From the Brigade Commander ~ June 2023

As is our custom, our June meeting and lecture will be dedicated to honoring George Seligman, the man most responsible for what we all know today as the Civil War Round Table of Eastern Pa., Inc. Forty-five years later, Round Table members, their guests, and members of the broader Lehigh Valley community continue to enjoy learning opportunities about the American Civil War and working together to make a real difference in the fight to preserve battlefield acreage and artifacts. We owe an awful lot to George ... and to the many other Round Table members who have followed in his fearless footsteps.

While I’m on the subject of preservation, the Board will be convening in August to discuss which of the many deserving preservation efforts our Round Table will support using the funds it accumulated throughout Campaign 45.

One last thing: Don’t forget that we’ve got a field trip planned for mid-June; be sure to take a look inside the June newsletter on page 3 for details.

Bring Home Jonathan K. Taylor’s Sword

Jonathan Taylor was born in Carbon County, on the 21st of April, 1842. He and his family moved to Bethlehem in 1858. When war came on April 12, 1861, he was still a pupil.

Jonathan enlisted in Co. A, 1st PA Volunteers for 3 months as a private. The unit was mustered in at Harrisburg on April 20th, the day before his 19th birthday & only 8 days after the firing on Charleston’s Fort Sumter. Mustered out on July 27th, Jonathan Taylor came home. 

By the summer of 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln called for more men, young Taylor was among the first to respond. His companions were many of the most gallant young men of Bethlehem. Civil War armies were very democratic and although young, he was brave, patriotic, earnest, and in every respect competent, and was elected to Captain of Company C, 129th Regiment PA Volunteers. As an officer he always enjoyed, not only the respect of his men, but also the confidence of his superiors. He was given a sword, a symbol of authority, to be carried in battle. It’s scabbard was inscribed, “Presented to Jon.thn K. Taylor by his Friends Bethlehem Pa” The regiment was mustered into the Union Army at Harrisburg on August 15.

On December 13, 1862, Taylor and his regiment were with the Army of the Potomac before Mayre’s Heights and participated in the carnage of the Battle of Fredericksburg. Federal forces hurled flesh and bone against fellow Americans behind a stone wall with a sunken road and when the bloody day was over and all assaults by the army had ultimately failed, the 129th had suffered 142 men killed, wounded or missing. One of those was young Taylor who we believe fell carrying his sword. Severely wounded, he suffered and fought one last battle, finally succumbing to his injuries 105 days later on March 28, 1863.

The train bearing his remains arrived in Bethlehem and was greeted by a city in mourning. Businesses were closed, children and adults lined the path to his home. His funeral took place from the residence of his parents on Wednesday, April 1st. All were saddened at the loss of this truly brave and patriotic young officer. As Captain Taylor, was a frequent visitor of the Moravian Church and agreeably to the desire of his bereaved parents, the Moravian cemetery was made his final resting place.   

The Grand Army of the Republic was a Veterans organization formed in 1866. Posts were formed throughout the country by veterans who lived in that community. Many Posts were named for officers of high rank. Bethlehem’s Post 182 became the Jonathan K. Taylor Post. He was the only officer from Bethlehem to die from wounds in battle and it was altogether fitting and proper to honor his service, leadership and ultimate sacrifice. A monument for Post 182, is located in the Rose Garden across the street from Nitschmann Middle School.

A partnership of the GAR Civil War Museum of Philadelphia, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, the Bethlehem Area School District & The Civil War Round Table of Eastern PA, Inc. has been formed to bring Jonathan’s sword home. Ownership will pass to the GAR Museum. We need $9000 to acquire to sword where it will be a focal part of a larger display at Bethlehem’s Nitschmann Middle School. Students from all over the district will learn of the local connection to the Civil War & have the opportunity for research projects that go deeper than normal classroom study.

Checks payable to: GAR Museum // In Memo line: “Taylor Sword Fund Donation”

Send to: Taylor Sword Fund c/o GAR Museum
8110 Frankford Ave  Philadelphia, PA 19136

May Meeting ~ Summary and Photos

Ron Kirkwood returned to CWRT with a talk called “Women to the Rescue at the Battle of Gettysburg’s George Spangler Farm.”

He listed regiments with the most wounded being treated at the farm, and noted that the 153rd PA from Easton had third most wounded there. 

He described how some women worked as nurses at the XI Corps hospital at the farm and listened to the dying men talk of their families, gave them water, treated their wounds, wrote letters home for them, held their hands and sang to them as they took their final breath.

He spoke of how others cooked and baked bread and washed filthy and bloody clothes and hospital linens.  

In particular he signed out some women like Nurse Rebecca Lane Pennypacker Price and Mrs Hovvey wife of a hospital surgeon as examples of the dedication and sacrifice they made. 

 Kirkwood is the author of “Too Much for Human Endurance: The George Spangler Farm Hospitals and the Battle of Gettysburg,” which was published in June 2019. Two years ago, he was the tour guide of that farm during our CWRT field trip.

In an interesting highlight, CWRT member Gary Schnell presented Kirkwood with a CMU plaque in honor of their mutual connection to Central Michigan University.

Following his presentation he was presented with a check for the Gettysburg Foundation.

As usual, we held our book raffle for preservation, with the winners shown below.

From the Brigade Commander ~ May, 2023

The recent stretch of more seasonal spring weather has me in the mood to do some traveling. Lucky for me, it just so happens that we’ve got a group trip planned in mid-June to Monocacy Battlefield in Frederick, Maryland, and the nearby National Museum of Civil War Medicine. You’ll find the details on page 4 of the May Newsletter.

And although our group trip to Gettysburg won’t happen until October (see the May Newsletter on page 3 for details), we’ll be privileged, at our May 2nd meeting, to hear from a man who is no stranger to the CWRT of Eastern Pa. Retired writer Ron Kirkwood, now a Gettysburg Foundation guide, has spent years searching for facts, figures and other minutia about what took place during and after the battle at the George Spangler Farm, which served as a temporary XI Corps field hospital. Should be a good one. Hope you can make it. You’ll find more information on page 2 of the May Newsletter.

And while I’m on the subject of Gettysburg, don’t forget to check out the list of recently published articles on the home page of our website. There among others, you’ll find links to two stories that share news of increased accessibility on the Gettysburg Battlefield and summer open house dates for the home that served as Lee’s headquarters during the battle ... and more.

BARRY

May 2 Program Details Announced - “Women to the Rescue at the George Spangler Farm.”

Ron Kirkwood returns to the Civil War Round Table of Eastern Pennsylvania with a talk called “Women to the Rescue at the Battle of Gettysburg’s George Spangler Farm.” Some women worked as nurses at the XI Corps hospital and listened to the dying men talk of their families, gave them water, treated their wounds, wrote letters home for them, held their hands and sang to them as they took their final breath. Others cooked and baked bread and washed filthy and bloody clothes and hospital linens. Most of these women helped save lives, and every single one made a difference.   

 

Ron Kirkwood is the author of “Too Much for Human Endurance: The George Spangler Farm Hospitals and the Battle of Gettysburg,” which was published in June 2019. The book is in its second paperback edition after its two hardcover editions and first paperback printing sold out. It also is available in audio and E-reader, and he is working on a sequel, which will be published in 2024.

 

Kirkwood is retired after a 40-year career as an editor and writer in newspapers and magazines including USA TODAY, where he edited national magazines for USA TODAY Sports and was National Football League editor for USA TODAY Sports Weekly. He also worked for newspapers in Baltimore, Harrisburg, York and Wilkes-Barre. He won numerous state, regional and national writing and editing awards during his career and managed the 32-person copy desk in Harrisburg when the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012. Kirkwood is a Michigan native and 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.

 

Kirkwood has been a Gettysburg Foundation guide at the George Spangler Farm Civil War Field Hospital Site since it opened in 2013. He lives in York with his wife of 46 years, Barbara.

April Meeting - Summary and Photos

At our April 4th dinner and meeting, Victorian Historian, a.k.a. Adam Shefts, took us on an adventure into some of the customs and culture of the Victorian era. It was a fun evening listening to Shefts list oddities from the era of history (1837 to 1901.)

His mutlimedia presentation included

  • An image of the first selfie;

  • Recounting of a maritime shipwreck disaster long preceding the Titanic, where of over 400 people on board only 81 survived; AND all were men; AND most were from the crew!

  • Why Lincoln grew his beard (It was requested by a child.)

  • How conjoined twins were entered into a draft to serve in the Union forces, only to have one drafted, while the other was not. The dilemma was solved by excusing the one who had been drafted.

  • How what looks strangely like the wink emoticon ;) appeared in 1863 in an article on a Lincoln speech.

  • A Parlor game trick on how the speaker could drink from bottle covered by a cloth, without ever touching the cloth….

Shefts entertained like that for an hour and left with great applause!

His website is www.TheVictorianHistorian.com

As usual our book raffle had six in-house winners, with preservation the ultimate winner!

From the Brigade Commander ~ April 2023

With the advent of Spring, our field trip season has also arrived! So far, we’ve got plans for two, one-day trips—one in June, one in October—that you can read about the the April Newsletter.

Our next lecture will be a break from the usual, but informative and entertaining nonetheless. This unique, history-based program will focus on life during the Victorian era. And, of course, as any historian knows, one of the best ways to understand a particular historical period (like the American Civil War) is to research customs, culture and values. I hope to see you there on Tuesday April 4th ... if not for dinner, at least for the lecture!

Some of the more memorable April events of the American Civil War era include the 1862 act to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia, the Great Locomotive Chase, made famous by the 1926 release of “The General,” starring Buster Keaton, and the firing upon Fort Sumter. April is also when the skirmish at Miskell’s Farm took place—one of many wasted opportunities to shut down Confederate guerilla gunfighter John Mosby, once and for all. You’ll find a synopsis of this “fool-ish” event also in the April Newsletter.

BARRY

April Program Details - the Victorian Historian ~ Adam Shefts

 Historian Adam Shefts, AKA “The Victorian Historian”, presents his program of unique insights into the obscure history of America’s  19th and early 20th century.

Mr.Shefts, a Gettysburg area resident, has been an avid researcher of all things Victorian for as long as he can remember.  He created “The Victorian Historian” program in 2018, combining his interest in history and the unusual into an entertaining and educational multimedia program featuring short stories, rare images, audio, and live demonstrations.

He leads his audience through a blast to the past, working his way chronologically to reveal the origin of barbershop quartets, the story of Abraham Lincoln’s beard, the date of the very first camera selfie, and much more.

Adam has presented his program to a variety of organizations over the last several years, including The Gettysburg Heritage Center, The Fairfield Area (PA) Historical Society, the CWRT of South Central Connecticut, The Victorian Society at Falls Church, Virginia, The East Berlin (PA) Historical Preservation Society, and the North Haven (CT) Historical Society.

Also, Adam is the author of three books: “Games That Time Forgot” and “History’s Haunted Headlines”, parts one and two. Another book, “Dear Santa Claus” is on the way.

Partake in a one-of-a-kind journey into the unique, fascinating, and sometimes shocking facts, stories, and happenings to come out of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

March Meeting ~ Summary and Photos

Retired Temple Professor Andy Waskie spoke to the group in March about the long history of the GAR - Grand Army of the Republic. The premier veterans organization which formed following the end of the Civil War.

Open to any honorably discharged CW vet (without regard to race), this organization first sprang up in Illinois, and quickly thereafter in many states and regions.

Philadelphia alone had 36 groups, of which #1 was named for George Meade.

Waskie spoke of the influence of the GAR on monuments placement at Gettysburg; the institution of “Decoration Day” - now Memorial Day; the Pledge of Alliance, the National Anthem, and monuments through Philagelphia and across the country.

Claire updates us on the June 10th rip to Monocacy Battlefield and the Museum of Civil War Medicine and also announced a trip to Evergreen Cemetery on October 7th.

As usual, we also held our preservation book raffle - Winners shown below.