Martial Deeds of Pennsylvania, Samuel P. Bates, 1876 - Part 2, Chapter 10, 736-
772
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MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA
by
SAMUEL P. BATES.
PHILADELPHIA: T. H. DAVIS & CO., 1876.
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 736
Part II. BIOGRAPHY.
CHAPTER X.
ANDREW ATKINSON HUMPHREYS, BRIGADIER-General in the regular service, and Major-
General of volunteers, was born in Philadelphia, on the 2d of November, 1810.
He was the son of Samuel Humphreys of that city, Chief Constructor of the Navy.
He was educated at West Point, graduating in 1831. Entering the service as
Brevet Second Lieutenant in the Second artillery, he served until April, 1832,
as Assistant Professor of Engineers at West Point. He then took the field and
was engaged against the Indians in Florida, where he displayed that resolution
and intrepidity which was destined to make his name illustrious. He was
promoted to First Lieutenant in August, 1836, but in September following
resigned. On the 7th of July, 1838, he was reappointed First Lieutenant of
Topographical Engineers. From 1845 to 1849 he was assistant to the Chief of the
Coast Survey, having in the meantime been promoted to Captain. In August, 1853,
he was placed over the Bureau of Explorations and Surveys in the War Department.
He was promoted to Major in August, 1861, and in March, 1862, was Aide-de-camp
on the staff of General McClellan, with the rank of Colonel. On the 6th of May,
1862, he was made Brigadier-General of volunteers. Upon the organization of the
regiments from Pennsylvania for the nine months' service, late in the summer of
1862, General Humphreys was given their command, constituting the Third division
of the Fifth corps. It was of Hooker's Grand Division, and at a critical period
in the battle of Fredericksburg he was ordered in as a forlorn hope. It was in
front of Marye's Heights, where three veteran divisions had already been thrown
back torn and bleeding. A great harvest of death
ANDREW A. HUMPHREYS - 737
had been gathered, and ghastly forms covered all the ground now drenched with
gore. His troops were fresh levies, who had never been under fire. But in that
hour of desperation they knew that they were led by a tried soldier, and
obedient to his call they were borne onward in the face of a storm of shot and
shell, over the prostrate forms of the unhappy victims of previous charges, up
to the very muzzles of the enemy's guns; yet no valor was equal to that
fearfully destructive fire, and his decimated columns were compelled to fall
back. Where was ever a heroism that exceeded Humphreys' in this charge! He was
doubtless as well convinced when he went in, as when, scourged and almost
annihilated, he came out, that the attempt would be fruitless; but obedient to
an imperious mandate he went to the very verge of destruction, and did all that
mortal could do to snatch victory and achieve a triumph, periling life and limb
without a murmur.
In the battle of Chancellorsville he again led his division where the conflict
waged fiercest, and the fire was most destructive. On that Sunday morning, the
3d of May, when the legions of Jackson were led on by his most resolute
Lieutenants, with a desperation and determined courage rarely paralleled, they
met Humphreys. But here, as at Fredericksburg, there were inherent defects in
the plan and conduct of the battle, and the grandest exhibitions of valor
counted for naught. At the close of this campaign his division was for the most
part mustered out, its term of service having expired, and he was given a
division in the Third corps. When General Meade came to the command of the
army, he selected General Humphreys for his chief of staff, an office of honor
and responsibility; but being upon the point of fighting a great battle, he
deferred making the change until the conflict was over, and Humphreys led his
division at Gettysburg. Few positions can be selected in all the great
battlegrounds of the war more exposed or perilous than that on which he was
called to stand on this field. But he took it, and held it manfully until
ordered back; and when the foe followed with desperation and sought to throw him
into rout, slowly and sullenly he went, turning often to deal swift destruction
to his too sanguine pursuers.
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 738
After the close of this battle he assumed the duties of chief of staff, and
remained in that position through the fall campaign in the Valley of Virginia,
during the Wilderness campaign, and the siege of Petersburg, to November, 1864.
He was then put in command of the Second corps, which he led with great skill
and gallantry in the remaining operations before Petersburg, and in the pursuit
and final triumph over Lee, particularly distinguishing himself at Sailor's
Creek. He was brevetted Brigadier and Major-General, which position he still
holds. He is withal a man of literary tastes and accomplishments, is a member
of several learned societies, and in 1861 published a memoir on the Physics and
Hydraulics of the Mississippi River. In 1868 the degree of LL.D. was conferred
upon him by the corporation of Harvard University.
GEORGE W. CULLUM, Brevet Major-General in the regular army, was born in the city
of New York, on the 25th of February, 1809. When he was quite young the family
removed to Meadville, Pennsylvania, where his boyhood was spent. He was
educated at the Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in the class
of 1833. He entered the service as Brevet Second Lieutenant in the Engineer
corps, was promoted to Second Lieutenant in 1836, and to Captain, in 1838. His
life has been largely devoted to the construction of coast defences. His
earliest work was upon the massive structure of Fort Adams, at Newport, Rhode
Island. For a period of ten years, commencing in 1838, he superintended the
erection of Fort Trumbull, and the battery at Fort Griswold, New London,
Connecticut. During the last two of these years, he was also engaged upon Forts
Warren, Independence, and Winthrop, in Boston harbor. In 1848 he was Professor
of Practical Military Engineering at West Point, where he continued until 1855,
spending, in the meantime, two years in foreign travel for the benefit of his
health, and superintending the construction of the Assay Office in New York.
Subsequently he was engaged upon the public works in North and South Carolina,
including Fort Sumter, and in 1858 was placed
GEORGE W. CULLUM - ALFRED SULLY - 739
over the fortifications at New Bedford, Newport, New London, and Sound entrance
to New York. At the opening of the Rebellion he was ordered to Washington,
where he was assigned to the staff of General Scott, with the rank of Colonel.
In November, 1861, he was appointed Brigadier-General of volunteers, and Chief
of staff and of Engineers to General Halleck, serving with that General in his
campaign in the West, embracing the siege of Corinth. He was for a time in
command at Cairo, Illinois. He served with Halleck in Washington while the
latter was at the head of the army, and during almost the entire period of the
war was a member of the United States Sanitary Commission. In September, 1864,
he was appointed Superintendent of the Academy at West Point, which position he
held for two years. He was brevetted Major-General on the 13th of March, 1865.
General Cullum has been quite a voluminous writer on military subjects, having
published a Register of the Military Academy in 1850, Military Bridges with
India Rubber Pontoons in 1849, a translation of Duparcq's Elements of Military
Art and History in 1863, and a Biographical Register of the Military Academy in
two volumes in 1868. He is at present third in the Corps of Engineers, with the
rank of Colonel.
ALFRED SULLY, Brevet Major-General of volunteers, and Brigadier-General in the
regular army, was born in Philadelphia, in 1821. He was the son of the eminent
portrait painter, Thomas Sully. He was educated at West Point, graduating in
1841, and entered the service in July, as Second Lieutenant in the Second
infantry. He served against the Seminoles in Florida, and in the Mexican war
was at the siege of Vera Cruz, for which he was made First Lieutenant, and in
February, 1852, was promoted to Captain. On the 4th of March, 1862, just
previous to the departure of McClellan's army to the Peninsula, he was appointed
Colonel of the First Minnesota volunteers, and was soon after placed in command
of a brigade, which he led throughout the Peninsula campaign, distinguishing
himself at Fair Oaks, and receiving the brevet rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the
regular service. He was also conspicuous at Malvern Hill, and was brevetted
Colonel. In October, 1862, he was made Brigadier-
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 740
General of volunteers, having led his command at South Mountain and Antietam,
and in the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, in all of which he
acquitted himself with marked gallantry. In 1863, he was in command of a column
in Dakota, where he remained for three years, having in the meantime carried on
successful campaigns against the Indians in the Northwest, distinguishing
himself at the battle of Whitestone Hill. He was brevetted Brigadier-General in
the regular army and Major-General of volunteers, for gallant and meritorious
services. He was made Lieutenant-Colonel of the Third infantry in July, 1866,
and in December, 1870, was assigned to duty with the Nineteenth infantry. In
December, 1873, he was promoted to Colonel of the Twenty-first infantry, with
which he is still serving.
THOMAS H. NEILL, Colonel of the Twenty-third regiment, Brevet Brigadier-General
in the regular service, and Brevet Major-General of volunteers, was born at
Philadelphia, on the 9th of April, 1826. He was the son of Henry Neill, M. D.,
and Martha (Rutter) Neill. He was educated in private schools in that city, and
at the University of Pennsylvania, where he had passed to the Sophomore class
when he was appointed a cadet at West Point, graduating in 1847. He entered the
army as Second Lieutenant, and served in the Mexican War. Until 1853 he was on
duty on the frontier in Arkansas, against Cherokee, Creek, and Indian nations,
and in northwestern Texas. He was Assistant Professor of Drawing at West Point
in 1856, and afterward served in Utah, on the Plains, and in winter campaigns
against the Navajoes in New Mexico. As mustering officer at Philadelphia, in
1861, he inducted more than 10,000 men into the United States service. During
the three months' campaign he was Assistant Adjutant-General to General
Cadwalader, in the column of General Patterson. At its close he organized a
battalion of regulars from fragments of the First, Third and Eighth regiments,
which had been captured and afterwards paroled, in Texas.
Upon the promotion of Colonel Birney to Brigadier-General, Neill was selected
to succeed him as Colonel of the Twenty-third regiment. The first severe
fighting in which he was engaged
THOMAS H. NEILL - 741
was at Fair Oaks, on the 31st of May, 1862. At two in the afternoon, Neill was
ordered to the support of Casey's hard-pressed troops, where he displayed a
bravery that attracted the attention and won the applause of all. "Once more,"
says a correspondent of the New York Herald, "the woods were alive with fire.
Gallant Colonel Neill, with the Twenty-third Pennsylvania, was first into it,
and by his presence kept up the spirit of his men. His fire had been reserved
until the enemy were very near to him, and only six rounds had been discharged
when his own men and the enemy were fairly face to face. Then he gave his men
the word to charge, and went in ahead to show them how to do it. The enemy gave
way and scattered before the Twenty-third; but now Neill had the fire of the foe
upon his right and left, and began to suffer severely as he fell back to his
place." Three color-bearers were stricken down, and Colonel Neill had his horse
shot under him. At Malvern Hill he was thirteen hours upon the front line
without relief, and rendered the most important service. "The left of the
regiment," he says, "was in a trying position here. It overlapped a battery
which was obliged to fire over our heads. Several men were lost by premature
explosion of shells from our own guns. . . . The success of this day had a fine
effect upon the men, as they had a better field in which to act than at Fair
Oaks." In the Maryland campaign, and afterwards in the pursuit of the enemy
towards Warrenton, he was temporarily in command of a brigade.
He was now made a full Brigadier-General, and was advanced to the permanent
charge of a brigade, which he led in the Fredericksburg battle, in the storming
of Marye's Heights in the Chancellorsville campaign, and at Salem Church, in
which the duty was severe. After the battle of Gettysburg, where he was held
upon an important part of the field in an important period in the battle, he was
placed in command of a light division composed of McIntosh's brigade of cavalry,
his own brigade of infantry, and Martin's battery, with which he was sent in
pursuit of the retreating enemy, pushing him through Waynesboro and across the
Antietam to Hagerstown. In the battle of Rappahannock Station he led his own
brigade, and, after
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 742
the fall of General Getty, succeeded to the command of his division. In the
Wilderness, at Spottsylvania, the Bloody Angle, at the North Anna and Pamunky,
at Cold Harbor and at Petersburg, he was constant in his duty and ever ready to
meet the foe. He went with the Sixth corps to the Shenandoah Valley in the
summer of 1864, and fought under Sheridan in the battle of Winchester.
Afterwards he was assigned to a command in General Hancock's First army corps,
and was president of a board for the examination of officers for colored troops.
He was also Recorder of a board for the examination of infantry officers in the
regular army. He was in command of the regiment in the field at camp near Fort
Hays, and at Fort Riley from December, 1871, to August, 1872. He is at present
in command of a column directed against hostile Indians in Colorado.
GEORGE SHORKLEY, Brevet Colonel of the Fifty-first regiment, was born at Scipio,
Cayuga county, New York, on the 20th of May, 1837. His father, James Cushman
Shorkley, was of Scotch and English origin, and his mother, Julia Annie
(Thornton) Shorkley, of English descent. Until the age of eighteen he remained
with his parents acquiring a fair business education, after which he removed to
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, to engage with his brothers in the manufacture of iron
and agricultural implements, and was employed in this business until the opening
of the Rebellion. He was active in recruiting, and on the 22d of September,
1861, was mustered as First Lieutenant of Company H, of the Fifty-first.
The regiment was with Burnside in his expedition upon the North Carolina
coast, and in the battles of Roanoke Island, Newbern, and Camden, Lieutenant
Shorkley fought with his company, doing efficient service in each, this regiment
being assigned prominent places, and acquitting itself, though on its first
campaign, in a manner worthy of its gallant commander, Colonel John F.
Hartranft. In the movement upon Camden, Lieutenant Shorkley acted as Adjutant
of the regiment, and on the 6th of June, 1862, received his commission for that
position. He was solicited by General Ferrero to become Assistant Adjutant-
General to the brigade, but this position he declined, preferring to remain
GEORGE SHORKLEY - 743
with his regiment. At Bull Run, Chantilly, South Mountain, and Antietam, the
command was put at the fore-front, proving itself, in the most trying
emergencies, steadfast and true. In the battle of Antietam, it was this
regiment which carried the celebrated Burnside Bridge, after repeated failures
by other troops. Adjutant Shorkley in this desperate charge was fearless and
intrepid, inspiring courage and daring by his example, executing the orders of
Colonel Hartranft with fidelity, and actually leading the column upon the
bridge, swept by the enemy's fire. In that terrible ordeal few escaped
unscathed, and he was among the severely wounded, receiving a musket shot in the
left arm. He was taken from the field, and sent for treatment, first to the
Georgetown Seminary Hospital, and from thence to the General Hospital at
Philadelphia, where he remained until the spring of 1863. Though still
disqualified for field service, his arm requiring the use of a sling, he sought
such duty as was suited to his condition, and was assigned as Aide-de-camp to
General D. N. Couch, then commanding the Department of the Susquehanna, during
the Gettysburg campaign. He was also in command of Camp Parole at West Chester.
In the meantime, the Ninth corps, in which was the Fifty-first regiment, had
been sent to the Western armies, first to Kentucky, then to Grant, at that time
pressing the siege of Vicksburg, and subsequently to Knoxville, East Tennessee,
at which place Adjutant Shorkley rejoined it in November, 1863. Hartranft was
now in command of the Second division of the Ninth corps, and with him Shorkley
served as Acting Inspector-General in the siege of Knoxville. Upon the
reorganization of the corps, after its return to the Atlantic coast, he was
ordered to duty as Acting Assistant Adjutant-General to General Hartranft, and
in this capacity took part in the battles of the wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold
Harbor, Petersburg, and of the Petersburg mine. In the latter he was severely
wounded in the right hand, which he lost with the exception of the thumb. He
was sufficiently recovered to return to duty in November, 1864, when he was
desired to take the position which he had left, with the rank of Captain. But
this he declined on account of the loss of his right hand, not having yet
acquired the habit of writing well
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 744
with the left, and accepted instead the position of Assistant Inspector-General
on the staff of General Hartranft, in command of a division of Pennsylvania
troops.
In the brilliant engagement at Fort Steadman, on the 25th of March, 1865,
Captain Shorkley was again severely wounded in the right thigh. While lying in
the field hospital he was visited by the Commander of the Army of the Potomac,
who complimented him for his gallant conduct, and gave him leave to proceed as
soon as able to Georgetown Hospital for treatment.
As early as May, 1863, while serving in the Department of the Susquehanna, he
had been commissioned Major, but not mustered. In April, 1864, he was
commissioned Captain. And now for gallant and meritorious services at Fort
Steadman, he was brevetted Lieutenant-Colonel, and a month later Colonel, for
long faithful, and valuable services. Rejoining the division in April, he was
ordered to duty as Acting Inspector-General of the Ninth corps, on the staff of
General Parke, in which he remained until mustered out of the volunteer service
with his regiment.
In February, 1866, he was appointed Second Lieutenant of the Fifteenth United
States infantry, and was commissioned on the same date First Lieutenant. On the
2d of March, 1867, he was brevetted Captain in the regular army for "gallant"
services at Antietam, and Major for "gallant and meritorious" services at Fort
Steadman. In October following he was commissioned Captain in the Fifteenth
infantry. He first served as Acting Assistant Adjutant-General to Generals
Shepherd and Hayden, commanding in the District of Alabama, during 1867-'8,
whence he proceeded to Texas with his regiment, and during parts of 1868-'9 was
in command of the post at Clarksville. In September, 1869, he was placed in
command of the post at Fort McRae, New Mexico, the nearest station occupied by
any part of the army to the Southern Apache Indians, where he remained till
1872. He is at present with his company at Fort Craig.
LEVI MAISH, Colonel of the One Hundred and Thirtieth regiment, was born on the
22d of November, 1837, in Conewago township, York county, Pennsylvania. He was
the son of David and Sallie (Nieman) Maish. He received a common-
LEVI MAISH - LEMUEL TODD - 745
school education, and in the York County Academy a higher English training, but
made only indifferent progress in the ancient languages. When not at school, he
was employed upon the farm until the age of seventeen. He then served an
apprenticeship to a machinist, and remained two years, developing a decided
taste for this business.
In July, 1862, he recruited a company for the service of the United States,
and with it joined the One Hundred and Thirtieth regiment, of which he was soon
after promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. In the battle of Antietam, where his
regiment, which had had hardly time to learn anything of its duty, was put into
the fight upon the most hotly-contested part of the field, he received a shot in
the right lung, which the surgeons were unable to extract, and which still
remains in its lodgment. On the 17th of December, 1863, on the day after the
fall of Colonel Zinn at Fredericksburg, he was promoted to Colonel, and led his
regiment in the battle of Chancellorsville, where he received a slight wound in
the right hip. The time of his command expired soon afterwards, and with it he
was mustered out of service. He represented York county in the Legislature, in
the sessions of 1867 and 1868.
LEMUEL TODD, Major of the First Reserve regiment, was born on the 29th of July,
1817, at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, of Scotch-Irish descent. He was educated at
Dickinson College, read law with General Samuel Alexander, and, on being
admitted to the bar in 1841, formed a business partnership with his preceptor.
His tastes ran in the line of his profession and of politics, and he became
noted for his effective oratory. In 1849 he married Miss Sarah A. Wilson,
granddaughter of Captain David Wilson, of Adams county. Upon the call for
troops, in 1861, he raised a company for the three months' service, but not
being accepted, he held it for three years' duty, and it was incorporated in the
First Reserve, of which he was made Major. He participated with his command in
the battle of Dranesville, in the Seven Days' battle upon the Peninsula, in the
Second Bull Run, and Chantilly. At the end of this time he was obliged, on
account of severe attacks of disease, to leave the field, and soon afterwards
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 746
resigned. In the fall of 1862, and winter of 1863, under the appointment of
Governor Curtin, with the rank of Colonel, he organized the drafted men of the
eastern part of the State, in the camp at Philadelphia. He subsequently served
on the staff of the Governor as Inspector-General, and in that capacity was
charged with the organization of the militia, and the formation of the State
Guard. He was a member of the Thirty-fourth Congress, and is now serving in the
Forty-third.
DAVID WATSON ROWE, Lieutenant-Colonel of the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth
regiment, was born at Greencastle, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, on the 12th of
November, 1836. He was the son of John and Elizabeth (Prather) Rowe. His
father was a member of the Legislature of Pennsylvania in 1853, was Surveyor-
General of the State from 1856 to 1859, and was Speaker of the House during the
period of the late war. His great-grandfather, James Watson, was an officer in
the Revolution, his commissions as Captain and Colonel bearing date July 8th,
1776, and July 1st, 1777. The son early manifested a taste for study, and
graduated at Marshall College, after which he read law. He enlisted as a
private in the Second regiment, and served through Patterson's campaign in the
Shenandoah Valley, having been promoted to Sergeant-Major and First Lieutenant.
When the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth regiment was organized, he was selected
as Lieutenant-Colonel. On the 5th of August, 1862, the day previous to his
departure for the front, he was married to Miss Annie E. Fletcher. He was
present at Antietam, but was held in reserve and not actively engaged. His
regiment, in the battle of Fredericksburg, bore itself with great steadiness and
courage, in the face of a most deadly fire. When the battle was at its height,
and raging with great fury, Colonel Elder was wounded. The command then
devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Rowe, under whose skilful leadership the
struggle was maintained, and finally, when it was seen that the conflict was
fruitless, and that further sacrifice, already fearful, was vain, he brought the
remnants off, in obedience to commands, in good order. General Joseph Hooker
was asked by the committee which inquired respecting the conduct of the war,
D. WATSON ROWE - 747
"How did the men behave during the attack?"
"They behaved well. There never was anything more glorious than the behavior
of the men. No campaign in the world ever saw a more gallant advance than
Humphreys' men made there. But they were put to do a work that no men could
do."
Lieutenant-Colonel Rowe's command was of Humphreys' division, and this opinion
was passed by a soldier who knew what gallantry meant, and in what consisted
hard fighting. He was here wounded in the cheek by a rifle ball.
On the field of Chancellorsville the conflict on the part of the One Hundred
and Twenty-sixth was of a character not so desperate as at Fredericksburg; for
here the enemy was obliged to show himself, having nothing better behind which
to take shelter than the dense wood and undergrowth. The enemy having turned
the Union right, pressed upon the unprotected flank, occupied, for the time, by
Tyler's brigade, to which Colonel Rowe's regiment belonged, and passing around
to the rear, threatened it with capture. Thus outflanked the regiment was
forced to retire, which it did in obedience to the commander of the brigade, but
not until all the ammunition which the men carried had been exhausted, and that
also had been gathered which could be found in the cartridge boxes of the dead
and wounded lying near them. Lieutenant-Colonel Rowe was in chief command
throughout this action, and of him General Tyler, in his report of the battle,
says: "Colonel Rowe exhibited the true characteristics of a soldier - brave,
cool, and determined; and his spirit was infused into every officer and soldier
of his command."
After his return from the field at the expiration of his term, he resumed the
practice of his profession, and in March, 1868, when only thirty-one years of
age, was appointed by Governor Geary, President Judge of the sixteenth judicial
district of Pennsylvania, a position of great honor and responsibility, ever
filled by men of learning and ability; and in the October following he was
elected by the people to the same office for the term of ten years. In person
he is full six feet in height, of a pallid and scholastic countenance, a
piercing black eye, raven hair, and that urbane and dignified demeanor which
stamps him as a man of mark.
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 748
HIRAM L. BROWN, Colonel of the One Hundred and Forty-fifth regiment, and Brevet
Brigadier-General, was born at North East, Erie county, Pennsylvania, on the
27th of October, 1832. He was the son of Hiram L. and Philena (Sears) Brown,
both natives of this region. When but two years old the family removed to the
city of Erie. He was educated at the county academy, and at the age of fifteen
entered upon his novitiate in the business of printing, in the office of the
Erie Gazette, and continued it in that of the Observer, where he remained three
years. In 1850, then at the age of eighteen, fired by the fever which carried
multitudes to the new Eldorado, he went to California, and remained one year at
the mines about Little Deer Creek and Nevada City. He then returned home, and
after the death of his father, which occurred in 1853, he became proprietor of
Brown's Hotel, widely and favorably known, and, with the exception of one year
which he spent in Chicago, so remained until the opening of the war.
For a year previous he had been a member of that noted volunteer company, the
Wayne Guards, which proved so excellent a school for the development of military
talent, in which he was Corporal and Lieutenant, and was, besides, Major of
militia. When troops were called for three months, he went as Captain of
Company B in the Erie regiment, Colonel John W. McLane. A new regiment for
three years' service - the Eighty-third - was promptly formed on the return of
this, in recruiting which he was active. Tidings of the Bull Run disaster were
then fresh, and on the Sunday morning after the sad intelligence was received,
Captain Brown took his command by special train to Warren, sixty miles away,
where a war meeting was that evening held. The military ardor was so aroused
that volunteering was rapid, and Colonel McLane soon had the ranks of his
regiment full.
Captain Brown's first engagement was at Hanover Court House, where the enemy
under General Branch were driven. At the fierce battle of Gaines' Mill, fought
shortly after, his clothing was cut in several places, and finally he was shot
through the body, the ball entering just below the heart, passing quite through,
and resting in his watch-pocket. The wound was supposed to be mortal. He lay
all night under a tree upon
HIRAM L. BROWN - 749
the left bank of the Chickahominy. In the morning a soldier crossed upon a rude
raft which he constructed, and brought the wounded Captain off. He was taken to
Savage Station, where he was left in hospital, and where he fell into the
enemy's hands. After lying here for a month, his wound in the meantime healing,
he was exchanged. He saved his sword by an ingenious device. A brother
officer, Captain John F. Morris, was so badly mangled as to necessitate his
being carried through the city of Richmond on a straw tick. In the straw he
concealed his cherished weapon, and it escaped observation. All other officers
lost their arms. The return of Captain Brown was hailed with great joy, as of
one resurrected from the dead; for he had been reported among the killed, and
his death had been noticed in the Erie, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburg
papers, and the country press of that region. On his arrival at Erie the bells
of the city were rung amid general rejoicing, and a committee of citizens from
Buffalo were sent to express their gratification.
At this time the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Pennsylvania, a three years'
regiment, was being organized, and Captain Brown was solicited to become its
leader. Though regretting to leave his company in the Eighty-third, he accepted
and was soon absorbed in bringing his new command to a condition of efficiency.
He hastened to the front during the progress of the Antietam campaign, and was
at first placed over the receiving camp at Chambersburg. He was afterwards sent
with his own regiment, two pieces of artillery and a force of cavalry, by
command of General Reynolds, to Minor's Cross Roads, in which direction it was
anticipated that the enemy might retire from the Antietam field. He was
afterwards assigned to Meagher's brigade, Caldwell's division of the Second
corps.
Colonel Brown was officer of the day on the 13th of December, 1862, on which
the battle of Fredericksburg was fought, and was ordered to withdraw his pickets
and rejoin his brigade as soon as General French had marched over them to open
the battle. In the progress of the fight he was brought under the hottest of
the fire, and was shot through the right lung. Though slightly stunned he moved
forward, and shortly after received a wound through the leg above the knee.
Just then the blood
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 750
from the wounded lung began to be discharged from the mouth, when he became
faint, and it was some moments before consciousness returned. He walked off the
field, and was carried across the river to a hospital. Again was he reported
mortally wounded. The slaughter in his regiment was fearful, more than half of
an aggregate of nearly five hundred men being carried down in the fight. The
flag, presented by the ladies of Erie, was pierced by forty-three bullets and
one shell, the staff broken, the eagle which surmounted it carried away, and
five color-bearers killed under it. In his official report General Hancock bore
ample testimony to the conspicuous gallantry of the Colonel and his fine body of
men.
In the Chancellorsville campaign, it was anticipated that resistance would be
encountered to laying the pontoons at United States Ford, and Colonel Brown was
sent, with his own and two regiments detailed from General French's command, to
cover the work; but it was executed without opposition. He led his regiment in
the various manoeuvres of the army in the early part of the battle, and after
the rout upon the Union left supported Pettits' battery, the enemy's shells, in
response, firing the Chancellor House and burning it to the ground.
At Gettysburg he shared the fortunes of Caldwell's division, as it moved to
action over the historic Wheat Field, where the struggle was obstinate and
bloody throughout. The enemy was encountered in his lurking places in the
wooded ground and was temporarily driven.
Before entering upon the campaign in the Wilderness, in 1864, Colonel Brown
was placed in command of a brigade in Barlow's division of the Second corps.
This he led with marked gallantry on that sanguinary field. At the Po river he
held the extreme right of the line, and was accredited in General Hancock's
report with having repulsed two successive onsets of a division of Hill's men.
During the early morning of the 12th of May, with the rest of Barlow's forces,
he marched to the front near Spottsylvania Court House, where one of the most
brilliant charges of the war was made, whereby an entire division with General
Johnson, its leader, and twenty-two cannon were captured. While the fight was
raging, Colonel Brown was cut off and taken captive.
HIRAM L. BROWN - 751
After enduring the hardships of rebel prisons for some time, orders came for
fifty officers of the highest rank to prepare themselves with four days rations
for removal. Confidently did these officers anticipate that this was for an
exchange; but what was their astonishment to find themselves incarcerated in the
Charleston jail in company with common felons! By the payment of a one dollar
greenback for a morning paper, Colonel Brown learned that they had been put
under the fire of the Union guns by order of the Confederate authorities. The
United States Government shortly put an end to this by exposing a like number,
and of equal grade, of rebel officers, under the fire of their own guns on
Morris' Island. This course brought a speedy exchange.
Soon after his return to the front, the army being before Petersburg, he was
placed in command of a brigade of the Second corps, and was brevetted Brigadier-
General. The earnestness with which General Hancock urged this promotion is
shown by the following extract of a letter addressed by that officer to Judge
Watts, of Carlisle: "I have recommended in an official manner, some months
since, Colonel H. L. Brown, of the One Hundred and Forty-fifth, for promotion
for Spottsylvania, May 12th. Since then I recommended him, in a formal manner,
for a brevet as Brigadier-General for the same action, in order that, if he was
not made a Brigadier-General of volunteers, he might be made a Brigadier-General
by brevet. In these formal recommendations I recapitulated his faithful and
gallant services, his wounds, so far as I was enabled to get the data. I trust
he may be promoted and ordered here. We require the services of such brave
men."
General Brown remained in the service until February, 1865, when, experiencing
much trouble from the wound in his lung, from which he had never fully
recovered, he was honorably discharged for physical disability contracted in the
line of duty. On several occasions he was made the recipient of tokens of
regard from his men, who could best appreciate his worth, and from admiring
friends. The one which was perhaps most highly prized was that of a horse,
saddle, and bridle, and full equipments, presented by the non-commissioned
officers and privates
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 752
of the One Hundred and Forty-fifth regiment, the pommel of the saddle being
inscribed with the names of the entire number. General Brown is unmarried. In
person he is over six feet in height, and stalwart. Since the war he has been
for a term of three years Sheriff of Erie county.
JOHN SWAYZE McCALMONT, Colonel of the Tenth Reserve regiment, was born at
Franklin, Pennsylvania, on the 28th of April, 1822. His father, Alexander
McCalmont, and his mother, Eliza Hart (Connely) McCalmont, were both natives of
Pennsylvania, remotely descended from the Scotch-Irish, who form a study and
sterling element in the population of the State. He was early initiated into
the mysteries of a printing office, where he labored for several years during
the intervals in the terms of the public schools. He was afterwards put to the
Latin school of the Rev. Nathaniel Snowden, and finally to Allegheny College, at
Meadville. He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1838,
and graduated with credit in due course. He was brevetted Second Lieutenant in
the Third regiment of infantry in July, 1842, and in the October following was
promoted to Second Lieutenant of the Eighth infantry. Having a taste for civil
pursuits, and tiring of the inactivity of army life in time of peace, after
about a year's experience he resigned, and devoted himself to the law.
At the opening of the Rebellion, he was President Judge of the eighteenth
judicial district, to which office he had been appointed by Governor Bigler in
May, 1853, and elected in October of that year. As he warmly supported the
national authorities, he tendered his services to Governor Curtin, and was
commissioned Colonel of the Tenth regiment of the Reserve corps. His knowledge
of military duty was of great advantage, the mass of volunteer officers, as well
as privates, being entirely destitute of experience in the art they were called
to practice. Upon the organization of the division, Colonel McCalmont was
assigned to the command of the Third brigade, which he exercised until
superseded by General E. O. C. Ord. In the battle of Dranesville, which was
fought on the 20th of December, 1861, Colonel McCalmont bore himself with gal-
JOHN S. McCALMONT - 753
antry, and received the approval of Generals McClellan, Ord, and McCall.
Colonel Ayer, who was then serving as Captain of one of Colonel McCalmont's
companies, makes the following mention of his chief in this engagement: "The
action was opened by a smart firing between our own and the rebel skirmishers,
and very soon the artillery of the enemy opened upon us. Our artillery, Captain
Easton's battery, was soon in position and did terrible work, blowing up one of
their ammunition boxes, killing eight or nine horses, and doubtless killing and
wounding many men. Just previous, Colonel McCalmont had ridden up, and
perceiving that they were shooting too high, called out, 'Point your pieces
lower, my boys! You are firing over them! You must lower your guns!' They did
so, and with what effect has just been described. Colonel McCalmont was
everywhere, where his presence was most needed, during this engagement,
displaying great courage and self-possession."
The operations of the army during the winter of 1861-'62 were dilatory, little
congenial to the impetuous nature of Colonel McCalmont, and warned by failing
health that he would be unable to endure the hardships of a protracted struggle
he resigned. The officers of his regiment in parting with him united in
resolutions recounting his faithful services and gallantry as a soldier.
"Colonel McCalmont," says Ayer, "was much respected by officers and men. Of
fine soldierly bearing and a high sense of honor, his presence was calculated to
inspire all with confidence and esteem. A high-toned Christian gentleman, I
believe the universal feeling was that of regret that we had lost so brave,
considerate, and kind a commander." Previous to the war he had held several
offices of honor and responsibility. He was Deputy Attorney-General of Clarion,
McKean, and Elk counties in 1846, a member of the House of Representatives of
Pennsylvania in 1849-'50, Speaker of that body in the latter year, and a
Presidential Elector in 1852, in addition to the judicial position above
noticed. On leaving the service, he resumed the practice of his profession at
Franklin. In 1872 he was a lay representative of the Erie Conference of the
Methodist Protestant Episcopal Church in the General Conference held at
Brooklyn,
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 754
New York. In stature he is above the ordinary height, being six feet two and a
half inches, spare but broad-shouldered, and of fair complexion. He was married
on the 2d of March, 1848, to Elizabeth P. Stekley, of Harrisburg.
DANIEL WHITE MAGRAW, Colonel of the One Hundred and Sixteenth regiment, was born
in the county of Down, Ireland, on the 12th of June, 1839. He was the son of
William and Rachael (Bailey) Magraw, both natives of Ireland. He came with his
parents to this country when only three years of age, and settled in Pittsburg.
He received a good common education in the public schools of that city, and on
the 19th of September, 1859, was married to Miss Sarah J. Matthews. His first
entrance to military service was in August, 1861, as a private, and he was
promoted to Sergeant, Lieutenant, and in March, 1864, to Captain of Company H of
the One Hundred and Sixteenth regiment. In the battle of Fredericksburg he was
severely wounded in the left thigh, losing a portion of the bone. He led his
company through the Wilderness campaign with gallantry, and in November was
promoted to the rank of Major, having especially distinguished himself in the
battles at Deep Bottom and Strawberry Plains. In December he was promoted to
Lieutenant-Colonel. In the action at Gravelly Run, on the 31st of March, 1865,
he received a severe wound in the left leg. He was commissioned Colonel not
long afterwards, and with his regiment was mustered out on the 14th of July
1864.
ELIAS STEVENSON TROXELL, Lieutenant-Colonel of the One Hundred and Fifty-eighth
regiment and Major of the Twenty-second cavalry, was born on the 14th of June,
1824, near Emmittsburg, Maryland. He was the son of Elias and Ruth (Stevenson)
Troxell. His mother, soon after the birth of her son, was left a widow, with
four children dependent upon her for support, with small means beyond her own
exertions. His advantages for gaining an education were, consequently, limited.
But his natural desire to learn, coupled with a strong will, enabled him to
master the elements of a good English education, and to familiarize himself with
general literature. He showed
D. W. MAGRAW - E. S. TROXELL - J. M. WETHERILL - 755
some aptness in composition, and became a contributor to the Flag of our Union.
At the age of twenty-six he removed to Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, where he
married Miss Barbara S. Funk.
He was earnest and active in support of the Government when assailed by armed
rebellion. In October, 1862, he was commissioned Captain in the One Hundred and
Fifty-eighth Pennsylvania regiment, and in November following became Lieutenant-
Colonel. During the winter of 1862-'63 he was stationed with his command at
Newbern, North Carolina. While the movements were in progress, under the
direction of General Prince, for raising the siege of Little Washington, he led
the One Hundred and Fifty-eighth, and displayed energy and courage. He had
embarked his men upon two small steamers in readiness to run up the Pamlico
River, past obstructions and rebel batteries commanding the stream; but was
prevented from undertaking this daring feat by the officers of the squadron, who
was unwilling to trust the lives of the men without protection to such a fire as
they were sure to encounter. He consequently debarked, and took part in the
operations by land for the relief of the garrison. At the conclusion of his
term of service he was mustered out; but in March, 1864, again entered upon
active duty as Major of the Twenty-second cavalry, a three-year regiment which
had just been recruited, and which rendered important service in the Shenandoah
Valley, and in West Virginia, during the campaigns of that and the following
year. In the numerous battles and skirmishes in which Major Troxell was
engaged, he proved himself a reliable and most devoted soldier. He was mustered
out of service finally in October, 1865. At the close of the war he became a
resident of Martinsburg, West Virginia, and was in 1866 elected Clerk of the
Circuit Court of Berkely county. He has been three times in succession elected,
his present term not expiring until January, 1879.
JOHN MACOMB WETHERILL, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Eighty-second regiment, was
born in Philadelphia, on the 11th of February, 1828. He was the son of William
and Isabella (Macomb) Wetherill. He was educated in the schools of the city,
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 756
and at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating at the age of eighteen. He
had a natural liking for military duty, and joined a militia organization in
which he rose to be major, Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel in succession, serving
until the opening of the Civil War. On the 19th of April, 1861, four days after
the call for troops, he was mustered into the service of the United States as
Aide-de-camp, with the rank of Captain, for ninety days, the limit fixed by the
call. At the expiration of this term he was commissioned as Major of the
Eighty-second regiment.
At Fair Oaks, on the 31st of May, this organization had its first experience
of fighting, which indeed proved a baptism of fire. It was here that the enemy
came out in heavy force and struck the division of Casey. The first intimation
had that the enemy was advancing was the passing of a guard having in charge an
aid of Johnston, the rebel General-in-Chief. Soon after, rapid firing gave
token of the opening of the battle. Major Wetherill was in command of the
regiment, which was drawn up on the Nine Mile road. In the progress of the
battle the troops posted here were flanked, and in danger of being cut off by
the yielding of Casey's line. In perfect order, and with the guns of a battery
which the regiment was charged to support under guard, it retired a half mile
and took up a position on the road leading to Grape Vine Bridge. Here it was
attacked by an enemy confident of victory, who was nevertheless repulsed. Seven
times did he come on with ever renewed assurance, and with fresh troops; but
numbers and reckless impetuosity availed not against the valor which fired the
bosoms of the men of the Union on that devoted line. The victory was completed,
and the dead and wounded of the foe upon its front were frightful to behold.
Major Wetherill was warmly complimented for his soldierly conduct on this field.
At Antietam, on the evening after the battle, he was sent forward with his
regiment upon the skirmish line, near the Dunkard Church. The enemy still held
the ground, and kept up a show of strength to cover his retreat. The rebel
sharp-shooters had climbed up into the tall forest trees, and, hidden from view
by the dark foliage, directed an annoying fire
JAMES F. RYAN - 757
upon the men of the Eighty-second. Major Wetherill relaxed not for an instant
the most rigid discipline, and, by a rapid advance on the morning of the 19th,
scattered the enemy, taking one gun and several prisoners. His conduct here was
commended, and he was, in the following June, promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel.
In the battle of Cold Harbor, where the Union army displayed as much stubborn
courage as upon any field of the war, but, alas! to little purpose and with vast
sacrifice, the Eighty-second, unfortunately, had more than its share of danger
to meet, and disaster to endure. In the face of a fire which swept it as with a
flaming sword, it was led on, but, unable to reach the enemy's breastworks, fell
to intrenching, and there passed the remainder of the day and the night
following. At daylight the men were aroused from feverish and troubled rest to
again charge. They had advanced but a few paces when the fire of the enemy
became too terrible to withstand, and they again sank upon the earth for
shelter. By the fall of Colonel Bassett, who commanded the regiment, the charge
of the line fell upon Lieutenant-Colonel Wetherill. The position was a critical
one. Seizing the flag he planted it in the earth and called upon the men to
stand by it. His determined manner inspired confidence and renewed courage, and
by desperate exertions a new protection was thrown up. It is thus that in times
of peril the valor of the leader preserves the morale of his troops, and nerves
the timid, even, to heroic action.
In the engagements before Petersburg, and at Fort Stevens in front of
Washington, when menaced by the legions of Early, Colonel Wetherill led his
command with the steady and resolute courage which had characterized him from
the first. At the expiration of his term of service, on the 16th of September,
1864, he was mustered out. In the Convention of the State, which met in
December, 1872, for the revision of the Constitution, he was a prominent member.
In person he is of medium stature, in health robust, and possessed of a
dignified presence.
JAMES F. RYAN, Major of the Sixty-third regiment, was born in the county of
Clare, Ireland, on the 3d of May, 1824. His parents emigrated to this country
when the son was but a
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 758
year old, and settled in Pottsville, Schuylkill county, but subsequently removed
to Pittsburg. He was early inured to labor, but obtained, in the public and
private schools of that city, a good English education. At the age of seventeen
he was bound an apprentice to the business of tin and sheet iron making. He was
married on the 6th of September, 1853, to Miss Mary McCloskey, of Pittsburg. He
recruited a company for three years' service, of which he was commissioned
Captain, and which became a part of the Sixty-third regiment. He was wounded by
a fragment of shell in the battle of Charles City Cross Roads, but was only off
duty in consequence a single week. At the Second Bull Run he received three
wounds, but fortunately neither proved serious, and he remained on the field,
and upon the fall of superior officers assumed command of the regiment. At
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Wapping Heights, in each of
which he was at his post, he escaped unharmed, though the fighting of the
regiment was desperate. After the battle of Chancellorsville he was warmly
recommended for the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, but the return of officers to
their positions made an adherence to the regular order of promotion imperative.
At the conclusion of his term of service, on the 1st of April, 1864, he was
mustered out, and returned to his home at McKeesport.
THEODORE FREDERICK LEHMANN, Colonel of the One Hundred and Third regiment, was
born in the Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, on the 1st of March, 1812. His father,
Frederick Lehmann, a descendant of an old Hanoverian family, was an officer in
the army for fifty-two years, and participated in the European wars from 1783 to
1815, closing with the battle of Waterloo. His mother was Augusta (Holscher)
Lehmann. He was early put to the primary schools of his country, and was for
several years in the gymnasia and college, which he left at sixteen to enter the
military school. He was in the army for a period of six years. After having
passed through the military school, he entered the Polytechnic, where for
eighteen months he studied languages and the fine arts, giving particular
attention to drawing and painting, for which from childhood he had mani-
THEODORE F. LEHMANN - 759
fested a strong predilection. In 1837 he came to this country and was engaged
in teaching languages, natural sciences, and mathematics, in the city of
Pittsburg.
When the Sixty-second Pennsylvania regiment was organized he was commissioned
Lieutenant-Colonel, and from his thorough military education and training was
able to render important service. In October following, upon the formation of
the One Hundred and Third, he was promoted to be its Colonel. After passing
through the Peninsula campaign his regiment was transferred to the Department of
North Carolina, and during the campaigns of 1863-64 Colonel Lehmann commanded a
brigade. In the unfortunate battle of Plymouth, on the 20th of April, 1864, a
small force of seventeen hundred men was attacked upon the land by a division of
General Pickett, and by water by the rebel iron-clad ram Albemarle. Though
making a stout resistance, inflicting and incurring serious losses, the little
force was finally surrounded, and after expending its ammunition was compelled
to surrender. Colonel Lehmann and nearly his entire regiment were among the
captives. He was confined in rebel prisons, and at Charleston was placed under
fire of the Union guns, which were then employed in bombarding the city.
On the 30th of August following, after a confinement of over four months, he
was exchanged and returned to his regiment. He was assigned to the command of
the sub-district of the Albermarle, North Carolina, with head-quarters at
Roanoke Island, which position he held until the surrender of Lee. After the
close of the war he returned to his home in Pittsburg, and was made President of
the Western Pennsylvania Military Academy. Colonel Lehmann was a man of a quiet
and unobtrusive demeanor, little given to that sociality which in army life was
often the avenue to applause and even promotion. It was facetiously told that
he was once very near being recommended - after making a handsome bayonet charge
and dislodging the enemy - for a promotion; but it turned out that somebody else
was recommended in his place for gallant conduct, and was made a Brigadier-
General. When spoken to upon the subject, Lehmann said he was glad of it; for
the poor fellow was sick at the time the assault was made, in an ambulance three
miles
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 760
to the rear, and that the news of his promotion made him quite well.
He has been three times married: in 1835 to Mlle. Adile C. Blie, in Nantes,
France; in 1842 to Miss Kate McMurtry, of Kentucky, a grand-niece of Governor
Madison of that State; and in 1857 to Miss Frances M. Lloyd, of Cincinnati. In
person he is full six feet in height, and of an iron frame, capable of
withstanding much privation and exposure. He has been a close student all his
life, his habit of early rising and of strict temperance contributing to give
him great power of endurance.
HIRAM C. ALLEMAN, Lieutenant-Colonel of the One Hundred and Twenty-seventh
regiment, and Colonel of the Thirty-sixth militia, was born in Highspire,
Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, on the 15th of September, 1836. He was the son of
Conrad and Rebecca (Cassel) Alleman, both natives of that county. He received a
liberal education, at Dickinson College. He was, however, prevented from
graduating in consequence of continued delicate health. He read law with Hon.
John Adams Fisher, of Harrisburg, and was admitted to the bar during his
minority. He opened his first law-office in the neighboring town of York. His
studious habits, affability and energy, and more than all his integrity and
constant attention to business, soon brought him into notice; while his devotion
to his clients gained him practice. He early manifested a laudable political
ambition, but found himself in a district overwhelmingly against him in
sentiment. He was, however, from the first recognized as a leader by his own
party, having twice represented it in State conventions, and received a highly
complimentary vote as its candidate for District Attorney.
Returning to his native county, he established himself in Harrisburg, and at
once entered upon a successful practice. He found here the dominant party in
accord with his own convictions, and for two terms filled the office of County
Solicitor. At the breaking out of the Rebellion, he unhesitatingly relinquished
his profession and enrolled himself as a private in the Lochiel Grays of
Harrisburg. He was shortly afterwards elected and commissioned First Lieutenant
of the Verbeke Rifles, which became
HIRAM C. ALLEMAN - 761
Company E of the Fifteenth regiment. Having received no military education, he
applied himself assiduously to drill and the study of military tactics. On the
1st of May he was detailed as Post Adjutant of Camp Curtin; but accompanied his
regiment when it moved to the front, and served with it until the expiration of
its term of three months, although he was Judge Advocate of a Division Court
Martial, and filled the position creditably during most of this time. His first
field service was at the battle of Falling Waters, on the 1st of July, 1861,
where the enemy was driven.
On being mustered out he resumed his law practice, but was soon after tendered
the appointment of Major of the Ninety-third regiment. He assisted in
organizing it, but declined the appointment as one of its officers. He,
however, continued to take an active part in the recruiting service, canvassing
his native county at his own expense, and arousing the masses by persuasive
words. In August, 1862, he was commissioned Captain of Company D of the One
Hundred and Twenty-seventh regiment. When the regimental organization was
formed he was made Lieutenant-Colonel. In this capacity he exhibited fine
administrative ability, and was regarded as an able and efficient officer. In
consequence of the assignment, temporarily, of the Colonel to the command of a
brigade, and of his absence on account of wounds, Lieutenant-Colonel Alleman was
in full command of the regiment for a considerable part of its service, and with
it participated in the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, in both
of which he was wounded. Early in the former engagement Colonel Jennings fell,
and Alleman at once assumed command. For three days the position in front of
the enemy, in rear of the town, was maintained. Late on the evening of the
15th, the last day, while holding the advanced skirmish line, he was struck by a
fragment of a shell on the right knee. He was soon after offered a staff
position by a corps commander; but declined it, preferring to remain with his
regiment.
While in camp at Falmouth he was prostrated by a fever, and was tendered a
leave of absence by General Burnside, then in command of the Army of the
Potomac; but anxious to keep the field, he refused to accept it. As general
officer of the picket
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 762
line extending from the Lacy House to United States Ford, he made the first
discovery and gave the first information to General Hooker, then at
Chancellorsville, of the evacuation of Fredericksburg and the heights in its
rear. Immediate orders were telegraphed to General Gibbon to throw his division
across the Rappahannock, and occupy the town. Preparations were at once
commenced for laying a pontoon bridge; but the enemy had a strong body of
sharpshooters well posted and intrenched, who kept up a deadly fire, which so
thinned the ranks of the working parties as to check their operations. At this
juncture Lieutenant-Colonel Alleman was detailed to complete it, and though with
the loss of many men, the bridge was laid by daylight of Sunday morning, May 3d.
He reported his success, and asked to be relieved of staff duty, that he might
be with his regiment in the impending battle. After paying him a merited
compliment, General Gibbon granted his request. The troops were at once put in
motion, and were hurried forward in pursuit of the enemy. In the fighting which
ensued, while leading a wing of his regiment in a charge upon a rebel battery,
he was struck by a partially spent solid shot, which fractured the ribs of the
left side. After dislodging the enemy, the brigade was ordered back to hold
Fredericksburg. Though suffering, he volunteered to guard the bridge, and held
it until the entire command had recrossed the Rappahannock. With his regiment
he was mustered out of service, and was presented upon the occasion with a
costly and beautiful sword, studded with jewels, bearing the inscription:
"Presented to Lieutenant-Colonel H. C. Alleman by the non-commissioned officers
and privates of the One Hundred and Twenty-seventh regiment, as a token of their
esteem."
Upon the advance of Lee into Pennsylvania, in June, 1863, he recruited the
Thirty-sixth militia regiment, and was appointed its Colonel. Under orders of
General Couch, then at the head of the Department of the Susquehanna, he marched
his command to the gory field of Gettysburg, and upon his arrival was made
Military Governor of the town and the surrounding battle-field, including all
the hospitals and rebel camps. His duties here were arduous and responsible.
His efficiency and success were
HIRAM C. ALLEMAN - 763
highly appreciated by the authorities at Washington, and so popular was his
administration with the people of Gettysburg that upon his retirement they
united in presenting him an address of thanks.
In the meantime he had been elected a member of the Legislature from Dauphin
county. He was returned the following year, and held a prominent rank both as a
debater and a working member. He was placed upon important committees, and was
chairman of that on Federal Relations, New Counties, and Inaugural Ceremonies.
After leaving the Legislature he was appointed Bank Commissioner, and as
delegate to the Chicago National Convention was chairman of the committee from
the Soldiers' Convention, and presented the resolutions of that body to General
Grant, the nominee for the Presidency.
In November, 1867, he removed to Philadelphia, where he established himself in
his profession. In person he is five feet seven inches in height, of slender
frame, and of a highly sensitive and nervous temperament. His habits are
strictly temperate, he never having indulged in the use of spirituous liquors,
of tobacco in any form, or of any exciting beverage. So far did he carry his
opposition to a whiskey ration in the army that he tendered his resignation
rather than order one to his men, when directed to do so by a general order.
His business capacity is remarkable. He is strong in his attachments, and
prompt and punctual in all his engagements. In the army he was a good
disciplinarian, and his example had a telling effect upon his command. He was
mild, yet firm; considerate in issuing orders, but strict in requiring their
implicit obedience. He was married on the 7th of February, 1872, to Miss Emma
S. Helmick, daughter of the Hon. William Helmick, of Washington, D. C., formerly
member of Congress from Ohio. In the spring of 1873, he was appointed Attorney
of the United States for Colorado. By a subsequent enactment of the Territorial
Legislature he is constituted Attorney-General, which office he now exercises,
residing in the city of Denver.
He had two brothers in the service - an elder, whose career is traced in this
volume, and a younger, Silas Horace Alleman, who enlisted at the age of sixteen,
leaving school for the purpose,
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 764
and performed important service on the staff of the Colonel in charge of rebel
prisoners on their way to Fort Hamilton, Fort Mifflin, and Fort McHenry, as they
were dispatched from the field of Gettysburg. After the war he was appointed,
by Governor Geary, Inspector-General with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, upon
the staff of Major-General Jordan. He was afterwards detailed for active duty
upon the staff of Governor Geary, by whom he was ordered to take command of the
troops of the Fifth division of the State militia and proceed to Williamsport,
in July, 1872, to quell a threatened riot. He was there placed in command of
all the military, by order of Major-General Merrill, in which position he
acquitted himself with much credit. He has since settled in Denver, Colorado,
where he is engaged in the practice of the law, and as Assistant United States
Attorney.
MICHAEL KERWIN, Colonel of the Thirteenth cavalry, was born on the 15th of
August, 1837, in the county of Warford, Ireland, from which place his family
emigrated during his early boyhood to America. He was educated in a private
academy in the city of Philadelphia, and in youth learned the business of a
lithograph printer. Of a studious turn of mind, he early acquired a good fund
of general information. He was a member for several years of a volunteer
militia company, in which he attained considerable knowledge of military
organization and duty.
Three days after the call for troops, in April, 1861, he volunteered as a
private in the Twenty-fourth regiment for three months' service. This
organization formed part of Patterson's army, with which he advanced into
Virginia. Before crossing the Potomac, where it was known the enemy was present
in considerable force, it became very important to the Union leader that he
should know what troops he would have to meet. Some reliable soldier was sought
who should enter the rebel lines and gather the desired information. For this
dangerous and important duty Kerwin volunteered his services. Full well he knew
that, should he be discovered, death upon the gibbet awaited him. But he was
not of the temper to hesitate when called for any duty which his country might
demand. Adopting the
MICHAEL KERWIN - 765
necessary disguise he crossed the river, went freely through the enemy's camps,
which he found near Martinsburg, and after making an estimate of the number of
men and guns, and outlines of fortifications, returned and reported to General
Negley, then in command of the brigade to which he belonged. The successful
manner in which this duty was performed, and the judgment and daring which he
displayed in executing it, marked him as worthy of a better rank than that of
bearing the musket.
In September of this year, after having been discharged at the expiration of
his first term, he was commissioned Captain in the Thirteenth cavalry, and in
July following was promoted to Major. During the 12th, 13th 14th and 15th days
of June, 1863, when Milroy's little force, in which the Thirteenth was serving,
was confronted and finally routed by the advance of Lee's entire army, Major
Kerwin, at the head of his regiment, rendered important service, having frequent
conflicts with the over-confident rebel horse. After leaving the Valley, the
regiment was attached to the Army of the Potomac, when Major Kerwin was promoted
to Colonel and took command of the regiment. On the 12th of October, while on
the advance picket line near the White Sulphur Springs, he was suddenly attacked
by a heavy force of the rebel army, Lee seeking by a sudden movement to turn the
Union right. Colonel Kerwin with his own, in connection with the Fourth
cavalry, combated the head of Ewell's columns for six long hours, giving time
for Meade to recross the Rappahannock and get his army into position to
checkmate the wily scheme of the rebel chieftain. Gallantly was this duty
executed, but at the sacrifice of these two noble commands, large numbers of
both being killed, wounded, and taken prisoners.
During the year 1864, Colonel Kerwin led his forces with Sheridan in his
operations with the Army of the Potomac, for a time being in command of the
Second brigade of Gregg's division. In February, 1865, he went with his
regiment from before Petersburg to City Point, where he proceeded by transport
to Wilmington, North Carolina, to meet Sherman, who was marching up from
Georgia. On joining the grand column at Fayetteville, Colonel Kerwin was
assigned to the command of the Third brigade of Kilpatrick's division. After
the surrender of Johnston,
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 766
Colonel Kerwin was ordered to Fayetteville with his regiment, and placed in
command of the post. He had seven counties under his control, and managed the
affairs of his department with singular skill and ability. After the conclusion
of hostilities he returned to Philadelphia, where, near the close of July, he
was mustered out of service, having been on duty continuously from the opening
to the conclusion of the war.
JOHN P. NICHOLSON, Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel of the Twenty-eighth regiment, was
born on the 4th of July, 1842, in Philadelphia. He enlisted as a private in
that regiment in June, 1861, but was soon afterwards promoted to Sergeant. In
July, 1862, he was advanced to First Lieutenant, and detailed as regimental
Quartermaster. In December, 1862, he was assigned as Quartermaster of the First
brigade, Second division, Twelfth corps, and was promoted to Captain for
faithful and meritorious services. He was likewise advanced to the grades of
Brevet Major and Lieutenant-Colonel for his services in the Savannah and
Carolina campaign, and during the war. Colonel Nicholson won the confidence of
his superior officers in a remarkable degree, being commended by Sherman,
McClellan, Slocum, Hooker, Greene, Ruger, Tyndale and others, and from the first
to the last day of his service was constant and unremitting in his attention to
duty. He was mustered out on the 6th of August, 1865.
JOHN WILSON PHILLIPS, Colonel of the Eighteenth cavalry, was born on the 1st of
July, 1837, in Wilson county, Tennessee. His father, William Phillips, was a
native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, where the family had long resided.
The old burying ground, near the little village of Library, where he was bred,
shows a large number of his name and family buried there, and many others still
live in the vicinage. His mother was Nancy Waters, a native of Shenandoah
county, Virginia. His youth was passed upon a farm, working in the summer time
and attending school in the winter. Until the age of twenty he was instructed
in the schools and academies of Tennessee, when he entered Allegheny College at
Meadville, and graduated in the
JOHN P. NICHOLSON - JOHN W. PHILLIPS - 767
class of 1860. His tastes were literary, and soon after graduating he commenced
the study of law in the city of Meadville with Hiram L. Richmond.
Seeing the war fully inaugurated, and no prospect of a speedy termination, he
determined to devote himself unreservedly to the supremacy of the National
Government over its entire territory, and laying aside his books commenced
recruiting for a cavalry company, in which he was assisted by James W. Smith,
Thomas J. Grier, and David T. McKay. It was speedily filled, and became Company
B of the Eighteenth Pennsylvania cavalry, of which Phillips was commissioned
Captain. The first field duty was upon the picket line in Virginia before the
defences of Washington, where Moseby, and a class of bushwhackers - unscrupulous
as they were cruel - had their haunts, and the service was in no way agreeable
or honor-provoking. When the army moved northward on the Gettysburg campaign,
Kilpatrick's division of cavalry, to which this regiment belonged, was in the
advance upon the right of the column. At Hanover, Pennsylvania, the rebel
cavalry under Stuart was met and a sharp skirmish ensued, which lasted until
nightfall, when the enemy retired. In the battle of Gettysburg Kilpatrick
occupied a position on the Union left beyond Round Top, where the Eighteenth was
hotly engaged, and where the commander of the brigade, Colonel Farnsworth, was
killed. Captain Phillips was here slightly wounded in the head but not
disabled. As soon as it was known that the rebels were retreating, Kilpatrick,
by a rapid march, turned their right flank and came in upon their trains near
Monterey Springs, routing the guard, capturing and destroying many wagons, and
bearing away two of their guns with some prisoners. At Hagerstown Kilpatrick
again fought the enemy's cavalry, and held the town until the arrival of Lee's
infantry in force, when he was obliged to retire. In this engagement Captain
Phillips led a battalion in a charge through the town in a most gallant manner,
driving the enemy, and making some captures, but losing heavily. In the
campaign which followed, and which closed the operations of the year, he
participated, being subjected to much hard riding and frequent collisions with
the enemy.
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 768
In the first day in the Wilderness, in May, 1864, Major Phillips, who had a
few weeks previous received his promotion, was slightly wounded in the side, but
kept the field. When General Wilson, who commanded the division, found himself
in the midst of heavy masses of the enemy's infantry, he ordered a retreat; but
left the Eighteenth to keep up a show of resistance until the main body could be
brought out. For a half hour it faced a foe swarming at every approach, and its
escape seemed utterly hopeless. But when the time had fully expired, a dash was
made and the way forced. Major Phillips and his associates were highly
complimented by General Wilson for their skill in this action. He participated
in the raid upon the enemy's communications, and in the battles at the defences
of Richmond. At Hanover Court House, on the 31st of May, where the enemy under
Fitz Hugh Lee was found in possession of the town, and advantageously posted
behind barricades, a charge was made by the Eighteenth led by Colonel Brinton
and Major Phillips, before which the enemy was driven. Major Phillips was
struck in the midst of the charge by a spent ball, but kept the field and shared
in the triumphal issue.
Not long after reaching the James, General Sheridan was sent to the Shenandoah
Valley, and with him went the Eighteenth. A campaign of unexampled activity and
glory followed, in which Major Phillips bore an important and honorable part.
In the battle of Winchester, on the 19th, his regiment charged the rebel
infantry in a commanding position covered by breastworks, and in less time than
it takes to tell the story had routed and driven them in confusion. At Front
Royal, in the Luray Valley, Waynesboro, and Bridgewater, the blows of Sheridan
were dealt with a rapidity and stunning effect which scarcely gave his adversary
time to take breath. In the retreat from Harrisonburg, during the 7th and 8th
of October, where Major Phillips was in command, the fighting on the part of the
cavalry was without cessation; but on the 9th, having drawn the enemy on
sufficiently far, Wilson's division turned upon him and defeated him, capturing
six pieces of artillery and many prisoners. In the battle of Cedar Creek, on
the 19th of October, that single division was accredited with bringing in and
turning over to the proper
DAVID McM. GREGG - 769
authorities fifty-one guns and caissons. At this place, nearly a month later,
the enemy's cavalry, after having routed one of the brigades of the division
moving on a parallel road, came in upon the other unawares, and by a sudden dash
succeeded in capturing Major Phillips and a small squadron of his men. He was
taken to Richmond and was confined for a period of over three months in a cell
of Libby Prison. After his release he rejoined his regiment, having in the
meantime been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, and participated in the battles at
Staunton and Bridgewater, where Early's forces were captured. This
substantially ended the war in the Valley, and the hard fighting of the
regiment.
After leaving the army Colonel Phillips returned to his old home in Tennessee,
and commenced the practice of his profession. He was elected Judge of the
Seventh Judicial circuit of the State in 1868, in which capacity he served a
period of three years. In the summer of 1873 he removed to the city of St.
Louis, where he at present resides. He was married on the 20th of September,
1862, to Miss Hannorah A. Pickett, of Andover, Ohio. In person he is five feet
ten inches in height, broad-shouldered, but of slender build, with more of the
air of the scholar than the soldier. But the testimony of all who knew him
while in the army unites in attributing to him the very highest qualities of an
officer - considerate of his men, cool in the most trying positions, and brave
to a fault.
DAVID McM. GREGG, Colonel of the Eighth cavalry, and Brevet Major-General, was
born on the 10th of April, 1833, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He was educated
at West Point, graduating in 1855. He entered the service in the First
dragoons, in which he served in the campaigns against the Indians in Washington
and Oregon in 1858-'60. On the 14th of May, 1861, he was promoted to Captain in
the Sixth United States cavalry, and in January, 1862, to Colonel of the Eighth
Pennsylvania cavalry. His thorough training and active experience in Indian
warfare had prepared him for the work of disciplining the regiment which fell
under his charge. He went with McClellan to the Peninsula, and was constantly
at the
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 770
front, always ready to meet the foe, and frequently engaging him as the army
neared Richmond. When the retreat to the James commenced he was left upon the
Chickahominy to dispute the passage, and delay the advance of the rebels.
During the Maryland campaign he was kept upon the right flank of the army, and
made a reconnaissance to Gettysburg. After the battle of Antietam, he crossed
the Potomac, and at Philomont had a sharp engagement on the 1st of November,
which lasted the whole day.
At the passes of the Blue Ridge the cavalry had frequent encounters, beating
back the enemy and confining his way of retreat to the Shenandoah Valley. When
General Bayard fell at Fredericksburg, Gregg was designated to succeed him in
command of the division. In the battle of Brandy Station the cavalry was more
than matched by the rebel forces until Gregg advanced from Kelly's Ford, and,
striking Stuart upon his left flank, saved the day, and turned what would have
otherwise resulted in disaster into victory. In the Gettysburg campaign he
again had the advance, and at Aldie and Middleburg executed fine strategy,
charging by regiments, pushing Stuart from hill to hill - occupying with his
batteries the positions which had been held by Stuart's artillery only a few
moments before - and driving him behind his infantry reserves into Ashby's Gap,
in a brilliant running fight. At Hanover, on the 30th of June, he again met and
drove Stuart, preventing his joining Lee in the battle of Gettysburg, which
opened on the following day. In that great battle it was given Gregg to guard
the right flank, and with a master hand was the duty performed. The enemy made
vigorous and persistent efforts to turn that flank and come in upon the Union
rear; but in every attempt he was foiled and routed. "If once during that day,"
says Pyne in his First New Jersey, "the frequent charges of the rebel cavalry
had broken through the line formed by our men - if those five thousand troopers
had swept around the rear of our position, and taken our infantry in reverse -
the furious attack of Longstreet would have surged like a wave over the crest of
Cemetery Hill, and the Army of the Potomac existed but as a memory. To the
moral courage of that calm and unostentatious soldier, General Gregg,
DAVID McM. GREGG - 771
and to the enthusiastic bravery of the men of his command, is due a share of the
honor in that day's victory."
The fight at Bristoe Station, on the 14th of October, which won for General
Warren his name, was opened by General Gregg at Auburn, two or three miles
distant, where he hotly contested Lee's advance for several hours, before the
infantry of Warren had fired a gun. In Warren's front and upon his flank and
rear, the horse of Gregg were engaged during the whole day, and until the enemy
could only be distinguished by the flash of his guns. In his report of the
battle Warren failed to mention Gregg, a mistake into which General Meade was
led, but which he corrected in a supplemental order. Upon the opening of the
spring campaign of 1864, Gregg led his division in the advance across the
Rapidan, and pushed on towards Richmond, being engaged at Todd's Tavern, Meadow
Bridge, and upon his return at Hawes' shop, where the enemy attacked with
cavalry and mounted infantry; but here, as in every other place where great
difficulties surrounded him, he displayed rare courage and unyielding tenacity,
beating back the foe in every assault. In the sanguinary battle at Cold Harbor,
on the 1st of June, the left flank of the army was protected by the cavalry
under Gregg, averting the blow which was aimed at its vital part. In the raid
upon Lynchburg, which terminated at Trevilian Station, he was warmly engaged.
Upon his return he was given the lead in the march from White House to the
James, the cavalry being charged with the care of the wagon train of the whole
army in its passage thither. At St. Mary's Church, on the 24th of June, the
enemy was met in heavy force in the act of fortifying. Supposing that
Sheridan's whole corps was before him, the foe was wary, intent on achieving a
victory, and capturing the whole immense train. Gregg knew his inability to
hold his own in a fair fight, where the odds were so great against him. He
instantly sent couriers to Sheridan for aid. But they all fell into the enemy's
hands, the dispatches disclosing the weakness of Gregg's column. Emboldened by
this knowledge, Hampton, who commanded the enemy, came out from his
intrenchments and assumed the offensive. With a stubbornness rarely equaled
Gregg contested the ground, falling back slowly,
MARTIAL DEEDS OF PENNSYLVANIA - 772
every moment in anticipation of receiving reinforcements; but none came, and
during that whole fearful day he was left to combat with thrice his numbers.
Finally, towards evening, he took a strong position which he held, having saved
all his material and brought off his command unbroken. "His management of the
fight at St. Mary's Church," says an officer who is no less a soldier than a
critic, "was the perfection of art in his profession." For his gallantry here
he was brevetted Major-General of volunteers.
After Sheridan went to the Shenandoah Valley, General Gregg was placed in
chief command of all the cavalry in the Army of the Potomac. At Deep Bottom,
the Darbytown road, Boydton Plank Road, and Ream's Station, Gregg wielded the
cavalry arm with that skill and vigor which had won for him from the first the
title of a consummate leader. In the latter engagement his troops held their
ground and were reported to General Hancock as ready for an advance, when Miles
and Gibbon, who had been subjected to the same attack, had been driven to the
rear with the loss of a battery. On the 3d of February, 1865, he resigned, and
since the war has been engaged in the delightful occupation of horticulture in
Delaware. Major J. Edward Carpenter, himself a fearless soldier, who made the
ever memorable charge at Chancellorsville with the gallant Keenan, says of
General Gregg: "To him the regiment owed everything. His modesty kept him from
the notoriety that many gained through the newspapers; but in the army the
testimony of all officers who knew him was the same. Brave, prudent, dashing
when occasion required dash, and firm as a rock, he was looked upon, both as a
regimental commander and afterwards as Major-General, as a man in whose hands
any troops were safe."