Hittin' the Road plus some Book Signings

Yes, that time has finally arrived. I'm moving to Gettysburg tomorrow! I have most of my things packed and will be heading down in my "Burg Mobile" (shown above) in the morning. It's bound to be a busy week. I will officially start my training on Tuesday morning. I'm not sure when my next post will be since I still need to get my internet access hooked up at my new home. But fear not, I will be continuing my posts throughout the summer.

I'm also taking my large collection of Gettysburg books. (There are more on the other side of the bin too!) Good stuff, huh? My mom was making fun of me for taking such a heavy collection. I told her if she were a medical student going to do an internship at a big, prestigious hospital, would she not take her medical books for reference? I have about thirty books total (with an equal number of movies; only a fourth of which are Civil War films though...)

I will also be having two book signings at the Gettysburg Visitor Center book store this weekend. I will be signing copies of Civil War Leaders, More Civil War Leaders, and Historic Pennsylvania, all shown above from my Remembrance Day appearance. If you will be in town, please come by and say hello! I will be there on:

Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

I usually stay a bit longer than the given times. I hope to see some of you there. I've had lots of fun and learned many things since starting this blog in January. I also hope many of you will continue to visit this site as I embark on my great summer adventure. See you in Gettysburg!

The Daniel Lady Farm

The Daniel Lady Farm played an important role in the three-day battle of Gettysburg. The farm was occupied by Southern forces on July 1, 1863, and served as a Confederate staging area for the remainder of the battle. In addition, the farm served as a hospital for the wounded of both sides; several burials were recorded on the property. According to the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association, the farm was a historically noteworthy site in the battle because:

• Union General Williams approached from the east, threatening the Confederate left flank. His attack exposed the vulnerability of the Confederate left flank. Ewell then assigned a division to occupy the farm as the left flank of the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg.

• General Edward “Allegheny” Johnson, division commander, used the stone house as his division headquarters.
  

• The famous “Stonewall Brigade, under General Walker, Jones brigade, ‘Maryland’ Steuart’ s brigade, Nicholls’ Louisiana Brigade, and Andrew’s artillery battalion were bivouacked on the farm, north of the Hanover Road. Various Confederate staff meetings took place on the farm. Generals Ewell, Early, and Johnson planned the cannonade of Culp’s and East Cemetery Hills there on July 2^nd.

• The stone house and barn were used as a Confederate field hospital. Johnson’s division listed 1269 wounded. Burials were recorded on the site.

• Ewell’s “reports of Union Cavalry out the Hanover Road” were correct! The 3^rd Pennsylvania and 10^th New York Cavalry regiments battled all day July 2^nd with the Stonewall Brigade.
  

• The Farmhouse and barn both received hits by Union Artillery from Powers Hill.

This map is by Steve Stanley and courtesy of the CWPT. It has a great overview of the action around the Daniel Lady Farm and shows its proximity to the Confederate artillery on Benner's Hill. Click to enlarge.

A front view of this very historic house. If those stones could talk!

The barn, which also served as a field hospital.

A projectile in one of the beams of the barn. There is also soldier graffiti on the walls.

The day of our visit was a cold one, so Mark decided to get warmed up at the home's original fireplace. We all wore little cloth booties over our shoes so not to harm the battle evidence on the floors...

This view is near the front entrance of the house. Let's take a look at those old floorboards. Yes...those are blood stains. The dark circles in a straight row are nails rusted by the blood of Confederate soldiers. The wounds of Henry Kyd Douglas, the “boy major” Joseph Latimer, Colonel Higginbotham, Captain William D. Brown and General John Jones were treated here.

Let's take an even closer look. A wounded Confederate soldier sat up against this wall and placed his bloody fingertips on the floor. You can still see his imprint; clear enough to make out the rings of his fingerprints. A truly striking visual reminder of the battle and aftermath.

The Daniel Lady Farm is operated by the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association. Although it is not regularly opened for tours, appointments can often be arranged by contacting the group. This is one of the many groups working together to save the history of Adams County, PA. I encourage you to join them as a member or volunteer.

German POW Recalls Gettysburg

I recently found this very interesting article in The Gettysburg Times. As many of you may know, Gettysburg was the home of a German prisoner of war camp during WWII. Author Barbara Platt has a great history of this little known camp in her book, This is Holy Ground.

Shortly after the Normandy Invasion in June 1944, forty Nazi prisoners were brought to Gettysburg to be temporarily imprisoned at the PA National Guard Armory on West Confederate Avenue (which is still there). Eventually, a larger and more secure compound was built on fifteen acres of the Codori Farm just a stone's throw away from the now demolished Home Sweet Home Motel parallel to the Emmitsburg Road. This was Camp Sharpe. Approximately 400 prisoners lived there from July to November of 1944 until it was enlarged in July 1945 to accomodate another 350 men. On the Fourth of July 1944, two men escaped but were soon captured by officials near the High Water Mark believe it or not! In January 1946, two others escaped by sneaking under the barbed wire fence encompassing the camp. They were captured four days later by the FBI on the PA/Maryland border. According to the Gettysburg Compiler on January 12, 1946:

"The two German prisoners who escaped from the Gettysburg POW camp last Thursday evening were recaptured Monday afternoon at 2:50 o'clock near Zora [PA] by prison camp guards, state police from Gettysburg and an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Acting on a tip the authorities found the pair hidden in a straw stack adjacent to an unused barn on the property of Clayton Phillips, Emmitsburg R.1, located close to the Maryland line in the Friends' creek section. The Germans offered no resistance but apparently were "very badly scared," according to one of the officers present for the capture.

H. B. Fletcher, special agent in charge of the Philadelphia field division of the FBI, disclosed today that statements made to the FBI by the recaptured Nazis were to the effect that they had escaped because "they liked America, wanted to see more of it and hoped to reach a large city and stay in this country rather than return to Germany.'"

The prisoners at the camp were put to work in the local agricultural industry to support the war effort (though not their own). Some worked at a Heinz Factory in Chamersburg while other picked fruit in Adams and Franklin Counties. The men were paid one dollar per hour (but 90 cents of each dollar went back to the U.S. government to pay for their food and housing)! By April of 1946, all the prisoners had been relocated to another camp or returned to Germany. To my knowledge, no photos of the camp exist. However, we do have a map sketched by the commandant.

Courtesy Gettysburg National Military Park

The two prisoners found near the High Water Mark escaped via the drainage tube underneath the Emmitsburg Road. Note the guard towers and the former Home Sweet Home Motel.

And that finally takes us to the main story:

German POW seeks American Friend from the past
Published: Friday, May 15, 2009 7:20 AM EDT
By Holly Fletcher

A former German POW is asking Gettysburg Times readers for their help in locating an American friend. It has been more than 65 years since Josef Bibracher “visited” Gettysburg.

He was a 17-year-old German officer cadet from the 89th Mountain Regiment, brought over to the United States from Naples, Italy, in a very basic prisoner of war ship in 1944. He was sent first to Camp Forrest in the south and then to Gettysburg.

A German prisoner-of-war camp was located on Gettysburg battlefield land between 1944 and 1945. The prisoners were brought to Adams County to work in the fields, orchards, and canning factories to replace that part of the local labor force that was serving in the armed services. Jo’s friend, Phil Fairclough, has done several hours of one-on-one interviews with Jo as part of a book he is writing.

“I must say, Jo was a very ‘volatile’ prisoner who provoked many reactions,” he said. Jo admits that, as a soldier, he felt the need to resist and at one camp, he stole the American flag from the mess, cancelling all privileges for his fellow prisoners.

He and three other prisoners also managed to escape the Gettysburg camp, staying out for about a week before the sheriff’s department picked them up at a local farm. “We traveled at night and I remember going through an area full of Civil War statues, which looked quite frightening in the gloom,” he recalled.

While he and his comrades were here, they worked at the Heinz Factory in Chambersburg. Now in his 80s and living in rural England with his wife Maureen, Jo said he has fond memories of the American family he met here.

“For the first time in my life I felt I was accepted as an ordinary human being, by them and their little girl. I am old now, but often think back to the kindness I received from them,” he wrote.

He sent a photograph to the newspaper and is asking readers for their help in locating the girl. He does not recall her name, or her address, but said she would be about 70 years old now. Her father was an employee at the factory where Jo worked.

“I wonder if she still lives in your area. I would be very pleased if she was there and wanted to correspond,” he said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Josef Bibracher, either by mail: Chameleon, Mossey Green, Ketley Bank, Telford, TF2 0DL, Shropshire, England, or by phone: 01952 610952.

So, that begs the question; is Mr. Bibracher one of the four men who escaped the camp from the scenarios given above, or a whole other event altogether which had previously been lost to history? A fascinating instance in Gettysburg's rich history.

This photo was taken between 1944 and 1945 and is of an unidentified girl whom Josef Bibracher met during the period that he was held at the prisoner of war camp on Gettysburg battlefield. Bibracher is seeking help from the Times readers. He would like any information that might help put him in touch with the unknown girl or her family. Bibracher and the young lady’s family formed a friendship during World War II. Photos courtesy of Josef Bibracher

The Legend of "Blind Davey"

Tourism for Gettysburg began literally just days after the great battle had ended in July 1863. Locals took this opportunity to make some money in compensation for their strife. Thousands flocked to the previously unknown town and the Devil's Den area quickly became one of the major hubs of the new tourist trade.

At one point, there was an amusement park, dance hall, pavilion, wells, snack stands, small relic museums, souvenirs, and yes, a casino, in the Devil's Den/Little Round Top area. These largely jump started in 1884 upon the completion of the Gettysburg & Harrisburg Railway (which destroyed many sections of the battlefield).

The geologic anomaly of Devil's Den attracted many, thus it became a hot spot for photographers to work their trade. The small stand shown above was first used by the Mumper Family, who used it as a photographic studio. It was later used by famed battlefield photographer William Tipton as his place of business. Finally, it was eventually moved to a spot adjacent to Warren Avenue in front of Little Round Top. (It was located in the general area of the modern restrooms between the hill and the den.)

Here, it became "Blind Davey's Souvenir Stand." David M. Weikert became "Blind Davey" when injured in an explosives accident as a worker on the Gettysburg Railroad. However, his story was not marketed as such. Rather than telling the true story of his blinding, it was said that Davey lost his sight after striking an unseen unexploded artillery shell with his farming plow. Because citizens and local officials felt badly for the man, he was permitted to operate his souvenir and snack stand on prime battlefield real estate with tons of tourist traffic.

Davey was sometimes photographed at his shop with his dog and a gun. (Perhaps the dog aimed the weapon for him.) Needless to say, Mr. Weikert could be considered one of Gettysburg's most colorful entrepreneurs...and there have been many!

To learn more about "Blind Davey," check out Devil's Den: A History and Guide by Garry Adelman and Tim Smith. Also, to find out more about rock carvings and unique sights in the Devil's Den area, I encourage you to get the very new book The Complete Gettysburg Guide by JD Petruzzi and Steve Stanley. There is a lot of good buzz about this upcoming work.

Eight days until the big move to Gettysburg. Can't wait!

Gettysburg Campaign's Fort Couch

Today, we shall go beyond the town of Gettysburg and explore a Gettysburg Campaign site right across the river from the Pennsylvania capitol of Harrisburg: Fort Couch. This "small outpost was built in June 1863 to oppose an expected attack on Harrisburg by Confederate troops. This site was then known as Hummel's Heights. Fort Couch, named for Union General Darius N. Couch, received an historical marker in 1953.

When nearby Fort Washington was occupied, it became evident that this higher ground one-half mile to the west, if captured, would make Fort Washington undefendable. The earthworks visible here are the remains of Fort Couch, built in June 1863 as an advance position to ensure the defense of the larger fort to the east. Most of the construction of Fort Couch was done by railroad crews, many of whom were African-Americans. Artillery pieces were mounted on wooden platforms behind the earthworks. Fort Couch is the only public site that preserves part of the once extensive defenses of Harrisburg. A Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical marker and a monument erected by the Camp Curtin Historical Society commemorate the fort."

This monument has detailed maps, sketches, and summaries of the events surrounding it. Thus, captions on my part are not necessary. The folks of the Camp Curtin Historical Society have done a great job with this monument and maintaining the site. (Click any picture to enlarge to read text.)

Colonel Norman Hall

As many of you may know, I am always scouring the news for articles on Gettysburg. No event in all of history is recorded in news articles so long after the fact as often as the Battle of Gettysburg is. The whole thing is an interesting phenomenon. The event symbolizes so many historical, cultural, political, and education traits of our society to this very day. Today in my findings, I found an interesting write-up on Col. Norman Hall of the 7th Michigan Infantry from the Monroe News. I thought I would share it with you.

Monroe County [Michigan] may not know Col. Norman Hall, but if local museum officials have their way, they will over the next couple of years.

Col. Hall was a Monroe County native who was the only Michigan resident present at the bombing of Fort Sumter, which began the Civil War. And during the famous Pickett's Charge on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, it was Col. Hall's third brigade, which included the 7th Michigan Infantry, that held the Union center, halting the charge and leading to the Union victory.

Those Civil War historical details are part of what Dave Ingall of the Monroe County Historical Museum plans to discuss at Thursday's Civil War Roundtable at Ellis Reference & Information Center. The talk will begin at 7 p.m.

"Hall has a very unique story," Mr. Ingall said. "He just has been forgotten."

Monroe County's history when comes to the Civil War is unique, as well, and Mr. Ingall and others are making sure that history isn't forgotten. The discussion and slide show, which is expected to last a little more than an hour, include statistics from the Civil War, a look at the regiments that trained here, individual soldiers who participated, medal of honor winners, local and national Civil War monuments related to Monroe soldiers and county natives who are buried here and in other cemeteries.

Museum officials are pushing the Civil War period now and hoping it becomes more recognized in years to come. The sesquicentennial of the war will be from 2011-15. Plans are being discussed for a Civil War monument to be erected at Soldiers and Sailors Park in Monroe, and Mr. Ingall said Monroe's great Civil War history is worth celebrating.

"We have a huge military history, dating back to the Battle of the River Raisin," Mr. Ingall said. "The town has a great military history. We have always had large participation in wars. Even the Mexican War (1844-45), we had quite a few." Mr. Ingall said the Civil War particularly hit Monroe County hard. When Fort Sumter was fired upon, "there was a huge uproar," he said.

More than 2,250 county men served in the war, about 10 percent of the county's population, and about 430 died. The numbers fluctuate from time to time as new information becomes available. Local military historian Dave Eby has assisted Mr. Ingall with the statistics.

There are countless stories about Monroe County men who served in the Civil War, and Mr. Ingall will relate some of those stories during his discussion. County men fought in every Michigan regiment and some of them trained in Monroe. The slides he will show feature area natives and their gravestones, as well as monuments from across the country.

"Michigan has monuments and plaques at many Civil War battlefields where they served," he said. Gen. George Armstrong Custer will be part of the talk, as will others, like Col. Hall.

Col. Hall grew up on a farm near Dixon and S. Custer Rds. and attended Papermill School, a one-room schoolhouse. He was nominated to West Point by Congressman David Noble and the order was signed by Jefferson Davis, who later would become president of the Confederacy. He was at West Point at the same time as Gen. Custer. There is evidence that the two knew each other because a letter exists in which Gen. Custer mentions Col. Hall by name.

The two also were instrumental on the third day of Gettysburg, perhaps the most important battle of the Civil War. "We would like to put up a statue of Col. Hall," Mr. Ingall said. "He was a hero at Gettysburg."

Gen. Custer's Michigan Calvary Brigaide defeated Jeb Stuart's troops on one side of the battlefield. Meanwhile, Col. Hall was leading his brigade on the other
side during the famous Pickett's Charge.

"The brigade, led by Norman Hall, were the one's who repulsed them," Mr. Ingall said. "His was the final brigade that stopped Pickett's Charge ... and closed the gap in the Union line that shut Pickett's Confederates completely down.

"I'm not saying they saved the Union," Mr. Ingall continued, "but they played a huge role. . … If either one failed, the Union Army could have lost. That's amazing that two men from Monroe were that highly influential in the outcome." Col. Hall's history may have been forgotten because at the beginning of the war he contracted a disease and died soon after the war at 30.

He's buried at West Point, about 30 yards from Gen. Custer. He is depicted in the renovated Cylcorama at Gettysburg today, and one of his battle flags, the 7th Michigan Infantry, is on display at the Monroe County Historical Museum.

Penn State Altoona Encampment

Free at last, free at last! Summer has finally arrived and this extremely slow and busy semester has reached an end. In reflection, I thought I would share some photos from Penn State Altoona's (my school) 2nd annual Living History Encampment. This event is hosted by the campus' History Society (of which I am president) every April. This year, we welcomed the 110th Pennsylvania Volunteers, an original regiment from our area. We even had one or two WWII reenactors camp out too. Several hundred students attended demonstrations and talks all day. It was a truly great event!

Meet Captain Michael Gherrity, commander of Company A, 110th PA Volunteers. He broke out his new tent just for us.

The encampment included a small printing press and 1860s political/recruitment brochures. Students and passersby were welcome to take some.

Students check out the telegraph station. Pay no attention to that crazy guy in the red shirt! (He's one of my friends and a dedicated member of the History Society.)

Many students were shocked by the primitive nature of Civil War medicine as seen at the Surgeon's tent.

As you can see, we had a constant crowd of students for most of the day. You will notice in the foreground our accurate 1860s lunch - Little Caesar's Pizza...

John Michael, one of my good friends, checks out the Signal Corps exhibit.

Captain Gherrity had a display table with a number of artifacts including weapons, camp equipment, newspapers, and more. Here, he explains how the Minie Ball and rifle worked more efficiently than prior weapons.

They even did some Signal Corps demonstrations with their flags.

Here are fourteen of our over 160 members of the History Society. There are also some great History professors here with their kids. This was from our April 12 trip to Gettysburg. We are at the Amos Humiston monument. One of the many public services our group does is to travel to Gettysburg each semester and aid the Park Service in their Landscape Restoration program. This semester, we removed brush and small trees in the Devil's Den area. That too was a fun day. We'll be at work once again next semester...but let's enjoy a long summer first!

That Time of Year Again...

Finals...ugh. Yes, it is the first week of May once again, which means there are many long hours of desk light studies, practice preparation, and little sleep ahead. I have three written tests and then a college algebra exam on my final day. It will be the last math class I ever have to take! Hallelujah. Needless to say, I probably won't be blogging anytime before Thursday, for I will have my face in the books. This week will be followed by mass jubilation. Wish me luck!

Four weeks until the move to Gettysburg!