Civil War Blog

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 22, 2010

Judith Giesberg’s Army at Home:  Women and the Civil War on the Northern Home Front (University of North Carolina Press, 2009), caught my attention while browsing in the open stacks at the Central Library here in Philadelphia a few weeks ago.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the book to find several pages devoted to Elizabeth [Klinger] Schwalm and the letters she exchanged with her husband Samuel Schwalm while he served in the 50^th Pennsylvania Infantry during the Civil War.  Elizabeth and Samuel lived in the Hegins, Valley View area, of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania – within the area of this Civil War Research Project.

Samuel Schwalm (1827-1903) joined the 50^th Pennsylvania Infantry on 19 August 1861 at the rank of Sergeant.  He followed the 50^th through all its Civil War ventures until his term of service was over on 29 September 1864 when he was mustered out.

Elizabeth [Klinger] Schwalm (1831-1921) was the great-great granddaughter of John Peter Hoffman (1709-1797).  She married Samuel around 1850.  At the beginning of the Civil War, she had four young children at home with another on the way – Agatha, about 10; Franklin, about 8; Harrison, about 6, and Samuel, about 5.  Reilly, was to be born after the time of Samuel’s enlistment.

According to information presented by Giesberg, Elizabeth had tasks that she normally performed – such as processing and preparing those products the family consumed and sold as well as caring for and nurturing the children.  Samuel’s absence would mean that Elizabeth would have to do what Samuel normally did – planting and taking care of and harvesting the crops in the field; handling the oxen, horses and cows; and handling the business transactions that were necessary in the operation of a farm.  Although Samuel left her a list of instructions, she was expected to turn to and rely on nearby relatives, including her brother-in-law Peter Schwalm who took on the role of “senior head of the family” in Samuel’s absence.

The letters between Samuel and Elizabeth are discussed in great detail in the book.  We learn that there was often disagreement on how things should be done – with Elizabeth often winning out because she was directly associated with the problems.  Eventually Samuel deferred to her and Elizabeth stopped asking.  Samuel told her to “just do how you think.”  Within a short time after Samuel left for war (assuming his brother would stay behind to help), Peter decided to leave.  As a few years passed, the tasks became burdensome for Elizabeth although she managed to stay on top of things – paying taxes, selling milk, eggs and butter to get money to buy shoes for the children, and making sure the children attended school.

One of the effects of the wartime absence of men was that children were forced into work roles at a much earlier age and relationships with family became much closer and stronger. Sometimes things just didn’t get done.  However, the women of the Lykens Valley area didn’t have to experience one difficulty faced by women farmers in the area around towns such as Gettysburg where women, in the absence of men, had to protect homes, livestock and crops from marauding bands of rebels.

The story of Elizabeth [Klinger] Schwalm and Samuel Schwalm comes to life through the letters they wrote to each other.  The chapter entitled “From Harvest to Battlefield: Rural Women and the War,” and its subsection, “Working Farms Without Men” is where Giesberg chooses to place these stories.  Overall, the book presents a serious analysis of how women at various social and economic levels fared in the absence of men as well as discussing some of their direct contributions such as in working outside the home, taking part in political affairs, and dealing with widowhood.  Giesberg relies heavily on primary sources.

Samuel and Elizabeth Schwalm are buried in Valley View, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in St. Andrew’s Cemetery.  Their grave markers are pictured below:

Samuel Schwalm (1827-1903)

Elizabeth [Klinger Schwalm (1831-1921)

The information on Samuel and Elizabeth Schwalm appears on pages 24-30 of Army at Home. The letters between Elizabeth and Samuel Schwalm are available through the Johannes Schwalm Historical Association which publishes a journal.

Category: Research, Resources, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Klinger family, Regiments, Schwalm family, Women

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 21, 2010

The National Civil War Museum is located high on a hilltop overlooking Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  The museum aims to provide a balanced view and to inspire lifelong learning through preservation and research about the Civil War.   It has become a national destination for “families, students, civil war enthusiasts and historians to experience and research the culture and history of the American Civil War.”

On the grounds of the museum near the front entrance is a centerpiece sculpture entitled “Moment of Mercy.” This is a depiction of a selfless act of a solider of the Confederacy who during a lull in the Battle of Fredericksburg, risked his life to give water to wounded Union soldiers who were lying wounded and dying in a “no man’s land” between the opposing armies.

Moment of Mercy

By Sculptor Terry Jones

The Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, in December of 1862, was one of the bloodier engagements of the American Civil War.  On December 13^th, Federal troops made repeated frontal assaults against Confederate positions behind the stone walls along the Sunken Road at Marye’s Heights.  In five hours an estimated 6300 Union soldiers lay dead or wounded on the battlefield.  As darkness approached, a light snow fell and the temperatures dropped to near zero.  All through the frigid gloom, injured men cried in agony.  “Help,” “Water,” “Somebody, please help.”  For one Union Commander that night was forever etched in his memory.  “My ears were filled with the cries and groans of the wounded, and the ghastly faces of the dead almost made a wall around me.”

By the afternoon of December 14^th, Sergeant Richard R. Kirkland of the 2^nd South Carolina Infantry could no longer bear those mournful cries.  Shortly after mid-day, Kirkland secured permission from his commander to take water to those in need.  Filling as many canteens as he could carry, Kirkland hurtled the stone wall and ran to the aid of wounded Union soldiers.  Shots rang out from the Federal lines.  Only when the purpose of the Confederate’s errand became readily apparent, did the Union commander shout down the line: “Don’t shoot that man, he’s too brave to die. “Then, for ninety minutes the battlefield was quiet.  Both sides observed a solemn truce as the nineteen year old sergeant turned Good Samaritan tenderly ministered to enemy wounded soldiers in what was most assuredly a “moment of mercy.”

Soldiers in blue and soldiers in gray repeated this incident many times throughout the Civil War.  This Moment of mercy sculpture pays homage to them and the uniquely American spirit of aiding those in need.

Sponsored by The John Crain Kunkel Foundation.  C. 2001

Many soldiers from the Lykens Valley fought at the Battle of Fredericksburg which took place in the winter preceding Lee’s venture into Pennsylvania and engagement at Gettysburg, July 1863.  Commanding one of the regiments at Fredericksburg was Col. Benjamin C. Christ of the 50^th Pennsylvania Infantry.

The sunken road on Marye’s Heights, Fredericksburg, Virginia (Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park).  During the Battle of Fredericksburg, 3000 Confederate troops were lined up in multiple ranks behind the stone wall for about 600 yards, and another 3000 were atop the slope behind it, along with their artillery.  From:  Wikipedia.  Picture was released into public domain by copyright holder.

Map of the Battle of Fredericksburg, 13 December 1862, showing  position of troops before Sumner’s Assault.  Drawn in Adobe Illustrator CS5 by Hal Jespersen.  Posted on Wikipedia with permission to repost.

Category: Memorials, Museums, Stories | 1 Comment »
Tags: Christ family, Regiments

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 20, 2010

The election of 1860 was held throughout the United States on 6 November 1860.  The result was that Abraham Lincoln won a majority of the electoral votes and thus was elected President of the United States.  His election supposedly was the trigger that brought about the secession crisis.  South Carolina voted to secede from the Union on 20 December 1860.

The Harrisburg Patriot first reported the popular vote totals in its 20 December 1860 edition.  That reporting emphasized that Lincoln had not won the total popular vote, but the vote had been largely sectional, and that there were more votes against Lincoln than for him.  By states, the results showed that in ten states – those that would later join the Confederacy – Lincoln did not receive one popular vote.  But the reporting was by state totals only and did not reflect the diverse groups that made up each state nor did it indicate the vote totals within the political divisions of the states.

Traditionally, history has been taught in a simplified way – most often with generalizations that were assumed to be unquestionable facts.  With elections, it was very easy to present a map showing how each state voted – with colors used to represent the winning party vote .  In the age of “black and white” textbooks, the election map of 1860, the “black” represented the Republicans and the “white – with some black (checks, dots, etc.)” represented the opposition to the Republicans – Stephen A. Douglas (Northern Democratic), John Bell (Constitutional Union) and John C.Breckinridge (Southern Democratic).

The above map, from a college history textbook used in the 1960s, shows Pennsylvania’s electoral votes went for Lincoln and the Republicans – and the sectional divide was very clear – the North voted for Lincoln overwhelmingly, the deep South voted for Breckinridge overwhelmingly, and the states in between were divided.  That’s obvious.  But were there voting patterns within each state?  Is it possible, from existing information, to determine how people voted within a county – or a community within a county? Is it possible to determine how the people of the Lykens Valley area voted?  Is it possible to break down the vote by ethnic groups?  How did the descendants of German immigrants vote?  of Irish immigrants? of English immigrants?

First, it is important to understand that in 1860, there was not universal suffrage.  Women did not have the vote in Pennsylvania until the 20^th century.  As early as the 1830s, there was some question as to whether free Blacks could vote in Pennsylvania, but this was a more important issue in cities such as Philadelphia than in rural area, where the percentage of free Blacks was so small that the vote would not have made a difference in the outcome.  By 1860, the issue had not been decided on any uniform basis throughout Pennsylvania.  Recent immigrants and immigrants not deemed citizens would not have voted.  So, with limited suffrage a fact, if any determination could be made as to how the Lykens Valley area voted, would that determination have any meaning as to the feeling of the populace as a whole?

A second issue involves geography.  How convenient was polling to the people of the Lykens Valley? How far did they have to travel to cast their ballots?  In 1860, the area was essentially rural and agricultural, with many scattered towns and villages.  The transportation network was crude by today’s standards. Only one rail line existed in the valley.  Would people have traveled a great distance to vote?

An additional problem occurs with the question of political divisions.  “The Lykens Valley” is not a political division.  When this Civil War Project was first undertaken, a triangular area was defined that included territory in three Pennsylvania counties – Dauphin, Northumberland and Schuylkill.  If election statistics are found for Pennsylvania counties, is it possible to break down the numbers in such a way as to estimate the total popular votes received by each of the four candidates in the area defined as the Lykens Valley triangle?

Finally, secret ballots, were not in full use in the United States until the presidential election of 1892. This meant that in 1860 voting took place in the open, in meeting formats, where the ballot was cast by the individual calling out the name of the candidate for whom he wished to support.  According to an article that appeared in the 1892 World Almanac, the first state to introduce the secret ballot was Massachusetts in 1888.  The degree to which intimidation and corruption took place in the Lykens Valley in the voting of 1860, two reasons for the reform of the system, is not known.

Any study of the votes cast in 1860 from the Lykens Valley must take into account the above factors.  Nevertheless, conclusions still can be drawn from any raw data obtained. Within a few months from the election of 1860, Lincoln would be inaugurated, the Civil War would begin, and the first men would be called into service. How did the people of the Lykens Valley view Lincoln and how widespread was their support for him?

Research continues into this topic.  Contributions and ideas are welcome.

News article on popular vote by state from Harrisburg Patriot, 20 December 1860, on-line resources at Free Library of Philadelphia.  Election map of 1860 from Dexter Perkins & Glyndon G. VanDeusen, The United States of America:  A History, Macmillan Company, 1862, Vol. I, p. 633, used for the purpose of review.   Information on Australian Ballot System from 1892 World Almanac, Google Books (free download).

Category: Reflections, Research, Resources | Comments Off on Election of 1860 and the Lykens Valley
Tags: Abraham Lincoln

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 19, 2010

The previous post on the Pennsylvania Dutch language noted its origins and pervasiveness in the Lykens Valley at the time of the Civil War.  It also gave the various terms that were used to describe relationships in the family and among friends.

Much of the commerce that was conducted between and among the Pennsylvania Dutch was done in their form of the German language.  The English Pennsylvania Dutch Dictionary with its “equivalents” by Howard Snader was consulted.

Some of the words that were used to describe the 19th century occupations as found in this dictionary with “equivalents”:

Blacksmith (schmid); carpenter (SCHREIN er); clergyman (PAR a); doctor (DUCK tor); farmer (BOW er); farrier (GUYLE p’schlog er); housekeeper (HOWS held er); housework (HOWS ar a wid);  Justice of the Peace (schquire); laborer (SCHOFF mon); laundress (WESCH frau); maid servant (mawd); mason (MOW were er); merchant (SCHTOR kipp er); merchant tailor (SCHNID er); mid wifery (OBB ward a); miller (MAWL er); miner (MY ner); occupation (g’scheft); padre (FATT er); pastor (PAR a); peddler (GRAY mer); physician (DOKT er); preacher (BREDD ich er); printer (DROOK er); saddler (DODD ler); sawyer (SAYG er); school master (SCHULE mayscht er); silversmith (SIL wer schmidt); stone cutter (SCHTAY HOCH er); stone mason (SCHTAY MOW wer er); tailor (SCHNEID er); teacher (SCHULE mayscht er); tin smith (BLECH schmidt); worker (SCHEFF er).

For those who wish to study the language further, an excellent dictionary of Pennsylvania German to English, Common Sense Pennsylvania German Dictionary, was published by James C. Lins in Reading, Pennylvania, in 1895.   It’s a free download and a great resource.  Note though that there is no pronunciation guide and the German word must be looked up to find its English meaning.

Future posts will discuss Pennsylvania Dutch words used to describe religion, life and death, and the afterlife; illnesses, maladies, diseases, and medicines; and the vocabulary of war.

Category: Research, Resources | Comments Off on Pennsylvania Dutch & the Civil War – Occupations
Tags: Pennsylvania Dutch

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on December 18, 2010

The National Civil War Museum is located high on a hilltop overlooking Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  The museum aims to provide a balanced view and to inspire lifelong learning through preservation and research about the Civil War.   It has become a national destination for “families, students, civil war enthusiasts and historians to experience and research the culture and history of the American Civil War.”

On the grounds of the museum is “The Walk of Valor” – a red brick path symbolizing the blood shed and bearing the names of Civil War veterans honored by their surviving descendants.  There is a section for each state and all states that fought in the war have a stone marker indicating the number of soldiers that fought and the number of soldiers that died.

The Pennsylvania marker indicates that 337,936 served and 33,183 died.

Hundreds of bricks represent the State of Pennsylvania.  Some of the Pennsylvania memorial bricks are shown below.

One brick honors Jacob Kissinger:

Jacob Kissinger (1843-1921).  Jacob served in the 36th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company C (Home Guards) as a Private.  He also served in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company K, as a Private.   On 18 Nov 1864 in theat Griswold Station, Georgia,  in the Atlanta Campaign, he received a gunshot wound in the left foot.  He married Amanda Williard.  He is buried in the Gratz Union (Simeon’s) Cemetery, Gratz, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.

One brick honors William Rothermel.

William Rothermel (1842-1922).  William served in the 50th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A, as a Corporal and a Sergeant.  On 19 Aug 1864, William was injured at the Weldon Railroad when a wounded man fell on him.  He married Sarah Ann Schaffer.  He is buried in the St. Michael’s Lutheran Church Cemetery, Klingerstown, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.

Many others from the Lykens Valley area are also honored on the “Walk of Valor.”  Over time, additional bricks will be pictured that honor Civil War veterans from the Lykens Valley.

Anyone wishing to honor any veterans not currently recognized on the “Walk of Valor” can do so through the National Civil War Museum. Contact the National Civil War Museum through the website or call 717-260-1861 or 866-BLU-GRAY.

The National Civil War Museum, One Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park, P.O. Box, 1861, Harrisburg, PA  17105-1861.

Category: Memorials, Museums | 1 Comment »
Tags: Kissinger family, Regiments, Rothermel family, Schaffer family, Williard family