Faces of the 48th: Richard Martin Jones: From Sergeant to Lieutenant Colonel

Richard Martin Jones began the war as a sergeant in the ranks of Company G, 48th Pennsylvania, and ended it as the regiment's second-in-command, or lieutenant-colonel. 

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Martin Jones

from Bosbyshell, The 48th in the War

Born on June 13, 1828, in Liverpool, England, Jones was still an infant when his parents immigrated to the United States, settling in Tamaqua, where Jones was raised and spent his childhood. There he learned the trade of machinist and was employed as such in Port Carbon, Pennsylvania, when the Civil War broke out in 1861. In September of that year, he was mustered into the ranks of Company G, 48th Pennsylvania, as a sergeant. Though the age provided on the regimental muster rolls is 31, Jones was actually 33 when he entered the army, and stood 5'7" in height, had a "florid" complexion, with grey eyes, and light hair. 

Jones served throughout all four years of the conflict, his war record matching that of the 48th. Promoted to First Sergeant in May 1864, Jones's subsequent promotions came at a dizzying rate, due to the high rate of attrition throughout the bloody spring and summer of 1864: from First Sergeant to 2nd Lieutenant, June 24, 1864, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry C. Jackson at Spotsylvania; and from 2nd Lieutenant to 1st Lieutenant, July 13, 1864, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Curtis Pollock at Petersburg. In September 1864 he became captain of Company G following the promotion of Oliver Bosbyshell to major, and then Jones himself became the 48th's major in May 1865 and, finally, it's lieutenant-colonel on June 3, 1865, thus rising from the rank of Sergeant to Lieutenant-Colonel in just thirteen months. He was mustered out with the regiment on July 17, 1865. 

Following the war, Jones settled in Lykens, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and resumed his trade of machinist, working at a number of collieries. He moved around a bit, first to Pottsville and then to Philadelphia, but returned to Lykens in the late 1890s, just several years before his death.  

When Richard M. Jones marched off to war in 1861, he left at home his wife, Emma Keply Jones, whom he married in 1852, as well as three daughters--Alice, Clara, and Emma. Following the war, his wife gave birth to three more children, Edward, Margaret, and Joseph. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Martin Jones passed away at his home on Main Street in Lykens on April 9, 1900, at age 71, following a lengthy illness, and was laid to rest in Lykens's Odd Fellows Cemetery on April 12. 

Pottsville Republican
April 12, 1900 

The Grave of Richard M. Jones (left) and his wife Emma (died 1921)

Odd Fellows Cemetery, Lykens 

(source: findagrave.com) 

[Sources: Bosbyshell, The 48th in the War, pg. 193; Lykens Register, April 12, 1900, page 2; Pottsville Republican, April 12, 1900, page 4]. 

"He Was A Thoroughly Good Soldier, And Always A Worthy, Honorable Man:" The Sad Case of Charles Focht, Company H, 48th Pennsylvania Infantry

It was late summer, 1889, and Rebecca Focht was worried. 

She hadn't seen, nor even heard from her son, Charles, for several months, and was anxious to know not only where he was but especially the condition of his health. She had learned that he may have been admitted to St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C., which was, at that time, called the Government Hospital for the Insane. Established by Dorothea Dix in 1852 and located in southeastern D.C. on high ground overlooking the Anacostia River, it was the country's first federally-funded mental hospital. 

Learning of Mrs. Focht's situation, a relative of Levi Nagle reached out to him, and asked if he could determine whether her son, Charles Focht, was, indeed, being treated at St. Elizabeth's. Levi Nagle and Charles Focht had served together in the 48th Pennsylvania during the Civil War, more than twenty-five years earlier; in fact, it was Levi's brother, James Nagle, who had organized and first led the regiment in 1861.Now, Nagle was living in Washington, D.C., working for the pensions bureau, and he agreed to help. 

In late August 1889, Levi Nagle set out on a visit to St. Elizabeth's, accompanied by Francis B. Wallace, a friend from Pottsville, former newspaper man, and fellow veteran, whom Nagle asked to come along. 

Early 20th Century Photograph of the Main Building of St. Elizabeth's
(NPS) 

Several days later, Wallace penned an account of their trip and informed readers in Pottsville of the sad case of Corporal Charles Focht. 

"The drive to the institution (some three miles) was very pleasant," wrote Wallace. "The day was all that one could wish. . . .The streets of Washington, as you know, are uniformly broad--the avenues being from 140 to 160 feet in width and paved in asphalt. They are kept scrupulously clean, so that a pedestrian can cross at any point. In fact we have no crossing. We need none. The people here habitually walk in the streets, especially in the evening, preferring them to the sidewalks." Crossing the Anacostia River near the Navy Yard, "we were soon ascending the hill, on the summit of which stands St. Elizabeth, surrounded by many acres of well-kept grounds, and commanding a fine view of Washington and the Potomac, with Arlington and its sixteen thousand of patriotic dead, in the distance on the Virginia shore." 

Post War Image of Levi Nagle
(Unfortunately, there is no known image of Charles Focht)
(Gould, Story of the Forty-Eighth)

Nagle and Wallace arrived at the front gate and informed the gatekeeper of the purpose their visit. The gatekeeper next directed the two to a Dr. Stack, whom they soon located. At that time, wrote Wallace, there were about 1,500 patients, which he wrote, were "in all stages of dementia, from the harmless imbecile to the raving maniac." They found Dr. Stack to be a gentlemen of "great courtesy and kindliness of manner." When they inquired of Charles Focht, they discovered that he was, at that time, walking the grounds of the institution. Stack summoned an attendant to locate Focht, and as the three waited, the doctor informed Wallace and Nagle that Focht had been admitted six months earlier, in March 1889, having been sent there from the National Soldiers' Home in Dayton, Ohio, where he had been residing. Focht, the doctor reported, had been suffering from a "softening of the brain"that had brought on seizures and convulsions. He had already suffered two convulsions since he arrived in March. Sadly and rather matter-of-factly, Dr. Stack told Nagle and Wallace that there was nothing that can be done for Focht and that he was "likely to die at any time in the near future when attacked by one of these convulsions caused by the disease." 

Soon, there was Corporal Focht, likely brought in by wheelchair. Wallace wrote of their greeting and the shock and sorrow he felt: "In a short time we met and shook hands with the unfortunate veteran. Poor fellow! as he stood up, soldier-like and erect to receive us, yet as gentle in his manner as a child, and as a faint smile illumined his manly and still handsome face, my memory reverted to the time, nearly thirty years ago, when I saw him standing in the ranks of his regiment, before it left for the front, as fine a specimen of manhood as his command contained. And now how changed! Not so much physically, although he had aged, but mentally, caused no doubt, in great measure by the sufferings he had endured during the war." 

Charles Focht was nineteen years old when, on September 19, 1861, he was mustered into service in the ranks of Company H, 48th Pennsylvania Infantry. He stood 5'10" in height, had a Dark Complexion, with Dark Eyes, and Brown Hair; by occupation he was a Laborer and his residence was Pottsville. Focht served with the regiment throughout the entirety of the war, having reenlisted in January 1864, and being mustered out of service with the regiment on July 17, 1865. He was wounded in action at Spotsylvania, on May 12, 1864. 

Wallace, in his letter, shared his frustration and even anger at Focht's sad situation. "And this man who gave the best years of his young life to his country, who on the 12th of May, 1864, laid on the bloody battle-field of Spotsylvania Court House, with a rebel bullet inside his body," wrote Wallace, "and who is now an inmate of an insane asylum, receives from the Government he helped to save the munificent sum in the shape of a pension of TWO DOLLARS a month. And this man has a poor, old, dependent mother who will no doubt soon follow that son to the grave."  Wallace pleaded for better care and treatment for Focht who was "a thoroughly good soldier, and always a worthy, honorable man."(1) 

It is not known whether Wallace's appeal had any effect but, at the very least, Mrs. Rebecca Focht got confirmation about the whereabouts of her son. 

Seven months later, Charles Focht was dead. 

He died on March 7, 1890, at age 47 or 48. News of his death was printed in the Pottsville Republican with a note that Focht was "a brave soldier during the war."(2)  

The remains of Charles Focht were laid to rest in the East Cemetery of St. Elizabeth's Hospital. 

More on the history of St. Elizabeth's can be found here and here.

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Notes: 

(1) "The Case of Charles Focht," by F.B. Wallace, Pottsville Republican, August 29, 1889, page 1.

(2) Pottsville Republican, March 8, 1890, page 4.

Faces of the 48th: Clay W. Evans--129th PA; Company G, 48th PA; and 1st Lt. 31st USCT

 

Clay W. Evans

(Photographed in 1865 as Lieutenant, 31st USCT) 

John D. Hoptak Collection

I always enjoy seeing a "new" face of the 48th, and just a few days ago, my friend Britt alerted me to a "new" image of a soldier who had served in the 48th Pennsylvania. His name was Clay W. Evans and not only did he serve in the 48th, but he had also served in the nine-month 129th Pennsylvania as well as in the 31st United States Colored Troops (USCT) during the final year of the war. He later became a leading citizen of St. Clair, became sheriff of Schuylkill County and even served a term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. . .along with numerous other positions. Quite a busy life he led. 

Born on February 10, 1844, in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Clay W. Evans was a son of Eliza and Thomas Evans. His paternal grandfather--Lot Evans--was a prominent early settler of St. Clair, just outside Pottsville, and it was there where Clay grew up. He attended the local public schools for a time and worked as a slate picker at a coal mine for a number of years until 1857 when, at age 13, he went to work in Walter Sedgwick's grocery store. He was still thus employed when, in April 1861, civil war broke out. Although only having turned 17 a few months before, and like many a young man, Clay Evans was determined to enlist. He ran away from home, made his way to Harrisburg, and succeeded in enlisting into the ranks of the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, at least according to a newspaper account published in 1898, when Evans assumed stewardship of the Schuylkill County Almshouse. It wasn't long, however, before Evans's mother, Eliza, "induced him to return home." Not to be deterred, Evans, in the summer of 1862 and now 18 years of age, once more entered the ranks, this time in Company B, of the 129th Pennsylvania Infantry, a nine-month regiment that was engaged in heavy combat at the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Mustered out as a corporal, Evans returned to his home in St. Clair but in February 1864, now twenty years of age, he once more enlisted, this time into the ranks of Company G, of the veteran 48th Pennsylvania Infantry. Wounded twice at the Battle of Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864, Evans remained with the 48th until the winter of 1864, when he was recommended for and accepted an officer's commission in the 31st United States Colored Infantry. He served with the 31st USCT until being discharged in December 1865. 

Returning to St. Clair, the soon-to-be-twenty-two-year-old Clay Evans went back to work as a clerk. He married two years later, on September 3, 1867, to Emily Allison, also of St. Clair, and the couple had at least three children: Guy Evans (1869-1901); Robert A. Evans (1886-1943); and Cad M. Evans. Setting out on his own in 1872, Clay Evans opened his very own store, dealing in groceries and dry goods. 

Bargains await at Clay Evans' General Store! 
(Pottsville Republican, 9/27/1887)

Evans managed his business for a good number of years and also became very active in the state militia, advancing his way up ultimately to the ranks of major. Civic-minded, Evans also served on the school board, on the St. Clair Borough Council for a number of years, and, finally, as a member of the Pennsylvania State Legislature, representing Schuylkill County and the Fourth District in the PA State House during the session that ran from 1879-1880. 

Clay W. Evans as a member of the PA State Legislature

1879-1880 
(Pennsylvania House of Representatives Archives)

Evans's Biography from PA State House Archives

And as if all this were not enough, Evans, in 1898, was appointed Steward of the Schuylkill County almshouse, and then from 1899-1906, and again from 1911-1915, he worked as a deputy revenue collector for the IRS. In between (1907-1910), he served as sheriff of Schuylkill County.  Evans was also actively involved in the GAR; was a Mason, and a member of the local Odd Fellows' branch. He sought higher officer, but in 1912 was defeated in his bid for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. 

Evans reportedly enjoyed good health until 1917 when he was stricken by a number of illnesses. The end came on a Friday morning--September 20, 1918. Clay W. Evans--slate picker, store worker, clerk, soldier and officer, veteran of many a bloody campaign, business owner, steward, state representative, sheriff, school board member and councilman, husband, and father--passed away at the of 74. His remains were laid to rest in Pottsville's Charles Baber Cemetery. 

It was certainly a full and busy life Clay W. Evans led. 

Ten months of his 74+ years were spent in the ranks of the 48th Pennsylvania. 
 

A New Headstone for Colonel Gowen

I was only at Saint Luke's Episcopal Graveyard in Germantown, Pennsylvania, once, and this was many, many years ago. 

I was there to locate the grave of George Washington Gowen, the 48th Pennsylvania's fourth commanding officer, following James Nagle, Joshua Sigfried, and Henry Pleasants. 

I thought I located it. . .but wasn't entirely sure. I found a plot for the "Gowen" family, at least, and I thought I saw the headstone for George but, again, I could not be certain. 

Surely, I thought, for someone born into a very prominent family and for a colonel who was killed in action leading his regiment into battle, George Gowen would have a large and easily recognizable headstone. But such was not the case. 

As it turns out, his grave marker had fallen into great disrepair and was hardly recognizable. 

This is why I was so happy, several weeks ago, to see that Frank Jastrzembski, founder of Shrouded Veterans, and working with Saint Luke's Episcopal Church in Germantown, saw to it that Colonel Gowen get a new headstone.

A New Headstone for Colonel Gowen. . .

Stands now in front of his original stone. 

Twenty-five-year-old George Washington Gowen, the son of Irish immigrants, was killed in action on April 2, 1865, during the 48th's final  battle action of the Civil War at Petersburg, Virginia. Sergeant Patrick Monahan, himself an immigrant from Ireland and Medal of Honor recipient for his heroics at Petersburg in June 1864, remembered Gowen's death vividly: "I saw. Col. Gowen step to the side of Sam Beddall, one of the Color Sergeants, lean over, and speak to him. My impression was that Sam was hurt, and I stepped to the side of the Colonel to take the colors, if such was the case. The Colonel straightened up, and I moved a step out of his way, when a shell, hot from the mouth of one of the rebel guns of Fort Mahone, exploded in our midst. The Colonel fell on his face; I turned him over on his back, and saw that half of his face was carried away. He was killed instantly. Myself and two others of the regiment carried him back to the rebel picket line, where we were relieved by others, and returned to the front; joined the colors, and entered Fort Mahone by way of the embrasure from which the shell had been fired that killed Colonel Gowen."

His remains were later returned to his native Germantown for burial. 

In the early 1900s, the veterans of the 48th placed an impressive statue of Gowen near the spot where he was killed. 

Read more on the life and death of Colonel George Washington Gowen.

Colonel George W. Gowen

(as commander of Company C and as a pre-war civil mining engineer,

Gowen played a leading role in the tunneling of the 48th's mine at Petersburg) 

The 48th Pennsylvania Monument at Petersburg 

features a bronze statue of George W. Gowen. 

Read more on the 48th's monument at Petersburg. . .

Many, many thanks to Frank Jastrzembski and Saint Luke's Episcopal Church for seeing to the placement of a new headstone for Colonel George Gowen! 

Now. . .I will need to make a return trip to Germantown! 

A "New" Face of the Forty-Eighth: Corporal Henry W. Krater, Company I

Although it does not happen all too often, every now and then, I get to see a "new" face of the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry. A few weeks ago, was one of those "every now and then" moments. Checking my email, I was happy to see an email from a Great-Great-Great Grandson of Henry W. Krater, a corporal who served for the duration of the conflict in Company I. Krater was a lifelong resident of my small hometown of Orwigsburg. Because of this, and in addition to knowing his name from the regimental rosters, I many-a-time visited his gravesite in St. John's Church Cemetery, just a few blocks away from the house where I grew up. And now, after so many years, I got to see photographs of the man taken during and after the Civil War, to finally put a face to the name. 

Corporal Henry W. Krater
Company I, 48th Pennsylvania Infantry
(Courtesy of Mr. Mike Wynosky)

Born on April 9, 1837, in Orwigsburg, Henry Krater was a son of John Krater and Sarah Deibert Krater. He turned 24 just a few days before the Civil War's opening shots at Fort Sumter and in September 1861, he enlisted, along with a brother, Charles, into the ranks of Company I, 48th Pennsylvania. In height, he stood 5'7"; had a "Light" Complexion, Brown Eyes, and Dark Hair. His occupation was identified as cigar maker. He was married--having wed Catherine Slenker--sometime prior to the outbreak of war, and had, at the time of his enlistment, at least one child, a one-year-old son named Clinton Morris Krater. Another son, born in December 1864, would be given the impressive name of Preston Sherman Burnside Krater, his middle two names were presumably in honor of two of Henry's favorite generals. 

Henry Krater returned home to Orwigsburg following his enlistment and remained there for the rest of his very long life. He and his wife had six more children in the years after the war; their final child, a daughter named Bertha Mae was born in 1881 and lived 95 years, passing away in 1977. 

A member of the Gowen G.A.R. Post, Henry Krater was active in veterans' affairs and would be a regular attendee at the annual reunions held by the survivors of the 48th Pennsylvania. He led a long life and was active, according his obituary, up until the date of his death. On April 11, 1926, Henry was visiting his son, John, at John's home on West Market Street, Orwigsburg. Sometime during the visit, while in the backyard, the aged Civil War veteran suffered a sudden stroke, collapsing to the ground. Borne inside, Henry died at 10:30 a.m. the following day, April 12, 1926--the 65th Anniversary of the Civil War's opening shots at Fort Sumter. Henry Krater was 89. 

A large and impressive funeral was held to honor his life; in attendance were seven Civil War veterans--including two of his former comrades from Company I, 48th PA, Jacob Gongloff and Thomas J. Reed. The Civil War veterans were chauffeured in automobiles. Spanish-American War veterans also attended in good number, and present also was Orwigsburg's Liberty Band. A longtime member of Saint John's Church, Henry W. Krater was laid to rest with full military honors in the church's cemetery on Washington Street, the same cemetery where, coincidentally, lay the remains of the very first soldier of the 48th Pennsylvania to die during the Civil War--William Millet--who died at age 20 in September 1861, and who had been buried 65 already years prior to the internment of Krater. Upon his death, Henry W. Krater left behind seven children, forty grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren.

My thanks go out to Mr. Mike Wynosky for reaching out to me and for sending along the images of Henry Krater. It is always great to finally put a face to the name.  

Post-War Image of Henry W. Krater
(Courtesy of Mike Wynosky) 

                                                                                        

The Grave of Henry W. Krater (left) and his wife, Catherine,
who preceded him in death by eleven years.
St. John's Cemetery, Orwigsburg
(Image from findagrave.com) 

Colorized Photographs of 48th Pennsylvania Soldiers

Colorized Image of Major Joseph Gilmour
48th PA

Last night, a number of my friends in the Civil War world shared on their social media accounts photographs of historical figures from the Civil War Era that were animated, or "brought to life," via technology by My Heritage

Most were of generals; some of civilians. Some of these animated photographs were rather compelling; others were, well. . .

In addition to animating historic photographs, My Heritage also colorizes images from the past. For several years now, adding color to old black-and-white or sepia-toned Civil War CDVs or tintypes has become increasingly ever more popular. While the verdict on this technology seems evenly split between those who like it and those who do not, I thought I would create an account and upload some photographs of 48th Pennsylvania soldiers from my collection to better see what these soldiers may have looked like in person. I also uploaded a photograph of Nicholas "Nick" Biddle of Pottsville, who, when marching off to war with the First Defenders in April 1861, shed some of the first blood of the American Civil War. 

When done well, colorizing historic photographs can be a powerful teaching tool in that it can better humanize, if you will, people from the past. There are many who simply cannot envision past events in anything other than black-and-white or sepia tones. When not done well, however,. . .they are simply not done well. 

I uploaded many images of 48th Pennsylvania soldiers; not all of them "worked" in the colorization process. But some did. The colorized images below I found compelling, especially the ones of Gilmour, Maidenfort, and Biddle. The stories of several of these soldiers can be found by clicking on their names. 

Anyway, here they are for your perusal. . . 

What are your thoughts on these? 

(The historic images are either from the Library of Congress or my personal collection; the colorized images were colorized by www.myheritage.com) 

Brigadier General James Nagle
Organizer and First Commander, 48th PA

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Unidentified Private
Company G 

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Corporal Samuel Stichter
Company D 

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Private Charles Lindenmuth 
Company I

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Commissioned Officers
Company G 

(Captain Oliver Bosbyshell, seated; Lt. Curtis Pollock, standing left;
Lt. Henry Clay Jackson, standing right)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Unidentified Corporal
Company G

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Lieutenant Joseph Edwards
Company I 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Major Joseph Gilmour
48th Pennsylvania 

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Captain Daniel Kauffman
Company A

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Private Henry Maidenfort
Company I

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Private Amos Rumbel
Company I 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Unidentified Private
Likely Company A

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Captain Thomas Williams 
Company B 

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Nicholas "Nick" Biddle

(Post War Photograph)
First Defender 
One of the First Men to Shed Blood in the Civil War