Civil War Blog

Posted By Jake Wynn on July 9, 2013

-Evening Telegraph, July 11, 1863

Serious Accident.—From the Sunbury American we learn that an accident occurred on the Northern Central Railroad on Monday afternoon, near Port Trevorton.

A cow sprang on the track suddenly, from behind a wood pile. The result was, the locomotive was run off the track, the mail and baggage car was thrown on its side across the track, and the passenger car next to it on its side, all crushed and broken.

The next passenger car was slightly injured, but the remaining two escaped. The cars were filled with passengers, mostly soldiers returning homewards. The only person seriously injured was Charles E. Smith, of Honesdale, PA, a returned soldier, whose legs were terribly crushed. He died the next day.

Mr. Drexler, one of the brakesmen, was considerable bruised, but not seriously injured. It was one of those accidents wholly unavoidable on the part of the road or those employed by the company. If any blame can attach, it is to those who leave their cattle running loose near the road. 

The accident appears to have occurred on Monday, July 6, 1863.

Port Trevorton in 1858

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Tags: Civil War 150, Railroad

Posted By Jake Wynn on July 8, 2013

By the time of the Civil War, railroads had become a driving force in the country’s economy, specifically in the northern states. Fortunes were built on the back of the new rail systems that popped up. One of these railroads built in the years just before the Civil War broke out was the Northern Central. This line was designed to connect Baltimore to Sunbury, PA, and with connections to Elmira, NY. The location of this rail line, hugging the Susquehanna River on most its winding journey, would ultimately mean it would have great significance during the War Between the States.

Map of the Northern Central in 1863. Click to see a larger version.

The Northern Central would prove to be a valuable resource for the North, providing rail access to Baltimore and being the major northern rail route to bring troops into Washington, DC. This made Harrisburg into a major collection point for troops from across the North as they prepared to head south. Camp Curtin, among the largest of the Union’s military training camps, was placed in Harrisburg for this very reason.

But in the summer in 1863, the stretch of the line between Harrisburg and Sunbury would become important for a much different reason. It became a means of escape for thousands of refugees seeking shelter from the coming invasion. This meant that nearly every train heading north from the city, were swamped with people.

On June 19, this would prove to be a deadly combination.

By all the accounts, the afternoon mail train left from the Wormleysburg station under normal circumstances. The poor weather would have undoubtedly been an annoyance to the those streaming north, but the wild fear that had ravaged Central Pennsylvania over the past week had subsided some. Many realized that the city was not in immediate peril, but felt that the city was doomed. Rain streamed down, and a fog hung over the Susquehanna Valley that day, shrouding the region with a light gray mist. People on the depot platform may have been able to hear the groans of those working on the heights above the town, preparing the city’s defenses.

The afternoon train pulled out of the Harrisburg area at around 1:15 p.m., heading north towards Sunbury and the perceived safety of mountains and valleys. The train would have crossed the Dauphin Narrows bridge, crossing onto the east shore and heading towards its scheduled 4:05 arrival in Sunbury.

Disaster struck when the train was between Halifax and Millersburg, on a flat, straight section of track that followed along the Susquehanna River and the Wiconisco Canal. According to the Telegraph, “an axle broke under the baggage car, throwing the cars attached off the track and wrecking the whole train.”

The train jumped the track about two miles south of Millersburg, just before the train rounded the mountain into the town.

When the train went from the rails, it pulled the express car and the passenger cars off with it. Six men were killed in the accident, while 20 or so others were also injured in the maelstrom.

The killed including two railroad personnel, as well as several men from the northern tier counties, and were no doubt logging men heading back north after bringing logs down river from Williamsport. The dead and injured were brought the remaining two miles to Millersburg, where the dead were stored until shipped back to family and friends.

The dead were reported to have been killed because they were riding on the rear platform of the passenger car at the time of the derailment. This raises questions, however. Why were the men riding on the rear of the train, which including two railroad employees? Were they really just seeking excitement and the danger of riding in this position? Or was the train overloaded, as many were in the days leading up to the accident? Did this have anything to do with the failure of the rail car’s axle?

Unfortunately, very little documentation remains of this specific incident on the rails. Despite it being among the worst rail accidents to occur in Pennsylvania in 1863, it was overshadowed by the events of the Pennsylvania invasion. It is sad that an incident such as this has been entirely forgotten, especially because it should be included in the rest of the drama taking place in those weeks.

Here is a full transcription of the Telegraph’s story, written in the days following the accident.

“Horrible Railroad Accident- Six Persons Killed and Four Badly Injured.

“Last evening, while the mail train on the Northern Central Railway going northward, about two mile south of Millersburg, Dauphin county, an axle broke under the baggage car, throwing the cars attached off the track and wrecking the whole train. The engine did not leave the track. The mortality from this unfortunate accident is larger than we have chronicled for a long time, and was occasioned by an unforeseen defect in an axle, liable to occur on any railroad. 

Killed

1. Daniel Ettinger, brakemen, York, Pa. 

2. —– Schuyler, Bradford Co, Pa.

3. W. H. Snyder, Lehigh Gap, Carbon Co., Pa

4. John W. Gabes, Springfield Centre, Bradford Co.

5. Lemuel Andrews, Troy, Bradford Co.

6. Jacob Buchurt, Granville, Bradford Co.

Injured.

John Bishop, Colliersville, Allegheny Co,; leg broke. 

W. Morris, brakemen, Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad; bruised.

A. M. Gibson, Lock Haven, Clinton Co.; injured about the head.

Thomas Pipes, baggage-master; bruised

Several others were injured, but not so badly as to prevent them from re-entering the cars and continuing on their journey.

The dead bodies were taken to Millersburg, soon after the accident, placed in coffins, and sent to their friends. 

In justice to the railroad company, we will state that every one killed was standing on the platfrom of the cars at the time of the accident, and had these men been in the seats provided for them, they might still be living. What a warning is this to hundreds who travel over the different railroads in this country, addicted to this habit.”

We are actively looking for more information on the accident at Millersburg in June 1863. Please contact me if you have anything to share about this incident, or anything else that has been posted.

Stay tuned for more posts as Central Pennsylvania commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Invasion of Pennsylvania and the battle of Gettysburg.

Category: Events, Overviews, Research, Stories | 1 Comment »
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Posted By Jake Wynn on July 7, 2013

The Lykens Valley was mostly known for one major item in the years of the Civil War.

Anthracite coal.

Bear Gap, as it looked in 1862.

This hard, stony coal burned hotter and longer than almost every other fuel available at the time, and the Lykens Valley anthracite was considered by many to be the best in the world.  One article, published in Mining Magazine in 1853, called Lykens Valley coal, “the favorite fuel of Harrisburg.”

Canal boats (arks) like these originally carried all Lykens Valley anthracite to market.

This coal was as much praised for its quality as its proximity to the Susquehanna River and the easily navigable route to the Chesapeake Bay. The Northern Central Railroad completed this benefit, by making speed yet another positive to the Lykens Valley coal.

The mines at Lykens were very profitable by the time of the Civil War, supplying Central Pennsylvania and beyond with fuel to heat homes and drive the Union economy.  The Lykens Valley Railroad, which was tied directly to the owners of the mines, recorded hauling 184,600 tons of anthracite coal from the Lykens Valley in 1862 alone.

While the war years certainly helped establish the Lykens Valley’s economic prominence, something was amiss in 1863. The Lykens Valley Railroad reported only 141,000 tons of anthracite coal transported from the region. This is quite a significant drop in production from one year to another, especially during a time were peak production for war needs would have brought in large amounts of cash.

What could be the cause for such a precipitous drop?

The war had an unintended effect on the industry of the Lykens Valley and through the rest of the Anthracite Region. Many of those who supported the war, had gone off to fight the rebels. It just so happened that many of these men supported the Republican Party and its ideals of industry and free labor. Some of those who remained behind did not wish to join the war effort for political reasons. Democrats who opposed the war also wished to break some of the strength of industrialist Republicans who had a stranglehold over the anthracite region.

This drama played out in Schuylkill County over several years during the war, prompting the state and federal government to send troops to quell rebellion. Miners, many of them Irish, struck for higher wages and against the war and the draft provoked the government’s actions. While no evidence, as of now, suggests that violence such as this occurred in the Lykens coal field, it does not mean there were not disruptions.

Two incidents occurred in 1863 that may have contributed to the fall in production, both of which could have had dire consequences not only for the men and women of the Lykens Valley, but for most of Central Pennsylvania and possibly the Union war effort.

The Daily Patriot & Union of Harrisburg reported this on March 20, 1863:

“Rumored Strike. — We hear rumors to the effect that the miners at the Lykens Valley coal mines are on a strike for increased wages, and fears are entertained that a riot will ensue resulting in the flooding of the mines and otherwise damaging the property of the proprietor, Mr. Harry Thomas, of this city. Sheriff Boas informed us yesterday that it was probable he would be called upon to visit the mines with a force sufficient to quell any riotous demonstrations that might be attempted, in case a compromise was not effected between Mr. Thomas and the strikers.” 

The situation seemed perilous enough that the Dauphin County Sheriff found it neccesary to bring an armed force with him to Lykens to potentially put down the riot. Apparently tensions eased, because the next day, the Patriot and Union reported:

“Settled.- We learn that the difficulty with the miners at the Lykens Valley coal mines has been satisfactorly adjusted, and that they have resumed work.”

Pressure still existed in the Lykens area, leading to a similar incident two months later when miners from Lykens again attempted to strike and were threatened with violence.

The Harrisburg Telegraph filed this report in their May 28, 1863:

“From Lykens Valley.– Strike among the Coal Miners.”

“Sheriff Boas was summoned to the upper end of the county Tuesday, to quell the disturbance at the Short Mountain Coal mines, caused by a strike among the workmen for an increase of wages. The Sheriff succeeded, without much difficulty, in pacifying the men to some extent, though they had not returned to their work when he left for Harrisburg.”

What conclusions does this leave us with?

The strike for higher wages at this present point tells us a lot about the miners and their situation at the time. They may have felt that this was a good time to press the issue for higher wages, because the work force was already strained by those who volunteered for war. This put the company owners in an awkward position, as many supported the war that took away much of their loyal workforce. Those who were left oftentimes supported workers’ rights or were new immigrants who were attempting to build a life in their new homeland.

The response tells us much as well. The forces of industry and the Republican-led government in Harrisburg moved quickly to squash any labor insurrection. From Lykens to Pottsville and beyond, any moves made for workers’ rights that involved miners moving off the job was quickly squelched by police or militia. While it did not lead to violence in the Lykens Valley, that did not mean it didn’t happen elsewhere…

Stay tuned for more posts as Central Pennsylvania commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Invasion of Pennsylvania and the battle of Gettysburg.

Category: Overviews, Reflections, Research, Stories | Comments Off on Lykens Valley Coal Strikes During 1863
Tags: Anthracite, Civil War 150, Coal, Lykens Valley

Posted By Jake Wynn on July 6, 2013

Multiple stories have been passed down over a century and a half related to the Battle of Gettysburg. The stories go that citizens of Pennsylvania from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia heard the sound of cannon fire from the battle in south-central Pennsylvania. These distances vary from dozens of miles to over a hundred miles distant from the source of the great sounds.

At first glance, some of these stories sound perfectly reasonable. The number of cannons at Gettysburg exceeded 350, with an astonishing variety of types. Most were the traditional 12 pound Napoleons, favored by both sides since the war began. These are the same cannons that dot the battlefield today, with their greenish hue.

Fighting on July 2 and 3 exhibited some of the heaviest cannonading of the war, involving a majority of the pieces mentioned above. As Confederate attacks on the Union right and left flanks intensified throughout the 2nd day of the battle, so too did the number of batteries involved.

This cannonading reached its crescendo in the afternoon of July 3, when over 150 Confederate cannons opened on the Union center on Cemetery Ridge south of Gettysburg. Historians consider this barrage to be the largest display of firepower ever exhibited in the Western Hemisphere.

So does it not seem reasonable that this mass collection of artillery would have created sounds likely to be heard hundreds of miles away?

Unlikely, says experts quoted by author Sandy Allison in a Lancaster Online article from 2007. They point out that under the correct conditions, sound from the pieces may have the ability to travel great distances. However, most of the time the blast from the mouth of the cannon rises and dissipates quickly in the atmosphere. Only specific atmospheric conditions would carry the sound that great distance.

So there you have it. We may never know for sure whether citizens across the Keystone State were really hearing the cannonade from Gettysburg, or just wished to be a part of history. Either way, it makes for a great story.

And speaking of great stories, a local tale came out of this time period as well.

As a boy, I was told the story of a small farmstead in Clark’s Valley that had a connection to the Battle of Gettysburg. The version of the story I heard went something like this:

On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, several men were placing a new roof on the home of a farmer located in the area just above the present site of the Dehart Dam. The day was among the hottest of the year, and the men had been at work all morning. They had surely heard of the great battle occurring at Gettysburg, or at least knew that the Rebels had invaded their state and may not have been too far away. Suddenly, a sound like distant thunder began to pelt the men on the rooftop. Fearing that the battle had crept closer, the men hurriedly finished the roof, leaving it quite crooked.

The chances this happened as it has been told are unlikely, at best. The distance from Gettysburg to the mouth of Clark’s Valley above Harrisburg stretches to nearly 40 miles. The sound of the guns would need to carry this distance, plus another 20 miles up the valley to the area of the farmhouse today. That isn’t even mentioning the range of mountains that sits squarely in the way.

However, as with all folk tales or oral history, a grain of truth may exist in this story. A small battle was fought just across the river from Harrisburg in the days before Gettysburg that may have generated enough sound to be heard at that distance. It may also be possible that citizens feared a Confederate invasion, as rumors swirled throughout the month of June that Rebel soldiers were attempting to cross the river and invade eastern Pennsylvania.

Whether or not these stories are true, we cannot discount their importance to local lore!

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Posted By Jake Wynn on July 5, 2013

Nestled in the upper end of the Lykens Valley, Hegins was a sleepy, little farming community in the spring of 1863. The war had taken many of its men off to war, leaving behind families struggling to support their farms.

Then there was those men who stayed behind, for one reason or another. Among these were Israel and Christian Stutzman, and Abraham Bressler.

Map of western Schuylkill County

The second federal draft, The Enrollment Act, was passed into law in March 1863. The law required every able body man in the North to sign up for the draft. Different districts would be assigned agents who were assigned to sign these men up for the draft. For the district including Hegins Township, Peter Kutz, of Monroe County, became that agent.

As Kutz went about enrolling men in the Hegins area on the afternoon of June 4, 1863, he received a most negative welcome. In an affidavit filed with Justice of the Peace, Jacob Reed, Kutz describes the events.

He said that between 4 and 5 o’clock on the afternoon of June 4, he was enrolling and came to the shoemaker shop owned by Israel Stutzman. He enrolled the owner of the shop, but when Israel’s brother Christian and his friend Abraham Bressler walked into the shop an argument ensued.

1855 map of Hegins Township, with both Bressler and Stutzman families present.

Kutz claimed that Bressler threatened him with a revolver if he ever entered Bressler’s house and that he would “break his bones.”

The Stutzman brothers then joined in as well, shouting about what they considered to be an unjust war for the “negro.” Kutz then left the property, but claimed he was harassed as he continued his work.

Kutz felt threatened, and when he began to leave, was accosted by two men as he left town. They told him to never come back. Another road block, a half-mile further included three men, one of which was armed. They told him “it was best for him to go.” Kutz never returned to Hegins Township, resigning his position out of fear for his life.

Charlemagne Tower, provost-marshal of Schuylkill County, became enraged at this act of mutiny in one of his outlying districts. He ordered Deputy Uriah Gane and several federal marshals to arrest the three men accused of starting the riot.

Charlemagne Tower

Charlemagne Tower wrote the following to the Provost General Col. James Fry in Washington:

“… At 8 o’clock in the evening of Monday, the 8th [June], Deputy Gane, with the sergeant (William Parks) and three men of the guard and James Bowen, a special assistant, left here in two carriages to execute the order. They reached Bressler’s house after midnight and posted themselves, as the deputy says, properly about the house. Bressler was at home, and a man who is represented to me as named Abraham Reed, and as a hired man of Bressler’s, was also within. Bowen knows Bressler well, and tells me is sure Bressler was within, because he heard and knows his voice.

Bressler refused to open the front door, where Gane and Bowen stood, and tried to escape by the back door. Sergeant Parks and one of the guards were at the back door. It was opened from within, and Bressler and Reed showed themselves there. Sergeant Parks at once laid hold of Bressler and said “you are my prisoner  I arrest you in the name of the provost-marshal,” and then shouted “Marshal! Marshal!” Then one of the men inside called to the other for “the rifle.” Bressler escaped from the sergeant’s grasp and jumped back into the house, and Reed prevented the sergeant following by shutting the door and holding it.

Gane, who was in front, on hearing the sergeant call for the marshal, at once went around to the backdoor, where I understand this happened. A person at the door was holding it to, and as the sergeant and men say, had a rifle in his hand. About the time Gane got there the door was opened, the sergeant had fired his revolver inside, and Gane saw a man disappear in the smoke. He rushed in, seized the man and arrested him “in the name of the United States.” It was dark. On procuring a light he discovered the man he had seized was Reed, and he let him go and went on searching for Bressler. On going to an end window, he found it open and a rifle standing beside it…

…Gane afterward heard Bressler’s wife tell her daughter, in German, that he was gone to Tremont…” 

Tower later describes a wild chase on the mountain road between Tremont and Hegins.  Bressler outran the marshals and escaped. The Stutzmans were taken to Pottsville and interviewed by Tower himself. He had apparently had the idea to send them to Philadelphia where they would be “out of the range of habeas corpus.” On interviewing them, he realize they were no threat, and had been carried away in the moment. He released them on $1,000 bond. It is also revealed that Abraham Reed was wounded in the melee at the Bressler home.

Abraham Bressler was never arrested for anything related to the incident in Hegins.

Charlemagne Tower became incensed later in June when he learned that everyone involved that night’s events had warrants out for their arrests. He accused the Schuylkill County judges of being anti-war and of trying to undermine his authority in the county. The situation in Hegins eventually played itself out, and peace again returned to the upper end of the Lykens Valley.

Stay tuned for more posts as Central Pennsylvania commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Invasion of Pennsylvania and the battle of Gettysburg.

Category: Culture, Overviews, Reflections, Research, Stories | 2 Comments »
Tags: Civil War, Draft, Hegins