Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on March 28, 2011

(Part  13 of an ongoing series on the Battle of Gettysburg).  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.  This post will present the plaque recognizing the men who served in the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry, which was part of the Irish Brigade. By clicking on the plaque it should enlarge so the names can be more clearly read.  Following the plaque is a list of the men who have thus far been identified as eligible for inclusion in this Civil War Research Project who, it is believed, served for a time in the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry.  Not all the names may appear on the Pennsylvania Memorial plaques.  If a name does not appear, it could be that the soldier did serve in the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry, but was not part of the regiment during its days at Gettysburg – or it could mean that the soldier was erroneous included in the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry list.  There could also be errors on the plaque.  Readers are invited to submit comments about any names appearing below, or on the plaque, especially if they believe the soldier was from the Lykens Valley area and should be included in this study.

Click on picture to enlarge.

Men from the Lykens Valley area who probably served in the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry:

George Goodman — Joseph M. Johnson — Jacob J. Schroeder — Adam Wagner — Ellie Wilson

Only some information has been discovered about each of the five men.  Records at the Civil War Research Project indicate that George Goodman was “shot in side” during the war.  Jacob J. Schroeder was taken prisoner and held at Salisbury, North Carolina for six months where he claimed to have developed rheumatism and heart disease.  Adam Wagner was killed in the battle at Petersburg on 14 June 1864 and in 1890, his widow was living in Porter Township, Schuylkill County.  She didn’t know much about his military service because his discharge had been destroyed in a fire.  Ellie Wilson‘s widow was living in Tower City, Schuylkill County in 1890.

Information for this post was taken from the files of the Civil War Research Project.  A separate digital file is kept on each of the above-named men.  Information is sought on any men from the Lykens Valley area who were soldiers or sailors during the Civil War.  See also, Pennsylvanians in the Irish Brigade, of which the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry was a part.

Category: Memorials | 1 Comment »
Tags: Monument

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on March 27, 2011

On 29 August 1863, in front of about twenty-five thousand witnesses including the soldiers of the 5th Army Corps, five deserters were executed near Washington, D.C.  It was not unusual for deserters to be executed during the Civil War.  What was unusual about this execution was that one of the soldiers was of the Jewish faith and that the funeral service conducted thereafter could very well be the first all-denominational funeral in American history.

In a previous post, Corp. John C. Gratz – 96th Pennsylvania Infantry, the description of an execution of a deserter was provided through the words of Lykens Valley area diarist, Sgt. Henry Keiser.  Keiser drew a diagram of the positioning of the various regiments to witness the execution.  A copy of Keiser’s diary is available at the Civil War Research Project.

In his book, American Jewry and the Civil War, Bertram W. Korn, discusses the difficulties of Jewish soldiers in maintaining their religious practices while serving in regiments that had Protestant chaplains.  The War Department was reluctant to formally assign rabbis to regiments, the practice being that only Protestant clergy should be officially assigned and paid through public funds.  This posed a difficulty for Catholics as well, and in another post, Pennsylvanians in the Irish Brigade, the following was noted:

The “Irish Brigade” was assigned paid Catholic Chaplains, chief of which was Fr. William Corby, a Holy Cross priest and a future president of Notre Dame and for the most part, its leaders were of Irish background.

But Jews were were a significantly smaller group in society and in the military.  There were no Jewish brigades and there were no known attempts to create any. Prejudice ran deep against Jews when religion was considered.  Stark contrasts were made between Christianity and Judaism and those contrasts became the basis for official discrimination.

While most Jews served with distinction during the Civil War, an occasional example can be found of someone who did not.  One such example was the case of Pvt. George Kuhn of the 118th Pennsylvania Infantry.  The story is reported by Bertram W. Korn:

Because thousands of Union soldiers were deserting, the Army had to take steps to discourage more desertions and did so by convicting, sentencing and ordering the executions of those convicted.  One such convicted deserter was Pvt. George Kuhn. Kuhn, a member of the Jewish faith, who, as part of a last wish request, asked to see a rabbi.  There being no rabbi in the immediate area around Washington, D.C., the army asked Rabbi Benjamin Szold of Baltimore to come to meet with Kuhn.  After meeting with Kuhn, Rabbi Szold was convinced that Kuhn should be given clemency and he requested a meeting with Abraham Lincoln in order to get a presidential pardon.  Lincoln had received other requests for pardons for deserters and was hesitant to intercede, perhaps not wanting to interfere in cases of army discipline, but he did meet with the rabbi.  Impressed with the rabbi’s presentation, Lincoln sent him to Gen. Gordon Meade with a letter requesting that Meade hear Kuhn’s story.  Rabbi Szold met with Gen. Meade, but Meade felt that the execution should take place in order to set an example and hopefully prevent future desertions.

Rabbi Benjamin Szold (1829-1902)

On 29 August 1863, the execution of Kuhn and four other deserters took place near Rappahannock Station, Virginia.  Members of the 5th Army Corps were assembled to witness the execution.  Rabbi Szolz was permitted to be with George Kuhn prior to the execution and said he would honor Kuhn’s request to perform the burial ceremony as well as provide prayers prior to the execution.  A Catholic priest, who came from Washington, administered to one of the other deserters who happened to be Catholic and the Protestant chaplain, an “official” of the army, administered to the three Protestant men who also were to be executed.

Korn describes what followed:

At three o’clock the clergymen were asked to conclude their prayers; the five men stood at attention in front of the graves which had already been dug for them; the order to fire was given and thirty-six muskets discharged their bullets.  The five bodies were then placed in the graves and the three clergymen [Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish], side by side, read their burial services.  This was probably the first case in American history of an all-denominational funeral.

Korn took this story from Three Years in the Army of the Potomac by H. N. Blake, an eyewitness to the execution.  He disputes Blake’s contention that two of the deserters were Jewish, two were Catholic, and one was Protestant.  In his notes, he quotes Blake who gives more detail to the religious aspects of the ceremony:

The band of the regiment played the “dead march” while the procession was moving to the scene; and each prisoner, with his hands manacled behind him, walked in the rear of his coffin, which was carried by four soldiers, and placed in front of the grave… and the rabbi and priest who accompanied them had a dispute about precedence, and urged their respective claims upon theological tenets; but the commander of the provost-guard viewed the subject in a military light, and decided the novel question by allowing the rabbi to walk first, because his faith was the oldest and outranked the other.

According to Pennsylvanians in the Civil War, the following men were executed on 29 August 1863:

• Folancy, John 118th PA Infantry Aug 29, 1863 Firing Squad Desertion
• Walter, Charles 118th PA Infantry Aug 20, 1863 Firing Squad Desertion
• Kuhne, George 118th PA Infantry Aug 29, 1863 Firing Squad Desertion
• Lai, Emil 118th PA Infantry Aug 29, 1863 Firing Squad Desertion
• Rionese, Gion 118th PA Infantry Aug 29, 1863 Firing Squad Desertion

Witnesses to this execution and inter-faith funeral service were members of Kuhn’s own regiment, the 118th Pennsylvania Infantry, as well the members of the other regiments of the 5th Army Corps.  No Civil War soldiers from the Lykens Valley area have yet been identified as members of the 118th Pennsylvania Regiment.  However, at least three other Pennsylvania regiments were part of the 5th Army Corps and it is highly possible that the Lykens Valley area soldiers who were parts of those regiments were present as witnesses.  The regiments and their members are identified below:

83rd Pennsylvania Infantry:   John H. Bowers — Benjamin Franke — George W. Huff — Jacob R. Keiser — William Lehman — Morris Meck — Nelson C. Meck — Joseph H. Miller — Reuben Hoffa Shade — George Sheesley — Joshua Wald.

91st Pennsylvania Infantry:  Charles Starnowski — John F. Stine

155th Pennsylvania Infantry:  Archibald Griffin

More information is sought on the above incident or and on religious practices that were permitted and/or supported in Civil War regiments.  Executions, if used as examples, had a profound effect of those who witnessed them – as the army intended them to have.  The right to have clergy of ones own faith as “official” chaplains in army units was strengthened ironically by this execution and the last wish of  a person of the Jewish faith.  The extent of the effect on those who witnessed the execution, particularly those from the Lykens Valley area, and whether it they associated it in any way to religious precedent and tolerance, may never be known.

The portrait of Rabbi Szold is from Wikipedia and is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.  Neither the Wikipedia article nor the Jewish Encyclopedia article on Rabbi Benjamin Szold mentions the above-reported, historic incident.  There is no index card for George Kuhn (or George Kuhne) in the Pennsylvania Civil War Veterans’ Card file at the Pennsylvania Archives.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Jewish, Keiser family, Kuhn family, Regiments

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on March 26, 2011

This post concludes the look at the main Harrisburg railroad station by presenting some photos showing how the station has been preserved and restored and is now utilized as the Harrisburg Transportation Center.  Previous posts on this subject were “Harrisburg – Crossroads of the Union” and “Harrisburg – Old Pennsylvania Railroad Station.”

Rededication, 24 October 1985

Harrisburg Transportation Center

Train Shed with Historic Electric Engine and Caboose

Grayhound Bus Platforms

Passenger Station from the Inside

Train Shed

Train Shed

Category: Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Harrisburg Transportation Center
Tags: Harrisburg, Railroad

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on March 25, 2011

In the post yesterday, the historical marker, “Harrisburg – Crossroads of the Union,” which is in front of the historic Harrisburg Transportation Center, was discussed.  Today, the other marker, “Old Pennsylvania Railroad Station,” will be presented.  Since this marker traces the history of the railroad stations at this site, some background will be given on the evolution, decline, and resurgence of rail travel in the United States.  This post will conclude tomorrow with some additional pictures of the renovated  Harrisburg Pennsylvania Railroad Station.

It is unfortunate that this marker has either been vandalized or worn to the point where part of the inscription is almost unreadable.  A picture of the  marker appears on another site, with the statement that the posting was done on 27 March 2008.  Some of the damage shows across the face of the marker, but additional damage is now shown in the picture shown above, which was taken in January 2011 – nearly three years later.  Originally, the marker was placed by the Harrisburg History Project, Commissioned by Mayor Stephen R. Reed.  No date is on the table, but Reed was Mayor of Harrisburg ten years ago when other historical projects were initiated, including the National Civil War Museum; Reed was one of the strongest campaigners to establish the museum in Harrisburg.  The historical marker at the Transportation Center now needs repairs or replacement.  Perhaps moving it away from a heavily used bus stop and taxi stand will help.

The following is an attempted reconstruction of the working on the marker.

Harrisburg grew from its earliest days due to its strategic location as a gateway to western expansion, becoming one of the most important inland centers of U.S. transportation and trade. The development of rail lines along the same routes as the earlier canal systems converged in downtown Harrisburg. The original portion of the present station was opened November 23, 1887 at 8:00 p.m. Constructed of pressed laid brick in red mortar, Hummelstown Brownstone and terra cotta trim, the building cost $206,261. This complex was expanded in 1902 and 1910. Built by the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad, which established major operations in Harrisburg, it was the fourth train station on this site. The first was built in 1837 by a rail forerunner. It gave way to two facilities in 1849 and 1857, with both operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Queen Anne in style, the present building was a hub for millions of rail passengers over a century. In 1922, during railroading’s Golden Years, more than 100 trains arrived and departed here each day. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Old Pennsylvania Railroad Station, now the Harrisburg Transportation Center, is particularly distinguished by its lofty train sheds, a rarity in the United States, and by the thorough restoration that presents to current and future rail passengers a fitting “welcome mat” to the city which lies beyond.

The top photograph is of the Civil War era station on this site:

"The predecessor to the present railroad station was the site of Lincoln's Funeral Train in 1865."

Another picture of the same station from a different view:

In the above picture, Lincoln’s funeral train (at bottom of picture) has been cropped out.  Those who wish to see the full version of the picture can click here.  The picture on the Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission site was taken from an original picture from the collection of the Pullman Museum.  The copy of the original of the photo above is not on the historical marker.  For pictures two and three on the marker, it is impossible to read the captions or see the photo because of the damage to the marker.

The final picture on the marker is of the Harrisburg Pennsylvania Railroad Station as it appeared in 1910.  As stated on the historical marker, this station replaced the Civil War era station in 1887 with additions completed to the basic 1887 structure in 1902 and 1910.

Although the 1910 station bears little resemblance to the Civil War era station, it is on the same site and essentially serves the same purpose making Harrisburg a “crossroads” for rail traffic going east and west as well as north and south.  This station underwent significant renovation and restoration in the early 1980s, and in 1983, became a National Historic Landmark under the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior.

Another plaque inside the station recognizes the Civil War era station, traces the history of the railroad, and indicates that the train shed  was a pre-Civil War patented design.

Click on picture to enlarge.

The Pennsylvania Railroad was chartered in 1846 by the Commonwealth which authorized the company to build a line between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh to parallel the state-owned canal and inclined plane system.  When the line opened in 1855, the last rail link between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia was complete.  Expanding 10,000 miles to serve the northeast and midwest the Railroad operated under its original charter until 1962 when it merged with the New York Central to form the Penn Central.  In 1971 Amtrak was created after the Penn-Central filed for bankruptcy.

The Harrisburg station, located on the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad and completed in 1887, was the first built by the company in the City.  It is composed of two distinct parts, the passenger building and sheds.  The passenger building, which has been extensively remodeled in various campaigns, remains a good example of turn of the century railroad construction.  It was built under the direction of William Henry Brown, the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Chief Engineer, whose duties involved all aspects of civil engineering undertaken by the Railroad.

The Station has particular engineering significance because of its two train sheds, which are preserved unaltered and largely intact.  They represent a recent ancestor to skyscraper engineering.  The roof truss prototype was patented by Albert Fink in 1854.  Its use here is a unique “hybrid” form combining iron and wood components in the same structure.

The final restored building and train shed is now known as the Harrisburg Transportation Center, a multi-modal service facilities for train, long distance bus service, local bus service, and taxi.

While the Civil War station no longer exists, undoubtedly G.A.R. veterans from the Lykens Valley area who were on the way to state and national encampments traveled to it or through it.  The modern architectural changes they saw as well as the great era of the steam locomotives in the latter part of the nineteenth century were results of the Civil War and its aftermath.

Tomorrow:  Pictures of the renovated Harrisburg Pennsylvania Railroad Station as the new Harrisburg Transportation Center.

The black and white photograph of the Harrisburg Pennsylvania Railroad Station is from Wikipedia and is in the public domain.  The picture post card view of the same station would not have been possible to reproduce here because of the damage to the plaque.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Harrisburg – Old Pennsylvania Railroad Station
Tags: Abrahma Lincoln, Harrisburg, Railroad

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on March 24, 2011

Just outside the current Harrisburg Transportation Center, there are two historical markers recognizing the history of rail transportation in Harrisburg and the historical nature of the site.  In today’s post, one of the markers will be examined.  In tomorrow’s post, the other marker will be discussed along with some additional thoughts about the role of the railroads in the post-Civil War period.

The Civil War Trails marker contains the following wording:

From the opening of the Civil War, Harrisburg became the gateway for the convergence of Pennsylvania recruits and enlistees.  As the state capital and emerging transportation center, the city was serviced by no less than four railroads, the Pennsylvania Canal, and the Susquehanna River by shallow boats.  Much of the material and supplies used in the eastern theater of the war passed through Harrisburg.  The nation’s principal east-west railway, the Pennsylvania Railroad, intersected here with the Northern Central.  During the course of the war, approximately 750,000 soldiers passed through the Pennsylvania Railroad Station, believed to be the third busiest depot in the Union, following Washington and Baltimore.

The Soldier’s Retreat, sometimes called the Soldiers’s Rest, was established in December 1862 by proprietors Eby Byers and John B. Simon as a refuge operated solely for the benefit of soldiers passing through town and their families.  Located next to the railroad station, many of the Retreat’s supplies and much of its money came from donations from Harrisburg cvitizens.  During the winter of 1862-1863, the Union Army took over the Retreat and utilized it as a substitute camp of rendevous, while Camp Curtin was used solely for quarantining soldiers with smallpox.

The Harrisburg Railroad Station of the Pennsylvania Railroad was used by the Northern Central Railroad, which went from Sunbury, Pennsylvania, through the Lykens Valley area, to Baltimore, Maryland.  The station, as it appeared in 1863 is pictured on the historical marker.  The picture appears to be an engraving rather than a photograph.

Harrisburg Railroad Station, 1863

Nearly all of the soldiers from the Lykens Valley area who traveled to Harrisburg on their way to the war would have seen this station – and would have passed through or stopped at the station on their way home.

One of the problems faced by Civil War era researchers is that there are very few railroad station photographs from that time period.  The ones we have of the Harrisburg Railroad Station were taken because of Lincoln’s funeral train.  As previously mentioned in another post, the Summit Branch Railroad which went from Lykens, Pennsylvania to Millersburg, Pennsylvania, had station buildings at every stop, but not one photograph has yet been found from the Civil War period.

The other station pictured on the marker is that belonging to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad.  It is hoped that in later posts, first-hand impressions of soldiers who traveled from or through the Lykens Valley area to Harrisburg will be presented.

Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Station, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Adapted from the photograph on the plaque. Original from National Civil War Museum.

One of the difficulties of train travel in mid-19th century was that different railroad companies had their stations in different parts of towns and cities.  Arriving in Harrisburg by one railroad company, travelers had to find a way to get to another station to continue their journey.  Very few railroads “connected” with other railroads directly and very few railroads allowed the cars and engines from another railroad to travel on the rails of their railroad.  The Civil War pointed out the necessity to join lines together, and some towns and cities began to move toward the “union” stations concept.  These “union” stations were either built cooperatively by otherwise competing railroads or they were supported and built by cities wishing to make it convenient for travelers.  Harrisburg had no “union” stations in the period 1861-1865, but the Pennsylvania Station in Harrisburg was considered the “main” station because the primary east-west line was the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the primary north-south railroad was the Northern Central Railroad, which was operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad.

In tomorrow’s post the other historical marker at the Harrisburg Transportation Center will be discussed.  In future posts is is hoped that first-hand accounts of soldiers who traveled through these stations can be presented.  Anyone with any information that can enhance our understanding of the importance of Harrisburg as the “Crossroads of the Union,” particularly if it pertains to persons who were from or who were traveling through the Lykens Valley area, can contribute to the comments for this post.

This “Civil War Trails” historical marker is sponsored by www.visitpa.org. The pictures of the stations are from the marker and are browntoned of an “old photo effect.”

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Harrisburg – Crossroads of the Union
Tags: Harrisburg, Lykens Borough, Millersburg, Railroad