Looking for Details of this Civil War Captured Fire Steam Pumper Signal Lamp

JohnOrtegae

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Dec 21, 2018
I am trying to find details on where this lamp would have been captured. Based on the quote below, whose train would this fire engine been sitting on, was it a fire engine belonging to Resaca, where was it, and what unit did Richard Kirk belong to?

The link below is a book that mentions the capture of this lamp. It says, "It was taken off of a steam fire engine, which was on a railroad truck endeavoring to get away from the Federal forces. It is of English manufacture, and one of the finest specimens of the kind we have ever seen. The inscription says, "Captured at Resaca GA, May 14th & 15th 1864. Presented to Union L.F.E. (???) Company 1, By Richard Kirk Esq, Lancaster, PA."

Historical Sketch of the Union Fire Company

Not sure why this photo is sideways, but it is pretty just the same!
20181221_133731.jpg
 
For whatever reason, Union forces tended to send fire apparatus back up North from towns and cities that they occupied; so this one may have come from the Atlanta area.
 
Sherman's army spent a great deal of 1864 in northwest Georgia, including Resaca. The W&A (Western and Atlantic) railroad was Sherman's principle supply artery and his cavalry was assigned to guard it. I suspect it might have been cavalry troopers who captured your lamp - before Uncle Billy's "bummers" they were the army's best scavengers.
 
I am trying to find details on where this lamp would have been captured. Based on the quote below, whose train would this fire engine been sitting on, was it a fire engine belonging to Resaca, where was it, and what unit did Richard Kirk belong to?

The link below is a book that mentions the capture of this lamp. It says, "It was taken off of a steam fire engine, which was on a railroad truck endeavoring to get away from the Federal forces. It is of English manufacture, and one of the finest specimens of the kind we have ever seen. The inscription says, "Captured at Resaca GA, May 14th & 15th 1864. Presented to Union L.F.E. (???) Company 1, By Richard Kirk Esq, Lancaster, PA."

Historical Sketch of the Union Fire Company

Not sure why this photo is sideways, but it is pretty just the same!
View attachment 215910
According to the 1862 Hill & Swayze Railroad Guide Resaca was too small to merit a mention, but Chattanooga had a population of about 5,000. My guess is that this had been at Chattanooga before being taken south. I don't know which train it was captured on, but the railroad was the Western & Atlantic.
 
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