JPK Huson 1863
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Location
- Central Pennsylvania
We'd been documenting burials, with men carried to their graves since anyone thought it a good idea, digging them. Image from the Bayeux Tapestry is Edward the Confessor's grand procession in 1066- in July, 1863, a less famous personage was carried to his grave, by the Second Corps Hospital, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Unlike Edward, Luther White, 20th Massachusetts, wouldn't cooperate in being dead.
Nurse Anna Ellis's post war writings are a tad heavy handed on glorious patriotism, little light on the awful conditions she faced. Still, she did a glorious thing, arriving at Gettysburg that July to aid wounded- and sometimes almost forgets to remind us all about how glorious it was to die for one's country. This story is believable for a number of reasons, one of them her simplicity in the telling.
Found him, post war, finally making the distinction between he and a couple more Luther Whites. In 1870, he is still single, in a boarding house, by 1880, not improved by a family surrounding him. At age 51, Whitey married a Maryann Church- 1st marriage for both, in 1883.
His injuries were what helped track him down. Luther lost an ear and from Anna's description of his wounds, would have been disfigured in a way which might have kept the miraculous veteran leading a secluded life. We know these men tended to be terribly self conscious, poor guys. Luther's happy ending may have come 20 years post war but gosh- glad to see it.
Looking at one's grave and refusing to climb in, well, we'll take 100 of him- and at least one less grave at Gettysburg.