Why Our Conservation Work at Nisky Hill Is Important

Nisky Hill Preservation Work 2025

This guest post is from Emerging Civil War.
It speaks to our preservation work at Nisky Hill.

Emerging Civil War

Will We Remember the Fallen of Long-Ago Wars?

By ECW Guest Post on August 3, 2025

Emerging Civil War welcomes Andrew C.M. Mizsak, M.A.P., MBM

In June, my wife and I attended a presentation by New York Times Best Selling Author Robert M. Edsel, whose book, The Monuments Men, became a 2014 feature film.

Mr. Edsel spoke about his latest work, Remember Us. It relates the story of the citizens of Margraten, Netherlands, and how they have cared for the 10,000 graves of American soldiers interred in the American Netherlands Cemetery. The grave adopters’ program was started by the wife of the mayor of Margraten during WWII and has evolved into the program where all the graves have caretakers. Moreover, there is even a waiting list to become a grave adopter. The care of many of the graves has remained in the same families since the end of WWII.

According to Mr. Edsel, the grave adopters customarily decorate the headstones on Memorial Day, Veterans’ Day, the birth and death dates of the fallen, and other days, such as Christmas or other holidays.

There are 156 National Cemeteries in the United States that are administered by the United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs (www.cem.va.gov). There are also countless other cemeteries administered by state and local governments, historical, religious, and other organizations that serve as the resting place of fallen heroes of long-ago wars.

These cemeteries assure that flags are placed at headstones of our veterans for Memorial Day, and many participate in the Wreaths Across America program in December. An example of a local cemetery providing these honors is the Woodland Cemetery Foundation in Cleveland, which has also created monuments to the 7th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry within this historic cemetery.

But there are veterans’ graves that might not have been identified or recognized. That oversight presents an opportunity for us to become grave adopters in our own right. A perfect example of this occurred in 2019, when the James A. Garfield Round Table participated in Memorial Day ceremonies in Westfield Center, Ohio. Following a speech delivered by the mayor, a request was made to honor the memory of two interred members of the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the unit commanded by Brig. Gen. Garfield. When located, both graves were not decorated. The James A. Garfield Round Table placed flags on each grave, and the mayor assured the Round Table members that those graves would never go undecorated going forward. That was a great example to highlight how graves of veterans can be adopted.

As part of Ohio’s efforts to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, the America250 Ohio Commission has partnered with the State Historic Preservation Office of Ohio to document the graves of all of the Revolutionary War veterans in the Buckeye State, so as to ensure that those veterans are remembered.

But that effort is just the tip of the iceberg, and this is where all of us in the Civil War community can join the cause and make a difference.

There are many small cemeteries that dot the landscapes of the places we call home that oftentimes contain a grave or two of a Civil War veteran. Many of these cemeteries are rarely cared for or abandoned. These are the places where there is a prime opportunity for us to adopt a grave or two and learn the stories of those Civil War veterans. It is not difficult to plant a flag on Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day – the customary 8x12” grave size flags can be found at any local drug or hardware store for a couple of dollars. In learning the story of those who are resting beneath that headstone, you may also learn their birth and death dates, which the grave adopters in Margraten also honor. Also, the religious traditions of the interred veteran might be discovered.

In April, I viewed the coverage of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) Day commemorations from Australia, where the fallen from the battle of Gallipoli in World War I are honored in both nations. During the memorial service, there was a call and response that included the words “We will remember them.”

The question posed to us is “Will we remember them?”

Robert Edsel closed his presentation with the Archibald MacLeish (1892-1982) poem “Remember Us,” which served as the inspiration for the title of his latest book. This poem is applicable to the fallen of any war:

The young dead soldiers do not speak.

Nevertheless, they are heard in the still houses:
Who has not heard them?

They have a silence that speaks for them at night,
And when the clock counts.

They say: We were young. We have died.
REMEMBER US.

They say: We have done what we could,
But until it is finished it is not done.

They say: We have given our lives but until it is finished,
No one can know what our lives gave.

They say: Our deaths are not ours: they are yours,
They will mean what you make them.

They say: Whether our lives and our deaths were for,
Peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say,
It is you who must say this.

We leave you our deaths. Give them their meaning.

We were young, they say. We have died;
REMEMBER US.

I have chosen to adopt the grave of Amasa B. Cook, a private in Company A of James Garfield’s 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Private Cook was a native of Bedford, Ohio and a student at Hiram College when he was recruited to serve. He was a Member of the Disciples of Christ Church and died of disease during the war. I will learn birth and death dates soon.

I’m unaware whether Pvt. Cook has any descendants remaining in the area, so I’m not aware if anyone still remembers him, other than as a name on the Billy Yank Statue on the town square and on the back of the annual Memorial Day program. However, I will remember him, and I will do my part to ensure he is remembered.

All those fallen veterans ask from us is to remember them.

The question is “Will we?”

------------

Andrew Mizsak is a member of the Board of Directors of the CWRT Congress and Commander of the James A. Garfield Civil War Round Table (Ohio)

September 2nd Program Details Announced

“Tell Mother Not to Worry”: Soldier Stories From Gettysburg’s George Spangler Farm

2025 Bachelder-Coddington Distinguished Book Award-winning author Ron Kirkwood spent nine years researching the George Spangler farm in Gettysburg and has written two books on it: “Too Much for Human Endurance”: The George Spangler Farm Hospitals and the Battle of Gettysburg, which was published in 2019, and the sequel “Tell Mother Not to Worry”: Soldier Stories From Gettysburg’s George Spangler Farm in 2024.

  In his return to the Allentown area for this presentation on “Tell Mother Not to Worry,” Kirkwood will reveal more previously untold events and focuses not just on the soldiers and surgeons at the two major hospitals at Spangler but also on how a wound or death there impacted families back home for the rest of their lives. He also has more stories in the book and this presentation of soldiers from the 153rd Pennsylvania and will discuss the critical importance in the battle of Powers Hill, most of which was owned by George Spangler.

  Ron Kirkwood retired after a 40-year career in newspapers and magazines including USA TODAY, Baltimore Sun, Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News, York (PA) Daily Record and Midland (Mich.) Daily News. Ron edited national magazines for USA TODAY Sports, was NFL editor for USA TODAY Sports Weekly and managed the Harrisburg copy desk when the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012.

  He is a Michigan native and a graduate of Central Michigan University, where he has returned as guest speaker to journalism classes as part of the school’s Hearst Visiting Professionals series. Ron and his wife of 49 years, Barbara, live near their grandkids in the deer-filled countryside outside of Pittsburgh.

From the Brigade Commander - Summer 2025

June saw the largest combined dinner and general attendance crowd of Campaign 47. What a great way to end on a high note! My thanks to all those who came out. Thanks also for the support of so many of you during the campaign year. Combined, our book raffle and print raffle campaigns raised nearly $1,200; donations for the year totaled nearly $3,800. We are in good stead to pick up where we left off and continue the important work of supporting battlefield preservation efforts.

Our field trip to Richmond went off with nary a hitch, thanks mostly to the efforts of Claire Kukielka. We spent our time immersed in Civil War sites and stories that ranged from iron works and museums to hospitals and battlefields. We even stopped by the White House to see where a one-time planter, politician and war hero called home while he served as president of the Confederate States of America.

I hope your plans for the summer are shaping up nicely and that, you, too, will be able to engage in some of your favorite activities. As for me, I’m already looking forward to seeing you back again in September.

P.S. You can avoid the wait in the reenlistment line at our first meeting of Campaign 48 (Tuesday, September 2) by mailing your membership form , along with your Campaign 48 dues (payable to Civil War Roundtable of Eastern PA), to this address:
CWRT OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA, INC
PO BOX 333
ALLENTOWN, PA 18105

Barry

Remembering - The Nisky Hill Memorial Ceremony from May 28, 2022

NISKY HILL CEMETERY
MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE
SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2022 – 11AM
By Ed Root

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded on April 6, 1866 in Springfield, Illinois, and grew to include hundreds of "posts" (local community units) across the nation (predominantly in the North, but also a few in the South and West). It was dissolved in 1956 at the death of its last member, Albert Woolson (1850–1956) of Duluth, Minnesota. At its peak in 1890 membership was 410,000.

Post 182, of Bethlehem was named for Jonathan K. Taylor, Captain of Co. C, 129th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Taylor, 20 years old, was the only Bethlehem officer killed or mortally wounded in battle during the war. Struck down at the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862, he lingered for 105 days until dying on March 28th, 1863 in Georgetown with his parents at his side.  Taylor is buried nearby in the Moravian Cemetery, known as God’s Arce. The Post was organized on May 25th 1869 and was not disbanded until its last meeting on June 7, 1929. Charles Ehret died on April 6, 1928. A monument to the Post was erected in 1887 on Market Street next to the Moravian Cemetery, but was later moved to the Rose Garden on Union Street across from Nitschmann Middle School where it stands today.

Over the past six years the Civil War Round Table of Eastern PA has worked with the superintendent here at Nisky Hill Cemetery to help care for this GAR Soldiers Plot. We’ve painted this siege cannon twice and raked leaves and tried to keep the gravestones clear. There is even a stone here where remains of Revolutionary War soldiers, discovered in unmarked grave as Bethlehem City grew, have been laid to rest. As a result of that first effort, my grandson Nick and I started researching the lives of the men buried here. Covid like everything in our lives slowed our research and so it continues.

Hundreds of men served were members of Post 182, 60 of them chose to be buried here among their comrades in arms. The men buried here served in at least 45 different units. Many of these men were friends, neighbors, and or relatives prior to entering service. Most served in the army but 2 served in the Navy, 4 were Black men. Most served in Pennsylvania units, but New Jersey, Ohio, Maine, Illinois, Connecticut and the US Regulars were also represented. The 46th, 54th and 153rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry each had 10 men who now rest here. The service of these 60 men spans from the beginning of the war to the end. Over a third served in more than one regiment or ship. Some saw a great deal of combat, some little or none. Most suffered in one way or the other, some were struck in battle, many more became victims of disease or injuries. The effects of those injuries, whether, physical or emotional never fully went away.

One man’s courage stands out even though he never faced combat. David Malson was a free Black man born in 1826. He served for one year as a servant to Captain Daniel Kaufman of Co. A, 48th Pennsylvania. Many Union officers hired Black men to be body servants and cook and care for their personal needs. The 48th PA played an important part of the tragic story of the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg, Virginia. Many of these men were miners of the PA coal region and they dug a mine under Confederate lines and packed it with explosives. When it exploded on July 30, 1864 a huge gap was created and Union infantry attacked. It all went horribly wrong and many of these troops were trapped within the created crater. The spearhead of the attacks were men of the Untied States Colored Troops. Rebels, enraged at facing armed Black men were not inclined to take prisoners that bloody day. While research is not complete, I believe David Malson was present that day as a servant to Captain Kaufman. I believe he knew exactly the fate of Black men who came under the bayonet of Confederate soldiers. Nevertheless, David Malson enlisted in the 24th USCT on January 27th, 1865.   

However long they served, whatever they endured, what bonded them was their comradeship of service to their country. We like to believe that after surviving the trials of up to 4 years in the dangerous world of war these men came home and lived happily ever after. Unfortunately, that was not always the case. Life in 19th century America was not always kind or fair.

William Stolzenbach, 1st & 46th PA, served throughout the war, losing most of his right hand at the Battle of Peach Tree Creek in 1864 only to drown in the ocean at Atlantic City in June 1872 at the age of thirty-five.

Francis Kindt, 153rd PA, went missing in 1877. The crime was not solved until 1915 and his murdered remains consequently found. He was reinterred here in 1917. 

Jacob Groman, 1st & 46th PA, employed by the Bethlehem Iron Works died at the age of 45 in 1881, caught between two railway cars, his lunch pail forced into his body and was dragged some distance, conscious to the end, dying on the way to St Luke’s Hospital.

Thirty-eight-year-old Charles Jennings, 3rd Reserves & 54th PA, a freight train brakeman fell between two slowly moving cars and was crushed to death in 1882.  

Wilson Weitknecht, 153rd PA, aged 69, died 110 years ago while along the railroad tracks from Allentown to Bethlehem for a Memorial Day parade

Fifty-two-year-old Cyrus Moser, 54th PA, was a “whitewasher” working at a new silk mill in Fountain Hill when on June 6, 1896 he fell from a third story scaffold when it snapped dropping him 37 feet to his death. The coroner impaneled a jury that very day and after viewing the gory scene of the accident where Moser died and another man.

Alexander Kidd, seriously injured adjourned to Barnet Felker’s saloon. Kidd had been awarded the contract for the work A verdict placing any responsibility, if there was any, on Kidd, was offered by the jury, which was afterward changed to attributing the death of Cyrus Moser, and the injury to Alexander Kidd, to accident, and exonerating all persons from blame. Moser had been wounded by the accidental discharge of a weapon on February 17, 1863. It fractured his left elbow joint and long after the war his arm still stiffened and was weak. His pension of $8.00 a month apparently wasn’t enough so he worked. There was no O.S.H.A. in 1896.

  Many of these men did live full and enjoyable lives. Over the years the comradeship grew and reunions were held, many here in Bethlehem where the old men spoke of experiences, mostly remembering the funny rather than sorry times. William Warnick, bugler of the famed Rickett’s Battery F served throughout the war. In 1909 at their 48th reunion a newspaper reported that “a very pleasing and entertaining program arranged for the occasion was rendered, after which ten of the eleven survivors of Battery F and G repaired to the home of Bugler Warnick where they were handsomely entertained at a fine chicken and waffle dinner by Mrs. Warnick. The dining and reminiscent talks kept up until the hour of midnight when the guests departed to their headquarters at the Sun Inn.” And when the men passed, ceremonies were held here at the Soldier’s Plot with Comrades and later sons of Comrades as pallbearers.

  Memorial Day had a different feel then. It wasn’t all picnics and sales. It was personal then. Almost every person knew someone who served in the Civil War, whether it be a relative or friend. The time and events had embraced everyone and the experience was something that happened to US, not some distant memory called THEM. In my parent’s time the attack on Pearl Harbor happened to US meaning those who first heard about it and remembered that moment for the rest of their lives. 4Today, Pearl Harbor is a remote memory. It happened to THEM.

My generation remembers the day that JFK died. It happened to US. Each one of US remembers exactly where we were when we first heard the horrible news. Today it’s history, something that happened to THEM. The tragic event we have in our time of that type of feeling and emotion is that of September 11, 2001. In the days and years after the Civil War Memorial Day was observed with parades, visits to numerous cemeteries by veterans and friends, the placement of flowers on soldier graves, speeches; schools and businesses closed. Baseball games were NOT played.  Participants of parades of veterans and Sons of Veterans numbered in the thousands. As time went on the number of graves to be decorated rose from dozens to hundreds as the men “Crossed over the River.”  On May 31st, 1883 the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that about 1500 people had attended ceremonies at Nisky Hill Cemetery on the previous day.  

  Since the Civil War our cemeteries have become the final resting place for Veterans of many Wars, Spanish American, The Great War, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Terror’s War on US is now 21 years and the danger in memory looms that it no longer happened to US who remember it all too well, but to THEM, people of a distant past who we do not know.  

  So, it is our task to pause and try to commemorate as best we can, the importance of Memorial Day, not only for today, but for the all the days that follow. Remember the cost and remember all the lost souls who never had the opportunity to watch children and grandchildren grow and prosper. It happened to US as a people and a nation and we should NEVER FORGET that service and that sacrifice.

Thank you.

Ed Root CWRT of E PA

June Meeting Highlights and Photos

LTC Harold Knudsen (Retired) explained how Confederate General Longstreet’s legacy became the victim of the post war movement in the South known as the Lost Cause; how he was punished for becoming a supporter of certain Reconstruction bills, the 13th and 14th Amendments, and accepting postings with the Republican Grant Administration.

Inspite of this reputation, Knudsen went on to explain and detail how Longstreet’s defensive tactics showed a clear evolution during Antietam, culminating at Fredericksburg with World War I lethality. His offensive tactics at Chickamauga were similar, if not the forerunner to World War II tactical level German armored tactics. Other areas show progressive applications with artillery, staff work, force projection, organizational structure, and operational level thinking. Knudsen showed how Longstreet was a modern thinker unparalleled in the Confederate Army.

June Book Raffle Winners

Prior to his presentation, the monthly book drawing for preservation was held, followed by the annual preservation drawing. Thank you to all who contribution materials and who purchased tickets. The winners are pictured below. But as always, the real winners are those lands that are preserved through these funds.


Annual Print Raffle Winners

Nisky Hill Cemetery Ceremony and Clean Up of Veterans Graves on Memorial Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend Ceremony on May 25, 2025

Members of the CWRT of Eastern PA joined with the 153rd Pa. Volunteer Infantry Reenacting Group to honor Veterans at the Nisky Hill Cemetery in Bethlehem on Saturay May 24, 2025.


 The 153rd Pa. Volunteer Infantry Reenacting Group hosted a ceremony to honor members of the original 153rd PVI and other veterans buried at Nisky Hill Cemetery, Bethlehem.

Following the Ceremony, Members of the Civil War Roundtable, worked to clean up area of cemetery in proximity to Civil War veteran graves.

Activities included clearing debris, moss, grass, leaves, sticks, etc. from around the base of the grave stones; applying water, followed by a biological cleaner, to the stones; cleaning/painting the nearby cannon and cannon ball grouping.

From the Brigade Commander ~ June 2025

If George Seligman, our Roundtable’s founder, could visit from beyond the grave, I think he’d be proud to see how others have picked up the fallen battle flag, so to speak, and boldly carried on. He’d especially be thrilled to see how the sword of local hero, Capt. Jonathan Taylor, is now serving in a Bethlehem school as the centerpiece of a Civil War artifacts exhibit that many of you made possible.

I sometimes wonder if everyone realizes how big the rabbit we pulled out of our hats really was. Fortunately, kids often have the ability to see and understand things better than we adults. And so, who knows? Maybe one of the students has already been, or will be, inspired by the display—and the tremendous effort it took to make possible—and is standing ready, somewhere in the wings, to jump into action.

Our finances have recovered from the extraordinary effort to procure the Taylor sword. And, at the end of this campaign year, we will once again be able to make a preservation donation and continue our proud, long-standing tradition of fighting to preserve America’s hallowed battlefields. This, too, would not be possible without your support.

We’ll be ending Campaign 47 with our meeting on June 3. How about let’s all save the date and take the opportunity to honor the legacy and leadership of George Seligman and celebrate our collective achievements!

You’ll find dinner signup instructions on page 2 of the June Newsletter

Barry

Join Us in Bethlehem on Sat., May 24, to Honor Civil War Vets

EVENT 1: 
10:00 a.m. start; approximately 45-minute Memorial Day Ceremony
The 153rd Pa. Volunteer Infantry Reenacting Group will host a ceremony to honor members of the original 153rd PVI (and other veterans buried at Nisky Hill Cemetery). This event is free.

Nisky Hill Cemetery is located between Church, Market and Center Streets in Bethlehem. Street parking is available. The entrance to the cemetery is located at the corner of Church and Center Streets. See cemetery map.


EVENT 2:
Clean up area of cemetery in proximity to Civil War veteran graves
Those able to stay on following the Memorial Day ceremony will assist in a cleanup exercise around the area of the Civil War veterans. (Section 9 of the cemetery.)

Activities to include clearing items (debris, moss, grass, leaves, sticks, etc.) from around the base of the grave stones; applying water, followed by a biological cleaner, to the stones; cleaning/painting the nearby cannon and cannon ball grouping. Cannon ball grouping repairs will be made by Roundtable President, Barry Arnold. See the attached document for images of the issues we will be addressing.

Volunteers should dress appropriately for yard work and painting. Most materials will be provided by the Roundtable. We ask only that participants bring along tools such as lawn and/or hand rakes and garden knives, and gloves, if you wish to wear them. (Using a knife to clear growth from around the base of a grave marker is the best way to prevent the stone from inadvertently being damaged. Removing growth by hand is another safe option.)

The biological cleaner, which has been donated a Roundtable member, will be pre-loaded into spray bottles, as will water. The cleaning activity is a safe, easy three-step process:

  1. Clear the base of the stone of loose and/or organic material.

  2. Thoroughly spray the stone with water, and wait five minutes before proceeding.

  3. Spray the entire surface of the stone with D/2 Biological Solution.

That’s it! The cleaner will gradually eat away materials, e.g., lichen, air pollution-staining, that have attached to the stone.

NOTE:
D/2 is safe for skin contact, clothing, and grass and soil. It is the preferred product to use on grave markers, including those in Arlington National Cemetery!