Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 28, 2014

The 34th Pennsylvania Infantry (5th Pennsylvania Reserves) Monument at Gettysburg is located south of Gettysburg on the Big Round Top.  It was dedicated in 1890, after the extensive number of battlefield monument dedications that took place in 1889 on the 25th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.  The view of the monument pictured above is from Steve Recker’s Virtual Gettysburg Web Site which has more information about the monument and the 34th Pennsylvania Infantry.

A full description of the monument, its GPS coordinates, and some of the history of the 34th Pennsylvania Infantry can be found on the Stone Sentinels Web Site.

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On 11 September 1889, the Philadelphia Inquirer provided the following information about the 34th Pennsylvania Infantry.  The article tells of plans of the 34th to join their funds with other reserve regiments to erect a memorial hall on the battlefield, plans which were thwarted by a governor’s veto.

The 5th Reserves’ Hard Service

The 34th upon its arrival on the field was held in reserve on Little Round Top under Colonel Joseph W. Fisher and participated in the struggle to keep Longstreet from winning that key to the Union position.  The defense was first in the hands of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division.  Possession remained doubtful until Colonel Fisher with the 5th, Lieutenant Colonel Dare and Colonel Hardin with the 12th, went cheering up the hill gaining the summit in time to share the victory.  During the night the regiment was advanced to the summit of Round Top, the two hills were joined by a strong line of breastworks and the position made amply secure.  It participated in the Wilderness campaign and was mustered out 11 June at Harrisburg.The 5th Reserves will have no programme at Gettysburg, other than that mapped out by the Commission.  The 5th is another of the reserve regiments that favor the erection of a memorial hall, and had it not been for the Governor’s veto the hall would have been an assured fact.  The bill vetoed gave authority to eight of the Reserve division to consolidate their appropriations and an additional $12,000, with the provision that every Pennsylvania command should have a place for a table in the memorial hall.  The ground on which it was proposed to erect the building and the granite, iron and glass of which it was to be composed were guaranteed to Governor Curtin to be furnished free, so that a monument at an actual cost of about $50,000 would have graced the field had not the Governor’s veto interposed.  The 5th Reserves will have two hundred survivors at Gettysburg and will join heartily with their comrades in the exercises of the day.

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The 29 year old George Dare of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania was mustered into the service of the 5th Pennsylvania Reserves at Camp Tennally on 6 June 1861 as Captain of Company I.  He was 5 foot 9 inches tall, had dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark complexion.  His civilian employment had been as a clerk.  On 20 June 1861 he was promoted to Major and on 1 August 1862 he was given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, which he held at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg.

George Dare was born in 1836.  He was wounded on 13 December 1862 at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and he was killed in action on 6 May 1864 at the Wilderness.  He is buried at Union Cemetery in Belefonte, Centre County, Pennsylvania.  More information can be found about him 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 the34th Pennsylvania Infantry is pictured below.  By clicking on the plaque it should enlarge so the names can be more easily read.  If a name does not appear, it could be that the soldier did serve in the 34th 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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The news clipping is from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Category: Memorials | Comments Off on Monuments at Gettysburg – 34th Pennsylvania Infantry
Tags: Monument

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 26, 2014

The death notice of Henry B. Ferree (1844-1903) appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot on 18 April 1903:

Henry Feree, a highly respected citizen of Lykens Township, died on Tuesday afternoon.  The deceased was a sufferer from miners’ asthma. His age was some sixty years.  Interment was made in the Lutheran and Reformed Cemetery at Gratz, Thursday, at 10 a.m., Rev. Mr. Zimmerman officiating.

Although the above notice states that Henry was buried in Gratz, there is no stone marking his grave site.  In the most recent edition of the Gratz Union Cemetery list, published in 2009, it was noted that Henry B. Ferree purchased a burial lot in Section 1-North, Row 18.  After Henry’s death no one ever purchased a stone for him, but there is supposedly a G.A.R. star-flag holder at the first position in that row.  However, when the cemetery was photographed for the Civil War Research Project in 2010, there was no G.A.R. star-flag holder where Henry’s grave is supposedly located.

Click on map to enlarge.

The location of Henry Ferree‘s grave in the Gratz Union Cemetery was noted on a old, hand-drawn map (above) used by Gratz veterans to place flags on the graves.  The grave site of Henry Ferree is noted in the middle of the second column (known as Section 1-North), behind the church, position 14.  “No Head Stone” is marked on the map.  See: Gratz During the Civil War – Cemeteries (Part 2). The following statement was made in that post:

Henry Ferree (1844-1903) – No Head Stone.  Purchased a lot in Row 18.  Should be a G.A.R. star where his grave is located.

Henry B. Ferree was born in July 1844 in Pennsylvania, the son of George Washington Ferree (1810-1873) and Leah [Umholtz] Ferree (1815-1888).  In the 1850 Census of Lykens Township, Dauphin County, the family name was given as “Free” and the father, George, was working as a laborer.

From the Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, page 888, more is learned about the father, George:

George Washington Ferree was born in Lykens Valley, Washington Township, Dauphin County, Pa., 21 November 1810.  He attended the subscription schools of the township, grew up on his father’s farm, and was for twenty-five years employed in the coal mines of Wiconisco.  Later he bought a farm of 33 acres in Lykens Township, and during the remainder of his life was engaged in agriculture.  Mr. Ferree was married, in Lykens Township, in 1834, to Leah Umholtz, born in Lykens Valley, Lykens Township, February 7, 1815, daughter of Henry Umholtz, a farmer of that township.  They had 10 children:  Cyrus Ferree, deceased; Uriah Ferree, deceased; Mary A. Ferree, deceased, wife of Isaac Burd; Elizabeth Ferree; Henry Ferree, miner; Leah Ferree, died in infancy; Sarah Ferree, deceased, wife of N. Bressler; George W. Ferree, deceased; Frank P Ferree; and Ethel E. Ferree, deceased, wife of John Rush.  Mr. George W. Ferree died on the homestead, 5 November 1873.  He was a Democrat and was very active as a local leader in his party.  His wife died in 1885.

At the time of the Civil War, Henry Ferree did not immediately answer the call.  His service did not begin until he enrolled in Company G of the 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry, as a Private, on 13 March 1865 at Harrisburg and was mustered into service the next day at the same place..

The physical description of Henry includes his age of 20 and his height of 5 foot 8 inches.  He had brown hair, gray eyes and a fair complexion.  He lived in Lykens Township and was working as a coal miner. [Note:  Veterans’ Index Card is from Pennsylvania Archives].

At some point during his service in the 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry, Henry Ferree was promoted to Corporal.  He received an honorable discharge at New Bern, North Carolina, 25 June 1865.

In the censuses of 1870 and 1880, it was stated that Henry was living in Lykens Township and working as a coal miner or laborer.  In the 1890 census, for some reason he was named on the sheet for Shamokin, Northumberland County, but his post office address was given as Williamstown.  He claimed to be a re-enlisted veteran.  However, a prior or post regiment has not been located for him.

Henry married Louisa Bellon at some point just after the Civil War.  Together they had at least eight children.

Henry Ferree applied for a Civil War pension on 23 November 1891.  The above Pension Index Card from Fold3 gives his death date as 14 April 1903 and notes that a widow applied for a pension after his death.

The Pension Index Card from Ancestry.com gives the widow’s name as Louisa and her widow’s pension application date as 8 May 1903.

On 8 October 1902, the Harrisburg Patriot gave the pension news.  A pension was awarded to Henry Ferree of $6 (per month).  Unfortunately, he lived less than one year following the announcement of the pension amount.

Clearly, there are many more things that can be discovered about Henry Ferree.  Hopefully those with clues as to where this information can be located will come forward.  Has anyone obtained his pension file or military records from the National Archives?

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News clippings are from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Henry B. Ferree – Coal Miner
Tags: Gratz Borough, Lykens Township, Williamstown

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 24, 2014

From the Diary of William Thomas, the following was reported in his entry for 1 June 1862:

Fred Metzer of our company was shot Through the Head by a pistol while Lieut Gratz was cleaning it.  He expired in few moments After he was shot.

William Thomas was a member of Company B of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry.  He was an immigrant coal miner living in Wiconisco, Dauphin County, when the Civil War began.  His diary, which was kept throughout the war, was the basis of the book, Yankee Cavalrymen: Through the Civil War with the Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry, by John W. Rowell, published in 1970 by the University of Tennessee Press.  Unfortunately, the original diary appears to be lost as does the typescript upon which Rowell based the history.

Very little is known about the incident reported by Thomas.  And, very little is known about the man, Frederick Metzger, who was accidentally killed.

According to his Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card (above), available from the Pennsylvania Archives, Frederick Mezger enrolled in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company B, as a Corporal, on 26 September 1861, at Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.  He gave his occupation as confectioner and his age as 19, indicating he was born about 1842.  His physical description included a height of five foot seven inches, dark hair, dark complexion and blue eyes.  While he gave his residence as Dauphin County, that information might be incorrect in that he enrolled several counties away in Wilkes-Barre (Luzerne County).

Two interesting notes in the remarks section state that his promotion to Corporal was on a date unknown (yet the card states that he was enrolled as a Corporal), and that he was “reduced to rank of Private on 17 October 1861.  The last comment on the card confirms how he died, that he was “shot accidentally, 1 June 1862, by Lt. Gratz.”

Turning back to Yankee Cavalrymen, Rowell states on page 22 that “Company B was largely recruited in Dauphin County, outside of Harrisburg, by Captain Edward G. Savage.  However, a part of this company was recruited in Scranton by Lieutenant Lewis A. Gratz….”

Since Scranton and Wilkes-Barre are adjacent cities, both far from Harrisburg, it has to be assumed that Frederick Metzger was recruited by Gratz and not Savage.

Louis A. Gratz (the name is almost always found as “Louis”), was a German-Jewish immigrant, who has not been identified in any way with the merchant family of Philadelphia of the same name . Louis Gratz‘s name was found on the passenger list of the ship Gibralter which arrived in New York City on 5 December 1860, when he declared that he was a 19 year-old merchant by occupation.  He then proceeded to make a living as a jewelry peddler in Pennsylvania towns in and around Scranton in late 1860 and early 1861.  When the Civil War began, he immediately enlisted in the 15th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company B, as a Corporal and served a three-month term.  Apparently convincing others that he had enough military experience to qualify as a Lieutenant, he was an early joiner of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry at that rank and participated in the recruitment of volunteers – going to the Scranton area where he was familiar with the terrain and the people.

It is not known how many of those who Gratz recruited actually knew him before the war.  One of those recruited by Gratz may have been George Samuels (a German-Jewish immigrant) who also served in Company B of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry.  It is highly possible that Louis  A. Gratz also recruited Frederick Metzger and he may have known him before the war.

Unfortunately, very little is known about Frederick Metzger other that the meager description found on the Index Card.  No one applied for a pension based on his service and death.  He has not been located in any pre-war census – which could mean that he too was an immigrant, and possibly also Jewish.

There are some burial records that are available through Ancestry.com.  These indicate that Frederick Metzger was laid to rest at the Nashville National Cemetery, Nashville, Tennessee, although the accidental death occurred near Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The story of Louis A. Gratz differs greatly from that of the less fortunate Metzger and will be told in greater detail at a later date.  For now, suffice it to say that he soon-after was discharged from the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, not because of the incident involving the death of Metzger, but because he was offered a commission as Major of the 6th Kentucky Cavalry!

Attached comments and e-mails are always appreciated!

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Frederick Metzger – Accidentally Killed by Louis A. Gratz
Tags: Wiconisco

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 22, 2014

In researching men of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company B, a company mainly consisting of men from the Lykens Valley area of Pennsylvania, the name of John Weaver posed a problem in determining a correct birth and death date, as well as other genealogical information.  In the process of examining the records, a second man was discovered with the same name but in Company I.  Both men served as privates.  Also of interest was the fact that both men died in Kansas.  To date, a genealogical connection has not been made between the two men.  Previously on this blog, in a post entitled Additions to Veterans List, this confusion was noted.

The John Weaver of Company B enrolled at Harrisburg on 11 November 1861 and was mustered into service at the same place on 15 November 1861.  He claimed to be 20 years old (birth year of about 1841), a farmer, with birth and residence in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  He stood 5 foot 8 inches tall, had dark complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.  On 1 January 1864, he re-enlisted at Mossy Creek, Tennessee.  He was discharged with his company on 18 July 1865.  This information is noted on the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card (shown above), available from the Pennsylvania Archives.

In addition to this information about him on the index card, several pages from his pension file have been examined.  These pages include five military index cards, one of which states that he was sick in the hospital at Camp Andy Johnson on 9 December 1861.  There is also a re-enlistment paper which was signed at Mossy Creek by Edward G. Savage, the Captain of Company B.

The next document examined was the Pension Index Card (shown above) available at Fold3.  From that card it was learned that the John Weaver who served in Company B of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry died at Leavenworth, Kansas, on 28 April 1912, that he had originally applied for a pension on 29 April 1892, which he received, and that a widow applied about one month after his death.  She also received a pension. In checking the corresponding Pension Index Card available at Ancestry.com, it was learned that the widow was Jennie A. Weaver and that she filed for benefits from Missouri.

Leavenworth, Kansas, was the site of one of the National Soldiers’ Homes, so an examination of those records (available on Ancestry.com) was the next avenue pursued.  Page No. 18430 of the home ledger is presented below in three parts (click on thumbnails to enlarge):

…..The first part of the ledger page gives the Military History and the Domestic History.  To the height previously given at enrollment, three inches appears to be added.  His hair has turned gray (as have his eyes). Ailments and disabilities at admission to the home include cystitis, hemorrhoids, and hernia.  As for his Domestic History, the wife’s name and address is given as Jennie A. Weaver, Kansas City, Missouri.  He was 66 years old at the time of admission, he was born in Pennsylvania, and his occupation was inspector.  The Military History, dates of enrollment and discharge appear to match that found on the Index Card (above).

…..As for Home History, the admission date was 10 September 1909 (therefore his birth year was about 1843 – slightly inconsistent with the information on the Index Card).  He died at the home on 28 April 1812 and the cause of death was mental insufficiency.

….. The last section of the page, General Remarks, notes that he died in the hospital at 7:30 a.m., that his wife was notified in Kansas City, Missouri, and that his body was shipped to Kansas City for burial.  When he died, he had 15 cents on his person and his effects were valued by the home at $4.20.

A second document has been located that confirms that his body was shipped to Kansas City.  The “Burial Record” was a ledger kept at the home and noted the disposition of the remains of each person who died there.

….. From the “Burial Record” of Soldiers’ Home at Leavenworth.  Document available from Ancestry.com.

At this time, not much more is known about this John Weaver.  Who were his parents?  When and why did he move to Kansas City, Missouri?  Did he live anywhere else?  Did he have children?  Exactly where is he buried in Kansas City? What more can be said about his military record and his life after his military service?

Obviously, many of the missing pieces of information can be obtained from the pension application files, for both his original pension and for the widow’s pension.  However, at this time , only a few pages from the pension files have been seen and what has been seen is consistent with what is already known.  If any reader has obtained the complete pension application files and is willing to share the pages with readers of this blog, please contact the Project by e-mail.

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The second person named John Weaver is most often found in the records as John L. Weaver (or perhaps John Lyon Weaver).  He served in Company I of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry as shown by the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card (below) from the Pennsylvania Archives:

John L. Weaver was 18 years old (born about 1843) at the time of his enrollment in September 1861 at  Centerville, Pennsylvania. He was mustered into service on 26 October 1861 at Harrisburg.  He was a farmer whose residence was in Cumberland County.  He stood only five foot five inches tall, had brown hair, a light complexion, and blue eyes.  Like his namesake who served in Company B, this John Weaver also re-enlisted on 1 January 1864, but at Cleveland, Tennessee.  He served until the war was over and was discharged with his company on 18 July 1861.

Currently, there are several places in Pennsylvania named “Centerville” but their location would not be consistent with the enrollment of members of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry.   One place, formerly known as Centerville, now known as Penns Creek, is located in Snyder County, so it is possible that it was there that John L. Weaver enlisted as some of the men from this regiment did enlist in Snyder County.

From the Pension Index Card (above) available at Fold3, John L. Weaver applied for an invalid pension on 25 July 1890, giving the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company I, as his service group.  He received the pension and collected it until his death which occurred on 3 February 1905.  His widow applied after his death, but the application date is not given on the Fold3 version of the card.  The widow collected until her death.

Turning to the Pension Index Cards available through Ancestry.com (not shown here), the following information can be added:  (1) The widow’s name was Frances L. Weaver; (2) She applied on 20 March 1905 from Kansas.  This latter piece of information would seem to indicate that this John L. Weaver died in Kansas, but his place of death and burial has not yet been located in the records.

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There were clearly two different veterans named John Weaver.  Both were born in Pennsylvania.  They served in different companies of the same regiment.  They had different wives and they died on different dates.

The second John L. Weaver does not appear to have a connection with the geographical area of the Civil War Research Project.  The first John Weaver does appear to have a connection, however, the names of his parents have not yet been established, and it is not clear how long he remained in Pennsylvania after the war.

Help is requested from anyone having any information about these men.  Either add comments to this post or send by e-mail.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 2 Comments »
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Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 19, 2014

The 31st Pennsylvania Infantry (2nd Pennsylvania Reserve) Monument at Gettysburg is located south of Gettysburg on the eastern edge of the Wheatfield on Ayres Avenue.  It was not dedicated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until 1890 and thus it was not pictured in the 1889 article that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The picture of the monument is from Steve Recker’s Virtual Gettysburg Web Site which has additional information about the monument and the 31st Pennsylvania Infantry.

A full description of the monument, its GPS coordinates, a picture, and some of the history of the 31st Pennsylvania Infantry can be found on the Stone Sentinels Web Site.

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The Inquirer article of 11 September 1889 featured a brief description of the Gettysburg action in which the 31st Pennsylvania Infantry participated:

It Was in the Brilliant Raid

William B. Mann‘s regiment, the 31st, and the 2nd Reserve, recruited in Philadelphia, was supplied with flannel shirts and other articles of clothing by the congregations of the different churches, Old Christ Church contributing 4,500.  This regiment reached the front on the 2nd, in a crisis, when the 3rd Corps was falling back before the enemy, and, with a shout and a solid volley crossed the marshy space in front of Little Round Top, cleared the rocky face of the slope beyond, and answered the enemy’s last desperate rally by driving him back into the woods.

On the afternoon of the 3rd the 31st was in McCandless’s brilliant raid, crossed the wheat field, through the woods and up over the steep acclivity on the opposite side, drove the enemy into confusion, captured 6000 stand of arms and 300 prisoners.  The regiment lost 40 of its 147 men.  It was led by Captain Smith.

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The 31st Pennsylvania Infantry was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George A. Woodward.

George A. Woodward was born at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the son of a former Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.  He was admitted to the bar and practiced in Milwaukee, Wiconsin, before returning to Pennsylvania at Philadelphia where he resided when he began his service with the 31st Pennsylvania Infantry, initially as a Captain in Company A, on 27 May 1861.  On 2 April 1862, he was appointed Major of the regiment, and on 20 February 1863 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, the position in which he served at Gettysburg.  On 30 June 1862, he was wounded at Charles City Crossroads and by 24 August 1863 he was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps.  After the Civil War, he left the volunteer service and joined the Regular Army where he served in the west in Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Utah.

George A. Woodward died on 22 September 1916.  In his later years in Philadelphia he was a publisher of military books.  He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

Further information about his life and career can be found at the Arlington National Cemetery Website of Michael Robert Patterson and at Woodward’s 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 31st Pennsylvania Infantryis 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 31st 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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The news clipping is from the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Category: Memorials | Comments Off on Monuments at Gettysburg – 31st Pennsylvania Infantry
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