Manuel Mallo was born in York, Pa. in 1823 and married Abi Culver on Dec. 7, 1853.

On March 28, 1864, he joined the 13th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, Company G, to fight in the Civil War, despite having four children. He was paid $300 bounty for enlisting and received $13 monthly pay.

Manuel joined the 13th Wisconsin, deployed south of Nashville, guarding railways and rivers near Decatur, Ala. The battle of Nashville, Tenn. started the end of November, with the North outnumbering the South two-to-one.

By mid-December, the badly defeated South began retreating, running into Manuel's company at Paint Rock Ridge, near Huntsville, Ala., on Dec. 31, 1864. Of the 126 men in Company G, 14 were killed and 36 were taken prisoner, including Manuel.

Manuel was taken south to Par Camp Prison near Vicksburg, Miss. The conditions in prison were abhorrent and Manuel developed typhoid and diarrhea. On April 7, 1865, he was traded in a prisoner swap. On April 16, he was sent up the Mississippi River to the US General Hospital, Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Mo. On April 24, Manuel was admitted and died the next day of chronic diarrhea, thirteen months after joining.

On June 14, his family received $300, $100 in back pay and $200 of uncollected bounty. With the money, Abi bought two lots in Richland Center, Wis., but in 1873, lost them for unpaid taxes of 11 dollars. With no money, Abi put two of her children into the Madison Soldier’s Orphanage and moved to Iowa.