Interpreting the meaning behind the sword. . .

A few weeks ago, I posted a short blog about the Mexican-American War diary of Captain James Nagle, and in that post I talked about the sword he was presented upon his return to Pottsville in 1848.

I was happy to see that fellow-blogger Gary Smailes, in his Victoria's Cross? Blog, picked up on the story on the sword, and delved deep behind the meaning of the sword's inscription and the reason(s) for its presentation.

Check out Gary's excellent post at:

http://victoriacross.wordpress.com/

Perhaps the greatest significance of the sword was that, although presented to him in 1848 in recognition of his services in Mexico, Nagle carried the sword throughout the Civil War, and was sure he was holding it when Matthew Brady snapped an image of him. . .Oh, and that sword was the one scuplted for his statue on the Antietam Battlefield.

Now, some very dedicated students (and very careful observers) of the Antietam National Battlefield may be scratching their heads. 'But wait a minute! There is no sword on the Nagle statue at Antietam!' they may say. . .

[This is a little foreshadowing about a big project I am just starting to work on. . .]

Photograph Gallery: Company A, 48th PA

So, as you can probably tell, I am going to follow up each of the Company Rosters with a Casualty Report for that company as well as a Photograph Gallery.

Unfortunately, of the more than 180 soldiers who served in Company A, 48th PA, throughout the four years of the Civil War, I have just two photographs of its members!

[Just wait though until I get around to Company G!]

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Captain Henry Boyer

Enlisted: 9/17/1861; 27 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Black Hair; Hotel Keeper; Port Clinton; Enlisted as 2nd Lt.; Promoted from 2nd Lt. to 1st Lt.: 9/29/1862; Promoted to Captain: 8/27/1864; Discharged: 10/1/1864, Expiration of Term of Service

* * * * * * * * * *

2nd Lieutenant Henry H. Price

Enlisted 9/17/1861: 21 yrs; 5’10”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Chair Maker; Ashland; Wounded 9/17/1862 Antietam; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Sgt. to 2nd Lt.: 10/30/1864; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

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Casualty Record: Company A, 48th Pennsylvania

Company A
Casualty Record

Killed in Action/Mortally Wounded: [16]:

1st Sgt. Benjamin G. Otto: Wounded 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run; Died of Wounds: 10/15/1862
Pvt. John Springer: Wounded 9/17/1862: Antietam; Died of Wounds: 10/3/1862
Cpl. John Brobst: Wounded 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run; Died of Wounds: 9/17/1862
Pvt. John Leiser: Killed in Action 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run
Pvt. George Briegle: Wounded 9/14/1862: South Mountain; Died of Wounds: 1/1863: Philadelphia
Cpl. Joseph B. Carter: Wounded 12/13/1862: Fredericksburg; Died of Wounds
Pvt. James Williams: Killed in Action 12/13/1862: Fredericksburg
Pvt. Lewis M. Robinhold: Killed in Action 5/12/1864: Spotsylvania
Pvt. Isaac Otto: Killed in Action 5/12/1864: Spotsylvania
Cpl. John J. Huntzinger: Killed in Action 5/12/1864: Spotsylvania
Pvt. Abel C.T. St.Clair: Killed in Action 5/12/1864: Spotsylvania
Pvt. Lewis Hessinger: Killed in Action 6/22/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. Henry Simpson: Killed in Action
Pvt. John Cochran: Wounded 6/17/1864: Petersburg; Died of Wounds
Pvt. George Betz: Wounded 9/17/1862: Antietam: Wounded 6/1864: Cold Harbor; Died of Wounds: 6/17/1864: Washington, D.C.
Pvt. Simon Snyder: Wounded 6/1864: Cold Harbor; Died of Wounds: 6/16/1864
Pvt. George Airgood: Wounded 12/13/1862: Fredericksburg; Wounded 1864: Petersburg; Died of Wounds 8/15/1864
Cpl. Francis M. Stidham: Wounded 6/18/1864: Petersburg; Died of Wounds

Died from Disease/Other Causes: [13]:

Pvt. William Miller: Died 11/16/1861: Hatteras Island, North Carolina
Pvt. John Spreese: Died 1/21/1862: Hatteras Island, North Carolina
Pvt. Bernard West: Died 5/1/1862: New Bern, North Carolina
Pvt. Frank Wentzel: Died 8/12/1862: Drowned in the Potomac River
Pvt. David Kreiger: Died 9/1862: Washington, D.C.
Pvt. John Ruff: Died 12/1862: Washingotn, D.C.
Pvt. Richard Lee: Died 3/1864: Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Pvt. Peter Zimmerman: Died 3/1864: Annapolis, Maryland
Pvt. Nelson Simon: Died 7/5/1864; Minersville, Pennsylvania
Pvt. David Houser: Died 7/1864; City Point, Virginia
Pvt. Samuel Shollenberger: Captured 9/29/1864: Pegram’s Farm; Died in Salisbury Prison, North Carolina: 1/15/1865
Pvt. George Livingston: Captured 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run; Captured 11/16/1863: Campbell’s Station (Tennessee); Died in Libby Prison, 12/14/1864
Pvt. Lewis Sterner: Captured 9/29/1864: Pegram’s Farm; Died 4/11/1865: Tamaqua, Pennsylvania

Wounded: [39]:

Cpl. John Taylor: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run
Pvt. George Albright: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run
Pvt. William Betz: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run
Pvt. Elias Britton: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run; 6/17/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. George Miller: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run
Pvt. Andrew Neeley: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run
Pvt. Israel Britton: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run
Pvt. Joel Marshall: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run
Cpl. Henry H. Prince: 9/17/1862: Antietam
Pvt. Charles Kreiger: 9/17/1862: Antietam
Pvt. B.F. Dreibelbeis: 9/17/1862: Antietam
Pvt. John Whitaker: 9/17/1862: Antietam
Pvt. William F. Heiser: 12/13/1862: Fredericksburg
Sgt. A.C. Huckey: 5/12/1864: Spotsylvania
Cpl. Charles Brandenburg: 5/1864: Overland Campaign
Cpl. Jacob S. Honsberger: 5/1864: Overland Campaign
Pvt. Morgan Leiser: 5/1864: Overland Campaign
Pvt. Benjamin F.C. Dreibelbeis: 5/1864: Overland Campaign
Pvt. Charles Hillegas: 5/1864: Overland Campaign
Pvt. Jacob Kershner: 5/1864: Overland Campaign
Pvt. William Koch: 6/1864: Cold Harbor
Pvt. John Heck: 6/1864: Cold Harbor
Pvt. Elias Lins: 6/1864: Cold Harbor
Cpl. Monroe Heckman: 6/1864: Cold Harbor
Pvt. J.D. Ash: 6/1864: Cold Harbor
Pvt. Samuel Eckroth: 6/1864: Cold Harbor
Pvt. Israel Britton: 6/7/1864: Cold Harbor
Pvt. Jabez McFarland: 6/7/1864: Cold Harbor
Pvt. John Holman: 6/17/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. John McLain: 6/17/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. William Huckey: 6/17/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. John H. Schaeffer: 6/17/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. Joel Lins: 6/17/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. Henry Schreyer: 6/18/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. James W. Sterner: 6/18/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. William Dreibelbeis: 6/18/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. Joseph Dreibelbeis: 6/18/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. Lewis Loye: 8/10/1864: Petersburg
Pvt. John Adams: 4/2/1865: Petersburg

Captured/Missing: [5]:

Pvt. Henry Davis: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run (Returned; Mustered Out 7/17/1865: Veteran)
Pvt. William H. Koch: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run (Returned; Discharged 9/17/1864, Expiration of Term of Service)
Pvt. Daniel Leiser: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run (Not on Muster-Out Roll; Records indicate that he never returned to company)
Pvt. Morgan Simon: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run (Not on Muster-Out Roll; Records indicate that he never returned to company)
Pvt. F.W. Simon: 8/29/1862: 2nd Bull Run; 9/29/1864: Pegram’s Farm (Returned but Absent, Sick, at Muster-Out)

Roster: Company A

Last week I began posting the rosters of the 48th Pennsylvania, and I began with the Regimental Band. Today, I present to you the full and complete roster and muster roll of Company A. It is quite lengthy (there were over 180 soldiers who served in Company A during the war), but it does contain a soldier's date of enlistment, age at enlistment, height, complexion, eye color, hair color, occupation, place of residence, and a brief service record. This information was garnered from the 48th's Regimental histories, from Samuel P. Bates's History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, and, primarily, from the regimental muster rolls archived at the Pennsylvania State Archives. I plan to post one company's full and complete roster per month, so stay tuned.

Company A, 48th Pennsylvania, was recruited largely from Port Clinton, Tamaqua, and surrounding townships in southern Schuylkill County.

* * * * * * * * * *

Company A

48th Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry

* * * * * * * * * *

Captain

Daniel B. Kaufmann:
9/17/1861; 29 yrs.; 5’9”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Black Hair; Dispatcher; Enlisted as Captain; Dismissed from Service: 8/1/1864

Henry Boyer:
9/17/1861; 27 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Black Hair; Hotel Keeper; Port Clinton; Enlisted as 2nd Lt.; Promoted from 2nd Lt. to 1st Lt.: 9/29/1862; Promoted to Captain: 8/27/1864; Discharged: 10/1/1864, Expiration of Term of Service

Albert C. Huckey:
9/17/1861; 22 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Machinist; Port Clinton; Wounded: Spotsylvania, 5/12/1864; Enlisted as a Sgt.; Promoted from Sgt. to 1st Sgt. to 2nd Lt.: 9/3/1864; Promoted to Captain: 10/30/1864; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

1st Lieutenant

Abiel H. Jackson:
9/17/1861; 27 yrs.; 5’8” Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Brown Hair; Machinist; Port Clinton; Enlisted as 1st Lt.; Resigned: 9/29/1862

Lewis B. Eveland:
9/17/1861; 23 yrs.; 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Brakesman; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Sgt.; Promoted from Sgt. to 2nd Lt.: 9/29/1862; Promoted to 1st Lt.: 8/27/1864; Discharged: 10/1/1864: Expiration of Term of Service

William Taylor:
9/17/1861; 30 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Sgt.; Promoted from Sgt. to 1st Lt.: 10/30/1864; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

2nd Lieutenant

Price, Henry H.:
9/17/1861: 21 yrs; 5’10”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Chair Maker; Ashland; Wd. 9/17/1862 Antietam; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Sgt. to 2nd Lt.: 10/30/1864; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

Orderly Sergeant

Benjamin G. Otto:
9/17/1861; 27 yrs.; 5’8”; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Carpenter; Port Clinton; Enlisted as 1st Sgt.; Wounded: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862; Died of Wounds: 10/15/1862

1st Sergeant

Seltzer, Abraham F.:
9/17/1861: 24 yrs.; 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Sandy Hair; Farmer; New Ringgold; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to 1st Sgt.; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

Sergeant

Honsberger, Henry C.:
9/17/1861; 21 yrs.; 5’4”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Dark Hair; Teacher; McKeansburg; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Sgt. Major, to Adjutant; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

John Taylor:
9/17/1861; 25 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Wounded: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862; Enlisted as a Corporal; Promoted to Sgt.; Discharged on Surgeon’s Certificate: 6/27/1865; Veteran

Gallagher, John:
9/17/1861; 18 yrs.; 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Dark Hair; Farmer; Centeville; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Promoted to Sgt.; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

Frederici, Franklin:
9/17/1861; 18 yrs.; 5’7”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Farmer; Auburn; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Promoted to Sgt.; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

Honsberger, Jacob S.:
9/17/1861; 20 yrs.; 5’4”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Blacksmith; McKeansburg; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Promoted to Sgt.; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

Heckman, Monroe:
9/17/1861; 21 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Shoemaker; Berks County; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Promoted to Sgt.: 6/28/1865; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

Milton B. Nice:
9/17/1861; 43 yrs.; 5’10”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Sandy Hair; Horse Jockey; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Sgt.; Discharged: 12/9/1862

Corporal

Brandenburg, Charles:
9/17/1861; 42 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Mason; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Discharged on Surgeon’s Certificate: 3/3/1865; Veteran

Cochran, John:
9/17/1861; 21 yrs.; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Discharged by General Order: 6/7/1865

Perry, Richard B.:
8/19/1862; 18 yrs.; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Discharged by General Order: 6/7/1865

Eveland, James S.:
9/17/1861; 20 yrs.; 5’6”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Blacksmith; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

Meck, James:
9/17/1861; 19 yrs.; 5’9”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

Boyer, Thomas B.:
9/17/1861; 19 yrs.; 5’10”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

Krueger, Charles:
9/17/1861; 23 yrs.; 5’8”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Wounded: Antietam, 9/17/1865; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

Moyer, Samuel B.:
Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

John Little:
9/17/1861; 42 yrs.; 5’9”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Corporal; Not on Muster-Out Roll

Huckey, William J.:
2/17/1864; 18 yrs.; 5’10”; Light Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Laborer; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal: 6/8/1865; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865

Bond, George:
3/3/1864; 19 yrs.; 5’6 ¾ “; Medium Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Blacksmith; Pottsville; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal: 6/8/1865; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865

Kershner, Jacob:

2/17/1864; 22 yrs.; 5’9”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Laborer; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865

John S. Bell:
9/17/1861; 25 yrs.; 6’0”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Farmer; Drehersville; Enlisted as a Corporal; Not on Muster-Out Roll

Joseph B. Carter:
9/17/1861; 22 yrs.; 5’9”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Overseer; Tamaqua; Enlisted as a Corporal; Wounded: Fredericksburg, 12/13/1862; Died of Wounds

Brobst, John:
9/17/1861; 23 yrs.; 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Farmer; Berks County; Enlisted as a Private; Promoted to Corporal; Wounded: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862; Died of Wounds

John J. Huntzinger:
9/17/1861; 23 yrs.; 5’10”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Carpenter; Auburn; Enlisted as a Corporal; Killed in Action: Spotsylvania, 5/16/1864; Veteran

Francis M. Stidham:
9/17/1861; 21 yrs; 6’0”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Chair Maker; Port Clinton; Enlisted as a Corporal; Wounded in Action; Died of Wounds, 7/10/1864

Peter Zimmerman:
9/17/1861; 24 yrs.; 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Cabinet Maker; Tamaqua; Enlisted as a Corporal; Died: 4/11/1864, Annapolis, MD

Musicians

Sterner, James W.:
Musician; 9/17/1861; 20 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Port Clinton; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

Hinkley, William H.:
Musician: 9/17/1861; 18 yrs; 5’4”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Sandy Hair; Bar Keeper; Tamaqua; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran

McFarland, Jabez:
Musician: 2/22/1864; 19; 5’10”; Light Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Dark Hair; Gunsmith; Born: Gilford, North Carolina; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865

PRIVATES

Adams, John: 3/9/1864; 22 yrs.; 5’3 ½”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Dark Hair; Cigar Maker; Born: Berks County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Wounded in Action; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Airgood, George: 9/17/1861; 27 yrs.; 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Farmer; Landingville; Wounded: Fredericksburg, 12/13/1862; Wounded: Petersburg; Died of Wounds: 8/15/1864
Albright, George: 9/17/1861; 36 yrs.; 5’10”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Yeoman; Tamaqua; Born: Wurtenberg, Germany; Transferred to Company B, 4/22/1864
Ash, James: 2/29/1864; 24 yrs.; 5’5”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Shoemaker; Born: Northumberland County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Discharged on Surgeon’s Certificate: 5/24/1865
Bachman, William: 3/3/1864; 21 yrs.; 5’10”; Fair Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: Germany; Enlisted: Pottsville; Deserted: 3/15/1865
Baker, James: 6/16/1863; 22 yrs.; Transferred to Veteran’s Reserve Corps; Date Unknown
Bankes, Daniel M.: 2/17/1864; Transferred to Company B; 4/22/1864
Becker, James: 2/17/1864; 19 yrs.; 5’9; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Deserted, Returned: 10/15/1864; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Beltz, William: 2/17/1864; 18 yrs.; 5’8”; Light Complexion; Dark Eyes; Light Hair; Yeoman; New Ringgold; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Bensinger, George: 3/13/1865; 43 yrs.; 5’8 ½”; Medium Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Black Hair; Laborer; Pottsville; Absent, Sick at Muster Out
Berger, William A.: 9/17/1861
Betz, George: 8/19/1862; 18 yrs.; Wounded: Antietam, 9/17/1862; Wounded: Petersburg, 6/17/1864; Died of Wounds
Betz, William: 9/17/1861; 18 yrs.; 5’8”; Light Complexion; Dark Eyes; Light Complexion; Yeoman; New Ringgold; Wounded: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862; Discharged on Account of Wounds: 10/31/1862
Booth, William: 2/17/1864; 21 yrs.; 5’5”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Moulder; Born: England; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Boyer, Samuel B.: 9/17/1861; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Briegel, George: 9/17/1861; 23 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Boatman; Auburn; Died in Philadelphia: 1/4/1863
Britton, Elias: 9/17/1861; 25 yrs.; 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Miller: Auburn; Wounded: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862; Absent, Sick at Muster Out; Veteran
Britton, Israel: 9/17/1861; 20 yrs.; 5’5”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Dark Hair; Farmer; Tamaqua; Wounded: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862; Deserted: 3/15/1865; Veteran
Brooks, William R.: 2/19/1864; Transferred to Company B: 4/9/1864
Brown, John: 3/8/1864; Transferred to Company B: 4/9/1864
Carter, Thomas: 3/1/1864; 20 yrs.; 5’11”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Dark Hair; Machinist; Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Cochley, John: 9/17/1861
Cochran, John: 2/1864; Died near Cold Harbor, Virginia: 1864
Cummings, Benjamin F: 9/17/1861; 29 yrs.; 6’0”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Conductor; Tamaqua; Never Joined Company
Dailey, Patrick: 9/17/1861; 35 yrs.; 5’11”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton
Davis, Henry: 9/17/1861; 21 yrs.; 5’4”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Wheelwright; Port Clinton; Missing in Action: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1865; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865; Veteran
Day, James: 9/17/1861; 41 yrs.; 5’10”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Grey Hair; Miller; Schuylkill Haven; Discharged for Disability
Deitrich, Jacob: 9/17/1861; 28 yrs.; 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Port Clinton
Demmorce, William: 6/18/1863; Transferred to Company C: 4/8/1864
Dintinger, Charles: 3/2/1864; 18 yrs.; 5’8 ½”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Teamster; Pottsville; Transferred to Company C: 8/21/1864
Dreibelbeis, Benjamin: 9/17/1861; 18 yrs.; 5’4”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; New Ringgold; Wounded: Antietam, 9/17/1862; Discharged by General Order
Dreibelbeis, Benjamin F.C.: 5/25/1863; 18 yrs.; 5’4 ½”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Farmer; Schuylkill County; Discharged: 6/22/1865
Dreibelbeis, Joseph: 5/25/1863; 17 yrs.; 5’4”; Fair Complexion; Black Eyes; Dark Hair; Farmer; Schuylkill County; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Dreibelbeis, William:
Dreibelbeis, W.H.: 7/7/1863; 19 yrs.; 5’9”; Dark Complexion; Black Eyes; Black Hair; Laborer; Schuylkill County: 7/17/1865
Eckroth, Samuel: 9/17/1861; 21 yrs.; 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; New Ringgold; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Eddinger, William: 9/17/1861; 19 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Sandy Hair; Farmer; New Ringgold; Deserted, Returned; Absent, Sick, at Muster Out
Ely, Frederick: 2/17/1862; 21 yrs.; 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Brakesman; Born: Lehigh County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Ferg, Christian: 3/30/1864; 27 yrs.; 5’4”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Dark Hair; Moulder; Born: Germany; Cressona; Discharged by General Order: 7/13/1865
Gallagher, Edward: 2/17/1864; 20 yrs.; 5’0”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Miner; Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Captured: Died in Andersonville Prison: 8/21/1864
Goodhart, Adam: 9/17/1861; 35 yrs; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Dark Hair; Engineer; Port Clinton; Discharged from Hospital
Goodman, Charles: 9/17/1861; 26 yrs.; 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Discharged: 9/28/1864, Expiration of Term of Service
Greenawald, Abram: 18 yrs.; 5’3”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Griffith, Thomas: 3/3/1864; 21 yrs.; 5’4 ½”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Dark Hair; Blacksmith; Born: England; Enlisted: Pottsville; Transferred to Company B: 4/18/1864
Haas, Jordan C.: 9/17/1861; 19 yrs.; 5’7”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Dark Hair; Saddler; Ashland; Discharged from Hospital; Reenlisted; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Haker, John: 3/2/1864; 22 yrs.; 5’3 ½”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Miner; Pottsville; Transferred to Company B: 4/18/1864
Haldeman, Franklin: 3/3/1864; 18 yrs.; 5’4 ¼”; Light Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Bar Tender; Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Haus, Philander: 2/17/1864; 22 yrs.; 5’6”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Miner; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Heck, John: 9/17/1861; 34 yrs.; 5’5”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Yeoman; Ashland; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Hein, William Jacob: 9/17/1861; Transferred to Company C: 4/22/1864; Veteran
Heiser, William F.: 1862; 16 yrs.; 5’6”; Light Complexion; Brown Eyes; Black Hair; Farmer; Schuylkill County; Wounded: Fredericksburg, 12/13/1862; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Hendricks, George: 1/16/1864; 38 yrs.; 5’5”; Fair Complexion; Grey Eyes; Sandy Hair; Brakesman; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Discharged by General Order: 7/13/1865
Hessinger, Lewis: 9/17/1861; 18 yrs.; 5’7”; Light Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; New Ringgold; Killed in Action: Petersburg: 6/22/1864; Veteran
Hile, Hiram: 2/13/1864; 19 yrs.; 5’9”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Dark Hair; Laborer; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Hillegas, Charles: 3/1/1864; 22 yrs.; 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Dark Hair; Cabinet Maker; Pottsville; Discharged on Account of Wounds Received in Action: 6/27/1865
Hine, Willoughby: 2/17/1864; 21 yrs.; 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Farmer; Born: Berks County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Hoffman, Silas: 2/29/1864; 40 yrs.; 5’5 ¾”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: Berks County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Holman, John: 3/1/1864; 21 yrs.; 5’10 ¼”; Fair Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: England; Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Honsberger, M.T.: 3/16/1862; 18 yrs.; 5’4”; Light Complexion; Brown Eyes; Light Hair; Laborer; Schuylkill Haven; Discharged: 3/16/1865, Expiration of Term of Service
Houser, David: 4/7/1864; 24 yrs.; 5’4”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Black Hair; Laborer; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Died at City Point, Virginia: 7/4/1864
Hummel, John: 9/17/1861
Jones, Charles: 12/4/1862; 44 yrs.; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Jones, William K.: 9/17/1861
Kaufman, William: 2/19/1864; 19 yrs.; 5’10 ¼”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Farmer; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Keller, Benjamin: 9/17/1861; 21 yrs.; 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Blacksmith; Ashland; Discharged: 9/17/1864, Expiration of Term of Service
Kerst, Henry: 8/24/1862; 21 yrs.; Discharged by General Order: 6/7/1865
Kerst, Willis L.: 9/17/1861; 18 yrs.; 5’4”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Kleckner, James: 2/17/1864; 18 yrs.; 5’5”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Carpenter; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Kline, Benjamin: 1/30/1865; 23 yrs.; 5’7”; Light Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Boiler Maker; Berks County; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Knapp, William: 10/29/1862; 43 yrs.; Port Clinton; Absent, Sick at Muster-Out
Koch, Daniel H.: 2/17/1864; 19 yrs.; 5’7”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Port Clinton; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Koch, William H.: 9/17/1861; 21 yrs; 5’9”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Painter; New Ringgold; Discharged: 9/17/1864, Expiration of Term of Service
Koenig, Franklin: 9/17/1861; 19 yrs.; 5’6”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Yeoman; Port Clinton; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Kramer, Jacob Coleman: 9/17/1861; 28 yrs.; 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Horse Jockey; Tamaqua; Deserted, Returned 12/6/1864; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Kuret, Newry: 9/17/1861; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Lee, Richard: 10/17/1863; 38 yrs.; 5’7”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Teamster; Born: England; Pottsville; Died in Pottsville: 8/21/1864
Leiser, Daniel: 9/17/1861; 19 yrs.; 5’9”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Yeoman; New Ringgold
Leiser, John H.: 9/17/1861; 20 yrs.; 5’5”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Yellow Hair; Yeoman; New Ringgold; Killed in Action: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862
Lins, Elias: 1/12/1864; 18 yrs.; 5’3 5/8”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Black Hair; Boatman; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Lins, Franklin: 2/6/1865; 25 yrs.; 5’4”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Lins, Joel: 1/16/1864; 20 yrs.; 5’4 ½”; Fair Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: Bucks County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Absent, Sick at Muster-Out
Lins, Nathan: 2/6/1865; 22 yrs.; 5’3”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Dark Hair; Laborer; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Liser, Daniel: 2/17/1864; Wounded: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862; Transferred to Company C: 8/21/1864
Liser, Morgan: 2/17/1864; 25 yrs.; 5’10”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Brakesman; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Livingston, George: 9/17/1861; 25 yrs.; 6’2”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Captured; Died in Libby Prison, 2/14/1864
Loye, Lewis: 2/22/1864; 19 yrs.; 5’8”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: Berks County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
McGuire, Bernhard: 9/17/1861; 21 yrs.; 5’5 ½”; Sandy Complexion; Grey Eyes; Black Hair; Boatman; Pottsville; Not On Muster-Out Roll
McLain, John: 9/17/1861; 18 yrs.; 5’5”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
McLain, Robert: 9/17/1861; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Mallard, Marcus: 2/1864; Deserted, Date Unknown
Marshall, Joel: 9/17/1861; 22 yrs.; 5’6”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Farmer; New Ringgold; Wounded: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Martin, Joseph: 9/17/1861; 34 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Dark Hair; Boatman; Berks County; Enlisted: Port Clinton; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Martin, William: Waggoner: 9/17/1861; 42 yrs.; 5’4”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Car Builder; Clinton County; Enlisted: Port Clinton; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Meck, David: 3/30/1864; 23 yrs.; 5’2 ½”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: Berks County; West Brunswick Township; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Meck, William: 9/17/1861; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Meck, William H.: 8/11/1862; 19 yrs.; Discharged by General Order: 6/7/1865
Medlar, John C.: 2/17/1864; 22 yrs.; 5’8”; Fair Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Farmer; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Miller, George: 9/17/1861; 25 yrs.; 5’7”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Carpenter; Drehersville; Discharged, Date Unknown; Reenlisted: 2/4/1864; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Miller, William: 9/17/1861; 19 yrs.; 5’4”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Yeoman; Port Clinton; Died at Hatteras Island, North Carolina: 11/21/1861
Morganroth, Levi: 9/17/1861; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Morton, Monroe: 3/29/1864; 24 yrs.; 5’5 ½”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Butcher; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Moyer, Benjamin: 9/17/1861; 35; 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Berks County; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Moyer, Jacob M.: 2/22/1864; 32 yrs.; 5’6”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Moyer, Jacob W.: 2/17/1864; 21 yrs.; 5’6”; Fair Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Brick Layer; Born: New York; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Mumma, Isaac: 3/6/1865; 39 yrs.; 5’10”; Medium Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Black Hair; Laborer; Born: Cumberland County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Neeley, Andrew: 9/17/1861; 18 yrs.; 5’4”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Transferred to Company C: 4/8/1864; Veteran
Neeley, William: 9/17/1861; 38 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Light Hair; Yeoman; Port Clinton; Wounded:2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862; Transferred to Company C: 4/8/1864; Veteran
Otto, Isaac: 9/17/1861; 20 yrs.; 5’9”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Killed in Action: Spotsylvania, 5/12/1864
Peter, John: 9/12/1864; 40 yrs.; 5’9”; Light Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Dark Hair; Shoemaker; Born: Germany; Discharged by General Order: 6/7/1865
Pugh, John: 9/17/1861; 26 yrs.; 5’4 ½”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Dark Hair; Moulder; Pottsville; Wounded: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862; Discharged on Account of Wounds
Ramer, George: 9/17/1861; 31 yrs.; 6’2”; Fair Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Carpenter; Ashland; Died in Georgetown, D.C.: 9/6/1862, Most Likely Due to Wounds Received at 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862
Reese, Lewis M.: 9/17/1861; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Reichelderfer, Jonathan: 3/2/1864; 18 yrs.; 5’0 ½”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes, Brown Hair; Laborer; Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Richard, Philip: 1/5/1864; 18 yrs.; 5’2 7/8”; Fair Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Printer; Born: England; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Rinker, Charles: 1/30/1865; 19 yrs.; 5’4”; Medium Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Dark Hair; Laborer; Schuylkill County; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Robinhold, Lewis M.: 2/17/1864; 30 yrs.; 6’3”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Dark Hair; Blacksmith; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Killed in Action: Spotsylvania, 5/12/1864
Ruff, John: 9/17/1861; 39 yrs.; 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Tamaqua; Died in Washington, D.C.: 12/13/1862
St. Clair, C.A.T.: 2/27/1864; 19 yrs.; 4’11”; Fair Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Laborer; Schuylkill County; Killed in Action: Spotsylvania, 5/12/1864
Schaeffer, John: 2/17/1864; 21 yrs.; 5’5”; Fair Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Laborer; Bucks County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Discharged on Surgeon’s Certificate: 5/19/1865; Veteran
Schreyer, Henry: 9/17/1861; 24 yrs.; 5’7”; Light Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Discharged on Surgeon’s Certificate: 3/27/1865: Veteran
Seltzer, Francis: 3/2/1865; 35; 5’3”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Bartender; Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Shaffer, John W.: 3/9/1864; 39 yrs.; 5’6 ½”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Carpenter; Born: Lancaster; Enlisted: Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Shantz, William: 3/9/1865; 17 yrs.; 5’1 ¾”; Medium Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Boatman; Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Shenk, John: 9/17/1861; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Shickram, Augustus: 9/17/1861; 36 yrs.; 5’5”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Carpenter; Port Clinton; Discharged: 8/29/1864, Expiration of Term of Service
Shollenberger, Samuel: 2/18/1864; 18 yrs.; 5’0”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Carpenter; Berks County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Captured: Died in Salisbury Prison, 1/16/1865
Sigfried, Jacob: 3/2/1864; 26 yrs.; 5’5 ¾”; Fair Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Horse Dealer; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Norristown, Pennsylvania; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Sigfried, Jonas: 2/17/1864; 28 yrs.; 5’11”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Black Hair; Blacksmith; Born: New York City; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Simon, Frank W.: 9/17/1861; 21 yrs.; 5’3”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Sandy Hair, Slater; Port Clinton; Absent, Sick at Muster Out
Simon, Morgan: 9/17/1861; 18 yrs.; 5’5”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Wounded: 2nd Bull Run, 8/29/1862; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Simon, Nelson: 9/17/1861; 22 yrs.; 5’9”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Port Clinton; Died in Minersville: 7/5/1864
Simpson, Henry: 9/17/1861; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Sittler, Nathan: 2/17/1864; 37 yrs.; 5’11”; Dark Complexion; Black Eyes; Dark Hair; Laborer; Born: Berks County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Smith, Lewis: 2/10/1864; 18 yrs.; 5’4”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Laborer; Born: Berks County; Enlisted: Reading; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Smith, Thomas P.: 9/17/1861; 45 yrs.; 5’7; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Grey Hair; Berks County; Enlisted: Port Clinton; Discharged on Surgeon’s Certificate: 2/13/1865: Veteran
Snyberger, Nicholas: 2/22/1864; 19 yrs.; 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: Berks County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Snyder, Henry: 9/17/1861; 23 yrs.; 5’11”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Black Hair; Carpenter; Berks County; Enlisted: Port Clinton; Discharged: 2/9/1862
Snyder, Simon: 9/17/1861; 20 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Berks County; Died: 6/16/1864 of Wounds Received in Action
Spreese, John V.: 9/17/1861; 25 yrs.; 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Shoemaker; West Penn Township; Died: 1/21/1862 at Hatteras Island, North Carolina
Springer, Jesse: 9/17/1861; 20 yrs.; 5’9”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Hecla; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865: Veteran
Springer, John: 9/17/1861; 24; 5’9”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Hecla; Died: 10/9/1862 of Wounds Received in Action
Stahlnecker, John: 9/17/1861; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Stahlnecker, Obediah:
Steel, David: 9/17/1861; 45 yrs.; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Yeoman; Port Clinton; Discharged at New Bern, North Carolina: 6/28/1862
Sterner, Lewis: 5/9/1864; 21 yrs.; 5’7 ½”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Died 4/11/1865 in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania
Wagner, Frederick: 2/17/1864; 37 yrs.; 5’10 ½”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Black Hair; Miller; Born: Berks County; Enlisted: Philadelphia; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Weibels, John: 9/17/1861; 30 yrs.; 5’5”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Light Hair; Shoemaker; Port Clinton; Discharged on Surgeon’s Certificate: 2/3/1865; Veteran
Weikel, Henry: 3/9/1865; 17 yrs.; 5’3 ½”; Light Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Light Hair; Laborer; Born: Reading; Enlisted: Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Weiser, Samuel: 9/17/1861; Not On Muster-Out Roll
Wentzell, Franklin: 9/17/1861; 23 yrs.; 5’1”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Boatman; Schuylkill County; Died 8/12/1862: Drowned in Potomac River
West, Bernard: 9/17/1861; 40 yrs.; 5’4”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Carpenter; Tamaqua; Died 5/12/1862 in New Bern, North Carolina
Whetstone, Simon: 3/3/1864; 19 yrs.; 5’10”; Fair Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Born: Carbon County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Mustered Out: 7/17/1865
Whitaker, John: 9/17/1861; 18 yrs.; 5’2”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Transferred to Company C: 4/8/1864; Veteran
Williams, James: 9/17/1861; 20 yrs.; 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Light Hair; Boatman; Port Clinton; Berks County; Killed in Action: Fredericksburg, 12/13/1862
Williams, Oliver: 9/17/1861; 21 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Light Hair; Teamster; Ashland; Mustered Out: 9/19/1864: Expiration of Term of Service
Youser, John F.: 9/17/1861; 27 yrs.; 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Never Joined Company
Yunker, John: 3/2/1864; 36 yrs.; 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Engineer; Born: Germany; Enlisted: Pottsville; Transferred to Company B: 4/9/1864
Zeigler, James W.: 9/17/1861; 37 yrs.; 5’7”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Yellow Hair; Yeoman; Berks County; Discharged: 6/28/1862 at New Bern, North Carolina
Zeigler, Joseph: 2/19/1864; 22 yrs.; 5’4”; Light Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Brown Hair; Laborer; Schuylkill County; Enlisted: Pottsville; Transferred to Company D: 4/11/1864

First in Defense of the Union. . ."The First Defenders"

I could have titled this post "Shameless Plug," but with April 18 just a few days away, I felt it proper to update my blog with the following. . .

This Wednesday, April 18, marks the 146th Anniversary of the First Defenders' arrival in Washington. The First Defenders were the first northern volunteer troops to arrive in the nation's capital following the firing on Fort Sumter and the start of the American Civil War. Five companies of Pennsylvania soldiers--the Washington Artillerists, the National Light Infantry, the Logan Guards, the Allen Infantry, and the Ringgold Light Artillery--consisting of some 500 troops marched into Washington on the night of April 18, 1861, and were there met by a thankful President Lincoln and members of his cabinet. Just a few days earlier, Lincoln issued his first call-to-arms, and these Pennsylvanians were the first to respond.

In 2004, my book First in Defense of the Union: The Civil War History of the First Defenders was published. It is a small book, and was intended for a regional audience, namely the home communities of these five companies. Now, three years later, I believe that close to 350 copies have been sold. . .not great, but not bad either.

I wrote the following article in 2004 to correspond with the release of my book. I hope you enjoy.

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Throughout the American Civil War, an estimated 2,100,000 men served for a time in Union blue, and while the service and sacrifice of most of these men have been properly recognized in the vast annals of Civil War historiography, there still remain many soldiers who history seemingly forgot. Interestingly and perhaps most notably is the forgotten history of the very first northern volunteers to arrive in Washington after President Lincoln’s April 15, 1861, call-to-arms. Three days after the president’s call, some 475 Pennsylvanians, comprising the ranks of five volunteer militia companies, arrived in the nation’s capital, and as historian Samuel Bates later romanticized, at “the head of the grand column of the two million men, who afterwards . . . marched in their footprints.”[i] Yet, despite their distinguished place in American history, very little is known about these men. It is my hope that with this article, and with my recently published book entitled First in Defense of the Union: The Civil War History of the First Defenders, I am able to bring the story of these soldiers to the attention of scholar and enthusiast alike and thus help correct a void in historiography.
Following the bombardment and subsequent capitulation of Fort Sumter on April 14, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln, after only one month in office, found himself faced with the greatest crisis to ever confront the young American nation. Recognizing the southern rebellion can now be reconciled only with force, Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 volunteers to serve for a period of three months. Throughout northern communities, eager men of all ages and from all socio-economic and occupational backgrounds flooded recruiting offices to answer the call. Within a few days, and in many instances, within a matter of hours, thousands of volunteers departed home and family to begin their journey as soldiers. Three days after Lincoln’s call, the first volunteer troops arrived in Washington.
The first troops to reach the nation’s capital were 475 men from eastern and central Pennsylvania, organized into five militia companies whose origins predated the outbreak of sectional hostilities. The oldest of the five companies was the National Light Infantry from Pottsville, which was organized thirty years before the Civil War in the summer of 1831. Organized in 1842, the Washington Artillery, also of Pottsville, was the only company of the five with any wartime experience, as this unit served as Company B, 1st Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Mexican-American War. The Ringgold Light Artillery of Reading was formed in 1850, while the Logan Guards of Lewistown came into being eight years later. The youngest of the five companies was the Allen Infantry of Allentown, which was organized just two years before the outbreak of civil war.
The organization of these five companies was regularly maintained during the antebellum years and the volunteers who served in the ranks were drilled much more frequently than most Pennsylvania militiamen in the years leading to the war. This put them in an anomalous position within the state militia system, and their readiness to serve in the case of emergency caught the attention of state officials. When the call for volunteers went out in April, 1861, it was perhaps no surprise to Governor Andrew Curtin that these five companies were among the first to offer their services, which occurred almost immediately upon receiving word of Lincoln’s request. Of course, their offers were accepted by both state and federal officials without delay.
Crowds by the thousands gathered to witness the departure of these companies from their hometowns. While surviving letters and diaries from these men overwhelmingly cite patriotic love of country as the primary reason behind their enlistment, they also suggest that these men envisioned none of what war was really about. James Schaadt of the Allen Infantry, for example, wrote that when leaving Allentown, most men “regarded the journey as a pleasant change from daily occupations, a picnic and agreeable visit to the Capital.”[ii] They quickly discovered, however, that war was no picnic.
On the evening of April 17, 1861, all five companies arrived in Harrisburg, where, on the following morning, they were mustered into Federal service. Almost as soon as they were mustered, the men of the five companies boarded train cars and set off for the nation’s beleaguered capital via Baltimore. Traveling along with the volunteers was a detachment of regular army troops who were ordered to report to Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. Commanding this detachment was a man who in less than a week resigned his commission in the United States Army to take up arms with the Confederacy, and who, in July 1863, surrendered the city of Vicksburg to General U.S. Grant: John C. Pemberton.
With but a few exceptions, the volunteer militiamen made this journey unarmed as they were ordered to leave behind their weapons in their respective armories, and promised modern guns upon their arrival in Washington. Because no continuous rail line linked Harrisburg to Washington, it was necessary for the men to detrain in Baltimore, march two miles through the city to Camden Station, and board the railcars of another line. Unknown to most of the Pennsylvanians, however, the people of Baltimore were largely sympathetic to the Confederacy, and when word arrived that northern volunteer troops were on their way, a mob began forming around the depot, determined to prevent these men from marching through their city.
Around 1p.m. on the afternoon of April 18, the train cars carrying the volunteers came to a halt in Baltimore. The crowd, which numbered around 2,500—five times the size of the unarmed Pennsylvanians—greeted the arriving soldiers with insults and threats. Cries of “Three Cheers for Jeff Davis,” and “Damn the Northern Abolitionists” were raised, and it became very clear to the Pennsylvanians that their time in service would be no pleasant change from daily occupations. The Baltimore City Police were soon called to provide safe passage for the troops through the city, but with each step the mob grew more vehement and more violent. Some rushed toward the unarmed Pennsylvanians, landing a few well-thrown punches, while others spit on Lincoln’s eager volunteers. When the five companies reached Camden Station, events took a turn for the worse. Here, many in the mob threw bricks, stones, and pieces of lumber, while others, yielding clubs, ran towards the Pennsylvanians. Many of the projectiles hit their mark. Some members of the Allen Infantry suffered broken bones, and a few others were knocked unconscious. Perhaps the most notable casualty that day, however, was Nick Biddle, the elderly African-American servant to Captain James Wren of the Washington Artillery, who was struck in the head with a brick-bat. Biddle survived the gruesome wound, and went down in much popular thought as the Civil War’s very first casualty.
Ultimately, the members of the five companies boarded the train cars and nursed their wounded comrades. Around 7:00 p.m. on the evening of April 18, the volunteers finally arrived in Washington, where they were assigned quarters in the halls and chambers of the United States Capitol Building. Early the next day, a very much gratified and relieved President Lincoln met and shook hands with all 475 men and thanked them for their service and prompt arrival.
The First Defenders—as these companies would later be termed—spent the majority of their three-month term of service in guard and garrison duty in and around the nation’s capital. The majority of these men would, however, reenlist in the summer of 1861 into three-year units, such as the 48th and 49th Pennsylvania Infantry, and the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry. During their terms of service with these three-year organizations, many First Defenders became officers. Indeed, more than half of the soldiers who comprised the ranks of the Logan Guards alone became commissioned officers throughout the war, including no less than four brigadier generals. Sadly, there were also many First Defenders who would give their lives for their country.
Years after the cessation of hostilities, Heber Thompson wrote that “Hardly a single great battle was fought in the four years of the war—from Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Five Forks to Appomattox in the East, and from Shiloh to Stone’s River, Mufreesboro, Chickamauga, Resaca and Atlanta in the Middle West—in which the First Defenders were not represented. Their individual war records would fill volumes of history.”[iii] Although these soldiers witnessed much more of the brutalities and hardships of war than during their three-month term of service as members of the First Defender units, they would always carry the torch of their achievement and take great pride in being the very first volunteer troops to arrive in Washington after President Lincoln’s April 1861 call-to-arms.

[i] Samuel Penniman Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865. Vol. I (Harrisburg: B. Singerly, State Publisher, 1869):8.
[ii] Heber Thompson, The First Defenders, (n.p. 1910): 123.
[iii] Ibid., 95. oy.

Roster: Regimental Band

When I first began this blog on the 48th Pennsylvania, I promised I would provide the full muster and descriptive rolls for the regiment. Now here we are nearly six months later, and I have not yet posted a single roster! So today I will start, and I will start with the 48th Pennsylvania's Regimental Band, which was in existence for a little less than one year.

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At the outset of the Civil War, it was quite common for each regiment to be complemented by a regimental band, usually consisting of 12-16 musicians. The band of the 48th Pennsylvania ultimately consisted of 24 members. Mustered into service in late August 1861, it would entertain the regiment with its martial airs until August 18, 1862, when, by General Order of the War Department, regimental bands were done away with. Returning home to Pottsville, some members of the 48th's band reenlisted into any one of the ten companies, becoming a drummer, fifer, et cetera.

William Hinkley, Abraham Nagle, and James Sterner were listed as the band's "Principal Musicians," while John W. Souders was listed as the "Band Leader."

Joseph Gould, in his regimental history of the 48th, wrote that when the band was discharged, "We were all very sorry to part company with our excellent band and missed it sadly." Oliver Bosbyshell, in his history of the regiment, asked an important question about the discharge of the band. "The instruments," wrote the former major, "were the property of the regiment, having been purchased through contributions made by the various companies, during its occupancy of Hatteras; so, now, what to do with these instruments became a question. It was finally agreed to permit the band to take them home, and there to place the in the hands of three trustees, Messrs. Frank Pott, F.B. Kaercher and Joseph Derr, all of Pottsville, who were respectfully desired to have a care to the regiment's interest in them." However, Bosbyshell concluded, "These gentlemen are all dead, and of the most difficult questions to be answered is, Where are these instruments now?"

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Muster Roll and Descriptive Record:

The 48th Pennsylvania's Regimental Band

Aikman, James: 8/24/1861; Musician; 28 years old; Height: 5’10”; Dark Complexion; Light Blue Eyes; Dark Hair; Machinist; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Aikman, John: 8/24/1861; Musician; 19 years old; Height: 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Auburn Hair; Machinist; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Birt, William: 8/24/1861; Musician; 32 years old; Height: 5’3”; Light Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Auburn Hair; Tailor; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Bowen, Albert: 8/24/1861; Musician; 20 year old; Height: 5’3”; Dark Complexion, Gray Eyes; Dark Hair; Clerk; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Brown, Frederick J: 8/24/1861; Musician; 24 years old; Height: 5’4”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Druggist; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Cruikshank, John: 8/24/1861; Musician; 21 years old; Height: 5’7”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Machinist; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Feger, William J.: 8/24/1861; Musician; 23 years old; Height: 5’7”; Light Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Black Hair; Linsmith; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Garrett, James W.: 8/24/18681; Musician; 18 years old; Height: 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Printer; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

George, John: 8/24/1861: Musician; 20 years old; Height: 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Miner; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Glenn, Charles A.: 8/24/1861; Musician; 19 years old; Height: 5’9”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Auburn Hair; Printer; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Gore, William A.: 8/24/1861; Musician; 21 years old; Height: 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Blue Eyes; Light Hair; Printer; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Haas, Edward L.: 8/24/1861; Musician; 23 years old; Height: 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Brown Hair; Carpenter; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/24/1862

Hays, John F.: 8/24/1861; Musician; 26 years old; Height: 5’9”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Machinist; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/24/1862

Hinkley, W.H.: 9/17/1861; Principal Musician; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Hinning, Charles: 8/24/1861; Musician; 26 years old; Height: 5’6”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Miner; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Hodgson, William H.: 8/24/1861; Musician; 19 years old; Height: 5’6”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Printer; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Kopp, Daniel: 8/24/1861; Musician; 45 years old; Height: 5’8”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Dark Hair; Miner; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Lee, George W.: 8/24/1861; Musician; 19 years old; Height: 5’5”; Light Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Miner; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

McDaniel, C.T.: 8/24/1861; Musician; 20 years old; Height: 5’4”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Light Hair; Boatman; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

MacArthur, Nicholas: 8/24/1861; Musician; 42 years old; Height: 5’10”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Brown Hair; Miner; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/24/1862

Maize, William A.: 8/24/1861; Musician; 21 years old; Height: 5’6”; Light Complexion; Blue Eyes; Auburn Hair; Clerk; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Nagle, Abraham: 10/1/1861; Principal Musician; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Abraham Nagle

Levi Nagle (Post-War)

Nagle, Levi: 8/24/1861; Musician; 26 years old; Height: 5’8”; Dark Complexion; Grey Eyes; Dark Hair; Printer; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Severn, Thomas: 8/24/1861; Musician; 19 years old; Height: 5’6”; Light Complexion; Dark Eyes; Dark Hair; Printer; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Slingluff, Charles: 8/24/1861; Musician; 20 years old; Height: 5’5”; Dark Complexion; Hazel Eyes; Black Hair; Printer; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Souders, John W.: 8/24/1861; Lead Band; 31 years old; Height: 5’6”; Light Complexion; Light Blue Eyes; Brown Hair; Clerk; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Sterner, James: 10/1/1861; Principal Musician; Pottsville; Discharged from Band: 8/18/1862

Antietam. . .A Tactical Draw?

It's a question I get asked a lot at Antietam. "So, no one really won this battle?" It's no surprise that this question is asked frequently. After all, it is the common interpretation of the battle: Somehow, with an army half that as his opponent, General Lee was able to fight McClellan to a bloody stalemate...a Tactical Standstill. Even our 26-minute movie, Lincoln's Antietam Visit, makes it clear that the battle was a tactical stalemate, but a strategic Union victory. This view is backed up the majority of the time with the claim that Lee held his position throughout September 18, 1862, the day following the battle.

Well, let's take a look at the basics of the campaign: Lee launches an invasion onto U.S. soil. His invasion is checked and ultimately turned back at Antietam, where he loses 1/4, or 25% of his troops. After holding his line the following day, Lee reluctantly recrosses the Potomac and heads south, back into Virginia. His campaign, his invasion, lasted just two weeks and his objectives for the campaign were simply not met. President Lincoln is glad to hear of the victory but is frustrated by the fact that his commander, George McClellan, did not pursue Lee, allowing the Army of Northern Virginia to get safely back to Virginia.

This was September 1862. Let's fast forward to June and July 1863: Lee launches an invasion onto U.S. soil. His invasion is checked and ultimately turned back at Gettysburg, where he loses 1/4, or 25% of his troops. After holding his line the day following the battle, Lee reluctantly leads his army south, recrosses the Potomac back into Virginia. His invasion this time lasted six weeks, but again his objectives for the campaign were not met. President Lincoln is glad to hear of the victory, but is frustrated by the fact that his commander, this time George Meade, did not pursue Lee, allowing the Army of Northern Virginia to get safely back to Virginia.

That Gettysburg was a resounding Union victory is seldom denied. But to state that Antietam was a resounding Union victory raises many an eyebrow.

It's a funny thing. . .how the American Civil War is remembered.

It is my job to remain objective when viewing the events of the past, and, believe me, although I am employed as a Ranger at the Antietam battlefield, I am not biased one way or the other when I say that Antietam was a far, far more significant victory to the U.S. war effort than was Gettysburg. The social, political, and diplomatic consequences of the battle of Antietam, all neatly tied together with President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, profoundly changed the nature of the Civil War and averted foreign intervention. It was not at Gettysburg where the United States of America received its "new birth of freedom." It was, instead, at Antietam.

Return to Petersburg

The 48th Pennsylvania Monument

Petersburg, Virginia

1907

On June 20, 1907, several dozen surviving veterans of the 48th Pennsylvania gathered at Petersburg, Virginia, to attend the dedication and unveiling of the regimental monument, erected "to the memory of Colonel George W. Gowen, and other members of the regiment who were killed in battle during the Civil War." The monument was located on the Davis Farm, along the Jerusalem Plank Road, and near the spot where Fort Mahone once stood. It was here some 42 years earlier that the regiment participated in its final battle of the war. On April 2, 1865, the 48th Pennsylvania charged and ultimately carried Fort Mahone but at a heavy cost. Eleven members of the regiment were killed, including Colonel George W. Gowen, and another 55 fell wounded. The location of the regiment's monument at Petersburg marked the spot where Gowen fell.

The veterans of the 48th who attended the dedication of the monument in 1907 were welcomed by General Stith Bolling, and the members of the A.P. Hill Camp, Confederate Veterans. The governors of both Pennsylvania and Virginia were also present, as were some 1,200 others who gathered to witness the event.

* * * * * * * * * *

Efforts to erect a monument at Petersburg began in 1905, two years before the dedication. A committee was selected from the members of the 48th Pennsylvania Veterans Association, and fundraising efforts began in earnest. The people of Pottsville donated generously, as did school children from throughout Schuylkill County. The veterans association even invited Captain John Featherston, of Lynchburg, Virginia, to deliver an address in Pottsville "for the benefit of the monument fund." Featherston, who commanded a brigade of Alabamians in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia at the battle of the Crater, traveled to Pottsville, and his lecture went far in helping the association reach its goal. The monument, which measured 20'8" in height, is made of granite and is topped by a bronze representation of Colonel George Gowen at parade rest. The final cost of the monument was $5,000.

After the money was raised and the monument was ready to be unveiled, the Veterans Association sent out invitations to the regiment's veterans:

Invitation to Attend the Unveiling of the 48th PA Monument at Petersburg

Those who could make the journey were provided with train tickets. Transportation costs for the dedication were covered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:

Passenger Train Tickets Provided to Members of the 48th to Attend the Monument Unveiling

Those who wished to attend and participate in the event were also provided with an itinerary of the days' activities, letting them know where they were supposed to be, and when. Also, as is noted in the following letter, "As Petersburg is a city of about 30,000 inhabitants, there will be no difficulty to secure hotel accomodations at reasonable rates." I suppose Pennsylvania thought paying for the cost of transportation was enough.

Itinerary

Finally, programs for the unveiling were distributed. . .

Program, Listing the Order of Events at the Unveiling

* * * * * * * * * *

Dedication day was Thursday, June 20, 1907. After parading through the streets of Petersburg, the veterans of the 48th gathered near the monument. Here they were welcomed by General Bolling, head of the A.P. Hill Camp, Confederate Veterans. Bolling was a veteran of Lee's army and as he began his address, he said that when he was surrendered at Appomattox "my wildest dreams could not have conceived the idea, that forty-two years after I had sheathed my sabre forever that I should here upon this spot welcome with heartfelt sincerity the faithful soldiers of the 48th Regiment from the Keystone State, who come here to honor a gallant soldier, who fell upon this field."

Following Bolling's welcome, Pennsylvania's Adjutant General, Thomas J. Stewart, who himself served in the 6th Corps during the Civil War, delivered the response. Stewart thanked Bolling for the cordial welcome and expressed his gratitude to the people of Petersburg, and of Virginia. He also hinted about what must have been on everyone's mind. . .Let's face it: If there was one Union regiment that might not be very kindly welcomed in Petersburg, it was the 48th Pennsylvania. It was they, of course, who, 43 years earlier, tunneled under the Confederate defenses and triggered the mine explosion. "Many of us have been here before," spoke Stewart, "under very different circumstances. These survivors of the 48th Regiment tried to get into Petersburg forty-three years ago; they knew they were forcing themselves upon you, and they did not expect any such welcome as they received to-day. . . .[But] Today we journey here in peace, to raise a memorial and a tribute to the days and men of war: days rich in heroic achievement, days of unsurpassed bravery, out of whose mighty tumult and carnage there was wrought and shaped the undying fame and glory of the American volunteer soldier, both in blue and in gray."

After Stewart finished, Major Frank Leib, Chairman of the 48th's Veteran Association, formally turned over the monument to the State of Virginia. Then came the unveiling. The actual unveiling was performed by Ms. Bessie B. Reid, daughter of Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Robert A. Reid, who served in Company F, and Mrs. Otelia Mahone McGill, daughter of Confederate General William Mahone, whose troops opposed the 48th Pennsylvania for much of the Petersburg Campaign.

Governors Edwin Stuart (Pennsylvania) and Claude Swanson (Virginia) with their staffs at the Dedication and Unveiling of the 48th Pennsylvania Monument at Petersburg.

Ms. Bessie Reid (left) and Mrs. Otelia Mahone McGill (right) performed the unveling.

Veterans of the 48th Pennsylvania at the Dedication

More speeches followed the unveiling. Governor Edwin Stuart of Pennsylvania delivered a few appropriate words, as did Governor Claude Swanson of Virginia. Interestingly, Swanson made it a point to declare that the monument will be well taken of, promising the members of the 48th that their memorial will not be vandalized, since it was "not only a monument to your Regiment, but to Virginia and the nation." "If there is anything a Virginian worships, if there is anything a Virginian loves, it is heroism, valor, and courage, and a man ever willing to give all for his convictions and beliefs," Swanson told the gathered crowd.

The dedication concluded with a lengthy oration delivered by S.A. Thurlow. Following Thurlow's speech, the crowd dispersed and the state dignitaries began to make their way back home. For the veterans of the 48th, however, there was one more activity on their itinerary. For most, this was the first time they had traveled back to Petersburg since the war ended forty-two years earlier, and they made it a point to visit the site of the Crater and to place a small monument at the entrance to the mine. Another, though much smaller and less elaborate, ceremony took place here. Sergeant William J. Wells delivered the ceremonial address:

"Time, that healer of all dissensions among men has, during the forty-three years which have intervened since we last stood here, face to face, thrown the mantle of charity and partial forgetfulness over these stirring events; and the bitterness of those days in which brother fought against brother, and father against son, has happily passed away, we hope and believe, never to return, while a new generation, with new ideas, new aspirations, new ideals, has come upon the scene of our activity, and we who fought here are enabled without the loss of manly dignity, to grasp each other's hand in national pride, and to recall the events of 1861-1865, in which we took so conspicuous a part, only to laud each the deeds of the other. Thus we assemble upon this historic spot to unveil to the gaze of generations, as yet unborn, a monolith to mark the spot which might, and perhaps should, have been the crucial event in the campaign before Petersburg, and which, preadventure, might have been the intial movement looking to the rapid close of that terrible strife for which we all longed; but fate, however, decided otherwise; and the contest was continued. This, I believe is now the generally accepted opinion of the leaders on both sides."

Wells then provided a brief history of the 48th's part in the initial attacks on Petersburg, and of the regiment's mining operation. He concluded with this thought:

"In the unveiling of this marker and that at the entrance to the mine, we do it not as an act of glorification, nor as a reminder to the good people of Petersburg, or of Virginia, or of the sunny Southland, that we once sought to subdue them; but that the descendants of the brave men of the South and of the North may ever remember the struggle which took place here on the thirtieth day of July, 1864, in which those who fought for the possession of this hill-crest, and those who succesfully held it, were men of the same blood, of the same nation, and equally brave. May these markers and that monument to-day unveiled on the Jerusalem plank road, near Fort Mahone, by the survivors of the 48th Pennsylvania Regiment, ever remind our people that, forgetting the past, we are to-day one people, with one flag, and having a common destiny."

Survivors of the 48th gather near the entrance to the Mine at Petersburg


* * * * * * * * * *

The 48th Pennsylvania Monument: Petersburg, Virginia

2007

A bronze statue of Colonel George W. Gowen stands atop the monument

Gowen, who was killed on April 2, 1865, looks north. . .toward the location where Fort Mahone once stood.

The Monument today is completely surrounded by commercial development. Don't blink, or you might miss the monument while traveling through Petersburg. . .

Power Lines and Traffic Signals

Now Gowen faces north. . .towards a tire business and a strip mall

On the north side of the pedastal is this bronze tablet. Daniel Nagle spoke of the efforts to raise the money for the monument: "And. . .in behalf of our Association, the public school children, the public press, the patriotic citizens, our comrades of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, and our friend, Captain John Featherston. . .who by his excellent lecture on the Crater, delivered in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the headquarters of the regiment, very materially increased the funds, thus enabling us, before we too joined the silent army, to pay tribute to our dead, by placing on this historic and hallowed ground of old Virginia, this monument."

A bronze depiction of Colonel Henry Pleasants, mastermind of the Petersburg Mine, is located on the eastern side of the monument.

A bronze table depicting soldiers of the 48th carrying powder into the mine decorates the southern side of the monument.

[I am indebted to Mr. Philip Johnson, of Petersburg, Virginia, for the modern-day pictures of the 48th Pennsylvania Monument].

On This Date. . .April 2, 1865

On this date, 142 years ago, the 48th Pennsylvania participated in its final battle. After a nine-month siege, beginning in late June 1864, General U.S. Grant ordered forward an all-out assault on the Confederate lines surrounding the city of Petersburg, Virginia. Throughout the pre-dawn hours of April 2, 1865, the soldiers of the 48th prepared themselves for the attack. At 4:00 a.m. an artillery barrage opened along the length of the Union line, as blue-clad skirmishers lurched their way forward. From their position behind Fort Sedgwick, dubbed "Fort Hell" by the troops, the 48th awaited the order to advance. Oliver Bosbyshell described the moments immediately before the attack:

"Only half-rationed, and with scalding coffee hastily swallowed, the Forty-Eighth moved toward the rear of 'Fort Hell,' through deep cuts made for the protection of wagons in going to and from the front--now filled with a slushy mud--and emerging near the Jerusalem Plank Road, crossed to the left rear of the Fort. The pioneers were cutting away the abatis in the narrow opening, [we] quickly formed line in front, and moved rapidly forward to the Union picket line."

Fort Sedgwick--or "Fort Hell"

Finally, sometime around 4:30 a.m., the order was given and with a rush, the 48th charged forward, directly toward the Confederate defenses known as Fort Mahone. The Confederate picket line was quickly overrun, and "eager to achieve greater results, away dashed the Forty-Eighth in the van of the brigade. . ." Leading the regiment was Colonel George Washington Gowen, who took command following the resignation of Henry Pleasants the previous Fall. Next to Gowen ran brigade commander John I. Curtin, and the 48th's regimental color-bearer, Samuel Beddall. The Confederate cannon by this point had begun "belching a very inferno of shot and shell into the ranks." Still, the regiment pushed forward. "On, on pushed the boys determined to capture the dire old tormentor who had troubled them so the winter long. The attack was most impetuous."

As the regiment neared the Confederate lines, Colonel Gowen and Colonel Curtin began removing the abatis when an artillery shell struck Gowen square in the face, killing him instantly. Beddall and the regimental flag was covered in Gowen's blood. Curtin, also wounded in the blast, leaned upon his sword and continued to urge the 48th forward, and "with the ferocity of madmen," the regiment "renewed the assualt, pushed through the obstructing abatis, over the moat, scaled the earthwork, securing a lodgement on the walls. . . .With one bound the men sprang forward, a hand-to-hand encounter ensued, which lasted but a moment, the rebels were overpowered, the fort was captured, and the enemy driven beyond it for a considerable distance."

The Capture of Petersburg, by Alfred Waud

"Petersburg," concluded Bosbyshell, "so long invested, so hotly contested, and so stubbornly defended," had finally fallen into Union hands.

The final assault on Petersburg was the last battle of the Civil War in which the 48th Pennsylvania participated. The regiment spent the next week guarding railroad cars near Farmville, where they received word of Lee's surrender on April 9, 1865. The casualties during the attack were severe. In addition to losing Colonel Gowen, the regiment lost 11 men killed, another 55 wounded (of which 3 proved to be mortal), and 22 missing. Most of the missing would rejoin the regiment in the ensuing days.

Colonel George Washington Gowen

In describing the death of Gowen, Bosbyshell wrote: "So fell one greatly beloved--gloriously at the moment of victory, honored as few have been, mourned sadly by his men; indeed, all who knew his splendid worth and promising future were grieved." And on April 15, one week after guns had fallen silent in Virginia, the 48th Pennsylvania passed the following resolutions:

"Resolved,That although we bow with submission to the Divine will, which has taken him from amongst us, yet we cannot restrain an expression of the feeling of deep regret entertained by this Regiment at his death," and

"Resolved, That in the death of Colonel Gowen, this Regiment has sustained a loss which can never be repaired, inasmuch, that he possessed the rare qualities of the perfect gentleman united with those of the brave and efficient officer. Ever attentive to the innumerable wants of his command, courteous to those with whom he had intercourse, and displaying to all a kindness of heart seldom to be met with in the army."

* * * * * * * * * *

Casualties: 4/2/1865

Killed: Colonel George W. Gowen; Sgt. John Homer (Company B); Daniel D. Barnett (Company E); David McCloir (Company F); James King, William Donnelly, George Uhl (Company H); Albert Mack, Albert Zimmerman, Wesley Boyer, Jacob Reichwine (Company I); Simon W. Hoffman (Company K)

Mortally Wounded: Nicholas Stephens (Company B); Corporal James Nicholas (Company C); Aaron Wagner (Company D)

Wounded: John Adams (Company A); 1st Sgt. John Watkins, Sgt. Robert Campbell, Sgt. William H. Ward, Robert Jones (Company B); George Seibert, Casper Groduvarant, Albert Kurtz, James T. Martin, Paul Dehne (Company C); Sgt. Henry Rothenberger, Cpl. Levi Derr, Jacob Schmidt, Edward McGuire, Joseph Buddinger, Chester Phillips, Thomas Whiscke (Company D); Cpl. William D. Morgan, William C. James, Robert Meredith, Frederick Godwin, Thomas Hayes (Comapny E); 2nd Lt. Henry "Snapper" Reese, Sgt. William J. Wells, Cpl. John Devlin, James Dempsey, John Crawford (Company F); Peter Bailey, John Droble, Patrick Daley, Nicholas Fers, Thomas Howell, Thomas Smith, John Wright, George Kane, 1st Lt. William Auman (Company G); Sgt. Peter Radelberger, Willoughby Lintz, George E. Lewis, Benjamin Koller, Cpl. Henry Matthews, 2nd Lt. Thomas Sillyman (Company H); Jonathan Mowery, Charles C. Wagner, Joseph Shoener, John Road, Henry Goodman (Company I); Benjamin Kline, Paul Snyder, Jacob Erbert, David Phillips, Jno. Williams, John Windenmuth (Company K)

Missing: Sgt. Isaac Fritz, William Reppert, Michael Kingsley, Lewis Kleckner, Henry Rinker, Daniel Hurley (Company B); Cpl. James Hanan (Company C); Cpl. Samuel Kessler (Company D); 1st Sgt. John McElrath, Cpl. George W. James, David McGeary, John O'Neil (Company E); Albert Fisher (Company F); Patrick Galligan (Company G); Sgt. James McReynolds, James Mullen, Theodore Rett, John Oats, Thomas J. Reed (Company I); William Pelton, John Marshall, George Showers (Company K)