26th P.A. at Gettysburg: After the retreat

Ethan S.

First Sergeant
Joined
Aug 19, 2019
Location
Carter County Kentucky
I know the story of the 26th at the very begging. You know, when they ran? My gggreat uncle Elias Trautman was in the unit during the retreat. What happened after the retreat? Were thy put into reserve? Did they just go back to Harrisburg?
 
I'm not so sure they ran as realized it was suicidal to engage a veteran army. I forget who this author is, from one of the ( public access ) war memoirs.

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Someone more familiar with the 26th, mostly students enlisting for the invasion, knows where they were later. If it was Harrisburg they'd have been assigned to protect the city.

Just ran into the grave of a member of the 26th- death date July, 1863. He's in a big Catholic cemetery in a small town called Lykens here in northern Dauphin county. I keep meaning to look up his story. Gave me chills seeing it, must have either been a student at Pennsylvania College or a local kid rushing to answer the invasion.
 
I'm not so sure they ran as realized it was suicidal to engage a veteran army. I forget who this author is, from one of the ( public access ) war memoirs.

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Someone more familiar with the 26th, mostly students enlisting for the invasion, knows where they were later. If it was Harrisburg they'd have been assigned to protect the city.

Just ran into the grave of a member of the 26th- death date July, 1863. He's in a big Catholic cemetery in a small town called Lykens here in northern Dauphin county. I keep meaning to look up his story. Gave me chills seeing it, must have either been a student at Pennsylvania College or a local kid rushing to answer the invasion.


Lykens was where most of my cw ancestors came from.
 
Cooper Wingert wrote a book on the 26Th PVM. I read it a while back and from memory, once they left Gettysburg after having their minor skirmish at Wintmer Farm, they spent most of their time in/around Fort Washington in Harrisburg. They were on high alert until the Confederates began their retreat. Shortly afterwards, the threat was gone and the unit was mustered out.

Samuel Pennypacker was a member of the 26th and he went on to be the governor of Pennsylvania. Here is a photo of their advanced position marker near Marsh Creek.

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