Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on November 6, 2019

The name W. H. Meck appears on a 1866 petition supporting the white supremacist views of Heister Clymer in his bid to become Governor of Pennsylvania.

During the Civil War, William H. Meck served in the 192nd Pennsylvania Infantry, Company H, as a Private, from 21 March 1865 to 24 August 1865, when he received an honorable discharge. The Pension Index Card, shown above from Fold3, indicates that Meck did not apply for a pension, but his widow did apply. The notation at the bottom of the card states that the widow’s application, along with a minor’s application was filed together with the application of David Culp, who served in the 184th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company B. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the widow, whose given name has been determined to be Catherine, was first married to David Culp, and with him had at least one minor child.

The card shown above from Ancestry.com, indicates that on 26 September 1864, the widow Catherine Culp first applied for a pension, which she received, and that on 31 January 1878, she applied for benefits for the minor child or children of David Culp, which she received, but she applied as Catherine Meck, guardian. Military records for David Culp, or Kulp as he is sometimes referred to, note that he was declared missing in action at Petersburg, Virginia, on 22 June 1865. This information is obviously in error as the war was concluded at that point. The date when he was declared missing was probably 22 June 1864.

Thus, it can be concluded that the widow Catherine Culp, married veteran William H. Meck, and therefore lost her pension based on the service of Davis Kulp.

William H. Meck apparently died before 8 December 1890, as that is the date that Catherine Meck applied for a widow’s pension.

According to the Registers of Pennsylvania Volunteers, David Culp was 20 years old when he enrolled in the 184th Pennsylvania Infantry.

There is also a William H. Meck who served in the 36th Pennsylvania Infantry (Emergency of 1863), Company C, as a Private. This same William H. Meck was previously mentioned on this blog in a post about the Gratztown Militia. There is no evidence that this is the same person as the one who served in the 192nd Pennsylvania Infantry .

The William H. Meck who served in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, as a Private, is definitely not the same William H. Meck since the dates of service overlap the dates in the 192nd Pennsylvania Infantry . That William H. Meck died on 28 September 1927 in Schuylkill County.

Previously on this blog, in a post entitled Halifax Area Civil War Veterans, a William Meck was mentioned. It is possible that this William Meck is the same person who is the subject of this post.

Not much more is known about William H. Meck, 192nd Pennsylvania Infantry , or his widow Catherine.

But what is known is that after the war, William H. Meck openly supported the white supremacist views of Heister Clymer by signing a call for denial of equal rights to African Americans, both those who were previously slaves and those who were previously freemen. The statement was published in the Harrisburg Patriot of 24 July 1866 and included his name, regiment, company and rank.

Heister Clymer was a white supremacist candidate for Pennsylvania Governor on the Democratic Party ticket in 1866, and was previously profiled here on 26 April 2016.

The call for a meeting of Union Soldiers was printed in the Harrisburg Patriot, 24 July 1866, along with an up-to-date list of Clymer supporters who openly supported Heister Clymer‘s white supremacist views and wanted to deny “negro equality and suffrage” even to those who had been free men before the war.

The undersigned honorably discharged Union soldiers, believing that we battled in the late war for the Union of these States, and had successfully maintained it, view with alarm the persistent efforts of radical men who seem determine, practically to destroy the Union we went forth to save.  They would have the community believe that Union soldiers are willing to give up in the hour of victory the great object to which their sacrifices and toll and blood were given….

Therefore we unite in requesting all the honorably discharged officer, soldiers and seamen of Dauphin County who favor the wise and constitutional policy of President Johnson, who oppose the doctrine of negro equality and suffrage, and desire the election of the Hon. Hiester Clymer, to meet in Mass Convention at the Democratic Club Room, Walnut Street, below Third, Harrisburg, at 7 1/2 o’clock, on the evening of the 25 July 1866, for the purpose of electing fourteen delegates to the Convention of Union Soldiers, which is to assemble in this city [Harrisburg] on Wednesday, 1 August 1866.

The Dauphin County veterans who signed the racist petition calling for the meeting were from a variety of regiments and social levels.  Included in the list were some residents of Upper Dauphin County, the area north of Peter’s Mountain – all of which is included in the geographic area of the Civil War Research Project.

William H. Meck was only one of many honorably discharged Union soldiers who openly supported the white supremacist gubernatorial campaign of Heister Clymer in 1866.  The full list of those with a connection to Upper Dauphin County will be presented over time.

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