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) 

Schuylkill County's African American Civil War Soldiers: A Roster

The ranks of the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry were composed primarily of Schuylkill County men. So, too, were the ranks of the 96th Pennsylvania, as well as several companies of the 50th Pennsylvania, 129th Pennsylvania, and 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Indeed, throughout the four years of America's Civil War, many thousands of Schuylkill County's brave sons, hailing from places like Pottsville and Tamaqua, Port Clinton, St. Clair, Middleport, Cressona, and all the many towns, townships, and coal patches in between, served in Union blue. 

From a USCT Recruiting Poster
"Come and Join Us!"

Included among this number were more than three dozen African American men who were prohibited from serving in the county's white volunteer regiments but who still proudly served--and bravely fought--in segregated regiments, commanded by white commissioned officers, regiments such as the hard-fighting 3rd United States Colored Infantry (USCI) and the 8th USCI. Two Black men from Schuylkill County--James Phoenix and William Haines--served within the ranks of the famed and fabled 54th Massachusetts Infantry, seeing action at James Island and during the regiment's storied assault upon Battery Wagner. Others, like those who served in the 43rd USCI, fought with a fierce determination during the attack upon the Crater. It was there were forty-three-year-old John Cole, a shoemaker from Pottsville, suffered a mortal wound, and where young Jonathan Enty, a twenty-year-old laborer from Tamaqua, went listed as Missing In Action. He would never return and was most likely killed in action. 

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, had a very small Black population on the eve of Civil War. Of the 89,510 men, women, and children counted in Schuylkill County in the Census of 1860, only 357 were identified as either Black or "mulatto." Of this number, only 92 were Black men of fighting age. Still, despite this small number, at least 37 of these men (a remarkable 40%) served in the Civil War, a few of them were drafted or served as substitutes, the majority, however, enlisted as volunteers. 

The names of these soldiers are provided below, along with pertinent biographical information and military data garnered from service records, muster rolls, and other such places. Please note that this list is not exhaustive; there were likely other African American soldiers who called Schuylkill County home. What follows is simply a roster of all the Black Civil War soldiers from Schuylkill County I was able to locate in several sources, including Francis Wallace's Memorial to the Patriotism of Schuylkill County, newspaper accounts, and cemetery records. Some of the information was contradictory; sometimes I could not locate records for a particular soldier, but I tried to gather as much information as I could in an effort to tell their stories, and let their service be known.

Samuel Bartlett
Private
Company B
43rd USCI

Age: 18; Height: 5'6 1/2"; Complexion: Fair; Eye Color: Hazel; Hair Color: Dark
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 4/3/1865 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Credited to: Cass Township
Date of Discharge: 5/23/1865 at Camp Cadwalader, Philadelphia
Born: Schuylkill County, PA 
Notes: Mustered Out Of Service by Virtue of War Department General Order 77

Henry Bhular/Buehler

Private
Company B
8th USCI

Age: 45; Height: 5'4 1/2"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: "Wooly" 
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 3/4/1864 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Credited to: North Manheim Township, Schuylkill County
Born: Berks County, PA

Alexander Brown
Private
Company A
24th USCI

Age: 19; Height: 5'4 1/2"; Complexion: Yellow; Eye Color: Grey; Hair Color: Black

Occupation: Teamster

Enlisted: 1/18/1865 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Credited to: Tremont, PA
Discharged: 10/1/1865 at Richmond, Virginia
Born: Chambersburg, PA

Charles Calaman
1st Sergeant
Company A
24th USCI

Age: 20; Height: 5'7"; Complexion: Brown; Eye Color: Brown; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 1/12/1865 in Pottsville, PA
Credited to: Port Carbon, PA
Discharged: 10/1/1865 at Richmond, VA
Born: Either in Frederick, MD or Winchester, VA
Notes: Appointed Sergeant: 1/23/1865; Promoted 1st Sergeant per G.O. No. 2: 6/1865

Flag of the 24th USCT
"Let Soldiers in War Be Citizens in Peace"
[www.loc.gov] 

John Cole
Private
Company E
43rd USCI

Age: 42; Height: 5'10"; Complexion: Yellow: Eye Color: Light Brown; Hair Color: "Curly Black"
Occupation: Shoemaker

Enlisted: 3/29/1864 in Pottsville, PA
Credited to: Washington Township, Schuylkill County, PA

Notes: "A good soldier;" Wounded at the Crater, 7/30/1864; "Corps. R. Julius and Jeff Henry who were wounded in same action testified to having seen him dead at City Point, VA. No official notice of his death having been received & the men who knew of his death having been absent for a long time in Hos, his name was not dropped from the Company Rolls until Sept. 12, 1865;" Died of Wounds: 8/4/1864

Mortally Wounded at Battle of the Crater: July 30, 1864; Died of Wounds: August 4, 1864

Casualty Sheet for John Cole, 43rd USCT
[nara.gov] 

Obituary of John Cole
Miners' Journal, August 1864

More on the life and death of Private John Cole can be found here

George Dellaman/Dellamaw
Private
Company B
8th USCT 

Age: 17; Height: 5'4 1/2"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: "Wooly"
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 3/4/1864 in Pottsville, PA
Credited to: Tamaqua, PA
Born: Newbern, North Carolina

Elijah Enty
1st Sergeant/Private
Company F
43rd USCI

Age: 35; Height: 5'7 1/2"; Complexion: Yellow; Eye Color: Dark; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 3/31/1864
Credited to: Porter Township, Schuylkill County; Resided in: Newcastle
Born: Schuylkill County, PA
Discharged: 6/12/1865 from L'Ouverture Hospital, Alexandria, Virginia, due to Disability

Notes: Wounded in Action at the Crater: 7/30/1864; Sent to Hospital, sick: 9/5/1864; Promoted to 1st Sergeant: 10/1/1864; Reduced in Ranks to Private: 9/1/1865

Gabriel Enty
Corporal
Company D
43rd USCI

Age: 18; Height: 5'7 1/2"; Complexion: Dark; Eye Color: Dark; Hair Color: Dark
Occupation: Blacksmith

Enlisted: 3/22/1864 in Pottsville, PA
Credited to: Blythe Township, Schuylkill County, PA
Born: Northumberland County, PA 
Discharged: 6/8/1864 from L'Ouverture Hospital, Alexandria, Virginia, due to Disability

Notes: Wounded in Action near Petersburg: 7/24/1864

George Enty
Private
Company H
43rd USCI

Age: 33; Height: 5'5"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Miner

Enlisted: 4/4/1864 in Brookville, PA
Credited to: Eldred Township, PA
Born: Schuylkill County, PA
Discharged: 10/20/1865 at Brownsville, Texas

Notes: Sick in Hospital: 8/1864; Sick in Hospital: 10/1865

Jonathan Enty 

Corporal
Company D
43rd USCI

Age: 20; Height: 5'7"; Complexion: Dark; Eye Color: Dark; Hair Color: Dark
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 3/22/1864 at Pottsville, PA
Credited to: Tamaqua, PA

Notes: Appointed Corporal: 4/18/1864; Wounded and Missing In Action: 7/30/1864 Battle of the Crater

Missing in Action and Likely Killed or Mortally Wounded at the Battle of the Crater: July 30, 1864

James Fisher
Private
Company D
3rd USCI

Age: 19; Height: 5' 1/2"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black

Enlisted: 7/4/1863 in Philadelphia
From Pottsville
Discharged: 10/31/1865 at Jacksonville, Florida
Notes: Sick--Left at Hilton Head, SC, by order of Surgeon: 2/6/1864; returned to regt by March '64

Buried: Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA

The Grave of Private James Fisher
3rd USCT
Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA 

David Fry
Private
Company I
3rd USCI

Age: 29; Height: 5'11"; Complexion: Light; Eye Color: Dark; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Farmer

Enlisted: 7/21/1863 in Philadelphia
Born: Lancaster County, PA
Resided: Port Clinton, PA
Died: 9/8/1897
Buried: St. John's Cemetery, Auburn, PA

The Grave of Private David Fry
3rd USCT
[findagrave.com] 

Stroud Groves
Private
Company D
3rd USCI

Age: 46; Height: 5'10"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Farmer

Enlisted: 7/4/1863 in Philadelphia
Born: Lehigh County, PA
Discharged: 10/31/1865 at Jacksonville, Florida

Died: 9/12/1896
Buried: Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA

The Grave of Private Stroud Grove
3rd USCT
Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA 

William Haines

Private
Company G

54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

Age: 19

Occupation: Boatman

Enlisted: 4/12/1863
Born: 1844 in Schuylkill County, PA 

Discharged: 8/20/1865

Thornton Heath
Private
Company C
24th USCI

Age: 37; Height: 5’2”; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black: Hair: “Wool”
Occupation: Blacksmith

Enlisted: 2/2/1865 in Pottsville
Born: Virginia

Notes: Substitute for Gillard Dock, Tremont, PA; Deserted from Camp William Penn: 4/11/1865

George Jackson

Private
32nd USCI

Age: 32; Height: 5'10 1/2"; Complexion: Dark; Eye Color: Dark; Hair Color: "Wooly"
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 6/27/1864 in Pottsville
Credited to: Port Carbon
Born: Columbia, PA

Buried: Perhaps at Lincoln Cemetery, Mechanicsburg, PA

John B. Jones

Musician
Company F
8th USCI

Age: 24; Height: 5'4 1/2"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 9/23/1863 in Pottsville
From: 8/5/1840 in Port Carbon, PA 
Discharged: 11/10/1865 at Brownsville, Texas

Buried: Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA

The Grave of John B. Jones
Musician, 8th USCT
Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA 

Joseph Jones

Private
Company K
8th USCI
24th USCI

Age: 27; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted in 24th USCI: 1/18/1865 at Pottsville
Born: Harper County, Virginia

Notes:  Deserted from 8th USCT under the name Joseph Garner; This Enlistment Void; 1/26/65: "This man is a deserter from Co. G, 8th Regt. USCT under the name Joseph Garner;" "Joseph Jones having been recognized as a Deserter from the 8th USCT is hereby dropped from the Rolls of Company "A" 24th Regt. U.S. Colored," Signed Louis Wagner, Lt. Col. 88th PA; commanding post at Camp William Penn

Charles Lee
Corporal
Company H
22nd USCI

Age: 24; Height: 5'6 1/2"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation Waiter

Enlisted: 1/18/1865 in Pottsville
Credited to: Cressona, PA
Born: Harrisburg, PA
Notes: Promoted Corporal: 6/4/1864; Sent to Field Hospital, 3/15/1865; Returned: 3/16/1865

Died: 8/30/1888 in Pottsville
Buried: Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA

Edward Lee
Corporal
Company K
32nd USCI

Age: 19; Height: 5'6 1/2"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: "Wooly"
Occupation : Laborer

Enlisted: 3/3/1864 in Pottsville
Credited to: Tamaqua, PA 
Born: Charles County, Maryland
Discharged: 8/22/1865 at Hilton Head, South Carolina
Notes: Appointed Corporal 3/18/1865

Died: 3/22/1913 in Schuylkill County
Buried: Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA

John L. Martin 
Sergeant
Company E

3^rd USCI

Age: 33; Height: 5’10; Complexion: Brown; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Mason

Enlisted: 7/6/1863 in Philadelphia
Born: 1827 in Lancaster County, PA
Notes: Sergeant from Enlistment
Died: 10/30/1907 in North Manheim Township, Schuylkill County, PA
Buried: Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA

The Grave of Sergeant John L. Martin
3rd USCT
Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA

Daniel Molson
Corporal
Company B
24^th USCI

Age: 34; Height: 5’6 ¼”; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Boatman

Enlisted: 1/27/1865 in Pottsville
Credited to: Port Clinton, PA

Born: Schuylkill County, PA
Discharged: 10/1/1865 at Richmond, Virginia
Notes: Promoted to Corporal: 2/8/1865

David Molson

Sergeant
Company B
24^th USCI

Age: 38; Height: 5’2 ½”; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Boatman

Enlisted: 1/27/1865 in Pottsville
Credited to: Port Clinton, PA
Born: Berks County, PA
Discharged: 10/1/1865 at Richmond, Virginia

Notes: Promoted to Corporal: 2/8/1865; Promoted to Sergeant: 4/22/1865, to date from: 4/2/1865

Henry Morgan
Wagoneer
Company H
6^th USCI

Age: 33; Height: 5’8”; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Boatman

Enlisted: 8/29/1863 in Philadelphia
Discharged: 9/20/1865 at Wilmington, North Carolina

James Phoenix

Private
Company K

54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

Age: 24; Height: 5'9"; Complexion: Dark; Eye Color: Brown; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 5/5/1863
Notes: Wounded at the Battle of James Island, 7/16/1864; in Hospital at Beaufort, South Carolina; Died of Disease: 7/8/1865 in Charleston, South Carolina. 

Kurz and Allison's Famed Print of the 54th Massachusetts' Attack at Fort Wagner

Daniel Proctor
Private
Company F
25^th USCI

Age: 31; Height: 5’5”; Complexion: Dark; Eye Color: Grey; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 1/21/1864 at Reading, PA

Discharged: 9/19/1865
Notes: Identified on one Enlistment Form as Mulatto; Sent to Hospital on 4/7/1865; Dicharged per Certificate of Disability at David's Island Hospital, New YorkDied: 10/8/1903
Buried: Port Clinton Cemetery, Port Clinton, PA

Obituary of Daniel Proctor
Harrisburg Telegraph October 10, 1903

The Grave of Daniel Proctor
25th USCT
Port Clinton Cemetery, Port Clinton, PA 

George Richardson
Corporal
Company I
6^th USCI

Age: 25; Height: 5’4”; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Tailor

Enlisted: 9/8/1863
Born: Bucks County, PA
Discharged: 9/20/1865
Notes: Substitute for Tillman Seidle, 3rd Ward, Reading, PA; Wounded while on picket duty and sent to General Hospital: 6/25/1864; Sent to D.C. General Hospital: 11/15/1864; June-August 1865: On Detached Service as Brigade Headquarters' Guard
Buried: Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA 

Hosea Rigbee
Corporal
Company C
127th USCI

Age: 30; Height: 5'6 1/4"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Barber

Enlisted: 8/24/1864 in Pottsville
Credited to: Port Carbon, PA
Born: Harford County, Maryland

Buried: Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville PA

Benjamin Robinson
Private
Company C
127th USCI

Age: 35; Height: 5'9 1/2"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 8/24/1864 in Pottsville
Credited to: Port Carbon, PA 
Born: Fredericksburg, Virginia
Discharged: 9/8/1865 at Brazos Santiago, Texas
Notes: Absent, sick in hospital at Point of Rocks, 3/26/1865

Israel Smith
Private

Company B
24th USCI

Age: 17; Height: 5'7"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Boatman

Enlisted: 1/27/1865 in Pottsville, PA
Credited to: Port Clinton, PA
Born: Schuylkill County, PA
Discharged: 10/1/1865 at Richmond, Virginia

At age 17, Israel Smith Needed the Consent of His Grandfather in Order to Serve
nara.gov

Enlistment Form of Israel Smith

James H. Snowden

Private
Company A
24th USCI

Age: 22; Height: 5'7 1/4"; Complexion: Dark; Eye Color: Hazel; Hair Color: Dark
Occupation: Forgeman

Enlisted: 1/3/1865 in Pottsville, PA
Credited to: Pine Grove, PA
Born: 10/6/1838 in Huntingdon, PA
Discharged: 11/10/1865 at Brownsville, Texas
Notes: Wounded at Olustee, FL, 2/20/1864; in Hospital at Beaufort, SC; returned from hospital by 5/1864; Engaged at Chapin's Farm, VA; Petersburg, VA; Detached as Brigade Teamster as of 10/1864; Appomattox, VA

Died: 10/21/1889 at age 50; "Death came when he lost control of the wagon he was driving down a steep hill, and the team ran away. He was thrown to the ground and fatally injured when a wagon wheel rolled over him."
Buried: Big Spring Presbyterian Cemetery, Newville, PA

Martin Snowell/Snowden
Private
Company I
8th USCI

Age: 20; Height: 5'6"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Boatman

Enlisted: 9/24/1863 in Port Clinton, PA
Born: 1842 in Spotswood, New Jersey
Discharged: 11/10/1865 at Brownsville, Texas
Notes: Drafted; Wounded at Olustee, FL, 2/20/1864; in Hospital at Beaufort, SC; returned from hospital by 5/1864; Engaged at Chapin's Farm, VA; Petersburg, VA; Detached as Brigade Teamster as of 10/1864;  Appomattox, VA

Died: 1917
Buried: Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA

Nelson Searls
Corporal
Company K
8th USCI

Age: 38; Height: 6'2"; Complexion: Dark; Eye Color: Dark; Hair Color: Dark
Occupation: Boatman

Enlisted: 9/24/1863 in Port Clinton, PA
Discharged: 11/10/1865 in Brownsville, Texas

Notes: Drafted; Resigned as Corporal to enter Band: 1/11/1864

John Surls
Sergeant
Company B
24th USCI

Age: 22; Height: 5'7"; Complexion: Light; Eye Color: Hazel; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Boatman

Enlisted: 1/27/1865 in Pottsville
Credited to: Port Clinton, PA
Discharged: 10/1/1865 at Richmond, Virginia
Notes: Promoted to Corporal: 2/8/1865; Promoted to Sergeant: 7/10/1865

William Tarr
Sergeant
21st USCI

Age: 20; Height: 5'; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: Black
Occupation: Servant

Enlisted: 9/1/1864 in Jacksonville, Florida
Mustered into Service: 9/6/1864 at Hilton Head, South Carolina
Credited to: Vermont
Born: September 1844 in Pottsville, PA
Notes: Appointed Sergeant on 9/15/1864; Police Sergeant per Special Order 83 Headquarters U.S. Forces, Hilton Head, SC: 8/11/1865

Died: 9/26/1925
Buried: Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA

The Grave of Sergeant William Tarr
21st USCT
Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA 

Charles Thomas
Company B
8th USCI

Age: 40; Height: 5'8 1/2"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: "Wooly"
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 3/4/1864 in Pottsville, PA
Credited to: Tamaqua, PA
Born: Middlesex, New Jersey

Buried: Perhaps in Odd Fellows' Cemetery, Tamaqua, PA

Charles Titus
Private
Company D
3rd USCI

Age: 30; Height: 5'8 1/2"; Complexion: Black; Eye Color: Black; Hair Color: "Wooly"
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 7/4/1863 in Philadelphia
Born: Chester County, PA
Discharged: 10/31/1865 at Jacksonville, Florida
Buried: Bethel A.M.E. Cemetery, Pottsville, PA

The Flag of the 3rd USCT
"Rather Die Freemen Than Live To Be A Slave"

Daniel Wright 

Sergeant
Company A
24th USCI

Age: 20; Height: 5’3”; Complexion: Yellow; Eye Color: Dark; Hair Color: Brown
Occupation: Laborer

Enlisted: 1/12/1865 in Pottsville, PA

Credited to Port Carbon, PA

Discharged: 10/1/1865 at Richmond, VA
Notes: Appointed Sergeant: 1/23/1865

Nicholas Biddle
Wounded While Marching With The Washington Artillery
Through Baltimore on April 18, 1861
"First to Shed Blood in Civil War" 

Schuylkill County's best-known black Civil War veteran, Nicholas Biddle, was not, officially, a soldier, but his was the proud distinction of shedding the first blood in the conflict. His story can be found here, in an article I wrote years ago for Pennsylvania Heritage magazine.