Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 25, 2011

Capt. Richard Budd, a lumberman from Williamstown, Pennsylvania, was born in Queen’s County, Ireland, 1 April 1832, the son Benjamin Budd and Mary [Larns] Budd.  When Richard was seven years old, his father died and the family farm was sold to an English lord.  In 1840, Richard’s mother decided to emigrate to America.  Sailing from Liverpool aboard the ship Roshes, they arrived in New York and then traveled to Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.  After a few days in Pottsville, the family moved to York Tunnel, Pennsylvania, and some time thereafter, the mother died.  The children remained together until each got married.  Richard soon began a lumbering business in Mt. Pleasant, Schuylkill County, and received a lucrative lumber manufacturing contract from a Philadelphia firm.

Richard married twice, the first time to Fanny Robison at New Mines, Pennsylvania.  They had children Christopher, Benjamin, John, George, William, Andrew, Richard, Allan, Joseph, Annie and Mary.  Fanny [Robison] Budd died 30 July 1880.  In 1889, Richard married Mrs. Eliza Shoemaker and they had no children together.

The 1860 census has him living in Foster Township of Schuylkill County and working as a teamster.  On 23 September 1861, Richard Budd enrolled in and was mustered into the 96th Pennsylvania Infantry at Pottsville as a Captain of Company K.  There are some things about his military record that are unclear, so further research is need to get at the truth.  The Williamstown Sesquicentennial Book, 1976, described his military service as follows:

In 1891 [sic] Mr. Budd raised Company K, 96th Pennsylvania [Infantry] volunteers and was made captain.  He proceeded with the company to Washington, D.C., and was engaged in the siege and Seven Days’ Battle at Yorktown.  He was also in the Maryland campaign and participated in the Battle of South Mountain and Antietam.  In the Battle of Charles City Cross roads he was struck by a shell.  He was discharged at Warrenton Junction on account of disability, in August, 1863.

When Richard Budd returned from the war, he resumed his lumber business but soon moved to Williamstown, Dauphin County, and was one of the early settlers there.  Richard’s lumber business was one of the first businesses established in Williamstown.

In 1877 Richard applied for an invalid pension based on his Civil War service.  Although he was awarded a pension, the pension file reveals some interesting facts and controversies about his military service.  In March 1863, Richard Budd made a request to travel to Washington to answer charges against him.  That request is shown below.

At this time not much is known of the “charges” that were brought against Richard Budd or how they were dismissed or cleared from his record.  In any event, he did receive an invalid pension, which would not have been possible if there was a serious action against him in his war record.

Richard Budd died in 1904 and was buried in the Old Catholic Cemetery, south of the Wiconisco Creek in Williamstown.  Later, he was re-interred with appropriate formal ceremony at the new Sacred Heart of Jesus Cemetery in Williamstown.  A copy of the letter describing the preparation for the re-interment is presented below:

Much information about Richard Budd and his family, military service, pension application records, and re-interment information can be found in the files of the Civil War Research Project.  In addition, the project has a copy of the Diary of Henry Keiser, believed to be the only diary kept by a soldier in the 96th Pennsylvania Infantry.  Part of the story given above and the photo of Richard Budd were taken from the Williamstown Sesquicentennial Book, 1976.  The copy of the Pension Index card is from Ancestry.com.  The Pennsylvania Veterans’ Index Card is from the Pennsylvania Archives.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | Comments Off on Capt. Richard Budd – 96th Pennsylvania Infantry
Tags: Budd family, Regiments, Williamstown

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 24, 2011

James Cox (1833-1909), who was the son of Samuel Cox and Hannah [Padmore] Cox, was born in Abersychan, Montmouthshire, England on 15 November 1833.  Four years later his parents brought him to America along with his siblings Ben and and Mary.  At first they settled in Minersville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania but later moved to Swatara, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.

Before the Civil War, James Cox married Ann Jones and on 19 August 1861 he enlisted in the 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company L, as a private, at Pottsville.  At the time of his enlistment this Schuylkill County resident who was employed as a miner was 28 years old, nearly 6 feet tall, light complexion, gray eyes, and light colored hair.  The company was mustered in at Washington, D.C., on 22 August 1861.  Military records indicate that within a relatively short time on 13 November 1861, he was promoted to Corporal.

The 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry was also known as the 60th Pennsylvania Regiment.  Two excellent sources on the service of this regiment are:  Samuel Bates, discussed in a prior post; and History of the 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry, 60th Regiment, 1861-1865, by William Brook Rawle.  The latter source will be discussed in a future post.   Major battles in which this cavalry regiment fought while James Cox was a member were:  Williamsburg, Virginia, 5 May 1862; Fair Oaks, Virginia, 31 May 1862; Malvern Hill, Virginia, 1 July 1862; Antietam, 17 September 1862; Gettysburg, 1 July 1863 through 4 July 1863; the Wilderness, 7 May 1864, and Petersburg, Virginia, 26 June 1864.  Bates reports that this was one of the most efficient regiments in the services and was constantly skirmishing and scouting throughout the war.  As members were mustered out late in the service of this regiment,the veterans were organized into a veteran battalion and went to Washington, where they remained for a time, and finally to Philadelphia, where James Cox was mustered out on 24 August 1864.  The remaining men later performed provost guard duty in Richmond and were transferred into the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry; however, since James Cox was mustered out on 24 August 1864, he was already home when these late activities occurred.  At this time, not much is known about the specific activities of James Cox during the war, but more information is definitely sought.  The Williamstown Sesquicentennial Book, 1976 simply states that he was a member of the Army of the Potomac and that he was used primarily as a scout and sharpshooter.  Readers are invited to contribute stories and anecdotes which would enrich the record on this tall, imposing cavalryman – the immigrant from England who took up arms for his country.

When James Cox returned home from the war, he returned to Swatara to become the outside foreman of the Swatara Schuylkill County Colliery.  He had started his family before the war.  Daughter Elizabeth was born in 1853; daughter Hannah about 1856; and son Samuel about 1859.  Before the war, in 1854, the Cox family lost a child who had died young.  During the war, a daughter Mary Ann was born, and it appears from the date of her birth that Ann was pregnant when James left in August 1861.  Unfortunately, Mary Ann died within a month after her father’s return to the family.  Part of the hardship faced by women during the Civil War was that their men were not home at a critical time in their family’s history; in this case, Ann had to care for three small children, provide for the family in the absence of her husband, and give birth and care for a newborn child.  After James Cox‘s return, Annie (1866-1936), Evelena (1868-1932), Mollie (1870-1951), Mercy (1874-1953), and Phoebe (1876-1956) were added to the family.

In July 1875, James Cox moved his family to Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania and he resided in a company home belonging to the Summit Branch Mining Company where he worked for twelve years as an inside foreman.  Then he retired from mining and began a new occupation as manager of a general store in Williamstown.  The store was located at 322 West Market Street where the Cox family also lived.  At the time of the Williamstown Sesquicentennial in 1976, the building had recently been purchased by the Evangelical Congregational Church to use as their parsonage.

James Cox was known as a skilled marksman and during his lifetime he was known as the champion wing shot of the anthracite region.  He reportedly shot his last match when he was seventy-three against a young man named Fred Coleman for whom the “Coleman Shoot” held on Labor Day at Hegins, Schuylkill County was named.

James Cox applied for an invalid pension in 1888, an indication of which is shown on the Pension Index Card shown above.  It probably took him a long time to be awarded the pension, because the certificate number is very high.  An analysis of the pension application file located in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., would be required to determine why there was a delay in the awarding of the pension.  Shortly after James Cox died, his widow Ann applied for a widow’s pension, which she was awarded.

When James Cox died on 1 January 1909, he was given a military funeral fitting of a cavalry soldier. A riderless black steed with cavalry boots and sword hanging from the saddle and with stirrups reversed was led down the main street of town in respect for an this officer and cavalryman. Ann [Jones] Cox died in 1922.

Information for this post, including the picture of James Cox, was found in the Williamstown Sesquicentennial Book, 1976.  The Pension Index Card is from Ancestry.com.  The Pennsylvania Veteran File card is from the Pennsylvania Archives.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 2 Comments »
Tags: Coleman family, Cox family, Hegins, Regiments, Williamstown, Women

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 23, 2011

Nicholas Adams (1843-1927) was born in Sacramento, Hubley Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.  Some sources give his birth date as 20 April 1843 while other sources give it in March.  He was the son of Nicholas Adams and Salome [Hoffa] Adams of Sacramento, who had twenty-one children, among them the sisters Hannah Adams and Ellen Adams, both of whom married Emanuel Dietrich; Hannah gave birth to twins and died shortly thereafter, whereupon her sister Ellen married Emanuel Dietrich and had 11 children with him in addition to raising her sister’s twin sons.  See prior post on the Dietrich family in the Civil War.  Nicholas Adams married Lucy Rothermel who was the daughter of Isaac Rothermel and Hannah [Wiest] Rothermel. Lucy’s brother, William Rothermel was the subject of a prior post.

On 9 September 1861, Nicholas Adams was mustered into the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, as a Private.  At his enrollment, he claimed to be 19 (but was actually 18), was 5 foot 7 3/4 inches tall, florid complexion, brown hair, blue eyes, and lived in Sacramento.  His occupation was given as laborer.  Future brother-in-law William Rothermel was in the same regiment and company.  After three years of service, Nicholas could have received an honorable discharge, but instead, while at Blaine’s Cross Roads, Tennessee, he re-enlisted along with his future brother-in-law for a term of three years.  Shortly after the war ended, the regiment was mustered out on 30 July 1865.

The war record of Nicholas Adams is interesting in that he lost an eye at Chancellorsville, Virginia, in 1863, and after three months of recovery, he returned to the front, continuing to serve although he was eligible for a surgeon’s discharge.

He fought in many battles and when in a reminiscent mood, his war history was more interesting than many found on the printed page, because it was drawn from actual experience which was [sic] never known to shy danger when the liberty of his country was at stake.  He was minus one eye which was shot out… in a skirmish which came near costing him his life.  The bullet passed through the eye and lodged in his throat.  He coughed it out and in less than three months he was back in the ranks.

He was taken captive in the Battle of Petersburg, Virginia, 2 April 1865 and his experiences were most interesting but not without a touch of pathos when he recalled the suffering and privations he endured during his captivity.

Upon returning from the war he married Lucy Ann Rothermel and the couple moved to Williamstown, Dauphin County.  To their union were born many children, including:  Hannah Sevilla Adams (1866-?); Rolandis “Paddy” Adams (1868-?); Isaac Monroe Adams (1870-?); Charles Milton”Farmer” Adams (1875-?); William Victor Adams (1876-?); Sarah Ellen Adams (1878-?); Nicholas Edwin Adams (1880-?); John Quincy Adams (1882-?); Lucy Mary Adams (1885-?); Clayton Franklin Adams (1890-?); Lizzie Adams; and Mae Adams.

After the war, Nicholas Adams supported his family by working as a coal miner and as his sons reached an appropriate age, they too worked in the mines.  In 1900 Nicholas was a team driver at the mines and his sons were working as laborers or miners;  daughter Lucy was working in a shirt factory. By 1910, he had “retired” and had his “own income.”  Youngest son Clayton, still living at home at age 30, was a retail confection merchant.

Because he lost an eye during the war, Nicholas Adams was eligible for a invalid pension, which he applied for in 1867.  He received a pension until his death at age 84 on 16 September 1927.  After his death, his widow Lucy applied for and received a widow’s pension which she collected until her death in 1928.

The description of his funeral was told in the Williamstown Sesquicentennial Book, 1976:

The funeral was held from the home of his son Clayton, on Tuesday afternoon, 20 September 1927.  It was the largest held in the town for years and was in keeping with the aged veteran’s illustrious military career.  The casket, draped with American flag, was decorated with beautiful flowers and was escorted to the grave by the following delegations:  Colors and color guards from Spanish and World War, Williamstown Band, Chester Post G.A.R., flag borne by a delegation of boys and girls from the high school (this flag was presented by him to the public school), American legion Post No. 239, and Spanish War Veterans, Washington Camp 250 P.O.S.A.  The pall bearers were selected from the ranks of the local Spanish and World War veterans.  Rev. Cornwell Beamesderfer, assisted by the Rev. Geiseke were the officiating clergymen.

Nicholas Adams is buried in Fairview Cemetery in Tower City, Schuylkill County.

More information is sought on Nicholas Adams, his life and Civil War service.  Readers are invited to contribute!

Some information for this post was taken from the Williamstown Sesquicentennial Book, 1976 (portrait and quotes); A Comprehensive History of the Town of Gratz Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Archives (Veterans’ File card); Ancestry.com (Pension Index Card); and from member family trees on Ancestry.com.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 14 Comments »
Tags: Adams family, Dietrich family, G.A.R., Hubley Township, Regiments, Rothermel family, Sacramento, Tower City, Williamstown

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 22, 2011

(Part 5 of an ongoing series on the Battle of Gettysburg).

On 27 September 1910, Pennsylvanians who had fought at Gettysburg returned for the dedication of this memorial in their honor.  Built of Mt. Airy granite, it stands 110 feet high, weighs 3,840 tons, and can be seen from many parts of the battlefield.  It is Gettysburg’s largest monument.

Listed on 90 bronze tablets along the base are the names of each of the 34,530 Pennsylvania soldiers who participated in the battle.

Pennsylvania also erected 123 regimental monuments at other locations on the battlefield.  The Southern states did not provide monuments for each regiment, but honored their sons with statewide memorials, many of which may be seen along West Confederate Avenue.

At the 50th Anniversary Reunion at Gettysburg in 1913, a Pennsylvania veteran points out his name to a friend from New York.

Atop the monument is a statue of the Goddess of Victory and Peace by Philadelphia Sculptor Samuel Murray.  This colossal bronze figure holds a sword of victory and a palm branch of peace.

Above the triumphial arches are bas-reliefs by Samuel Murray depicting the infantry, the the artillery, and the signal corps.  Inscribed on the cornice are the names of the distinguished Pennsylvania generals who commanded an army, a corps, or a division at Gettysburg.  Inside the arches are inscribed the names of the brigade commanders.  Between the Ionic columns are eight bronze statues of President Abraham Lincoln, Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin, and Pennsylvania generals Meade, Reynolds, Hancock, Pleasonton, Birney, and Gregg.  Finally, bronze tablets around the base and on some interior walls record the name of every Pennsylvania soldier who participated in the Battle of Gettysburg.  Tablets are in numberical order by regiment with about 400 names on each tablet.  The names of soldiers who were killed in the battle are marked with a star preceding the name.

All the bronze tablets on which are inscribed the names of the men who fought in Pennsylvania regiments at the battle of Gettysburg will be featured in future posts.  In addition, the known names of Lykens Valley area residents who were members of those regiments at any time will be noted in the posts.

Additional photos of the memorial follow:

View of the battlefield from atop the memorial:

Previous posts on the Battle of Gettysburg:  Part 1:  Pennsylvania Regiments at Gettysburg – The Makeup of an Army.  Part 2: Pennsylvania Regiments at Gettysburg – Corps and Generals.  Part 3:  Gen. George G. Meade – Hero of Gettysburg.  Part 4: Two Years of Grim War.

Category: Memorials, Reflections, Resources, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Monument, Regiments

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 21, 2011

Jacob DeWald Muench (1805-1846) and Sarah “Sally” [Moyer] Muench (1814-1879) of the Lykens Valley area had five sons.

An oft-repeated Muench family legend is that when the Civil War began, all five sons of Jacob Muench went to enlist in the Union Army.  But one son, Charles Edward Muench was sent home to help his widowed mother manage the farm.  Civil War records confirm that  four Muench brothers did serve in the war, but they apparently did not enlist together.

JACOB MUENCH

One brother, Jacob Muench, was mustered in from Ottawa, Illinois.  At the age of 19 he had gone to Illinois to be with his uncle Peter Moyer.  He worked as a stone mason for his cousin, Edward Moyer.  Jacob joined the 4th Illinois Cavalry, Company E, as a Private, 24 September 1861.  At that time he was described as being five feet seven inches tall, of dark complexion with brown hair and gray eyes.  War Department records state that just before the Battle of Fort Donelson, “[Jacob’s] Company left camp with forces under Brig. Gen. John A. McClernand on reconnaissance to the vicinity of Columbus, Kentucky on 9 January 1862 marching and scouting one hundred fifty miles returning to Cairo 20 January 1862.”  While on this scouting trip, Jacob’s horse ran away with him, throwing him forward on the saddle, injuring his back and groin.  He was hospitalized, but he recovered to serve in the war until his discharge on November 1864. As a result of the injury, he became entirely disabled in 1873, and received a pension.

Brig. Gen. John A. McClernand (1812-1900)

Jacob Muench was married to Catherine Bubb of Pillow, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, but they lived in Mount Morris Township, Illinois.

WILLIAM MUENCH (1835-1864)

On 30 August 1861, William Muench was mustered in at Harrisburg and served for three years. He listed his occupation as distiller and was described as being five feet ten inches tall, of dark complexion with grey eyes and black hair.  He was a Private in Capt. Francis P. Confers’ Company G of the 1st Regiment Pennsylvania Reserve Cavalry. Family tradition has it that the Muench brothers on their way home after the war, went swimming together and one drowned.  Military records do confirm that William Muench drowned in the James River near Turkey Bend, Virginia on 16 May 1864.

William was married to Mary Umholtz.  They had two sons who died young.

ELIAS MUENCH (1841-1872)

Elias Muench enrolled 30 August 1861 at Gratztown, and was mustered in 9 September 1861 as a Private in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, for three years.  After two years he was discharged by the surgeon to the Union Hotel, Georgetown, District of Columbia, suffering from rheumatism.  At enlistment his occupation was blacksmith, and he was described as being five feet nine and one half inches tall with a dark complexion, dark hair and gray eyes.  He was discharged 28 January 1863 and returned to farming in Lykens Township until 15 November 1866, when he sold his property to a brother, Charles Edward Muench.  He then moved to Ogle County, Illinois, where he married Anna Eliza Heiter.  He worked as a conductor for the Union Pacific Railroad, but later moved to Nebraska.

Elias Muench, who is also found in the records as Elias Minnich, died 26 July 1872 and is buried at Grand Island Cemetery, Grand Island, Hall County, Nebraska.

ISAAC DeWALD MUENCH (1846-1927)

Isaac DeWald Muench, at the age of seventeen, served the Civil War effort in the Quartermaster Department at Washington, D.C, for five months until he enrolled 25 August 1864 at Uniontown, in the 208th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, Company A.  He mustered out in Alexandria, Virginia, on 1 June 1865, from Company I, as a Corporal.  Legend has it that while Isaac was a member of a foraging party for Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, he was captured by the Confederates and put into prison.  During his stay in prison he was so hungry that he chewed his boots.  There is no confirmation of this in military records.  After the war, Isaac returned to the Lykens Valley area and worked as a farmer, clerk, school teacher, and for the railroad.

In the cemetery one mile north of Pillow there are three white limestone markers, sad reminders of Isaac’s early life.  He had married Louisa Brua who died 26 October 1871.  A young daughter had died about two months earlier.  A second wife, Annie Grim, died 17 October 1874.  He married Catherine Martin in 1877 and they moved to Boone County, Iowa.  On a 1915 Civil War pension form, Isaac answered the question, “Are you now living with your wife, or has there been a separation?” with the following words:  “Yes, I am living with my wife, and we both enjoy the blessedness of married life for we read the National Tribune. Isaac and Kate both died in Boone County, Iowa.

The text for this post is adapted from a story that appeared in the first volume of the Memories Book Series.  The story was written by Lynn Campbell and published by the Gratz Historical Society.

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Tags: Brua family, Gratz Borough, Grim family, Heiter family, Lykens Township, Martin family, Moyer family, Muench family, Pillow, Regiments, Umholtz family, Uniontown