" Their Cries Of Woe Will Never Pass Out of My Hearing ", William McClean's July, 1863

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
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Letterman Hospital overlooks Gettysburg in August, 1863. Every home was affected, every family had a story of the Day It All Changed Forever. Young attorney, husband and father in July, 1863, William McClean told his.


Please excuse the length. Thread is probably a big yawn unless ' Gettysburg ' is of interest. Eye witnesses to those awful days left us a small idea of what happens when war washes over a civilian population- as it did during late June and early July- and forever, in Gettysburg. William McClean was only 30, a practicing lawyer like his next door neighbor father Moses. He and wife Fannie had three little girls, Hannah, 5, Olivia, around 3 and 2 year old Fannie.

Somewhere in the forum there must be another thread on this brief account by civilian William McClean. Like quite a few others he did not publish his name- tracked it down through looking up the name he mentioned- a domestic, Anna Leonard living with them in July 1863. William's father Moses, also an attorney lived next door.

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Not listed is a child born between the 1860 census and July, 1863. Named Fannie like her mother, William tells us of her death in October, 1863, in the town's diphtheria epidemic. Have a fair idea civilian deaths were numerous post battle. Before the first good frost, Gettysburg's aftermath included a vile combination of putrid air, wells contaminated by decaying flesh and barely buried men. You also begin seeing deaths caused by prolonged contact with chemicals used to preserve the dead- Carrie Shead's sister was one victim.

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October 6, 1863



McClean writes of farmers traveling through Gettysburg in the days before the first shot- taking horses to safety as Lee's army advanced. Truncating as much as possible. Editing, starting at ' The battle commenced ".

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There do not seem to be any stories of poisoned water but in the panic you could see where wild rumors took hold. Hadn't heard previously that civilians filled buckets to provide water for troops- July, 1863 was horrendously hot here in PA.

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General Monaghan- Ewell's Corp had a Col. William Monaghan, 7th Louisiana. Perhaps McClean was not familiar with officer insignia?

Further up Middle Street another man must have been worried about his family and already wrote off the contents of his store- J. L. Schink's store was later made famous by this photo- the Sanitary and Christian Commission depot.

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Tough to read, worth it, if you can pick your way through the fading type.

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Read another account where a bed was hit, it is beyond amazing only one civilian died- during the battle, anyway.

Posting this far- getting long. Post #2, more of his account.

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Very fine work! The family physician mentioned is likely Henry S. Huber. He was born in Philadelphia on Sep. 17, 1814, studied in Philadelphia and received his M.D. from Pennsylvania College in Gettysburg in 1845. Huber practiced in Chicago until 1849, then moved back to Gettysburg, on the southeast corner of Chambersburg and Washington streets. He was Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at the college. His son Frederick A. Huber joined the 23rd Pennsylvania and was killed at Fair Oaks. (Gettysburg Magazine, issue 59, p. 73)

Colonel William Monaghan was with the 6th Louisiana, not the 7th. Good catch, though, since the 6th is a rather elusive regiment at Gettysburg in terms of primary sources, and that is equally true of Monaghan himself. From a quick search I find his name only appears once in any source, and that is in the official reports, but it is in connection with the operations around Winchester in mid-June. Men of the 6th were among the first to enter the town on July 1, by way of the Carlisle road north of the town square, which perfectly accords with McClean's narrative.
 
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Your stories are never "a big yawn", Annie. Plenty of people here have interest in Gettysburg. Thanks for sharing your research.
 
Using the D. Roth town map of Gettysburg published in Blue&Gray magazine, the center of William McClean's house was about 230 feet east of Baltimore Street. The 6th Louisiana was the center right regiment of the brigade (the 5th Louisiana joined on its right). Late in the evening, according to the battlefield marker, the brigade (facing south) occupied East Middle Street. With the 5th's right resting on the edge of Baltimore Street, based upon my estimates the 6th Louisiana would have extended from 150 to 335 feet (185 feet total) east of Baltimore Street, which would place the 6th's center (the colonel's location) 242.5 feet from the east edge of Baltimore Street, or in other words, nearly directly in front of William McClean's house.

Although reality can never be so precise, it does bolster the contention that William McClean was indeed observing the men of the 6th Louisiana, and their colonel, William Monaghan, on the early evening of July 1. The next morning the brigade took position on the low ground of Winebrenner's Run on the southeast edge of the town, from where it launched its attack on Cemetery Hill at dusk.

By the way, Confederate soldiers were known to have fun misleading northern civilians (along the march they frequently asked how far it was to Philadelphia or Baltimore), so perhaps McClean was informed that Monaghan was both a General and a Georgian. (It was actually an effective counter-intelligence ploy.)

Rumors also spread that northern civilians poisoned food and water. As I recall the Currens place south of town was burned down when Confederate soldiers suspected a hastily left meal on the table had been poisoned. I'm not sure how these rumors started. Perhaps it was officers who desired their men to refrain from pillaging vacant homes. Soldiers might reach a false conclusion on their own when visiting an abandoned residence to empty the larders, as in the case when they mistook scouring powder for salt, or prepared biscuits from what turned out to be soft soap.
 
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"Please excuse the length. Thread is probably a big yawn unless ' Gettysburg ' is of interest."
Hardly! This an account of a father struggling to protect and provide for his family in the midst of the largest conflict in this hemisphere and is anything but a "big yawn" for me. Civilian accounts always interest me as I am not a veteran, let alone a combat vet, and I can relate to a father attempting to provide and protect his family.

Annie this a good un and looking forward to more.
Regards
David
 
Very fine work! The family physician mentioned is likely Henry S. Huber. He was born in Philadelphia on Sep. 17, 1814, studied in Philadelphia and received his M.D. from Pennsylvania College in Gettysburg in 1845. Huber practiced in Chicago until 1849, then moved back to Gettysburg, on the southeast corner of Chambersburg and Washington streets. He was Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at the college. His son Frederick A. Huber joined the 23rd Pennsylvania and was killed at Fair Oaks. (Gettysburg Magazine, issue 59, p. 73)

Colonel William Monaghan was with the 6th Louisiana, not the 7th. Good catch, though, since the 6th is a rather elusive regiment at Gettysburg in terms of primary sources, and that is equally true of Monaghan himself. From a quick search I find his name only appears once in any source, and that is in the official reports, but it is in connection with the operations around Winchester in mid-June. Men of the 6th were among the first to enter the town on July 1, by way of the Carlisle road north of the town square, which perfectly accords with McClean's narrative.


Kind, thank you! What happens when you can't drink, find shopping a big snore, have no interest in watching people's lives unfold on Facebook and have a few ants in the pants over history. This stuff is like daily Christmas, isn't it?

Dr. Huber! Thank you! Rats, found an article where the author bemoans that only John Burns and Virginia Wade were being honored for their various sacrifices in the war. Lists men of Gettysburg serving, wounded or killed elsewhere and asks why they are not equally honored- think a ' Huber ' is on the list.

Guessing you or rpkennedy or someone astonishing with ' Gettysburg ' has already done this- love see to an era map ( Sneden's may not be as accurate as historians like but are by far the most entertaining ) with civilian houses marked- on the same map? King's, Schink and McClean's, McClellan ( was the new hotel built on the same site as the old, please? )Wade's home ( can't find it, just her sister's ), Bayle, Powers- anyone with a civilian account. It's just really helpful following the battle, like knowing which Louisiana regiment was encountered by William and what was transpiring at the time. ( and thank you, like I said, these posts are incredibly helpful! )

Hang on- bookmarked the Monaghan source. What's weird is, ' Monghan ' wasn't caught and highlighted when typing in the name- found him just by reading some of the lists ' Who was where '. No idea why the URL is so long? The Soldier in Our Civil War: A Pictorial History of the Conflict ..., Volume 2

https://books.google.com/books?id=Z...1kKHRx2B5QQ6AEwDnoECAIQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
 
"Please excuse the length. Thread is probably a big yawn unless ' Gettysburg ' is of interest."
Hardly! This an account of a father struggling to protect and provide for his family in the midst of the largest conflict in this hemisphere and is anything but a "big yawn" for me. Civilian accounts always interest me as I am not a veteran, let alone a combat vet, and I can relate to a father attempting to provide and protect his family.

Annie this a good un and looking forward to more.
Regards
David


Again, kind! It's so long ( and I made it longer.... ) seemed unlikely to be interesting. These encounters between people who were encouraged to hate each ( and didn't, despite an entire war ) flatten me. Also extremely interested always to read how gosh darn polite Confederate soldiers tended to be. In a war, in an invasion, with bodies, blood and a big shambles out there. Yes, there will be instances otherwise but we see account after account like these.
 
McClean runs out of steam somewhat, relating his battle but there's enough to keep you fascinated.

July 4th.
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Father was Moses, also an attorney- William had quite a few siblings listed in the 1860 census, some would have still been children living with him in 1863.

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" On foot to the barn "- McPhersons!

There's a cool mention of Lee during the battle, " Gen. Lee had given him a drink from his canteen ".

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Speaking of Fannie's death but also again speaks of how that awful stench was poisonous, literally. MUST bore a doctor by asking what disease would have killed someone by breathing it. Could also have been awful water- maybe McClean thought the putrid air was responsible.

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One good candidate for the "Captain Smith" who was invited to dinner is Captain Benjamin Rush Smith, commanding Company G, 6th North Carolina. Hoke's brigade (under Col. Avery) was in and around the town during the battle. Smith served in the brigade's Adjutant General department until 27 May 1863 (per his service record) before resuming command of Company G, and at some point attended the North Carolina Military Institute (according to the following biography).

https://books.google.com/books?id=HHEeAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA585&lpg=PA585&dq=Benjamin+Rush+Smith+6th+North+Carolina&source=bl&ots=JrNQEiBSPX&sig=kQRanm860Kh-IftrbQ2sC4jSGdY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjdibzlxc_fAhVmm-AKHZWCBVsQ6AEwAnoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=Benjamin Rush Smith 6th North Carolina&f=false
 
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Hadn't read an account from anyone seeing the McPherson barn from the inside, crowded with wounded. We might know, when going there this was the case because every barn and most houses were full of wounded. You look at these places differently after reading that 150 years ago Fannie McClean cooked food for wounded lying in there.
 
Hadn't read an account from anyone seeing the McPherson barn from the inside, crowded with wounded. We might know, when going there this was the case because every barn and most houses were full of wounded. You look at these places differently after reading that 150 years ago Fannie McClean cooked food for wounded lying in there.

I agree that reading these civilian accounts are amazing. I knew that the barn was used this way and have done some research on it over the years. An ancestor in the 143 PVI was wounded in the foot in that area early on July 1st. He told of sitting under a cherry tree eating the cherries and watching the battle go back and forth. .
I have found that many Union wounded were left behind when the Confederates took the area. I also found that there were cherry trees around the house at that time. So his eating cherries does match. What I don't know is if he was able to retreat with his regiment or stayed there until after the battle. That answer may never be known. Granville was in Satterlee General Hospital in Philadelphia from about July 10, 1863 until February 1, 1864 when he rejoined the regiment. So this story just makes what must have been his experience even more personal.
Thanks for posting this. I love this stuff.
 
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