Visit to the Butler Civil War Round Table

I knew I was going to enjoy my visit to the Butler Civil War Round Table soon after arriving when one of its members, Dottie Cress, pulled a small album out of her bag and showed me some of the original cartes de visite and tintypes she has collected. Beautiful images all. She is on the hunt for original photographs of two of her ancestors who fought, James and Joseph Nunamaker of the Tenth Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry.

I also met Paul Means, a artist and photographer who specializes in painting murals. We had a great conversation about art and its impact on our lives.

Bill May, the leader of the group, wore a Santa hat and led us through a trivia contest, raffle and Christmas carol singalong. I've spoken before a number of round tables, but this is the first singing round table!

My presentation, Faces of War, has three parts: The history of early photography, a sampling of cartes de visite of Pennsylvania soldiers, and a collection of charts from my soldier database. Judging from the comments afterward, I was very pleased with its reception.

The presentation has been a work in progress this year. I have been honing it from event to event. I will continue to refine it for future engagements.

Perhaps my favorite moment of the evening was talking with a schoolteacher named Steve. He appreciated the cards I handed out. (Each member receives a card in the beginning of the presentation which features a soldier image, his name and hometown; after the presentation, each member receives another card with the soldier's story.) Steve would like to use to help his eighth graders relate to the Civil War through the stories of the soldiers who fought. I will make all the cards available to him.

"The Men Always Felt This a Grievance"

If there was ever any question that African American soldiers could and would fight, no one bothered to tell Frederick Lyman Hitchcock, an officer in the 132nd Pennsylvania Infantry who suffered two wounds at Fredericksburg and went on to be colonel and commander of the Twenty-fifth U.S. Colored Infantry. After the war he had this to say about the character of the men in the Twenty-fifth:

"I desire to bear testimony to the esprit du corps, and general efficiency of the organization as a regiment, to the competency and general good character of its officers, to the soldierly bearing, fidelity to duty, and patriotism of its men. Having seen active service in the Army of the Potomac, prior to my connection with the Twenty-fifth, I can speak with some degree of assurance. After a proper time had been devoted to its drill, I never for a moment doubted what would be its conduct under fire. It would have done its full duty beyond question. An opportunity to prove this the Government never afforded, and the men always felt this a grievance."

From Bates' History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, Vol. V, pp. 1026-1027.

I admire Hitchcock's confidence in his men, and his clear dissatisfaction for never having been sent to see the elephant with his command.

Success at Camp William Penn

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting key individuals involved in the effort to renovate the museum dedicated to Philadelphia's historic Camp William Penn, the first federal recruiting and training camp for black soldiers. Director Joyce Werkman and Jim Paradis, author of two books, Strike the Blow for Freedom: The 6th United States Colored Infantry in the Civil War and African Americans And The Gettysburg Campaign, generously shared their knowledge and experience during our meeting.

I came away with scans of two soldier images, a carte de visite of a chaplain and a tintype of a quartermaster sergeant. These are the nineteenth and twentieth images secured for the book.

I am very impressed with the dedication to making the renovated museum a reality. The depth of commitment to the project impressed me, and I urge anyone interested in preserving this unique museum and place to support the group behind the effort, the Citizens for the Restoration of Historical La Mott (CROHL). The village of La Mott is one of the first communities in America to encourage integrated living. Six post-Civil War houses in the community are said to have been built from wood salvaged from nearby Camp William Penn. Still standing is the camp's gate and gatehouse.

Nicholas Biddle, Unofficial Soldier

That Nick Biddle went to war with a company of Pennsylvanians from Pottsville is beyond doubt, as evidenced by the carte de visite photo that shows him wearing the uniform jacket of the Washington Artillerists, which later formed the nucleus of Company B of the Keystone State's Forty-eighth Infantry. Moreover, that he suffered a serious head wound during the Baltimore Riots of April 1861 is an event for which he was recognized at the time as the first man wounded in the Civil War.

His military record is one that commands attention and respect for his sacrifice.

Only Biddle never served in the army officially. Men of color were not allowed to enlist. That would come later. Instead, Biddle served as an orderly to Capt. James Wren, who went on to become major of the Forty-eighth. By the time African Americans were allowed to join, sixty-five-year-old Biddle was finished with army life.

His story is unlike any other individual I've researched for my column and books, as all were formally enlisted soldiers. And yet his short-lived experience helps frame the larger issue of race for which our ancestors struggled to deal with in four bloody years of war, and his personal story the sacrifice and dedication of an American to his country.

Palm's Museum Dedicated to Veterans

For those who desire to learn about the Civil War from the perspective of the soldier in the trenches and the combat officer on the front lines, those interested in old photos of veterans, and those looking for an alternative to other museums and attractions in Gettysburg, Ronn Palm's Museum of Civil War Images delivers. Located on Baltimore Street, Ronn's museum contains a wealth of photographs and other relics from the Civil War years, all arranged on walls and in cases that allow visitors to get up close and study each and every artifact.

This is Ronn's way of remembering those who served, and he's created a space that puts soldiers first. Especially his beloved Pennsylvania Bucktails, with their distinctive forage caps, They fought with distinction on many a battlefield, including the hallowed ground all around the museum.

Two cartes de visite stood out for me: A solder seated in a photographer's makeshift tent studio, supplies stacked all about him, and a Pennsylvania artilleryman holding the Stars and Stripes Both are stunning examples of wartime portrait photography, and examples of what makes Ronn's collection one of the very best in the country.

I will be dedicating serious research time to a third carte: Silas L. Johnson of the Ninety-Sixth United States Colored Infantry (USCT). Also known as Silas Brown, the Mississippi-born former slave sat for an unidentified photographer sometime in 1864 or 1865. According to the 1880 census, his parents were born in Virginia.

I am indebted to Ronn for his generosity and kindness, and for the inscribed copy of his book, Pennsylvania Bucktails: A Photographic Album of the 42nd, 149th & 150th Pennsylvania Regiments.

On your next visit to Gettysburg, make time to visit the museum. It is a memorable experience.