Soldiers of the 48th: Lt. Henry E. Stichter, Company E

Early War Image of Henry E. Stichter, as a Corporal

I had the good fortune several years back to come into possession of this great tintype photograph of Henry E. Stichter, Company D, 48th Pennsylvania Infantry. Henry Stichter, a native of Pottsville, was twenty-three years of age when, in September 1861, he was mustered into service as a Corporal in the ranks of Company D, a company recruited almost entirely from Pottsville and commanded, at the outset of war, by Captain Daniel Nagle, brother of the regiment's commander, Colonel James Nagle.

Although from Pottsville, Henry listed Hamburg, in neighbording Berks County, as his place of residence when the war began. According to the regimental muster rolls, he stood 5'8 1/2" in height, had a Dark Complexion, Dark Eyes, and Dark Hair. His occupation was listed as Painter.  Henry was not the only Stichter to appear in the ranks of the 48th. Indeed, in 1861, we also see a Samuel Stichter, age 43, a resident of Berks County. Although I do not know for sure, it is possible that Samuel Stichter was Henry's father and the two served side-by-side in the ranks of Company D. The fate of Samuel Stichter is unclear, since the regimental history lists him only as "Not Present at Muster Out." In February 1864, another Stichter entered the ranks of Company D, twenty-one-year-old Alfred, a cigar maker from Berks County.  Again, I do not know for sure, but there is a good chance that Alfred was a younger brother of Henry's. Enlisting as a private in March 1864, Alfred Stichter survived the war and was mustered out in July 1865.

Henry Stichter rose in the ranks from Corporal to 2nd Lieutenant in September 1863 then, one year later, from 2nd to 1st Lieutenant. He was discharged from the army in October 1864, his three-year term of service having expired and he not electing to re-enlist for another three-year stint. It appears there was a good reason why he chose to go home, for on the day after Christmas, 1864, Henry married Amelia Zweizig, a Hamburg gal, as evidenced by this small, business card-sized Marriage Certificate that I acquired along with Henry's photograph.

 

 

I wish I knew more at the present time about Henry Stichter and the other two Stichter's in the ranks of Company D, 48th PA. An 1889 burial record of the Odd Fellow's Cemetery in Pottsville does have Henry Stichter buried within, so it seems he did not enjoy a long post-war life.

It appears a request to the National Archives is in order.