Quick Step News. New Website Up and Running. Speaker Charles Blockson The Underground Railroad in Montgomery County Monday, March 1, 2004 HSMC 7:30 PM

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1 Quick Step News Volume 6, Issue 7 March 2004 Speaker Charles Blockson The Underground Railroad in Montgomery County Monday, March 1, 2004 HSMC 7:30 PM Pennypacker Mills June 6 th and 7 th 2004 Once again we will gather at Pennypacker Mills for the annual Civil War Encampment. You help will be needed to staff our lean-to. As usual there will be a battle re -enactment and various speakers. Among those who have agreed to speak is our CWRT member Al Gambone. Al will be speaking to us the Monday June 7, 2004 after this event on General Slemmer. He has yet to decide on the topics at Pennypacker Mills but the Slemmer talk will only be given at our meeting. New Website Up and Running I am pleased to announce that with the tremendous assistance of Pam Adzima that our new site is up and running. What you see is not finished but a work in progress. The site includes a separate address and account. Montgomery County Civil War Generals, the 5 biographies currently on the site were written for us by Al Gambone. There are still a few more to add to this page, viz. Bolton, Brooke and maybe one or two others. Montgomery County Civil War Regiments includes a brief history of the regiment and the company credited as being from our county. It is not yet completed there are quite a few to add to the listing. The Andersonville survivors and those who died at the site is under construction. Current year s Quick Step News Speakers and events from now to the end of this year appear on a separate page. Future plans include a listing of the names on the Montgomery County Soldier s monument, Medal of Honor recipients and a photo gallery. I NSIDE THIS I SSUE 1 New Web Address 1 Pennypacker Mills Event 2 AMART Symposium -Neshaminy Re-enactment 2 Company G 106th Pennsylvania Slemmer Project Your help and ideas are needed to raise the necessary funds to place a memorial placard on or in the vicinity of General Slemmer s grave at Montgomery Cemetery. This project would be in line with our mission of historical preservation. It would be great to have something arranged before the upcoming re-enactments. Quick Step News 1

2 2004 AMART SYMPOSIUM The Battle of Gettysburg Location: Princeton University November 5, Friday evening (6pm -10pm) Speakers Reception Presentation by: "Seven Quilts for Seven Sisters" (A live performance that travels back to the old south and days of slavery - featuring song, dance, stories, skits, and quilts.) Invitation to be sent to: NJ Governor McGreevey to be a guest at the event November 6, Saturday (8am-9am Registration/9am-5:30 PM) Event Schedule: Three Main Speakers and 2 or 3 Breakout Sessions - Various speakers Panel of Speakers at end of the day: Discussion and audience participation: 5 Best & Worse Generals Confirmed Speakers: Dr. James McPherson Pulitzer Prize Winning Author Dr. David Martin Author ~ Gettysburg, July 1st G. Craig Caba Editor: Episode of Gettysburg & the Underground Railroad Stan Saperstein Author ~ Sharpshooters Monologue of Sgt. Wyman White and his experience at Gettysburg Joe Bilby Author ~ NJ Regiments in the Civil War Jane Peters Women at Gettysburg Patrick Falci Actor ~ Historian George Wunderlich Director ~ National Museum of Civil War Medicine More Information to follow in future issues. 15th Annual Neshaminy Civil War Reenactment "Virginia Campaign " Battle of Bethesda Church (May 30, 1864) Battle of Cold Harbor - Charge of the 'Heavy Artillery' (June 3, 1864) April 23 rd to 25 th 2004 Neshaminy State Park Company G-106 th Pennsylvania Volunteers One company credited to Montgomery County was Company G of the 106 th Pennsylvania Volunteers. The 106 th Pennsylvania was originally designated as the 5 th California Regiment and was part of the recruitment efforts of Senator Edward Baker. Baker a close personal fried of Abraham Lincoln would be killed at Balls Bluff on October 21, Colonel Turner G. Morehead a prominent officer of the Pennsylvania militia and commander of the 22 nd Pennsylvania Volunteers (3 months service) would actively recruit men mainly from the City of Philadelphia to serve in the 106 th Pennsylvania. As for Company G the earliest reference to its formation as the Norristown Guards appeared in the National Defender on May 28, The company which has been forming in this Borough under the auspicious of John R. Breitenbach, Esq. has been organized by the election of the following officers: Captain, J. R. Breitenbach; 1 st Lieut. John McDermott; 2 nd. Lieut. Jos. H. Nungessor; 1 st (orderly) Sergeant, John Bean; 2 nd Sgt. W. J. Clark; 3 rd Sgt. J.W. Iredell; 4 th Sgt. Joseph White, 5 th Sgt. Wm. H Vonderan; 1 st Corporeal, Wm. H. Rhoades; 2 nd, Corp. David Jamison; 3 rd Corp. Daniel Robinson; 4 th Corp.Geo. W.Davis; 6 th Corp. John Taylor. The company is not quite filled. All those desirous of joining can do so by calling at the office of John R. Breitenbach or at the armory, corner of DeKalb and Marshall streets, on any evening of the week. The services of this company have been tendered to the Department at Harrisburg. Efforts to recruit continued in the Borough and on July 2, 1861 the same publication again printed the following: A new company has been organized in Norristown, to enlist for three years of the war, and go with a regiment forming in Philadelphia. John R. Breitenbach, Esq. was elected Captain and Mr. John McDermott, First Lieutenant. An effort will be made to get the company up to a hundred men. When the Regiment shall be completed it will be accepted into service, by the Secretary of War, so that it at once will go into United States service. Recruiting in Norristown must not have fared well for Breitenbach. Though the ranks of the company were eventually filled there appears to have been far fewer residents of Norristown among the ranks as he had hoped. Today, it is difficult to establish who was from Montgomery County and who wasn t. Little information is available on the members of this regiment. The Veteran s Card Index contains the names of all the members of the company but the cards are blank. Some members have been identified and hail from Montgomery, Philadelphia and Luzerne Counties. There must not have been a great Norristown presence among the ranks for the Norristown Guards identifier was dropped. Breitenbach had to compete with the recruiters from the 51 st Pennsylvania as well as contend with the fact that a good portion of men were serving in the 4 th Pennsylvania at the same time he was gathering recruits for his company. Continued page 3 Quick Step News 2

3 Of the officers listed in the National Defender article from May of 1861 only three went on to serve in the ranks of Company G. Using the 1860 census records and pension file index the following information was located on the men whose names appear in the article. John R. Breitenbach was mustered out of the service on September 10, He was breveted a Major and Lieutenant Colonel on March 13, The 1860 census records locate him in Norristown at age 45. He owned real estate valued at 10,000 dollars. There is no record of his business in the 1860 Norristown directory. In 1877 his wife Mary applied for a widow s pension. Neither John nor Mary appears in the 1870 census records. No information could be found on a John McDermott. McDermott did not muster into Company G as First Lieutenant. In 1860, Joseph Nungesser age 23 resided in Norristown with his parents John and Sarah. He was a factory worker. He did not serve in the 106 th but may have served in Company H of the 34 th Pennsylvania Militia in A John Bean age 19 resided in Norristown with Angeline Bean age 55 who ran a boarding house. He did not muster into the service of the 106 th. In 1860, William J. Clark, age 20, a molder, resided with his parents in Norristown. Clark would remain in the 106 th and serve, as a Sergeant in Company G. He would be discharged on account of disability on July 25, Clark filed for a pension in 1863 and his wife Jane would apply for a widow s pension in 1890 in Pennsylvania. James W. Iredell was the son of Robert and Teresa Iredell. His father was a printer who resided in Norristown along with his 4 children. James elected to serve in Company I of the 51 st Pennsylvania Volunteers. He was discharged by special order on April 28, In 1907 Iredell filed for a veteran s pension. In 1921 his wife Jennie Virginia C. filed for a widows pension. Both pensions were filed in Ohio. Joseph White, age 22, a mason, resided with a Charles White a master mason in Norristown. White appears to have gone on and enlisted in Company A of the 51 st Pennsylvania Volunteers with the rank of Corporal. He would die at Middletown, Maryland on September 15, 1862 from wounds received at the Battle of South Mountain on September 14, Sergeant William Vonderan (Vandoran) would serve in Company G and be discharged on a Surgeon s Certificate on August 25, His mother Ann would apply for a pension on April 1, A William Rhoads, age 23, resided in Norristown in 1860 and was employed as a nailor. William H. Rhoades did not remain with the 106 th Pennsylvania. David Jamison served as a Corporal in Company G. He was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps on November 15, 1863 In July of 1877, he applied for a pension. His wife Fanny did so in 1911 in New Jersey. Daniel Robinson did not serve in Company G and there is no additional information on him. A John Taylor, age 25, a coachma ker resided with his family in Bridgeport. He did not remain in Company G and there is no additional information on him. According to Bates, 88 men served in Company G of the 106 th Pennsylvania. They were mustered out of the service on September 10, Of that number 16 mustered out with the company, 21 were discharged on Surgeon s Certificates, 6 transferred to the Veteran s Reserve Corps, 19 died or were killed in action, 13 deserted, 6 were transferred and 7 were discharged for other reasons. From Dyers Compendium 106 th Pennsylvania Volunteers continued from page 2 Organized at Philadelphia August 14 to October 31, Moved to Washington, D.C., November. Attached to Baker's Brigade, Stone's (Sedgwick's) Division, Army of the Potomac, to March, nd Brigade, 2nd Division. 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to June, rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Army Corps, to June, SERVICE.--Duty on Upper Potomac till March, Moved to Virginia Peninsula March 24-April 1. Siege of Yorktown April 5-May 4. Moved to West Point May 7. At Tyler's Farm till May 31. Battle of Fair Oaks or Seven Pines, May 31-June 1. Skirmish at Fair Oaks June 8. Seven days before Richmond June 25-July 1. Peach Orchard and Savage Station June 29. Charles City Cross Roads and Glendale June 30. Malvern Hill July 1. At Harrison Landing till August 16. Movement to Newport News, thence to Alexandria August 16-28, and to Centreville August Cover Pope's retreat August 31-September 1, Chantilly September 1 (Reserve). Maryland Campaign September Battle of Antietam September Moved to Harper's Ferry, W. Va.. September 22, and duty there till October 30. Movement to Falmouth, Va., October 30-November 20. <dy_1610> Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December Burnside's 2nd Campaign, "Mud Quick Step News 3

4 March," January 20-24, At Falmouth till April. Hartwood Church February 25. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Operations at Franklin's Crossing April 29-May 2. Maryes Heights, Fredericksburg, May 3. Salem Heights May 3-4. Banks Ford May 4. Gettysburg (Pa.) Campaign June 11-July 24. Haymarket June 21 and 25. Battle of Gettysburg July 1-3. Pursuit of Lee July Advance from the Rappahannock to the Rapidan September Bristoe Campaign October Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8 Mine Run Campaign November 26- December 2. Payne's Farm November 27. Demonstration on the Rapidan February 6-7, Rapidan Campaign. May 4-June 12. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7. Laurel Hill May 8. Spottsylvania May Po River May 10. Spottsylvania Court House May Assault on the Salient May 12. North Anna River May On line of the Pamunkey May Totopotomoy May Cold Harbor June Before Petersburg June Siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, Jerusalem Plank Road June 22-23, Demonstration on north side of the James at Deep Bottom July Deep Bottom July Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30. Demonstration on north side of the James at Deep Bottom August Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom, August Ream's Station August 25. Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Run, October Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run, February 5-7, Watkins' House, Petersburg, March 25. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Vaughan Road, near Hatcher's Run, March 29. Crow's House March 31. Fall of Petersburg April 2. Sailor's Creek April 6. High Bridge and Farmville April 7. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. At Burkesville May 2. March to Washington May Grand Review May 23. Mustered out June 30, Regiment lost during service 9 Officers and 95 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 92 Enlisted men by disease. Total members of Company G are listed on the Montgomery County Soldier s Monument. John Bisbing Thomas Fagan George Krupp* Henry Smith* William Vandoran* *Buried in Montgomery County 253 Spring Mill Ave Conshohocken, Pa BULK RATE US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Mailing Address Street Number and Name City, State Quick Step News 4

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