The Tinen Killings

Anniversary of my death

2008-08-21T09:00:00.001-04:00

I died 87 years ago today, at age 86, so now I have been dead longer than I was alive. You would have thought the cause of death might have related to the dysentery that plagued me for my entire life after the Civil War, but it was a tumor in my neck that did me in. My granddaughter, Margaret Saxe, and her husband paid the $115 it cost to bury me in Cumiskey Cemetery in Bradford County, Penna. (They were later reimbursed by the government.) I was the last surviving officer of the 69th PVI to pass away. Here is a picture of my grave. The dedicated lads of the modern-day 69th Pennsylvania reenactors provided me with this new headstone, as they've done for most of the other men of the regiment.

Also, this anniversary of my death is a fitting day to conclude this ghostwritten blog. It's been an honor and a pleasure telling you about my life. -- PST

The 1887 Reunion

2008-08-18T09:00:00.001-04:00

Our reunion in Gettysburg in 1887 was a terrific event. Like the book says, it was one of the earliest battlefield reunions attended by veterans North and South, and, according to the papers, it really did spark the start of national reconciliation. Mrs. Pickett was there, and there were lots of speeches. The best was delivered by William R. Aylett. Here's what he said:

“Above the ashes left by the War and over the tomb of secession and African slavery we have created a new empire, and have built a temple to American liberty in which you and I can worship together.”

Here is a picture of the lads at our monument during the reunion. -- PST

My paperhanging boss

2008-08-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

Apologies are due to my old boss. His name wasn't Frank Batchelder, as the book says, it was John Snodgrass. I guess the author thought people would snicker at a name like Snodgrass. I don't know where the author got that business about John's son dying of measles in camp. I guess that's more "dramatic license." John was a dear friend who always looked out for me. Here's what he said on my behalf when I was trying to get my disability pension increased because of my war wound and chronic dysentery:

I have known Patrick S. Tinen since 1859 and am satisfied to the best of my knowledge that he had no disease whatever before entering the United States service in 1861. He has been employed by me most of the time since 1865, up to present time, August 1882 doing canvassing work and attending to my work generally (paperhanging). He has been unable for weeks and months at times to attend to any business on account of wound in right arm and chronic diarrhea. I have seen the wound and know the other from long dealings and acquaintance.

And by now you're probably wondering why John Snodgrass kept me employed all those years even though I couldn't work. Well I'll tell you the secret: John was my brother-in-law, my sister Mary's husband. Hey, like it says in the book, brothers-in-law ought to be good for something.

-- PST

Margaret's visit to Mrs. Boyle

2008-08-05T09:19:00.000-04:00

People say they've been touched by the story in the book about my wife taking Johnny Boyle's letter back home to his mother, Catherine. Somehow that letter survived. Here's what it said:

Dear Mother, I send by Mrs. Tinen my likeness to Sallie. I have directed it to your care and wish you would give it to Ellen and she can deliver it privately. I am waiting for a letter from you everyday. I sent $30 home yesterday Adams Express. I remain your Affectionate Son, J. Boyle

By "my likeness" Johnny meant one of those picture cards that were so popular at the time. Having that card must have been very dear to Mrs. Boyle because Johnny was killed at Gettysburg during Pickett's Charge. He was 22 years old. -- PST

2008-07-26T15:09:00.001-04:00

NATIONAL SOLDIERS' HOME...

in Elizabeth City, Virginia (now Hampton, Va.), was home to thousands of Union Civil War veterans from its opening in 1870 until it was closed in the early 20th century. The history of the national network of homes for Union veterans is a fascinating story of a pioneering effort to care for America's veterans. The site of the home in Virginia is now a large Veterans Administration hospital.

2008-07-26T15:06:00.002-04:00

STENTON & BELLEVUE HOTELS...

existed in 1898 but are long gone, although the Bellevue was relocated across the street and now operates as the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue. The pictures are of the hotels as they were in 1898, the Stenton to the right, and the Bellevue far right.

2008-07-26T15:05:00.001-04:00

PHILADELPHIA IN 1898...

would be easy to navigate if a modern-day resident were to go back in time to that year. Benjamin Franklin Parkway, stretching from Logan Square to the Museum of Art, had not been built, but otherwise the street plan of the central city was pretty close to what it is today. View a Philadelphia street map from 1899.

2008-07-26T15:03:00.003-04:00

A NORTH-SOUTH REUNION...

was held in Philadelphia in August 1898, when about 100 survivors of Pickett's Division came to Philadelphia, attended a Mass and met with Union veterans in Washington Park. It is unknown whether Tinen participated in that event or the original reunion in 1887. This picture is of the men of the 69th at that 1887 reunion.)

2008-07-26T15:02:00.001-04:00

A TAX ON TELEPHONE SERVICE...

was imposed in 1898 to pay for the Spanish-American War, as described in the book. That federal excise tax was eventually repealed — in 2006.

2008-07-26T15:01:00.001-04:00

THE WARTIME EXPERIENCES...

related by Tinen and McAnally in the book, as well as through Ahrens' journal entries, are generally accurate depictions of the events experienced by the men of the 69th during the Civil War. Tinen's story about the Jewish Franks brothers is fiction, as is the diary entry about Tinen's role in reporting his regiment's vote in the 1864 election. (The regiment's actual vote count, though, is accurate.)

2008-07-26T14:59:00.001-04:00

FAIRMOUNT WATER WORKS...

located behind what is now the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was one of the earliest municipal water works in the country. Its handsome promenade and serene grounds made it a tourist attraction for visitors from around the world, as well as a favorite destination for Philadelphia's citizenry. By 1898, industrial pollution had fouled the works and the grounds were largely abandoned as a public space. But the Water Works was ultimately renovated and is now open to the public.
History | Current site

2008-07-26T14:57:00.001-04:00

THE PHILADELPHIA BOURSE...

opened in 1895, still stands, very close to Independence Hall. The Bourse was the first commodities exchange in the United States. It is now a retail and office complex, with a lovely food court in the magnificent three-story atrium in the center of the building.

2008-07-26T14:54:00.001-04:00

EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY...

has been closed to prisoners for many years, but it is open to tourists, as it was during the 1800s, when it was considered a model penal institution. A strict silence and solitary confinement policy was imposed on prisoners. There is no evidence that Tinen ever worked at the prison.

THE GASKILL ST. BATHHOUSE

2008-07-26T14:51:00.000-04:00

THE GASKILL ST. BATHHOUSE...

was opened in April 1898 to serve the city's growing immigrant population. A published article at the time said, "On April 21st, 1898, Congress declared war against Spain, and the Public Baths Association of Philadelphia declared war against uncleanliness by opening the doors of the Gaskill Street baths."

2008-07-26T14:33:00.002-04:00

THE UNION LEAGUE...

is a patriotic society founded in 1862 to support President Lincoln's policies. The Union League's magnificent building, on South Broad and Sansom Streets, was the cite of a ceremony in 1999 in which the City of Philadelphia honored the 69th for its role at Gettysburg. Guests climbing a staircase to the meeting room passed the 69th's regimental colors, hanging prominently on the wall.

2008-07-26T13:31:00.005-04:00

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CHURCH...

where Tinen was married and where his children were baptized, originally stood on the present-day location of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In 1898, the "new" St. Francis Xavier Church opened at 24th and Green Streets, where it still stands today.

A grievous slander

2008-07-21T09:08:00.000-04:00

An apology is owed to Francis Maguire, of Warren Street in Philadelphia. First of all, the book's author got his first name wrong. Second of all, and the real problem of the matter, is that the author described Maguire as a shirker and a coward in the passage about the Battle of Petersburg, when I was shot in the arm. Maguire did bandage my arm with a handkerchief, and he was captured by the enemy and sent to the notorious Andersonville Prison. Thankfully, he did survive and returned home to Philadelphia, and we stayed in touch after the war. In fact, on February 17, 1883, Francis, then 39, testified to my wound in an affidavit on my behalf, when I was trying to get my pension increased on account of that injury. Fortunately, Francis will never know about the author's libel because, besides being dead, he was illiterate. He dictated his affidavit and had to sign it with a mark. -- PST

Our Battle Flag

2008-07-15T11:30:00.002-04:00

Take a look at the 69th's Regimental Colors. The flag still hangs proudly in the Union League in Philadelphia. Along with these state colors we proudly carried green Irish flags. The 69th PVI was the only Pennsylvania regiment to carry such a flag. When we returned home for ourVeterans Furlough in 1864 we gave up that Irish flag for display in Independence Hall, from where it mysteriously disappeared many years later. -- PST

National Soldiers' Home

2008-07-07T21:40:00.000-04:00

Lots of people are probably wondering what that National Soldiers' Home was like. These pictures tell the best story. -- PST

Gettysburg

2008-07-02T01:59:00.000-04:00

We're at the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. My role in that battle was pretty much as described in the book. For a detailed account of the 69th's activities at Gettysburg, check out this great article by the chief historian at the Gettysburg National Military Park. Also, see this moving tribute to the fallen heroes of Gettysburg by the modern-day lads of the Irish 69th. And speaking of tributes to the 69th, check out this wonderful painting of us in the thick of it by Don Troiani. -- PST

Anthony McDermott

2008-06-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

The book does an injustice to Anthony, giving him a small role in that meeting with Megan (who, by the way, was another of those "dramatic inventions") at the Union League. But Anthony was an important member of the 69th. He was our regimental adjutant, and after the war served as the secretary of the regiment's Survivors' Association. He also wrote a regimental history in the 1880s, which you can read here if you like. Anthony lived in Philadelphia after the war and worked as a grocer, a steamfitter, a bricklayer and a railroad clerk. Here's a likeness of him. -- PST

Grand Army of the Republic

2008-06-17T09:47:00.000-04:00

I was one of the original members of GAR Post 2, located on 12th St. near Temple in Philadelphia. Today, much of the memorabilia from that post, including my old escutcheon, is in the care of the Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum and Library, located on Griscom St. in Philadelphia, in the historic Ruan House. (See photo.) Check out the history of the museum.

The Irish Connection

2008-06-09T10:10:00.002-04:00

I was, indeed, a proud Irish nationalist. I was deeply involved in the Meagher Guards, an Irish militia unit, before the war. Served as a sergeant and then an officer. That military experience was what helped get me elected second lieutenant in my company when the Civil War broke out. That and being generous with the liquor when I was bartending, of course. And yes, like the book says, I was a ranking member of the Irish Republican Army in Philadelphia after the war. In fact, in 1866 I was Colonel, 8th Regiment, Irish Republican Army. You can look it up in the Philadelphia Public Ledger, Page 1, Nov. 27, 1868, in an article called 'The Fenian Demonstration.'

More fact & fiction

2008-06-01T20:13:00.000-04:00

Came to America without my mother: False. My entire family came over from Ireland in the 1840s: My parents, John and Bridget, and my younger sister, Mary. Many years later my parents had another son, Thomas.

Had five children: True: Andrew, Matilda, John, Josephine and Thomas. (Note that none were named Megan.) All were born before 1862, all were baptized in St. Francis Xavier Church and all died before me. After the death of my son Thomas and his wife, I raised their two children, Thomas Jr. and Margaret. (More about them later.)

About my wife: I married Margaret Polley on March 10, 1854 in St. Francis Xavier Church, when I was 19 years old. Margaret died in 1892, when I was 57. All that hogwash about her drinking: "dramatic license." -- PST

My granddaughter, Margaret Saxe

2008-05-22T13:06:00.000-04:00

I had to raise my two grandchildren after the death of my son Thomas and his wife. Margaret, my granddaughter, married a man named Daniel Saxe, who lived up in Wilmot Township, Penna., in Bradford County. If I recall correctly, Margaret and Daniel had 11 children: 3 sons, Thomas, Martin and Daniel Saxe, and 8 daughters, Dorothy Knowles, Rose Smith, Josephine Cain, Lenora Corgan, Gertrude Larrabee, Regina Barry, Margaret Cumminskey and Harietta Schrann. Here's a picture of me, Margaret and one of my great-grandchildren. -- PST