Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 17, 2015

The 91st Pennsylvania Infantry Monument at Gettysburg is located south of the town of Gettysburg on the summit of Little Round Top.  It was dedicated in 1889 as part of the large group of monuments to state regiments that were erected in that year.

The drawing of the monument pictured above is from a Philadelphia Inquirer article of 11 September 1889.

A picture of the monument can be seen on Stephen Recker’s Virtual Gettysburg Web Site which has more information about the monument and the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry.

A full description of the monument, its GPS Coordinates, additional photographs, and some of the history of the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry, can be found on the Stone Sentinels Web Site.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer of 1 September 1889, reported the following information about the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry:

Fighting Devil’s Den Sharpshooters.

The 91st left Hanover for Gettysburg at 8 o’clock in the evening, 1 July 1863, and arriving upon the ground was thrown into position on the right of the line of battle.  The regiment, under Colonel Eli G. Sellers, marched up one side of Little Round Top as the rebels charged up the other.  In the line in front of Battery D it opened fire with the Devil’s Den sharpshooters, who busily picked off the gunners, killing General Weed and Captain Haslet.  During the night the men built stone walls for protection.

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Joseph Hill Sinex

Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Hill Sinex commanded the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry at Gettysburg.  He was born in Delaware, but was a resident of Philadelphia and was about 43 years old when he joined the 91st Pennsylvania Infantryy at Philadelphia as Captain of Company D. On 11 January 1863, he was promoted to headquarters at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  He had had prior military service as Captain of Company D, 17th Pennsylvania Infantry, in which he served from 25 April 1861 through discharge on 2 August 1861.

Following the Battle of Gettysburg, Sinex continued commanding the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry but was wounded at Spottsylvania Court House, Virginia, on 12 May 1864.  The wounds resulted in a Surgeon’s Certificate of Discharge on 10 July 1864 and a disability pension application on 24 September 1864.  The pension was approved and received; he collected until his death on 6 October 1892 in Philadelphia.  His widow, Mary C. Sinex, applied for benefits on 26 November 1892, which she received and collected until her death.

Joseph Hill Sinex is buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia.  More information about him can be found at his Findagrave Memorial.

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Around the base of the Pennsylvania Memorial at Gettysburg are a series of plaques which, by regiment and company, note the names of every soldier who was present at the Battle of Gettysburg.  The plaque for the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry is pictured below.  By clicking on the plaque it should enlarge so the names can be more clearly read.  If a name does not appear, it could be that the soldier did serve in the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry, but was not part of the regiment during its days at Gettysburg.  There could also be errors on the plaque.

Category: Memorials | 1 Comment »
Tags: Monument

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 16, 2015

Previously on this blog, the story of Daniel P. Reigle (1841-1917) was given in a post entitled Daniel P. Reigle – 87th Pennsylvania Infantry – Medal of Honor.  The post was part of a series on members of the Reigle (or Riegle, Regal, Riegel, Reigel, etc.) family who served in the Civil War.  Of all the men who served under that surname, Daniel P. Riegle was the only one to receive the Medal of Honor and he is recognized at the Pennsylvania Medal of Honor Memorial in Harrisburg for the heroism he displayed at Cedar Creek, Virginia, on 19 October 1864.

Daniel P. Reigle died in March 1917 and his obituary appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot on 21 March of that year:

CIVIL WAR HERO DIES FROM STROKE

Gettysburg, 20 March 1917 — Daniel S. Reigle, aged 76, Civil War hero, died at his home near here today, following a stroke of paralysis received four hours before his death.  Mr. Riegle was a member of the  Eighty-seventh Pennsylvania Regiment [87th Pennsylvania Infantry] during the war.  General Sheridan ordered him to report to Washington for the purpose of having presented to him by President Lincoln a medal “For marked bravery displayed on the battlefield on the evening of 19 October near Middletown, Virginia, and for gallantry rushing forward through a terrific fire and capturing a rebel flag at the stone fence where the enemy’s last stand was made.”

It is not known for certain whether Reigle actually journeyed to Washington to receive the medal from Abraham Lincoln himself or whether it was presented in the field.

On the Pennsylvania Death Certificate (below, from Ancestry.com), the cause of death is given as “cerebral hemorrhage”, his father’s name is given as “Samuel” with the mother’s name unknown, and his middle initial is given as “P,” not “S” as stated in the obituary.  The informant was Ida Reigle, his daughter.

He is buried at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Littlestown, Adams County.  Additional information about him can be found at his Findagrave Memorial.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Obituary of Daniel Reigle – Medal of Honor Recipient
Tags: Abraham Lincoln

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 15, 2015

An obituary of James W. Johnson which appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot on 18 June 1910 gave the following information:

Dead At Ripe Old Age of 106

Scranton, Pennsylvania, 17 June 1910 — James W. Johnson, colored, who was reputed to be 106 years old, died last night at his home in Winton.  He was born in slavery and fought in the Civil War on the Union side.   Seven children survive two of whom, William Johnson and George Johnson, are residents of Philadelphia.

More information is sought on James W. Johnson.  No Pennsylvania death certificate has been located for him and identifying him in a Union regiment is difficult because of the great number of persons with the same name.  In the United States Colored Troop regiments there are dozens of persons with this name.

Some clues for those willing to research this:  (1) Winton, or Jessup, is a small community that was originally part of Luzerne County, but after 1878 became part of Lackawanna County; (2) It developed in the late 1900s as a coal mining community and attracted many immigrants;  (3) Today, the population of that community is less than 1% African American.

In browsing the 69 pages of census returns for 1900 for Winton, the immigrant population stands out as a significant component of the community, while the occupations in mining are dominant.  Also, in 1900, less than 1% of the population identified by color or race as “B” (for Black).  The closest person who could be the Civil War veteran is James W. Johnson is a stone mason who was born in Virginia.

Click on document to enlarge.

However, that James Johnson was born (according to the census) in May 1822 and was 78 years old in 1900.  The correct birth year for someone who was 106 years old in 1910 (at death) would be 1804.  Was it possible that a 78 year old (who was still working as a stone mason) was actually 96 years old?

It is possible that James W. Johnson was enumerated in the 1910 census for Winton and may have died only days after the enumeration.  In that case, that census collected information on Union and Confederate Civil War veterans, and he could have been identified as such.  It is also possible that James W. Johnson appears in the 1890 Veterans’ listings for Winton or Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.  The 1890 census identifies regiment and company, dates of service, and reported disabilities incurred in the war.   However, at this time, neither of those censuses have been consulted.

No Findagrave Memorial has been located for a James W. Johnson who died in 1910.

Anyone who can give more specific information about this Civil War veteran can add a comment to this post or send the information by e-mail.  There could be some very interesting stories found as a result of researching further into a African American who was born in slavery, fought in the Civil War on the Union side, and lived to be 106 years old!

Category: Queries, Research, Stories | 6 Comments »
Tags: African American

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 14, 2015

Today’s post is the fourth in the series of photographs of the Civil War veteran graves at Oak Hill Cemetery, Millersburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  It features the grave markers of ten soldiers about whom research is ongoing.  To determine the extent to which each soldier’s information has been posted on this blog, click on the name and a list of prior posts that contain information will come up.  For veterans where there is very little information available, reader comments are invited.

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John P. Ditty (1845-1862)

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William Wingard (1839-1905)

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John Crane (1825-1905)

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Joseph Keen (1843-1920)

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Benjamin Bowman (1827-1910)

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William H. Sites (1847-1925)

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Michael Haverstick (1817-1864)

Note:  Michael Haverstick is buried in Chattanooga National Cemetery.  His family included a memorial to him on their stone at Oak Hill Cemetery.

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John Luther Freck (1839-1912)

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George W. Freeland (1842-1923)

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Michael Ward (1822-1891)

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Tags: Cemeteries, Millersburg

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 13, 2015

The 90th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument at Gettysburg is located northwest of the town of Gettysburg on Doubleday Avenue.  Known as the “Granite Tree Monument,” it was dedicated in 1888 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and was one of two monuments for the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry that were erected that year.

The drawing of the monument pictured above is from a Philadelphia Inquirer article of 11 September 1889.

A picture of the monument can be seen on Stephen Recker’s Virtual Gettysburg Web Site which has more information about the monument and the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry.

A full description of the monument, its GPS Coordinates, additional photographs, and some of the history of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry, can be found on the Stone Sentinels Web Site.

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In addition to reporting on the dedicatory exercises, the Philadelphia Inquirer, in its article of 11 September 1889, gave a brief history of the regiment:

The 90th at Gettysburg.

The position of the 90th regiment was on the new line to the left of the Tayneytown Road, facing the Emmitsburg Pike, where slight breastworks were thrown up.  Upon reaching this position, Colonel Lyle was ordered to assume command of the 1st Brigade, Major Sellers taking command of the regiment in the absence of Lieutenant Colonel Leech on account of sickness.  The 90th entered the battle with 191 men and lost in killed, wounded and missing, 100.  Chaplain Horatio S. Howell was among the killed, falling in the retreat through the town on the evening of the first day.  Captains J. T. Durang and W. P. Davis and Adjutant D. P. Weaver were among the wounded, and Lieutenant E. J. Gorgas was taken prisoner.  From Cold Harbor, where the regiment arrived on 6 June, until the 16th when it crossed the James and joined in the operation before Petersburg, it was kept constantly employed in marching and intrenching, upon the right flank of the army, as it moved forward.  In the following operations at Yellow Tavern on the Weldon Railroad, the brigade was formed in line of battle at noon, 18 July, on the right of the road facing a wood, through which it advanced.  The enemy was found in force, but after receiving several volleys and finding the left flank exposed, a retrograde movement was ordered.  In executing this Lieutenant John T. Reilly and a number of men were captured.

The dedication of “Boulder” Monument, to mark the position of the 90th Regiment on the afternoon of 2 July 1863, on Hancock Avenue, half way between Cemetery Hill and Round Top, will include:  Invocation, Rev. Dr. William Aikman; presentation of Memorial to the Battlefield Association, Chairman Comrade Hillary Beyer; unveiling, Thomas E. Berger; acceptance on behalf of Battlefield Association, John M. Krauth, Esq., of Gettysburg; poem composed and dedicated to the 90th Regiment, by Florence McCurdy, read by Rev. J. K. Demarest; dedicatory address, A. J. Sellers, president of the association.

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The 90th Pennsylvania Infantry was commanded at Gettysburg by Colonel Peter Lyle, a cigar maker of Philadelphia.  Lyle had previously served as Colonel of the 19th Pennsylvania Infantry from 17 April 1861 through his discharge on 29 August 1861.  At the age of 39, he took command of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry at Philadelphia on 10 March 1862, was wounded at Antietam on 17 September 1862, and recovered sufficiently to lead the 90th at Gettysburg.  When the brigade to which the 90th was attached needed a commander at that battle, he turned command of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry over to Major Alfred J. Sellers.  Major Sellers served with distinction earning the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in “repulsing the enemy.”

On 13 March 1865, Peter Lyle was breveted Brigadier General, the rank at which he left the service.  However, he continued to serve in the Pennsylvania National Guard and was involved in putting down the riots of 1877 which in part resulted in an illness that led to his death on 17 July 1879.

Gen. Lyle applied for a pension on 5 December 1878 based on his Civil War service in both the 19th Pennsylvania Infantry and the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry.  At that time his resources had dwindled due to bad investments in Maryland and he was fully supported by the generosity of his friends.  Unfortunately for Gen. Lyle, the pension, although approved, failed to receive the required official signatures and he died not receiving any of the money due him.  Friends of Lyle continued to pursue the pension but it was not until 1890, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer of 13 December, that $4000 was finally released, which was “applied in part to reimbursing friends who provided pecuniary assistance to the departed soldier when unable to earn a livelihood. ”

Peter Lyle is buried at the Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.  For more information about the career of Colonel Lyle, see his Findagrave Memorial.

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Around the base of the Pennsylvania Memorial at Gettysburg are a series of plaques which, by regiment and company, note the names of every soldier who was present at the Battle of Gettysburg.  The plaque for the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry is pictured below.  By clicking on the plaque it should enlarge so the names can be more clearly read.  If a name does not appear, it could be that the soldier did serve in the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry, but was not part of the regiment during its days at Gettysburg.  There could also be errors on the plaque.

Category: Memorials | Comments Off on Monuments at Gettysburg – 90th Pennsylvania Infantry
Tags: Monument