On September 2, 1861, at the age of 14 or 15, Henry Van Baalen enlisted in Company E of the 49th NY Infantry Regiment in Buffalo, New York. The Regiment participated in The Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, among others. Private Van Baalen was killed in action at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5, 1864, on Culpeper Mine Road in a heavily wooded area.

Because of the intensity of the battle, the exact location of Henry’s remains are unknown to this day. Henry became lost to the family after his death, until early 2021, when he was rediscovered in a single sentence in a scholarly book about immigrants. His military record clearly shows that Henry faced life with courage and patriotism, giving his all to the very end.