tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67781154529757575632024-03-05T07:29:02.277-05:00Remembering the 142nd PVIBrenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-36110179046390104762013-07-04T10:00:00.000-04:002013-07-04T10:00:08.357-04:00Fourth of JulyHappy Independence Day!<br />
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As we all celebrate the 4th of July, lets take a moment to remember those who have come before us to secure the freedoms that we hold so dear.<br />
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On July 4, 1863 the men of the 142nd joined the rest of the Army of the Potomac in chasing the Confederate forces back down south of the Mason-Dixon. There are however, at least 11 veterans of the unit buried in Gettysburg. Burials are in the National Cemetery unless otherwise marked.<br />
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Samuel Campbell, Co. A<br />
Samuel Coburn, Co. I<br />
Alexander Collins, Co. H (Evergreen Cemetery)<br />
Samuel Cramer, Co. B<br />
Samuel Finefrock, Co. B<br />
James Hill, Co. I<br />
Joseph Jones, Co. A<br />
William Reynolds, Co. I<br />
James Taff, Co. D<br />
William Van Buskirk, Co. K<br />
Cyrus Walter, Co. B<br />
<br />Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-72934378836212966062013-07-03T10:00:00.000-04:002013-07-03T10:00:01.737-04:00Gettysburg, Day ThreeOn July 3rd, the 142nd was held in reserve on Cemetery Ridge, near General George Meade's headquarters and the center of the Federal line. This was the spot that Confederate General Robert E. Lee chose to make his famed, and poorly named, "Pickett's Charge." They were close enough to the line that one man was killed during the Confederate artillery barrage that preceded the charge.<br />
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While this high drama and intrigue was happening south of town, back on Seminary Ridge the situation deteriorated into a bloody mess. Co. K's Lt. Jeremiah Hoffman was wounded and kept in the Seminary starting on July 1st. He wrote his recollections of his time there less than five years after the battle. The following are from the account that Lt. Hoffman wrote, and were part of a <i>Gettysburg Magazine</i> article by Michael Dreese entitled "Ordeal at the Lutheran Seminary Hospital."<br />
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"My first recollection of the hospital at Gettysburg Seminary is that our doctors had no instruments. They were taken prisoner, and in the hurry and excitement of the battle, neither of the parties recollected that it was necessary to attend to the wounded...On the first day, shortly after I was in the building, some of the men who were unhurt came in complaining that our own forces were firing upon the building in which we lay. The two armies had taken the people of the place by surprise, and everything was not packed away as nicely as it might have been. So it happened that our hostess, whose invitation to come in we could not receive, because she was not there, had left a generous petticoat of red flannel lying on a sort of lounge. The men asked what signal we could make to out army. I was the only officer in the room and the men turned to me. So we agreed that a red flag must be hoisted, and by dint of strict orders and threats of punishment in case of disobedience, we were able to persuade a soldier to mount the cupola, and to hoist thence the largest pieces he could tear from the garment. Thus, it happened during the fight and for some days after, the undergarment of our hostess floated over the building..."<br />
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"During the first night I was lying awake. I could not sleep for a long while after I was wounded. Col. Cummins was brought in soon after me...The Colonel was shot through the right lung. His agony was so great that one would have thought he was unconscious...While he was writhing and groaning with pain, he would cast his arms about wildly and sometimes sit up...Towards morning [Private Chester] Cammer came to me and said that the Colonel was sleeping. I asked him to watch him well, and soon he came and reported that the Colonel's feet and hands were becoming cold. I ordered him to hunt over the upper floors of the building and he would find some doctors. Just as day was breaking he came downstairs with two surgeons of our brigade. They looked at the Colonel as he lay, and ordered that he should not be disturbed as he was then dying. I could see him but could not speak to him. If he said anything on the subject, Cammer must have kept it to himself. They buried the Colonel the same morning in the garden..."<br />
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"On the morning of the Fourth, Capt. [Charles] Evans came to me and said the Act. Adjt. Tucker had died. Tucker had pushed me on his horse after I was wounded, he having been wounded through the arm. That was the last time I saw him alive. On that same day, the Fourth, they brought his body downstairs in a blanket. They roughly lined his grave with fence palings and buried him beside the Colonel. I as then lying on the bunk, and by lifting my head I could see into the garden. I could not assist in the burial but I could look on. They were holding the body over the grave when the head slipped over the edge of the blanket and the Lieutenant's beautiful, jet black hair dragged over the ground. The thought of his mother and sisters was called up, and surely it cannot be called unmanly that a few tears stole down my cheeks..."<br />
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Works Cited:<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dreese, Michael A. "Ordeal in
the Lutheran Theological Seminary: The Recollections of First Lt.
Jeremiah Hoffman, 142nd Pennsylvania Volunteers." <em><strong>Gettysburg Mag</strong></em> No. 23: pp. 100-10 (11 photocopied pages). E475.53G482no23. Includes info on civilians caring for wounded after battle.</span></span>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-24426211836964963372013-07-02T09:55:00.003-04:002013-07-02T22:17:13.853-04:00Col. Robert P. Cummins The 142nd PA Infantry's original commander, Col. Robert P. Cummins was mortally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg during the first day's fighting on July 1, 1863. He was wounded in the chest as his regiment fell back from an ill-fated charge into the 47th NC on Seminary Ridge. <br />
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Before he was Colonel of the 142nd, Robert Cummins was a captain in the 10th PA Infantry. He gained valuable military experience here, but came back to Somerset, PA when he was elected Sheriff. <br />
The husband and father of seven helped to raise the three Somerset County companies of the 142nd, and in August of 1862 was elected their Colonel. <br />
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When Colonel Cummins heard that there was going to be a battle in Fredericksburg in December 1862, he left his hospital bed in Washington, DC and arrived to lead his regiment moments before they saw their first action. He had horses shot out from under him at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. <br />
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His last recorded words in battle were an exhortation to his men, to encourage them along as their army was getting pushed back and their regiment in particular was getting raked with Confederate artillery. <i><b>"Rally round the flag</b></i>," came the shout from the Colonel. Moments later he caught a minie ball in the chest. <br />
His soldiers did not want to leave him behind, and tried carrying his body off, but each one was shot. Finally, one soldier simply uncuckled his belt, grabbed his sword, and waved it above his head as he ran back to meet his regiment. <br />
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Col. Cummins was captured by the Confederate soldiers and taken to "Old Dorm", the main Lutheran Seminary building that had been turned into the largest field hospital of the battle. The colonel was in considerable pain, but still wanted to be able to sit up and dangle his feet from the bed. At one point, in delirium, he's recorded as shouting out <b><i>"For God's sake men, rally! We can whip them yet!"</i></b><br />
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He died in the Seminary on July 2, 1863 and was buried in the yard. A week or so later his body was exhumed and taken home to Somerset, PA. It arrived on July 11, 1862. The next day, his body laid in a casket draped with an American flag and covered with flowers. The hearse was drawn by two white horses and had a military escort to Union Cemetery. Three volleys were fired in tribute. <br />
Later, his troops raised money for a very large headstone. <br />
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In 1889, the 142nd held a reunion and monument dedication at Gettysburg. The granite cross lists the battles waged by this unit and the carnage felt by it on that battlefield.<br />
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In 2003, descendents of members of the 142nd and their friends raised money and had a monument to Col. Cummins and the 142nd erected in the Colonel's hometown of Somerset, PA. The monument is located by the old jail, which is where Robert Cummin's sheriff office was. <br />
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In 2013, on the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Old Dorm, where Col. Cummins died, was turned into the Seminary Ridge Museum. This new museum tells the story of the first day's battle and of the hopsital that the building became. Col. Cummins played a key role in both of these stories. <br />
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<br />Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-31254094620567271662013-06-30T15:50:00.000-04:002013-06-30T16:44:57.898-04:00150th Anniversary of the Battle of GettysburgIt's finally here. The best known and most discussed battle in the entire American Civil War is now celebrating its sesquicentennial. The small town of Gettysburg, PA is undoubtedly inundated with tourists and battle enthusiasts this week as the nation remembers the turning point of our bloodiest conflict. <br />
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Among this week's festivities is the opening of Gettysburg's newest museum, the <a href="http://www.seminaryridgemuseum.org/">Seminary Ridge Museum</a>, which I've written about before on this site. Seminary Ridge is named for the Lutheran Seminary that sits on the west side of town and around where much of the first day's fighting took place, and it is the location that we will be focusing on today. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schmucker Hall, Lutheran Seminary building with cupola in the background</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>July 1, 1863. The First Day</b> <br />
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This is the most of overlooked of the three days of battle. It does not have the memorable locations, such as Devil's Den or Little Round Top. It does not have the drama and personification of a movement that we see in Pickett's Charge. What it has are the awkward first steps of battle, like a child stumbling a bit before finding his rhythm. What it also has is the bloodiest and costliest day that the 142nd PA Volunteer Infantry would encounter. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAOs4C8HVy1eTBi_O-4JHmPukPwJgJkxN5JSDzhAo0HZc_3bxvINr7wbxICUlXULgGSoqWqT48Du_JcA8pce7cSs5Kldu7Zye7Amo9FXNOPNvD0odUreIgX6N-Y6i0W3SqHZxe252Kt0/s1429/Gettysburg_Campaign+map.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAOs4C8HVy1eTBi_O-4JHmPukPwJgJkxN5JSDzhAo0HZc_3bxvINr7wbxICUlXULgGSoqWqT48Du_JcA8pce7cSs5Kldu7Zye7Amo9FXNOPNvD0odUreIgX6N-Y6i0W3SqHZxe252Kt0/s320/Gettysburg_Campaign+map.png" width="223" /></a>After the battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia started moving northward. They crossed over to the west side of the Blue Ridge mountains to move through the Shenandoah Valley. By the end of June, they had crossed over into Northern territory, and on June 30, elements of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac spotted each other west of the town of Gettysburg. <br />
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Confederate General Heth's infantry forces clashed with Union General Buford's Cavalry forces early in the morning on July 1st, while General John Reynold's Union 1st Corps made their way up from the south. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General John Reynolds</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General John Buford</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The 142nd was part of General Reynolds' 1st Corps, and spent the night just north of the Maryland line. That morning, while most of the Corps got up and hurried their way up the Emittsburg Road toward Gettysburg, the 142nd and the rest of the First Brigade, made its way along the back roads, notably Nunemaker Mill Road, approaching the town further west. <br />
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By the time the 142nd made it to Seminary Ridge around noon, the infantry battle was already in full swing. First Corps commander John Reynolds was killed a little after 10:00 am.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battle map, courtesy of The Civil War Trust</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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For 2 hours in the early afternoon, the 142nd was under a constant barrage of Confederate artillery fire, as well as infantry fire from the 47th and 52nd North Carolina regiments that were in very close range in front of them. Company B's commander, Daniel Wilkins stated that <i><b>"We could almost see the whites of their eyes." </b></i><br />
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Hoping to somehow turn the tide of this battle, First Brigade Commander Col.Chapman Biddle grabbed the 142nd's colors and led a charge against the 47th NC. The charge did not last long and was quickly repelled, sending the 142nd retreating back toward the Seminary building. <br />
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It was during this charge that the 142nd's commanding officer, Col. Robert P. Cummins was mortally wounded. He was captured and taken to the hospital that was set up in Schmucker Hall, the Lutheran Seminary's building. <br />
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The 142nd retreated and ran back through the streets of Gettysburg, to Cemetery Ridge on the other side of town. Co. F's Sergeant-Major, Jacob Zorn described it in his diary this way:<br />
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<b><i>"...unfortunately for us the Rebels come in on our left flank wich forced our line back. back back until at last the Whole Column broke to the Rear in confusion many going right for the City. and the Eleventh Corps retreating through the Streets caused the Streets to be Jamed full of Retreating Soldiers and Artillery and as soon as the Rebels got their Artillery in position they threw Greap and canister through the Streets Just Raking them from one end to the other the men broke out in evry direction through houses and any thing that come in the way. C.P.HEFFLEY & I Scurried up Main St to the upper end of town where we were cut off and had to Surrender..."</i></b><br />
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Sgt-Major Zorn was paroled a month later.<br />
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When the 142nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry arrived on the farm fields of Gettysburg on the morning of July 1, 1863, the regiment numbered 336 officers and men. By the end of the day, they lost 141 men who were either killed or wounded, and another 70 men missing or captured.<br />
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The 142nd reformed on Cemetery Ridge where they remained for the next two days, getting a front seat view to Pickett's Charge on July 3rd. On July 4, the 142nd joined the Union Army in chasing General Lee's army back down across the Mason-Dixon line into Maryland. That same day, General Grant defeated the Confederates at Vicksburg, securing the Mississippi River for the Union army. The momentum of the war, in both the Eastern and Western Theaters, shifted in the Union's favor, and all on the 4th of July. <br />
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Works Cited:<br />
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Croner, Barbara. <i>A Sergeant's Story.</i> 1999. Closson Press, Apollo, PA.<br />
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Downey, James W. <i>A Lethal Tour of Duty.</i> Master's Thesis. Indiana University of Pennsylvania.<br />
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Dreese, Michael A. <i>The Hospital on Seminary Ridge at the Battle of Gettysburg.</i> 2002. McFarland & Company, Jefferson, NC. <br />
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Martin, David G. <i>Gettysburg July 1.</i> 2003. Da Capo Press, Cambridge, MA.<br />
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Warren, Horatio N. <i>Two Reunions of the 142d Regiment, Pa. Vols. </i>1890. The Courier Company, Printers, Buffalo, NY.<br />
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<br />Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-29470181377849926092013-04-15T15:04:00.000-04:002013-04-15T15:04:12.703-04:00Pvt Lotwig Evans, Co. ALotwig Evans was a Welsh miner who immigrated to the United States in 1860. He sailed on the <i>Bridgewater</i> and landed in New York on June 19. While his journey from immigrant to soldier wasn't quite as drastic as the stories about Irish immigrants walking off the boat and into the recruiting office, it wasn't far off either. Lotwig fought with Compay A, 142nd PVI out of Mercer County, PA and was wounded twice during his service time. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Location of Mercer County, PA</td></tr>
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In 1906, at the age of 68, he wrote a letter back to his family in Wales. Of his time as a Civil War soldier in his adopted country, he wrote: <br />
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<i><b>"I was in the Civil War in this country. I was wounded twice. The first was a flesh wound in the left thigh. The second was pretty near the centre of the right leg between the knee and the groin. The bullet, a large one, hit the bone and flattened right out. I carried the bullet in my leg for 20 months and 18 days. I had to undergo a surgical operation. I was put under the influence of chloroform. When the surgeon started to use the knife I could feel it and I knew I was saying something. All at once I lost myself and when I awoke I could taste liquor on my lips and I felt pretty sick. I asked an American fellow (a Yankee) laying on a cot next me if the doctor had given some whiskey and he replied that they had given me liquor of some kind. He said they did not give you enough chloroform and when they started to cut at you, you tried to get up and hit the doctor and you was talking very patriotic in English. Then they put the chloroform to your nostrils again. You then started to curse in French like anything. The fellow thought that I was a Frenchman and I guess I was talking Welsh. Well, I was shot the second time in the first day's fight 1st July 1863 at the great battle of Gettysburg PA. I was taken prisoner in the Lutheran college becuase I could not walk. I was retaken by our men on the morning of 5th July 1863." </b></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lutheran Seminary where Pvt. Evans and the 142nd fought, and where many were captured</td></tr>
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After the war, Lotwig married another Welsh immigrant, Sarah Bingham, and the two moved to Lawrence Township, Stark County, OH, where Lotwig continued mining and became a sheriff's deputy. Lotwig died on 20 April 1922 and is buried in Newman's Creek cemetery. <br />
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A special thanks goes out to Pvt. Evans' great-grandnephew John Jenkins, and to his extended family in Wales, for providing the information and letter about their ancestor. Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-55363118502572703572013-04-05T16:08:00.003-04:002015-11-04T08:31:48.574-05:00Not REALLY about the 142nd...The Hon. Alexander H. CoffrothA few months back I went to see Steven Spielberg's film "Lincoln". I know I'm going to write some things that sound contrary to this, but I had a great time and really enjoyed the film. I loved the feel, the look, and the tone of it. <br />
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None of the historical inaccuracies throughout are particularly important to the central theme of the film. My biggest complaint about the movie is not important to that theme of determination and justice either. My complaint is simply that of a "homer" who doesn't want to see any of Somerset County, PA's native sons shown in an unflattering light. <br />
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The day after I watched the film, in a fit of righteous indignation, I wrote a short essay defending US Rep. Alexander H. Coffroth from what I considered to be an incorrect attack on his reputation. I clicked "save" and said, "There, I feel better now." Realizing that no one else would read it, I filed it and went on with my life. I found it today cleaning off my desktop, and decided that even though Alexander Coffroth was not a member of the 142nd PA Infantry, three companies in that regiment shared the same county home with him, and that I would post it here. <br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexander Hamilton Coffroth (May 18, 1828 – September 2, 1906)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site estimates that as of 2012, over 15,000 different books have been written about Abraham Lincoln. That is an average of almost 150 books a year written about our 16<sup>th</sup> President. Since his death in 1865, President Lincoln has been portrayed in book, film, and stage; by reenactor, and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as a wax figurine. Despite this market saturation, a book entitled “Team of Rivals” by renowned historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin has recently captured the minds and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>imagination of America. Published in 2006, Steven Spielberg has recently brought the book to life in the movie “Lincoln”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The book and movie both focus a lot of time and attention on the arduous task Lincoln had in creating the 13<sup>th</sup> Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States. The world of 1865 was much more nuanced than many popular historians would like us to believe. Just because someone would fight for the preservation of their country did not always translate into that person being an abolitionist. This made the task at hand far more difficult than it would originally seem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The journey to ratify the 13<sup>th</sup> Amendment would take the work of the President, his advisors, and both houses of Congress. It would take political gamesmanship as well as some soul-searching for politicians. “Lincoln” has its own take on this process, and one of the politicians the movie portrays that would be absolutely essential in making slavery illegal was Somerset, PA native Alexander Hamilton Coffroth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeremiah S. Black</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Alexander Coffroth was a Somerset Democrat who was born there in 1828. The son of John and Mary Coffroth, Alexander went to the <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Somerset</st1:city></st1:placetype> public schools, as well as the <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Somerset</st1:placename></st1:place> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Academy</st1:placetype></st1:placename></st1:placetype>. After he was finished with school, Coffroth was the editor of the Somerset Visitor, the Democratic newspaper of the town, before turning his attention to law. He was admitted to the bar in 1851, having studied in the offices of another famous <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Somerset</st1:place></st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype></st1:placename></st1:placetype> native, Jeremiah S. Black. Black became the Attorney-General, and then Secretary of State, under President James Buchanan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p>Alexander lived and practiced law in <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Somerset</st1:place></st1:city></st1:placetype>, and in 1854 married Nora Kimmel, with whom he would have four children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It was during the trying times of civil war that Coffroth decided to get into politics. He was a delegate to the famous 1860 Democratic National Convention in <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Charleston</st1:city></st1:placetype>, <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">SC</st1:state></st1:placetype> that saw the Party split in two along slave and free state lines. The split caused both sides to nominate different Presidential candidates, which made it easier for Abraham Lincoln to be elected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In 1862, <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Somerset</st1:placename></st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype> was part of <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Pennsylvania</st1:state></st1:placetype>’s 16<sup>th</sup> Congressional District, which also included <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bedford</st1:city></st1:placetype>, <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Franklin</st1:city></st1:placetype>, <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Fulton</st1:city></st1:placetype>, and <st1:placetype w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Adams</st1:placename></st1:place> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Counties</st1:placetype></st1:placename></st1:placetype>. Coffroth squeaked out a victory by defeating incumbent Edward McPherson to become the youngest member of the House of Representatives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US Capitol Building under construction in 1861</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">President Lincoln began lobbying for a Constitutional amendment abolishing slavery during the first half of 1864. The Senate passed the bill, but it lost momentum in the House. Alexander Coffroth was one of the many Democrats opposed to this bill. In a speech to the House of Representatives on June 14, 1864, Coffroth stated:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“If slavery is to be abolished, allow it to be done according to the principles of common justice. Allow the people in each State the inalienable right through their legally constituted authorities to control their own domestic institutions in their own way.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A few months later, President Lincoln was reelected and he again pushed ahead for a Constitutional amendment to abolish slavery. But it was also during this election cycle that Coffroth found his political life in limbo. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When the votes were tallied in October of 1864, Coffroth had beaten his opponent, William H. Koontz by a few votes. Koontz thought that it was a little too close and contested it. The race was in fact so close that Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin would not certify the results. Finally, in July 1866, Koontz won the recount and took his seat in Congress. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><b>[I recently ran across a blog called "Battlefield Back Stories" that digs in way deeper and does much more justice to the issue of Coffroth vs. Koontz than I did here. Please check those articles out <a href="http://battlefieldbackstories.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-case-of-coffroth-vs-koontz.html">HERE </a>and <a href="http://battlefieldbackstories.blogspot.com/2012/12/coffroth-vs-koontz-continued.html">HERE </a>]</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p>This period of uncertainty was when Alexander Coffroth changed his mind on the question of amending the Constitution to outlaw slavery. During the January 31, 1865 debate on the subject, Coffroth told the House:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Mr. Speaker, I desire above all things that the Democratic party be again placed in power. The condition of the country needs the wise counsel of the Democracy. The peace and prosperity of this once powerful and happy nation require it to be placed under Democratic rule. The history of the past demonstrates this. The question of slavery has been a fruitful theme for the opponents of the Democracy. It has breathed into existence fanaticism, and feeds it with such meat as to make it ponderous in growth. It must soon be strangled or the nation is lost. I propose to do this by removing from the political arena that which has given it life and strength.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The movie Lincoln tells the story (incorrectly, I believe) that Alexander Coffroth was bullied into changing his position and that he felt compelled to change parties to save his political life, but there is absolutely no evidence that this ever happened. He was a Democrat before he took office. He was a Democrat in Congress. He was Democrat when he was finished in office. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It does seem, though, that he was prepared for his Democratic colleagues and his constituents to be unhappy with his decision. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Many of the honorable gentlemen of this House with whom I am politically associated may condemn me for my action to-day. I assure them I do that only which my conscience sanctions and my sense of duty to my country demands…If by my actions to-day I dig my political grave, I will descend into it without a murmur, knowing that I am justified in my action by a conscientious belief I am doing what will ultimately prove to be a service to my country…”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Coffroth’s vote, along with the few other Democrats that crossed party lines, helped pass the 13<sup>th</sup> Amendment by a count of 119-56, a mere seven votes above the necessary two-thirds majority. His vote garnered the attention of many. After the assassination of President Lincoln in April 1865, Coffroth was chosen from among all the Pennsylvania Congressmen to be the President’s honorary pallbearer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After his removal from office in 1866, Alexander Coffrorth moved back to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Somerset</st1:place></st1:city> and returned to practice law until he was again elected to Congress for one term in 1878, still as a Democrat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">His most famous post-political job was as defense for the Nicely Brothers in their 1889 murder trial. This trial gathered national attention and had such a monopoly on the local newspapers that the great Johnstown Flood of that same year played second fiddle to it. The Nicely brothers, David and Joseph, were later hanged in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Somerset</st1:city></st1:place> for the murder of Herman Umberger. Coffroth teamed up with his 1864 political rival, William H. Koontz for this high profile job. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZFGo4Fz7m4aKKFmJ9znf6SU575SBzVvYloLae3OR9vxUzRKVfMJKdb6AKDLe0ShWv9QkHGfGMTy_hkT1zhzb1qrryAopwBI7P66B5YYC8GYDAEROFaXEThkchcKoo9yw4u0h1F9rFlY/s1600/coffroth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZFGo4Fz7m4aKKFmJ9znf6SU575SBzVvYloLae3OR9vxUzRKVfMJKdb6AKDLe0ShWv9QkHGfGMTy_hkT1zhzb1qrryAopwBI7P66B5YYC8GYDAEROFaXEThkchcKoo9yw4u0h1F9rFlY/s320/coffroth.jpg" width="202" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">At the time of his death at the Markleton Sanitarium on September 2, 1906, Alexander Coffroth was the last living pallbearer from Abraham Lincoln’s funeral. His is a uniquely American story. From his birth in the mountains of southwestern <st1:state w:st="on">Pennsylvania</st1:state>, to studying law under the Attorney General, to amending the United States Constitution so that no one in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place> again suffered the indignity of slavery, Alexander Coffroth took advantage of his opportunities and lived life with a purpose greater than himself. But he always remembered his home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His burial in Somerset’s Union Cemetery ended the story of one of the most interesting, important, and forgotten public servants in Somerset County’s rich history. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Works Cited:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Ancestry.com. <i>The <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Indiana</st1:state></st1:country-region> Democrat (Indiana, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pennsylvania</st1:place></st1:state></st1:country-region>)</i> [database on-line]. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Provo</st1:city></st1:place>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">UT</st1:state></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">USA</st1:country-region></st1:country-region>: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Original data: <i>The Indiana Democrat</i>. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Indiana</st1:state></st1:country-region>, PA, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Database created from microfilm copies of the newspaper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Biographical Review, Vol. XXXII, Containing Life Sketches of Leading Citizens of <st1:city w:st="on">Bedford</st1:city> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Somerset Counties</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Pennsylvania</st1:state></st1:place></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Boston</st1:place></st1:city>, Biographical Review Publishing Company: 1899, pp. 17-21<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Blackburn, E. Howard and Wefley, William H. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, Volume 3.</i> <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>, The Lewis Publishing Company: 1906, pp. 1-7. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Coffroth, A.H. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Speech of Hon. A.H. Coffroth, of Penna., Delivered in the House of Representatives, June 14, 1864.</i> Digitized by Friends of The Lincoln Collection of Indiana, Inc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Congressional Globe, 38<sup>th</sup> Congress, 2<sup>nd</sup> session (January 31, 1865), 524.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Doncaster, Jr, William Trall. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legends from the Frosty Sons of Thunder.</i> White Stone, VA, Brandylane Publishers, Inc: 1999, pp. 63, 65-67.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-34195721558011939612012-12-13T00:00:00.000-05:002012-12-13T00:00:09.177-05:00150th Anniversary of the Battle of Fredericksburg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today marks the 150th Anniversary of the bloody battle of Fredericksburg, VA. Confederate forces held the town, and for two days, Federal forces under the command of General Ambrose Burnside had been building pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock River. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWV0UhdBIl3lIUU6SCLntMjrnwyZ39Fv4e-3AspvU9RQrGQANAtPrTz4gn8xM4VXTy_eznjx5_zEh6u4aVUx0W0CgKfB6u61Z1AVm_5XkHT2u0nE8zDznB848eTy5-1R4zEC46d9GJ4w0/s1600/ambrose-burnside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWV0UhdBIl3lIUU6SCLntMjrnwyZ39Fv4e-3AspvU9RQrGQANAtPrTz4gn8xM4VXTy_eznjx5_zEh6u4aVUx0W0CgKfB6u61Z1AVm_5XkHT2u0nE8zDznB848eTy5-1R4zEC46d9GJ4w0/s320/ambrose-burnside.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General Ambrose Burnside, of facial hair fame.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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As the 142nd PA Infantry waited across the river from their first battle, they were doing so without their commanding officer, Col. Robert P. Cummins, who was sick in the hospital in Washington, DC. They were being commanded by Lt. Col. Alfred B. McCalmont. The regiment was part of a larger group of Pennsylvania units in Gen. John Reynold's First Corps. On the afternoon of Dec. 12, 1862, the 142nd crossed a pontoon bridge near Deep Run Creek, and spent the night on the Fredericksburg side of the river. <br />
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Most scholarship on the battle of Fredericksburg has centered around the Federal assault on the stone wall at the base of Marye's Heights that resulted in the destruction of so many Union troops. The 142nd was not involved in this action however. They were involved in an assault a few miles south of town, on what is now known as the Slaughter Pen Farm. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Battle map of Slaughter Pen Farm action, Dec. 13, 1862. 142nd is part of Magilton's Brigade . PhotoCredit:www.civilwar.org</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The boys woke up on the morning of the 13th knowing that they were going into their first battle. Company F's 1st Sgt. Jacob Zorn wrote extensively about the preparations for battle in his diary:<br />
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<b><i>"At Seven oClock. we moved forward to the Left & front about a half mile when we were ordered to unfling Knapsacks. about this time the Reb Shells began to find us. which excited more than a little. Im sure we dodged when the Shells went high above our head. after unflinging knapsacks we moved forward. crossed. Bowlin green Road about 40 Yards beyond the Road and about twenty Steps in the Rear of our batterys we were ordered to lay down. after lying here Some time Col CUMMINS came riding into the field when least expected as he had been sent away Sick. hearing of the advance of the Army the Col left a Sick bed inorder to get to his Regt in time of nead but when come into the field the Regt gave three hearty cheers."</i></b><br />
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Further north, at Marye's Heights, Federal commanders kept sending wave after wave of troops to assault the stone wall that the Confederate forces used as cover. They never came close to breaking through the Confederate lines. The Slaughter Pen Farm was the only time the Union troops broke through southern lines. Under a helpful cover of dense fog, Federal troops under Gen. George Meade crossed the open fields and the railroad tracks. Sgt. Zorn wrote that <b><i>"...the way the field was raked with Schell and canister is entirely beyond description."</i></b><br />
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The Union breakthrough was short lived, and soon the Federal troops were pushed back by the Confederate artillery batteries on the high ground. The 142nd fell back away from the field of battle to the spot the occupied two days prior.<br />
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Federal losses for the day were high: 12,600 casualties to the Confederates 5,300. The 142nd PVI lost 270 men, killed, wounded, or missing. <br />
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Two days later, they would cross the pontoon bridges and settle in Culpeper, VA for their winter camp as combat veterans. In 1889, at the unit's second reunion, the 142nd's final commander, Col. Horatio N. Warren spoke about his regiment's first battle:<br />
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<i><b>"Here, my comrades, let me say, is where our first genuine experience of war commenced - here is where we passed the first ordeal that was calculated to try men's souls - here is where we heard the first rattle of musketry and knew and realized the leaden missiles, screaming past our ears, coming directly from the muzzles of well-aimed muskets, in the hands of our common enemy, must deal death and destruction to our ranks, and summon many a good friend and comrade to lay his life upon the altar of his country and manfully meet his God."</b></i><br />
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The Union loss at Fredericksburg was but the first faltering step taken by the 142nd PVI. This step would lead to a run that would end in Appomattox Courthouse, VA two and a half years later. <br />
<br />Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-65508437508530385692012-09-30T00:00:00.000-04:002012-10-13T20:59:50.324-04:00Camp A, Frederick, MDIn early October of 1862, the 142nd moved from their position at Ft. Massachusetts, on the outskirts of Washington, DC, to Frederick, MD. Following the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, in September, many of the Union wounded were moved to the hospitals located in this central Maryland city. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aftermath of the Battle of Antietam</td></tr>
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The city of Frederick, MD was a crossroads town during the war. Because of this, they had three Confederate invasions, 38 skirmishes, and two major battles. The Union Army held a permanent general hospital there, but after the 1862 Maryland Campaign, many field hospitals were set up, using churches, businesses, and tents.<br />
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The 142nd was assigned to one of the tent hospitals, named Camp A. On October 2nd, Capt. Albert Heffley wrote: <i><b>"This morn they gave our camp a name. They concluded to call it Camp Allen...To day about 300 wounded arrived, amongst which are some 10 or 12 Rebel prisoners, and 3 or 4 of them are very intelligent, & about as fine a looking set of people as I almost ever saw."</b></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtup6H8Pamk63WoCh2ZGfxtn7jeQ5sfqnv_1eNEbW9bNzKuJF4EO7Qb24pkV9oSiGg_ux7ZaKg7DNizlT7W100Nsi8oRSWsa0hRP_B4XcpubRVNQzKqjAA7-9jb87LFxWYo7pDHcjM7gk/s1600/Notson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtup6H8Pamk63WoCh2ZGfxtn7jeQ5sfqnv_1eNEbW9bNzKuJF4EO7Qb24pkV9oSiGg_ux7ZaKg7DNizlT7W100Nsi8oRSWsa0hRP_B4XcpubRVNQzKqjAA7-9jb87LFxWYo7pDHcjM7gk/s400/Notson.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Notson</td></tr>
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Camp A was the largest of the two tent hospitals in Frederick. It staffed 11 surgeons and assistant surgeons, 2 medical cadets, 4 stewards, 114 male nurses, and 18 cooks, with a patient capacity of 733. <br />
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The 142nd's duties during this time consisted of cooking, nursing, and policing. William Notson was the Surgeon in Charge of Camp A. He did not have kind words for the new recruits of the 142nd, stating that <i><b>"To a perfect laxity of discipline upon the part of their officers may be added the natural inefficiency of the recruit." </b></i><br />
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The regiment spent only a couple weeks in Frederick caring for the wounded. Soon they would march off the Antietam and Harper's Ferry to join the rest of the Army of the Potomac that was massing for another drive into Virginia. <br />
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Works Cited:<br />
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Reimer, Terry. <i>One Vast Hospital: The Civil War Hospital Sites in Frederick, Maryland After Antietam.</i> National Museum of Civil War Medicine, 2001. pp. 94-98.<br />
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Croner, Barbara M. <i>A Sergeant's Story - Civil War Diary of Jacob J. Zorn</i> <i>1862-1865.</i> Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 1999.<br />
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Berlin Area Historical Society. <i>Civil War Diaries of Capt. Albert Heffley and Lt. Cyrus P. Heffley. </i>Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 2000.<br />
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Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-75313136895314100222012-09-16T18:55:00.001-04:002012-09-18T10:12:52.939-04:00Pvt. Jesse H. Critchfield, Co. FToday we meet Jesse Critchfield, a man born and raised in Somerset County, PA. He was born in that rural, hilly country on July 2, 1841 to William and Susannah Critchfield. Jesse grew up on the family farm, and married Rebecca Gessner of Berlin, Somerset County, PA on Dec. 3, 1861.<br />
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Less than two years later, on August 21, 1862, Jesse enlisted in Co. F, 142nd PA Infantry and was mustered into service four days later. Pvt. Critchfield (often misspelled "Scritchfield" in regimental records) saw action in the battles of Fredericksburg, Wilderness, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Laurel Hill, where he was taken prisoner, according to the records kept by his 1st Sergeant, Jacob Zorn. <br />
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Jesse then spent eight months in Andersonville Prison in Georgia. According to his pension records, he made his way back to his regiment March 2, 1865, and mustered out with them in Washington, DC on May 29, 1865.<br />
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After the war, Jesse moved back home and was a schoolteacher in Somerset County until 1881, when he went into the mercantile business. A few years later, Jesse and Rebecca moved to Ellersie, Allegany County, MD where he taught school again, was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, became Assistant Postmaster, and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He and Rebecca also had 7 children.<br />
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In 1902, the 142nd PVI held their 40th reunion in Berlin, PA, and according to the <u>Berlin Record</u>, Jesse was one of the veterans in attendance. Below is a picture of some Co. F veterans from that reunion.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: <u>A Sergeant's Story</u> </td></tr>
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Jesse H. Critchfield passed away on March 13, 1917, and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Cumberland, MD.<br />
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A very big THANK YOU is due to Pvt. Critchfield's great-great grandaugher, Michele Doyle, for sharing all her research into Jesse and his family. Check out her blog at <a href="http://michelefamilyresearch.blogspot.com/">http://michelefamilyresearch.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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Works Cited:<br />
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Croner, Barbara M. <i>A Sergeant's Story - Civil War Diary of Jacob J. Zorn</i> <i>1862-1865.</i> Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 1999.<br />
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Doyle, Michele. "Jesse Critchfield Collection." <br />
<br />Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-25052706756647909322012-09-13T20:52:00.001-04:002012-09-13T20:52:22.716-04:00Lt. John W. Dissinger, Co. KToday's post is about an officer in Luzerne County's Co. K, John Weitzel Dissinger. John enlisted as a Private on Sept. 2, 1862 and moved quickly through the ranks, making Captain on Sept. 21, 1864. According to his obituary from the Dec. 4, 1919 edition of the Lebanon Daily News, John earned the rank of Captain before he was mustered out on May 29, 1865, but the regimental records do not show this. <br />
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His obituary also lists a litany of wounds that Lt. Dissinger received while serving the Union.<br />
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<i><b>"He was wounded at Fredericksburg, Va., Dec. 13, 1862, by a shell fragment in the left knee. Later, in the Wilderness, on May 5, 1864, he was gun shot in both shoulders. At Spotsylvania Court House, on the night of May 9, 1864, he was again gun shot in the right shoulder."</b></i><br />
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After the war, John moved to Lebanon County, PA and lived in Lebanon, where he became a carpenter and an active member in the Hebron United Brethern Church. He and his wife, Louisa, had five children. At the time of his death, John also had 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. <br />
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John Dissinger passed away on Dec. 2, 1919 at home in Lebanon, PA and is buried there beside his wife in Kimmerlings Cemetery.<br />
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<br />Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-11414464446049030992012-08-31T11:21:00.005-04:002012-09-01T09:35:20.131-04:00Fort Stevens, Washington, D.C.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Library of Congress</td></tr>
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Once the 142nd left Camp Curtin in Pennsylvania, the regiment was immediately sent to Ft. Massachusetts, later named Ft. Stevens, just outside of Washington, D.C. This fort was one of many structures surrounding D.C., making it one of the most fortified cities on earth. By the end of the war, there were 68 forts, 93 gun batteries, 20 miles of rifle pits, and 32 miles of military roads around the Capital. <br />
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The regiment was sent to this location, along what was then 7th Street Pike, to help secure the main artery into the city from the North. Their time here did not consist of much drilling. Mostly, they dug rifle pits and cleared trees. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lt. Col. Alfred B. McCalmont <br />
Photo Credit: Dickinson College</td></tr>
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In a letter to his brother John, dated Sept. 9, 1862, Lt. Col. Alfred McCalmont wrote, <b><i>"Our men are all detailed to cut down the woods in front of the fort, and to work on the fortifications."</i></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Capt. Albert Heffley<br />
Photo Credit: Berlin, PA Historical Society</td></tr>
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Capt. Albert Heffley of Co. F records the same in his diary: <b><i>"After breakfast I detailed 50 men from the company to chop trees down about a mile from the Fort, so as to prevent the enemy from planting batteries. I had a great time with the boys. About one half worked exceedingly well, while the other half scarcely earned their salt."</i></b></div>
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It's difficult to imagine the need for cutting down trees around Fort Stevens if you see its 21st Century location. Due to years of urban sprawl, Ft. Stevens is now located in the middle of Washington, DC, completely encroached by development on all sides. In fact, the Civil War Trust, the nation's leader in battlefield preservation, named Fort Stevens as among the most endangered Civil War battlefields in 2010. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Civil War Trust</td></tr>
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After a few weeks in the Nation's Capital, the 142nd left Ft. Stevens and moved to Maryland to help with the sick and wounded from the battles of Antietam and South Mountain. <br />
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Two years later, Fort Stevens would gain fame as being the only location where a sitting President of the United States ever came under direct enemy fire. In July 1864, Confederate General Jubal Early moved northward through Virginia and Maryland, and on July 11 arrived near Silver Spring, MD, just outside of Washington. He sent out skirmishers to test the city's surrounding fortifications. On July 12, President and Mrs. Lincoln came to Fort Stevens to see the action for themselves. After Confederate snipers took a few shots in his direction, the President quickly left for a safer venue.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Wikipedia</td></tr>
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Works Cited:<br />
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United States Departmentt of the Interior brochure. <a href="http://www.civilwartraveler.com/maps/nps/CWDW-Interpretive-Brochure-2010.pdf">http://www.civilwartraveler.com/maps/nps/CWDW-Interpretive-Brochure-2010.pdf</a><br />
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National Park Service Battle Summaries. <a href="http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/dc001.htm">http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/dc001.htm</a><br />
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Civil War Trust. <a href="http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fort-stevens.html">http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fort-stevens.html</a>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-23948254992280178862012-08-22T07:57:00.000-04:002012-08-22T07:57:58.177-04:00150th Anniversary of the 142nd PA Volunteer InfantryThis week marks the sesquicentennial of the formation of 142nd PA Volunteers.<br />
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During the summer of 1862, Union victory in the War Between the States was anything but assured. In fact, until this point it was the Confederate forces who were racking up victory after victory on the battlefield. Federal losses during the Peninsular Campaign in Eastern Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley in West-Central Virginia, and New Orleans and Shiloh in the Western Theater shed a dark shadow across the White House and the Governor's mansions of the Northern states during that spring and summer.<br />
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In response to the military losses suffered by the Federal Army, the Commander in Chief, Abraham Lincoln, made a call for 150,000 additional troops.<br />
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<b><i>To the Governors of the several States: </i></b></div>
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<b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91wgZrwV9bz5txfrMWIIvTRn_IiR42P8XqfsD80moeR1663j8ClWG_hOJANkERjux3jIGPS3VuvdmUHqMPhvM8DIxRyYhRILUMLEl_lC6LklzvIG72O0jpRT09LNcVCt0uPXywQQGmws/s1600/220px-Abraham_Lincoln_November_1863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91wgZrwV9bz5txfrMWIIvTRn_IiR42P8XqfsD80moeR1663j8ClWG_hOJANkERjux3jIGPS3VuvdmUHqMPhvM8DIxRyYhRILUMLEl_lC6LklzvIG72O0jpRT09LNcVCt0uPXywQQGmws/s1600/220px-Abraham_Lincoln_November_1863.jpg" /></a>The capture of New Orleans, Norfolk, and Corinth by the national forces has enabled the insurgents to concentrate a large force at and about Richmond, which place we must take with the least possible delay; in fact, there will soon be no formidable insurgent force except at Richmond. With so large an army there, the enemy can threaten us on the Potomac and elsewhere. Until we have reestablished the national authority, all these places must be held, and we must keep a respectable force in front of Washington. But this, from the diminished strength of our Army, by sickness and casualties, renders an addition to it necessary in order to close the struggle which has been prosecuted for the last three months with energy and success. Rather than hazard the misapprehension of our military condition and of groundless alarm by a call for troops by proclamation, I have deemed it best to address you in this form. To accomplish the object stated we require without delay 150,000 men, including those recently called for by the Secretary of War. Thus reenforced our gallant Army will be enabled to realize the hopes and expectations of the Government and the people. </i></b></div>
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<b><i>ABRAHAM LINCOLN.</i></b></div>
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The 142nd PA was among the hundreds of new regiments that formed across the Union in the summer of 1862 at the urging of the President. <br />
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Pennsylvania's Governor, <b>Andrew Curtin</b>, was among the Union Governors who replied back to President Lincoln:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew Gregg Curtin<br />
(Photo: Camp Curtin Historical Society)</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b>The PRESIDENT:</b></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">The undersigned, governors of States of the Union, impressed with the belief that the citizens of the States which they respectively represent are of one accord in the hearty desire that the recent successes of the Federal arms may be followed up by measures which must insure the speedy restoration of the Union, and believing that, in view of the present state of the important military movements now in progress and the reduced condition of our effective forces in the field, resulting from the usual and unavoidable casualties in the service, the time has arrived for prompt and vigorous measures to be adopted by the people in support of the great interests committed to your charge, respectfully request, if it meets with your entire approval, that you at once call upon the several States for such number of men as may be required to fill up all military organizations now in the field, and add to the armies heretofore organized such additional number of men as may, in your judgment, be necessary to garrison and hold all the numerous cities and military positions that have been captured by our armies, and to speedily crush the rebellion that still exists in several of the Southern States, thus practically restoring to the civilized world our great and good Government. All believe that the decisive moment is near at hand, and to that end the people of the United States are desirous </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">to aid promptly in furnishing all reenforcements that you may deem needful to sustain our Government.</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Andrew Gregg Curtin was the wartime Governor of Pennsylvania, serving as Republican from 1861-1867. The Bellefonte, PA native became an ally of President Linoln's in the war effort and was excellent at being able to secure funding and troops to protect his state from the Confederate troops sneaking back and forth across his southern border. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of Gov. Curtin on one of the corners of the Pennsylvania State Monument at Gettysburg National Military Park<br />
Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/PA/PaMon.php">http://www.gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/PA/PaMon.php</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Curtin came from a political family and was a lawyer before entering the political arena himself. After the war, he became Minister to Russia, a Democratic US Congressman, and was a member of the Committee on Foriegn Affairs and the Committee on Banking and Currency. <br /><br />After his time in Congress, Curtin resumed his law practiced until his death in 1894. He is buried in Union Cemetery in his hometown of Bellefonte. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> ---------------------------------------------------<br /><br />The men of the 142nd were mustered into service at Camp Curtin, an army camp near Harrisburg, PA. Camp Curtin was established soon after Ft. Sumter was fired upon, when men throughout Pennsylvania converged on the state capital to volunteer their services. At that time, Governor Curtin ordered his state militia commander to seize the grounds of the Dauphin County Agricultural Society. Although it was supposed to be named "Camp Union", when the Camp was opened on April 18, 1861, Maj. Joseph Knipe changed the name to honor the State's Governor. Over the course of the War, over 300,000 troops passed through Camp Curtin, making it the largest Federal camp. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Even though the camp trained such large numbers of soldiers, at least two Somerset County men from Co. F were less than impressed with their short stay. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In his Saturday, August 23, 1862 diary entry, 1st Sgt Jacob Zorn wrote that <i><b>"Camp Curtin (on as windy as day as this) is one of the dirtiest and dustiest places Ive ever Been theres no end to dust" (sic)</b></i></span></div>
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The next day's entry is no better: <b>"<i>Gov. CURTIN passed through Camp today and plenty of women visiting. but most of them are in my opinion doubtful characters" (sic)</i></b><br />
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Capt. Albert Heffley only briefly mentions Camp Curtin in passing, after the regiment has already been moved to Washington, DC. <b><i>"Camp Curtin is a very dirty place. The boys did not like it there a bit."</i></b><br />
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Though they might not have enjoyed their time at Camp Curtin, it was the launching pad for the 142nd PVI. It is where they came together, elected officers, and received their gear to get them through the next four years of bloody and dirty conflict. This would be the most peaceful time of their military service. In only a few shorts months, bullets and cannonballs would do what they do in all wars: steal young men from their friends and family far too early. <br />
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Works Cited: </div>
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<span class="ver10">Abraham Lincoln: </span><span class="ver10">"Executive Order - Call for Troops," June 30, 1862. </span><span class="ver10">Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, <i>The American Presidency Project</i>. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=69810.</span><br />
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Berlin Area (PA) Historical Society. <i>Civil War Diaries of Capt. Albert Heffley and Lt. Cyrus P. Heffley. </i>Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 2000. <br />
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Camp Curtin Historical Society and Civil War Roundtable.<i> History of Camp Curtin</i>.<br />
http://www.campcurtin.org/id5.html<br />
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Croner, Barbara M. <i>A Sergeant's Story - Civil War Diary of Jacob J. Zorn</i> <i>1862-1865.</i> Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 1999.<br />
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"Curtin, Andrew Gregg." Online by Tara L. Belcher and Lindley Homol, <i>Pennsylvania Center for the Book</i>. http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Curtin__Andrew_Gregg.html </div>
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Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-182778380710147602012-08-04T07:28:00.000-04:002012-08-04T07:29:42.109-04:00Pvt. Andrew Jackson RoseAndrew "Jackson" Rose was born in 1838 to Silvester and Sophia (Smith) Rose. In 1858, at the age of twenty, Jackson married Susanna Minerd at the Bethel Methodist Church above Paddytown in Upper Turkeyfoot Twp, Somerset County, PA, by Rev. Benjamin Price. The couple would go on to have seven children.<br />
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In August of 1862, Jackson joined his brother-in-law Martin Miner and cousin-in-law Ephraim Miner in the 142nd, and enlisted in Co. C.<br />
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The 142nd saw significant action on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. Pvt. Rose was among the Union soldiers wounded and taken prisoner from the battlefield. Jackson's right arm was amputated below the elbow due to the seriousness of his gunshot wound there. Pvt. Rose would later be exchanged and spend time in an Army hospital in Philadelphia before he went home.<br />
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A year after he returned to his home in Kingwood, Somerset County, Jackson, Susanna, and family moved to Fayette County, PA, where he worked as a farmer and a lay preacher, among other jobs.<br />
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Andrew Jackson Rose passed away on Apr 4, 1897 after suffering from lung and heart problems. Visiting at his deathbed was his brother-in-law and Co. C comrade Martin Miner. Pvt. Rose is buried in Normalville Cemetery, Fayette County, PA.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0DgJ_LCLpktRCmr6LakRifPzN2VZnW9mQ5QHxf8jkRY_igylQeEeuLvfXqh7DRpsvuNM8geYcaHCc_XljmloLtifRHMiHkrzNmJy0hupU_NyTS_us9QVLLmM85x1J3XWX7vBwb-ZjAM/s1600/Rose,+Andrew+Jackson;+Normalville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0DgJ_LCLpktRCmr6LakRifPzN2VZnW9mQ5QHxf8jkRY_igylQeEeuLvfXqh7DRpsvuNM8geYcaHCc_XljmloLtifRHMiHkrzNmJy0hupU_NyTS_us9QVLLmM85x1J3XWX7vBwb-ZjAM/s320/Rose,+Andrew+Jackson;+Normalville.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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All pictures and info courtesy of Mark Miner. A much more robust biography of Pvt. Rose and his wife, Susanna can be found at Mark's extensive family website, <a href="http://www.minerd.com/" target="_blank"><b>minerd.com </b></a><br />
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<br />Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-57395815464185832482012-05-29T17:44:00.002-04:002012-05-29T17:45:20.635-04:00Pvt. Lloyd Johnston, Co. HLloyd Johnston was born on his family farm near Vanderbilt, Fayette County, PA on Jan 31, 1838 to Anthony and Sarah (Argo) Johnston. <br />
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Lloyd was married to Catherine Cunningham in 1859, and the 1860 Federal Census lists his occupation as "Sugar Maker". Lloyd joined Co. H 142nd PVI later than many of his comrades. He mustered in in March of 1864 and was discharged in February of 1865. <br />
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After his discharge, Lloyd moved back home, where his wife passed away in 1874. Lloyd was remarried to Kate (Edna) Johnston sometime before 1880, as she is listed as his wife in the 1880 Federal Census. <br />
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Lloyd was involved in several occupations, but they all seemed to center around finance. A Fayette County history refers to a firm known as "Johnston and Norris," and there is also a reference to Lloyd Johnston, "a retired capitalist", and he was a director of the New Haven National Bank.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1PW_IGSzmvy64mDDIQ_94joZHEAjXLSr22b48WW1t8Y14alBRdmVhvpIJOtefG4qJJ0cWXFQ3AmARpMmw-w-3j6bobcHVCWu8y4d9T6DjfojFBRn1R122CMBrL8DrZ7gHNc2lc56M4g/s1600/Johnston,+Lloyd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1PW_IGSzmvy64mDDIQ_94joZHEAjXLSr22b48WW1t8Y14alBRdmVhvpIJOtefG4qJJ0cWXFQ3AmARpMmw-w-3j6bobcHVCWu8y4d9T6DjfojFBRn1R122CMBrL8DrZ7gHNc2lc56M4g/s640/Johnston,+Lloyd.jpg" width="388" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture of Lloyd Johnston, a daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandson from 1915</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Lloyd Johnston passed away on Jan. 7, 1920 in Connellsville, PA and is buried in that city in Hill Grove Cemetery.<br />
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A big THANK YOU to Bruce Smith, Pvt Johnston's GG-Grandson,, for providing the picture and information on his Civil War ancestor.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-16083705503168041182012-05-29T09:53:00.000-04:002012-05-29T17:45:27.597-04:00Pvt. Daniel Heckman, Co. FDaniel Heckman was born on April 10, 1843 in Somerset County, PA to John and Sarah (Sarver) Heckman. According the 1860 Federal Census of Alleghany Township, Daniel was a farm laborer on his family's farm and was the oldest of ten children.<br />
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Like many of his comrades in Company F, Daniel enlisted on August 21 and was mustered into the Army on August 25, 1862. During the regiment's first combat action at Fredericksburg, VA, Pvt. Heckman was shot in his torso. The bullet went through his left lung and exited his body on his right side. The next several months were spent at Finley Hospital in Washington, DC. He was discharged from the service on a Surgeon's Certificate on March 9, 1863. </div>
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In 1865, Daniel moved to Dixon, IL, where he lived until his death on March 9, 1904. He is buried beside his wife, Mary Ann (Kelley) Heckman in Mt. Union Cemetery, Dixon, IL. </div>
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A very special THANK YOU to Chris Krug, Pvt Heckman's GGG-Grandson, for providing the details of Daniel's service and wounding. </div>
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<br /></div>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-19731244049303370352012-04-11T07:33:00.000-04:002012-04-11T07:33:45.595-04:00Sgt. Noah Koontz, Co. DNoah Koontz was born October 30, 1842 in Shade Twp, Somerset County, PA. He was one of thirteen children born to Henry and Mary (Sell) Koontz. Noah grew up on his family farm in Shade Twp, and joined Co. D 142nd PA Infantry as a Private on August 22, 1862. <br />
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Koontz was promoted to Corporal on March 12, 1863, and was wounded in the hip at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. He recovered and returned to his company, and was again wounded at the Battle of Spottsylvania in September of 1864. A few weeks later, on Nov. 1, 1864, Noah was promoted to Sergeant. He was mustered out with his regiment at the end of the War on May 29, 1865 after the Grand Review in Washington, DC. <br />
After he was he left army life, Noah moved back home, was married in October of 1865, and began working as a farmer. In 1886, Noah and his wife Margaret moved to Johnstown, Cambria County, PA. The Johnstown Flood of 1889 forced them to move to the Moxham neighborhood of Johnstown, which is relatively flood-free. According to his obituary in the Johnstown <em>Tribune</em> from January 25, 1916, Koontz had worked as a teamster and had also helped build the Somerset and Cambria branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Left to Right: Daughter Abiah (Koontz) Horner, Sgt. Koontz, Granddaughter Elsie Horner, and Mother Mary (Sell) Koontz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>When Noah passed away in 1916, he left behind a wife and seven children. He is buried in Grandview Cemetery, Johnstown, PA. <br />
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</div>Recently, some letters have been found in Schmucker Hall on the Lutheran Theological Seminary campus in Gettysburg, PA. These letters were written to George Dull, one of Noah Koontz's Company D comrades. No letters to Koontz were found, but an envelope with his name on it was found in the same area. <a href="http://www.dailyamerican.com/da-ot-letter-to-civil-war-soldier-found-20120330,0,6261639.story" target="_blank">You can read about this story here</a>. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thank you to Braxton Berkey with the Johnstown Area Heritage Association for information on Sgt. Koontz's life!</div>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-59440921099687973482012-03-31T07:18:00.000-04:002012-03-31T07:18:58.042-04:00Pvt. George Dull, Co. DNot much is known about Pvt. George Dull's life, but a recently discovered letter in "Old Dorm", or Schmucker Hall, at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg has made some people take notice of him. <br />
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Follow <a href="http://www.dailyamerican.com/da-ot-letter-to-civil-war-soldier-found-20120330,0,6261639.story" target="_blank">THIS LINK</a> to read Vicki Rock's story in the Somerset (PA) <em>Daily American </em>about the discovery of Pvt. Dull's letter and what is known about his life. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Dull's tombstone from Mt. Hope Cemetery, Ellis, KS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-12753675439111407802012-03-30T10:31:00.006-04:002012-03-30T10:36:10.590-04:00Making News, 150 Years LaterConstruction crews have recently been doing some renovation work to Schmucker Hall on the campus of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg. The work will turn the old classroom building into to an interpretive museum. "Old Dorm" is a well known landmark, where Union generals overlooked the first day's battle from its tall cupola and was later used as a field hospital. The commanding officer of the 142nd, Col. Robert P. Cummins died from his wounds there. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schmucker Hall, located behind the 142nd PVI Monument</td></tr>
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Renovations to 19th Century buildings are never easy, but what construction crews found suprised even them. Among the items found in the walls was a letter from George Dull of Co. D 142nd PVI. Click on the article below to read more: <br />
<a href="http://www.eveningsun.com/localnews/ci_20157057/trove-relics-discovered-gettysburg-seminary">http://www.eveningsun.com/localnews/ci_20157057/trove-relics-discovered-gettysburg-seminary</a>#<br />
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Thanks to Linda Marker for passing this article along!Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-59515847501885788932012-02-13T17:58:00.003-05:002012-02-14T20:36:40.644-05:00Pvt. Gillian Miller, Co. CGillian Miller, the eldest son of Jacob and Elizabeth Miller, was born in Rockwood, Somerset County, PA in 1841. Jacob worked as a farmer, and he and his wife were the parents of 12.<br />
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On August 25, 1862, Gillian was mustered into military service at Camp Curtin, outside of Harrisburg, PA when he joined Co. C 142nd PA Infantry. He was also one of the fortunate ones who made it through the entire war physically unharmed. He was mustered out with his company on May 29, 1865.<br />
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After the war, Gillian moved back home and started his own life as a farmer. He was married to his wife Mary in 1867, and the couple would eventually have six children. A family photo is seen below.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUsfH1lIgWZWU-0k8MbSVsXAKHKEwRyEoCQPud0D5yWnH6cYCdJyoByatIc6EcRExV1eXqq0tXtYxDV5RZTf5rLVk20juXD07B3j25LTRCQBsvHFJVu_VipPV863f8cmHPEqgs8EY2yk/s1600/Miller%252C+Gillian+Family.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUsfH1lIgWZWU-0k8MbSVsXAKHKEwRyEoCQPud0D5yWnH6cYCdJyoByatIc6EcRExV1eXqq0tXtYxDV5RZTf5rLVk20juXD07B3j25LTRCQBsvHFJVu_VipPV863f8cmHPEqgs8EY2yk/s320/Miller%252C+Gillian+Family.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front row: Anna (Miller) Atchison, Mary Miller, Gillian Miller, William Miller<br />
Back row: Ed Miller, James Miller, George H. Miller, Laura (Miller) Weimer<br />
Photo: Down the Road of Our Past Book III by Rockwood Area Historical & Genealogical Society</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The 142nd held a 40th Anniversary reunion in Berlin, Somerset County, PA in September of 1902. According to the <u>Berlin Record</u>, Gillian Miller was one of the attendees. <br />
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Gillian Miller passed away in 1926 and his buried beside his wife in Hauger Church Cemetery, Black Twp, Somerset County, PA.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVNxkQBUGCcnnrHltBOHxUVxHMJgppyhv1YDxqlNzxuTLSAUzkuJWW6xpkzxyKsTCzoQ8URi2npBfB9I4rUQltusLI0OJh_TXll3dO9aWDuVAt03U6cnDVPsr3Lmg8eRs5x1No-Ks2EU/s1600/Miller,+Gillian;+Hauger+Church+Black+Twp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVNxkQBUGCcnnrHltBOHxUVxHMJgppyhv1YDxqlNzxuTLSAUzkuJWW6xpkzxyKsTCzoQ8URi2npBfB9I4rUQltusLI0OJh_TXll3dO9aWDuVAt03U6cnDVPsr3Lmg8eRs5x1No-Ks2EU/s400/Miller,+Gillian;+Hauger+Church+Black+Twp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-90953532569512243692012-02-13T17:32:00.000-05:002012-02-13T17:32:00.075-05:00Pvt. Perry Lee, Co. CPerry Lee was born around 1846 in Pennsylvania. During the 1850 census, he and four other Lee children between the ages of 1 and 17 were living with Andrew and Sarah Growall in Milford Twp, Somerset County, PA. What happened to their parents is unknown.<br />
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On August 26, 1862, at the age of the 16, Perry Lee was mustered into Co. C 142nd PA Infantry.<br />
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During the 1864 Overland Campaign, the 142nd was in a hotly contested battle at Laurel Ridge, just outside of Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA. Pvt. Lee was severely wounded in his right leg during this fighting and had the leg amputated on May 12, 1864. He survived two weeks after the amputation and passed away on May 27, 1864 from his battle wounds.<br />
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Lee was laid to rest at the new Arlington National Cemetery, just across the Potomac from Washington.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm25xhNQBtDN1_0RNJRo7t-Cqbgf_LaZH6gHFTEEmAiMhBxZEleWKLokwFEeFUEyv2Q_QByv14hrR2sg_PV2S9KyROHCh_JDbanfhXpx9y4t9VlvoStAzjUOLsenP3OyRqdspgeq5gqPA/s1600/Lee,+Perry;+Arlington+Nat%27l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm25xhNQBtDN1_0RNJRo7t-Cqbgf_LaZH6gHFTEEmAiMhBxZEleWKLokwFEeFUEyv2Q_QByv14hrR2sg_PV2S9KyROHCh_JDbanfhXpx9y4t9VlvoStAzjUOLsenP3OyRqdspgeq5gqPA/s400/Lee,+Perry;+Arlington+Nat%27l.jpg" width="351" /></a></div>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-33696775229221988222012-02-13T17:04:00.000-05:002012-02-13T17:04:44.126-05:00Pvt. John Hoover, Co. CJohn Hoover was born in 1844 in Milford Twp, Somerset County, PA to Samuel and Martha Hoover. According to the 1850 Federal Census, Samuel provided for his family by working as a sawyer, or someone who saws wood in the logging industry.<br />
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John was mustered into the Army of the Potomac on August 25, 1862 when he joined Co. C 142nd PA Infantry. During Gen. Grant's first campaign as Commander of all Federal Forces, Pvt. Hoover was wounded at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5, 1864. He was discharged from the service by General Order on June 2, 1865. <br />
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After the war, John and his wife Harriet moved west and settled in Kansas. John Hoover lived to be one hundred years old when he passed away in 1944. He and Harriet are buried together in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglROz4kzl5gs5S_n_sr8cS4xoyHAYB4wI74fCCe3l70iZ6e6htj8OiWvq4l_IelY7sp-Z6OYxd9z0co58_x4MbG9sFENSy8OG9J-gyV11MwM23PSkTGVR1A9qvYwMdVRr-DVVitoaCllA/s1600/Hoover,+John1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglROz4kzl5gs5S_n_sr8cS4xoyHAYB4wI74fCCe3l70iZ6e6htj8OiWvq4l_IelY7sp-Z6OYxd9z0co58_x4MbG9sFENSy8OG9J-gyV11MwM23PSkTGVR1A9qvYwMdVRr-DVVitoaCllA/s400/Hoover,+John1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwd-hCzLIxGRzHvTXjXiAi8FYoRHsTwFXnmp5V6-ZrjdVgk6C0XDK-_YNQ4rk4eXm8RfaruH6-elpwgQj8kiTFxU8QZVuQFrE0h0Vh9q7vluyMxgfdn4CV5V1AwE1-TahVWhIRCvDXcWk/s1600/Hoover,+John2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwd-hCzLIxGRzHvTXjXiAi8FYoRHsTwFXnmp5V6-ZrjdVgk6C0XDK-_YNQ4rk4eXm8RfaruH6-elpwgQj8kiTFxU8QZVuQFrE0h0Vh9q7vluyMxgfdn4CV5V1AwE1-TahVWhIRCvDXcWk/s400/Hoover,+John2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-29082390450333745532011-11-08T10:20:00.002-05:002011-11-08T10:34:07.727-05:00Go west, young man!In the years after the American Civil War, there was a westward expansion like our country had never seen. People picked up and moved west for many reasons: increased population growth in the East, increased financial opportunities in the west, and to seek their fortunes on the frontier. The residents of Somerset County, PA were no different. <br />
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The town of Dixon, IL became home for many Somerset County expatriates, including several former members of the 142nd PVI. It seems like it was perfect location for anyone trying to make it as a farmer. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqd0mbFmYB2_BOnb4Oeg_4OKQZtTkwl7XBbpigHnfX6R9RX_xH7BqUsszZOYISJMDWUzzA4gxG32qLxjgJnEJFt6JVz5iJBtvbz0wz6FLP91W7EKeZoG3cVD0icO_SnvPJCNnTpMBdfQ/s1600/Dixon_Memorial_Arch1_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqd0mbFmYB2_BOnb4Oeg_4OKQZtTkwl7XBbpigHnfX6R9RX_xH7BqUsszZOYISJMDWUzzA4gxG32qLxjgJnEJFt6JVz5iJBtvbz0wz6FLP91W7EKeZoG3cVD0icO_SnvPJCNnTpMBdfQ/s400/Dixon_Memorial_Arch1_m.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dixon, IL arch. Originally built as a World War I memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
According to the 1872 Lee County Plat Book,"South Dixon County ranked as one of the first in agricultural wealth. There were about 19,000 acres under cultivation, with a population of 900. The land for the most part is rolling prairie, well watered and fenced, and under a high state of cultivation. The building improvements are good. The Illinois Central Railroad passes through the township, north and south. Eldona is on this line and furnishes a small market for the citizens, but the mass of the inhabitants do their trading and marketing at Dixon, which is one of the finest markets on this line of rail road. Corn and wheat are the primary crops and livestock raised is mostly hogs, sheep and cattle."<br />
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<strong><a href="http://142ndpainfantry.blogspot.com/2011/10/pvt-aaron-hartman-co-c.html">Aaron Hartman</a></strong> was a member of Co. C. He and Harriet Elizabeth Young were married in Dixon and had a son Albert before the couple was divorced. Although Aaron left Dixon, son Albert is buried in Emanuel (Heckman) Cemetery. <br />
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Brothers <strong><a href="http://142ndpainfantry.blogspot.com/2011/10/pvt-charles-i-will-co-f.html">Charles I. Will</a> </strong>and <strong><a href="http://142ndpainfantry.blogspot.com/2011/10/pvt-george-will-co-f.html">George A. Will</a> </strong>fought with Co. F. Their family moved to Dixon a few months after the war was over. Charles ended up farming his wife's family's land, while George later moved to Nebraska. <br />
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<strong>Elias Caton</strong> was another member of Co. F 142nd PVI. He was friends with the Will family, and after Elias was killed in action at Fredericksburg, VA, his sons Emanuel and William stayed with the Wills. When the Wills moved to Illinois, the Caton boys went with them. <br />
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<strong>Daniel Heckman</strong> fought with Co. F and moved to Dixon, IL in 1865 with his wife Mary. He is buried in Mt. Union Cemetery. <br />
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<strong>Henry Ware</strong>, another member of Co F, moved to Ogle County, IL in 1867 where he was a farmer. He then moved to another farm in Nachusa Twp, Lee County, and finally to Dixon when he retired around 1904. Henry passed away in 1932 and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-55496091491036325562011-10-27T16:03:00.000-04:002011-10-27T16:03:06.767-04:00Pvt. George A. Will, Co. F<div class="PastMessages">George Alexander Will was born on Dec 9, 1842 in Somerset County, PA to Hiram and Keziah (Meese) Will. By age 16, he was working in his father's sawmill, but the summer of 1862 brought a call for more troops by President Lincoln. George and his brother <a href="http://142ndpainfantry.blogspot.com/2011/10/pvt-charles-i-will-co-f.html">Charles</a> both joined Co. F 142nd PA Infantry. <div class="CurrentMessage"><div class="closeMessage" id="msgS_20651149"> </div><div class="closeMessage">Pvt. Will was wounded in the ankle at the Battle of Fredericksburg on Dec 13, 1862 and was in the hospital for six months. After he was discharged from the hospital, he was transferred to Company D, 18th Regiment Veteran Reserve Corps on August 15, 1863. He was then discharged by General Order on June 29, 1865</div><div class="closeMessage"> </div><div class="closeMessage">After the end of the war, the Will family moved to Dixon, Lee County, IL. George stayed there farming with his father and brother until 1871 when he moved to Saunders County, NE. According to <em>Past and Present of Saunders County Nebraska, Vol II</em> , "He homesteaded eighty acres, to which he subsequently added a similar tract by buying railroad land and for forty-six years he concentrated his energies upon the operation of his farm, being assisted by his sons when they became old enough. As the years passed his capital increased and in 1907, feeling that he had accumulated a competence, he retired from active life." George was also an active member of the Bob McCook G.A.R. Post in Ashland, NE. </div><div class="closeMessage"> </div><div class="closeMessage">Will was married on July 1, 1869 in El Paso, IL to Frances Kurr, a native of Dixon, IL. The couple had four children, three of whom lived to adulthood.</div><div class="closeMessage"> </div><div class="closeMessage">George A. Will passed away in 1921 and is was laid to rest beside his wife in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Lancaster County, NE. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhFp7uY2XnqVwBZ4gnCibL1L_0gB3TAq0oiXlMyc9Cz3wQzqZbfnY0iuXMOk3_fy_-2jAhDkUT3wJoksmltDFt3553MZfW82_89IMrhxrh-tRZD-iiLXFa1umJsqAp8t41DVOmebYa3A/s1600/Will%252C+George+A%253B+Co+F%253B+Cedar+Hill%252C+Lancaster+Co%252C+NE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhFp7uY2XnqVwBZ4gnCibL1L_0gB3TAq0oiXlMyc9Cz3wQzqZbfnY0iuXMOk3_fy_-2jAhDkUT3wJoksmltDFt3553MZfW82_89IMrhxrh-tRZD-iiLXFa1umJsqAp8t41DVOmebYa3A/s400/Will%252C+George+A%253B+Co+F%253B+Cedar+Hill%252C+Lancaster+Co%252C+NE.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="closeMessage"><br />
A big THANK YOU to Heather Heikkila for a wealth of information on the Will family!</div></div></div>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-70040752720622589012011-10-27T15:04:00.000-04:002011-10-27T15:04:30.632-04:00Pvt. Aaron Hartman, Co. CAaron P. Hartman was born March 16, 1841 in Pennsylvania to John and Anna Margaretha (Krissinger) Hartman. John died early on in Aaron's life, and he was raised by his mother in the Berlin, Somerset County, PA area and by the time of the 1860 Federal Census was living in the county seat of Somerset, working as a blacksmithing apprentice. <br />
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Hartman was mustered into Co. C 142nd PA Infantry on Aug 25, 1862 and mustered out with his company on May 29, 1865 in Washington, DC. <br />
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After the war, like many other Americans, Aaron moved back home before heading out west. The Census of 1870 shows Hartman living in Berlin, PA, but he did not stay for long. In 1871, Hartman moved to Lee County, IL. There, on January 2, 1871 he married Harriet Elizabeth (Young) Hartman, with whom he had a son, Albert Welsey. The couple divorced and Aaron moved to Kansas. <br />
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By 1880, he had remarried, and his new wife Mary and stepson Henry Finch were living in Great Bend, Barton County, KS. Five years later, the three are living in Caldwell, Sumner County, KS. <br />
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Aaron Hartman died on March 28, 1892 and was laid to rest under a government headstone in Caldwell Cemetery, Caldwell, KS. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyROcOTPRzRu6Pxx8W5N8UPQpxRwpJhutLsUNkhjenfz2SOJrxK_WLum-u8Gfp_IQ6HkTy8ZfPYYwvftgwmJcTz39LcgwSuCt49hAd6J-Ym1rEpfqYCWoaYOrgr4OBOO33SXnktQRXt8/s1600/Hartman%252C+Aaron%253B+Caldwell+Cem+Sumner+Coun%252C+KS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyROcOTPRzRu6Pxx8W5N8UPQpxRwpJhutLsUNkhjenfz2SOJrxK_WLum-u8Gfp_IQ6HkTy8ZfPYYwvftgwmJcTz39LcgwSuCt49hAd6J-Ym1rEpfqYCWoaYOrgr4OBOO33SXnktQRXt8/s400/Hartman%252C+Aaron%253B+Caldwell+Cem+Sumner+Coun%252C+KS.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Much of the information provided by "Portrait and biographical album of Sumner County, KS" by Chapman Brothers and from Aaron Hartman's great-great granddaughter Heather Heikkila.</div>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6778115452975757563.post-33763395713415963022011-10-20T14:14:00.001-04:002011-10-26T10:45:10.903-04:00Pvt. Charles I. Will, Co. FCharles Irwin Will was born in Northampton Twp, Somerset County, PA to Hiram and Kezia (Meese) Will on Aug 15, 1845. <br />
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He and his brother George joined Co. F 142nd PA Infantry in August of 1862, mustering into service on August 25th at Camp Curtin, near Harrisburg, PA. He was wounded in the neck at the Battle of Hatcher's Run in February 1865. Pvt. Will recovered quickly from his wound and was back with his unit in six weeks. He was mustered out with his company on May 29, 1865. <br />
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After the war ended, the Will family moved westward to Dixon, Lee County, IL, a place where several Somerset County families had immigrated and started farms. The Will family was no different, and in 1877, Charles left his father's land, and began farming his wife's home farm. <br />
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Charles was married to Mary E. Mossholder on that farm, and the couple had three children: Ida, Martha, and Ralph. <br />
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Charles Will passed away in 1925 and is buried with his wife, son, and parents in Emanuel (Heckman) Cemetery in Dixon, IL. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8FULLF2bxF9zG6Rtxd_8MOCN6gSAQpoiJt5dK__xnMsg6YN99PqUVhJz0B0-qC8K0dnzrFHFNfRmMs6JXf7aFYboPCLs0QmJQ1MoV_TreKKKRQaviAf3_vWE_xYr6DfUlXjOqo3IIz8/s1600/Will%252C+Charles%253B+Emanuel+%2528Heckman%2529+Cem%252C+Dixon%252C+Lee+County%252C+IL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8FULLF2bxF9zG6Rtxd_8MOCN6gSAQpoiJt5dK__xnMsg6YN99PqUVhJz0B0-qC8K0dnzrFHFNfRmMs6JXf7aFYboPCLs0QmJQ1MoV_TreKKKRQaviAf3_vWE_xYr6DfUlXjOqo3IIz8/s400/Will%252C+Charles%253B+Emanuel+%2528Heckman%2529+Cem%252C+Dixon%252C+Lee+County%252C+IL.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A very special THANK YOU to Heather Heikkila, great-great granddaughter of Charles Will for supplying invaluable amounts of information on her 142nd ancestors! </div>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04708899230587662395noreply@blogger.com0