Just Some Old Pictures - 1st Maryland Battalion (2nd Maryland) C.S.A. Monument

Crowning lower Culp's Hill is the monument to the 1st Maryland Battalion (a.k.a. 2nd Maryland) Infantry, C.S.A. It was the first Confederate monument placed on the Gettysburg battlefield after some resistance in 1884. The following stereoview was produced by Levi Mumper of Gettysburg and shows the monument probably shortly after it was dedicated. 

The view is south of the monument looking north, the camera steadied on the remnants of Federal earthworks, which can be seen extending away from the camera past the monument to the left. Also, there is no road visible where modern Slocum Avenue currently exists, though any smaller trace might be out of view. Noticeably absent are trees across the top of the lower hill, while the wooded upper hill looms in the distance. You can see in the modern image how significantly different the viewshed is:

Below is a crop of the Warren Map showing the lower hill as it looked shortly after the battle. The red dot represents the approximate position of the 1st Maryland Monument. The map clearly depicts a broken woodlot across the top of the lower hill to some degree. Important only in aiding our understanding of how the battle was fought, it is known through soldier accounts and photographic evidence that the upper hill was not entirely wooded as we see it today, so it might not be a surprise then if the lower hill was less densely wooded also.

Regardless of the trees, Mumper provides us today with an interesting look at the landscape as it once existed on an important part of the battlefield.

Just Some Old Pictures - 2nd MA Monument at Gettysburg Stereoview

I'm back to the old blog again after a nearly three year hiatus! A lot has happened, but I've decided to revamp the blog with a new series of posts titled "Just Some Old Pictures". As the title states, I'll be sharing some old pictures from several different battlefields and offering some stories on the personalities or scenery shown in the image. Please feel free to share these posts wherever you'd like! As always, the photographs used are from my personal collection unless otherwise stated. If you'd like to use them for any purpose, please just ask and in most cases I will grant your request. Thanks and enjoy!

"2nd Mass. Monument at Gettysburg Stereoview"

This stereoview is by the famous William H. Tipton of Gettysburg. It is card number 730 copyrighted in 1880 and titled, "2nd Mass. Vol. Infantry Tablet." At first glance there might not appear to be anything overly interesting about the viewshed. An older man can be seen pointing away from the unimpressive 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry monument at Spangler's Meadow. However, a closer inspection brings out some great details.

First, Tipton's own description on the back of the card reads:

"Second Mass. Vol. Infantry Tablet, Near Spangler's Spring, on the Battle-field of Gettysburg.

Inscription: (Verbatim)

From the hill behind this monument on the morning of July third 1863 the Second Massachusetts Infantry made an assault upon the Confederate troops in the works at the base of Culp's Hill opposite. The regiment carried to the charge 22 officers and 294 enlisted men. It lost 4 officers and 41 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and six officers and 84 enlisted men wounded. To perpetuate the honored memories of that hour the survivors of the regiment have raised this stone. 1879.

Photographed by W. H. Tipton,

5 Chambersburg St., Gettysburg, Pa.

This memorial is of Gettysburg granite, cut by Joshua Happold of Gettysburg. Inscription is on bronze plate set in face of stone."

Of course there's plenty to talk about with regards to the ill-fated 2nd Massachusetts and the fighting that occurred in the vicinity of this photography, but we're not going to discuss any of that here. We'll stick to the image. 

The first thing I noticed about the photograph is the lone man pointing northward from the monument across the meadow. Though Tipton curiously makes no note of the man's identity in his description, the man is none other than William David Holtzworth of Gettysburg. Holtzworth was born in neighboring York County and the family moved to Gettysburg before the Civil War. Holtzworth served through the war as a member of Company F in the 87th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was wounded twice and captured, serving a stint in the notorious Libby Prison. 

After the war he started a livery stable business in Gettysburg to accommodate the growing number of veterans and visitors journeying to the historic battle ground. Soon Holtzworth was offering tours to groups of varying size and his talents as a guide became well known. One newspaper went as far as claiming, "There is but one Holtzworth and one Gettysburg. Without the former the latter would be nothing so far as the battlefield is concerned." 

By the time this photo was taken, Holtzworth was firmly established as an authority on the battle of Gettysburg. You can almost imagine him pontificating about the action across Spangler Meadow on the morning of July 3, even as Tipton probably begged him to hold still (typical guide).

Closeup of Holtzworth with the Z. Tawney farm behind him.

The other subtle but interesting detail is just behind Holtzworth's head. A small, white-washed building barely peeks into view beyond the far bank of Rock Creek. It is the Zephaniah Tawney farm, which stood during the battle and was occupied by men of the Stonewall Brigade. Today all that remains are ruins of the home's foundation and a water well, though the property is now within the boundary of the Gettysburg National Military Park. 

Legend and guide extraordinaire Dean Shultz with good friend Roy Whitmore at the site of the Z. Tawney farm in 2016.

A few other brief things to mention: On the left side of the photograph behind a rather large boulder stands a horse, presumably that of Holtzworth, or possibly Tipton (I almost missed this detail!). We can positively date this photo between 1879 and 1880 because the boulder in front of the horse no longer looks as it once did. It is now surmounted by the monument to the 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry who also charged across Spangler Meadow on the morning of July 3, not far behind their brothers from the Bay State. Their monument was dedicated in 1885. 

Take note, between that boulder and where Holtzworth stands at the 2nd Massachusetts monument is the modern location of Colgrove Avenue. You can see the modern view below. This image truly proves that the devil is in the details!

For more information on Holtzworth, track down a copy of this great little booklet by Mary Lou Schwartz in collaboration with Cynthia Powell:

Spring Run Civil War Monument

One of the most beautiful Civil War Monuments in Franklin County, Pennsylvania (IMHO) is located in the northern tier of the the county above the Blue Ridge, a sometimes forgotten corner because it is ringed by mountains and largely isolated. Spring Run and the surrounding communities certainly provided their fair share of fighting men to the Union cause during the Civil War and also paid a hefty toll. Interestingly, despite the area's large participation, a large portion of the enlistees served in many of the less-notorious fighting units. These regiments have received less attention, not because of their fighting record, but likely because of the theaters in which they served or because they were not full-term (3 year units). The region fielded many men for the nine-month 126th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which was engaged heavily at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. It also provided many men to the 21st Pennsylvania Cavalry, a unit raised during the Gettysburg Campaign for six-months service and then re-enlisted for three years. There are also men from the 9th, 11th, 13th, 16th and 19th Cavalries, as well as the 54th, 158th, 201st infantries and the 2nd Heavy Artillery.

Located in Spring Run is the Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church which was built in 1856. A monument to the valley's Civil War dead was dedicated just after the war in the churchyard and it lists the names of all those who perished by unit. It is now a part of the church's prayer garden and many of the men who are named on the monument are buried just on the other side of the road in the Spring Run Cemetery. Interestingly the monument has the names of men who were not just killed or died during the war years, but several who died as a result of wounds or disease after their enlistments ended and they returned home. Below are a few pictures from Spring Run, which is a beautiful historic town with many old homes and structures.

The Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church built in 1856

Civil War Monument in the church yard

East face of the monument

North face of the monument

West face of the monument

South face of the monument

The grave of Private James M. Wilson of the often
forgotten 19th Pennsylvania Cavalry. He died shortly
after enlisting in 1864.

The grave of Private Job Kennedy and his family. Although many of these units
don't receive the due notoriety, Kennedy is a good example as many men from
this region served more than one enlistment, he in the nine-month 126th PA and
then in the 21st PA Cavalry for the war's duration.

The grave of Sergeant Franklin Gamble of Company K, 21st
PA Cavalry who died after returning home as a result of wounds
suffered at Petersburg, Virginia during the initial assaults in
June of 1864.

Among the Last Sacrifices

John D. Gillespie was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, not too far outside of Philadelphia. Little is known about his formative years, but the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself in 1861 when Gillespie was only 17 years old. War had broken out and after Lincoln's call in the summer of that year for 500,000 volunteers, the young man enlisted in August for three years of Federal service, probably with many friends, in Company B of the 49th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry as a corporal.

Monument to the 49th PA at Gettysburg

The regiment earned a reputation through its list of engagements that continued to mount as the war lurched ahead; Seven Days, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Salem Church, and Gettysburg. In late 1863 John Gillespie re-enlisted with the regiment. Their worst battles ensued with the commencement of the Overland Campaign in the spring of 1864. From May 4 -14 the regiment suffered 392 casualties. There were only 130 men left for service and one of them was young Corporal John Gillespie, who had passed unharmed through every single battle. Due to a combination of attrition and experience, he was promoted to sergeant.

The regiment was at Cold Harbor, with Sheridan in the Valley Campaign, and at Petersburg, and Gillespie was still unscathed. He was again promoted, this time to first sergeant of Company E. In April of 1865, Grant finally forced Lee out of his defenses at Petersburg and the Army of the Potomac pursued the wavering Confederates vigorously.

The 49th Pennsylvania saw their last major action at Sailor's Creek on April 6, 1865. They were pressing the enemy, specifically Ewell's Corps and the fight was nasty, but short-lived as they overwhelmed the tail of Lee's disintegrating army. Seven men in the regiment went down with Rebel lead that day. After three years and eight months of service, the luck of 21-year-old John D. Gillespie finally ran out.

He was taken to Carver Hospital in Washington, D.C. and surely he received news of the surrender of Lee's army at Appomattox Court House on April 9. Over the following month though, he continued to decline. John D. Gillespie succumbed to his wound on May 12, 1865, among the last sacrifices of the bloody struggle. His remains were transported home where he was buried in the Saint Agnes Cemetery, West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania with other members of his family. Although I have not been able to find any wartime documents that corroborate this information, his tombstone reads "Lieut." He may very well have been acting in that capacity at the time of his wounding, and surely if he had survived he probably would have received a promotion. Rank means little to the sacrifice, but in some way it might be an appropriate epitaph to the bravery of this young man.

Finally, here is a picture of young John D. Gillespie, so much youth and seemingly plenty of life ahead, but it was not to be.

Brandy Station Photo Tour

A strangely warm Saturday in late February is the perfect time to tour Brandy Station, but there's never a bad time when Bud Hall is involved. This post will take you on a photo journey around the Brandy Station battlefield in Culpeper County, Virginia saved for future generations thanks to the Civil War Trust and the efforts of many, but especially Bud Hall...

A panorama from Buford's Knoll, just west of the Rappahannock River...

From the Cunningham Farm looking towards the easternmost stone wall that figured prominently in the fighting between "Rooney" Lee's Brigade and Ames's Brigade of Buford's command. Yew Ridge is visible in the distance.

Breastworks constructed by the Sixth Corps along the Hazel River during the winter of '63-'64.

Confluence of the Hazel River (left) and Rappahannock River (right) just above Beverly's Ford.

Beverly's Ford from the west bank... This is where Buford's troopers splashed across the Rappahannock in the fog on the morning of June 9, 1863.

The old Beverly's Ford road as it moves towards Brandy Station.

Bud Hall at Beverly's Ford

Beverly's Ford from the east in August of 1863... by Edwin Forbes

This is where the Beverly's Ford Road crests the ridge, now at the end of the runway at Culpeper Regional Airport

Bud holding up a wartime sketch of St. James Church.

Meade's Headquarters during the winter of '63-'64 were located where you see the buildings in the distance. Fleetwood Hill is behind and to the left of this view looking north.

From Brandy Rock looking towards the northwest and the Cobbler's Knob just visible through the storm clouds.

Bud interpreting the battle of Brandy Station at Brandy Rock, the home of WWII Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss.

Farley (or Welford) Plantation... this is privately owned today but was the headquarters of "Uncle John" Sedgwick during the winter of '63-'64 at Brandy Station. See the following picture taken during the war... Sedgwick is in the group.

The "front" of Farley

From Fleetwood Hill looking towards the Rappahannock River... J.E.B. Stuart's Headquarters were located just north (left) of here on June 9, 1863.

Third Corps Headquarters atop Fleetwood Hill in March of '64

Barbour House, now known as Beauregard Farms... This is where Lee arrived on June 9, 1863 before noon as the crisis was unfolding from where this photo was taken around Fleetwood Hill.

The Story of Ferdinand Fobes

Some regiments from the Civil War need no introductory eulogy. The mere name is testament enough to the sacrifices made and the record of battle. One such unit is the 105th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Another is the 22nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry. From Belmont to Perryville, Stones River to Chickamauga, Chattanooga to Atlanta... combined these two regiments not only bore witness to, but played a part in most of the major engagements in the western theater of the war. Initially in two separate armies, they never served side by side in any of these battles. For a short time in early 1863 they were both attached to the 14th Army Corps, but that's the extent of their ties. The men that served in these two units would find themselves intertwined in other ways though.

Ferdinand Francis Fobes enlisted in Company I of the 105th Ohio Volunteer Infantry on August 21, 1862 at the age of 20. He hailed from the town of Wayne, in Ashtabula County, Ohio and was in the middle of six other siblings. His ancestry came from Connecticut and he was the grandson of a Revolutionary War patriot known as “Captain” Simon Fobes. Clearly the stories of family lineage and the young country’s history were instilled in Ferdinand early on and he carried them with when he joined the Union war effort. It was also the opportunity for the adventure of a lifetime.

               Ferdinand was one of so many soldiers who also enlisted with one of his best friends from Wayne, 21-year-old Roderick M. Jones. The two had grown up together and probably imagined they could conquer anything together. Quickly the reality of the crisis at hand set in for these two greenhorn soldiers. Company I was mustered into Federal service at Camp Taylor in Cleveland officially on August 21, 1862. Within hours the regiment was ordered to Covington, Kentucky and arrived there the following day. They spent a significant amount of time at Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky where the 105

               By late September, Braxton Bragg’s Confederate army had invaded the state and the 105^th as part of the Army of the Ohio was sent to stop any farther advance. Ferdinand and Roderick saw their first action at the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky on October 8, 1862. The regiment went into action 800 strong, one of the larger regiments on the battlefield. By the end of the day 265 men were missing from the ranks, but Ferdinand and Roderick were unscathed.

               In late November the regiment was dispatched toward Carthage, Tennessee to chase down John Hunt Morgan and his contingent of cavalry. Luck was smiling upon the two boys from Wayne, Ohio. This detachment kept the regiment out of the next big fight at Stones River near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The regiment arrived there just days after the battle ended during the second week of January 1862 to witness the suffering of the wounded and the battlefield cleanup. Murfreesboro would become their home for much of the next year.

               Major General William Starke Rosecrans ordered his army to construct a massive fortress to provide the Union army with a supply base for potential thrusts into the heart of the south. When it was finally finished five months later, Fortress Rosecrans encompassed approximately 200 acres and was the largest earthen fort constructed during the war. The thousands of hours of back-breaking labor proved invaluable to the coming Federal efforts.

               The 105^th Ohio next embarked upon the Tullahoma Campaign and General Rosecrans was able to maneuver his army in such a way that Braxton Bragg’s Confederate Army of the Tennessee retreated to the south side of the Tennessee River and eventually into the defenses of Chattanooga. At the successful culmination of the campaign, luck finally ran out for the two boys from Wayne, Ohio.

               Ferdinand had taken sick and was moved to General Hospital Number 1 in Murfreesboro. His best friend Roderick was by his side. It is unclear what ailment if any, or wound, Roderick was suffering from since in most cases the only way he could have joined Ferdinand is if he himself was afflicted. It was here that the two were also introduced to Captain William Gregory of the 22^nd Illinois. Gregory had served with his regiment since 1861 and at the age of 36, he must have been respected by his superiors to some extent. He was given command of Lunette Rouseau at Fortress Rosecrans to which the general hospital was attached, on the northeastern side of the massive fortification.

               On September 3, 1863, Ferdinand passed away from his affliction with Roderick attending his death. Unfortunately, it was not until nearly two months later that Captain Gregory was able to parlay the details homeward to Ferdinand’s parents. The campaign that led to the battle of Chickamauga and the siege at Chattanooga kept the army busy with more pressing concerns. None the less, on December 1, Captain Gregory wrote to Mr. and Mrs. Fobes saying, “I did all in my power to make your on comfortable while with me + I had him decently buried. The whole company turned out + placed in his grave + paid him all the military honors… I have marked your sons grave so that any time you wish to visit it, you can knowes.” Even though Ferdinand was from a different regiment, he was a comrade all the same and in another situation Captain Gregory probably only hoped that someone might do the same for him.

               Even before Captain Gregory’s letter, Roderick had already communicated with his friend’s family. Of course Mr. and Mrs. Fobes wanted any personal effects that could be provided. This included a small sum of money that the captain sent, but because of delays in the mail system it created concern about the honesty of Captain Gregory. Not only did Roderick serve his late friend well through regular communications with his family, but he also made sure nothing was lost for Ferdinand’s distraught parents. He visited Captain Gregory in person and wrote to Mr. and Mrs. Fobes that the captain may simply be “negligent rather than dishonest.” Regardless, even Roderick could not get his friends personal effects back to the family in a timely manner because “the Railroad is so busy with Government business…”

               Both Captain Gregory and Private Roderick Jones had much fighting in the year ahead, but together they had successfully reassured parents of another dead soldier that their son was properly cared for and had the support system he needed in his final moments. Even though bullets could not kill Ferdinand Francis Fobes, the miserable living conditions so far from home did. His death was not the glorious kind reported in newspapers across the country after a big battle. Instead his sacrifice went unnoticed, except to his family and maybe most importantly, to his friend Roderick.

               Ferdinand’s body was later exhumed and reinterred at the Stones River National Cemetery. At home in Wayne, Ohio, the Fobes family erected a simple shaft in the town cemetery with Ferdinand’s dates of life and his unit affiliation. Most appropriately of all, to this day there is a G.A.R. star, which cradles the shaft of a small American flag, the very flag he fought, suffered and died for. Roderick M. Jones returned to Wayne and married Charlotte R. “Lottie” Wilcox. He outlived his wife and was deeply involved in veteran’s affairs, attending many of the reunions of the 105^th Ohio. Surely his friend Ferdinand was in his mind through all these commemorations. His longevity took him well into the next century, finally passing away in the same year the U.S. entered World War II. He was 99 years old.

That Dreaded Letter

On May 11, 1863, Private Daniel C. Holloway of Company D, 148th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry sent this letter to his mother and a family friend in Aaronsburg, Centre County, Pennsylvania from the general hospital at Brook Station, Virginia.  His unnamed friend and brother Samuel had been killed on May 2 at the battle of Chancellorsville.  It appears that Daniel had been wounded himself, but the nature of his problems are not listed in his service record.

Of course many thousands of letters like this must have been sent to families all across the North and South after every battle.  Both families and soldiers were always anxious to receive letters, but in some sad irony, this was not the letter that anybody ever expected to find at their doorstep.

"General Hospidel Brook Station May 11 1863

Dear Friend Mary

I thought it my duty to drop you a few lines for your incouragement if I can tri as it is you have lost your all.  You have lost that one that was near and dear unto you.  The one that your comfert restet upon and often made you glad with him.  But now he has been taken from you and has gon to the spirit world and hope he can exclame as the Samas did safe at home … there is no war but wheir all is love and picee and harmoney and he has left a bright testomony behind that he was prepaird to die.  The last words I spoke with him was about about his eternal wellfair and I told him that if he was not yet fuly prepaird to die that I would erge him to be earnestly earge him to to pray much and look to god in faith and he would make him hole.  He was getting on my beadside when I talket to him and the tears were flowing down his cheaks and when I gave him goodby I told him to pray for me and he said that I should pray for him that god should bless him and I promised him I would and so I did.  But god has seen fit to call him from hour side never to see him in this world.  But Mary let us try and prepare ourselves to meat him in another world when parting shall come no more.  Let us live right and we shall die right.  I have I hope you have not forgoten what you had begon that is serving the lord.  I would say to you be faithful and you shall again meat your Dear husbent wheir you shall never part with him any more.  But now he is gon shall we wish him back.  I no but we will go to meat him.  Hard it is to give him up but the will of the lord bee done.  I think I can know how you feal to five your only true one up never to see him again.  I know how you feal for I cant hardly rest day nor night since he was killed.  It came to my heart like as if a spear had been stabed through me and it made me that sick that I could not sleep nor get up out of my bead.  I suppose I cand give you more knews then of him then what I can for I did not see him but I spoke with hour Chaplain and he and Do Fisher beried him and he said that they dug a grave and laid him in and cover him with his blanket so that he is beried better than most.  The most are piled on heaps in large holes but it matters not where the body is so the sole is safe in heaven and I trust he has gon safe over.  Mary put your trust in god.  May he chear and give you aid is my prayer.  I must now close.  I must say a word to my Dear Mother in this.  This littel book give to Derbin.  Write to me and tell me how you ar geting along. 

D.C. Holloway

Dear Mother,

The hand of god has again been laid heavyly been laid on your heart.  No don’t but I hope he will help you to bear the cross tho it feals very heavy to part with such a Dear Brother but the lord only knows weather I ever shall see my Family any more.  But my face is still … werd that if I shall never  shall meat my Friends and Family on earth I hope to meat them hapy by and by.  Mother we often have greaved your heart but in your old days we have bee the cause of many a tear fall from your cheaks.  But may the lord help you to bear this cross is my prayer fo we are in the trap now and we must take what comes.  I have some little hope of being discharge.  Weather I will I don’t know but I will try.  Good by Dear Friend,

DC"