HISTORY

Rereading the Tide Tables at Gettysburg

2013-09-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

The "High Water" mark of the Confederacy has crept into and has remained as part of the historiography of the Battle of Gettysburg ever since "Colonel" John B. Bachelder experienced an awakening as he strolled The Angle area of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge during the 1880s. As Superintendent of Tablets and Legends for the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, he supposedly coined that phrase to describe the ineffective Confederate breakthrough near a thicket of trees.

This point may well reflect the greatest point of incursion into the Union defenses by the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge during the third day of battle. Is the high water mark label accurate when one views the entire campaign? Geographically speaking the stain of the high water mark was left behind in Cumberland and York Counties which represents the furthest points north and east attained by the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV).

The second foray into the North by Confederate General Robert E. Lee became known as the Gettysburg Campaign which many historians say began on June 3 and ended on July 14, 1863. The label Gettysburg is used because the largest land battle in North America occurred in the borough of Gettysburg and surrounding area during the campaign. June 3 represents the date the ANV starting moving north and July 14 is the date the ANV crossed the Potomac River in retreat from its sortie.

Lee had several reasons for venturing north which included relieving Virginia of constant warfare, gathering supplies such as livestock, feed and food from the northern states as yet untouched by war, to engender support from the northern antiwar faction called Copperheads and of course destroy as much of the Union Army of the Potomac as possible.

To alert and panic the northerners Lee determined his focus would be on wreaking havoc in the north by menacing cities such as Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Baltimore. He wanted to frighten the politicians in Washington to a degree that with adequate public pressure, the federal government would sue for peace.

Plaque on the Governor Curtin statue in Harrisburg

Lee's brilliant plan of hiding the ANV from Union troops by riding them north, west of the Blue Ridge worked perfectly. The geography of the area reveals that the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia continues north as the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania and the South Mountain chain is an extension of the Blue Ridge. The city which appears as a bulls eye to the Cumberland Valley arrow is Harrisburg, then and now, the capital of Pennsylvania.

State historical marker in Harrisburg.

Harrisburg was a major transportation hub. The transportation of troops and commercial goods were serviced from points north and east by the Northern Central and Pennsylvania Railroads. Camp Curtin one of the largest training camps and supplier of troops was located just north of the city. In addition, historians also maintain that there were a fair number of Copperheads in central Pennsylvania during this period

General Richard Ewell commanding the Second Corps of the ANV was the lead element of the ANV which crossed the Potomac River on June 15. On that same day orders were sent to Ewell from General Lee concerning his mission in Pennsylvania which included the following, "If Harrisburg comes within your means, capture it."

On June 25 in Chambersburg, General Ewell met with General Early, one of his division commanders. General Ewell ordered General Early to cross South Mountain and go through Gettysburg. He was then to proceed to York and cut the Northern Central Railroad which ran from Baltimore to Harrisburg. Early was also ordered to destroy the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge which carried track from York to the Pennsylvania Railroad at Columbia.

On June 26 Early's column easily traversed Adams County, staving off some militia units and while in Gettysburg he garnered some supplies and rations. Part of Early's column commanded by General Gordon took York on the 28th without opposition. Early had ordered Colonel White's battalion of cavalry to ride to Hanover Junction and destroy as much track and bridges he could of the Northern Central.

Upon Gordon's arrival at the Wrightsville Bridge he found it was defended by 1,200 militiamen. Shortly after Gordon attacked the defended portion of the bridge, the militiamen began retreating across the bridge. The defenders outran the Confederates and fired the bridge in the process. The bridge was totally destroyed and it actually ignited several buildings in Wrightsville. The Southerners quickly transformed themselves into firemen and assisted the locals in quenching the flames.

With the bridge burned and unusable, Gordon and his men remained on the west bank of the Susquehanna River. Harrisburg was safe, for now.

Jenkins monument in Mechanicsburg, PA.

General Ewell continued north up the Cumberland Valley with his other infantry divisions commanded by Generals Rodes and Johnson and a brigade of cavalry lead by General Jenkins. Jenkins brigade was in the lead and it was his duty to perform reconnaissance for the infantry corps.

Most of the Union troops Ewell encountered in Pennsylvania were not from regular army units. These troops mustered to defend against the invasion into the state were militia and

emergency troops from Pennsylvania, national guard units from New York State and even some troops from New Jersey. Locally recruited colored troops were used as well.

After easily brushing off some skirmishers at Stones Tavern in Cumberland County, Jenkins occupied Carlisle, the county seat and location of the U. S. Army's Carlisle barracks. The handful of Union defenders wisely retreated north rather than take on the 1,200 troopers of Jenkins' brigade.

Ewell's infantry arrived in Carlisle later in the day and several confederate officers felt at home. Both General Ewell and General Iverson had once been posted at the barracks prior to the war, while they were in the U. S. Army.

View of Harrisburg from the site of Fort Washington.

Ewell decided to remain at Carlisle while he sent Jenkins' cavalry and his engineering officer forward to reconnoiter the defenses of Harrisburg.

On June 28 Jenkins made contact with the enemy at a location in present day Camp Hill known as Oyster Point where the Oyster family ran a

tavern. (It is the present day intersection of Market and 30th Streets. The skirmish consisted of an exchange of artillery and musket fire which was desultory in nature and lasted for a day. The position was never taken since Jenkins used his time to scout the area. He covered about a four mile front from Oyster Point to Slate Hill.

Monument at Lemoyne, PA.

Historical marker for Fort Couch, Lemoyne, PA.

Oyster Point was located two miles southwest of the Susquehanna River and situated near two newly constructed defensive fortifications called Fort Washington and Fort Couch, built across the river from Harrisburg.

Remnants of Fort Couch.

On June 29 Ewell's division began moving back south by an order of General Lee. The main body of the Union army was located in the vicinity of a small town called Gettysburg.

The Bonds of War

2013-03-31T16:35:00.003-07:00

Sainte-Mere-Eglise is one of four sister cities of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. What connection does a small village in the Normandy region of France have with a small town in south central Pennsylvania? The answer of course is, history.

In June of 1992, a letter from Mayor Marc LeFevre of Sainte-Mere-Eglise was presented to Mayor Francis Linn of Gettysburg, which suggested that the two towns should form that relationship. LeFevre explained that both communities were important in the history of their countries.

Gettysburg was famous for a pivotal battle of the American Civil War and Sainte-Mere-Eglise was the first French city to be liberated by Allied troops as a result of the D-Day Invasion of Normandy. He cited that General Dwight Eisenhower's nexus to both in that President Eisenhower chose to purchase a home in Gettysburg and that he was also the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Forces which liberated his town. It was also mentioned that the Marquis de La Fayette assisted the U. S. in the American Revolution and two hundred years later, "...your soldiers willingly came to France to restore our lost dignity and freedom."

In a poignant portion of the letter LeFevre stated, "Thirteen thousand young American soldiers were buried here in three temporary cemeteries..." He further added that those bodies which weren't repatriated were buried, "...at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial located at Colleville sur Mer overlooking Omaha Beach."

The offer was enthusiastically accepted by Gettysburg officials and during the intervening years delegations from both cities have visited each other. A warm, friendly and respectful relationship has been achieved between both communities. It was reported that during the trip to Normandy for the Fiftieth Anniversary of D-Day, the Gettysburg delegation received emotional greetings of welcome and thank you from the locals residents where ever they traveled. The French have not forgotten the American sacrifices suffered in the liberation of their country.

Few people realize that the bond between Sainte-Mere-Eglise and Gettysburg began to strengthen shortly after World War II, during the repatriation of American war dead of which Mayor LeFevre spoke. The strength of that bond comes from the fact that many of these dead came to their final rest in the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Recent scholarship has showed that at least twelve of those American heroes who died on June 6, 1944, on and near the beaches at Normandy were re-interred in Gettysburg.

One of those soldiers was Private First Class Clairus L. Riggs of Company B, First Battalion, One Hundred Sixteenth Infantry of the Twenty-Ninth Infantry Division. He was from Coalport, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.

In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, PFC Riggs was being transported across the English Channel aboard the troop transport S.S. Empire Javelin. At 0330 hours, the landing craft containing Boat Team One of Company B was heading toward Omaha Beach. Riggs carried a Browning Automatic Rifle which is a light machine gun that was deployed in a squad of men. At 0640 hours the ramp of the landing craft was lowered in the surf off of Dog Green Sector. As the six foot two inch soldier stepped on the ramp he was hit by enemy gunfire and fell into the water, dead.

Clairus made it back to the United States and rests in Gettysburg National Cemetery, section 2, grave number 308.

Lincoln, the Movie

2013-03-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

I have just finished watching Lincoln for the first time on a newly purchased DVD. My opinionated review follows:

HISTORICAL WORTH OF THE FILM - B+ The film dealt with the battle fought to attain passage of the Thirteen Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. I have not completely researched every aspect of the historical content as some have done but in general the matter was treated within the general notions of Nineteenth Century United States. This episode in the Lincoln saga is only one small aspect of his historical impact but it was done well and treated appropriately within the time constraints of the movie.

QUALITY OF ACTING - C+ Daniel Day Lewis is not a favorite of mine. I have seen him in several performances on the screen and none have impressed me. His portrayal of a conflicted genius such as Abraham Lincoln was flat and stale. The dialogue used seemed to be an endless series of closely cropped speeches given with no particular dramatic impact. Of recent portrayals of Lincoln the best which comes to mind is that of Sam Waterston's in Gore Vidal's Lincoln done for television years ago. Tommy Lee Jones role as Thaddeus Stevens was much more impressive than Lewis' Lincoln.

CINEMATOGRAPHY - C- The mostly dark and dank scenes depicted throughout the movie were boring, lifeless, non-dramatic and inaccurate. I get it. In a four year span over 600,000 Americans died of battle wounds and disease. It was indeed a bleak time in our nation's history. Reality dictates that these events happen on overcast, cold, wet and bleak days as well as those that were sunny, fair and bright. I remember a day in which over 3,000 people were murdered in three states and that September 11 was a crisp, clear sunny day with azure blue skies with wispy clouds.

OVERALL SUMMARY- C+ To its credit the film accurately portrayed a time in our history where a controversial topic of the day was fated. No movie is ever 100 percent historically accurate but good enough for general education of a public that does not read books but drowns itself in an electronic cloud of social websites and inane television programs. There is room for at least 20 more movies of this quality, to begin to attempt to explain Lincoln and the American Civil War. My advice for you all, if you have not yet done so, is to read Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Quite honestly, I'll be hard pressed to view Spielberg's Lincoln a second time.

A Hangover

2012-12-01T16:40:00.001-08:00

Right now I am suffering from a hangover. No, not the usual kind you think of but one I have experienced three times before.

The befuddled and lightheaded fog is due to the fact that my brain cannot take anymore review of miniscule facts and picayune information. Today was my fourth effort in taking the examination for Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg.

It is difficult for me to predict how I fared so it will be easier to await the letter from the ranger in charge of the program.

My first foray into the examination process was in 2006 when I scored 77%. It was obviously too low to qualify but not bad for a candidate living 475 miles away.

I retired in 2007 and moved to Adams County, to a location in the suburbs of Cashtown. The Gettysburg National Military Park was the wife-approved mistress that wooed me to the area. It was a fulfillment of a pipe-dream that was ten years in the making.

Once I settled in, I started taking all the tours of the battlefield I could, including the Guide Series that was offered by the Harrisburg Area Community College. I got involved in a study group and then took the exam in 2008. I then scored a 90%, but still I missed the cut for the orals.

In 2010, I dropped the study group because of a full time job and eventually scored a 95%. I still missed the cut. I also quit the full time job when I realized why I had retired in the first time.

For today's exam I approached the test in a earnest but relaxed manner as opposed to the frenetic pace of the past. I was not nervous or agitated as I calmly opened the test packet. While I answered the questions I realized that I actually enjoyed taking the test! I did not care whether I scored well or not, I really did enjoy the process.

The most satisfying moments of the morning were spent in conversations with like minded people who were seeking that coveted position of Battlefield Guide. It is a position of honor and respect awarded to a few individuals that can with historical accuracy and deep appreciation, tell the story of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Personally, I was greatly honored to be greeted with warm respects and well wishes by no less than ten Licensed Battlefield Guides that I have come to know in the last few years.

Regardless of the results of this 2012 exam, I believe I have accomplished a great deal in the past few years.

I still marvel at the fact that the battlefield is only minutes away as opposed to hours. I have several history projects going on that I hope will lead to publication. I have made friends with many people who understand and respect the study of the past. I am glad I made the decision to move here and I feel honored that someday I may have the opportunity to guide others on America's most hallowed ground.

I feel better now. My head is clearer and the little nap did me good. Now...., where is that scotch?!

Your Own Time Machine

2012-11-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

One interesting and easy way to explore history is to peruse issues of old newspapers. This can be accomplished by visiting your local library, the Adams County Historical Society or at home by browsing the worldwide web.

In this inquiry I chose the November 16, 1918 issue of the Gettysburg Compiler to examine. The major headline that day was "GERMANY SURRENDERS" which reports the terms of the Armistice which notably took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. November 11 became the national holiday of Armistice Day but it eventually evolved into Veteran's Day which now celebrates the contributions of all military veterans, living or dead, for any service.

The second place story was the continuing death toll of the Great Influenza Epidemic of 1918. The paper listed twenty three deaths for the week in the general population, the vast majority of which were due to the flu and Camp Colt reported six soldiers succumbed to the deadly virus. It was interesting to note that two of the civilian dead included two veterans of the Civil War reminding us that in 1918, the war was still a recent memory for many Americans.

A small notice told of the death of Colonel Robert Bruce Ricketts, seventy-nine years old of Lake Ganoga, Pennsylvania. Ricketts had commanded the First Pennsylvania Light Artillery on East Cemetery Hill during the Battle of Gettysburg fifty-five years earlier.

An advertisement relating to the flu epidemic was sponsored by The Vick Chemical Company of Greensboro, North Carolina. The firm manufactured Vick's Vapo-Rub and the ad warned pharmacists to only order small batches of their product. The supplies of the concoction were severely depleted due to the epidemic. They insisted small batch orders would be filled and therefore more product would be available to more customers.

An intriguing ad by G. W. Weaver and Son of Gettysburg was found and its message was to buy union suits made by Munsingwear. The cartoon in the ad depicts several doughboys clad only in union suits and campaign hats carrying bayoneted rifles as they advanced toward the enemy. The caption below the sketch read, "The Battle Cry of Free "Em". Further on, it was written, "In War Time as in Peace "the Munsingwear Line Holds." Indeed.

An interesting border was given to that ad and two others that appeared in the newspaper that day. The borders consisted of the repeating pattern of swastikas. Through the centuries the swastika has been featured in many cultures in art, architecture and print. It was a sign which meant to be good or of being higher of self. In general usage, it was a symbol of good luck.

In 1918, the swastika symbol was used as a good luck symbol for the American troops sent overseas. It was used in print associated with their heath and well being as well as being emblazoned across the American Bald Eagle on a good luck token.

The symbol became known as an emblem of shame and inhumanity because in 1920 the Nazi Party adopted it as their official party symbol.

A short visit to yesteryear via old newspapers is interesting, entertaining and educational. It also helps us to understand our past. Enjoy!

Proclamation 5269

2012-11-21T23:46:00.001-08:00

October 19, 1984

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Photograph courtesy of the United States Government

As we remember the faith and values that made America great, we should recall that our tradition of Thanksgiving is older than our Nation itself. Indeed, the native American Thanksgivings antedated those of the new Americans. In the words of the eloquent Seneca tradition of the Iroquois, ``. . . give it your thought, that with one mind we may now give thanks to Him our Creator.''

From the first Pilgrim observance in 1621, to the nine years before and during the American Revolution when the Continental Congress declared days of Fast and Prayer and days of Thanksgiving, we have turned to Almighty God to express our gratitude for the bounty and good fortune we enjoy as individuals and as a nation. America truly has been blessed.

This year we can be especially thankful that real gratitude to God is inscribed, not in proclamations of government, but in the hearts of all our people who come from every race, culture, and creed on the face of the Earth. And as we pause to give thanks for our many gifts, let us be tempered by humility and by compassion for those in need, and let us reaffirm through prayer and action our determination to share our bounty with those less fortunate.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, in the spirit and tradition of the Iroquois, the Pilgrims, the Continental Congress, and past Presidents, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 22, 1984, as a day of National Thanksgiving. I call upon every citizen of this great Nation to gather together in homes and places of worship to celebrate, in the words of 1784, ``with grateful hearts . . . the mercies and praises of their all Bountiful Creator. . . .''

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this nineteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth.

Ronald Reagan

Proclamation 3036 - Thanksgiving Day, 1953

2012-11-20T20:55:00.000-08:00

November 7, 1953

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Photograph courtesy of

Executive Office of the President of the United States

As a nation much blessed, we feel impelled at harvest time to follow the tradition handed down by our Pilgrim Fathers of pausing from our labors for one day to render thanks to Almighty God for His bounties. Now that the year is drawing to a close, once again it is fitting that we incline our thoughts to His mercies and offer to Him our special prayers of gratitude.

For the courage and vision of our forebears who settled a wilderness and founded a Nation; for the "blessings of liberty" which the framers of our Constitution sought to secure for themselves and for their posterity, and which are so abundantly realized in our land today; for the unity of spirit which has made our country strong; and for the continuing faith under His guidance that has kept us a religious people with freedom of worship for all, we should kneel in humble thanksgiving.

Especially are we grateful this year for the truce in battle-weary Korea, which gives to anxious men and women throughout the world the hope that there may be an enduring peace:

Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America, in consonance with the joint resolution of Congress approved December 26, 1941, do hereby call upon our people to observe Thursday, the twenty-sixth day of November, 1953, as a day of national thanksgiving. On that day let all of us, in accordance with our hallowed custom, forgather in our respective places of worship and bow before God in contrition for our sins, in suppliance for wisdom in our striving for a better world, and in gratitude for the manifold blessings He has bestowed upon us and upon our fellow men.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed

DONE at the City of Washington this Seventh day of November in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and fifty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-eighth.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

Mont Saint-Michel

2012-10-24T02:42:00.001-07:00

The Most Important Event in 1860

2012-08-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

It occurred at Cooper Union, in New York City. It was Lincoln’s Cooper Union Speech. After the speech was reported he became a political personality with national leadership capabilities.

The speech was a piercing objective analysis of the subject of slavery and its status in law. Lincoln outlined the constitutional history of slavery and by addressing the institution head on he highlighted that it was the hottest political issue of the day.

Slavery by itself did not start the Civil War but it was by far the most powerful and main topic of concern of the southern plantation politicians. It’s inclusion in many of the ordinances of secession help to lend credence to this notion.

Lincoln essentially grabbed the bull by the horns in the Cooper Union speech and that eventually catapulted him into the Republican nomination and eventually the presidency. It also gave the hot headed and misguided southerners a reason for secession. Their mistake was they never thought the Unionists, north or south would go to war to save the country they cherished.

Once slavery was the decisive issue it had to be dealt with for a final solution. Lincoln brilliantly used his executive powers for emancipation (a military tactic that had been used for centuries) to his advantage. It was the snowball that rolled down the hill to become the biggest avalanche in American history. It lead to the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments which not only rocked the foundations of the American democracy but made slavery a bane of civilized governments on a worldwide basis.

The year 1860 was defined by a speech given by a lawyer from Illinois, in New York City on February 27, 1860. The country still trembles from its connotations.

Read Lincoln's Cooper Union Speech here.

Adams County Aids the Continental Army

2012-08-30T21:10:00.001-07:00

In response to the fighting between British troops and colonists at Lexington and Concord, on April 19, 1775, the Second Continental Congress placed the Massachusetts volunteers in their own service and selected George Washington to command them. This action gave birth to the Continental Army.

Congress also authorized the raising of ten companies of riflemen, for one year's service as additional manpower. Pennsylvania was expected to provide six companies of these troops but the commonwealth provided nine. These companies became known as Colonel Thompson's Battalion of Riflemen.

This sign at 44 York Street in Gettysburg
marks the location of Gettys' Tavern.

York County, which at that time included what is now Adams County, was represented by Captain Michael Doudel's Company. It was, "... enlisted principally at Samuel Getty's Tavern..." This company provided at least forty (probably much more) men to the total of 849 men listed for the battalion. Included in this company was Lt. Henry Miller of Fairfield (then Millerstown) and Private John Dother, of Marsh Creek. Doudel's men (Company C) left York on July 1 and arrived at Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 25.

Upon their arrival they made a favorable impression to the local populous. An army surgeon noted, "They are remarkably stout and hardy men; many of them exceeding six feet in height." As to their prowess as marksmen he commented, "... their shot have frequently proved fatal to British officers and soldiers, who expose themselves to view, even at more than double the distance of common musket shot."

Within four days the company skirmished at Charlestown Neck and lost one man to capture. The rigors of the march and combat may have contributed to Captain Doudel becoming ill. It was so severe that he resigned and as a result, Henry Miller was promoted to captain.

The men of Company C fought well but they received a reputation of being insubordinate and undisciplined. When two companies were needed to leave Cambridge and join an expedition to invade Canada, Lieutenant Colonel Hand reported, "The General [presumably Washington] refused peremptorily to take the York company."

In spite of this imperfection, their fighting and shooting skills keep them in good stead. Company C and the entire battalion continued to do good service around Boston. They exhibited tenacious fighting at Ploughed Hill and Lechmere's Point. Their military proficiency did not go unnoticed by General Washington.

On January 1, 1776, the army was reorganized and the battalion became the first regiment of the Continental Army complete with its own flag which bared the motto, "domari nolo" (I will not be subjugated). The strength of the regiment was 693 officers and men.

Frustrated with a stalemate in Boston, the British troops departed the area. Washington received information that their destination was New York City. As a consequence, on March 14, under orders from General Washington, the regiment and five others left Massachusetts and marched to New York City. The journey for the regiment took two weeks.

Washington recognized the rifle regiment's value and recommended to Congress the men be offered a two year term of reenlistment because their term would soon expire on June 30. The offer was made and most of the men reenlisted.

July 1, 1776 marked the formation of the First Regiment of the Pennsylvania Line in Continental service. John Dother remained a private and Henry Miller had been promoted to major.

For more information, click here.

The World's Largest Outdoor Art Gallery

2012-08-24T02:08:00.001-07:00

Large collections of fine art, in the form of sculpture, are usually associated with museums located in sprawling urban areas. I believe it is safe to say that the largest outdoor collection of this fine art is located in Adams County.

Bust of Lincoln in the National Cemetery.

Over thirteen hundred pieces of art are exhibited on about twenty-five square miles of a combined landscape of urban and country backdrops. These works include carved pieces of stone and cast bronze panels and statues. These masterpieces commemorate and honor valiant deeds performed and sacrifices offered. They remind the present and future generations of these heroic and sometimes tragic accomplishments. This open-air museum is the Gettysburg National Military Park.

The battlefield began to be monumentalized in 1867 when former members of the First Minnesota Infantry placed a memorial urn in the National Cemetery.

The majority of the monuments were placed on the field in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Most monuments represent regiments, brigades, army corps, military commanders, politicians or states which provided troops that participated in the conflict.

General Winfield Scott Hancock
equestrian statue on East Cemetery Hill.

Depending on the date of placement on the field, the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, the United States War Department or the National Park Service may have dictated the rules for wording, composition of materials and placement of the memorials. Funding for the monuments varied and may have included a governmental entity, a veterans organization, fraternal organization or a religious society.

The North Carolina monument by Gutzon Borglum on
South Confederate Avenue.

Many of the regimental monuments are loaded with historical information concerning their participation in the battle. Information etched on the stone or cast in the metal may include particular movements, exploits of the men, where the regiment was recruited from and a record of their war service. Some may also display a cast bronze panel that depicts a significant event during the battle. These panels themselves are works of fine art.

Lady Liberty atop the New York State
monument in the National Cemetery.

Some of the foremost sculptors of that era who have their works displayed on the field include Donald DeLue, Henry Kirke Bush-Brown, John Quincy Adams Ward, J. Massey Rhind, Lee Lawrie, Cyrus Dallin and Gutzon Borglum.

The most prolific of these artists at Gettysburg was Henry Kirke Bush-Brown. He produced three titanic sized equestrian statues of Generals John Reynolds, George Meade and John Sedgwick. He also sculpted a lifelike bust of President Abraham Lincoln at the memorial to the Gettysburg Address located near the west entrance of the National Cemetery.

Equestrian statue of General John Fulton Reynolds.

Cyrus Dallin not only sculpted the General Winfield Scott Hancock statue at the Pennsylvania Memorial but also the impressive “The Picket” equestrian statue. It is located in nearby Hanover and commemorates the cavalry action of the Battle of Hanover which occurred on June 30, 1863.

Monument to the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry.

One of the sculptors whose works appears on the field in three places is Charles W. Reed, an artist from Boston and veteran of the Battle of Gettysburg. He was a bugler in the Ninth Massachusetts Battery. Reed along with his former battery commander John Bigelow, designed all three memorials to the Ninth.

The list of all the talented artists whose works adorn the field is too long to mention in this short tome. It would take weeks for you to visit and examine each monument or statue. If you haven't viewed these works I would advise you to do so, after all, this monumental collection is located in your own backyard.

Adams County Pennsylvania in the French and Indian War

2012-06-25T11:38:00.002-07:00

A Forgotten War

The French and Indian War began in 1754. The primary combatants were British America and the Iroquois Confederacy verses French Canada and several Indian tribes that were enemies of the Iroquois, such as the Shawnee and the Delaware.

During this conflict western York County (present day Adams County) was considered the frontier. Residents in this area would be prone to attacks by Indians and their allies.

Hance Hamilton lived on a farm near Marsh Creek when the war began. Due to concerns about Indian attacks, he decided to raise a militia company. Captain Hamilton trained his men well and they were eventually sent to Bedford County to garrison Fort Littleton in 1756. Captain Hamilton was made commandeer of the fort.

In the spring of 1756, McCord's Fort located a short distance from present day Chambersburg, was attacked by Indians. They overran the fort and then fled west with their captives. A militia force that followed the retreating Indians was augmented by a company of men sent by Captain Hamilton. When the militia caught up with the Indians they fought The Battle of Sideling Hill. The militia lost the battle and the survivors took refuge in Fort Littleton. Several York County men were casualties of that engagement.

Later in 1756, Captain Hance Hamilton and his men marched with Colonel Armstrong and helped that officer in defeating the French and Indians at Fort Kittaning. In 1758, Hamilton was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the First Battalion of The Pennsylvania Regiment and participated in the Forbes Expedition that secured Fort Duquesne from the French.

After the close of the war, Hance Hamilton returned to farming and milling in York County. His marriage produced ten children and he died on February 2, 1772. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg.

There were no official government forts built in present day Adams County during the war but four blockhouses or stockades were reported to have been built. They were built in the vicinities of Buchanan Valley, Marsh Creek, Bonneauville and on the Low Dutch Road. In spite of these fortifications, some settlers were unable to use them or they weren't available at the time of the attacks. As a consequence, several residents of the area were killed or abducted.

On April 5, 1758, a band of Shawnee Indians and Frenchmen attacked the Jemison homestead in Buchanan Valley. Sixteen year old Mary Jemison was abducted while her brothers escaped, but all others in the family were killed. She was brought to Fort Duquesne where she was adopted by two Seneca women. In spite of several opportunities to leave, she married twice and remained with her adopted Seneca people until she died at the age of ninety-one in 1833. She is buried at Letchworth State Park in Wyoming County, New York.

On April 13, 1758, a band of Delaware Indians attacked the Richard Bard family at their home in Virginia Mills, near Fairfield. Several family members and friends were killed in the attack. Shortly after capture, Richard Bard escaped but his wife Catherine was left behind. After two and a half years of captivity, Catherine was reunited with Richard at Fort Augusta in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

Fortunately for residents of York County, the hostilities ceased in Pennsylvania in 1760.

Learn more of Mary Jemison

The French and Indian War in Pennsylvania

The Sullivan-Clinton Campaign of 1779

2012-06-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

The Sullivan-Clinton Campaign of the American Revolutionary War remains largely forgotten. Learn more about this seminal event in American History by going on the tour. The Newton Battlefield is practically all on private property. On this tour, you will be allowed to stand and tour right in the middle of the action due to the kind permission of the local landowner. The tour begins in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and ends in Lowman, New York.

Don't miss this chance to walk the hallowed ground of this pristine battlefield of the American Revolution.

Learn more about the Sullivan-Clinton Tour here at this link.

Shikellamy

2012-06-09T21:11:00.001-07:00

This is a little bit of early American history that few ever learn about. It pays to leave the interstates and to leisurely amble along the local roads and learn something new and view beautiful landscapes.

These photographs were taken in Sunbury, Pennslyvania, adjacent to the majestic Susquehanna River. The Susquehanna River Valley played an integral part in our nation's history.

The river's headwaters begin in Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York. It then runs in a southerly direction into Pennsylvania and back into New York State. It then reenters Pennsylvania and eventually flows through Maryland and empties into the Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace, Maryland.

The river is 464 miles long and the West Branch of the Susquehanna joins the main stream at Northumberland, Pennsylvania. The valleys that it flows through possess breathtaking vistas filled with captivating history.

Enjoy the photographs.

Learn more about Shikellamy here.

A Rising Star

2012-05-28T07:07:00.007-07:00

He was born August 8, 1836, at York Springs, and he was the eldest of eight children in the family. He attended Cumberland Valley Institute and Juniata Academy where he excelled in mathematics and civil engineering.

In 1857 he was hired by the United States government as an engineer assigned to survey government lands in Nebraska. He returned to the area in 1859 and settled in Baltimore working for the Adams Express Company. After the firing on Fort Sumter he enlisted in Company K, First Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves.

Enlisting as a private he was almost immediately promoted to sergeant. Several months later he was promoted to lieutenant of Company K and then regimental adjutant. The regiment marched to Dranesville and then to Manassas and it ended up camped at Falmouth, Virginia. The First then reported to assist General McClellan's forces and started in on the Peninsula Campaign.

At the Battle of Glendale, the adjutant was wounded by a minie ball that hit the left thigh. To add insult to injury, he was captured by the Rebels and sent to Libby Prison, in Richmond, Virginia Unbeknownst to him, he was promoted to captain on June 30, 1862.

His stay in prison was short and he was exchanged in September. He was sent to David's Island General Hospital located in New York State, to convalesce. He was able to rejoin the 1st PA Reserves at Sharpsburg, Maryland, just after the Battle of Antietam.

The First was at the Battle of Fredericksburg and participated in General Ambrose Burnside's Mud March. It missed Chancellorsville since it was assigned to the Defenses of Washington but it was back in the field in late June to join in on the Gettysburg Campaign. By this time our accomplished and intrepid soldier attained the rank of lieutenant colonel, surely a rising star.

At the Battle of Gettysburg the First was sent to stabilize the Union line in the Wheatfield area and indeed it did. As night fell on July 2, the regiment held its position behind a stone wall at the northern end of Houck's Ridge. On July 3 the regiment assisted in regaining some ground in the Wheatfield. During this battle the young lieutenant colonel was in charge of the operations of the skirmishers.

The PA Reserves continued with the Army of the Potomac for the remainder of 1863 and in 1864 participated in Grant's Overland Campaign. The First left the front June 1, 1864, because the three year enlistments expired however some of the soldiers did reenlist for other service. The indefatigable lieutenant colonel eventually became colonel of the 192nd Pennsylvania Infantry. Finally our soldier mustered out of service on August 24, 1865.

His promotion to colonel was a brevet promotion for gallant conduct at the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House. On March 13, 1865, he received a brevet promotion of brigadier general for gallant conduct at the Battle of North Anna River.

After the war, General William Warren Stewart worked as a civil engineer for several railroads and for the federal government. His remarkable service in the army and his career as an engineer reflect his natural ability as an intellectual and leader of men.

He died in Chambersburg on March 18, 1916, and is buried in the Presbyterian Graveyard in York Springs.

President Lincoln and General McClellan

2012-05-06T23:39:00.000-07:00

"It is called the Army of the Potomac but it is only McClellan's bodyguard...If McClellan is not using the army, I should like to borrow it for a while."

Abraham Lincoln

What is your opinion? Was President Lincoln justified in making this comment?

Items From Adams County Pennsylvania

2012-04-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

Gettysburg National Military Park; Destination of Presidents

President Abraham Lincoln was invited to Gettysburg by attorney David Wills. He rendered a few appropriate remarks at the dedication of the Soldier's National Cemetery on November 19, 1863. His address to the crowd has become perhaps, the most famous speech in history. The Gettysburg battlefield thus became the destination of future presidents.

Including Lincoln, about sixteen sitting American presidents have visited the national cemetery and battlefield at Gettysburg. Some of those include Grover Cleveland, William Taft, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Richard Nixon and George W. Bush.

The reasons for visiting the Gettysburg National Military Park vary but some have given a Memorial Day speech, spoke at a veterans' reunion or dedicated a monument. The battlefield is also in close proximity to Camp David and Washington, D. C.

President Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the speakers rostrum in the National Cemetery on May 30, 1904. In spite of a pouring rain, 10,000 people listened to President Roosevelt's Memorial Day speech. The president also received a tour of the battlefield given by two veterans of the battle. The tour guides were former Union Corps Commanders, Generals Daniel Edgar Sickles and Oliver Otis Howard.

On July 4, 1913, at the 50th Reunion of Gettysburg Veterans, President Woodrow Wilson spoke to the assembled crowd. President Wilson was not too enthusiastic about stopping at Gettysburg for the occasion but a political advisor convinced him it was the right thing to do. After the appearance, the president continued on to his family vacation in New Hampshire.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, visited Gettysburg to deliver a Memorial Day talk on May 30, 1934. He returned to the military park on July 3, 1938, to dedicate the Eternal Light Peace Memorial on Oak Ridge. This coincided with the last and 75th Reunion Anniversary of Gettysburg Veterans. There was also an unconfirmed report of a third visit on a pleasant afternoon in 1943. Witnesses say they recognized both the president and his companion, Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Dwight Eisenhower has been associated with Gettysburg since 1915, when as a cadet at the United States Military Academy, he visited the field for the first time. In 1918, Major Eisenhower served as post commander for Camp Colt at Gettysburg which was at the time the army's tank training center. In 1950, Ike purchased a 189 acre farm adjacent to the Gettysburg battlefield. As president and former president he entertained people such as Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Premier Nikita Khrushchev, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery and President Charles De Gaulle, at the Eisenhower farm.

On September 10, 1978, while President Jimmy Carter was attempting to work out the Camp David Peace Accords, he decided to take a little break and visit the Gettysburg battlefield. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Carter walked the battlefield in hopes of finding common ground on the pressing issues at hand. Before long and to everyone's surprise, President Sadat was dominating the conversation, expounding on the battle since he had studied it in military school in Egypt. While at the National Cemetery, Prime Minister Begin was able to recite the Gettysburg Address from memory.

The Gettysburg National Military Park, an internationally famous battlefield, a destination of world leaders, and it is situated in our own backyard.

Churchill visits Ike at Gettysburg Eisenhower - Khrushchev Anniversary Visit

George Washington Reconsidered

2012-04-11T22:45:00.001-07:00

"Washington was the most important man in America, whether he was onstage or off, for twenty-four years; for seventeen of those years, he was front and center. It is a record unmatched in our history, scarcely matched in the histories of modern democracies."

from Founding Father, Rediscovering George Washington by Richard Brookhiser, page 162

George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress

Items From Adams County Pennsylvania

2012-03-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

From Suffering Comes Compassion

The flu epidemic had gotten so bad at Camp Colt that the facility was put under quarantine in late September of 1918. The influenza had made it into Adams County. The military installation had the most cases since it was an efficient incubator and superb conduit of infection.

The epidemic thrived because the camp was in the process of being broken up. Staffing was down and the hospital was a shadow of its former self and more significantly, the nursing staff was drastically cut. The Gettysburg Times for 3 October reported that twenty-one soldiers died in a single day at Camp Colt. The outbreak by now had affected the whole community.

The local Red Cross set up a temporary, one hundred bed hospital at Xavier Hall on West High Street, for the military's worst cases. Volunteers assisted as aides and attendants and the public also supplied food and medicine. With the increased exposure more civilians were affected by the disease. Burgess William Weaver recalled, "...it seemed that our whole town was a hospital and morgue."

In a public statement, Major Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of Camp Colt, thanked the local community for their support and sacrifices, "... during the recent regrettable epidemic." Estimates vary but by the end of the year, close to 200 soldiers had died from the influenza.

One of the local volunteers who contracted the flu was Annie M. Warner, the sixty-five year old wife of local businessman John M. Warner. John was eighty-five years old.. Fortunately for the Warners, Annie survived her sickness and her recovery inspired John to have a hospital built in honor of his wife.

In 1918 there were no hospitals close to the Borough of Gettysburg. The closest hospitals were located in York, Carlisle or Harrisburg.

In 1919, John Warner, with the assistance of local businessmen and concerned citizens, formed a corporation which aided in construction of the hospital. The hospital was to be named the Annie M. Warner Hospital. Its purpose was , "... for relieving the wants of the afflicted who may be suffering from accident or disease without distinction of race, color, creed or condition..." John Warner contributed six acres of land and $25,000 to the project.

Money for construction, staffing and equipping the hospital came from many sources. The funding ranged from money raised from food sales and dances to subscriptions from local citizens and assistance from the state legislature.

On March 25, 1919, Annie Warner broke the ground at the site of the proposed hospital. The cornerstone was laid on July 1, 1919. Construction of the forty bed, two story hospital was completed in September of 1920 but due to another shortage of nurses, the building was not occupied. Finally on March 17, 1921, the Annie M. Warner Hospital admitted its first patient.

In 1980 after fifty-nine years of service the original building was demolished so a modern and larger hospital could be built. On July 1, 1982, the name was changed to The Gettysburg Hospital to better represent the community in which it serves. Today, the hospital is once again undergoing renovation.

Regardless of all the changes, the caring, selfless and compassionate legacy of John and Annie Warner will carry on forever in Adams County.

Items From Adams County Pennsylvania

2012-03-11T22:41:00.001-07:00

An Icon of Adams County

In 1832 the economy was sound and the location of the town allowed easy access from a wide geographic area. The need for the services the firm offered, had steadily increased. These were the major factors that caused the enterprise to thrive.

Practically from the beginning, they knew their original facility was too small to accommodate the number of people they would have. The building was woefully inadequate but lack of funding blocked expansion.

In February 1834, the legislature, with the support of Thaddeus Stevens, provided funding for $18,000 over a six-year time frame. In April1835, the institution purchased six acres of land on the north side of Gettysburg on the top of a small prominence amidst the open terrain, for their new building.

The designer of the building was architect and engineer John Trautwine. It may have been the largest building in Gettysburg at that time, measuring 150 feet long by 50 feet wide and was 4 stories high with a cupola centered on the roof. It was Greek Revival in style sporting a portico on the south side of the structure, complete with four Doric columns. Construction began in April of 1836 and it was completed in the fall of 1837.

The Edifice, as it would be called, now had room for its enrollees. It had classrooms, dining hall, staff offices, library, chapel and rooms for the steward and his family. In the near future additional buildings were added to the institution. Linnaean Hall was added in 1847 and the White House was added in 1860. There were also some other support buildings on the grounds which included a springhouse, smokehouse, oven, stable, washhouse and privies.

The events of July 1, 1863, turned the institution upside town. First, signalmen from the Union Army interrupted activities inquiring about and briefly occupying the cupola. Because of the chaos, business was suspended until further notice. By nightfall, members of the Confederate Army occupied the building from top to bottom.

During the battle the Edifice was used as a Confederate hospital, housing up to about 700 soldiers. It remained a hospital well after the battle ended. One person visiting the building during this time reported the rooms and halls full of wounded soldiers. Moans shrieks and cries could be heard throughout the building and the sight of blood was evident on the floors and on books that were temporarily used as pillows.

The dead were placed in temporary graves dug adjacent to the Edifice. The bodies would be removed after a period of time but bits of human bone were periodically found in the area. The last pieces found were in 1937, when the Beachem portico was added to the north side of the building.

The Edifice, the Old Dorm, or Pennsylvania Hall had survived the Battle of Gettysburg. The building survived the institution changing its name from Pennsylvania College to Gettysburg College in 1921. It also survived a renovation, rather than a demolition, from 1969 to 1970, which transformed the building from an academic building into an administrative building.

This iconic building and its hallowed halls was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 16, 1972.

The American flag atop the cupola of Pennsylvania Hall flies twenty-four seven and is a thirty-four star flag as it was in 1863.

When you visit Gettysburg. please take time to walk the Old Quad at Gettysburg College and personally view, "Yonder beautiful and stately college edifice."

Pennsylvania Hall - view from the Old Quad, south side.

The Cupola with the thirty-four star flag flying.

The north side of Pennsylvania Hall showing the Beachem Portico.

Gettysburg College Webpage

Old Postcards of the Old Dorm

"General" John Hammond, a Most Valuable and Worthy Officer

2012-02-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

The waters of Lake Champlain are formed from tributaries of the Adirondack Mountains in New York State and the streams of neighboring Vermont. As the water flows north it forms the Richelieu River in the Province of Quebec in Canada which empties into the St. Lawrence River. This watercourse has served as a transportation corridor for centuries. The headwaters of this water "highway" allows travelers to connect with the Hudson River of upstate New York where they may continue to New York Harbor or to take the Mohawk River to Lake Ontario. The strategic significance of this system in warfare has been commented on by British historian John Keegan, "This Hudson-Richelieu corridor was to become the most heavily fortified and contested strategic route in American military history." The Town of Crown Point is nestled along the western shore of Lake Champlain in its southern reaches, situated just north of Ticonderoga.

John Hammond was born 17 August 1827 in Crown Point. During the Seven Years War, his great-grandfather Daniel Hammond was in the British military and participated in taking Cape Breton from the French and in the siege of Louisburgh. During the American Revolution, his grandfather Thomas Hammond was in the Continental Army and he also became a colonel in the Vermont State Militia. Taking his ancestry into account and considering the strategic geography of the area which possesses such a storied marshal past, it is no wonder that this area of northern New York State produced patriotic citizen soldiers such as John Hammond, to assist in putting down the Rebellion of 1861.

As a child John Hammond attended school locally and also a school in Panton, Vermont, and later attend the St. Albans Academy in that same state. He completed his higher education by graduating Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

In early 1849, while clerking in his family's business, Hammond and Company, he decided to go west to California to seek his fortune during the Gold Rush. The journey across the continent as he admits was truly an educational experience. During the cross-country trek he was introduced to slavery, Indians, banditti and he even survived a cholera epidemic. When he returned to Crown Point three years later, he had $500.00 less in his pockets then when he had left. He had remained circumspect during the experience and said of it, "I then thought it a rather dear school, but a good one; but it has proved to be a very cheap one." And as to slavery he commented, "What a curse and evil slavery is."

In 1861, in response to Lincoln's call for troops to suppress the Rebellion he played an integral part of forming Company H of the 34th New York Infantry, recruited locally in Crown Point. After the Union debacle at Bull Run, he decided that he himself should serve and recruited more local men to make up a company of cavalry. This was an unusual "recruitment" since it was not sanctioned by any governmental entity. Hammond thought that time was of the essence and he composed a compact for the men to sign which read, "We, the undersigned, hereby agree to serve the government of the United "States in the mounted service for three years, unless sooner discharged, subjecting ourselves to all the rules and regulations governing troops in that branch of the regular service." In total, 127 local men signed up, mostly ranging in age from 20 to 31, and most of them being farmers or mechanics. They all left Crown Point and ended up on Staten Island where they were all accepted as privates in Company H of the 5th New York Cavalry. His service record shows he enrolled 17 September 1861 to himself and was mustered into federal service 18 October 1861 and he was eventually chosen as captain of Company H.

It is interesting to note that John's father, Charles F. Hammond, advanced funds to supply the entire company with 108 Morgan horses that cost $113.00 each. Horses were a valuable commodity for the troopers and others in the regiment sought to procure the Morgans Mr. Hammond had supplied for Company H but to no avail, they had to wait for the federal government to supply them with their mounts.

The 5th New York Cavalry was made of companies recruited from across the state and it even contained men from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey. The regiment was formed at Camp Scott on Staten Island and prior to leaving the state on 18 November 1861 it had a strength of 1,064 men, excluding the officers. It was assigned initially to the Department of Annapolis, MD where the regiment drilled and trained. It's first active service began in March of 1862 in the Department of the Shenandoah. The 5th's service included the Shenandoah Valley in 1862 and 1864; it battled and skirmished with Ashby's and Mosby's men; the defenses of Washington; the Gettysburg Campaign ; with the Cavalry Corps; the 5th Corps; The Overland Campaign and actions against the defenses at Petersburg to name a few.

During the Gettysburg Campaign, Major Hammond led the regiment in the field and they saw action in the Battle of Hanover, the Battle of Hunterstown, the cavalry actions against the Confederate right on Day 3 and actions on the Retreat all the way to and including Falling Waters.

John Hammond became colonel of the regiment on 3 July 1864 and he was discharged from duty at the term of his service on 3 September 1864. The record indicates pressing personal and or family concerns at home. His separation from service was reluctantly accepted by Generals Wilson and Torbert. "Col. Hammond is a most valuable and worthy officer and has served with great credit to himself and benefit to the service...", stated General J. H. Wilson. John Hammond was brevetted a Brigadier General of U. S. Volunteers 13 March 1865 for faithful and meritorious services.

John Hammond was lauded as a noble man, honest, cool headed under pressure, personally brave, a good horseman, a model soldier who possessed a fine physique and was an effective leader that was admired by the men under his command and his superiors as well. During his service he was wounded twice, once by a pistol ball to the fore-finger of his right hand and the other a Minie ball to the leg bone just above the right ankle. The injuries never interfered with his duties.

John Hammond returned to Crown Point, New York where he ran the family iron business and other enterprises. He ran for Congress as a Republican and served in the House of Representatives from 4 March 1879 to 3 March 1883. The "General" was a respected member of the community and died in Crown Point on 28 May1889.

The story of John Hammond has been repeated thousands of times in United States military history. It is the story of a patriotic citizen honorably answering his call to duty during a national crisis. His service should be remembered and honored by those who appreciate the sacrifices of our military service members.

As a prophetic and or fitting tribute, General Hammond was laid to rest on Decoration Day (Memorial Day) in 1889. The funeral was attended by over 1,200 people and he was buried in Forestdale Cemetery in Crown Point.

Monument to the 5th New York Cavalry atop Bushman's Hill at Gettysburg.

Colonel John Hammond of the 5th New York Cavalry.

Educator, Engineer, Patriot

2012-01-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

A CONNECTION TO ADAMS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

This young man appreciated the education he received at West Point and did well there. But it was apparent that engineering was his real area of passion not the military. He was accepted at the age of fourteen and graduated four years later on July 31, 1835. Remaining true to his muses of mathematics and engineering, he resigned his commission of second lieutenant on September 30, 1835.

As Principal Assistant Engineer for the State of Pennsylvania he was charged with surveying a route for a railroad that was to run from Gettysburg to the Chesapeake. Passion of a different stripe now struck the young railway engineer in the form of Ann Keller of Gettysburg. She was the 16 year old daughter of the Reverend and Mrs. Benjamin Keller. The smitten man proposed matrimony and was given permission by all concerned but the reverend asked that they wait a year to see how the relationship would progress.

While he waited, he built a house on the western edge of Gettysburg, and using that as a base, started Oak Ridge Seminary, a school for girls. Also that year he got a new job as Instructor for Engineering and Architecture at Pennsylvania College. (The house he built is the present day Schultz House on Confederate Avenue.)

On August 30, 1838 the professor married Ann in a ceremony conducted by her father. It was a good marriage that produced eleven children. In 1842 he opened an academy for boys with a curriculum centered around mathematics as applied to surveying and engineering. This venture was merged with Pennsylvania College in 1845. He was made Professor of Mathematics and also taught classes in drawing and French. In 1847 he produced architectural drawings for the college's new building, Linnaean Hall.

Later in 1847 he left Pennsylvania College and returned to the field of engineering with the Pennsylvania Railroad.

He wrote two books on engineering. In 1841 he anonymously published Hints on Bridge Construction and in 1851 he wrote, General Theory of Bridge Construction.

During the coming years he worked in several capacities for the Pennsylvania Railroad. He also worked for the Southern Railroad of Mississippi as the Chief Engineer and worked as an engineer on the Hoosac Tunnel project in western Massachusetts from 1856 to 1862.

In 1862, to assist in the war effort, he became the Chief of Construction and Transportation on the U. S. Military Railroads with the rank of colonel and aide de camp. Through his efforts in Virginia he was able to bring troops and supplies to the front and return the wounded to hospitals outside of the combat zone by wise management of the railroads. On September 5, 1862, he was appointed brigadier general of volunteers due to his meritorious services in operations against the enemy. Although he accepted the authority, he declined the commission. He preferred to serve in his post without pay to satisfy his personal interests. During the Maryland and Gettysburg Campaigns he once again used his organizational and logistical skills to bring forth supplies, evacuate the wounded and repair track and telegraph line.

The engineer resigned from his post on September 14, 1863. Herman Haupt, engineering genius and patriot, died of a heart attack while riding a train traveling from Jersey City to Philadelphia on December 14, 1905.

The War of 1812 - Bicentennial in 2012

2011-12-26T13:06:00.000-08:00

The following was written with specific reference to Adams County, Pennsylvania.

The United States declared war on the British Empire on June 18, 1812. President James Madison had asked Congress for the declaration of war for several reasons.

Tensions had grown between Britain and America for the past several years. The British were at war with France, so as a war measure, the British had been interfering in American shipping between Spain and France. At the same time, the British engaged in the impressment of American merchant mariners into the Royal Navy in order to maintain their levels of manpower.

The American government was also bothered by the fact that the British still had not abandoned all their forts in the Northwest Territories as stipulated in the Treaty of Paris. In addition to the presence of British troops on American soil, Tecumseh, a powerful Shawnee leader, was waging war against all whites in the territories. This left the northwestern border with Canada unstable.

Since the pro French Republicans had control of the government, Congress declared war on the British Empire with President Madison's approval. The other political faction in America were the pro British Federalists. Although they opposed the war, they were politically unable to block the declaration.

Both pro and anti war factions were present in Adams County during the war. Even though there was a presence of a "strong peace party" in the county, militia units were formed and the U. S. Army recruited here through the war.

Recruiting notices for the United States Army appeared in the Adams Centinel in 1813, that listed Lieutenant Dominic Cronyn, of the 22nd Regiment of U. S. Infantry, as the recruiting officer. The inducements to join were a forty dollar bounty, eight dollars per month pay and 160 acres of land. If that was not enough, the soldiers would be "...well cloathed and well fed and treated with a generous and familiar friendship." The notice continued appealling to the recruits honor by the offer of, "...leading the gentlemanly and heroic life of a soldier, along with the immortal honor of conquering Canada-the ferocious Indians, and the bloody red coats of England."

Besides the regulars, many men enlisted in the militia units. Their service was wide ranging since some would go as far as the Niagara Frontier, in New York State. In April of 1813, some participated in the taking of York (present day Toronto), the provincial capital of Upper Canada. There they served under an up-and-coming officer, General Winfield Scott. Other Adams county militiamen answered the call and mobilized for action to fight near the Chesapeake. Many ended up participating in repelling the British from Baltimore in September of 1814.

Many Adams County men distinguished themselves with their service during the war. William Reed was appointed by Governor Simon Snyder as the Adjacent General of Pennsylvania and he served until his death in June 1813. William Gilliland was a major general in the militia while James Getty and Jacob Eyster both served as brigadier generals of militia.

The war ended on February 18, 1815, when the United States government ratified the Treaty of Ghent. The war was a victory for the U. S. since the border was stabilized and the British left American shipping alone. Though several battles were won in Canada, it was never conquered.

NEW YORK - THE KEYSTONE STATE

2011-12-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

I am glad to see in the last year or so some history books appeared on the market that cover early American military history. It had seemed to me that many people interested in history had forgotten the strategic value of what is now modern New York State in the early formation of our country.

In our modern society many have lost the perspective that in the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, geography and topography had greatly influenced the avenues of transportation used by armies. This meant that waterways and their associated valleys were the easiest routes to travel on land or on the water.

Others have forgotten that the western portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania were considered the "frontier". The general boundary line between civilization and the wilds were the Appalachian Mountains. East of this barrier was the area inhabited by the newly arrived Europeans and west of the mountains was generally the purview of the Indians. The Appalachians stretched through all thirteen colonies.

If you examine these mountains on a physical map you'll notice most of the major river systems east of the mountains naturally have a north-south orientation. Accordingly this dictated the easiest directions to travel (i.e. north and south). The only east-west break occurs in New York State where the Mohawk River drainage system nears the Wood Creek system. The Mohawk flows east and empties into the Hudson River while Wood Creek flows west and empties into Oneida Lake.

This strategic portage was known as the Oneida Carry. Depending on water levels it was a distance of one to five miles. The Oneida Indians settled in this area in a settlement know as Oriska and the Europeans eventually built Fort Stanwix to stand guard over this vital point. This cut through the Appalachian Mountains stands at only 450 feet above sea level. During the early history of the colonies into the formation of the United States this area made New York the Keystone State.

Soldiers and warriors would traverse the "Great Warpath" in a southerly direction by leaving the St. Lawrence River and going up the Richelieu to Lake Champlain then to Lake George or Wood Creek (a different one) and then portage to the Hudson River. Once on the Hudson, they had the choice of going west on the Mohawk River eventually to Lake Ontario or the central portions of the Iroquois territory, in what is now central New York State. The other option would be to continue down the Hudson River to New York City.

In 1777 the British tried to take advantage of these routes when they tried to implement a plan that would separate troublesome New England from the rest of the colonies. The thinking behind the strategy was that if the rebellious Yankees were isolated, the rebellion would be thwarted. The plan consisted of a three pronged, coordinated attack across New York State. General John Burgoyne would head south from Canada up the Lake Champlain valley and invest Fort Ticonderoga on his way to the Albany area. General Barry St. Ledger was to approach from the west, from Lake Ontario at Oswego and up the Oswego River to the Oneida River, Oneida Lake and across the Oneida Carry and down the Mohawk River. General Henry Clinton was to travel north up the Hudson River and meet the other British contingents in the area of Albany.

The plan when executed was not coordinated properly and all three British commanders failed in beating back the rebel forces. Although St. Ledger blooded the rebels at Oriskany he failed to take Fort Stanwix and eventually retreated due in part to Continental reinforcements. Clinton could not reach past the Hudson Highlands where he was halted by the enemy in this choke point of the Hudson River. Burgoyne met with failure largely due to the overextension of his lines of communication and met with disaster at Saratoga where over 6,000 British troops and Germanic mercenaries surrendered.

This British debacle in 1777 prompted the French to enter the war on the American side and as a result of the loss of Seneca warriors at Oriskany at the hands of the colonists and Oneida warriors, the Iroquois confederation was split. With civil war in both camps and the addition of new alliances, this was a pivotal moment in the American Revolution, all of which was precipitated by geography.

ECONOMICS AND HISTORY

2011-12-02T18:31:00.000-08:00

Two governors of New York State have recently decided that the state was in such economic turmoil that they could not afford to provide money to set up the New York State War of 1812 200th Anniversary Commemoration Commission. The purpose of the commission was to plan and execute an organized series of reenactment tourism events during the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812. Several years ago Governor Patterson vetoed the bill and most recently Governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed a similar bill on September 23, 2011. Both chief executives thought that there would be sufficient money for such purposes from other sources. This was a sound decision in these times of economic uncertainty, or was it?

History tells us that such INVESTMENTS pay off in the long run through sales and marketing, which is inherent in the commemoration activities. These events increase tourism which thereby creates a boon to the local economy of the area that hosts these events. Most certainly the revenue generated by private enterprise and the state, via taxes and fees, would far outweigh the initial expenditure. This is why the legislators have proposed this on several occasions.

One should also keep in mind that the legislators acted on behalf of their constituents, the TAXPAYER! The bill was surely wanted by the people since the measure passed both the Assembly and the Senate, only to be vetoed by Governor Cuomo. He should be cognizant of the fact that the money he controls is the money of the PEOPLE, not the state's. The state gets that money by confiscation of the people's money, through taxes and fees paid. The money comes from New York State residents and all others who do business, travel through, purchase products and get an education, in New York State.

More important than the economic considerations are the sacrifices of the previous generations in our national and state history. Most of the War of 1812 was fought on the northern border of the United States and the adjacent area in Canada. New York State's border with Canada is about 450 miles long and fighting occurred at locations along that entire distance. The blood of New York citizens, the blood of federal troops and the blood of Iroquois warriors was spilled in New York State and Canada along that border. Their sacrifice of blood and treasure should be officially remembered and duly honored.

It is shameful that no commission was set up for the commemoration of the War of 1812 in New York State and equally shameful that similar legislation failed to pass in the United States Congress. The states of Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, District of Columbia and the federal government of Canada are all planning commemorations of the war.

In early 1814, $50,000 was given by New York State to assist in resettling refugees from the Niagara Frontier during The War of 1812. Maybe Governor Cuomo should take a lesson in history from one of his predecessors. Governor Daniel D. Tompkins was governor of New York State from 1807 to 1817.