USA > Pennsylvania > Mifflin County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 1 > Part 30
USA > Pennsylvania > Perry County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 1 > Part 30
USA > Pennsylvania > Union County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 1 > Part 30
USA > Pennsylvania > Juniata County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 1 > Part 30
USA > Pennsylvania > Snyder County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 1 > Part 30
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The company, thus organized, at once gave strict attention to matters of military discipline, including squad and company drills, which were held nearly every night in an unfurnished brick building on Logan Street, which had been in- tended for a church, but which was secured as an armory and drill-room. In these drills the officers were kindly assisted by Captain Henry Zollin- ger, an accomplished drill officer, who had been captain of a company at Newport, Perry County, and who subsequently commanded a company of the famous Forty-ninth Pennsyl- vania in the Rebellion, and also by Captain (afterwards General) William H. Irwin, who had served in the Mexican War, in command of the Juniata Guards of Mifflin County. The Logan Guards were mustered into the State ser- vice by Major Daniel Eisenbise, the proprietor of the Red Lion Hotel, in Lewistown, who was always a warm and enthusiastic admirer, friend and patron of the "Logans," and to whom Bates, in his "History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers," gives the credit of being the pro- moter of their organization, viz. :
"The 'Logan Guards,' a volunteer company, was organized by Major Daniel Eisenbise, inspector of the Second Brigade, Fourteenth Division Pennsyl- vania Militia. In the month of July, 1858, John B. Selheimer was elected captain, and commissioned on the 7th of August. The company met for parade and drill about once a month, and participated in volun- teer encampments at Lewistown in the fall of 1859, and at Huntingdon in 1860, both under command of Major-General William IT. Keim. It participated in the ceremonies incident to the inauguration of Gov- ernor Curtin, in January, 1861, and in the reception of Mr. Lincoln, President-elect, on the 22d of Feb- ruary following."
The company having preserved its organiza- tion, and, to a great extent, its esprit du corps, and being thus in a condition to be rapidly re- eruited and made ready for actual duty in the field, its services were tendered in advance by Captain Selheimer to Governor Curtin, in an- ticipation of the emergency that arose immedi- ately afterwards, so that when, on the 16th of April, the message came from the Governor, ac- cepting the company and ordering it forward, its ranks were filled by recruitment in a single hour,1 and in the evening of the same day marched across the Juniata to the Pennsylvania Railroad, by which, after a few hours of wait-
1 Mr. McCay tells the story of the rapid filling of the " Logans' " ranks, and their prompt departure, as follows : " Upon the receipt of the telegram from Governor Curtin, ordering us to proceed to Harrisburg immediately, Captain Selheimer responded by telegram that we were coming. He at once opened a recruiting office in the National Hotel, and in one hour had recruited a full company (ninety-one) of picked men, and was obliged to refuse the services of many who wished to go. The soul-inspiring music of the fife and drum was heard upon the streets, and the mem- bers made hurried preparations to leave. Very many left their business with no one to attend to it. The news spread rapidly and the farmers came into town by scores. The greatest excitement prevailed, extending even to the women and children, and as the shades of night came on, the streets in front of the Red Lion hotel and in front of the court-house were densely packed with men, women and children. It seemed, indeed, as if everybody had left their homes to bid us good-by. Many never expected to see us return, as the most exaggerated rumors were in cir- culation, one of which was that the rebels had captured Washington and Baltimore, and were then marching on to Harrisburg. All the original members promptly left their business to attend to itself, and amid the tears and lamen- tations of relatives,-mothers and fathers, wives, sisters, sweethearts and friends,-the company having formed in front of the old Red Lion Hotel, and preceded by our band of martial music, the Logans took up the line of march to the (new) junction, the boys stepping off in quick time to the tune of ' The girl I left behind me.' A great many persons accompanied us to the railroad, when we found that, owing to lack of transportation, we could not get away till near morning. A few returned to town, but the great majority remained at the depot, not wishing to again undergo the pain of parting with their loved ones. However, in the early morning we got aboard of the morning passenger- train, which soon landed us safely in Harrisburg on the 17th of April. In a very short time we were joined by the Ringgold Artillery, of Reading, which was followed by the Pottsville companies and the Allen Infantry, of Allen- lown. Everything was in a state of the utmost confusion in Harrisburg."
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ing for the trains, it was transported to Harris- burg, where it arrived carly on the morning of the 17th, and was joined by four other vol- unteer companies, viz., -- the Ringgold Light Artillery, of Reading, the Washington Artillery and National Light-Infantry, of Pottsville, and the Allen Rifles, of Allentown,-in all, five hundred and thirty soldiers of Pennsylvania, on their way to the defense of the capital of the nation.
On the following morning (Thursday, April 18, 1861) these companies were mustered into the service of the United States for three months, by Captain Seneca G. Simmons, of the Seventh Regular Infantry, and immediately after- wards left Harrisburg, for Baltimore, Md., by a railway train, on which was also a detachment of about fifty men of the Fourth (regular) Artil- lery, from one of the western posts, and bound for Fort MeHenry, in Baltimore Harbor. This detachment was under command of Lieutenant Pemberton, afterwards the Confederate lieuten- ant-general, who commanded, and finally surren- dered, the stronghold of Vicksburg, Miss.
On arriving at Baltimore they found the streets of that city (through which it was neces- sary for them to march nearly two miles on their way to the Warrington depot) filled and blockaded by a large and excited mob of men, who were ready, at a word, to make as bloody and brutal an attack' on them as the same mob
1 " As we neared the city of Baltimore," says Mr. McCay, "alarming reports began to reach us, the mob having declared that rather than allow any Union troops to pass through their city they would kill us to a man. Captain Selheimer, Hulings and Irwin and others cautioned us not to resent anything, as we were comparatively de- fenseless, the only arms being about forty muskets belong_ ing to our company and the sabres worn by the Ringgolds, who were in the rear. Some of our men had secured some gun caps, and these were put upon muskets which in some cases were not loaded. As we alighted from the cars at the city limits we were met by a howling mob which hurled the most abusive epithets upon us. The regulars took the advance (they left us, however, before we got half- way through the city), followed by the Logans, our beauti- ful flag being carried by Will Mitchell. (He rose to the rank of brevet brigadier-general of volunteers, chief of staff to General Hancock, and, just previous to his untimely end, was made an assistant adjutant-general United States army, being the first appointment made by President Gar- field. His honored dust now lies in St. Mark's Cemetery.)
made on the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment in their march through the city on the following day. The companies, however, promptly left the train on arrival, and were formed in bat- talion in the following order: The detach- ment of regulars on the right; next, the Logan Guards ; then the Allen Rifles, the Washington Artillery and the National Light Infantry, with the Ringgold Light Artil- lery as a rear-guard. "As the column was forming, near Bolton Station,2 the police of Bal- timore appeared in large force, headed by Mar- shal Kane, and followed by a mob, who at once commenced an attack on the volunteers, counte- nanced by a portion of the police sent to give safe conduct through the city. Orders were given to the men to preserve their temper, and make no reply to anything that should be said to them. At the command ' forward !' the mob commenced hooting, jeering and yelling, and proclaimed, with oaths, that the troops should not pass through their city to fight the South.
"Arriving near the centre of the city, Pem- berton, with his regulars, filed off towards Fort MeHenry, leaving the volunteers to pursue their way through the city as best they could. At
A line of police, headed by Marshal Kane, kept the crowd back somewhat, but as we slowly neared the other depot the mob was increased by thousands, and when the police left us at the depot they were more brutal and abusive than ever. Tearing up the cobble-stones, they hurled a continuous stream of missiles through the open doors of the box-cars on which we had been placed. They attempted to break the decks of the cars in by jumping on them. Several times, indeed, they uncoupled the engine and endeavored to tear up the rails in front of us. Some of the stoutest of our boys, when they could stand no further abuse, jumped out of the car and offered to fight the whole crowd one by one. This seemed to please them, and they told us that as we were neighbors, and did not amount to much anyhow, they would let us go, but they said 'we'll give them Massachusetts Yankees hell; they shall never go through this city,' and other such remarks. They made their threat good the next day, when the terri- ble street fighting between the mob and the Sixth Massa- chusetts occurred.
"As we had been told that we would draw new uni- forms at Harrisburg, our men did not present a very cred- itable appearance, having left home with the most dilapi- dated clothes they could find. This is why the mob at Balti- more called us convicts and poor-house paupers, and said that Pennsylvania had emptied its jails and poor-houses to send down there to be food for Southern powder."
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" Bates' " History Pennsylvania Volunteers."
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this juncture the mob were excited to a perfect frenzy, breaking the line of the police, and pushing through the files of men, in an attempt to break the column. Every insult that could be heaped upon the troops was offered, but no word of reply was elicited, the officers and men marching steadily on towards Camden Station. At every step the mob increased, until it num- bered thousands of the most determined and desperate rebels of the war.
" The Logan Guard was armed with thirty-four Springfield muskets, which had been drawn from the national armory on a requisition from thead- jutant-general of Pennsylvania at the time of its organization, in 1858, and thirty-four of their number, carrying them, were uniformed pre- cisely like the regulars. The officers and some of the men wore revolvers at their sides, well loaded. Aside from these, there was not a charge of powder in the five companies ; but one of the men of the Logan Guards, happening to have a box of percussion caps in his pocket, had pre- viously distributed them to his comrades, and the thirty-four muskets of the Guards were capped, and carried, half-cocked, at a support arms, creating the impression in the mob that these muskets were loaded, and would be used against them if they attempted an assault." It was believed that this little ruse of capping the un- loaded muskets awed the mob, and prevented a bloody conflict between them and the sol- diers.
Finally the Pennsylvania companies reached the Camden Station, where they at once took the train for Washington, and at seven o'clock the same evening reached the city, and, by order of Major Irwin McDowell1 (who had assumed command of the troops on their arrival), marched to, and occupied the Capitol building," which they at
1 Afterwards Major-General McDowell, U. S. A.
2 " We finally reached the Baltimore and Ohio depot at Washington about dusk, and marched to the Capitol build- ing, the Logans being on the right of the line, and conse- quently the first company of volunteers to enter the Capitol building for its defense. We were very tired and hungry, but immediately began to barricade all the open space and corridors in the building with cement barrels and the iron plates which were intended for thedome, it being unfinished. In a short time every gas-jet was lighted, and the seces- wionists down in the city (and they were legion) heard
once proceeded to strengthen by barricades. "The night of the 18th passed quietly away, and at daybreak of the 19th the morning report of the Logan Guard, officially signed, was handed by the first sergeant of the company to Adju- tant-General Thomas, that officer remarking that it was the first official volunteer report received." 3
On their arrival at the Capitol, the men of the Pennsylvania companies were armed, equip- ped and provided with ammunition, and they continued to occupy the building eleven days, at the end of which time the Logan Guard and the two Pottsville companies were ordered to Fort Washington, located fourteen miles below the city, on the Maryland side of the Potomac, nearly opposite the Washington mansion and tomb at Mount Vernon. The fort was com- manded by Brevet-Major J. A. Haskins, a one- armed veteran of the Mexican War, and under him, at this post, the three volunteer companies remained on duty through all the remainder of their term of service.4
that ten thousand Yankee volunteers had just marched into the Capitol. Many believing this, did not wait for the morrow, but ' skedaddled' in hot haste across the Long Bridge, and down the river to Alexandria, which was garri- soned by General Ben. Mccullough with eight thousand men. We got our first taste of hard-tack and bacon that night, and one of our Logans absolutely shed tears because he could not get more than one teaspoonful of sugar in his coffee. This young man found afterward how to endure privations, made a good soldier, and by his own merits rose to the rank of captain in the Forty-Ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers. We occupied the hall of the House, and while there we organized a Congress of our own, George W. Elb- erty being elected the Speaker." -- W. F. McCay.
S Bates.
4 " We were put upon fatigue duty (says Mr. McCay) upon our arrival at Fort Washington, and placed under the most rigid discipline. Major Haskin, who commanded the garrison, was a brave and gallant soldier, a Christian gentleman and a striet disciplinarian, and very soon won the esteem and good-will of every Logan, and when we were about to come home, at the expiration of our time, he shed tears, and could not master his emotions when he said that we were all perfect gentlemen. Assisted by the officers, we soon became the equal, if not the superior, of the com- pany of the First Artillery and the company of recruits stationed there. We mounted all the guns which com- manded the river for miles up and down stream, and every vessel or bont, large or small, had to stop and give an ne- count of themselves. If they did not, an eight-inch shell was quietly dropped over their bows, which soon brought
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In the intense excitement which everywhere prevailed from the time of the marching of these first five companies, it appears that the State authorities forgot or overlooked the right of these companies to be assigned to and desig- nated as the First Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers ; and it was not until two hundred and forty other companies of later date had been organized and assigned to numerical precedence in the State service, that the claims of these "first defenders " were remembered, and they were then organized as a part of the Twenty-fifth Regiment, which was the last of Pennsylvania troops enlisted for the three months' service. Of this regiment, which was organized before the departure of the com-
them to terms. On the land sides all the trees were cut away to get range for the heavy guns and the howitzers in the flanking casemates. Comfortable quarters were erected, and Rev. Harris, who was the chaplain in Fort Sumter when it was evacuated, was the chaplain of the post. Mount Vernon, the home in life, and tomb in death, of General Washington, the father of his country, was nearly opposite, on the other side of the river. Some of our boys would frequently swim the river, which is nearly a mile wide at this place. On that extreme hot Sunday when the disastrous battle of Bull Run was fought, we could hear the sound of conflict quite plainly, and when the major received a dispatch that our army was cut to pieces and in full retreat, and to be prepared for a night attack, the water battery was reinforced by Captain Wren's com- pany. Extra heavy details were made for the rifle battery, the guns were trained and loaded, and the howitzers on the land side were double-shotted. Videttes were placed out. on all the roads, and the men stood to their arms that long and gloomy night. Our time was now expired for which we had enlisted, but at the request of the government we remained two weeks longer. It is an open secret now that if the Confederates had pushed right on they could have captured Washington quite easily, there being no organized force to speak of to oppose them. Even after the arrival of the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment, the Confederate force under General Ben. McCulloch could easily have captured the city,-that is, before the way was opened, and the blockade raised for the passage of loyal troops from the North."
In referring to this, Mr. Lossing says, in his first volume of the " War of the Rebellion," that he has heard distin- guished officers and statesmen say that if this little band of Pennsylvanians had not been where they were on the 18th day of April, 1861 (in the Capitol), that the President, his Cabinet officers, heads of departments, the commander- in-chief of the army, and many more, would have been assassinated or taken prisoners, the public archives and buildings seized, and Jeff. Davis proclaimed dictator from the eastern portico of the Capitol, where Mr. Lincoln had been inaugurated just forty-five days before.
panies for Fort Washington, the Logan Guards were designated as E, the color company. Henry L. Cake, of Pottsville, was made colo- nel ; Captain John B. Selheimer, of the Mifflin County company, lieutenant-colonel ; and James II. Campbell, of Pottsville, major. By the promotion of Captain Selheimer to the lieuten- ant-coloneley, Lieutenant Thomas M. Hulings became captain, Frank R. Sterrett first lieuten- ant and R. W. Patten second lieutenant. Colonel Selheimer joined the regiment, which was then ordered to march, with fifteen days' rations and sixty rounds of ammunition, to join Colonel Charles P. Stone's command, at Rockville, Md. It had been the intention, at the formation of the regiment, to concentrate all its companies ; but when the order for the march was issued, it did not include the com- panies then on duty at the Arsenal and Fort Washington, as it was deemed unwise to remove them ; they, therefore, never did a day's duty in the regiment to which they nominally be- longed, but remained at the posts to which they had been assigned. " Major Haskins, and the efficient officers under him at the fort, worked zealously and kindly with these troops in per- fecting them in their duties as soldiers, and so well did they succeed that in the single com- pany of Logan Guards one-half of the num- ber became commissioned officers in various Pennsylvania regiments ; four of the number being brevet brigadier-generals, four colonels, four lieutenant-colonels, six majors, eighteen captains, and thirty-two lieutenants. Among the privates in the ranks of this company, in their march through Baltimore, was Brigadier- General William II. Irwin, who commanded a brigade of General Franklin's corps at Antie- tam ; Brevet Brigadier-General William G. Mitchell, chief of General Hancock's staff; Brevet Brigadier-General J. A. Matthews, who commanded the Second Brigade of General Hartranft's division in the Ninth Corps ; and Brigadier-General Thomas M. Hulings, who was killed while gallantly leading his regiment into the thickest of the Wilderness fight."1
The invaluable services rendered to the gov-
" Butes' " History Pennsylvania Volunteers."
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ernment by the five companies of "first de- fenders" was acknowledged by Congress on the day succeeding the disastrous battle of Bull Run, in a resolution of thanks, such as are never tendered by that body except for great and signal services to the country, viz. :
"THIRTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES. "July 22, 1861.
" Resolved, That the thanks of this House are due and are hereby tendered to the five hundred and thirty soldiers from Pennsylvania, who passed through the mob of Baltimore and reached Washing- ton, on the Eighteenth of April last, for the defense of the National Capital.
"GALUSHA A. GROW, " Speaker of the House of Representatives."
After having served about two weeks beyond their term of enlistment, the Lewistown and Pottsville companies left Fort Washington for their homes in Pennsylvania. Of the return of the Logan Guards, one of its members (W. F. MeCay, before quoted) says,-
"Having been mustered out of the U. S. service and received our pay in gold, we astonished the citi- zens of Harrisburg by our soklierly appearance and exemplary conduct. We arrived home safely. The entire population turned out to receive us and we re- ceived a perfect ovation. The citizens and the 'Slemmer Guards ' received us with all the honors, the members thereof being of the most respectable families. A bounteous and never-to-be-forgotten dinner was provided for us in the court-house and speeches of welcome were made and responded to, after which we broke ranks and the old Logan Guards ceased to have an organized existence.
"Shortly after the war the survivors formed them- selves into an organization called 'The Logan Guards Association,' Colonel Selheimer being president, Ma- jor R. W. Patton vice-president, Captain William B. Weber treasurer, Captain Joseph S. Waream secre- tary. Since the death of Captain Waream the va- caney was filled by the election of the writer as sec- retary."
COLONEL JOIN B. SELHEIMER is the great- grandson of Nicholas Selheimer, for eight years a soldier of the War of the Revolution, who emigrated from Hesse Cassel, Germany, about 1765, and settled in Franklin County, Pa., where he engaged in farming. He married Mary Miller, to whom was born five sons- William, Conrad, George, John, Jacob-and one daughter, Susan.
John and Jacob served in the War of 1812. John was killed on the ship "Niagara," on Lake Erie, while under the command of Com- modore Perry. For the bravery displayed by Pennsylvania troops in the engagement the government of Pennsylvania awarded a num- ber of silver medals, about three inches in diameter and three-eighths of an inch in thick- ness, one of which is still in possession of the family and contains the following inscription : "To John Selheimer, in testimony of his patri- otism and bravery in the naval action on Lake Erie, September the 10th, 1813."
The birth of William Selheimer occurred in 1776, in Franklin County, from which locality he removed to Chester County and built a paper-mill, which was successfully conducted for several years. About 1815 he made Mifflin County (now Juniata County), Pa., his home, purchasing an extensive tract of land and build- ing several dwellings and a paper-mill, which he managed with profit until his death, in 1826. William Selheimer married Elizabeth Houltry, of Hagerstown, Md., whose children were Ab- salom B., William, James, John, Patterson, Elizabeth (Mrs. Thomas Kerr), Catherine (Mrs. William Kirk), Mary (Mrs. William Robison), Sarah (Mrs. John McKennan), Jane (Mrs. John P. Low) and Mariah (Mrs. David Doughman).
Absalom B. Selheimer, the father of Colonel Selheimer, was born in 1798, in Franklin County, Pa., and removed, with his parents, to Chester County, and later to Juniata County, in both of which localities he engaged in the business of paper-making. He married, in 1821, Eleanor, daughter of Judge William Beale, of Beale township, Juniata County, whose children are William B., Napoleon B., John B., Hanibal S.
Mr. Selheimer married, a second time, in 1833, Louisa A. Crawford, daughter of Dr. David Crawford, whose children are Robert S., David Crawford, Absalom B., Jane A. (wife of E. W. Eisenbise) and Oliver P.
The death of Mr. Selheimer occurred in Ro- chester, N. Y., in 1852. His son, Colonel John B. Selheimer, was born on the 18th of August, 1826, in Milford township, Juniata
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County, where the days of his boyhood were passed. ITis advantages of education were those afforded by the common schools, after which, at the age of sixteen, he removed to Lewistown and became an apprentice to the trade of a tinsmith, concluding his period of service in Philadelphia. Returning to Lewis- town in 1848, he 'established himself in the hardware business, which, from time to time,
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