Update On The South Mountain Book. . .

I am pleased to report that on December 3, I submitted the completed first-draft manuscript of my South Mountain book to the History Press for publication as part of its Civil War Sesquicentennial Series. Yesterday it went through the copyedit and received its ISBN. If things continue to roll along, then look for it to "hit the shelves" sometime in the spring of 2011.

Mexican War Volunteers--Civil War Generals

The Battle of Buena Vista (Library of Congress)

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 have long been fascinated with this somewhat overlooked war and several years back, I began compiling a list of all those Mexican American War volunteers who went on to become generals in the American Civil War, fourteen or so years later. These men were not the West Point-trained U.S. Regulars (such as Lee, McClellan, Bragg, and so on); rather, the following are those who fought as volunteers in Mexico and then later earned their stars in the nation's fratricidal conflict.

Preceding the list of these officers, are some introductory words. I once thought of turning this into an article but that never went anywhere. . .

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U.S. Forces Under Winfield Scott Land at Vera Cruz

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The Mexican-American War has often been referred to as a training ground for a host of young army officers who would go on to rank among the Civil War’s highest-ranking commanders. From the battles of Monterrey and Palo Alto to the capture of Mexico City, these young men received first-hand experience in the school of soldiering and learned key lessons in the art of war by the likes of Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott. Tales of daring exploits and of remarkable bravery exhibited by these young officers who would later gain much fame during America’s fratricidal conflict are legion and known well to most serious students of the Civil War. Familiar is the story of twenty-four-year-old Captain Ulysses S. Grant who, although serving as the regimental quartermaster of the 4th U.S. Infantry, repeatedly rode to the front, seeing action at Resaca de la Palma, Palo Alto, and Monterrey, where he put his renowned horsemanship to good use by riding unscathed through a hail of bullets. Famous, too, is the story of Captain Robert E. Lee who, along with fellow engineer Lt. Pierre G.T. Beauregard, conducted a bold reconnaissance of Santa Anna’s left flank at Cerro Gordo and narrowly avoided detection and probable capture. We hear also of twenty-year-old Lieutenant George Brinton McClellan, another of Winfield Scott’s engineers, who had two horses shot from beneath him while scouting Mexican positions near Contreras and who was twice brevetted for gallantry. At the battle of La Hoya, we discover a young artillerist by the name of Thomas Jonathan Jackson who deployed his guns with great effect and stood steadfast, like a stonewall, amid a storm of shot and shell. Lieutenant Napoleon Jackson Tecumseh Dana was severely wounded and left for dead on the heights of Cerro Gordo, while, not too far from where he fell, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Eggleston Johnston of the Voltigeurs, was also dangerously wounded. It was also at this same battle where Major Edwin Vose Sumner of the 2nd Dragoons was struck squarely in the forehead by a bullet, which, allegedly, simply bounced off earning him the sobriquet, “Old Bullhead.” While these officers survived their Cerro Gordo wounds, Lieutenant Thomas Ewell did not. He died hours after the fight with his brother Richard by his side. And finally, there is the oft-told tale of Lieutenant James Longstreet of the 8th U.S. Infantry who fell with a thigh wound while carrying the American flag in an attack against the walls of Chapultepac. Grabbing the flag from the wounded Longstreet, of course, was another young lieutenant who had graduated last in his West Point Class the previous year, George Edward Pickett. These and other such stories are seemingly endless and can truly fill volumes.

In addition to going on to earning great laurels or garnering much notoriety in the American Civil War, all of these men had another thing in common: they were all graduates of the United States Military Academy and were, thus, all regular army officers. Yet, of the nearly 100,000 men who served in Mexico, only about twenty-five to thirty percent—some 25,000-30,000 soldiers—were Regulars. The rest were volunteers.

Volunteer units hailed from twenty-four of the nation’s twenty-eight states as well as from the District of Columbia; Iowa and California, which at the outbreak of hostilities had yet to achieve statehood, also furnished troops. In all, between 70,000 and 75,000 volunteers, comprising the ranks of 76 regiments and several additional companies, enlisted during the war. Thousands of these men would later serve in both the blue and the gray during the Civil War. And because of their former military experiences in Mexico, most would enter America’s sectional conflict as commissioned officers primarily at the regimental level, being mustered in as lieutenants, majors, or colonels, and subsequently rising through the ranks. Take, for example, C. Roberdeau Wheat. Before organizing the famed Louisiana Tigers in 1861 and falling dead while leading his regiment at the battle of Gaines’s Mill in June 1862, the 6’4” Wheat served as captain of the Tennessee Company of Mounted Volunteers in Mexico. His is just one of countless examples of volunteer officers who served in both the Mexican and Civil Wars.

Of the thousands of Mexican-American War volunteers who would later serve in the Civil War, more than sixty would become general officers during the latter conflict. This number does not include West Point graduates who served in volunteer organizations in Mexico and as generals in the Civil War, men such as Jubal Early, Henry Naglee, Samuel R. Curtis, Lloyd Tilghman, Goode Bryan, and Humphrey Marshall. Instead, the Mexican War volunteers who later became Civil War generals, for the most part, lacked a formal military education, but exhibited an avid interest in martial endeavors and were typically members of a local militia company. And they were those who willingly left their civilian lives behind twice to serve in uniform.

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Mexican-American War Volunteers--Civil War Generals

[Note: Those names in blue became generals for the United States Army during the Civil War; those in red, for the Confederacy]

Arkansas

John Selden Roane, Colonel, Mounted Arkansas Volunteers

Albert Pike, Captain, Mounted Arkansas Volunteers

James Fleming Fagan, Arkansas Mounted Gunmen

Georgia

Alfred Iverson, 2nd Lieutenant, Battalion of Georgia Volunteers

George Thomas Anderson, 2nd Lieutenant, Independent Co. of Georgia Volunteers

Edward Lloyd Thomas, 2nd Lieutenant, Independent Co. of Georgia Volunteers

Alfred Iverson

Indiana

Robert H. Milroy, Captain, 1st Indiana Volunteers

Lewis Wallace, 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Indiana Volunteers

Nathan Kimball, Captain, 2nd Indiana Volunteers

Lovell Rousseau, Captain, 2nd Indiana Volunteers

James Lane, Colonel, 3rd Indiana Volunteers

Willis A. Gorman, Colonel, 4th Indiana Volunteers

Ebenezer Dumont, Lieutenant Colonel, 4th Indiana Volunteers

Thomas J. Lucas, 2nd Lieutenant, 4th Indiana Volunteers

Mahlon Manson, Captain, 5th Indiana Volunteers

Nathan Kimball

Kentucky

Thomas Leonidas Crittenden, Lieutenant Colonel, 3rd Kentucky Volunteers

Walter C. Whitaker, Lieutenant, 3rd Kentucky Volunteers

John Cabell Breckinridge, Major, 3rd Kentucky Volunteers

John Stuart Williams, Colonel, 4th Kentucky Volunteers

William Preston, Lieutenant Colonel, 4th Kentucky Volunteers

William Thomas Ward, Major, 4th Kentucky Volunteers

James Shackleford, 1st Lieutenant, 4th Kentucky Volunteers

Edward Hobson, 1st Lieutentnat, 4th Kentucky Volunteers

Cassius M. Clay

Green Clay Smith

Speen Smith Fry

Roger Weightman Hanson, 1st Lieutenant, Independent Kentucky Volunteers

Thomas James Churchill, 1st Kentucky Mounted Riflemen

William Thomas Ward

Illinois

John "Black Jack" Logan, 2nd Lt. Illinois Volunteers

James D. Morgan

Michael Lawler

Richard Oglesby

Leonard Fulton Ross

Isham M. Haynie

Edward Baker, Colonel, 4th Illinois Volunteers

William H.C. Wallace, Private, 1st Illinois Volunteers

Benjamin Prentiss, Captain/Adjutant, 1st Illinois Volunteers

John Logan

Maryland/D.C.

John Kenley, Major, Maryland/D.C. Volunteers

Joseph R. West

Michigan

Alpheus Starkey Williams, Lieutenant Colonel, Michigan Volunteers

Mississippi

Carnot Posey, 1st Lieutenant, 1st Mississippi Rifles

Thomas C. Hindman, 2nd Mississippi Infantry

Carnot Posey

Missouri

Sterling Price, Colonel, 2nd Missouri Infantry

William Yarnell Slack, Captain, 2nd Missouri Infantry

Mosby Monroe Parsons, Captain, 1st Missouri Regiment of Mounted Volunteers

John Dunlap Stevenson, Captain, 1st Missouri Regiment of Mounted Volunteers

James Craig

Thomas T. Crittenden

William Yarnell Slack

Ohio

Samuel Beatty, 1st Lieutenant, 3rd Ohio Volunteers

George F. McGinnis, Captain, 5th Ohio Volunteers

Robert B. Mitchell, 1st Lieutenant, 5th Ohio Volunteers

William H. Lytle, Captain, Independent Company, Ohio Volunteers

William H. Lytle

Pennsylvania

James Scott Negley, 1st Sergeant, 1st Pennsylvania Volunteers

Thomas Algeo Rowley, 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Pennsylvania Volunteers

James Nagle, Captain, 1st Pennsylvania Volunteers

Thomas Welsh, Private, native of Pennsylvania, served with 2nd Kentucky Volunteers

John White Geary, Colonel, 2nd Pennsylvania Volunteers

John White Geary

James Negley

South Carolina

Samuel McGowan, Quartermaster, Palmetto Regiment

Tennessee

William Brimmage Bate, 1st Lieutenant, 3rd Tennessee Volunteers

Benjamin Franklin Cheatham, Colonel, 3rd Tennessee Volunteers

William B. Campbell, Colonel, 3rd Tennessee Volunteers

Samuel Read Anderson, Lieutenant Colonel, 3rd Tennessse Volunteers

William Brimmage Bate

Texas
Benjamin McCullough, Colonel, Mounted Company, Independent Texas Volunteers
Thomas Green, Captain, 1st Texas Mounted Rifles

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It is evident, then, that the Mexican-American War was training ground not just for the West Pont-trained, career army men who would later reach highest echelon of command in the Civil War. It was also a training ground for the thousands of citizens-turned-soldiers who twice volunteered their services, first in 1846-47 and again in 1861, either as commissioned officers at the regimental level or as general officers.

Soldiers of the 48th: Major Jacob Wagner, 48th Pennsylvania

It has been quite some time since I last posted a Profiles piece on a 48th Pennsylvania soldier, so today I thought I'd focus in on Jacob Wagner, who served creditably throughout the entirety of the war, rising through the regimental ranks.

Jacob F. Wagner was twenty-one years of age when, in September 1861, he was mustered into service as a private in Company H, 48th Pennsylvania. He stood 5'6 1/2" in height, had a dark complexion, dark eyes, and black hair. His occupation was listed as painter and his residence was Pottsville, home to most of the men in Company H. Only two and a half weeks later, however, Wagner was named as the regiment's Quartermaster Sergeant, a position he held until December 1862, when he was promoted once more, this time to lieutenant and given then position of full Quartermaster.

The regimental history of the 48th penned by Oliver Bosbyshell refers many times to Wagner and his great efforts in keeping the soldiers well fed and comforted. One such example was on the night of September 17, 1862, when near the Burnside Bridge, the famished soldiers of the 48th were greatly relieved to see Wagner "with a fine lot of boiled beef and fresh coffee, which he had prepared by the cooks. . . .What a relish that midnight repast had!" Other references to Wagner in Bosbyshell's work hint that the quartermaster was much respected by the soldiers and throughout the war always performed his important duties with credit.

Jacob Wagner served as the 48th's Quartermaster throughout most of the conflict, but on June 21, 1865, was promoted one final time, to major. He held this rank for less than one month, being mustered out of volunteer service with the regiment on July 17, 1865 and holding the distinguished title of "Veteran." Yet Wagner's time in uniform was not finished. Apparently taking a liking to military life, Wagner returned not to Pottsville and his pre-war vocation as painter, but instead entered the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant in the 29th Infantry. In July 1867, he was serving at Norfolk where he held the triple duties of Post Adjutant, Acting Assistant Quartermaster, and Assistant Comissary of Subsistence.

More On The Dentzer Boys. . .

Last week, I posted on the great fortune it was to meet Bill Denzter and his sister Ardith, and spend the afternoon with them at Antietam. Their great-great uncles both served in the 48th PA, and both paid their last full measure of devotion to the United States.

Bill Dentzer is a blogger of note and has just recently posted his thoughts on the visit as well as some more photographs and some video clips of yours truly explaining the role of the 48th at Antietam.

Click here to read Bill Dentzer's post.

An Extraordinary Day. . .George & John Dentzer, 48th PA

Today, I was brought to tears.

My lifelong fascination with the 48th Pennsylvania is certainly no secret; indeed, for as long as I can remember, I have studied this regiment. As a lifelong student of the Civil War and a native of Schuylkill County, I early on developed a strong and sometimes indescribable connection with this particular regiment and the guys who served therein. All throughout high school, when I was in college, and continuing until this day, I have enjoyed wandering about Schuylkill County cemeteries and paying my respects to those served in the 48th. I am at the point now where I think I know just about where every 48th veteran in Schuylkill County lay buried.

For many years, I have been drawn, for whatever reason, to the graves of George and John Dentzer, who served in the 48th's Company K, recruited from southern Schuylkill County. The brothers both lost their lives in the war, and today lie buried side-by-side in Cressona. I remember standing at their graves, wondering what their deaths meant to their family and wondering, more personally, what these fellows looked like, thinking I would never know. . .

The snow-covered graves of John & George Dentzer in Cressona

Today, around 2:00 p.m., my colleague Ranger Schmidt found me in the Visitor Center office, and told me I needed to come immediately to the desk. As I approached, I saw our volunteer Brad talking with a couple of visitors, looking over a piece a paper, upon which I noticed copies of Civil War soldier photographs.

As I came up to have a closer look myself and saw the names under the photos, my jaw dropped wide open, and I could not help my eyes from instantly swelling up, for there, for the first time, I saw the Dentzer Brothers--George and John.

It took a few seconds before I was able to compose myself and find the right words. The couple was a brother and sister, direct descendants of George & John's older brother, Henry. The photographs of the soldiers remained in the family for generations, and they were kind enough to provide me with the copies and had no objection to my posting them here.

I stole away with the Dentzer siblings to the Burnside Bridge, and together we hiked the ground over which the 48th fought, me trying my best to describe the action, while at the same time being so caught up in the moment. We hiked a little along the Final Attack Trail and came to the Otto Farm. I pointed out the area where the 48th fought back A.P. Hill's Confederates that deadly afternoon, and to the best of my ability point out the general area where Private George Dentzer would have fallen, killed in action. He was one of eight soldiers of the 48th killed that Wednesday afternoon.

Private George Dentzer, Company K, 48th Pennsylvania

Killed in Action at Antietam

George, as well as his brother John, was a first-generation American, born sometime around 1836-1837. The same year, by the way, the Burnside Bridge was constructed. His parents emigrated from Germany to America and settled first in Pottsville, where George's older brother Henry would later serve as chief brewmaster at the Yuengling Brewery. In October 1861, George enlisted as a private in Company K, 48th Pennsylvania. He stood 5'8 1/2", had a dark complexion, grey eyes, and dark hair. He listed his occupation as Railroader and his hometown as Cressona, just a few short miles south of Pottsville. On the fields of Antietam, George met his demise. I learned today that his mother, along with older brother Henry, traveled to the battlefield in the weeks that followed to retrieve his body. He was buried in Cressona after a fitting memorial service during which Psalm 55:18 was read. . .He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.

Four months later, in January 1863, George's younger brother John entered the 48th, enlisting as a private in Company K. He twice before tried to sign up, but was turned away both times on account of his age, he simply too young to fight. Regardless, he succeeded in his third attempt and his age listed on the muster roll was given as 27, no doubt a fabrication. John, who was shorter than his brother, stood 5'4" in height and labored along the Schuylkill Canal, which passed through Cressona. He served with the 48th throughout some of the war's toughest fights, at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania in May 1864, through Cold Harbor, where he fell wounded. He proved an admirable soldier, for he was advanced to the rank of corporal. Along with the rest of the Army of the Potomac, the 48th settled in during the siege of Petersburg, almost winning the war with their tunneling of the Petersburg Mine.

On December 28, 1864, just a few days after Christmas, young John was sitting in his tent in Fort Sedgwick, which the troops dubbed Fort Hell. The regiment had long become accustomed to Confederate shells exploding within the network of trenches and traverses that comprised the fort, but on that day, a shell struck John Dentzer's tent, and he was killed instantly. For the Dentzer family, they had lost another son. Like his brother George, who had already laid at rest for more than two years, John's body was brought home to Cressona, where he was buried.

Corporal John Dentzer, Co. K, 48th Pennsylvania

Killed in Action at Petersburg, December 28, 1864

It was an extraordinary day. . .another extraordinary day. Just a few weeks back, I posted on Sergeant Hugh Koch, whose descendant very generously provided me with a copy of Koch's photograph after one of my battlefield tours, which I then uploaded here. I remember then saying how incredible it was, not knowing that just a few weeks later, I would be walking over the same ground as George Dentzer, to the spot where he fell at Antietam, with his descendants. I cannot thank the Dentzer siblings enough, for so generously sharing their stories. As I told them, today is a day I will long remember at Antietam.

There will be more to follow on this. . .

Sgt. Hugh Koch, Co. I, 48th PA; Or, Just Another Reason Why I Love My Job

I was reminded today of yet another reason why I love my job. . .

While doing my battlefield tours, and while I wait for the crowd to gather, I always try to make a little small talk. One of my tricks is to simply ask folks as they're arriving where they are traveling from, and whenever I hear Pennsylvania, I ask what parts, usually following this up by saying that I am originally from Schuylkill County. Today, again, I did this same routine while waiting for what was a rather large 70+ size crowd to gather at the Cornfield. Fast forward an hour and a half, and at the conclusion of the tour, a gentleman approached and asked: "Did I hear you say you were from Schuylkill County?" "Yes," I said. He then proceeded to tell me that his ancestors were from Schuylkill County, and that his Great-Great Grandfather fought in the Civil War. "Really?" I asked, "Do you what regiment?" And, of course, his reply: "48th Pennsylvania. Company I."

Now, I've been at Antietam for five years and this is only the third of fourth time this has happened. But what made today so much more remarkable was that the visitor actually had a photograph of his ancestor. Excitedly, yet still trying to maintain a degree of professionalism while in uniform, I eagerly asked to have a look. . .

Better than this, the visitor provided me with a copy. The original daguerreotype has been in his family's possession for the past 150 years and has never before been seen, except by the family.

Aside from the photograph being of not one, but two soldiers of Co. I, 48th, it is, without a doubt, one of the coolest Civil War photographs I have ever seen. Have a close look at how they modified their uniforms to give a unique look. The seated fella even has a pistol tucked under his belt, and is wearing an officer's buckle. The man standing, Sergeant Hugh Koch, made some kind of fancy lapels out of his sack coat. Even their sergeant's stripes are modified.

Have a close look. . .

Sergeant Hugh Koch is standing. I have yet to identify the seated soldier, but I am investigating. Because of the 'veteran's stripe' on their trousers, I'm betting that this picture was taken in early 1864, after the regiment re-enlisted and went home on a thirty-day furlough.

Born on December 18, 1826, Hugh Koch enlisted in Company I, 48th PA, on August 15, 1861. He was 34 at the time of his enlistment, stood 5'6" in height, had a Light Complexion, Brown Hair, and Brown Eyes. He was, by occupation, a Butcher from Ringtown. Koch served throughout the four years of the war, re-enlisting in late 1863, and mustered out as a "Veteran" on July 17, 1865. He died on August 26, 1885, at the age of 59, and was buried in McKeansburg, just a few miles outside my home town of Orwigsburg.

The gentleman's willingness to share this photograph really made my day. It also has my wondering how many more of these photographs, still in family collections, are still out there. . .