Lost and Found

[lelliott19]

Captain George G. Davis, 4th Maine:
Davis was badly wounded at Fredericksburg but returned in time to command Company F 4th ME at Gettysburg. John S. Gardner was 1st Lieut. of Co. H 44th Alabama; by 1899, he was a Judge in Centreville, AL. Gardner reports that he captured Capt. Davis of the 4th ME, along with 3 Lieutenants and 29 men of Co. F 4th ME. at Devils Den on July 2. It's a great story, so I'm including the entire article below.

Davis' capture at Gettysburg is confirmed via letters from Libby Prison to his family back in Maine. In a letter to Governor Abner Coburn dated November 6, 1863, his uncle (Woodbury Davis) says:
"...being severely wounded at Fredericksburg, he [Capt. George G Davis] was home sixty days. He returned... to be at Gettysburg, where.... he and a part of his company were flanked, and taken prisoner. He is now at Richmond, hoping to be exchanged soon."

Anyway, Judge/Lieut. John S. Gardner (44th AL) still had Davis' sword in December 1899 and wished to return it. "Lieutenant Gardner... keeping the sword of Captain Davis. The sword which the Judge has is marked "U S" and the point is worn from Captain Davis doing provost duty on paved streets." I don't know what happened to the swords of the three 4th ME Lieuts. except that Gardner says he gave one to Lt. Col. John H Jones (44th AL) and another to Lt. Virginius W Jones (B/44thAL.) [Sources: Gettysburg Compiler. (Gettysburg, PA), December 12, 1899, 1. and Letter: Woodbury Davis to Governor Abner Coburn, November 6, 1863. Maine State Archives, 4th Maine Regiment. 424. https://digitalmaine.com/cw_me_4th_regiment_corr/424/ ]

@rpkennedy @pmuskett @Tom Elmore @redbob this is a neat Alabama story.

 

[Tom Elmore]

Part XV (15)

According to a newspaper article from April 1892, "John Beatty of Asbury Park [New Jersey], recently restored a Bible to its owner, C. H. Walton, at Anguilla, Miss., which the latter had lost while in a Richmond hospital, suffering from a Gettysburg wound." [Comment: While it's not clear who John Beatty is, or how he came to acquire the Bible, Private Charles H. Walton of Company E, 18th Mississippi was indeed wounded by gunshot at Gettysburg. Walton spent time in the Mississippi Soldier's and Howard's Grove hospitals in Richmond – the first finger of his left hand had been amputated.] (The Jersey City News, Jersey City, New Jersey, April 13, 1892, p. 3)

A newspaper article from August 1864: "A Trophy – At the Merchant's Exchange may be seen a sword, picked up on the field of Gettysburg, by Capt. E. B. Dow, 6th Maine Battery. On the blade is the following inscription: 'Presented to Capt. C. D. Anderson, by the Beauregard Vols., Co. C, 6th Ga. Regiment, 1862.' On the other side of the blade are the names of the manufacturers – E. J. Johnson & Co., Macon, Ga., and the Confederate stamp." [Records show that a Charles D. Anderson, Company C, 6th Georgia, enlisted August 14, 1862, but was discharged four months later, on December 24, for "physical inability." Apparently, the sword had been worn and lost by another unidentified officer, either Confederate or Union, at Gettysburg.] (The Portland Daily Press, Portland, Maine, August 27, 1864, p. 3; Compiled service records of Charles D. Anderson, Fold3)

Private Moses C. Annas of Company B, 17th U.S. Infantry was wounded at Gettysburg and sent on to a hospital in Harrisburg. At Chancellorsville, he lost a Bible that had been presented to him before the war by Miss Almira Alice Wilson of Presque Isle, Maine, as recorded in pencil inside the front cover. A. A. Rutherford, a nurse from Maine, was working at Camp Letterman General Hospital as of September 24, 1863, and found Annas' Bible in a knapsack belonging to a Confederate soldier who had died there. Two inscriptions had been added in the Bible: "William Martin Nichols' Book; picked up on the battlefield near Chancellorsville, May 1st, 1863;" and "William M. Nichols, Company F of the Twenty-first regiment of Georgia Volunteer Infantry, this May 27th, 1863." [While Nichols may have been present at Gettysburg, he was not recorded as a casualty, so it appears the Bible was in the possession of another, unidentified, Confederate soldier who succumbed from his wounds at Gettysburg.] (Portland Daily Press, Portland, Maine, October 1, 1863, p. 1; and October 24, 1863, p. 2; and also December 11, 1863, p. 2)

As of October 1892, "A Testament with the name of Harrison Snelbaker on the flyleaf, picked up on the battlefield at Gettysburg, has just been returned by the finder, a resident of Boston, to the owner, who lives at Woodstown." [Private Harrison Snelbaker served with Company H, 12th New Jersey.] (The Jersey City News, Jersey City, New Jersey, October 4, 1892, p. 2)

"R. C. McPhail, of Graham, Tex., reports the finding on a street of that town of a silver medal about the size of a half dollar, on one side of which is the following: 'James M. Woods, New York City, Company H, 95th New York Vols.' On the reverse appears, 'Slaughter Mountain, Rappahannock Station, Gainesville, Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg.' The medal seems to have been issued by the War Department to Mr. Woods for distinguished service. It was found by a son of Rev. G. W. Black of Graham, who will be glad to return it to the owner." [The Report of the Adjutant General of New York containing a roster of the 95th New York (New York Military Museum) shows that Woods enlisted on January 21, 1862, reenlisted as a veteran on January 26, 1864, and deserted on the expiration of a furlough on April 2, 1864.] (Confederate Veteran magazine, vol. 15, March 1907, p. 141)

 

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In 1863 A Kearney Medal was captured at Gettysburg from R. Russell, Battery E, First R. I. Light Artillery, Providence, R. I.
In 1897 inquiry was made to return the medal to either Russell or his relations-he had died but his widow received the Medal

Abandoned Caisson and Kearney Medal of Bucklyn’s Battery E, 1st Rhode Island | Gettysburg

An 1897 newspaper article (below) brings attention to a caisson abandoned by 1st Lieutenant John K. Bucklyn's Battery E, 1st Rhode Island, as its six Napoleons retreated before Barksdale's advance on July 2. Three background references: "Barksdale evidently intended to capture our battery, and...

civilwartalk.com

His find a grave memorial https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/149493737/richard-russell

 

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In 6 November 1864 Coosawatchee SC the Fifth Georgia Lost five Color bearers and its flag
IN August 1884 at Macon Georgia at a reunion of the 5th Georgia a former Federal Officer Captain C. L Young returned the flag to the veterans

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044035882265&seq=67

5th Georgia Volunteer Infantry - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

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In 1898 there was a appeal for the return of CS Flags at the US War Dept
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044035882265&seq=168 pp.147-148

Note Flags returned in 1905

Returned Flags Booklet, 1905 | A State Divided | PBS LearningMedia

This booklet, written by Charles E. Ware, shows several Confederate battle flags. Flags were sources of pride and honor for soldiers. They also helped men maintain their positions during battle. Armies would try to capture their enemies' flags. In 1905, the U.S. returned captured Confederate...

thinktv.pbslearningmedia.org

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

In the latter part of 1865 … when the Union troops were passing by Baltimore to their Northern homes, John Worick found a knapsack on a vacant lot in East Baltimore. In it was found a well-worn copy of the New Testament, upon the fly leaf of which was written in a neat hand, "B. Taylor Jetton, Co. I, 11th Regiment, Lincolnton, N. C. From Lt. L. J. Hoyle." … Last Christmas [1890] his daughter, Mrs. Chas. Beeler … persuaded Mr. Worick to present it to her, which he reluctantly did. Mrs. Beeler, early in January, wrote to the postmaster of Lincolnton … and asked his assistance in finding the owner of the book or his relatives. … The sequel came from Boston. It was written by Mrs. Fannie D. Britton … [who] wrote under date of April 27: 'I have just received a letter from you through the post master of Lincolnton, N. C., which was my former home, Boston being the home of my adoption. The Testament of which you speak belonged to my brother, who was killed at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. We never recovered his body nor anything belonging to him. He must have had on his person when killed a silver watch, a ring and set of shirt studs which he always wore even after he went to war. The Testament, being of the least value was no doubt thrown away. I thank you very kindly for taking the trouble to find his relatives and shall feel truly grateful if you will forward the Testament to me. Just to think after twenty-five years to find something belonging to my noble brother?' Mrs. Beeler will forward the precious relic today. (The Lincoln Courier (Lincolnton, N.C.), May 8, 1891.) [Comment: While a nice story, there's a twist. Benjamin Taylor Jetton was actually captured at Falling Waters on July 14, exchanged in 1864, and was present with his company as of early 1865. However, 4th Sergeant William H. Jetton of the same company (I) was missing and presumed killed on July 3. On the rolls, 3rd Lieutenant Lemuel J. Hoyle was marked present at Gettysburg

Tom, does this mean that B. Taylor Jetton just never returned home and let his family think he died? Or did he get killed later in the War?

 

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Captain George G. Davis, 4th Maine:
Davis was badly wounded at Fredericksburg but returned in time to command Company F 4th ME at Gettysburg. John S. Gardner was 1st Lieut. of Co. H 44th Alabama; by 1899, he was a Judge in Centreville, AL. Gardner reports that he captured Capt. Davis of the 4th ME, along with 3 Lieutenants and 29 men of Co. F 4th ME. at Devils Den on July 2. It's a great story, so I'm including the entire article below.

Davis' capture at Gettysburg is confirmed via letters from Libby Prison to his family back in Maine. In a letter to Governor Abner Coburn dated November 6, 1863, his uncle (Woodbury Davis) says:
"...being severely wounded at Fredericksburg, he [Capt. George G Davis] was home sixty days. He returned... to be at Gettysburg, where.... he and a part of his company were flanked, and taken prisoner. He is now at Richmond, hoping to be exchanged soon."

Anyway, Judge/Lieut. John S. Gardner (44th AL) still had Davis' sword in December 1899 and wished to return it. "Lieutenant Gardner... keeping the sword of Captain Davis. The sword which the Judge has is marked "U S" and the point is worn from Captain Davis doing provost duty on paved streets." I don't know what happened to the swords of the three 4th ME Lieuts. except that Gardner says he gave one to Lt. Col. John H Jones (44th AL) and another to Lt. Virginius W Jones (B/44thAL.) [Sources: Gettysburg Compiler. (Gettysburg, PA), December 12, 1899, 1. and Letter: Woodbury Davis to Governor Abner Coburn, November 6, 1863. Maine State Archives, 4th Maine Regiment. 424. https://digitalmaine.com/cw_me_4th_regiment_corr/424/ ]


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@rpkennedy @pmuskett @Tom Elmore @redbob this is a neat Alabama story.

extended story at https://civilwartalk.com/threads/al...h-alabama-and-4th-maine-at-devils-den.216878/

 

[Tom Elmore]

Part XVI (16)

Following the fight, Private Joseph Collins of Company K, 11th Massachusetts found a discarded bible on the battlefield that had stopped a rifle ball. Recorded on the book's flyleaf were three births in the family of G. H. Dedloss – that of Elizabeth, Samuel and Nancy Dedloss, with Samuel having been born in 1861 and the other two children prior to that date. (The Daily Morning Journal and Courier, New Haven, Connecticut, May 13, 1901, p. 3; Compiled service records, Fold3) /// "A bullet … passed clear through the leaves till reaching the book of Ezekiel, where it stopped on a verse prophesying a great war. The Bible contains a family history of births and deaths, beginning with Nancy Deadlock many years before the war, and closing with the last birth in the family in 1861" (Curious War Relic Bible, Daily Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine, July 21, 1909, p. 10) [Comment: I found no one named Dedloss or Deadlock, including possible variations, in a modern reference of Confederate or Union casualties of the battle, nor does anyone with those surnames appear in Confederate or Union service records.]

"The Journal of Phillipsburg, Pa., of May 2 [1897], says: 'William Keys of Williamsport, a soldier in the late war, for nearly two years kept a diary in which every day's happenings were then entered, but which he lost in the first day's battle at Gettysburg. Last week he received a letter from Rev. George Bell of North Carolina, stating that the diary is in his possession and offering to return it.' … Lieut. Lucien Gash of Buncombe picked up the book on the Gettysburg battlefield and it was discovered among the effects of the lamented officer after his death at Spotsylvania and it was sent to his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Gash of Swannanoa. Mrs. Gash treasured the memento until her death, and the family but recently concluded to send it to its owner." (Asheville Daily Citizen, Asheville, North Carolina, May 26, 1897, p. 2) [Comment: William Farrand Keys had been a teacher in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, before the war, and served as a private in Company K, 143rd Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. A journal of his from 1863-1864, which he may have started after the loss of his diary, resides in the Rutgers University Libraries. Lucius (not Lucien) Weaver Gash was a corporal in Company K, 11th North Carolina, at Gettysburg. He was subsequently promoted to sergeant and third lieutenant but was killed at Spotsylvania Courthouse on May 14, 1864.] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/183463577/lucius_weaver-gash; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/144035053/william-farrand-keys)

"The Belfast Journal was shown last week an interesting relic of the Civil War, and which has quite a history. It is a charm with a ring for attachment to a watch chain and was evidently made from a silver quarter of a dollar which had been ground smooth to permit of placing inscriptions on it. On one side is 'P. Colson of Winterport, Co. I, 4th Me. Vols.,' and on the other a list of battles in which he was engaged. The different styles of engraving would indicate that these names were added from time to time. They are as follows: 2nd Bull Run, Chantilly, Monocacy, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wapping Heights, Kelley's Ford, Brandy Station, Locust Grove. The charm was lost in battle down south and recently came into the possession of a Portland man, who wrote to Winterport to ascertain the address of the owner. The Colson family had moved away from Winterport and Prentiss Colson, the owner of the charm, was killed by a train in Belfast seven years ago. Col. Fred Atwood interested himself in the matter and located the surviving brothers, Herbert H. and Albert P. Colson of Belfast. The latter has the charm in his possession." (Daily Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine, February 9, 1907, p. 6) [Comment: Maine at Gettysburg confirms that Private Prentice Colson of Company I, 4th Maine, a resident of Frankfort, Maine, was present at Gettysburg but he was detailed to the brigade hospital.]

"When the Confederates were swarming around Little Round Top, a soldier of the Twentieth Maine was struck in the forehead by a minie ball, [inflicting] an ugly looking wound. A comrade tied his pocket handkerchief around his head, and the soldier, who was able to walk, went to the rear. The wounded man recovered and was discharged from the service, and the two did not meet again till they clasped hands at the Encampment in Portland. Removing his hat and showing the scar, the veteran was asked if it was not about time to return that handkerchief. The wounded man was Thomas C. Little, now residing at South Montville, the other is the editor of this paper." (Lincoln County News, quoted in The Republican Journal, Belfast, Maine, July 16, 1885, p. 2.) [Comment: Private Thomas C. Little of Company E, 20th Maine, received a conoidal musket ball wound of his scalp, which fractured a portion of the frontal bone.]

"J. A. Danver, proprietor of the Butterfield Museum at Gettysburg … has in his possession a stencil plate, recently found on the battlefield of Gettysburg, on 'Round Top,' bearing the name of J. B. Wescott, Co. I, Twentieth Maine Regiment, and inquiring for his post office address, as he believed the return of this little memento, after so many years, would be of interest to him, if living. General Beal has found that the owner of the plate is James B. Wescott of Bath, and has so informed the writer of the card." (Oxford Democrat, Paris, Maine, April 19, 1881, p. 2; Maine at Gettysburg) [Comment: James Buzzell Wescott served as a private in the ranks at Gettysburg but apparently later became the regiment's hospital steward.] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99640769/james_buzzell-wescott)

 

[on again]

Part XVI (16)

Following the fight, Private Joseph Collins of Company K, 11th Massachusetts found a discarded bible on the battlefield that had stopped a rifle ball. Recorded on the book's flyleaf were three births in the family of G. H. Dedloss – that of Elizabeth, Samuel and Nancy Dedloss, with Samuel having been born in 1861 and the other two children prior to that date. (The Daily Morning Journal and Courier, New Haven, Connecticut, May 13, 1901, p. 3; Compiled service records, Fold3) /// "A bullet … passed clear through the leaves till reaching the book of Ezekiel, where it stopped on a verse prophesying a great war. The Bible contains a family history of births and deaths, beginning with Nancy Deadlock many years before the war, and closing with the last birth in the family in 1861" (Curious War Relic Bible, Daily Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine, July 21, 1909, p. 10) [Comment: I found no one named Dedloss or Deadlock, including possible variations, in a modern reference of Confederate or Union casualties of the battle, nor does anyone with those surnames appear in Confederate or Union service records.]

"The Journal of Phillipsburg, Pa., of May 2 [1897], says: 'William Keys of Williamsport, a soldier in the late war, for nearly two years kept a diary in which every day's happenings were then entered, but which he lost in the first day's battle at Gettysburg. Last week he received a letter from Rev. George Bell of North Carolina, stating that the diary is in his possession and offering to return it.' … Lieut. Lucien Gash of Buncombe picked up the book on the Gettysburg battlefield and it was discovered among the effects of the lamented officer after his death at Spotsylvania and it was sent to his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Gash of Swannanoa. Mrs. Gash treasured the memento until her death, and the family but recently concluded to send it to its owner." (Asheville Daily Citizen, Asheville, North Carolina, May 26, 1897, p. 2) [Comment: William Farrand Keys had been a teacher in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, before the war, and served as a private in Company K, 143rd Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. A journal of his from 1863-1864, which he may have started after the loss of his diary, resides in the Rutgers University Libraries. Lucius (not Lucien) Weaver Gash was a corporal in Company K, 11th North Carolina, at Gettysburg. He was subsequently promoted to sergeant and third lieutenant but was killed at Spotsylvania Courthouse on May 14, 1864.] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/183463577/lucius_weaver-gash; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/144035053/william-farrand-keys)

"The Belfast Journal was shown last week an interesting relic of the Civil War, and which has quite a history. It is a charm with a ring for attachment to a watch chain and was evidently made from a silver quarter of a dollar which had been ground smooth to permit of placing inscriptions on it. On one side is 'P. Colson of Winterport, Co. I, 4th Me. Vols.,' and on the other a list of battles in which he was engaged. The different styles of engraving would indicate that these names were added from time to time. They are as follows: 2nd Bull Run, Chantilly, Monocacy, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wapping Heights, Kelley's Ford, Brandy Station, Locust Grove. The charm was lost in battle down south and recently came into the possession of a Portland man, who wrote to Winterport to ascertain the address of the owner. The Colson family had moved away from Winterport and Prentiss Colson, the owner of the charm, was killed by a train in Belfast seven years ago. Col. Fred Atwood interested himself in the matter and located the surviving brothers, Herbert H. and Albert P. Colson of Belfast. The latter has the charm in his possession." (Daily Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine, February 9, 1907, p. 6) [Comment: Maine at Gettysburg confirms that Private Prentice Colson of Company I, 4th Maine, a resident of Frankfort, Maine, was present at Gettysburg but he was detailed to the brigade hospital.]

"When the Confederates were swarming around Little Round Top, a soldier of the Twentieth Maine was struck in the forehead by a minie ball, [inflicting] an ugly looking wound. A comrade tied his pocket handkerchief around his head, and the soldier, who was able to walk, went to the rear. The wounded man recovered and was discharged from the service, and the two did not meet again till they clasped hands at the Encampment in Portland. Removing his hat and showing the scar, the veteran was asked if it was not about time to return that handkerchief. The wounded man was Thomas C. Little, now residing at South Montville, the other is the editor of this paper." (Lincoln County News, quoted in The Republican Journal, Belfast, Maine, July 16, 1885, p. 2.) [Comment: Private Thomas C. Little of Company E, 20th Maine, received a conoidal musket ball wound of his scalp, which fractured a portion of the frontal bone.]

"J. A. Danver, proprietor of the Butterfield Museum at Gettysburg … has in his possession a stencil plate, recently found on the battlefield of Gettysburg, on 'Round Top,' bearing the name of J. B. Wescott, Co. I, Twentieth Maine Regiment, and inquiring for his post office address, as he believed the return of this little memento, after so many years, would be of interest to him, if living. General Beal has found that the owner of the plate is James B. Wescott of Bath, and has so informed the writer of the card." (Oxford Democrat, Paris, Maine, April 19, 1881, p. 2; Maine at Gettysburg) [Comment: James Buzzell Wescott served as a private in the ranks at Gettysburg but apparently later became the regiment's hospital steward.] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99640769/james_buzzell-wescott)

Lt GAsh photograph his mother died in 1888

3D LT Lucius Weaver Gash (1844-1864) - Find a...

Third Lieutenant Lucius Weaver Gash, Company K, 11th Regiment N.C. Troops Lucius Weaver Gash and his parents were prosperous farmers of the Swannanoa area of Buncombe County. He enlisted at Asheville on May 17, 1861, in the company raised by former U.S. Congressman Zebulon Baird Vance, known as...

www.findagrave.com

 

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Bvt BG Simon B. Brown's sword returned to Michigan. Who was he? | Other Soldiers, Politicians, & Men

Bvt. Brigadier General Simon B. Brown's sword was returned to Michigan and is at the Michigan Military Heritage Museum. I had heard of him but know little about him so I looked him up. He was in the 5th Michigan Cavalry and then commanded the 11th Michgan Cavalry. Fought a battle in South...

civilwartalk.com

 

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1st MAssachusetts history reports:
"Blackburn's Ford, the preliminary skirmish of Bull Run, on July 18, 1861, first brought the regiment under fire. Lieut. Albert S. Austin lost his revolver at this time;—judge of his pleasant surprise when, in 1896, receiving a package from a Confederate veteran, he opened it and discovered the long-missing weapon..."

The Old First Massachusetts Coast Artillery in War and Peace, by Frederick Morse Cutler, B.D.—A Project Gutenberg eBook.

 

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lost and found stories

Thread 'The Culmination of a Collecting Career: Iron Brigade Presentation Sword of Captain Patrick H. Hart, 19th Indiana Infantry, Captured at Gettysburg'

Apr 6, 2024

In 25 years of collecting, there has been one item that has eluded me in collecting Indiana ID'd artifacts: An officer's presentation sword. I didn't think I would ever find one. But this last fall at auction, I was able to acquire a presentation sword so fantastic I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. This is the presentation sword of Capt. Patrick Hart, Co. "H", 19th Indiana Infantry. The 19th was the only Indiana Regiment that was part of the famous Iron Brigade. This sword came out of the former collection of noted Civil War author and fellow collector Wiley Sword. The amount of...

• Michael W.
• Replies: 17
• Forum: Edged Weapons

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P

Thread 'The odd return of a War diary'

Mar 29, 2025

This is my first posting to this sub-forum, so hoping I've found the proper place. Let me know if not. As part of my new member introduction, I somewhat off-handily referenced the story of a lost diary. The story is found on pages 148-149 of C.V. Tevis's 50th Anniversary history of the "Fighting 14th", published in 1911. It tells the story of Edward Riker, Co. D, who during the charge on the railroad cut at Gettysburg, lost his diary. He had kept it since his enlistment in August of 1862, and which loss was greatly lamented. The story as told, was that during the 1887 dedication of...

• Paulc.
• Replies: 43
• Forum: Gettysburg

• 

Thread 'Swords at Gettysburg'

Nov 18, 2025

This thread was inspired by unique stories involving swords carried by officers of both armies in the Gettysburg campaign. A sword was a symbol not only of the individual bearer, but often also represented his family and community in the larger cause for which he served.

Part 1:

Sword of 1st Lieutenant Thomas P. Shields, Company G, 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry. On June 30, the 18th was attacked at Hanover, Pennsylvania and it seems that during this engagement Lt. Shields became separated from his command and afterwards encountered Captain William A. Graham of Company K, 2nd North...

• Tom Elmore
• Replies: 10
• Forum: Gettysburg

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[Tom Elmore]

Part XVII (17)

On July 6, 2nd Lieutenant J. Volney Pierce of Company G, 147th New York rode out to the western-most railroad cut where his regiment had met the advance of Davis' brigade five days earlier, and found many dead from his regiment still lying where they had fallen. Most of the corpses could no longer be identified owing to their advanced state of decomposition, but Pierce did recover a cap and small Bible belonging to Private Alex McAmbley of Company G, who was killed that day. (November 25, 1897, statement of J. V. Pierce, H. H. Lyman Papers, Oswego County Historical Society, Oswego, New York, on file at Gettysburg National Military Park)

On July 2, 1863, Captain Elias Riggs Montfort of Company F, 75th Ohio, had passed out all the incoming mail to members of his company, except for one letter, when he was dangerously wounded in the hip. After the battle, his mother came to nurse him, and his uniform coat was put away. It was not until 38 years later, in 1901, when his wife discovered the letter in the coat pocket, which had been mailed on June 14, 1863, to Private Jacob L. Cottles, of Franklin, Ohio. Montfort soon got in touch with Cottles, and "the two veterans enjoyed a long conversation over the phone today [August 16, 1901], in which old memories were recalled, and in which Cottles expressed the fear that the letter might be from his 'old girl,' as he is married at present. He had not then received the mail, although it was on the way to him." (Thirty-Eight Years En Route, Letter Written in 1863 Just Now Delivered, Cincinnati, O. … reprinted in Wood County Register, Grand Rapids (Wisconsin Rapids), Wisconsin, September 12, 1901, p. 1)

"Matthew Harner, Taneytown, Md., has in his possession a copy of the New Testament, which he picked up on Little Round top, the day after the close of the battle of Gettysburg. Written on the flyleaf is the name, Charles Smith, Co. M, Pennsylvania Cavalry. The volume is in good condition, and Mr. Harner says he will be glad to deliver it to its owner or his relatives." The sole candidate I could find is Private Charles R. Smith of Company M, 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry. His cavalry regiment fought on the far right of the army but it did cross the main battlefield on July 5, moving westward. (The Cecil Whig, Elkton, Maryland, April 6, 1907, p. 3)

Major William W. Goldsborough of the Confederate 1st Maryland Battalion was badly wounded on July 3, and when he arrived at a field hospital in an abandoned house in town, he hung his coat on a door. Two days later, a group from the 4th Pennsylvania Cavalry arrived to record names of the wounded. Afterwards, Goldsborough discovered that a pair of silver stars denoting his rank had been removed from his coat. Thirty-four years later, a letter arrived from Dr. Franklin A. Bushey offering to return the two stars. Bushey had served as assistant surgeon in the 4th at Gettysburg and explained that an orderly had removed them from Goldsborough's coat and later presented them to Bushey. Bushey felt he had no right to them and wrote that he had spent years trying to track down the former Confederate major and obtain his mailing address. (In the Enemy's Hands, by W. W. Goldsborough, January 28, 1900, p. 16)

Lieutenant Colonel Edward McCrady, Jr., of the 1st South Carolina Infantry, survived the war and in 1880 was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 1882, he was appointed Major General of South Carolina Militia. His book of regulations was found after the battle of Gettysburg, probably tossed aside on July 5 or 6 when Federal cavalry attacked the wagon train near Cearfoss (Cunningham's) crossroads: "Dr. John E. Miller, this city [Hagerstown], has in his possession a curious war relic. It is a heavily bound book, the title of which is 'Regulations for the Army of the Confederate States,' by J. P. Benjamin, Secretary of War. The book has the inscription 'Major Edward McCrady, 1st Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers.' The following inscription appears on the flyleaf but is almost obliterated by time and blood stains: 'Commissioned captain June 15, '61; commissioned major 14th December, '61; commissioned lieut.-colonel, July 1, '62.' The book was found near Cearfoss, on the line of Lee's retreat, shortly after the battle of Gettysburg. – Hagerstown News." (The Republican, Oakland, Maryland, December 13, 1884, p. 1; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27420853/edward-mccrady)

 

[bayonet]

Part IV



Captain Elias Riggs Monfort, Company F, 75th Ohio, was dangerously wounded on the night of July 2. When he revived two soldiers who said they were members of the 17th Connecticut were bending over him. After asking their names and regiment he gave his pocketbook, containing $250, to one of them, upon a promise that he would carry it to Col. Harris of the 75th Ohio [then commanding the brigade]. The money was never delivered. ("Comrade," National Tribune, December 11, 1890, p. 4)

So that's where my GG Grandfather from the 17th Connecticut got the money for him & his Wife to open up a Boarding House after the Civil War! .........................On second thought forget what I said, moving on, nothing to see here. Forget what I said!