Hundreds travel to Gettysburg to pay tribute to their ancestors at the battle’s 150th celebration.
The July 2013 commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg has been the high point of the sesquicentennial thus far. An estimated 300,000-plus travelers came to Gettysburg, Pa., from June 29 through July 7 to attend museum and movie openings, observe living historians re-create camp life and battlefield maneuvers, and enjoy National Park Service tours and programs.
Many visitors knew of ancestors who had fought in the war’s largest battle. Eager to hear their stories, Violet Snow donned a handmade sign asking people to talk to her about their forebears. Her interviews reveal that, despite the diaspora of the postwar years, the conflict still triggers emotions on both sides: Ohioans eulogize Virginia infantrymen, for example, while a Virginian pays homage to his Pennsylvania roots.
Some soldiers survived the three-day struggle in Gettysburg, but others were not so lucky, joining the 50,000 casualties who lay dead on the field or suffering in ad hoc hospitals after the battle. Thanks to an encounter with Snow, the sesquicentennial pilgrims she met got the chance to talk about the sacrifices made by mostly anonymous veterans. It’s nice to see they have not been forgotten.
John Bowen Somersfield, N.H.
Related to John C. Bowen 1st Maine Cavalry
JOHN BOWEN had several relatives who fought for the Union. John C. Bowen, his great-grandfather’s brother, enlisted in the 1st Maine Cavalry at age 18 and was attached to the 2nd Division of the Army of the Potomac’s Cavalry Corps, which fought in the eastern quadrant at Gettysburg, keeping Confederate Maj. Gen. Jeb Stuart’s troopers occupied during Pickett’s Charge on July 3. Years ago, John contacted the National Archives to research the service records of John C., his younger brother Howard (a drummer boy in the 30th Maine Infantry) and their father, Jacob, of the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery. “I wanted to be here for the 150th anniversary because John went to the 50th,” Bowen said. John C. was later stationed in Washington, D.C., where he may have had some contact with Abraham Lincoln, and he was at Appomattox in April 1865 and may well have seen Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee and other luminaries. After the war, John C. became the police chief in Bangor, Maine.
Melissa Kistler-Wells Sandusky, Ohio
Related to Roland Miller 25th Ohio Infantry
MELISSA KISTLER-WELLS child, and was inspired to return after she attended a Civil War living history session at a nearby visited Gettysburg as a veteran’s home. She had already planned a trip with her family to the battle’s sesquicentennial even before she found out that she was a descendant of a soldier who had fought there.
As Melissa was set to leave for Pennsylvania with her husband and two children, a cousin informed her she was the great-great-great-granddaughter of Roland Miller, a member of the 25th Ohio Infantry in the Union XI Corps. Miller’s toe was shot off during the fighting at Gettysburg, which, Melissa noted, “probably saved his life,” since he was dismissed from the Army and subsequently missed his regiment’s arduous service in South Carolina.
The unsuspected connection made this past summer’s trip more meaningful for Melissa, who said she intended to find the regiment’s monument at Gettysburg (the 25th actually has two monuments on the battlefield, sharing both with the 75th Ohio: one on Howard Avenue on Barlow’s Knoll, the other on Wainwright Avenue on Cemetery Hill).
James Mitchell Kent, Ohio
Sean Mitchell Kent, Ohio
Related to Thomas Wilson 25th Virginia Infantry
WHENEVER JAMES MITCHELL AND HIS SON SEAN travel to Gettysburg, they make the trek up Culp’s Hill to honor the service of James’ great- great-great-grandfather, Thomas Wilson of the 25th Virginia Infantry. Wilson survived the fighting at Culp’s Hill unscathed, but was captured at Spotsylvania Court House in May 1864. He spent the last year of war in a prison camp at Elmira, N.Y.
“It’s humbling to realize these guys did this with people shooting at them, in the heat of the summer, dressed in their hot uniforms—and they still did it,” said James. “They were unsuccessful at taking Culp’s Hill, but they gave it a shot. I have a soft spot for them.”
James has researched his Civil War ancestors since he was a teenager and has traveled to a number of battlefields to track down where his relatives—farmers who did not own slaves—served. In the process he learned that Thomas’ brother, Robert, who was wounded in the thigh at Gettysburg, suffered a broken femur and was captured on July 5. Exchanged because of his wound, Robert was sent back to Virginia, where he was put on recruiting duty.
Fascinated by history like his father, 13-year-old Sean is a writer. He wants to pen a story about Wilson and his four brothers, who all served with the 25th Virginia. One of the brothers was killed earlier in the war, but the other three fought at Gettysburg. The Mitchells have been helped in their research by a book about the regiment that has a roster of the 25th’s soldiers, including birth and death dates, battles fought and other details. “You can read about how they went up Culp’s Hill and the injuries they had,” said Sean. “But the hard part is knowing how they felt and what they did in their free time.”
William W. Coe Gettysburg, Pa.
Related to William W. Coe 21st North Carolina Infantry
WILLIAM W. COE didn’t have to travel far to partake in the 150th commemoration. A Gettysburg resident, he is a reenactor who portrays his great-great- uncle in the 21st North Carolina Infantry, also named William W. Coe. His Tar Heel State ancestor, who stood only 5 feet 4 and was nicknamed “Little Billy Coe,” was wounded on Cemetery Hill on July 2, likely hit by cannon canister or shrapnel. Coe, who was wounded in both eyes and lost a leg, died in a Gettysburg hospital on September 17.
The modern-day Coe, who formerly worked as a correctional officer in Bordentown, N.J., is glad to portray his ancestor, saying: “I want his name to live. Also we have to remember where this country came from in order to make it better.”
The high point of the sesquicentennial week for Coe came when he and a friend, wearing their Civil War uniforms, stood on Cemetery Hill on the evening of July 2, about the time of the battle. A spectator captured a photo of the two of them with a double rainbow overhead (above). That remarkable image brought tears to Coe’s eyes. “It justified my moving here when I retired,” he said.
Nancy Webster Wallingford, Pa.
Elizabeth Webster-Mulgrew Upper Darby, Pa.
Related to Lt. Col. John Calvin Owen Redington 60th New York Infantry
NANCY WEBSTER AND HER SISTER ELIZABETH WEBSTER-MULGREW of Pennsylvania gathered eight family members at Culp’s Hill to honor the memory of their ancestor, Lt. Col. John Calvin Owen Redington. The son of a Presbyterian minister, of Redington fought with the 60th New York Infantry, which came from St. Lawrence County on the northern edge of the Adirondack Mountains.
At Culp’s Hill, Redington directed the building of defensive breastworks that proved to be so effective other officers were convinced he had trained at West Point, Nancy pointed out, adding, “Actually, he was a surveyor in the Adirondacks, and his men were lumberjacks and farmers, so they knew just what to do.” She also said Redington’s leadership of a group of skirmishers caused Confederate Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell to believe that Union forces at Culp’s Hill were larger than they were, contributing to Ewell’s delay in assaulting the hill until after Union reinforcements were able to arrive.
On the evening of July 1, Redington was wounded by friendly fire. He walked three miles to a field hospital, where he was treated, then walked three miles back to his unit—in time for the next day’s battle. He fought until he passed out, Nancy said.
After the war, he never applied for a pension. Though he had planned to become a minister, he found that could not stand for long periods of time, due to his wounds. Instead, he sold musical instruments, wrote hymns and published a magazine called the Acme Haversack, a collection of patriotic songs, poems and stories about Civil War soldiers.
Tim McCuin Alexandria, Va.
Related to Joseph M. Johnston 91st Pennsylvania Infantry
TOM MCCUIN of Alexandria, Va., is the great-great-great-grandson of Joseph M. Johnston of the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry, which fought on July 2 at Little Round Top with Brig. Gen. Stephen Weed’s 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, V Corps. “He was born in Ireland, and he came to Philadelphia in 1849,” McCuin explained. “After Gettysburg, he was a hospital cook and then a company commander’s cook.”
Johnston began a tradition of military service in his family. McCuin served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and one in Bosnia.
Kim Alloway Lansdale, Pa.
Related to Richard Ewell
KIM ALLOWAY is related to Confederate General Richard Ewell, who took over a portion of Stonewall Jackson’s command upon Jackson’s death after the Battle of Chancellorsville. “He was one of Lee’s main generals,” Kim said. “At Gettysburg, on the first day, he had the option to take the high ground on Cemetery Hill, and he didn’t. He decided to rest and take it in the morning on the following day. As a Northerner, yes, I’m related to a Confederate general, but he’s partly responsible for the Confederate loss.”
Ewell, who was Kim’s great-great-great-uncle, lost his left leg at the Second Battle of Manassas and used a wooden replica for the rest of his life. He survived the war but never had children.
Vicki McCartney Pittsburgh, Pa.
Kimberly Gallagher Pittsburgh, Pa.
Related to Capt. Edward Wright 62nd Pennsylvania Infantry
VICKI MCCARTNEY AND HER SISTER, KIMBERLY GALLAGHER, are descendants of Captain Edward Wright, who fought with the 62nd Pennsylvania Infantry on July 2 in the notorious Wheatfield. Wright mustered in on July 4, 1861, when he was leading a group of Hibernians, members of the Irish fraternal order, in an Independence Day parade. Colonel Elmer Ellsworth’s Zouave drill team had visited Pittsburgh in 1860, and the buzz attending their performance helped spark enlistments in 1861. Wright, known for his leadership skills, was asked to assist in recruiting. The men he recruited were placed in the 62nd, with Wright commissioned as the regiment’s captain. Wright survived the carnage in the Wheatfield and was later sent back to Pittsburgh to serve as warden of the city’s Confederate prison. In that role, he called for more humane treatment of the prisoners.
Vicki said she “felt very emotional” when she saw the 62nd Pennsylvania monument during her visit.
INTERVIEWER VIOLET SNOW of Phoenicia, N.Y., also had ancestors at Gettysburg: “Several second cousins of my third-great-grandfather enlisted in the 20th Connecticut and fought in the battle. After I interviewed most of the people quoted here, I discovered that the 20th had been at Culp’s Hill, lined up against General Richard Ewell’s troops. One of my relatives, Corporal Joel C. Dickerman, was wounded on July 3 and died in a field hospital the next day. I found his grave at the Gettysburg cemetery. I shed a tear for him and buried a 2012 penny next to his gravestone.
“Captain Ezra Dickerman was seriously wounded at Chancellorsville. Two months later, he was at Gettysburg. This was a man who originally considered fleeing to Canada when the war broke out. He survived Culp’s Hill but was wounded again near the start of Sherman’s March to the Sea. He recovered enough to return home and father two children, but died in 1867 as a result of his wounds.”
Originally published in the December 2013 issue of Civil War Times. To subscribe, click here.
