Additional Information of Frederick W. Fout

Frederick Fout was awarded his medal of honor
FOUT, FREDERICK W.

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, 15th Battery, Indiana Light Artillery. Place and date: Near Harpers Ferry, W. Va., 15 September 1862. Entered service at: Indianapolis, Ind. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 2 November 1896.

Citation: Voluntarily gathered the men of the battery together, remanned the guns, which had been ordered abandoned by an officer, opened fire, and kept up the same on the enemy until after the surrender

Frederick Fout Medal of Honor award citation does not go far enough to describe all about him. On the day of the event, Frederick Lt. Artillery unit had run out of ammunition and Frederick went to find some. He went from location to location not finding any (as detailed in a book written by himself in 1903), upon trying to return to his unit, he discovered an artillery unit that the soldiers were lying in a gully near the cannons. He asked why they were not manning the cannon's he was told by them "The shelling is too heavy and our commander told us to cease fire, and the commander of the unit left us here. Frederick ordered the men back to the guns, they refused. He asked for volunteers and two men came forward. One of them had already received a hand injury. Frederick and his volunteers started firing upon the enemy troops and they were receiving return volleys. Frederick kept the artillery unit firing until the Union Troops surrendered at Harpers Ferry.

We have found out that Col. Miles had prematurely surrendered but had failed to notify all of his troops. Captain Von Sehlen, Frederick commander was spoken to by Stonewall Jackson at the surrender asking why one of his units continued to fire after the surrender. He informed them that his trained officers do not take to surrender easily. Stonewall Jackson wanted Frederick Fout brought on charges for his actions. Von Sehlen refused but went to relieve Frederick Fout of his cannons. Frederick was promoted to 2nd Lt. after this battle. He received his promotion in Indianapolis after he was paroled from the camp he was sent to after the surrender

All of the above we have the documents to support from Frederick Fout books, articles written in the Indianapolis newspapers at the time, and the National Tribune, plus two other noted citations in books.

Later it was Frederick Fout (1st Lt) unit that forced Confederate General Hood from Shey's Hill outside of Nashville to withdraw because of the shower of shrapnel hurled upon his troops with a deadly effect. Documented from the National Tribune-April 1, 1866.

Frederick Fout Artillery unit fired the first artillery fire into the city of Atlanta.

With an intense patriotism for his adopted country's cause and at the beginning of the war, or in April 1861 enlisted at Indianapolis as a private in Company O, Seventh Indiana Infantry. The regiment participated in the battles of Philiippi, Laurel Hills, and Carrick Fort, all in West Virginia, but as the men had only enlisted for three months, in August they were ordered back to Indianapolis and mustered out. But the young Fout had enlisted in the beginning with determined and patriotic motives, which were not in the least abated by the service he had seen, and he accordingly at once re-enlisted in an artillery regiment. The latter was broken up by internal dissensions but each battery entered the service as and independent organization.

In January 1862, Mr. Fout was made an orderly Sergeant of the 15th Indiana Independent Battery, and in August the same year was promoted to 2nd Lt. In, January 1864 he was made 1st Lt. and after that time was in continuously in command of the Battery. He served under Generals McCleland, Miles, Burnside, Schofield, Sherman, and Cox; and was mentioned incidentally by Sherman (in his papers) that it was Lt. Fout's guns that fired the first shell into Atlanta. In June 1865 the 1st Lt. and his battery was mustered out at Indianapolis, its commander served from the first to the last month of the war.

In an article that was in the National Tribune in the 1880's it indicated from Stonewall Jackson, wanted the man from the 15th Indiana battery who was firing upon his troops placed on charges. But General Miles of the Union troops, indicated that man was a hero even then.

Frederick Fout who was then made a prisoner of war was sent to Camp Douglas. Did this man (Frederick Fout) stop being a soldier, No! He stayed with the Union forces until the end of the war. He was at the battle of Atlanta and he was with General Schofield Corps throughout the South. He was injured at the Battle of Nashville, but again in an article that was in the National Tribune, Vol. 5, No. 37, April 1, 1886. His unit forced Confederate General Hood to give way under the Fire of the 15th Indiana Battery.

Frederick Fout moved to St. Louis and was a traveling salesman for the St. Louis Glass Company and then went to Washington, D.C. in order to become a pension attorney and then set up his practice in the building that was on the site of the current Paul Brown building.

He wrote two books on the Civil War (1 translated into English and the second was never translated into English) and helped one of his sons with two other books. Both books can be found in St. Louis libraries plus other libraries in the United States.

". The following was taken from an article from a book "Old and New St. Louis" from 1901.

Frederick W. Fout, the successful claim and pension attorney was born October 30,1839, in the little town of Meissen, near Buckeburg, Germany. His mother Sophia (Spannuth) Fout and his father, Frederick Wilhelm, was the village blacksmith of the little town on Meissen. His parents were thrifty and economical, and fully comprehending the benefits of a good education confers, kept the boy in steady attendance at the school of his native village, which he left at the age of fifteen to go into the world and seek his fortune. Sailing for America, his journey found an ending at New Palestine, Indiana, where an uncle lived, and with whom he made his home. There he continued his studies until he determined to become altogether independent, and engaged himself to a carpenter to learn the trade. After his apprenticeship was completed he worked at his trade in Indianapolis and in Franklin, Indiana, but aspiring he laid aside his saw and plane to enter Franklin Academy, Indiana. This was in 1859, and he attended school in the winter and returned to his carpenter work in the summer, until spring 1861, which proved a momentous epoch in his life, as did in the lives of thousands of other Americans. In 1860 he was living in Franklin, Indiana at a hotel that belonged to William Strohmeir, age 41, Elizabeth, age 28, 2 carpenters, 2 brick masons, 2 plasterers, and Frederick Fout, age 21 and a carpenter.

After hearing the news about Fort McHenry, Frederick and two of his friends took a railroad handcar up to Indianapolis to hear the latest news about the beginning of the war. They stayed until the early morning hours and then returned to Franklin, Indiana to spread the word about the war and to get volunteers for the militia.

He was filled with an intense patriotism for his adopted country's cause and at the beginning of the war, or in April 1861 enlisted at Indianapolis as a private in Company O, Seventh Indiana Infantry. The regiment participated in the battles of Philiippi, Laurel Hills, and Carrick Fort, all in West Virginia, but as the men had only enlisted for three months, in August they were ordered back to Indianapolis and mustered out. But the young Fout had enlisted in the beginning with determined and patriotic motives, which were not in the least abated by the service he had seen, and he accordingly at once re-enlisted in an artillery regiment. The latter was broken up by internal dissensions but each battery entered the service as and independent organization.

In January 1862, Mr. Fout was made an orderly Sargent of the 15th Indiana Independent Battery, and in August the same year was promoted to 2nd Lt. In, January 1864 he was made 1st Lt. and after that time was in continuously in command of the Battery. He served under Generals McCleland, Miles, Burnside, Schofield, Sherman, and Cox; and was mentioned incidentally by Sherman (in his papers) that it was Lt. Fout's guns that fired the first shell into Atlanta. In June 1865 the 1st Lt. and his battery was mustered out at Indianapolis, its commander served from the first to the last month of the war.

Frederick Fout became a United States Citizen in 1865 and married his schoolmaster daughter (whom was living in Germany) in New York in 1866. After the honeymoon the young couple returned to Indianapolis, where Mr. Fout became interested in the glass manufacturing business. He and three other men started the first glass manufacturing business in the West (Indiana). After a number of years owning other commercial businesses and building homes in Indianapolis and after leaving the Glass Company he came to St. Louis, the Missouri Glass Company as their best valuable traveling salesman considered Missouri in 1881 and for seven years. He resigned the work so he could spend more time with his wife, two sons, and a daughter. Surveying the field after his resignation, he decided to go into the claim and pension business. He fitted himself therefor, and was admitted to the practice before the governmental departments in Washington. He headed one of the most extensive and successful pension and claim businesses in the West. In addition to his large practice he spent considerable attention to building houses and business in the city of St. Louis (In 2005, two of his buildings still stand). His residences that he built were some of the finest and modern residences to be seen in the western areas of the City of St. Louis.

Frederick Fout is buried at Bellefountaine Cemetery with a small Civil War military headstone, and there a no other headstones for his wife, grandson, or his son on the plot. Bellefountaine will not allow us to place a new headstone on the grave or have a new military headstone placed on the grave (of an American Hero).

We also have an article that appeared in the National Tribune, Vil 5, No. 37, April 1, 1886 that is titled:

At Nashville-Gallant Service of the 15th Indiana Battery

A shower of Shrapnet Hurled on the Enemy with Deadly Effect.

Driven from Shye's Hill

Hood's soldiers give way under fire.

The three page article deals with Frederick Fout's unit.

The article has quotes from General Thomas who was with General Schofield. One of the quotes was: Fout's section moved around the guns with rapidity that would have made a French dancing master believe they were having a cotillion, to which the discharging of guns and bursting shrapnel furnishing the interesting music

We are honored to have Frederick Fout in our family but did not know much about him until three years ago when his house in North St. Louis was going to be rehabbed and now we have travelled to Indianapolis and have seen his brother's grave sites in New Palestine, Ind, seen photos of his brother's blacksmith shop, and also seen Frederick Fout name engraved on the Medal of Honor Memorial in Indianapolis. Now we are interested in obtaining information on getting a Medal of Honor marker. No one knows of the importance of this man who lived in St. Louis and the service he gave to the United States.

So often now our society forgets our history & our veterans that fought in wars many years ago, but to my wife and I history is the cornerstone of our very existence

Any assistance you can give us would greatly be appreciated.

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