Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on August 8, 2014

The 26th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument at Gettysburg is located south of Gettysburg on Emmitsburg Road.  The drawing of the monument appeared with an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer on 11 September 1889 on the dedication and re-dedication of Gettysburg battlefield monuments.

For more information about this monument and the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry as well as an additional view of the monument see Steve Recker’s Virtual Gettysburg Web Site.

A full description of the monument, its GPS coordinates, and some of the history of the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry can be found on the Stone Sentinels Web Site. There are also additional photographs of the monument and a note about 1st Sergeant John W. Roosevelt of Company B who received the Medal of Honor.

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On 11 September 1889, the Philadelphia Inquirer provided the following information about the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry:

The 26th, with the 27th Regiment formed the Washington Brigade.  The 26th was organized immediately after Lincoln’s election in 1860.  In January 1861, Colonel Small tendered its service through Hon. Simon Cameron to President Buchanan who declined such service with compliments to his zealous patriotism.  Tender was made when the “Star of the West” was fired upon and was accepted immediately by Mr. Cameron, then Secretary of War.  The regiment left Philadelphia 18 April with orders to pass through Baltimore, “at or before daybreak.”  Through treachery of railroad employees it was detained in Baltimore when it was attacked by a mob.

Defenseless and unable to cope with the mob, it was returned to Philadelphia.  Few of the original members remained in the regiment and finally organized with Bolonel Small, Rush VanDyke as Lieutenant Colonel, and Casper M. Berry a Major.  In less than an hour at Bull Run this regiment lost in a destructive fire two officers and 63 men killed or wounded.  At Fredericksburg it was continuously in the front of the battle for thirty hours.

At Gettysburg the regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bodine.  In went into the battle with 364 enlisted men, of whom 213 were killed or wounded; and out of 18 officers, two were killed and nine severely wounded; two died of their wounds and five were made cripples for life.

W. F. Robinson will command the Association at the dedication.  The Hon. Thomas V. Cooper will be the orator of the day.  He was a member of Company C of the regiment.  Rev. Charles A. Beck, who was the Chaplain of the regiment, will also participate.  When it got back to Virginia after the battle, all it could muster for review was about 75 men and officers.

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Robet L. Bodine (1832-1874)

Major Robert Lewis Bodine was born in Northampton, Pennsylvania, 30 May 1832 and joined the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, in Philadelphia, as a Private.  On 4 June 1861, he was appointed Commissary Sergeant, and on 26 August was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant of Company K.  On 15 January 1862 another promotion gave him the rank of Captain and still another on 15 June to the rank of Major.  As a result of his service at Gettysburg and subsequent actions, he received the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on 12 October 1863.  He was mustered out of the regiment on 18 June 1864 but continued to serve in the army rising to the rank of Colonel 20 February 1864, and Brigadier General by Brevet on 13 March 1865.

Robert Lewis Bodine died on 12 January 1874 in Philadelphia and was buried in Doylestown Cemetery, Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  His Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card (shown below) is from the Pennsylvania Archives.

More information about Robert Lewis Bodine 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 26th 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 26th 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 | 1 Comment »
Tags: Monument

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on August 6, 2014

The name of Lewis Doutrich appears on the Lykens G.A.R. Monument as a veteran who joined the Heilner G.A.R. Post after its organization.  Lewis served as a Private in the Civil War.

Lewis Doutrich‘s military records are found under several different spellings.  At enrollment, he was registered as Lewis Dauterich.  The most commonly used spelling, and the one he apparently preferred was “Doutrich.”

The Military reference card for another Doutrich who has not yet been connected to the Lewis W. Doutrich of this blog post, is shown above.  Levi Doutrick (or Doutrich), of the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, was also known as Levi Deitrick (or Dietrich), so it is possible that Lewis is a descendant of one of the early Dietrich settlers in Pennsylvania – and somewhere along the way, the family changed the spelling of the name.

Military Reference Cards are found at the Philadelphia Branch of the National Archives and on Fold3.  A compiled database of these cards is found on Ancestry.com under the title, U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865. These cards are very helpful in determining the spelling variations under which the military records are filed.

In 1860, in Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a 51 year widowed Mary [Crouse] Doutrich lived next door to a 38 year old druggist named Lewis A. Crouse, possibly her brother.  Also in Mary’s household were her three children:  Franklin Doutrich, born about 1845; Lewis W. Doutrich; and Rebecca Doutrich, born about 1844, who was working as a milliner.  Portion of 1860 Census (above) from Ancestry.com.  This is the Lewis Doutrich of this blog post.

The Veterans’ Index Card from the Pennsylvania Archives (shown above) has no personal information about Lewis.  From other sources, we learn that he enrolled on 5 September 1864 in Company G, 207th Pennsylvania Infantry, and was unaccounted for at the muster out of his company.

Click on document to enlarge.

From the Register of Pennsylvania Volunteers (above), also from the Pennsylvania Archives, we learn that Lewis claimed he was 18 years old when he enrolled in the 207th Pennsylvania Infantry,  Company G, but from other information (death certificate below), he was actually 16.  Also, not previously known, the brother of Lewis, Franklin Doutrich, also enrolled the same day in the same regiment and company. Further research into Franklin’s records may give some more insight into Lewis.

Lewis Doutrich applied for a pension on 2 April 1904.  The Pension Index Card (above) from Fold3, notes that a widow also applied and that Lewis died in 1905.  Also, the date of Lewis’s discharge from his company is given as 31 May 1865, which is not found in the other records.

Click on document to enlarge.

In 1880, Lewis was living in Lykens Borough, was married, and working as a laborer.  His wife Elizabeth Doutrich, the former Elizabeth Radel (maiden name from other sources), was 31 years old and the mother of the couple’s three children:  Ellen/Ellas Doutrich, born about 1872; Kate Doutrich, born about 1874; and Edward Doutrich, born January 1870.  The Radel family was from the Lykens Valley, and it can be assumed from the dates of the birth of the children that Lewis moved to Lykens Borough some time between the end of his Civil War service and the early 1870s, although the family has not yet been located in an 1870 Census.  The relevant portion of the 1880 Census (from Ancestry.com), is shown above.  The family has also not yet been located in a 1900 Census.

In the 1890 Census, Lewis was living in Lykens Borough, Dauphin County, and he did not report any Civil War-related disabilities.  This is consistent with the information on the Pension Index Card in that he did not first apply for a pension until 1904.

Elizabeth [Radel] Doutrich applied for widow’s benefits on 1 May 1909.  Her name appears on the Pension Index Card from Ancestry.com which references the application files at the National Archives.

Click on document to enlarge.

The Pennsylvania Death Certificate for Lewis W. Doutrich gives his date of death as 16 February 1909, and the cause of death as tuberculosis.  The informant was Mrs. George L. McSurdy (probably a married daughter), who was living in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.   As for Lewis’ parents, the mother’s maiden name was Mary Crouse and the father’s name was Henry Doutrich.  Lewis was born on 20 February 1848 in Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, and died in Lykens Borough.  At the time of his death, Lewis was not quite 61 years old and working as a clerk.  Pennsylvania Death Certificates for dates between 1906 and 1926 are now available on Ancestry.com.

The listing of the I. O. O. F. Cemetery at Lykens states that Lewis Doutrich is buried there in Row 8, but because of the condition of the cemetery, his headstone has not yet been located to be photographed.

Because of the minimum amount of information available on-line and the variant spellings of the Doutrich surname, help is sought from descendants to construct a more comprehensive biographical sketch of the Lewis W. Doutrich who was a veteran of the 207th Pennsylvania Infantry and who died in Lykens.  Specifically, are there pictures available of Lewis and his family?  Stories?  Genealogies?   Send info via e-mail or add comments to this post.

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Tags: G.A.R., Lykens Borough

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on August 4, 2014

A listing of the July 2014 posts on The Civil War Blog with direct links:

Was Preston Saltzer a Drummer Boy?

The Great Shohola Train Wreck – The 150th Anniversary Remembrance

June 2014 Posts

Jacob Shiro – Some News Stories

Albert P. Schoffstall – 2nd Lieutenant in the 6th Pennsylvania Infantry

Michael Polm – Died in Government Hospital in 1917

Monuments at Gettysburg – 11th Pennsylvania Infantry

The Promotion and Resignation of Edward Gratz Jr.

Who Was John Lebo?

Anxiety of the Residents of Gettysburg – In German

Israel M. Groff and Sons – All Civil War Veterans?

Another Visit to Nash Farm Battlefield

Compiling a List of Civil War Veterans – Williamstown

Compiling a List of Civil War Veterans- Williams Township

Events of July 1864

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Posted By Norman Gasbarro on August 2, 2014

The 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry Monument at Gettysburg is located Southeast of Gettysburg on Slocum Avenue.  It was dedicated on 5 August 1886 but was later renovated in 1888 to include the Zouave statue and moved to the other side of the avenue.  It was originally topped by a cannonball pyramid.  The drawing of the statue appeared with an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer on 11 September 1889 on the dedication and re-dedication of Gettysburg battlefield monuments.

For more information about this monument and the 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry as well as an additional view of the monument see Steve Recker’s Virtual Gettysburg Web Site.

A full description of the monument, its GPS coordinates, and some of the history of the 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry can be found on the Stone Sentinels Web Site. There are also additional photographs of the monument and a note about Captain John B. Fassett of Company F who received the Medal of Honor.

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On 11 September 1889, the Philadelphia Inquirer provided the following information about the 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry:

Lay Down Under the Fire

The 23rd Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, was partly the 1st Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Division of Militia, composed entirely of Philadelphians.  Recruiting commenced at the arsenal, at Sixteenth and Filbert Streets, 18 April 1861, and the regiment was ordered into active service on the day it was mustered in by Major C. F. Ruff, U.S.A., moving to Perryville over the P. W. and B. Railroad.  It was reorganized after the Shenandoah Campaign, the officers being Colonel David B. Birney, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Wilhelm, Major George C. Spear, Junior Major John Ely, Adjutant James E. Collins.  It was commanded at Gettysburg by Colonel John Ely on the second day and by Lieutenant Colonel John F. Glenn on the third day.  Its fresh strength in reinforcement of the 5th Corps drove the enemy back on the 2nd.  Colonel Glenn was ordered at 10 A.M. on the 3rd to advance skirmishers to test the lull in the enemy’s firing.  At fifteen paces advance they were met by terrific fire and compelled to lie down under protection of the line occupying the works.  Later in the day the regiment was ordered to reinforce the left centre, in doing which it crossed the open plane under the heaviest artillery fire ever known and lost 2 officers and 22 men.  Its service expired a short time after Sheridan too command in the Shenandoah Valley and it was mustered out at Philadelphia, 8 September.

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Lt. Col. John Francis Glenn was from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and joined the 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry in Philadelphia on 8 September 1861 as Captain of Company A.  On 20 July 1862 he was promoted to headquarters as Major.  On 12 December 1862 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.  He gallantly led the 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry at the Battle of Gettysburg.  On 9 January 1864 he was promoted to Colonel.

John Francis Glenn died on 8 January 1905 and was buried in Westminster Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  His Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card (shown below) is from the Pennsylvania Archives.

More information about Lt. Col. John Francis Glenn 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 23rd 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 23rd 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 – 23rd Pennsylvania Infantry
Tags: Monument

Posted By Brian Tomlin on July 31, 2014

July 2. Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol was created in the space previously occupied by the House of Representatives. The House moved to its present location in 1857. In 1864 plans were made to repair the room and each state was invited to contribute two statues to the National Statuary Collection. The first statue was placed in 1870. By 1971, all 50 states had contributed at least one statue, and by 1990, all but five states had contributed two statues. Initially all of the state statues were placed in the Hall. As the collection expanded, however, it outgrew the Hall, and in 1933, Congress authorized the display of the statues throughout the building for both aesthetic and structural reasons. Presently, 38 statues are located in National Statuary Hall.

July 4. The University of Bucharest was founded in Romania; it is the second oldest university in Romania.

July 8.The Ikedaya Incident , also known as the Ikedaya Affair or Ikedaya Jiken, was an armed encounter at the Ikedaya Inn in Kyoto, Japan.  between the political activist group the shishi and the Shinsengumi, 

a special police force.  At the end of the Edo period, Kyoto attracted unemployed ronin of varying allegiances. Several supported forcibly removing all western influences from Japan. Emperor Kōmei and the Aizu and Satsuma clans preferred a unification of the bakufu and the imperial court. The bakufu tried to retain their centralized power. In this political chaos, ronin from the various factions began to assassinate each other. The bakufu organized groups of ronin including Shinsengumi and charged them with arresting or killing (should they resist arrest) the sonnō jōi shishi. The shishi were using the Ikedaya Inn as a staging point for their forces. A total of eight shishi were killed and twenty-three arrested; the Shinsengumi lost only one member in the battle, though two more members would later die of injuries. The Ikedaya Inn was destroyed in the battle. For many years a slot machine parlor sat on the grounds of the Ikedaya, but  in 2009 a new drinking establishment  named Ikeda-ya opened, designed and decorated with an Ikedaya theme.

July 14. Gold was  discovered on the site of what would become Helena. This discovery would prove to be the second biggest placer gold deposit in Montana, producing some $19 million worth of gold in just four years. Overnight, thousands of miners began to flood into the region, and the four original discoverers added to their fortunes by establishing the town of Helena to provide them with food, lodging, and supplies. But unlike many of the early Montana mining towns, Helena did not disappear once the gold gave out, which it inevitably did. Located on several major transportation routes, well supplied with agricultural products from an adjacent valley, and near to several other important mining towns, Helena was able to survive and grow by serving the wider Montana mining industry. In 1875, the city became the capital of Montana Territory, and in 1894, the capital of the new state of Montana.

July 19.  The end of the Third Battle of Nanking, China.  It was the last major engagement of the Taiping Rebellion, occurring in 1864 after the death of the king of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Hong Xiuquan. There were probably more than a million troops in the battle and the Taiping army sustained 100,000 dead (and many more wounded) in clash int eh spring and summer of 1864. Following the defeat of the Taiping army the Imperial troops slaughtered much of the city’s population. Nanking had been the capital of the Heavenly Kingdom. This battle was the effective end of the Taiping army and the last major Taiping city to fall back under Imperial control.

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