Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 12, 2012

The Real Abraham Lincoln, by Thomas J. DiLorenzo, was published in 2002 by Three Rivers Press of New York and promised to give “a new look at Abraham Lincoln, his agenda, and an unnecessary war.”  In the book, DiLorenzo primarily challenged the conventional view of Lincoln – the one most taught in schools and colleges – that the Civil War was fought to end slavery.  In addition, DiLorenzo challenges the makers of this myth and other myths of Abraham Lincoln – a group he calls the “Industry of Lincoln Scholars”- a self-anointed group of individuals who come forward to criticize any interpretation of the Civil War or of Lincoln that does not fit their contrived notions.

The thesis of this book appears to be that Lincoln’s primary goal was the the centralization of power in Washington – which he euphemistically called “Union.”  Lincoln, according to DiLorenzo, used the Civil War to consolidate power – a movement that had its roots in Federalist and Whig tradition and was continued as a goal of the Republican Party.  Lincoln emerged triumphant, but at great cost to the country and its people – in material and lives.  After Lincoln, secession was a dead issue (“one nation indivisible”) and the power of the national government was firmly established over the states.  DiLorenzo also connects what Lincoln did to nationalistic movements in other parts of the world that occurred at about the same time – in Germany, in Italy, and in Russia – small states uniting to form a strong central government and a unified national purpose.

Lincoln’s views on slavery and the African American are presented but there is little that is new here.  The evolution of Lincoln’s attitudes  including his belief in the inherent inequality of the races, his support for colonization, and his political maneuvering to have emancipation at just the right time, for military reasons, and for his own purposes – are presented.  Lerone Bennett, author of Forced Into Glory, does a much better job in exploring Lincoln’s racial attitudes.

Nevertheless, DiLorenzo concedes that a positive result of the Civil War was the passage of the 13th Amendment forever abolishing slavery in the United States.  His lament is that slavery could have been abolished peacefully, perhaps by compensating the owners for their emancipated property – something that would have been far less costly than a war. After all, wasn’t slavery abolished peacefully in the British Empire?  and in other places in the world?  According to DiLorenzo, the end of slavery was also foreshadowed by economic conditions which made it cost-prohibitive to maintain as an institution.

“Secession as Treason” is explored as a myth.  DiLorenzo carefully lays out his evidence supporting his belief that secession was always a legal option available to the states and that when it had been threatened prior to the Civil War, including by some of the northern states, no one ever stated that it was illegal or treasonous.  Secession was always a “state right”, never surrendered by any compact.

Was Lincoln a dictator and did he deliberately ignore the Constitution in order to accomplish his main agenda?  The suspension of habeas corpus, the suppression of free elections in Maryland, the imprisonment of newspaper editors who spoke out against the war and the administration, the “unconstitutional” creation of West Virginia out of the territory of a sovereign state, the granting of powers to the military (plundering and devastation within the borders of the United States), confiscation of arms in violation of the second amendment, the ordering of the mass removal of Indians who Lincoln felt would support the rebellion, and other unconstitutional acts are presented and documented.  The chapter concludes with an analysis of how the “Lincoln Scholars” justify and rationalize Lincoln’s behavior and actions.

In a chapter on “Waging War on Civilians,” DiLorenzo outlines the rules of war and their evolution and concludes that had the north lost the war, Lincoln and his generals would have been guilty of war crimes.  “The victors are never charged as war criminals, of course; only the losers are.  This was true in 1865 and it is true today.  Lincoln’s abandonment of the internationally agreed upon rules of war as codified  by the Geneva Convention of 1863 and his demolition of Constitutional liberties as described… established precedents that would provide countless excuses and rationalizations for empire-building and war-mongering politicians throughout the world in the decades to come.  Politicians of all parties would routinely invoke the name of the martyred Lincoln to ‘justify’ their own schemes to run afoul of the Constitution, international law, and commonly accepted norms of morality.” (p. 199).

The final chapters relate the “costs of Lincoln’s war” and give an “Afterword.”  The telling conclusion is that Lincoln was the anti-Jefferson:

Jefferson’s philosophy of government was “that government is best which governs least” – a principle repudiated by Lincoln, whose administration set into motion the wheels of the centralized state that Americans slave under today.  He was truly the anti-Jefferson, who did more than anyone else to destroy the voluntary union of free and sovereign states that was created by the American founding fathers.

The Lincoln myth is the ideological cornerstone of big government in America.  It is Lincoln, not Washington, Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, or anyone else, who is the most visible symbol of statism in America, with his countenance on the five-dollar bill and Mount Rushmore, with his Zeus-like statue in Washington, D.C., and with so many schools, streets and towns named after him.  His administration created what historian Leonard P. Curry called the “blueprint for modern America,” which is more appropriately labeled the blueprint for big government in America, with its income taxation, protectionism, central banking, internal revenue bureaucracy, military conscription, huge standing army, corporate welfare, and foreign policy meddling. (p. 304-305)

In calling for a re-interpretation of Lincoln, DiLorenzo has exposed the greatest of all the Lincoln myths – that government is and should be – of the people, by the people, and for the people.  Big government – of a central authority, by a central authority, and for a central authority – was in Lincoln’s heart and soul from his beginnings in politics to his assassination – and by the time that fatal act occurred, it was too late to turn back.

The  2003 edition contains a new “Afterword”.

Category: Reflections, Resources | Comments Off on The Real Abraham Lincoln
Tags: Abraham Lincoln

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 11, 2012

Click on picture to enlarge.

Gratz Union Cemetery (Simeon’s).  This is part 4 of the 33rd post on Gratz During the Civil War.  In the days of the Civil War, three separate burial areas were designated – one for the Evangelical Church, one for the German Reformed Church, and one for the Lutheran Church.  The church located here was a “Union” church and housed the Lutheran and German Reformed congregations.  The Samuel’s Evangelical Church was located on Market Street and was the subject of a previous post in this “Walking Tour Series.”  Each part will note the Civil War burials in the current sections of the Gratz Union Cemetery, without reference to their religious affiliation.  In some cases, the religious distinctions were blurred and congregants were not necessarily buried in the appropriate section of their church membership.

A key was provided to identify who was buried in each numbered grave:

Not all the graves noted by the veterans were from the Civil War period and not all the Civil War graves in the cemetery are noted on the map.  The omissions may be due to the family not wishing military association for their loved one or the veteran himself may have hidden the fact that he was a veteran.  There were various reasons why this was done including a religious opposition to war or because the person was a deserter.

For the purpose of this cemetery guide, only the graves that were noted by the veterans’ organization will be included at this time.  Additional names can be added later when military service can be confirmed.

Starting at the southernmost section of the cemetery, and working back from the road, the current section and row number is given followed by the name of the veteran and some basic information.  For some of the veterans, a prior post will give more information, but for many, information is still being sought including pictures, copies of the military and pension records, and genealogies.

SECTION ONE – NORTH – continuing toward the street….

40. David Taylor (1830-1899) – Row 11

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41. Jeremiah Fisher (1823-1884) – Row 10

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42. Jacob Ritzman (1794-1857) – Not Civil War

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43. Leonard Reedy (1776-1837) not Civil War.  Sons were veterans.

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44. Error in Marking of Graves

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SECTION TWO – NORTH

45. Charles Shade – World War I

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46. Thomas Umholtz – World War I

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47. Thomas Kissinger – World War I

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48.  Henry Huntzinger – World War I

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49. Banawell Hand (1843-1907) – Row 19

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50. Josiah Umholtz (1845-1894) – Row 14

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The remaining numbers are marked “American Legion” indicating World War I service.

This concludes the graves that were regularly honored by the veterans.  As stated, previously, not all the Civil War veteran graves were noted on the map and they will be added as soon as they are confirmed.

Comments are invited by readers.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Gratz During the Civil War – Cemeteries (Part 4)
Tags: Gratz Borough, Walking Tour

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 10, 2012

Click on picture to enlarge.

Gratz Union Cemetery (Simeon’s).  This is part 3 of the 33rd post on Gratz During the Civil War.  In the days of the Civil War, three separate burial areas were designated – one for the Evangelical Church, one for the German Reformed Church, and one for the Lutheran Church.  The church located here was a “Union” church and housed the Lutheran and German Reformed congregations.  The Samuel’s Evangelical Church was located on Market Street and was the subject of a previous post in this “Walking Tour Series.”  Each part will note the Civil War burials in the current sections of the Gratz Union Cemetery, without reference to their religious affiliation.  In some cases, the religious distinctions were blurred and congregants were not necessarily buried in the appropriate section of their church membership.

A key was provided to identify who was buried in each numbered grave:

Not all the graves noted by the veterans were from the Civil War period and not all the Civil War graves in the cemetery are noted on the map.  The omissions may be due to the family not wishing military association for their loved one or the veteran himself may have hidden the fact that he was a veteran.  There were various reasons why this was done including a religious opposition to war or because the person was a deserter.

For the purpose of this cemetery guide, only the graves that were noted by the veterans’ organization will be included at this time.  Additional names can be added later when military service can be confirmed.

Starting at the southernmost section of the cemetery, and working back from the road, the current section and row number is given followed by the name of the veteran and some basic information.  For some of the veterans, a prior post will give more information, but for many, information is still being sought including pictures, copies of the military and pension records, and genealogies.

SECTION ONE – NORTH

23. Isaac Sitlinger (1833-1908) – Row 26

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24. Emanuel Umholtz (1843-1904) – Row 25

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25. John G. Saltzer (1844-1907) – Row 24

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26. Isaac K. Hepler (1838-1918) – Row 25

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27. Cyrene T. Bowman (1843-1919) – Row 22

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28. George W. Schopp (George Tschopp) (1827-1900) – Row 21

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29. John G. Keihner (1847-1909) – Row 20

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30. Edmond L. Umholtz (1843-1882) – Row 21

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31. Rudolph H. Dornhime (1828-1912) – Row 19

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32. Jacob Umholtz (1824-1894) – Row 20

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33. John W. Hoffman (1843-1908) – Row 18

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34. Joseph Kissinger- not found

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35. Henry Willier (Henry Williard)  (1841-1907) – Row 17

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36. John Adam Saltzer (1834-1869) – Row 16

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37. Edward Thomas (1840-1872) – Row 15

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38. Andreas Reigle – Not Civil War

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39. Field Stone – Unknown

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The concluding part of this post will appear tomorrow and will begin near the front of Section Two – North and work forward to the street, then proceed into Section Three – North and move west into the section.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Gratz During the Civil War – Cemeteries (Part 3)
Tags: Walking Tour

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 9, 2012

Pennsylvania regiments that served in the Civil War used a numbering system that is sometimes confusing to those not familiar with the practices in place at the time the war began and the practices that evolved as the war continued.  The first regiments that met the call of President Abraham Lincoln were formed for only ninety days service because Lincoln believed that the war would be of short duration and that if he asked a state regiment to serve longer, he would have to go to the U.S. Congress to to get a declaration of war.  Although the nation was involved in a crisis, Congress did not plan to have session until July 1861.  These first Pennsylvania regiments were numbered from1 to 29 and all were signed up for ninety days service.  In 1861, the call went out from Governor Andrew Curtin for volunteers and more than enough men signed up and were mustered into these first 29 regiments.  All of these regiments were infantry, or “foot soldiers.”

The Reserves.  Since the “extra” men were not immediately needed for service, regiments 30 through 44 were asked to be ready in “reserve.”  The first to be called upon, if needed, were known as the “1st Reserves”, the second as the “2nd Reserves,” and so on.  The table below shows the “official” Pennsylvania Volunteer number for the regiment followed by the reserve number.  This is sometimes confusing to family members in researching their veteran ancestor, because family information may indicate volunteering for service in the “6th Pennsylvania” when in fact this was actually the “6th Reserves” or the “35th Pennsylvania.”  These Pennsylvania reserve units, when called into service, were “federalized” and were assigned to the Army of the Potomac.  For the purpose of identification in searching this blog, the original, sequential Pennsylvania number is used, whether or not the unit or the soldier preferred to use the reserve number.  Thus, the designation “35th Pennsylvania Infantry” would be the consistent search term on this blog for the members and service of this regiment – not “6th Pennsylvania Reserves.”

Re-enlistments from Original Regiments.  Another confusing factor in the numbering designation is that when the ninety day period for the first 29 regiments expired, most of the regiments were disbanded and the men went home.  However, six of the regiments chose not to disband, but to volunteer for 3-year service.  They were allowed to keep their original numerical designations.  Thus, for the 11th, 23rd, 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th, there is the first group of ninety day volunteers, and a second group of 3-year volunteers.  Many of the men in these re-enlisted regiments referred to themselves as “veterans” which is sometimes confusing with the official Union Army designation for the units referred to as the “Invalid Corps.”  A prior post described the “invalid corps” and how they came to be known as the “Veteran Reserve Corps.”  Later, men who served for three-years and  re-enlisted for a second  three year term, were officially permitted to use the designation “veteran,”and were entitled to wear a “veteran stripe” on their uniforms.

The Cavalry.  Men who had particular skills as horsemen, blacksmiths, farriers, etc., and who had volunteered in the early wave, were assigned to the 44th Pennsylvania Infantry, which was at first designated as the 15th Pennsylvania Reserves (see table above), but when mustered into service became the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry.  As the war progressed, more Pennsylvania cavalry regiments were formed and instead of using the sequential volunteer number, these units were known by their cavalry number.  The table below indicates the original volunteer number and the designated cavalry number for each of the 22 Pennsylvania cavalry regiments that served at some point during the war.  For the purpose of searching this blog, use “1st Pennsylvania Cavalry,” “2nd Pennsylvania Cavalry,” etc. to locate men and regimental information.  The 10th Pennsylvania Cavalry was never organized, so it is omitted from the table.

The Artillery.  Men who had particular skills in ordinance or could easily learn them, were originally assigned to the 43rd Regiment which, according to the “reserve” table above, was originally designated as the 14th Pennsylvania Reserves.  When mustered into service, this regiment became the 1st Pennsylvania Artillery.  Altogether, there were 6 regimental designations for the artillery, although the 4th was actually created from surplus men from the 2nd, and then disbanded after short service.  Some of the regiments were known as “Heavy Artillery” and others as “Light Artillery,” but for the purposes of searching this blog, omit the words “heavy” and “light” and simply search for “1st Pennsylvania Artillery,” “2nd Pennsylvania Artillery,” etc.  The table below gives the numerical designation and the artillery equivalent.

Named Units.  Further confusing the regimental designations were “original” names that stuck with regiments.  One of the most famous of these was the “Bucktails” which was actually three separate regiments.  The original designation with the “Bucktail” designation is shown in the table below.  for the purpose of searching this blog, the original number is used to find the men and activities of the regiment, e.g., “149th Pennsylvania Infantry” rather than “2nd Pennsylvania Bucktails.”

Independent Batteries.  Other named units included independent artillery batteries.  At some point it was decided that the artillery operated better as a “battery” of about 100 men rather than as a regiment of about 1000 men, so smaller groups were allowed to form on their own with their own leader.  Pennsylvania had nine different batteries of about 100 men each.  In searching this blog for the independent batteries, search by the name of the battery rather than the letter designation, e.g., “Thompson’s Independent Battery.”

Drafted Militia.  Regiments numbered 158 and 165 through 179 were drafted to meet the quotas required for Pennsylvania.  These regiments served for nine months.  While their official designation included the word “drafted,” for the purposes of searching this blog, simply use “177th Pennsylvania Infantry“, “178th Pennsyvlania Infantry,” etc. to find the men and records of these regiments.  These regiments were taken into federal service and although the men sometimes referred to themselves as “militia,” they should not be confused with the emergency forces that were specifically called upon to defend the state from the threat of invasion.

Emergency Militia.  Emergency militia units were state troops that served for varying periods of time.  The two primary periods of time when these units were called into service was in 1862 during the Confederate invasion of Maryland and in 1863 during the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania.

The 1862 emergency militia had a separate numbering system from 1 to 25, but the system was for convenience only as the men were not assigned to the corresponding three-month units of the same number.  These units did not see combat and were discharged after only a few days of service.  Likewise, the 1863 emergency units were numbered from 26 through 60 and also were not officially assigned to their corresponding numbered regiments.  These men saw service for up to three months , some in skirmishes and battles, with the most notable of these being the 26th Emergency Militia Infantry which saw action at the Battle of Gettysburg and has recognition on the Pennsylvania Memorial at the National Battlefield Park as well as a separate monument on the west side of the town of Gettysburg.  For the purposes of locating men and records in this blog, the appropriate numerical designation is used to search; thus “26th Pennsylvania Infantry” is used to find the records of both the regular regiment of that name and the “emergency” force of that name.  Separation is easy in that the text of the blog usually reports the dates of service or  uses the word “emergency” or “militia.”

In addition to the numbered emergency militia, there can be found independent emergency militia, artillery and cavalry as well as a unit referred to as the “National Guard.”

Finally, an 1864 confederate incursion into Pennsylvania at Chambersburg resulted in the last of these emergency groups called into service.  These 1864 regiments had no numbers and were known by the names of their commanders.

One of the disadvantages of serving in these militia was that service was for a short period of time – too short to qualify for a pension as many found out later when they became invalids as a result of conditions they believed were a result of their brief war service.

Colored Troops.  Prior to 1863, many African Americans served in integrated units although their service was rarely acknowledged as such.  Several examples of this have been previously given in this blog – one in particular where one family had several members who served in the Gratztown Militia and emergency forces but later were denied service in “federalized” state-formed units that were supposedly all white.  When African Americans were officially allowed to serve in the military in 1863, the state organized them into numerical units that were designated as “United States Colored Troops (USCT).”  All of these regiments had white commissioned officers and some of these officers as well as some of the men were from the Lykens Valley area or had a connection to the Lykens Valley area.  The list below gives the numbered regiments of the United States Colored Troops from Pennsylvania:

The final comment will be on designations for “companies” within regiments.  In nearly every case, companies were designated with a letter of the alphabet.  In referring to his unit, the soldier almost always gave the company first, followed by the regiment number.  This was a way of “addressing” the unit designation much in the way that a person is addressed by their first name followed by their last name.  However, in locating the unit, the records are always filed under the “last name” (the regiment) followed by the “first name” (the company).  Also note that in nearly all cases, the letter “J” was not used because when written, looked like the letter “I.”  Regimental officers were in “HQ” or “Headquarters” – and in some records, they can be found in “F & S” (Field and Staff).  Where musicians were separate “companies,” they can be found in “Band” or “Mus.”  Buglers for the cavalry are found in the headquarters staff.

Category: Overviews, Research, Resources | 2 Comments »
Tags: Abraham Lincoln, African Americans, Anrew Curtin, Regiments

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 8, 2012

Ckick on picture to enlarge.

Gratz Union Cemetery (Simeon’s).  This is part 2 of the 33rd post on Gratz During the Civil War.  In the days of the Civil War, three separate burial areas were designated – one for the Evangelical Church, one for the German Reformed Church, and one for the Lutheran Church.  The church located here was a “Union” church and housed the Lutheran and German Reformed congregations.  The Samuel’s Evangelical Church was located on Market Street and was the subject of a previous post in this “Walking Tour Series.”  Each part will note the Civil War burials in the current sections of the Gratz Union Cemetery, without reference to their religious affiliation.  In some cases, the religious distinctions were blurred and congregants were not necessarily buried in the appropriate section of their church membership.

A key was provided to identify who was buried in each numbered grave:

Not all the graves noted by the veterans were from the Civil War period and not all the Civil War graves in the cemetery are noted on the map.  The omissions may be due to the family not wishing military association for their loved one or the veteran himself may have hidden the fact that he was a veteran.  There were various reasons why this was done including a religious opposition to war or because the person was a deserter.

For the purpose of this cemetery guide, only the graves that were noted by the veterans’ organization will be included at this time.  Additional names can be added later when military service can be confirmed.

Starting at the southernmost section of the cemetery, and working back from the road, the current section and row number is given followed by the name of the veteran and some basic information.  For some of the veterans, a prior post will give more information, but for many, information is still being sought including pictures, copies of the military and pension records, and genealogies.

SECTION ONE – NORTH

13. Harrison Reigle (1840-1899) – Row 17

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14. 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.

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15. Abraham Dreibelbis (1843-1921) – Row 19

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16. Jacob Kissinger (1843-1921) – Row 21

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18. Jonas “Jerias” Kissinger (1840-1882) – Row 24

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19. Harry J. Folk (1893-1918) – Row 23 (American Legion – Not Civil War)

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20. Franklin Fidler (1835-1912) – Row 21

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21. Elias Zerfing (1838-1918) – Row 24

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22. Emanuel A. Kemble (1847-1887) – Row 25

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The next post will appear on Friday and will begin at the rear of Section Two – North and work forward to the street.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Gratz During the Civil War – Cemeteries (Part 2)
Tags: G.A.R., Gratz Borough, Walking Tour