USA > Pennsylvania > York County > The Historical Sketch, and Account of the Centennial Celebration at York, PA., July 4, 1876. > Part 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
II4
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
Petersburg, had the honor of making the first charge, in the campaign, near Dinwiddie Court House, and had other fighting up to the surrender near Appo- mattox Court House. It was mustered out on the 8th of July, 1865.
Just previous to the invasion of Pennsylvania, in 187th June, 1863, a company was formed in York,
P. V. which was united with a body of troops, known as the First Battalion, and placed on guard and provost duty. In March, 1864, it became com- pany B, of the 187th P. V., then organized for three years' service: David Z. Seipe, captain, afterwards ma- jor, Sam'l I. Adams, ist lieutenant, afterwards captain, Matthew H. McCall, Ist lieutenant and quarter master of the regiment, Jonathan J. Jessop, William W. Tor- bert, Samuel C. Ilgenfritz, 2nd lieutenants. In May, 1864, the regiment was ordered to the front to join the Army of the Potomac and assigned to the 5th corps, arriving in time to participate in the battle of Cold Harbor. It suffered severely at Petersburg, on the 18th of June, Major Merrick, commanding the regiment, and Lieutenant Jessop, each lost a leg, while leading their men to the charge. For its gal- lant conduct the regiment received the commenda- tion of General Chamberlain, commanding the corps. It was again engaged at Weldon Railroad, on the 18th of August. In September it was moved from the front and placed on duty at Philadelphia, where it acted as escort to the remains of President Lincoln on the occasion of the funeral obsequies in that city.
Besides the company of Captain Seipe, just men-
II5
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
tioned, companies were formed in York county, who were mustered in for the emergency service, from June to August, 1863, but the great victory of Get- tysburg, relieved our people from all apprehended danger.
The first and eleventh corps of the army of the Po-
Battle tomac, on Wednesday, the Ist of July, 1863,
of came up with the enemy, in large force, under
Gettysburg. Generals Hill and Longstreet, near Gettys- burg, and a short and severe engagement ensued in and around that town. General Reynolds was kil- led at the commencement of the fight, while riding at the head of his troops. On Thursday, another en- gagement began-the rest of the army under Gener- al Meade having come up, and the army of the Con- federates under General Lee. The firing was heard here distinctly, and in the evening, from six to eight o'clock, it was terrific. On Friday, the battle contin- ued, resulting in the defeat and retreat of Lee. This great battle furnished an opportunity to our people to forward supplies and assistance to the wounded and suffering soldiers, on and in the neighborhood of the field of battle. It scarce needed a public meet- ing, which was called for the purpose, to cause our citi- zens to bring in abundance of provisions to the market and court houses. In less than two hours and a half, thirty wagons, loaded down with the necessaries of life, bread, cakes, hams and delicacies, accompanied by male and female nurses, were on their way to the battle field. Provisions continued to arrive and were at once forwarded to the scene of action.
II6
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
In the early part of 1864, sanitary fairs throughout the country were held, and the ladies of the Soldiers' Aid Society of York, in February of that year, inaug- urated a series of entertainments in connection with their fair, consisting of concerts, tableaux and other exhibitions, by which large amounts of money were raised for the sanitary fund .. Quiet reigned at home, and our people were free from all apprehension of danger until they were suddenly disturbed by anoth- er advance of the enemy across the Potomac.
After terrible battles and frightful slaughter, Gen- Alarm, eral Grant, about the first of July, 1864, sat
1864. down before Petersburg to commence the siege of the enemy's works, and the slow, but sure ad- vance to Richmond. But while he was there with his great army, the country was startled by another invasion of Maryland, by Ewell's army, and siege laid to Washington, the enemy's cannon shaking the very capitol. After the battle of Monocacy, the con- federate cavalry overran all eastern Maryland. Har- ry Gilmore made his famous raid destroying the rail- roads, and particularly, cutting off communication be- tween Philadelphia and Baltimore. A memorable incident of this raid was the capture and escape of Major General Franklin. On the 11th day of July, when on the train from Baltimore to Philadelphia, he was taken prisoner, but while at Reisterstown, in charge of a guard, he made his escape. Feigning sleep, the guards fell asleep really, when he quietly walked off. After hiding two days in the woods, he met a farmer who befriended him, and with whom he
-
II7
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
took refuge until it was time to make his way further.
There was witnessed, in the month of July, 1864, again the distressing sight of refugees fleeing through our streets in charge of horses and cattle. The proximity of the enemy occasioned great alarm. There was a call by the Governor for 24,000 men to serve for one hundred days. Five companies were formed in York for home protection, and public meetings were called to provide bounties for volun- teers. The stores were closed, and business gener- ally suspended.
On the 30th of July, the awful news was received of the burning of the town of Chambersburg. Three hundred and fifty houses were burned and all the public buildings. A public meeting for the relief of the sufferers was called and several thousand dollars were raised for that purpose in York. The enemy retiring relieved us from further apprehension. .
Of the hundred days men, the 194th regiment had 194th men from York county. It was put on duty
P. V. in and near Baltimore, on the lines of the railroads, on provost duty and as guard to prisoners.
Early in 1864 a draft was ordered for 500,000 men, unless forthcoming by volunteers, and for some dis- tricts a draft wasmade on the 6th of June. On the 18th of July there was a call for 500,000 volunteers. This call, after the already exhausting drafts, roused a class of citizens, who, determined to volunteer themselves, and fill the quotas, organized companies, and became attached to regiments, which, although putinto service late in the war, acquired the distinction of veterans.
-
I18
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
The 200th regiment was commanded by Colonel
200th Charles W. Diven, formerly major of the
P. V. 12th Reserves. It was organized on the 3d of September, 1864. The companies, formed in York, attached to this regiment, were, company A, Adam Reisinger, John Wimer, captains, Wm. F. Reisinger, Edward Smith, Jere Oliver, lieutenants; company D, William H. Duhling, captain, Martin L. Duhling and William H. Drayer, lieutenants; company H, Jacob Wiest, captain, James M'Comas and William H. Smyser, lieutenants; company K, Hamilton A. Gless- ner, captain, George I. Spangler, Augustus C. Steig and Zachariah S. Shaw, lieutenants.
At the time of the formation of the companies just 207th mentioned, a company was raised in York by
P. V. Captain Lewis Small, lieutenants, Richard C. Ivory and William L. Keagle. This company was attached, at Harrisburg, to the 207th regiment as com- pany E.
Two other companies from York county were also 209th then formed, one by Captain Henry W.
P. V. Spangler, lieutenants, Thomas J. Hendricks, William Douglas and William B. Morrow ; the other by Captain John Klugh, lieutenants George W. Heiges and Henry L. Arnold, and were attached to the 209th regiment as companies B. and I.
These three regiments, organized about the same time, were immediately ordered to the front, and placed in the Army of the James, and were employed in active duty until the 24th of November, when they were transferred to the Army of the Potomac, and
.
119
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
placed in the division of General Hartranft, 9th corps. They performed fatigue duty and were thoroughly dril- led during the winter, and were engaged in several raids at Bermuda Hundred, Jerusalem Plank Road and Hatcher's Run, and at the opening of the spring campaign they were engaged in one of the most brilliant achievements of the war. Fort Steadman was, by a surprise, captured by the enemy. Hartranft had six Pennsylvania regiments, including these three, and determined to lead his command at once to the as- sault-Colonel Diven, commanding the Ist brigade. About daylight, on Saturday morning, the 25th of March, after three several assaults, under very heavy fire, the fort was retaken. The 200th led the assault, supported by the 209th. The 200th received particular mention in General Hartranft's report :- "It was put to the severest test, and behaved with great firmness and steadiness." And he congratu- lated all the men and officers of his command "for their gallant and heroic conduct," that they had "won a name and reputation of which veterans ought to feel proud."
On the 2d of April, the division was again formed for assault in front of Fort Sedgewick, in the capture of which the men and officers behaved with great gallantry and coolness. Sergeant Michael Harman, of company E, 207th, was killed in this assault. The color sergeant of the regiment, Geo. J. Horning, fell pierced withseven balls, when Sergt. Chas. J. Ilgenfritz sprang forward and raised the colors, and the men rushed over the works and the colors were planted
€
120
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
on the fort. The regiments advanced to the city of Petersburg, which was by this time abandoned, and continued in pursuit of the enemy until the surren- der of Lee, and in May they were mustered out.
A company was raised in York by Captain Eman- 103rd uel Herman, in the early part of 1865, Eman-
P. V. uel Rutter, Ist lieutenant, and Charles W. P. Collins, 2nd lieutenant. This company was attached, with seven other companies, to the 103rd veteran regiment, which had been reduced to eighty-one men. It was on duty in North Carolina, until the 25th of June, 1865, when it was mustered out at Newbern.
Soldiers from York and York county, volunteered in other Pennsylvania regiments, besides those men- tioned, and also in regiments of other states, and where, in some cases, they had become residents .- Henry J. Test, who had been a member of the Worth Infantry, in the three month's service, volunteered in the 79th P. V. (Colonel Hambright's regiment, of Lancaster county,) becamea lieutenant in company B, and was killed at the battle of Perryville, Kentucky, on the 8th of October, 1862. The 7th Iowa regi- ment was commanded by Colonel Jacob Lauman, af- terwards Brigadier General, who was with General Grant in the west, at Belmont, Pittsburg Landing and Fort Donelson. At this last named place, Captain Jonathan S. Slaymaker, of the 2nd Iowa, fell while leading his company in the assault. Corporal David Hays, of the 13th Indiana, a soldier of the Mexican war, distinguished himself in a desperate hand to hand encounter with the rebels in Western Virginia .-
I2I
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
Many others might be mentioned whose names cannot be recalled for this sketch, one object of which is to suggest the completion of that history of which it is but an outline.
Thus from the ordinary life of the citizen, from the farm, the workshop, the counting room and
Army and the office, our men left their business and
Navy. homes, at the call of their country, and formed a part of that great body of volunteers, which constituted, with the regular army as a nucleus, the military power of the nation, and fur- nished their full share towards the preservation of the American Union. The Army officers are chiefly graduates of the Military Academy. These in many instances, during the war, retaining their rank in the line, became general officers of volunteers. The West Point graduates from York attained conspicu- ous positions in the service. William B. Franklin was major general by brevet, and major general of volunteers; Horatio Gates Gibson, major, 3d artillery, was colonel of 2d Ohio Heavy Artillery and brevet brigadier general of volunteers. On the staff, Ed- mund Shriver was Inspector General of the army of the United States and brevet major general ; Mich- ael P. Small, colonel, commissary department, and brevet brigadier general. Of those appointed from civil life were Major Granville O. Haller, 7th infant- ry ; Captain Walter S. Franklin, 12th infantry, bre- vet major and on the staff with the rank of lieuten- ant colonel ; Captain Theodore D. Cochran, of the 13th infantry ; Captain Charles Garretson, of the
I22
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
17th infantry ; Lieutenant George W. H. Stouch, 3d infantry, and Lieutenant Jacob L. Stouch, 12th infant- ry.
The brilliant achievements of the navy reflected luster upon the national escutcheon, and to that branch of the service is due one half of the conquest of the rebellion. Graduates of the Naval Academy, from this place, Commanders Clarke H. Wells, Sam- uel R. Franklin and William Gibson, participated in the great naval engagements of the war, and exper- ienced on the iron clads, in blockade, bombardment, and battle, in Charleston Harbor and on the James and Mississippi and elsewhere, much perilous and arduous service; and volunteers from the borough and county of York, were to be found among the gallant crews and officers of Union vessels.
The city of Richmond was deserted on Sunday, the 2d of April, 1865, by the confederate government and by the army that for a year had so fiercely defend- ed it. The first Union troops who entered it found it abandoned and in flames. The fall of Richmond was celebrated in York, on the 8th of April, by a pro- cession-business was suspended and at night there was an illumination. On the 9th of April, General Lee surrendered the confederate army of Northern Virginia to General Grant, and on the 26th of April General Johnston surrendered the Confederate States Army in North Carolina, to General Sherman .-- Peace was soon after proclaimed, and "the cruel war was over."
But while these concluding events of the greatest
123
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
of civil wars were enacting, the startling intelligence of the assassination of President Lincoln plunged the nation into the deepest mourning. On the 21st of April, almost every resident of York repaired to the railroad, to pay the last sad tribute of respect to the memory of the lamented chief magistrate. The mil- itary and citizens in procession were placed in line, and the funeral cortege, amid the tolling of bells and firing of minute guns, passed through lines of citizens who stood with uncovered heads. A floral tribute was laid upon his coffin by the ladies of York. It con- sisted ofa beautiful wreath of rareflowers encircling the national shield. The field was made of blue violets, with myrtle representing the stars, the bars were made alternately of white and red verbena. Thus passed the last sad pageant of a most painful, but eventful period in the history of our nation.
One interesting result of the war was the estab- Childrens' lishment of Orphans' Homes for friendless Home. children and those of soldiers who had died in defence of their country. For this purpose legis- lative appropriations were made. The Childrens' Home of York was incorporated by the legislature, February 2d, 1865, for the laudable and benevolent purpose of educating and providing for friendless and destitute children, distinct from the state provision for soldiers' orphans; though it was proposed to send to it those belonging to the county. A house was rented on the first of May, 1865, and on the 18th of the same month, the first family of soldiers' orphans was admitted. The youngest child was supported by
124
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
the institution until it reached the age which entitled it to the state provision. During the first two years, on account of limited accommodations, but thirty-one wards of the state were admitted-all very young. The large and commodious building of the "Chil- drens' Home," was first occupied on the first of April, 1867. This building was erected on ground donated by Mr. Samuel Small, and under his direction and principally at his expense, aided also by contributions from the late Charles A. Morris. Since then soldiers' children have been assigned to the home from York, Adams, Dauphin and Cumberland counties, and sev- enty-six have shared its fostering care. Some of the boys have been transferred to White Hall and else- where, each year, at the age of twelve or thirteen years; but the girls have generally been retained in the Home, where several have graduated with honor. Some have entered normal schools. In mental train- ing, deportment, skill in needle work, and in house- hold duties, these girls compare favorably with those in any of our schools. Four excellent physicians give their services free of charge to the institution. A remarkable fact has been noted, that in this family of from sixty to sixty-five persons, no death has ever oc- curred, and very little severe illness. There are at present in the home thirty-one soldiers' orphans.
In the great public measure of the Common School Common system, from its rude beginning, the devel- Schools. opment has been great, until now to-day, no better organized or managed school control, than the boards of this borough and county, can be found.
CHILDREN'S HOME, YORK.
[From Paul's Pennsylvania's Soldiers' Orphan Schools, ]
-
125
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
Under the school law it was first left to the districts to accept or reject its provisions. In 1835, the Bor- ough of York, Hanover, Lower Chanceford, Peach Bottom, Chanceford aud Fairview accepted the pro- visions of the school law. The next year, 1836, Springfield, Fawn, Windsor, Shrewsbury, Carrol, Warrington, Hellam, Hopewell, Monaghan and New- berry accepted. An inherited love of freedom or hatred of compulsion caused some of our people, for a time, to resist the school law; but in 1848, the leg. islature declared that the common school system shall be held to be adopted by the several school dis- tricts. The office of county superintendent, created in 1854, has been of great benefit to the cause of ed- ucation in York county. The usefulness of the office has been appreciated, and able and competent gen- tlemen have been elected to fill it, at a liberal salary. The county superintendents have been Hon. Jacob Kirk, G. Christopher Stair, Dr. A. R. Blair, Samuel B. Heiges, Stephen G. Boyd, William H. Kain.
The High School was established in this borough High in 1870, by the authority of the Board of Con- School. trollers. This school is of the same stand- ard as such schools elsewhere, and is modeled some- what after that of the High School of Philadelphia, and others of the best schools of the country. The courses of study are English, with modern languages, and also with the classics and the high- er mathematics. The advance of grade since its or- ganization is ten per cent annually. There is pro- motion to this school from the grammar school
I26
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
grades. Promotion is regular in the system, from lower to higher, on examination by the superintend- ent, and accurate records are kept of each pupil's standing, from entrance into the public school, through each step of promotion, until he enters the High School and graduates. It commenced with two teach- ers and about sixty pupils, and has now three teach- ers, and had eighty-five pupils in attendance last year. Prof. W. H. Shelly has been the principal and super- intendent from the organization-a teacher and or- ganizer of more than ordinary ability.
In matters of private enterprise regarding the in- terests of education, there are several insti- Academy. tutions of celebrity. The York County Academy has already been mentioned and its history noticed. This school, now in its eighty-eighth aca- demic year, is one of the best schools in the state, under the charge of Professor G. W. Ruby, who suc- ceeded Rev. Stephen Boyer, twenty-seven years ago. A school for young ladies, entitled Cottage Hill College, has been in existence for many
Cottage Hill years, under different professors, with great
College. success, which, in 1868, was incorporated by the legislature, under that name. The chartered in- stitution ceased a few years ago, but the school is now conducted under new management. This col- lege is beautifully situated on the Codorus, opposite the borough, on a tract of several acres, with springs, and a stream of pure water running through it. It is fitted with arbors, gardens, fruit and ornamental trees. The cottage in which the school is maintain-
I27
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
ed, is a building of four stories in height, nearly a hundred feet in length, and fifty in width, with large school rooms and commodious dormitories, and an observatory. This is a well known educational insti- tution under the charge of efficient teachers.
The York Collegiate Institute was founded by Mr. Collegiate Samuel Small, in 1873. On the 14th of April, Institute. in that year, at a meeting held in the chapel of the Presbyterian Church in York, Mr. Small pre- sented a paper containing his plan for the foundation of a public Literary and Religious Institution in this community, and naming trustees for the same. The endowment of this institution was a cherished idea of his, "being deeply impressed with the importance of increasing popular facilities for intellectual and moral culture, and especially solicitous for the christian ed- ucation of youth-to lay the foundation of an enter- prise for affording instruction, not only in the ordi- nary branches of literature and science, but also and especially, in regard to the great end and business of life."
The Institute was incorporated on the 27th of Au- gust, 1873, and was inaugurated with appropriate and interesting ceremonies, on Monday, the third of No- vember, 1873, in the presence of the Westminster Presbytery, the trustees of the Institute, and a large number of citizens of York and adjoining cities. The building had been commenced two years previously and had been carried forward to completion under the immediate direction of its Founder.
The Rev. James McDougal, of Long Island, was
I28
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
elected President of the Institute, and Mr. Samuel B. Heiges, Professor of Mathematics and Natural Science. The York Collegiate Institute has been eminently successful, and is a literary and scientific school of high grade.
In all branches of education there has been enter- Com. prise manifested by citizens of York. As early
College. as 1853, the Pennsylvania Commercial Col- lege was established by T. Kirk White, which was incorporated in 1856. This is the only school of the kind incorporated in Pennsylvania, and was in suc- cessful operation until the breaking out of the war. Similar schools for business training have, from time to time, been instituted, and an Actual Business Col- lege is now established in the same building.
It has been usual in histories of counties to give Dr Fred'k descriptive accounts of its natural history, Melsheimer and the science of one branch of that knowl- edge has been considered of great importance on ac- count of its relation to agriculture. It is not within the province of this sketch to do so, but in order to illustrate our progress, those who have contributed to knowledge in this respect deserve especial notice. Men distinguished in any branch of science are rare. On the tenth of March, 1873, there died, in Dover township, in this county, though scarcely known to this generation, Dr. Frederick Ernest Melsheimer, aged about ninety one years. He was born at Han- over, York county, on the 20th of April, 1782, grad- uated in Baltimore in 1814, and first practised his profession at East Berlin, Adams county, then moved
129
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
to York county, where he continued the practice of medicine until almost the last days of his earthly career. In his early days he turned his powers of mind to that interesting branch of natural history. Entomology, which was then in its infancy yet, in the United States. This science he cultivated more, it may safely be said, than any other man in America. Men celebrated as naturalists, as Rev. John Morris, D. D., of Baltimore, acknowledged that he was the Father of Entomology, in Pennsylvania, if not in the United States. In the year 1842, the Entomological Society of Pennsylvania was formed, and Dr. Mels- heimer was elected President of it in 1853. He pre- pared and completed a work on Insects (Coleoptera) in the United States, especially of practical impor- tance to the agriculturalists, which was published shortly after by the Smithsonian Institute at Wash- ington. He held correspondence with many Euro- pean, as well as American scientists, and conse- quently, his name was known in Europe among the great naturalists. Papers left by him show that he received many honors from his Fatherland, whence his father, who was also a naturalist, came. We may never know or properly appreciate the patient labors, or their importance to practical science, of the life work of this remarkable man, who should hold a high place among the worthies of the past century which his term of life nearly filled.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.