Lieutenant Charles R. Carville was among the nearly five thousand Union men killed or wounded at the Battle of Port Hudson, Louisiana. He was only 18 years old when he enlisted in the 165th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment in 1862. This regiment was the 2nd Battalion Duryee Zouaves, a unit known for fierce fighting. Carville probably felt compelled, like many his age, to serve his country and take part in the great events that would define his generation.
On May 27, 1863 the Battle of Port Hudson left nearly two thousand federals dead or wounded. Carville fought that day with the "soul and heart of a man and patriot," according to his obituary in a New York newspaper. The headboard marked the temporary spot where he was buried on the battlefield.
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