29-year-old Alexander Somerville was a carpenter and slave of Edward B. Edelen at Bryantown, Maryland when he joined the 19th Regiment at Camp Stanton on January 6, 1864 as a Sergeant. Edelen filed for compensation for the loss of his slave, but there is no record that he was awarded compensation.

Sergeant Somerville was wounded in the left jaw at the Battle of the Crater outside Petersburg, Virginia on July 30, 1864. While the regiment was garrisoned at Brazos Santiago and Brownsville, Texas after the Civil War, Somerville contracted malaria and scurvy. He was mustered out of the Union Army at Brownsville, Texas on January 15, 1867. Sergeant Somerville died on June 8, 1884.

Sergeant Somerville’s widow, Margaret Marshall Somerville, lived in Washington, D.C. The pension file contains this affidavit by her:

March 13, 1890

My reason of children being born previous to the date of my marriage certificate was that my husband belonged to one master and I to another. My master would not allow me to marry on account of my husband’s master being a Catholic so we went together and lived as man and wife. Afterwards when the war was over we concluded that it was right for us to marry, so we were married on the 24th day of December 1876.

Mrs. Somerville also provided this deposition:

August 24, 1892

I am the widow of Alexander Somerville who died on the 8th day of June eight years ago (1884) between Newport and Budd's Ferry at Charles County, Md. at a place called Norrisville. I have no date... I got it from memory. A doctor Burke (now dead) said he thought he had apoplexy. He died very suddenly. He was in the army belonging to the 19th USCT.

Became acquainted with him some years before the war. My name was Margaret Ann Marshall and I belonged to Mr. Tom Bac who lived in Charles Cty. Md. (now dead) and my husband belonged to Dr. Ned Eglin who lived in Bryantown, Md., Charles Cty. and we went to live with one another seven years before the war. He was a carpenter and worked about at different places about Charles Co. and I lived at home with my mistress Mrs. Bec. My husband was working at his trade when he enlisted & we had a house together on Mrs. B's place. I had three children when he enlisted. Only one of them are now living, James Richard. He was three years old when his father enlisted. After the war was married to my husband by Elder Brown on the 24th day of December 1876 and he gave me a certificate... I suppose it is recorded in the Leonardtown court house.