FOUND: Col. Hambright's 1863 Presentation Sword

This post is written with a special thanks to Maureen Lane and Maddie Frye of the Phillips Museum of Art for their kind help in allowing me to visit the archives to see the sword and to Rick Abel for the clues that he dug up from over twenty years ago.   

Presentation Sword, Sash, and Belt of Col. Henry A. Hambright
Phillips Museum of Art, Franklin and Marshall College

It's hard to think of an artifact that better facilitates telling the story of Lancaster and the Civil War than a presentation sword that the non-commissioned men and officers of the 79th Pennsylvania purchased and presented to Col. Henry A. Hambright in May 1863.  As far as I'm aware, that sword has never been displayed publicly since it left Hambright's possession.  On Monday morning, I got to see that sword for my first time when local collector Rick Abel and I visited the Phillips Museum of Art at Franklin and Marshall College.

Col. Henry A. Hambright
(No Backmark)
Richard Abel Collection

I had actually known of the sword's existence for a while due to its being mentioned in a law journal summary of a dispute over Hambright's estate and money for his wife, who was declared a lunatic in the days after her husband's death [PA State Reports, v. 169, p. 57].  Specifically, his presentation sword was left to the Lancaster Linnaean Society, whose collection became part of Franklin and Marshall College (and largely ended up as the North Museum).  The sword's fate was unclear, however, through the institutional transitions over the twentieth century.  When I met with Rick Abel in December 2011, he mentioned that he had seen it in the basement of one of F&M's buildings under an inch of dust in the early 1990s.  I sent emails out to various people at F&M who I thought might know something about the sword, and Maureen Lane, curator of the Phillips Museum of Art, responded saying she might know something about it.  We set up an appointment, and the sword and case were out and waiting for Rick and me when we arrived!  (I wish all historical mysteries were this easy to solve and all museums were this helpful.) 

Going back to 1863, the sword's story begins with widespread acclaim for Col. Hambright's leadership of the regiment through its first battles at Perryville and Stones River.  It is unknown when the effort to purchase a presentation sword for Hambright began, but his two-week furlough in April 1863 visit to Lancaster certainly would have provided a convenient time for the effort to get underway.  The non-commissioned officers and men of the 79th Pennsylvania pooled together money to buy the sword as a testament of respect for their colonel.  The sword arrived in camp and was presented to Hambright in a special ceremony on May 27, 1863.  Sergt. Sigmund E. Wisner described the sword and accompanying items in a letter to the Weekly Mariettian [6/13/1863]:

The non-commissioned officers and privates of the 79th have purchased a magnificent sword, accompanied with a belt, sash, set of spurs, and a pair of gauntlets, for Col. Hambright. The whole is enclosed in a rose-wood box, and is valued at nearly $400. The blade of the sword is composed of Demascus steel, and is slightly ornamented in gold and bears the inscription "God and my Country;" the hilt is set with rubies and a silver goddess of liberty with a rubic clasping a mantle over his breast, forms the gripe. The scabbard is heavily plated with gold, finely chasted, and and has inscribed on it, `"Presented to Col. H. A. Hambright, by the non-commissioned officers and privates of his regiment as a testimonial of their esteem for gallant conduct at the battles of Chaplin Hills, Ky., October 8, 1862, and Stone river, January 2, and 3, 1863."

The sword was sent back to Lancaster shortly thereafter and displayed in the window of one of the stores on Centre Square.  In my next post, I'll examine the speeches made during the presentation, as well as Hambright's relationship with the Lancaster community, especially the families of his soldiers, around this time  In the meantime, enjoy the pictures of a beautiful set of artifacts. Hopefully, they'll have a chance to once again be put on display in Lancaster for the community to appreciate.

'One of the Happiest Days': New Flags for the 79th Pennsylvania

Regimental flag of the 76th Pennsylvania by Evans and Hassall (PA Capitol Preservation Committee)
One of the 79th Pennsylvania's "Lancaster flags" would have looked very similar to this one.

 On February 23, 1863, three citizens of Lancaster arrived at the camp of the 79th Pennsylvania near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  Besides carrying a large box of articles and letters for distribution to men in the regiment, they carried another set of items eagerly anticipated by the regiment.  A set of four beautiful flags purchased by the collected donations of Lancaster's citizens had finally arrived. 

The idea for purchasing these flags seems to have had its origins in a proposal published in the November 18, 1862, Intelligencer, edited by Lancaster's Mayor George Sanderson.  Sanderson proposed taking up a subscription at $1 each to purchase a new stand of colors for $200 to "show a proper appreciation" of the regiment's actions at the Battle of Perryville a month earlier.  Within a week, the fund was over-subscribed and the colors were purchased from Evans & Hassall of Philadelphia.  Extra money was donated to the Union Dorcas Society to provide relief for soldiers' families.  [Intell 11/18/1862, DEE 1/24/1863]

The flags were completed and around the New Year arrived in Lancaster, where they were displayed in the court house.  The January 6, 1863, Intelligencer described them:

The flags are four in number, the principal being the State flag; the second the regimental, (or National) and two small guide flags.  The first is of blue silk and yellow silk fringe, with an eagle surrounded by a halo.  From the claws of the eagle depends a scroll with the inscription--"Presented by citizens of Lancaster, Pa., to the 79th Regiment, P. V., for gallant conduct at Chaplin Hills, Ky., October 8th, 1862."  On the reverse is the coat of arms of Pennsylvania, above which in a halo are the words in guilt letters--"Chaplin Hills, Ky., October 8th, 1862."  Underneath, in a scroll, is the same inscription as on the first side.  This flag is very handsome and strongly made, and free from an over quantity of paint which figures so many presentation flags."  

The Regimental or National flag is made of strong heavy silk, bordered with yellow fringe.  On the centre bar on both sides are the letters in gold--"79th Regiment P.V."  The guide flags are of blue silk with yellow silk fringe, with the number of the regiment in gold letters.

Chosen to escort the colors to Tennessee were three men from the committee in charge of procuring the colors.  Foremost among them was Lewis Haldy (bio), a fascinating man with a background in the freight and marble/tombstone business who tirelessly supported the Patriot Daughters of Lancaster and other aid operations in Lancaster during the war.  Over the past year, he had already made three other trips to the seat of war (to the Pennsylvania Reserves in summer 1862, 79th PA after Perryville, and the 122nd PA in February 1863), delivering car loads of goods on behalf of the Patriot Daughters, making connections with Lancaster's soldiers in hospitals, and arranging logistics for bringing dozens of soldiers' remains back to Lancaster.  Rounding out the committee were Andrew B. Meixell, a freight agent, and Robert A. Evans, a wealthy banker who later owned Rock Ford.

The flag presentation took place on March 1, 1863, delayed several days by rainy weather.  The whole brigade, its commander Col. John C. Starkweather, and the regiment's former brigade commander Gen. James A. Negley all witnessed the presentation.  Haldy "unwrapped and exposed to the eager gaze of every one the magnificent banner," and read an address to the regiment, which would be reprinted in Lancaster's newspapers (read it here).  Col. Hambright replied and accepted the flags, pledging "these splendid colors shall be borne by the stoutest arm to the thickest of the conflict, there to remind us of fond friends in our native county, to revive the most pleasing memories, and stimulate us to true, exalted, and patriotic duty."  Starkweather and Negley followed with addresses to the soldiers' delight.          

79th PA Monument
Featuring incident with
Lancaster flag at the
Battle of Chickamauga
(PA at Ch. & Ch.)

Following that, according to Company E soldier Elias H. Witmer, "Three hearty cheers were then given by the brigade--and thus closed one of the happiest days in the eventful history of the Seventy-Ninth."  (DEE, 3/12/1863)  Captain Morris D. Wickersham agreed writing, "Home, kindred, society--all were remembered.  The day was truly a happy one, and we returned to Camp uttering, 'Long live the good people of Lancaster.'"  (Intel, 3/17/1863)

The stand of flags replaced what I believe were more generic colors given by Gen. Negley in November 1861 and/or April 1862.  The situation is confusing given a controversy over regimental numbering between the 77th and 79th Pennsylvania in 1861 and I have found no evidence that the regiment carried what is listed as the "First State Color" was ever used.  The Lancaster flags were carried through the Battle of Chickamauga, where they were NOT captured*.  At Chickamauga, it was one of these flags that Corp. William F. Dostman was mortally wounded carrying in an incident that provided inspiration for regimental monument.  The flags were sent back to Lancaster after much use in 1864, and became a prized possession of GAR Post 84 in Lancaster to which many 79th PA veterans belonged.  Sadly, the post was destroyed by fire on February 10, 1910, and the flags were lost. 

* Reports of the capture of the 79th Pennsylvania's colors stem from an error in Confederate official reports of the Battle of Chickamauga (p. 154).   Various officers listed the 77th Indiana or Illinois and 79th Pennsylvania when they really meant 79th Illinois and 77th Pennsylvania.  Other Confederate reports correctly list the 77th Pennsylvania as having its flag captured.

The 79th Pennsylvania in the Battle of Perryville: The Fight

Engraving entitled ""Battle of Perryville--The Extreme Left--Starkweather's Brigade" (Library of Congress)
I wonder if this intends to show the Confederate attack on the 21st Wisconsin in the cornfield in front of the 1st WI/79th PA position.

The following narrative tells the story of the Lancaster County Regiment in its first battle, the Battle of Perryville.  It is my attempt to synthesize over a dozen primary source accounts of the 79th Pennsylvania with the story told by Ken Noe in his campaign study Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle.  If not explicitly referenced in the post, sources should be pretty obvious to identify in the "Sources" and "Battle of Perryville" tabs.  

At the Bend in the Benton Road: 2:30-5:30pm

A note about sources: The most confusing part of parsing battle accounts for the 79th Pennsylvania is determining what refers to actions on in each of the regiment's two positions.  For example, even after much reading, I'm still not sure whether the regiment took more casualties in its first or second position.  Quotes are presented where I think they belong, but do know that it's possible that I'm misapplying comments between the Benton Road bend position and the Starkweather's Hill position.  If you can correct/enhance/sharpen my hasty analysis, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment below.

Hoping to protect his other brigades from a Confederate attack on his left flank, Rousseau ordered Starkweather's two batteries and infantrymen forward to another ridge that extended his second line.  The regiment's hospital steward and newspaper correspondent, John B. Chamberlain, recorded his impressions of the advance:

The 1st Wisconsin and 79th were ordered up to support the battery and hold that position at all hazards.  As the solid, serried ranks of glistening bayonets and brave men moved onward with all the regularity and precision of a dress parade, and with the steadiness of veteran troops, the two regiments involuntarily paid a just tribute to the other by sending up long and loud cheers of hearty approval.  It was a spontaneous tribute to the others soldierly bravery and appearance.  Like twin brothers they marched on side by side and calmly awaited the enemy's onslaught.

A rookie regiment in Starkweather's brigade, the 21st Wisconsin, was (pointlessly?) stuck out in front on lower ground by a cornfield.  Behind that regiment was a stronger main line on the ridge, consisting from left to right of the more experienced 1st Wisconsin, 79th Pennsylvania, and 24th Illinois.

The exhausted and inexperienced brigade of William R. Terrill was positioned in front of Starkweather's brigade in a weak position that would have been Starkweather's had Jackson's division not cut in front of him on the march to the battlefield. The Confederate attack first hit Terrill, whose brigade was positioned on the "Open Knob."  After some hard fighting, Terrill's line gave way around 3:30pm and ran to rally behind Starkweather's line.

The advancing Confederates next hit the 21st Wisconsin, who also broke and fled to the rear after a couple volleys.  Col. Hambright later wrote that it was "sickening" that as soldiers on the retreat ran through his regiment's ranks, "shouting to my men to give the rebels a fire, then run."  Clark recorded in his diary that the routed Union soldiers yelled, "The Secesh are coming, run for your lives!"

Starkweather's three regiments (minus the 21st Wisconsin) and two batteries now had the responsibility of stopping two surging Confederate brigades.  Although roughly positioned to support each other the 1st Wisconsin, 79th Pennsylvania, and 24th Illinois lines were not fully connected, and to Col. Hambright it felt like the regiment stood alone on the hillside "without support of any kind, no artillery, nothing but their own determination."

Col. Henry A. Hambright
Commanding 79th Pa.
(Likely a photo from 1861)
Richard Abel Collection

As Col. Hambright moved his men into a position that Gen. Rousseau ordered "held at all costs," Rebel sharpshooters in dense woods and undergrowth in front of and below the regiment's line on the hillside.  Hambright wrote in a letter to his former senior captain (who had been captured by Morgan's raiders back in May), "the enemy opened a most destructive fire on us while moving by the flank, but it had no effect to cause unsteadiness.  We gained the point ordered too, and faced the enemy in largely superior numbers, and opened a fire that soon gave us a clear space in front."

From the point of view of Corp. Charles G. Fisher of Company G:

At this point the balls came thick and fast, and the whistling of them I shall never forget.  We were all lying flat on the ground and could hear them distinctly.  We were then ordered in line, which position we took on the double-quick, under a heavy fire, but before we had a chance to fire a shot, many a one of the glorious 79th fell.  There we stood and fired for three hours, as fast as arms could move, without giving way an inch.  

The Confederates aimed to seize one of Starkweather's batteries and struck the 1st Wisconsin.  The 79th Pennsylvania assisted with an oblique fire and began taking casualties as they traded volleys with Confederates attacking from a position covered with underbrush in front of the 79th Pennsylvania.

Two 79th Pennsylvania officers, Capt. Samuel Boone and Lieut. Henry Test of Company C, fell dead almost immediately.  Hambright recounted, "The men fell so fast at one time that it required all my efforts to close the lines."  Quartermaster Sergt. Marshall tied his horse by a hospital (never to see it again), grabbed a musket, and joined friends in Company B.  He wrote, "During the engagement we kept continually closing up to the right, so that as our line became shorter and shorter, we all knew what dreadful havoc the secesh balls were making in our ranks."

After the initial fighting, a Confederate battery that began firing from the left flank attracted Starkweather's attention and caused concern.  In response, he planned to move his line back to its position before ordered forward by Rousseau  First, he would remove his artillery, and his three infantry regiments were to follow.

Before Starkweather's plans could be executed, the Confederate brigades of Maney and Stewart--encouraged by the sight of the evacuation of the Union artillery--renewed their attack.  Sergt. Marshall wrote, "The rebels took courage at [the retreat of Starkweathers' batteries] and followed up their advantage with a yell.  The 79th was now exposed to the whole of their fire."   The regiment responded by delivering such a "raking fire that they scattered in all directions.  And then went up a yell such as only Lancaster county can give--well, the fact is, the boys were shouting and cheering and yelling all the time."

At the battle's height, General Rousseau paid a visit to the regiment in an incident frequently retold after the battle.  Marshall wrote that "Gen. Rousseau rode up to us, and waving his hat, said, 'The 79th never leave a stain on old Pennsylvania!' and we answered him with three deafening cheers, and all this during the hottest of the fire.  So you can perceive how cool and self-possessed the men were."  Chamberlain wrote that Rousseau called the 79th Pennsylvania "his 'Stonewall.'"

Corp. William T. Clark
Wounded three times
Richard Abel Collection

Sergt. John Dean of Company A was the color bearer and wounded in the wrist.  The colors were "shot away" four times.  Col. Hambright and Adjutant Lyman Bodie each took turns borrowing the flag to encourage the regiment, and/or wave a silk flag that Hambright produced from his coat.

The 1st Wisconsin on the 79th Pennsylvania's immediate left fought off the attackers in hand-to-hand combat to save the Union batteries.  In the smoke of battle, the Lancaster County soldiers perceived a dark blue Polk flag as a "black flag" and inferred the Confederates were under a take-no-prisoners policy, which only steeled their nerves.  As the 1st Wisconsin counterattacked, Col. Hambright swung his two leftmost companies, Companies B and G, out to "pour a cross fire that perfectly withered the advancing files of rebels."  One Confederate regiment left its flag behind as it fled, and the 1st Wisconsin picked up the flag and claimed credit for its capture, a source of griping for many in the 79th Pennsylvania after the battle.  Years later, Sergt. John Durham of the 1st Wisconsin received the Medal of Honor for retrieving this flag.  

"Polk Flag" captured by 1st Wisconsin
Shot down by 79th Pennsylvania?
(Wisconsin Veterans' Museum)

Casualties continued to mount.  Honorary Company B member Sergt. Marshall  was hit in the ankle harmlessly by a spent ball and nearly escaped when a shell exploded "within a few inches of my right foot and flew into a thousand pieces, severely wounding a man in the arm but without striking me at all."  Others weren't so lucky.  William T. Clark was wounded three times but kept fighting, writing about it at day's end, "I am wounded in the side flesh wound, buck shot between the elbow & one near the right shoulder, all flesh wounds & I will soon be able to take my place in line." Sergt. William Eckert was wounded twice before struck by a third ball that killed him.

Lieut. William S. McCaskey
Richard Abel Collection

Two corporals in Company B, Frederick H. Sener and John A. Keller, of a group of four friends who had worked as typos in the Examiner and Herald officer were mortally wounded.  Their friend and lieutenant, William McCaskey, wrote afterward in a letter to his sister:

I looked around where Fred fell, and he was looking toward me, as soon as he noticed me, he beckoned for me.  I stepped aside a few steps, for he was shot alongside of me, and I got him out of ranks, he bid me goodbye, and told me not to attend to him, but return and revenge him, this I done as well as possible, and bullets never went into hotter muskets with a more stead and determined hand.  You could see the miserable looking varments trying to creep up on you, crack would go our muskets, down go the game.  I don't know, but I think they got their fill, and I am certain in saying that Sener and Keller were revenged.  In Fred's last moments he was insane, and accused me of having water by his side, and refused him a drink.

In Company G, Corp. Fisher described the losses:

Many, many a man fell by the balls of the 79th, and our ranks suffered severely as the accounts will show.  My right-hand man was wounded; my rear man also.  H. Snyder and H. Young, both next me on the left, were wounded and fell, and I was left alone for awhile.  There were sixteen wounded in our company.  D. Leonard was slightly wounded in the hip, the ball going through his cartridge box; but he still kept blazing away.

After repulsing the series of Confederate attacks and allowing the Union cannon time to be safely removed, Starkweather's line was able to move back to its second position.  The 1st Wisconsin, 79th Pennsylvania, and 24th Illinois, kept their alignment but now stood behind a low stonewall on a steeper, higher ridge.  Marshall wrote, "We changed our position, and it all seemed as cool as though going through a dress parade."

Map of Battle of Perryville, 3:45pm on Oct. 8, 1862
By Hal Jesperson (Wikimedia Commons)
Based on maps in book by Ken Noe

The Attack on Chattanooga, June 7, 1862

Map of Road from Jasper to Chattanooga (on the right edge of the map)
Detail of Map by N. Michler, 1862 (Library of Congress)

From Sweeden's Cove to Chattanooga

After a perfectly executed surprise attack on Confederate cavalrymen at Sweeden's Cove on June 4, 1862, the 79th Pennsylvania and other units in Gen. Negley's command continued east towards the critically important city of Chattanooga.  They arrived in the town of Jasper, Tennessee, on June 5 where the collected prisoners from the battle the day before and stared up at the mountains before them.

Almost every account from the 79th Pennsylvania mentions hordes of Unionist refugees living under pieces of canvas in the mountains and swamps.  In his diary entry for June 6, Sgt. William T. Clark (bio) remarked

We passed through some pretty good country, the people showering blessing upon us. One woman gave a Cavalry man a flag with the inscription the Union & Constitution & Remember Washington. In another place we saw a family who had been driven from home because their son would not enlist in the rebel service. They were in a swamp with nothing but a piece of canvas to protect them from the weather. She said she hoped that God might bless us & our Cause. We caught seventeen prisoners. This is the most loyal part of the country we have been in yet.

In a letter to his wife on June 14, Pvt. Lewis Jones (bio) echoed Clark

when we got over the Cumberland mountins in to Eastern Tennssee ther was the firs union men I saw the first Union men I saw for months when they hear that we wer a coming a long they com out of the mountins  I saw one old man com to me and asked a bout his sons that had wen of in the night to Kentucky to join the union armey and he had bin liven in th ewood for weeks a frad to go to his sons  I saw women and childer a living in the oods that had bin run out of town on acont of ther sones a beaing in the union armey

The First Battle of Chattanooga

Sketch of Chattanooga (Source)

On June 7, the 79th Pennsylvania left its lofty bivouac early in the morning and began to descend the mountains to Chattanooga--scenery that Clark called "beautiful in the extreme."  Colonel Hambright's makeshift brigade arrived at the Tennessee River shortly after noon, and ascended a hill that commanded Chattanooga from the opposite side of the river.

As Hambright sent skirmishers forward to the river bank, Confederate infantry and artillery entrenched about 400 yards away on the city-side of the river opened fire and prepared to dispute any crossing.  The two artillery sections (four guns total) attached to Hambright's command replied very effectively.  (Note: the alleged first shot has been preserved and is now in a private collection.)  The cannonading and sharpshooting continued five hours until the Confederate guns became silent, although actual losses are hard to ascertain from official reports. [Link: Hambright's Official Report]

One 79th Pennsylvania soldier on the firing line was Pvt. James Fields of Company A, whose letter to his father was printed in the July 5, 1862, Weekly Mariettian.

In the morning...we continued our march over the mountain chain, toward the great city of Chattanooga at the foot of the great Cumberland mountain, where the rebels were laying with the city well fortified and entrenched with rifle pits and in readiness for us--but all this was of no avail, for we knocked theam into a three-cocked hat when we came.  We planted six cannon pointing right into the rifle pits and then we got reinforcements of the Ohio 5th, of four cannons, making ten pieces, which enabled us to give them brisk work.  The Colonel then employed skirmishers to go down to the river's edge to shoot them from the rifle pits while the cannon would fire on their entrenchments.  I was one of the number to skirmish, and we fired at them all afternoon while the cannon blazed away at them until their guns were disabled.  We could see them all afternoon carrying out their dead, and at sundown they ceased firing and evacuated the place, which we soon took possession of.      

View of Tennessee River
from Lookout Mountain
(Library of Congress)

The Union artillery reopened fire the next day but failed to solicit a response.  By afternoon, Negley declared his mission a success and started to make the return trip back over the mountains.  Remaining in Chattanooga would have meant vulnerability to attack and a very precarious supply chain (that would cause problems in October 1863 for the Union army) which Negley seemed to have no interest in testing.

Casualties on both sides are difficult to verify, but the 79th Pennsylvania did have one man wounded--the first battle casualty of the war for the regiment.  Pvt. Joshua Geiter of Company A was wounded in the arm, although he returned to the regiment, dying in the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863.  Geiter also was the son in the only father-son combination that I know about in the regiment.  His father Henry, a printer by trade who wrote to the Lancaster Intelligencer later in the war, served the entire war in Company I.

Strategically, although Union forces did not end up taking possession of Chattanooga, they accomplished their goal of attracting Confederate attention and proving that a division-sized force could hop over the mountain range and strike quickly against the city.   The battle is credited with causing Confederate troop redeployment that allowed Union forces to capture the Cumberland Gap eleven days later.

The expedition with its heavy marching, tall mountains, cool streams, excited Unionists, and lopsided battles certainly made a positive impression on the men of the Lancaster County Regiment.  Elias Witmer (bio) counted marching three hundred miles over fifteen days (read his letter here), and claimed the title of the most active marchers in all the Union army during that time.  Pvt. Lewis Jones gave the best review, though, "I woul not mist the trip for fifty dollars."

(If anyone has assembled a more complete picture of the battle, please let me know.  Some of the details presented above regarding casualties, Confederate movements, other Union infantry, etc., are incomplete.)

The Battle of Sweeden's Cove, June 4, 1862

Map of Sweeden's Cove
Detail of Map by N. Michler, 1862 (Library of Congress)

The 79th Pennsylvania's very first engagement--on June 4, 1862, at Sweeden's Cove near Jasper, Tennessee--also happened to be perhaps its most tactically interesting and superbly executed mission of the entire war.  On May 28, the 79th Pennsylvania and other infantry, cavalry, and artillery under the command of General Negley left camp with twelve days' rations to march south again in the direction of Pulaski, Tennessee.  Instead of continuing south to Rogersville, as they had a couple weeks early, they veered east to march over mountainous roads to Fayetteville, Winchester, and ultimately the all-important city of Chattanooga approximately 90 miles east of Pulaski. Although I haven't seen it stated explicitly, I surmise the goal of this mission, which would have been planned by Negley and his superior General Mitchel, to feint towards Chattanooga to draw Confederate resources there and also encourage Unionist sentiment. 

The men of the Lancaster County Regiment enjoyed the first opportunity for real mountain marching, and soldier-correspondent Corp. Elias H. Witmer (bio) described the march on May 30 between Pulaski and Fayetteville:

The day is warm, the hills become steeper, the roads rougher, the poorly fed and worse cared for cavalry horses pant and fall to the ground, the artillery horses have become powerless, but the 79th is full of life--they laugh at their mounted fellow soldiers--the artillery call us the bull-dog regiment--the cavalry say we are the 1st Pennsylvania foot cavarly; we take it as a compliment, it gives us new life, and we push forward as fast as though the enemy, with 50,000 men, were on our heels.  We waded streams, crossed a small creek forty-one times, arrived at our place of bivouac, took a bathe, eat supper, made out bed, squatted, "good night," and were sound asleep. 

Confederate Col. John Adams
(Source)

Over the next few days, they continued marching east through a fertile valley and then through more mountains, reaching the peak of that section of the Cumberland Mountains on June 4.  Somewhere along the way, they discovered that Confederate cavalry, which Witmer plausibly estimates at 600-800, was encamped in the valley (Sweeden's Cove) that they were about to enter from the backdoor and descend.  The Confederate cavalry was a brigade under the command of Col. John Adams that had move out of Chattanooga and crossed the Tennessee River on May 29 and 30 under the orders of Gen. Beauregard. [OR Chap XXII, pp. 895-896]

After already having marched twenty miles that day, General Negley and acting brigade commander Col. Henry A. Hambright (bio) of the 79th Pennsylvania prepared to attack the rebels at the foot of the mountain.

Although it's not clear the specific roles of Hambright and Negley, they positioned two sections (four guns) of artillery just off the wood line and prepared their two regiments of cavalry out of sight.  Companies A, D, and F of the 79th Pennsylvania moved out of the woods and engaged the Confederates as skirmishers, soliciting the intended response of the cavalry being drawn up in a battle line. 

Satellite View of Sweeden's Cove near Jasper, Tennessee (Google Maps)
Union forces attacked from west to east (left to right on the map).

As soon as Adams' men were ready to charge, Hambright's artillery opened fire, initiating a panicked retreat by the Rebel horsemen.  One of the 79th Pennsylvania's skirmishers, Pvt. James Fields, wrote, "the moment [the Confederate cavalry] began the work [of attacking] we let drive and showered them in earnest from our cannon, which made them look two ways for Sunday." [7/5/1862 Weekly Mariettian]

It was then the Union cavalry's turn, and the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry and 5th Kentucky Cavalry chased the routed Rebels for five miles.  Fields continued,

as the shot came thick and fast amongst them, they began to think about getting out of reach, and then our cavalry came rushing from the bushes and on them--and such getting away you never saw--they ran as if the devil was after them, dropping canteens, swords, sabres, guns, pistols, haversacks, overcoats... 

Sgt. William T. Clark (bio) recorded in his diary that the people in the nearby town of Jasper "told us the rebels didn't run, they flew."  The victory was decisive, and the pathway to continue the expedition to Chattanooga was now open.  

Besides captured ammunition and commissary wagons, the Confederates lost 20 killed, another 20 wounded, and 12 captured.  Clark mentioned on the next day that "Our cavalry found 20 bodies of the rebels that were killed yesterday," which must be those now buried in Bean-Roulston Cemetery in a mass grave.  Union losses were two killled and seven wounded, mostly among the 5th Kentucky, I believe.  The 79th Pennsylvania suffered no losses. 

From the June twenty-something (my notes were corrupted), 1862, Daily Evening Express, we have Corp. Elias Witmer's letter describing the engagement which contains Col. Hambright's report: (alternate link)

Sypher Dispatches: The Rogersville Expedition

Area of operations near Rogersville, Alabama
(Source: Library of Congress, U.S. Coast Survey, A. D. Bache, Supdt., 1865)
(View magnifiable extract of map here)

Fourth and fifth letters in the grand tour of Lancaster journalist J. R. Sypher.  Read an introduction here.

I'm not sure if any of the Lancaster County Regiment soldiers would have believed in when they left home in October 1861, but over seven months later they were entering Alabama without taking a single casualty in battle.  While the main elements of the Union and Confederate forces were maneuvering to the west in what would develop as the Siege of Corinth (Mississippi), General Negley's division under command of General Ormsby Mitchell was pushing forward into Alabama from camp at Pulaski, Tennessee.

On the morning of May 13, four regiments of infantry, several companies of cavalry, and four pieces of artillery under command of General Negley left camp, and after a day's worth of marching arrived in Rogersville, Alabama, a town just north of the Tennessee River.  Shortly after their arrival and just as the Lancasterians had started bathing in a stream that fed into the Tennessee River, an alarm came in and the regiment double-quicked it to Lamb's Ferry four miles away.  The cavalry and artillery arrived just in time to fire parting shots at a couple rebels retreating across the river, and a couple daring men of the 79th Pennsylvania succeeding in burning a ferry boat.  [WTC Diary]
 
On May 14, detachments scouted up and down the river.  On May 15, the regiment had a little more excitement with another trip to Lamb's Ferry (downstream?).  Corp. William T. Clark of Company B, 79th Pennsylvania, recorded:

When we arrived at the shore, 20 or more Rebels were seen on the opposite side. A few shot, and shell scattered them in every direction. We drew lots to see who would go over with the boat, when John Cramer, Fred Offlebach were drawn from our squad. They burned one large ferryboat, brought 2 flats, 2 dugouts and one large boat across with them.

Read more details in two letters by J. R. Sypher dated May 14 and May 15, 1862.

From the May 21, 1862, Daily Evening Express: (alternate link)


From the May 24, 1862, Daily Evening Express: (alternate link)

The 9th Pa Cavalry Arrives at Munfordville

Unidentified cavalry soldier with bugle
(Library of Congress)

Last time we heard from the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, which included Capt. John Wise's Company F from Lancaster County, it was shortly before Christmas and the regiment was drilling at Camp Andy Johnson near Louisville.  On February 4, 1862, they arrived at Munfordville--where the 79th Pennsylvania had been since mid-December--and enjoyed a reunion with friends from back home.

The letter, written by an unidentified officer in Company F, 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, began by recounting the Battle of Rowlett's Station on December 17, 1861, in a way that shows how large its memory had grown to the Union soldiers around Munfordville.  Next, "Cavalier" remarks on how the cavalry had superseded infantry in scouting missions out into the surrounding countryside--probably a good thing for the Army of the Ohio as the infantry regiment as scouting force was an accident waiting to happen.  Finally, our cavalryman tells of encountering the 79th Pennsylvania.

With apologies for the poor scan quality, here's the letter from the February 17, 1861, Daily Evening Express: (alternate link)  

Making a March and Building a Bridge

Union Troops advance in tandem along the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and Turnpike (FLI 1/18/1862)

Back to events in the history of the 79th Pennsylvania after a two-post detour to John Hunt Morgan's Confederate cavalry and the 45th Pennsylvania...

Sergeant William T. Clark of Company B, 79th Pennsylvania, recorded in his diary for December 11, 1861, the following entry:

At 10 a.m. the “Band” struck up the air “Strike Your Tents & March Away”. When we draw our pins in half an hour the base drum beat & at the “third tap” the tents of our Regiment fell to the right and were rolled up & carried to the R. R. with the other heavy baggage. Our knapsacks were hauled in the wagon. At 11 and ½ a.m. we formed line, stacked arms & were dismissed to fall in at the tap of the drum. At 1 p.m. the Brigade was formed and we started on our march for Bacon Creek. We went down the L. N. Turnpike which is the worst pike I ever saw and we made nearly all of 15 miles in double quick time arriving here at 6 p.m. very tired. We pitched tents as soon as we came, but it was very cold sleeping as our knapsacks were with the wagons which did not arrive untill 1 a.m.

This move, from Nolin Station to Bacon Creek, would be the regiment's biggest movement since leaving Louisville, and was part of a broader movement of Union troops in the area, which was covered by a sketch artist from Frank Leslie's Illustrated whose article appeared in the January 18, 1862, edition and reflected on the new role of railroads in warfare:

Frederick the Great, Marlborough and Napoleon--saying nothing of Wellington, who, like a second Moses, lived from the Pisgah of 1850 to see some strange changes--would have stared at the manner in which a modern army takes the field.  The command of Richard to "saddle white Surrey for the field to-morrow," and these iron monsters would have carried 1,000 of knights-at-arms with the ease the good horse Surrey carried one man.  Our Artist has made this very palpable in the sketch we publish to-day, when the long train of carriages on the Louisville and Nashville turnpike carrying grim soldiers of Uncle Sam, sworn to prevail or perish in a deadly field, looks more a holiday excursion, presided over by the benevolent Barnum or the judicious Jarrett, than the heroes of a hundred coming fights.

The L&N RR bridge over Bacon Creek after being burned on December 5 by Confederate cavalry (FLI 1/25/1862)

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad indeed provided an important lifeline for soldiers in the central divisions of Buell's Army of the Ohio.  However, it only went as far south as Bacon Creek, where Confederates had burned a bridge on their retreat in November, and then again on December 5 by Confederate cavalry.  The task of rebuilding the bridge fell to the 79th Pennsylvania's Colonel Henry A. Hambright and his senior captain, William G. Kendrick.  Recall that before the war, Hambright superintended the construction of canal and railroad infrastructure around Lancaster.  Kendrick also had construction experience, winning the contract for bricklaying (maybe masonry, too?) for the Lancaster County Courthouse in the mid-1850s.

On the morning of December 12, Hambright and Kendrick took all the carpenters in the regiment out to rebuild the bridge, a task they accomplished over the next day.  The army's attention could now be turned to a much bigger bridge over the Green River near Munfordville, which would be the site of a battle on December 17, 1861.  Frank Leslie's printed an article on January 25 (the many typos are retained):

A force consisting principally of details from the 1st Wisconsin, Col. Harkweather, and the 19th Pennsylvania, Col. Hamblight, of Gen. Negley's brigade, was set to work, and assisted by a force of workmen sent down by the railroad company, the bridge was entirely rebuilt and a training running over in 24 hours.  An army composed of such material can't be whipped.

Federal troops rebuilding the bridge over Bacon's Creek, Ky (FLI 1/25/1862)

The regiment spent the next several days at this new camp, which Adam Johnston of Company D recalled as "Camp Wood," just north of where the Louisville and Nashville Railroad crossed the Bacon Creek.  Their next move would be on December 17, when they struck tents and marched ten miles to Munfordville, Kentucky.  However, as soon as they began to pitch tents in this new camp, they heard the sounds of the first serious battle of the center wing of the Army of the Ohio taking place just a mile or two away.  The 79th Pennsylvania "formed line in double quick time & started for the scene of the action."  [JHD, 12/17/1861] Stay tuned for more details in a couple days.

A Complaint from Col. Hambright

Union Army Officers in Camp, identified as part of 44th New York (Mathew Brady via fold3.com)

Today's letter affords us our first opportunity to hear from Col. Henry A. Hambright, leader of the Lancaster County Regiment.  Over the course of the war, we get the sense that his duties running the regiment and filling brigade-level roles assigned by Gen. Negley kept him extremely busy, so don't expect the same level of introspection that has characterizes Corp. Witmer's and Lieut. Nevin's letters.  In fact, the letter Col. Hambright wrote on November 19, 1861, aimed to deny and crack down on rumors coming out of his regiment that caused a little stir in Lancaster.  

The rumors that so infuriated the commander of the 79th Pennsylvania essentially were communicated by certain soldiers in the regiment and said that certain officers in the regiment were worthless and frequently drunk, and about to be kicked out of the regiment.  I actually haven't been able to find any corroborating sources--private or public--from November 1861 so it must have flown under the radar and stayed out of the newspapers (although I could have missed something).  I don't know who the "recruit" or "schoolmaster" was that Col. Hambright mentions, although it's possible it involved J. P. McCaskey the Lancaster Boys High School who we know was pretty deeply involved in 79th Pennsylvania controversies later in the war.  But that's just speculation, as there were a large number of education-related temperance-sympathizing soldiers, including just about all of Company E.

The letter also reminds me that I don't really know much about disciplinary actions within the regiment and the negative side of army life--drunkenness, desertions, and incompetence--which for the most part stayed out of Lancaster's newspapers.  Perhaps some of the more official documents in Harrisburg or Washington can illuminate.

Anyway, here's Col. Hambright's letter, published in the November 27, 1861, Examiner and Herald: (alternate link)

The 77th/79th PA Flag Flap: 'A Fight Among Ourselves First'

First Colors of the 77th Pennsylvania, over which Cols. Hambright and Stumbaugh contested.
(Capitol Preservation Committee)

In early November, Lancaster's newspapers and almost all the soldiers mention a brief controversy involving Col. Hambright and Col. Stumbaugh of the 77th Pennsylvania.  Basically, when Gov. Curtin presented flags to Gen. Negley's brigade in Pittsburgh, he got mixed up in what he said and did in giving numbered flags to Col. Hambright's and Col. Stumbaugh's regiments.  Both subsequently claimed to be the 77th Pennsylvania, which entitled them (at least that appears to have been their impression) to be the brigade's ranking colonel. 

In the end, Gen. Negley stepped in to placate Col. Hambright, and the controversy ended up not mattering anyway due to Gen. Buell's late November reorganization of the Army of the Ohio in which he split up units from different states to make it more difficult for governors to meddle with his army.  It still shows some of the intricacies of mobilizing volunteers in the North, how Col. Hambright made an impression on his men, and personality politics of the generals and colonels in the Army of the Ohio.  Listed below are what some soldiers of the 79th Pennsylvania recorded about the incident.

From a letter by Capt. William G. Kendrick of Company A to his wife on November 2, 1861: (WGK)

What does the people think of our being sent to Kentucky?  I suppose they think we will have a fight soon.  It looks as though we should have a fight among ourselves first.  A contemptible second rate lawyer who has little over half a Regiment (Stombach) claims our colours, which is marked 77th Regiment.  His flag is marked 79th Regiment.  His soldiers are a mere militia Rabble and he is not fit to have charge of so many big dogs, but by some Political hocus pokus has got Governor Curtin to send an order for Col. Hambright to give up our Flag.  The Col. says he will die by it First and so the regiment says also, which makes things look blue. 

From the diaries of Sgt. William T. Clark of Company B on November 4, 1861: (WTC)

This morning we drilled the Skirmish Drill for the first time & done very well. In afternoon we were drilled by Battallion by Col. Hambright & formed a hollow square. Every since this Brigade was formed there has been a disagreement between Gen. Negley & Col. Hambright in regard to his place in the Brigade. Col. Hambright thinks that he having his Commission first is entitled to the first place in the Brigade. Gen. Negley however thinks differently & says that Col. Stambaugh has the first place and he has not more then half a Regiment yet. Gen. Negley is trying to starve us into the last place.

From the diaries of Capt. John H. Druckenmiller of Company B on November 6, 1861, with a transcriptionist's note: (JHD)

Wednesday, [Nov.] 6th: Captain Miles sick today. Rec’d copy of the Examiner & the Express. Regimental Drill, but 7 companies in line, rest on picket guard. Meeting of officers of the Regiment in regard to flag & number of Regiment. Read a communication from General Negley saying he wished to present the Regiment with a stand of Colors. Meeting agreed to accept the Colors and call the Regiment (Hambright’s Lancaster County Reg’t*). *[Transcriptionist’s Note: Section in parenthesis is crossed through in the diary. Parenthesis put in by transcriptionist.]

Rumors of the controversy also apparently drifted to Lancaster and piqued the curiosity of some of the friends of the regiment, including the father of Corp. Henry Witmer Miller of Lampeter.  On November 15, Witmer wrote to his father from Camp Nevin about the incident: (HWM)

You asked me in your letter in regard to a difficulty between Col. [Frederick S.] Stambaughs and [Col. Henry A.] Hambright's Reg. in regard to the Flags[.] there was some trouble for a while. I learn upon inquiry the following: that the Governor [Andrew Curtin] in presenting made the first error in giving the Flag marked 77th to our Col. the mistake was not discovered until we arrived at our present Camping Ground, when Staumbaugh demanded the 77 flag and insisted that Hambright should take the 79th flag[.] Hambright made this reply which was rather in the Spartan Style[:] come and take it but at your hazard.

One soldier even wrote anonymously to the Daily Evening Express on November 9, 1861, in a letter that was published on November 20, 1861: (alternate link)


A soldier in the 77th Pennsylvania read this in one of the Lancaster newspapers, and decided to respond with his own letter and Col. Stumbaugh's side of the story on November 28, 1861, that was published on January 1, 1862: (alternate link)

'Ho! For Old Kentucky!!': Rewind through Recruiting

From What a Boy Saw in the Army

Time constraints limit me from making a post out of every little news item related to the Lancaster County Regiment that I run across, so here's a list of items that I won't have time to discuss in detail.  I also recommend listening to Tim Orr's presentation, "Enlistment in the North and South During the Civil War," for a more general look at how Civil War regiments came into existence.  Compared to what happened elsewhere, the recruiting process was relatively tame in terms of partisan politics, presumably because Col. Hambright's stature as a military hero and proficient leader earned him bipartisan support. 

Here are a variety of references to news items from the Daily Evening Express, with the notations referring to the newspaper edition in which they appeared, ranging from September to November 1861.  

• Capt. Duchman's company, later Company B, is mustered in on September 5. (9/5)  Praise for Capt. Duchman. (9/10)
• Recruiting for Col. Hambright's regiment is "looking up."  (9/10)
• Battalion parade through streets of Lancaster with 400 men and visit by Brig. Gen. James S. Negley. (9/13)
• "Ranks Rapidly Filling Up" for Col. Hambright's Regiment. (9/17)
• Arrival of Capt. McBride's company, later Company D. (9/18)
• Sword presentation to Lieut. David Miles. (9/18)
• Arrival in Lancaster of Capt. McNalley's company, later Company C, 77th Pennsylvania. A scandal over the company's departure from Harrisburg ensued.  (9/20,25)
• Regiment is "nearly full." (9/25)
• Sword presentation to officers of Company F. (9/25)
• Capt. Wickersham's company filling up with many "school teachers and men of education." (9/25)
• Clothing distributed to Col. Hambright's regiment. (9/27)
• Officers of Col. Hambright's regiment entertained at N. Queen St. saloon and serenaded by Fencibles Band. (9/27)
• Report that Gov. Curtin assigned Hambright and his regiments to Negley's Brigade. (9/30)
• Dinner for volunteers in southern Lancaster City held by patriotic citizen Samuel Cormany. (10/1)
• Regimental parade on Center Square. (10/3)
• Controversy resulting from Capt. M. D. Wickersham unsuccessful recruiting visit to town of Christiana during which Wickersham's commitment to war was questioned based on his helping a stranded Southern female student at the Millersville State Normal School. (10/3,7,8)
• Fencibles Band concert to support Patriot Daughters of Lancaster. (10/4)
• Recruiting editorials: "More Union Men Wanted" and "Your Country still Calls," including announcement of company recruited by Frederick Pyfer and Benjamin Ober.  This company was recruited for Col. Hambright's regiment but later became Company K, 77th Pennsylvania. (10/10)
• Recruiting appeal: "Be in time, Young Men!" (10/17)
• Deserters from Col. Hambright's Regiment. (10/18,19)
• Capt. Foreman's grievances from a failed attempt to recruit a company for Col. Hambright's regiment. (10/20,22)
• Update on Pyfer and Ober's company. (10/22)
• Poem: "The Lancaster County Volunteers." (10/22,23,26,29;11/11)
• Presentation of sword to Capt. Wickersham. (10/30)
• Recruiting appeal: "More Men Wanted for Active Service in Kentucky." (11/2)

Advertisement for Capt. Pyfer's company, appearing in November 1861 editions of the Express.

'Three Days in Camp': A Newspaper Editor's Visit

J. M. Willis Geist, editor of the Daily Evening Express
From Ellis and Evans' 1883 History of Lancaster County

A strong theme that quickly emerges when researching the 79th Pennsylvania is the deep connection between the regiment and the hometown newspapers, especially the Daily Evening Express--the only daily paper at the way's onset and predecessor to the New Era (see examples of printing work here).  Its editor, J. M. Willis Geist (bio), started the paper in 1856 around the same time he was involved with starting Lancaster County's Republican Party.  Throughout the war, soldiers continuously requested their friends in Lancaster forward copies of the Express, and many of the regiment's diarists note regular arrival of the Express in camp.

Allegheny Arsenal, Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, PA
Just up the street from Camp Wilkins (Source)

Shortly after Col. Hambright's regiment left Lancaster, Geist traveled to spend three days, October 12-14, with the regiment in camp.  When he returned, he published the following account posted below in the October 16, 1861, Express (alternate link).  I truncated the company rosters mentioned in the account and will post them on another occasion.

'An Attempt to Poison Col. Hambright'

I'm not quite sure how to interpret this rather odd story concerning Col. Hambright during the Three Months Campaign from the September 23, 1861, Daily Evening Express: (alternate link)

Better Know an Officer: Henry A. Hambright

Henry A. Hambright, presumably as Captain of the Jackson Rifles
Robert Diem Collection, USAMHI

Name:  Henry Augustus Hambright

Rank:  Colonel, Captain in Regular Army, later Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers

Born:  March 24, 1819, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Died:  February 19, 1893, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Buried in Lancaster Cemetery.

Pre-war Life:  1st Lieut. in Co. G, 2nd Pennsylvania Infantry, during Mexican War; public works contractor; supervisor of operations in Lancaster for the Pennsylvania Railroad; Captain of the Jackson Rifles militia company

Post-war Life:  Major in U.S. Army, various posts including Texas and Louisiana.  Retired in 1879. 

Political Affiliation:  Democrat
Key Events: Battles of Perryville and Chickamauaga. Wounded at Battle of Buzzard's Roost. 

The Jackson Rifles at Ephrata Mountain Springs

From What a Boy Saw in the Army

 
Today's post features news about the Jackson Rifles from August 14-17, 1861.  First, a drill on Centre Square from the August 15, 1861, Daily Evening Express: (alternate link)

Hotel in 2004, before demolition.
By Andrew Bossi [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Next, the interesting account of an August 15-17 trip to the Ephrata Mountain Springs from the August 20, 1861, Daily Evening Express: (alternate link)

It's Official: Raise a Regiment

Post-war image of Gen. Henry A. Hambright.  (Source) 

On the morning of Sunday, August 11, 1861, Henry A. Hambright returned to Lancaster from his trip to Washington having achieved exactly what he set out to accomplish: securing authorization to raise a new regiment.  Hambright--a veteran of the Mexican War and antebellum militia leader widely recognized for his military acumen--had just concluded three months' service with the "Jackson Rifles" (Co. K, 1st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry).  The Daily Evening Express ran the following announcement: (alternate link)



Other newspapers across Lancaster County and Pennsylvania picked up the announcement and added praise for soon-to-be Col. Hambright, who also held a regular army captain's commission.  It was rumored that, based on Hambright's reputation, returning volunteer companies from across the state were clamoring to be included in Hambright's regiment. Stay tuned for the chaotic recruitment over the next few weeks as Hambright tries to assemble the a regiment amid state and local pressures for deciding who's in and who's out...

Also, I'll append two news items related to the Jackson Rifles also appearing in the August 12 Express: (alternate link)

(Source)