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December 2014 Posts
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 12, 2015
A listing of the December 2014 posts on The Civil War Blog with direct links:
Alexander McLaughlin of Elizabethville and Carsonville
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 9, 2015
CARSONVILLE MERCHANT DIES OF APOPLEXY
Elizabethville, 19 July 1917 —Alexander McLaughlin, a Civil War veteran who for many years conducted the general store and post office at Carsonville, died at his home here this afternoon at 4:30 p.m., following a stroke of paralysis.
He was 76 years of age. He is survived by three sons, CurtisMcLaughlin, of Harrisburg; Harry McLaughlin of Harrisburg and John McLaughlin, who resides in New Jersey. Funeral services will be conducted Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock in charge of Rev. Mr. Wehr, assisted by Rev. Mr. Shoop. Interment will be in Enterline Cemetery. [Harrisburg Patriot, 20 July 1917].
During the Civil War, Alexander McLaughlin served with two regiments as shown on his Pension Index Card from Fold3 (below):
His service was in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, and in the 2nd U.S. Artillery, Company E.
The Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card from the Pennsylvania Archives notes that he first enlisted at Schuylkill County on 5 September 1861 and was mustered into service in Company A as a Private on 9 September. He gave his age as 20, his residence as “Anderline” [Enterline], and his occupation as farmer. On 5 October 1862 he was assigned by attachment to the 2nd U.S. Artillery, where he remained until his discharge on 6 September 1864, after 3 years of service.
McLaughlin’s name appears on the Elizabethville Civil War list and on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument as a member of the Heilner Post who joined after organization. Elizabethville did not have a G.A.R. Post and many of the veterans from that community joined the Lykens G.A.R. However it is possible that there is another person of this name as can be speculated from the assault case noted below:
The following item was found in the court reports of Dauphin County as reported by the Harrisburg Patriot, 14 September 1892:
Jennie Armstrong, of Clark’s Valley, was the prosecutrix in a case of malicious mischief and assault and battery, in which Alexander McLaughlin, of Powell’s Valley, was the defendant. A hearing was given yesterday afternoon and McLaughlin gave $500 bail for his appearance at court. The prosecutrix alleges that on 20 August, McLaughlin drove a span of mules into her team, causing her to be thrown from the wagon. In falling she struck her head against the iron rail in the top of the wagon and cut a deep gash in her forehead. During the past two weeks she has been confined to her bed on account of the accident.
No information was located to indicate how this case was resolved. And, as previously stated, it is also possible that this Alexander McLaughlin is not the same person as the Civil War veteran portrayed in this blog – but the location is the same as where he resided at the time.
On 23 January 1902, the Patriot reported that Alexander McLaughlin, along with A. Fortenbaugh, George Gilbert, H. Shoop, John H. Lyter, James Hoffman, Jesse Sheets, John E. Nace, Calvin Shull, Cor Bixler, William H. Lebo and George W. Enders, had been elected as Directors of the Halifax Mutual Fire Insurance Company.
Alexander McLaughlin is buried with his wife Amanda [Spayd] McLaughlin at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Cemetery in Enterline. More information can be found about him and his family at his Findagrave Memorial. In addition, there is a great deal of genealogical information about him in his death certificate (shown below from Ancestry.com), including the names of his parents.
If any reader has a picture of Alexander McLaughlin, documents or stories about his war experiences, or additional information about his family, it can be added to this post as “comments” or sent by e-mail.
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News clippings are from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Monuments at Gettysburg – 88th Pennsylvania Infantry
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 8, 2015
The 88th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument at Gettysburg is located northwest of the town of Gettysburg on Doubleday Avenue. It was dedicated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1889. The drawing of the monument pictured above is from an article that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on 11 September 1889.
For more information about this monument and the 88th Pennsylvania Infantry, as well as an additional view of the monument, see Steven Recker’s Virtual Gettysburg Web Site.
A full description of the monument, a picture, the GPS coordinates, and some of the history of the 88th Pennsylvania Infantry can be found on the Stone Sentinels Web Site. There are also additional photo tributes and a note about 1st Sergeant Edward L. Gilligan, Company E, of this regiment, who received the Medal of Honor for service at Gettysburg.
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The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on the 1889 ceremonies in its 11 September 1889 article:
Captured a Whole Brigade.
A forced march of 33 miles in one day brought the 88th to Gettysburg, under command of Major Benezet F. Foust. It went into position on a ridge beyond the railroad cut, where it was attacked immediately on the left flank. Heavy volleys of musketry were exchange for two hours when the brigade charge upon the enemy in the hollow, and captured nearly a whole brigade of enemy prisoners. The regiment ran out of ammunition in the second attack and was driven back through the town to Cemetery Ridge. On the afternoon of the 3rd it was led across the cemetery under the terrible cannonade by Captain Whiteside, Major Foust having been wounded.
At noon the regiment will assemble at the diamond, march to Reynolds Avenue and formally dedicate the elegant trophy erected on the ground which the command so obstinately defended on 1 July 1863. Commander Clark will preside, Rev. J. L. Demorest will offer the dedicatory prayer and Colonel George E. Wagner will deliver the oration. The granite trophy is a handsome and suitable emblem to mark the place where so many men of the regiment were killed and wounded in the desperate, but hopeless combat at this point on the opening day of the great battle.
At the conclusion of the ceremonies, Historian John D. Valtier will conduct the party over the field of the first day’s battle and explain the position of the contending forces.
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Benezet F. Foust
The commander of the 88th Pennsylvania Infantry at Gettysburg was Major Benezet F. Foust. At the age of 23, Foust enrolled in Company A of the 88th Pennsylvania Infantry as a 1st Lieutenant at Philadelphia on 10 September 1861, and after a promotion to Captain on 28 July 1862, he was transferred to headquarters as a Major of the regiment on 23 December 1862. During the Battle of Gettysburg, he was wounded north of the town and the command of the regiment was taken over by Captain Edwin A. Mass.
Benezet F. Foust later transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps (on 6 November 1863) where he held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and when he retired he was breveted Brigadier General. No record has been seen indicating that he ever applied for a pension, nor did anyone else apply for a pension based on his service.
Foust died on 8 January 1870 and is buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. For more information about him, see his Findagrave Memorial.
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Edwin A. Mass (or Edmund A. Mass), Captain of Company B, 88th Pennsylvania Infantry, took over command after the wounding of Benezet F. Foust. Mass had joined the regiment at Philadelphia on 10 September 1861 as a 1st Lieutenant and rapidly rose to serve as Captain, the rank he held at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg. Unfortunately for Captain Mass, he was captured and held as a prisoner of war for 9 months and never was able to return to command the regiment in the field. After his release as a prisoner of war he was given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
On 14 January 1876, Edmund A. Mass applied for a pension which he received and collected until his death on 4 September 1895. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on his funeral services and burial at West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania:
MASS- On 4 September 1895, Edmund A., late Lieutenant Colonel, 88th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. The relatives and friends of the family, also the members of G. G. Meade Post, No. 1; employees of Custom House; 88th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers; Union Veteran Legion Encampment No. 61, and Prisoners of War Association, are respectfully invited to attend the services at his late residence, Collingdale, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, 12 noon. Interment at West Laurel Hill.
For further information about Edmund A. Mass, see his Findagrave Memorial.
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After the capture of Captain Mass, Captain Henry Whiteside took over command of the 88th Pennsylvania Infantry at Gettysburg. Captain Whiteside, who was 25 years old in 1861, had joined the regiment as a Sergeant in Company A and received a promotion to 1st Lieutenant on 23 November 1862 and another promotion to Captain on 1 January 1863. He had prior service as a member of the 25th Pennsylvania Infantry as a Private. According to pension records, Henry Whiteside applied for benefits on 12 July 1869, giving his highest military rank as captain. After his death in 1905, his widow, Mary Jane, applied and received benefits until her death.
According to information found on his Findagrave Memorial, Henry Whiteside died on 17 April 1905 in Atlantic County (possibly Atlantic City), New Jersey, but was buried in Union Cemetery, Richboro, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. That memorial also states that he was a cooper from Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, at the beginning of the war, but his Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card gives his residence in September 1861 as Philadelphia. His death notice from the Philadelphia Inquirer states that he died suddenly, without giving the place of death, and gives the funeral location as the home of his brother in Philadelphia.
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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 88th 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 88th Pennsylvania Infantry, but was not part of the regiment during its days at Gettysburg. There could also be errors on the plaque.
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News clippings are from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Civil War Veteran Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery, Millersburg (Part 3)
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 7, 2015
Today’s post is the third 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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Jacob Bassler (1839-1901).
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Albert H. Bassler (1837- 1866)
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James H. McCullough (1829-1899)
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Jesse J. Reed (1840-1916)
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John H. Heckert (1838-1921)
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Frank N. Douden (1842-1917)
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Albert Gallatin Cummings (1842-1911)
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William H. Woodside (1840-1901)
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Henry Cordes (1838-1914)
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George F. Wingard (1832-1914)
Four Who Claimed Association with Jeff Davis
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 4, 2015
Jeff Davis at Fortress Monroe
At the time of death of individuals, when their families are required to present them in the best light in an obituary, often undocumented claims are made about their lives and sometimes their achievements are cast in terms of how they performed their duties or had personal connections with famous historical characters. Both Lincoln and Jefferson Davis are sometimes mentioned, with Lincoln getting the greatest share of relationships. However, four individuals died over the period 1915 to 1922 whose recently-located obituaries referred to the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis.
In the first one below, the family of one individual reported that he was the last survivor of the men who guarded Jefferson Davis – which was immediately disputed by another survivor.
In the second, it was claimed that the soldier was a blacksmith who made the shackles that held Davis at Fortress Monroe.
In the third, an African American, who claimed to be a body servant of Davis, hid the seal of the Confederacy and kept the secret through death. Was the seal ever found?
In the final obituary and funeral notice, the veteran who disputed the first account died, and his family claimed that he was the last survivor of the men who guarded Jefferson Davis.
The veracity of these claims has not be checked for this blog post. They are presented here to show that despite all that all that these individuals accomplished in life, including their roles as veterans of the Civil War, nothing was as important as their relationship with Jefferson Davis.
Of course, as always, readers are invited to comment.
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JOHNSON WAS GUARD
A recent story that the last member of the guard, which watched Jeff Davis at Fortress Monroe, while he was a prisoner of the Union authorities, died at Wilkes-Barre, is disclaimed by Richard M. Johnson, 232 North Front Street [Harrisburg], who says that William H. Davis of New Cumberland, a veteran named McAllister of McAllisterville, and himself still survive the detachment which guarded the imprisoned President of the Confederacy.
The three Civil War veterans were members of a Pennsylvania Battery of heavy artillery which was enlisted in Juniata County in February 1864. [from Harrisburg Patriot, 8 September 1915]
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Canton, Pennsylvania — Henry Arnold, Civil War veteran, died at his home at Granville Center. He was a blacksmith by trade and was the man who forged the shackles on Jefferson Davis, President of the Southern Confederacy, at Fortress Monroe. [Harrisburg Patriot, 11 May 1918]
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JEFF DAVIS BODY SERVANT DIES FAITHFUL TO TRUST
By Universal Service
Washington, 10 April 1921 — The hiding place of the seal of the Confederacy must forever remain a mystery. James Jones, colored body servant of Jefferson Davis, who buried the seal and various personal effects of his master when threatened with capture during the Civil War, died recently. Although he had been offered large sums to reveal the hiding place to curio collectors, he remained faithful to his trust.
Jones had been employed in the Senate building for many years. [Harrisburg Patriot, 11 April 1921].
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OLDEST MEMBER POST 58 G.A.R., DIES
Last Survivor of Squad That Guarded Jeff Davis
Succumbs from Double Pneumonia, Aged 87
Richard M. Johnson, 87, the last survivor of the military squad that guarded Jeff Davis as a prisoner of war at Fortress Monroe, died at his home in Steelton at 11:15 o’clock Monday night of double pneumonia. Mr. Johnson was also the oldest member of Post 58, G.A.R. of this city [Harrisburg].
Military funeral services will be conducted Friday afternoon from Wilt’s undertaking parlors in Steelton with burial in the Port Royal Cemetery in Juniata County. Mr. Johnson was stricken with pneumonia lat Wednesday. For several days his condition was fair but on Sunday it became critical. Mr. Johnson was born 8 February 1835, in Perry County and enlisted early in the Civil War. He was stationed for some time at Fortress Monroe and was guard over Jeff Davis from 8 June 1865 to 8 November 1865.
Besides his wife he is survived by several children and a number of grandchildren.
Mr. Johnson participated in the Memorial Day services here for many years and this year was the first that he agreed to ride in an automobile instead of walking.
Mr. Johnson lived in Steelton for more than forty years. His home is at 250 North Front Street. Until four years ago when he retired he was employed in the boiler shop of the Bethlehem Steel Company. [Harrisburg Patriot, 5 July 1921].
HOLD FUNERAL FOR CIVIL WAR VETERAN
Funeral services for Richard M. Johnson, Civil War veteran, who died Monday, were held last evening in the Wilt funeral Chapel in South Front Street.
The Rev. C. B. Segelken, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, had charge of the services. The body will be taken to Port Royal for burial. [Harrisburg Patriot, 7 July 1921].
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News clippings are from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia. The picture of Jefferson Davis at the top of this post is from the Library of Congress.
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