The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-06-15

Oh tivors Of the Fiffy-fourth Regi-
neA nnsylvania Veteran Volunteer
Infsn was held Thursday IN the West
m6nt\ I've. 5chnStown. The following
report y Ithe proceedings is taken from
the DAILY Tribune.
The Business session OF the veterans
was presided over by President William
| Bennett. Of Braddock, who made brief
bat interesting address. The minutes of
tho last reunion were read by Secretary
stephen r. Warmer, after which David r.
( Bryan announced that since the last time
they met together the following members
have died J. b. wissinger, Company /,
Adams Township; William p. Levy,
Company II, at Scalp Level Archie
Gore. Company +, at Braddock John
Humphreys. Company l, at Pittsburg;
Benjamin Anderson, Company +, at
Loretto; Simon Murphy, Company l, at
Elton; Jonathan Albright and Samuel
Hutzel, Company ID. at Meyersdale, som
erset County.
On motion of William II. Fredericks
the veterans unanimously decided 10
continue to hold reunions as long as con-
venient for them to meet. This action
was taken on account Of a report circulat-
ed a short time ago that the reunion held
last week would be the last one.
The officers chose en- for the ensuing
twelve months are William II. Freder-
/ icks, President: II. S. Graham. Brad
dock, Vice President; William \. Slick,
Secretary; Bavid r. Bryan. Treasurer.
The next reunion viii be held in Sep
tember, 1899, at lockwood, the date to be
set by the Executive Committee.
The survivors of the regiment in attend
ance were:
Company A.-Capt John L. Decker,
I Capt. John MeCune, David r. Bryan,
Nathan Batter, John Coho, Jacob A.
Glass, William II. Frederieks, David
Mckinney, c. c. Smith, James +. How
ard, Levi o. Howard. Johnstown; W. II.
1 Garfield. Blseklick, Indiana county; Ja-
cob James, Bolivar; d. G. Mccullough,
Altoona.
Company B.-william a. Slick. Josiah
Bowers, and George oyler, Johnstown
Herman Baldwin. Shanksville, Somerset
county; Barnet Nicholas, Strongstown,
1 Indiana county; John Cook, Lamberts-
vile; J. y. Custer Crumb; John Koontz,
Reitz; jesse Liston, Listonburg; John
w. Mostollar, Stoyestown.
Company Civilian II. Walter,
Johnstown; David Cover, Quemahoning;
II. J. Horner, Walnut Grove; William
Rink, Jenners; John Friedline, Sipes-
vile.
Company Drank Enos, Garrett;
William Rose. Mineral Point; Censor
Mcclure, Braddock; Martin Boyer and
Barney Boyer, Johnstown.
Company Z. Capt. Patrick Graham,
John H. kaufman, Robert Parsons. Will
lam Fitzsimmons, Johnssown; r. Smiley
Graham, William Bennett, John Powell,
and Robert Bennett, of Braddock; Louis
| Leitenberger, Stanton's Mill Martin Fix,
| Westmont; Bart Holmes, Manor.
Company G.-Philip Bender, Salix.
Company H.-Stepben r. Warner, Dan
/ iel r. Brubaker, Charles Wendell, and
David Wertz. Johnstown; Michael Gin
dlesperger, Roxbury: Milton Hoffman,
Strongstown, Indiana county.
Company I.-Joseph q. Thomas, Johns
| town; J. ]. Weaver, Wilmore; p. $.
Croyle, SummerhilL.
There were also few survivors present
from Company f and Company X. The
former was recruited at Harrisburg and
the latter at Allentown.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FIFrY-FoURrH.
The Fifty fourth Regiment, Pennsyl-
vania Volunteers, is felt by Johnstown
people to be distinctively "our own"
from the fact that it was largely made
/ up Of Johnstown and Cambria County
/ boys, while all bat a very few of the
others were near neighbors. being from
! Somerset and Indiana Counties. All the
tield officers were from Cambria. And
the city and county have been all the
more glad TO claim the regiment because
of the splendid record it made as a whole.
| surpassed in flithfulness and genuine
bravery, it is safe TO say, by none. \
brief account, such as our columns will
permit, of these deeds is we'll worth
printing, and especially so now, when
city and county again have representa-
tives in the ield-a number of them
sons of the Fifty fourth's veteran surviv-
ors.
OF the regiment, Companies A, L, II,
and were wholly or partly recruited in
Cambria County: b, &, d, G., and part
of II in Somerset while Indiana supplied
part of a, and F and X were from Har-
risburg and Allentown, Lehigh County,
respectively. During the months OF Au
gust and September, 1861. the companies
rendezyoused at Camp Curtin, and the
regiment was organized by the selection
of the following officers: Jacob NJ. Camp
bell, Colonel Barnabas McDermitt,
Lieutenant Colonel; John P. Linton,
Major-all of Cambria County. In Janu-
airy, 1862, w Horace Rose, of Johnstown.
was mustered in and made adjutant.
Col. Campbell and many of the officers
and men had been in three months ser
vice, and Lieutenant Colonel MeDer-
mitt had served in the Mexican War.
In February the regiment was ordered
to Washington and assigned % the work
of guarding fifty-six miles Of the Balti-
more Il OHIO Railroad. 1t was an irk-
some task, but the work was really quite
important and it was we'll done, the regi-
ment taking, it is said, more Rebel pris-
oners, especially guerillas, than at any
subsequent period of equal length in its
career, and more, it is also declared, than
any other regiment actually engaged.
From June lst 10 September 10th 2l3
guerillas and 273 horses, together with
muskets, sabers. pistols, and other mill
tary trappings, were captured. The
Rebel forces finally pouring thickly into
the territory, Cvl. Campbell telegraphed
to Gen. Kelley for orders, who would
give none, but advised the withdrawal
from the road. The Colonel decided not
70 follow the advice, but cling to bis
perilous position, his little band of nine
hundred, without cavalry or artillery,
being the only Union forces for a time in
the hostile territory of Virginia.
1t was shortly after this, at Back Creek,
that Colonel Campbell worked a very
clever deception upon the enemy. He
had only small force, unable to cope
with the superior strength of the Rebels.
whose pickets, however. could see only
one side OF Colonel Campbelrs camp.
The Colonel took his men and led them
in on the exposed side of his camp, then
on around to the other portion, out of
IT.