151st Camp Curtin Commemoration

Camp Curtin - Harper's Weekly

On April 18, 1861, while boarding trains headed to Washington, five companies of Pennsylvania volunteers, forever known as the "First Defenders", became the first Keystone men to be mustered into military service, and eventually the first Northern soldiers to arrive in Washington after President Lincoln's call for troops.  As the First Defenders continued their trip to Washington that day, more and more volunteer companies arrived.  The First Defenders, and several other companies, had occupied several hotels and boarding houses throughout the city.  It soon became clear to Gov. Andrew Curtin that Harrisburg needed to find a proper location for these men to camp, organize, and train.  Several companies from Johnstown had made camp at a fairgrounds about a mile north of the city.  It was soon determined that this spot, with it's wide open fields, proximity to the Susquehanna River,  and easy access to both the Pennsylvania Railroad and Pennsylvania Canal, was the best possible location.





layout of Camp Curtin - William J. Miller

Throughout the day, more and more volunteers began to arrive at, what had been named, "Camp Union".  Harrisburg native, major in the Pennsylvania Militia, and later the Col. of the 46th Pennsylvania at Antietam, Joseph Knipe was responsible with constructing and organizing the new camp of instruction.  Approaching one of the buildings at the old fairgrounds, "Major Knipe, apparently a man with a good sense of drama, climbed a ladder and appeared on the roof of the building clutching a national flag.  He wrestled with the halyards on the flag pole for a few moments, but soon had the flag attached to the ropes.  He turned to the crowd below and shouted, 'What shall we name the camp?  I propose the name of Governor Curtin!'  The suggestion was a popular one.  While Knipe ran the colors up the pole, the growing crowd cheered and sent hats sailing into the early twilight sky of that Thursday, April 18.  Camp Curtin was born."

Gov. Andrew Curtin

Maj. Joseph Knipe

Over the course of the bloody American Civil War, Camp Curtin would see over 300,000 soldiers pass through it's gates, including those of the Pennsylvania Emergency Militia, as well as large amounts of food, supplies, and equipment.  Pennsylvania and Camp Curtin became vital for President Lincoln, and the Union war effort.  For the soldiers, Camp Curtin would change their lives forever.  "It was in Camp Curtin," writes historian William J. Miller, "that volunteers learned that the life of a soldier was one of discomfort and frustration.  There, amid the disease and discomfort, in leaky tents and on the sun-baked parade ground, boyish illusions died.  Men learned to tolerate and work with other men.  They made strong friendships, some of which ended on battlefields, some of which survived and endured for decades.  There, also, they said farewell, often tearfully, to friends and comrades and to the life of extreme excitement, danger and boredom they had lived in the army.  For these men, Camp Curtin was as much a part of their war experience as were the marches, battlefields and hospitals."

Almost immediately at the end of the Civil War, and with the closing of the Camp, the Harrisburg neighborhood, fittingly known as Camp Curtin, sprang up.  However, it wasn't until 1922 that Union veterans were finally able to place a fitting memorial to Camp Curtin, and the Pennsylvania Governor for which it was named.  Even though it was memorializing the nation's largest and most productive Civil War camp, Camp Curtin Park, at 6th & Woodbine Sts. became the country's smallest state park.

Gov. Curtin monument - Camp Curtin Park

151 years after Joseph Knipe's theatrics, and proclamation in which he named Camp Curtin, on April 18, 2012, nearly 100 people gathered in Harrisburg's Camp Curtin Park to honor the history made there.  Attendees and speakers included: Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson, Harrisburg City Council, James Schmick of the Camp Curtin Historical Society, David Demmy of the Sons of Union Veterans, Jean Cutler of the Bureau for Historic Preservation, Wayne Motts of the National Civil War Museum, members of the Camp Curtin Memorial-Mitchell United Methodist Church, a military honor guard from Fort Indiantown Gap, living historians portraying Camp Curtin's soldiers and carrying reproduction flags on loan from the Pennsylvania Capital Preservation Committee, and residents of the Camp Curtin neighborhood.  Organized by Jeremy Young, of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission - Bureau for Historic Preservation, the ceremony not only honored the history of the Camp, but also celebrated the listing of the neighboring Camp Curtin Memorial-Mitchell United Methodist Church in the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Camp Curtin neighborhood has experienced hard times in recent years, but it is the hope of everyone who attended Wednesday's ceremony that through a re-discovery and promotion of the city's rich history, and proper planning and historic preservation efforts, that this neighborhood, as well as the city and region, can reclaim the prominent and respected status that it is justly deserved.  The preservation and remembrance of Camp Curtin and it's surrounding neighborhood is much more than simply a local issue.  Camp Curtin's role in Pennsylvania and United States history is undeniable, and the pride seen on the faces of everyone who attended speaks volumes.  Let us hope that the remembrance of the sacrifices of Pennsylvania's Civil War generation will be the catalyst for remembrance, recognition of, and pride in, Harrisburg's (and beyond) other historically/culturally rich resources.

LOCAL NEWS STORIES ON THE EVENT:

FOX 43:

http://www.fox43.com/videogallery/69465803/News/4-18-Camp-Curtin-Anniversary#gl-0%20%20

ABC 27:

source:
Miller, William J. The Training of an Army: Camp Curtin and the North's Civil War. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Publishing Co., 1990.

Harrisburg, PA: Then & Now

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather we had in Harrisburg today, I took the opportunity, on my lunch break, to take a stroll over to Capitol Park to reconnect with some "Emergency" history.
 
Created in 1810, Capitol Park, located adjacent to the Pennsylvania Capital building, was originally set aside by Harrisburg founder John Harris "for use by the state".  In the late summer of 1862, the state found another use for the park as a camp and parade ground for the thousands of Emergency Militiamen that were flooding into the city.  These citizen soldiers were answering Governor Curtin's alarm for defenders of the Commonwealth from the northward moving Rebel army of Robert E. Lee.  The scene below was captured by artist Theodore R. Davis, and was printed in the October 4, 1862 issue of Harper's Weekly.  In the picture, militiamen, donning civilian "uniforms", can be seen marching and drilling in the park, as well as marching northward along 3rd Street. 

The scene 150 years later has changed somewhat.  The park has undergone landscape changes, most notably during the construction of the Mexican War memorial (built 1869, out of frame to the right), and Harrisburg's own "City Beautiful Movement" in the early 20th Century.  Most recently there has been construction of a sidewalk and retaining wall along 3rd St.  The original capital building, which burned in 1897, was later replaced by the current Capital, which was built in 1906.  Many of the buildings along 3rd St. have been removed, but the Pine St. Presbyterian Church (built in 1860) can still be seen standing as a witness to those troubled times in our history.

sources:
Frew, Ken. Building Harrisburg : the architects & builders, 1719-1941. Harrisburg, PA: Historical Society of Dauphin County and Historic Harrisburg Association, 2009.

"John Harris' Gift". Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission historical marker, located near corner of 3rd & Walnut Sts., Capitol Park, Harrisburg, PA.

"Dreadful Collision on the Cumberland Valley Railroad"

By September 26, 1862, the threat of General Lee invading Pennsylvania was over, most of the Emergency Militamen had been mustered out of state service, and were on their way home.  For the militiamen, Lee's Maryland Campaign of 1862, had been a relatively bloodless adventure [one militiaman had been accidentally shot and wounded by a nervous comrade while on picket duty near Williamsport, MD].  However, on this day 149 years ago, men of Co. I, "the Halleck Infantry" [aka "Spruce Ward Guards"], of the 20th PA Emergency Militia, from Reading, would become the first casualties of the Emergency Militia of 1862, while in the service of their state.*  Surprisingly, the carnage occurred far from any battlefield.  An account of the tragedy appeared in the Carlisle Herald, the following week:

     On Friday morning last, about 7 o'clock, a horrible railroad accident took place on the Cumberland Valley Railroad at Bridgeport [now Lemoyne, PA] in this county [Cumberland].  

     A troop train of some twenty freight cars, containing the 20th Regiment Pennsylvania Militia, including the Corn Exchange Company [Cos. A, D, & F] and Revenue Guards of Philadelphia [Co. K], was on the way from Greencastle [Franklin County], where they had been encamped for few days.

     The train was behind time, and had been waiting for a train at this place, but none coming, the train proceeded.

     The weather was very foggy, and it was with the utmost difficulty that objects could be described along the track, but everything went on smoothly until within about a mile of the [Susquehanna River] bridge, when the train came suddenly on an engine stationed on the track. 

     The engineer of the troop train immediately reversed his engine, but too late to prevent the collision, and the engines came together with terrific force.

     The car immediately behind the tender of the troop train [which carried Co. I] was crushed into fragments, and nearly all of its occupants either killed or wounded.

     The second car was driven into the first and completely destroyed, and a number of persons badly hurt.  The third car was thrown on top of the second, the wheels crushing through the top.

     The most horrifying portion of the scene was the cries of the wounded, some thirty in number, and the sight of the dead.  They were all carried to a house close by, and surgeons sent for from Harrisburg.

     It should be remembered that the Cumberland Valley Railroad was not managed by its own officers, but by persons appointed by the government.  The Company therefore is not responsible for any mismanagement, though it has been censured by many who are ignorant of the circumstances.  The three months troops, nearly 80,000 in number, who were sent to the Upper Potomac, were all carried over the road without a single accident, but it was then controlled by its own Superintendent, and the trains run by engineers and conductors who were well acquainted with the route.

     Since writing the above, two more of the wounded have died, and several others are lingering in their last agonies.

CVRR locomotive Utility, was stationed on the track the morning of September 26th, as the troop train, carrying the 20th PA EM, approached Harrisburg, colliding with the Utility

The 20th Pennsylvania Emergency Militia had been organized in Harrisburg on September 18th, too late to play any significant role in the Campaign, but were still sent south to the state border, traveling on the Cumberland Valley Railroad.  As the article points out, the CVRR, and all state military mobilization, was placed under the control of Thomas Alexander Scott, by Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin.  Despite being clear of blame, the CVRR was constantly blamed for the accident in the Philadelphia press, which was where the majority of the 20th Regiment was from.  Ultimately, the CVRR was willing to pay $25,000 to the survivors who had been injured in the accident, which had been the worst in all of the Cumberland Valley Railroad's history. 

Casualties from Co. I, 20th PA Emergency Militia

KILLED**

2nd Sgt. Henry Fleck

Pvt. Augustus Keller

Pvt. Daniel Seiders

Pvt. Albert B. Werner

WOUNDED 

1st Sgt. Samuel Hamilton (collar bone & lower jaw broken)

Cpl. Zeno Hoffmaster (left leg broken)

Cpl. Alex Werner (legs & chest bruised)

Cpl. William R. Williams (head bruised)

Cpl. Nelson Bell (right arm broken)

Drummer, Henry Redmond (wrist dislocated)

Drummer, Jacob Hamilton (bruised in the hips)

Pvt. Jacob Crow (head cut & legs badly bruised)

Pvt. Adam Deem (right shoulder dislocated, arms & legs badly bruised)

Pvt. Richard Eagle (ankle sprained & injured)

Pvt. William Eisenbise (legs injured)

Pvt. Henry Fix (chest badly crushed, shoulder joint injured)

Pvt. Henry Goodman (bruised about the head)

Pvt. Jacob Herst (right arm crushed & amputated at the shoulder socket)

Pvt. John Herm (head & shoulder bruised)

Pvt. Evan James (bruised at the back & chest)

Pvt. William Keller (badly cut about head, right collar bone broken, left breast crushed)

Pvt. John Killian (left fore arm bone splintered)

Pvt. Daniel Lausch (ankle injured)

Pvt. Isaac Moore (internally injured)

Pvt. Lewis Newdorfer (shoulder dislocated & injured about head)

Pvt. Bernard Omacht [or O'Macht] (bruised about the head & body)

Pvt. James O'Neil [or O'Neel] (injured about head, back & chest)

Pvt. Mark O'Neil [or O'Neel] (head severely cut and body injured)

Pvt. William Schuler (bruised in chest, arm injured)

Pvt. William Statt (body bruised)

Pvt. Michael Smith (left breast badly bruised)

Pvt. Ely Williams (legs bruised)

*It is worth pointing out that many of the men of Co. I had been among the first to answer President Lincoln's call for troops at the outbreak of war in 1861.  Many of the wounded, including Sgt. Henry Fleck, who was killed, were members of the Ringgold Light Artillery.  To learn more about the Ringgold Light Artillery, and the rest of the 'First Defenders', please click here and here, to read posts by friend and 'First Defender' historian, John Hoptak.

**Additional newspaper accounts obtained after the publishing of this post note deaths in other companies of the 20th PA EM; between 8 - 11 deaths total.

sources:

Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5 : prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature. Harrisburg: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869.

Civil War Muster Roll and Related Records, 1861-1866, 20^th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia, Records Group (RG) 19, Series# 19.11, Carton 127, Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, PA.

"Dreadful Collision on the Cumberland Valley Railroad", Carlisle Herald, October 3, 1862.

Westhaeffer, Paul J. History of the Cumberland Valley Railroad: 1835-1919. Washington, D.C. Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, 1979.  

Medals of Honor at Antietam: Harrisburg's Soldiers' Grove

Soldiers' Grove

September 17, 1862 will forever be known as the bloodiest day in American History.  With roughly 23,110 Americans killed, wounded, or missing in the approximate twelve hours of fighting at the Battle of Antietam, the amount of truly sad and tragic stories are astounding.  Weaved throughout the tragic battle narrative, however, are stories of bravery and courage, just as astounding.  After the Battle, a total of twenty Medals of Honor were awarded for heroic actions taken during the fighting at Antietam.

For a history of the Medal of Honor click here.

view of PA State Capital building from Soldiers' Grove

Earlier in the week, with the coming anniversary of the Battle Antietam, I decided to take a stroll over to the Medal of Honor Memorial in Soldiers' Grove, located in the Capitol Complex, Harrisburg, PA.  and look for the names of the six Pennsylvania soldiers who earned their Medals that bloody day.

 Dedicated in 1994, "the Medal of Honor Memorial commemorates not just one person or one war, but several hundred individuals who acted heroically in many wars, campaigns, and conflicts.  Thirteen radiating arcs, representing the conflicts in which Pennsylvanians received the Medal of Honor, symbolize the tides of war.  


Medal of Honor Memorial

 Granite stones imbedded in the arcs identify the Medal recipients with the date and location of their deeds.  On a scale of two feet equaling one year, the width of the arcs and the intervening grassy areas indicates the duration of each conflict and the periods of peace which followed them.  At the center of each arc, random accounts of actual heroic deeds are inscribed on granite tablets and at the ends small diamond shaped insets give the name and date of each conflict.  Thus a walk across the memorial becomes a narrative experience which places the individual hero in the sweep of history.  At the far end of the memorial lie the shores of peace and the grove of remembrance.  The design affirms the passage of time, the evolving present and our lasting tribute to these remarkable lives."

Pennsylvania's Antietam Medals of Honor

Hillary Beyer, 2nd Lieutenant, 90th Pennsylvania, Co. H [Christian's Brigade, Rickett's Division, Hooker's Corps]

Entered Service at: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Citation: After his command had been forced to fall back [from the Cornfield, through the East Woods], remained alone on the line of battle, caring for his wounded comrades and carrying one of them to a place of safety.

Ignatz Gresser, Corporal, 128th Pennsylvania, Co. D [Crawford's Brigade, Williams' Division, Mansfield's Corps]

Entered Service at: Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

Citation: While exposed to the fire of the enemy, carried from the field a wounded comrade.

 Samuel Johnson, Private, 9th Pennsylvania Reserves (38th PA), Co. G [Anderson's Brigade, Meade's Division, Hooker's Corps]

Entered Service at: Connellsville, Pennsylvania

Citation: Individual bravery and daring in capturing from the enemy 2 colors [flags] of the 1st Texas Rangers (C.S.A.), receiving in the act a severe wound.

Jacob G. Orth, Corporal, 28th Pennsylvania, Co. D [Tyndale's Brigade, Greene's Division, Mansfield's Corps]

Birth place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Citation: Capture of flag of 7th South Carolina Infantry (C.S.A.) in hand-to-hand encounter, although he was wounded in the shoulder.

William H. Paul, Private, 90th Pennsylvania, Co. E [Christian's Brigade, Rickett's Division, Hooker's Corps]

Birth place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Citation: Under a most withering and concentrated fire, voluntarily picked up the colors of his regiment, when the bearer and two of the color guard had been killed, and bore them aloft throughout the entire battle.



Charles B. Tanner, Second Lieutenant, 1st Delaware, Co. H [Weber's Brigade, French's Division, Sumner's Corps]

Birth place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Citation: Carried off the regimental colors, which had fallen within 20 yards of the enemy's lines, the color guard of 9 men having all been killed or wounded; was himself 3 times wounded.

Tanner's own account of the dangerous situation that day:

While covering that short distance, it seemed as if a million bees were singing in the air. The shouts and yells from either side sounded like menaces and threats. But I had reached the goal, had caught up the staff which was already splintered by shot, and the colors pierced with many a hole, and stained here and there with the lifeblood of our comrades when a bullet shattered by arm. Luckily my legs were still serviceable, and, seizing the precious bunting with my left hand, I made the best eighty yard time on record, receiving two more wounds

Tanner would later serve in the 69th Pennsylvania.  For more on Tanner, click here



Poem written for the Memorial by State Poet, Samuel Hazo



sources:

"Antietam on the Web", accessed 14 September 2011, available from http://antietam.aotw.org/index.php; Internet.

"Charles B. Tanner: One of Delaware's Medal of Honor Winners", accessed 14 September 2011, available from http://portal.delaware.gov/facts/history/tanner.htm; Internet.

"Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients (M-Z)", accessed 13 September 2011, available from http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/civwarmz.html; Internet.

Doughty, Heather, and Mary Margaret Geis, Medal of Honor Recipients, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commemorative Edition, 10 November 1994. Harrisburg, PA: Office of the Cultural Advisor, 1994.