort Boggs. They moved from there to Grand Ecore in August, 1863, and manned guns mounted overlooking the Red River. In early February, 1864, the men again found themselves at Fort DeRussy, manning the water battery there. They fought in the defense of the fort on March 14; 4 officers and 25 enlisted men became prisoners when the fort surrendered. The remnants of the company served heavy artillery in the Alexandria defenses in the fall of 1864 and winter of 1865. On November 19, the men were designated Company C, Siege Train Battalion. From then until the end of the war, they garrisoned Fort Buhlow near Pineville. Approximately 118 men served in the battery during the war."

William married Margaret Madel (née Reilly), daughter of Phillip Reilly and Mary Smith, on August 2, 1864 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 714 St. Ferdinand Street, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana,, attendants included Helena Rebecca Madel. The ceremony was performed by Father Matthias Schifferer. The other two witnesses were George Brown and Mary Ann West.

Margaret and William Henri Mädel lived in 1866 at 163 Rampart Street in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana. Residing with them were, their child, Mary. He was working as a barber.

William Henri was a barber on a riverboat circa 1867 at New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana.

William Henri Mädel appeared on the 1869 poll tax roll in ward 2, page 43 of New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana.

Margaret and William Henri Mädel lived in 1870 in Jefferson, Marion County, Texas. Residing with them was their child, Mary.

William is a head of household on the 1870 U. S. Census for ward 3, Jefferson, Marion County, Texas. He was identified as a 26-year-old white male born in Louisiana, both of his parents were foreign born, he was employed as a clerk in a store and could not read or write. Enumerated with him was his daughter, Mary Ellen.

Their son William Edward was born in Jefferson in November, 1870.

William died on August 12, 1872 in Jefferson, Marion County, Texas, at age 28 cause of death was "inflamation of the brain." He was buried on August 13, 1872 in Oakwood Cemetery in Jefferson, Marion County, Texas, recorded in book 1 page 58, buried in block X which was originally the largest block in the cemetery and much of it was designated as "free ground." The cemetery is owned by the City of Jefferson.

He was 28 years old at time of death. His wife Margaret Reilly, stated he worked on a riverboat between New Orleans and Jefferson, Texas.

He was listed in the New Orleans City Register in the following years:

1866 Barber 163 Rampart St.

1867 Barber 304 Dryoder St.

Marie Madel Berg often said that he owned a slave named "Buttercup."

Jefferson, Texas is in East Texas between Shreveport, Louisiana and Longview, Texas on the Big Cypress Bayou. The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, of which the Madel family was a member in 1870, is the oldest parish in the Dallas Diocese, started by Father Jean Marie Giraud in 1863.

In the late 1860's Jefferson was second only to Galveston as a shipping port in Texas. River transportation was available to New Orleans to the south and to the north on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

After his death his wife and children moved to St. Louis, Missouri. They moved to St Louis to be close to her brother, a Confederate veteran who was released from the Gratiot Street military prison there and had stayed in St. Louis.

Thanks to Robert Berg for this information and the use of the photo.