Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 16, 2011

The Elizabethville American Legion War Memorial is located at 7 South Market Street, Elizabethville, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  It is just south of the intersection of Route 209 and Route 225 at what is known as the main square of town.

Next to the war memorial is the American Legion Headquarters Building for the John Lloyd Post No. 404.  A flag deposit box is located in front of the building where worn or damaged American flags can be returned to be properly destroyed.

The American Legion was founded in 1919 by returning veterans of World War I.  It was Congressional-chartered as a mutual-aid veterans organization of the United States Armed Forces and its membership is open to all honorably discharged veterans who served at least one day during the period of the following wars:  World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, 1982 Lebanon War, Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada), Operation Just Cause (Panama), Gulf War (Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom).  Since the Gulf War period has not ended, all current members of the armed forces are eligible for membership.

Today, there are more than 3 million members in over 14,000 posts worldwide.  The national headquarters is in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the last national commander from Pennsylvania was Ronald F. Conley, who served from 2002-2003.

While the Elizabethville American Legion War Memorial does not specifically recognize veterans of the Civil War, the main tablet in the center of the memorial states the following:

Dedicated to all the men and women, past and present, who have served their country with honor and pride, in the Armed Forces of the United States of America.  Post 404.  American Legion.

Surrounding the center tablet are emblems of the armed forces, names of local veterans who were killed in action in World Wars I and II, and bronze emblems signifying the various wars in which American Legion members served.

Additional photos of the monument appear below:

Category: Memorials | Comments Off on Elizabethville American Legion War Memorial
Tags: Monument

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 15, 2011

A listing of the December 2010 posts on The Civil War Blog with direct links:

Col. Benjamin C. Christ – 50th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry

Pvt. Peter W. Miller – Mental Health & the Civil War

Millersburg Civil War Soldier Monument

Millersburg All Wars Veterans Monument

Boyer Cemetery in Washington Township

Pennsylvania Drafted Militia & the Draft of 1862

Opposition to the Draft of 1862

Oak Dale Station and the Civil War

Gratz Union Cemetery and Simeon’s Church

Lykens G.A.R. Civil War Monument

Lykens G.A.R. Building

Pennsylvania Dutch & the Civil War – Background & Family

Gratz Family of Gratz, Civil War Veterans

Corp. John C. Gratz – Fever Victim

Corp. John C. Gratz – 10th Pennsylvania Infantry

Corp. John C. Gratz – 96th Pennsylvania Infantry

Corp. John C. Gratz – A Mother’s Application for a Pension

National Civil War Museum – Walk of Valor

Pennsylvania Dutch & the Civil War – Occupations

Election of 1860 and the Lykens Valley

National Civil War Museum – Moment of Mercy

Women & the Civil War on the Northern Homefront

The Unknown Military Musician

Christmas Eve 1860

Christmas Day 1860

Pennsylvania Dutch & the Civil War – Religion

Buffington Family Civil War Veterans

Buffington Family in the Civil War – Lykens Valley

Buffington Family in the Civil War – South Carolina Cousins

Category: Overviews | Comments Off on December 2010 Posts
Tags: Table of Contents

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 14, 2011

(Part 2 of an on-going series of posts on the Battle of Gettysburg).

In order to identify which of the 2000 Civil War veterans from the Lykens Valley area fought at the Battle of Gettysburg, we must first identify the Pennsylvania regiments that fought at Gettysburg.

According to histories of the battle, the Union lineup of Pennsylvania regiments at the Battle of Gettysburg included the following:

THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC – Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, Commanding

Maj. Gen George G. Meade (1815-1872)

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FIRST ARMY CORPS – Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds, Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday, Maj. Gen John Newron

Maj. Gen John F. Reynolds (1820-1863)

Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday (1819-1893)

Maj. Gen John Newton (1822-1895)

FIRST DIVISION, SECOND BRIGADE:  56th Pennsylvania Infantry.  SECOND DIVISION, SECOND BRIGADE: 11th Pennsylvania Infantry, 88th Pennsylvania Infantry, 90th Pennsylvania Infantry.  THIRD DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  121st Pennsylvania Infantry, 142nd Pennsylvania Infantry, 151st Pennsylvania Infantry.  THIRD DIVISION, SECOND BRIGADE: 143rd Pennsylvania Infantry, 149th Pennsylvania Infantry, 150th Pennsylvania Infantry.  THIRD DIVISION, ARTILLERY BRIGADE:  1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery, Battery B.

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SECOND ARMY CORPS – Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock, Brig. Gen John Gibbon, Brig. Gen John C. Caldwell, Brig Gen William Hays.

Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock (1824-1886)

Brig. Gen. John Gibbon (1827-1896)

Brig. Gen. John C. Caldwell (1833-1912)

Brig. Gen. William Hays (1819-1875)

FIRST DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  81st Pennsylvania Infantry, 148th Pennsylvania Infantry.  FIRST DIVISION, SECOND BRIGADE: 116th Pennsylvania Infantry.  FIRST DIVISION, THIRD BRIGADE: 140th Pennsylvania Infantry.  FIRST DIVISION, FOURTH BRIGADE: 53rd Pennsylvania Infantry, 145th Pennsylvania Infantry.  SECOND DIVISION, SECOND BRIGADE: 69th Pennsylvania Infantry, 71st Pennsylvania Infantry, 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry, 106th Pennsylvania Infantry.

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THIRD ARMY CORPS – Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Sickles, Maj. Gen. David B. Birney

Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Sickles (1819-1914)

Maj. Gen. David B. Birney (1825-1864)

FIRST DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  57th Pennsylvania Infantry, 63rd Pennsylvania Infantry, 68th Pennsylvania Infantry, 105th Pennsylvania Infantry, 114th Pennsylvania Infantry, 141st Pennsylvania Infantry.  FIRST DIVISION, SECOND BRIGADE:  99th Pennsylvania Infantry.  FIRST DIVISION, THIRD BRIGADE:  110th Pennsylvania Infantry.  SECOND DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  26th Pennsylvania Infantry.  SECOND DIVISION, THIRD BRIGADE:  115th Pennsylvania Infantry.

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FIFTH ARMY CORPS – Maj. Gen. George Sykes

Maj. Gen. George Sykes (1822-1880)

FIRST DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  118th Pennsylvania Infantry.  FIRST DIVISION, SECOND BRIGADE:  62nd Pennsylvania Infantry.  FIRST DIVISION, THIRD BRIGADE:  83rd Pennsylvania Infantry.   SECOND DIVISION, THIRD BRIGADE:  91st Pennsylvania Infantry, 155th Pennsylvania Infantry.  THIRD DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  1st Pennsylvania Reserve, 2nd Pennsylvania Reserve, 6th Pennsylvania Reserve, 13th Pennsylvania Reserve.  THIRD DIVISION, THIRD BRIGADE:  5th Pennsylvania Reserve, 9th Pennsylvania Reserve, 10th Pennsylvania Reserve, 11th Pennsylvania Reserve, 12th Pennsylvania Reserve.

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SIXTH ARMY CORPS – Maj. Gen John Sedgwick

Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick (1813-1864)

FIRST DIVISION, SECOND BRIGADE:  95th Pennsylvania Infantry, 96th Pennsylvania Infantry.  FIRST DIVISION, THIRD BRIGADE:  48th Pennsylvania Infantry, 119th Pennsylvania Infantry.  SECOND DIVISION, THIRD BRIGADE:  61st Pennsylvania Infantry.  THIRD DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  23rd Pennsylvania Infantry, 82nd Pennsylvania Infantry.  THIRD DIVISION, THIRD BRIGADE:  93rd Pennsylvania Infantry, 98th Pennsylvania Infantry, 102nd Pennsylvania Infantry, 139th Pennsylvania Infantry.

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ELEVENTH ARMY CORPS – Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard, Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz

Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard (1830-1909)

Maj. Gen. Carl Schurz (1829-1906)

FIRST DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  153rd Pennsylvania Infantry.  SECOND DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  27th Pennsylvania Infantry, 73rd Pennsylvania Infantry.  THIRD DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  74th Pennsylvania Infantry.  THIRD DIVISION, SECOND BRIGADE:  75th Pennsylvania Infantry.

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TWELFTH ARMY CORPS – Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum, Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams

Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum (1827-1894)

Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams (1810-1878)

FIRST DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  46th Pennsylvania Infantry.   SECOND DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  28th Pennsylvania Infantry, 147th Pennsylvania Infantry.  SECOND DIVISION, SECOND BRIGADE:  29th Pennsylvania Infantry, 109th Pennsylvania Infantry, 111th Pennsylvania Infantry.  SECOND DIVISION, ARTILLERY BRIGADE:  Pennsylvania Light Artillery, Battery E.  ARTILLERY RESERVE DIVISION, FIRST VOLUNTEER BRIGADE:  Pennsylvania Light Artillery, Batteries C & F. ARTILLERY RESERVE DIVISION, THIRD VOLUNTEER BRIGADE:  1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery, Batteries F & G.

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CAVALRY CORPS – Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton

Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton (1824-1897)

FIRST DIVISION, SECOND BRIGADE:  17th Pennsylvania Cavalry.  FIRST DIVISION, RESERVE (THIRD) BRIGADE:  6th Pennsylvania Cavalry.  SECOND DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  1st Pennsylvania Cavalry, 3rd Pennsylvania Cavalry, 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, Battery H.   SECOND  DIVISION, THIRD BRIGADE:  4th Pennsylvania Cavalry, 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry.  THIRD DIVISION, FIRST BRIGADE:  18th Pennsylvania Cavalry.

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Of course, it would be an incorrect procedure to only search Pennsylvania regiments in determining whether a particular soldier served at Gettysburg because it is known that many who were Pennsylvanians at some point in their lives served in regiments of other states, or they served in the Regular Army (United States Troops).  For now though, it is a good start.

Also, the work of trying to identify the specific regiment in which each of the 2000 served is continuing.

The above information was compiled from a variety of sources.  The “lineup” of the Army of the Potomac and the names of its commanding officers was obtained from Noah Andre Trudeau’s Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, published in 2002.   Pictures and dates of birth and death of each of the generals were obtained from Wikipedia.  According to Wikipedia, all the pictures are in the public domain either because their copyright has expired and/or they are part of the collection at the Library of Congress.

Category: Queries, Research, Resources | Comments Off on Pennsylvania Regiments at Gettysburg – Corps & Generals
Tags: Regiments

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 13, 2011

(Part 1 of an on-going series of posts on the Battle of Gettysburg).

The Battle of Gettysburg, fought 1 July to 3 July 1863, was considered a major turning point in the Civil War.  It was a major defeat for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and a victory for Union Gen. George G. Meade.  While accurate figures may never be ascertained, it is estimated with some degree of correctness that about 93,534 Union solidiers in the Army of the Potomac fought against 70,226 Confederate soldiers in the Army of Northern Virginia.  Casualties (killed, wounded, missing, taken prisoner) on the Confederate side numbered 22,874 and on the Union side 22,813.

The Union Army of the Potomac was organized into a series of “corps.”  A corps consisted of about 9,000 to 13,000 soldiers.  Within each corps, there were several divisions of between 3,000 to 5,000 men each.  Within each division, there were 2 to 4 brigades.  A brigade consisted of 4 to 5 regiments, which during the Civil War, were mostly supplied by the various states and bore a number followed by the name of the state – and sometimes the word “drafted” or “volunteer” indicating how the men became part of the regiment.  Within the regiment, there could be 10 or more companies, each usually given a letter designation, e.g., “Company B.”  There were also various levels of the headquarters staffs – the army staff commanded by Gen. Meade was the highest level, but regiments also had headquarters staffs, usually appearing in the listing as “Company HQ.”

The chart above is from the Civil War Museum at Gettysburg and shows an army organizational chart.  In this example, starting from upper left is the regiment (consisting of several companies).  Four regiments make a brigade.  Three brigades make a division.  Several divisions make an army.

Army corps were usually commanded by a “Major General,” divisions by a “Brigadier General,” brigades by a “Brigadier General” or a “Colonel,” regiments by a “Major,” a “Colonel,” or a “Captain,” and companies by a “Captain.”  Within the brigades, there were often regiments from several states.  Most of the Pennsylvania regiments were “infantry” (foot soldiers), but there were also artillery regiments, cavalry regiments, and reserve regiments.

In determining whether a specific soldier from the Lykens Valley area was present at Gettysburg during the time of the battle, the first step would be to determine whether the regiment was present at the battle.  The second step is to determine whether the Battle of Gettysburg falls within the soldier’s service dates (“muster in” to “muster out”).  Finally, the actual military record should be consulted to determine whether the soldier was active duty at the time of the battle.  This final step is important because some soldiers were temporarily excused from duty because they were ill or wounded.  Some soldiers deserted.  Some may have been on approved leave.

At this point in the Civil War Project, about 2000 Civil War veterans have been identified from the Greater Lykens Valley area.  Of these 2000 veterans, more than two-thirds have been connected to one or more specific regiments and companies, and in the cases where they have been connected to a specific regiment and company it is possible to state whether or not the Battle of Gettysburg fell within their service date range.  Since very few few actual military records have been obtained so far, the “final” step cannot be done at this time.

According to information on the Pennsylvania Monument at Gettysburg, 69 regiments of Pennsylvania infantry, 9 regiments of Pennsylvania cavalry, and 7 batteries of Pennsylvania artillery fought in the battle.  Pennsylvania supplied 34,530 men, of whom 1182 were killed or mortally wounded, 3177 were wounded, and 860 were missing.

Information on the organization of the Union and Confederate armies at Gettysburg, the number of men who fought in each army, and the names of the Pennsylvania regiments was gleaned from Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, by Noah Andre Trudeau, 2002, Harper Collins, pages 565-595.  The names of the Pennsylvania regiments and the names of the Pennsylvania men who fought at Gettysburg are also on bronze tablets on the Pennsylvania Monument at Gettysburg.

Category: Queries, Research, Resources | 4 Comments »
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Posted By Norman Gasbarro on January 12, 2011

A recent question from an Ancestry.com subscriber, “Where is Philip Zerby buried?” has led to a search of currently available information on Civil War burials of unknown soldiers, particularly of those who were killed in the battles in and around Petersburg, Virginia.

Philip Zerby was born 27 September 1827, the son of Joseph Zerby and Anna Maria [Heckert] Zerbe of Lower Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.  His name is also found spelled “Zerbe.”  Philip married Mary Lessman (1824-1908) in Northumberland County.  To their union it is possible that some or all of these children were born:  William Lincoln Zerbe, born about 1851; John Zerbe, born about 1852;  Ambrose Lessman Zerbe, born about 1853; Sara Jane Zerbe, about 1853; Charles Zerbe, about 1857; Lucinda Zerbe, about 1860; Benjamin F. Zerbe, about 1862; and Philip O. Zerbe, born about 1863.  In 1860. Philip Zerbe and his family were living in Lower Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County, and he was employed as a mason.

Philip Zerbe (1827-1865)

On 26 August 1864, Philip Zerbe was mustered into the 208th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, as a Private in Snyder County.  Military records show that he was killed at Petersburg, Virginia, on 2 April 1865.

In a letter sent from 3rd Division Headquarters on 19 May 1865, Mrs. Mary Zerby was informed of her husband’s death:

Dear Madam,

Your letter of May 17th came duly to hand, and in return, I am sorry to be obliged to say that your husband Philip died in front of Petersburg, Va. on the 2nd day of April of a Shell wound in the head.  I was not in command of the Company on that day, hence I did not see him.  I hear he was wounded next day but could not get to see him and yesterday a certificate was received stating that facts above mentioned.

He was a good man and a faithful soldier always at his post and obeying his orders.  I sympathize deeply with you in your great loss and pray that the God who protects the widow and the orphan will look graciously upon you and afford you that comfort which this world cannot give.  I learn that you have a large family of small children and I trust when they grow up they will try to imitate their father in good deeds and always feel proud to know they gave their all to a cause so holy and just as ours.

Although I did not see him upon that day, I feel satisfied that he died like a true soldier at his post facing the fire.  God grant you may meet him in heaven.

I think he is buried in the 3rd Division Cemetery.  I will try and learn all I can concerning him and let you know.

His effects were forwarded by the Chaplain to Mr. Ditty at Georgetown.

Very respectfully,

T. W. Hoffman, Captain and Engineer, 3rd Division.

Note that the “Captain T. W. Hoffman” who sent the letter was also from the Lykens Valley area and was a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.  There is no information that Captain Thomas W. Hoffman responded with anything further about the burial place of Philip Zerby.

Capt. Thomas W. Hoffman (1839-1905)

Mary Zerby applied for and received a widow’s pension based on her husband’s Civil War service.  It is possible that more information is available as to Philip’s place of burial in the pension application files, which have not been consulted.

However, information about burials at Petersburg can be found through the National Park Service and their site for Poplar Grove National Cemetery.  A summary of information from that site follows:

The National Cemetery system was established by Congress in July, 1862 and gave the president authority to purchase land for the purpose of establishing cemeteries for soldiers who died in the service.  Interest in establishing a cemetery around Petersburg didn’t begin until 1866.  Soliders who died there in battle had been hastily buried wherever they fell, usually in single pits or mass graves.  Initial identification of the soldiers, where known and where time permitted, was done by carving the name on a wooden grave marker.  Some units had their own cemeteries.

Lt. Col. James Moore, who was given the responsibility for establishing a National Cemetery in the Petersburg area in 1866, chose a farm south of the city.  Since it had formerly been the encampment for the 50th New York Volunteer Engineers who had called it Poplar Grove after a church they built there, the new National Cemetery took that name.  There were about 100 separate burial sites in and around Petersburg for the nearly 5000 Union soldiers who died in battle.  The work began to locate, identify and re-inter the remains of each in the new Poplar Grove National Cemetery.

About 100 men comprised the “burial corps.” With ten army wagons, forty mules, and 12 saddle horses, these men began their search and recovery mission. One observer noted “a hundred men were deployed in a line a yard apart, each examining half a yard of ground on both sides as they proceeded. Thus was swept a space five hundred yards in breadth . . .In this manner the whole battlefield was to be searched. When a grave was found, the entire line halted until the teams came up and the body was removed. Many graves were marked with stakes, but some were to be discovered only by the disturbed appearance of the ground. Those bodies which had been buried in trenches were but little decomposed, while those buried singly in boxes, not much was left but bones and dust.” Remains were placed in a plain wooden coffin; if there was a headboard, it was attached to it. The burial corps worked for three years until 1869. In that time they reinterred 6,718 remains. Sadly, only 2,139 bodies were positively identified.

It is likely that Philip Zerbe is buried at Popular Grove – if he was buried in one of the cemeteries (such as the one for the 3rd Division).  If his grave location was identified at the time of the original burial, that identification and location was lost sometime between 1865 and 1866 when the National Cemetery was established.   The National Park Service (NPS), which now administers Poplar Grove, has an on-line data base of the soldiers who have been identified at Poplar Grove.  Philip Zerbe is not in that database.  NPS also has a toll-free number to answer questions about soldiers buried at Popular Grove and encourages those with information on them to call (804) 732-3531.

It is hoped that if any exact information as to the exact burial location of Philip Zerby is discovered, it can also be posted here.

The photos of Philip Zerby and Thomas Hoffman and the copy of the letter from Capt. Hoffman to Mary Zerby are from the files of the Civil War Research Project.  Some of the genealogical information was taken from Ancestry.com member trees and was not sourced.  Not shown or discussed in this post is a 4-page letter sent by Philip Zerby to his brother on 23 December 1864 describing the various engagements and marches in which he participated – a copy of which is available in the Civil War Research Project (signature of Philip Zerby at top of post is from that letter).

Category: Memorials, Queries, Research, Stories | Comments Off on Where is Philip Zerby Buried?
Tags: Hoffman family, Lower Mahanoy Township, Regiments, Zerbe family