"A Tale of the Dead""
Watch for a Story connected to this image of a dying Father At Gettysburg.
Hello folks I am back on a limited basis finally my wrist is on the heal can't do full production yet but at least I am back at the typing. Hope you all forgive me for the sabbatical.
Dick Bloom
Folks here is the story I promised you many moons ago!
This true tale takes place in the proper of Gettysburg and is about a sergeant from New York's 154 "Hardtack" Unit who was retreating from a skirmish known as Kuhn's Brickyard during the first day's action at Gettysburg. The poor soldier was found days later in what is now the Stratton Street area of Gettysburg. The poor soul died of his horrible injuries clutching a photo to his breast of his three children. Of course during the war there were no official dog tags or any way to identify the corpse of the trooper except for the ambrotype photo.
A doctor from Philadelphia Dr. John Francis Bourns who was in Gettysburg helping to care for the massive amount of wounded men from both sides left behind as the War of the Brothers misery moved on to the next field of death.
Knowing about the soldier who had been found the good doctor took it upon himself to attempt to locate the family of that unknown soldier. Bourns launched a media campaign and distributed copies of the image of the three somber faced children; a young girl and two small boys were the children in the photo. After an article appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer Many publications also ran the story of the sad faced children and the tale of the unknown soldier.
The publication that finally produced the anwser to the mystery was the Amerian Presbyterian that was deliverd to a home in Portville, New York. The residents were Mrs. Philinda Humiston and her three children Franklin, Alice, and Frederick.
Recognizing the description of the children and the image she realized it was of her beloved husband and father whom she had sent an ambrotype of the children months before but had no reply from Amos after the famed Battle at Gettyburg,PA
She sent a reply to Doctor Bourns in early November telling him of the image she had sent to her husband. Bourns immediately forwarded her a copy of the ambrotype.
{I held back on this story for this reason; the news was announced that the unknown soldier of Gettysburg had been identified on November 19th, 1863 the day Lincoln gave his famous oratory "The Gettysburg Address". Amos Humiston is the only enlisted soldier to have a marker from the battle}
After the American Presbyterian broke the news it was picked up by many mainstream newspapers. It was announced that Dr. Bourns would travel to Portville , NY to return the famous ambrotype to Philinda and her children.
A poem written by William H. Hayward titled "The Unknown Soldier! Who was He?" and read by Dr. Bourns at the ceremony returning the image to the family.
"The Unknown Soldier! Who was He?"
by William H. Hayward
Let me gaze upon this picture,
Whilst my lifeblood from me flows;
On these dear loved happy faces,
Ere in death my eyelids close.
Next to my heart I wore it
Not millions could it buy;
Let me see my hearts own treasures,
And kiss them as I die.
Here upon the cold ground lying
The earth my last lone bed;
No kind friend to watch me dying
Or know me when I'm dead.
A tender wife and mother,
Doth for my children care,
And nightly bending over them,
To God breathes forth her prayer.
That we all may meet together
In peace again once more;
That around the happy fireside
Kind Heavan will me restore.
But I feel my pulse grows weaker;
My eyes, I scarce can see!
Still I recognize the features
Of my little boy tis he!
My darling boys and loving daughter,
Let none their image tear
From this poor dying, bleeding heart,
Now offering up this prayer
Oh, God! protect the mother
And these my orphans dear;
I die alone none near me
No one to shed a tear.
Some stranger hand will find me
For me a grave prepare;
On my breast they'll place this picture,
And say they found it there.
Let the Flag be wrapped around me
The Stars and Stripes I love!
I die a Union soldier,
True as the heavens above.
The flowers will bloom as sweetly
Over the unknown soldier's grave,
With his heart's loved idols near him,
And the Flag he died to save.
No stone will mark the spot
Of the stranger neath the sod,
Where so peacefully he slumbers,
Unknown save to his God.
Dr. Bourns worked feverishly to establish an orphanage in Gettysburg dedicated to Amos Humiston. It was called the National Orphans Homestead! Philinda Humiston and her three young children Franklin, Alice, and Frederick made the orpanage their new home with Philinda at the helm.
The Homestead under the tutelege of Philinda prospered. Eventually Philinda remarried and the orpanage come under a new manager, Rosa Carmichael.
Who was a strict disciplinarian and very cruel to the poor orphans placed in her charge. Eventually she was charged with assaulting one of the orphans she was convicted of the charge but refused to leave the Homestead!
Eventually Carmicael and Dr. Bourns were both indicted for various violations including mismanagement an the homestead was closed with the statement that the Homestead Orphanage had outlived its original purpose and the sooner it was closed the better. By the end on 1877 it was as they say history. The building still stands today and is now one of the many museums to visit in Getysburg!
More of the Humiston Story in the future!
Please visit
civilwarblogger.com
for a ghost tale associated with this story Saturday November 22, 2008
I would like to direct my loyal readers to the updated BuckHorn Catalog . There are a variety of new exclusive Portrait Galleries which depict a wide array of historic figures in an easy to identify, visually appealing approach to learning and remembering our nation’s historic figures and documents.
These 11”x17” 2-sided laminated Galleries depict our country’s leaders with portraits and dates, in full-color. A wonderful easy reference to learning Our History so beautifully displayed.
And they are reversible!
Each Portrait Gallery is two-sided with valuable educational resources and full-color eye pleasing images on both sides.
Great for a classroom or your family’s dining room table.
Select from:
Signers of the Declaration / Declaration of Independence
Signers of the Constitution / U.S. Constitution
Presidents of the United States / Vice-Presidents
Presidents of the United States/First Ladies of the U.S.
Leaders of the American Revolution/Biographies
Presidents from the Great State of Virginia/Biographies
Civil War Generals of the Union and Confederacy
Northern Leaders in the Battle of Gettysburg/Biographies
Southern Leaders in the of Gettysburg/Biographies
Please visit the BuckHorn Catalog to view the new portrait galleries
These portrait galleries are a great gifts and can also be used for decorating as placemats for tables for the history buff. They could be framed together for display....Buy a complete set and learn from them in a flash! The Presidential Portrait Galleries will be available with America's President Elect Barak Obama's and his first lady Michelle's image on.
Be the first to have the complete set.
Welcome to my abode on the net!
Please come in and allow me to introduce myself to you.
My name is Dick Bloom, I hail from Adams County, Pennsylvania.
Please visit
civilwarblogger.com
Check out my blog for my wonderings today on Patriots in todays world dickbloom.blogspot.com got a question send me an email me
Something NEW!! An interest in the Underground Railroad activity in the area has been raised by Debra McCauslin. This interesting tour is conducted by Debra McCauslin who authored a book named Yellow Hill: Reconstructing the Past Puzzle of Lost Community.
For more information or to schedule a tour
http://www.gettysburghistories.com/tour1.html
Remember.... 23,000 Candles - A Candle for Each Poor Soldier Lost, Mutilated or Missing at the horrid Battle of Antietam
Saturday December 6, 2008, The Antietam National Battlefield/and the American Business Women's Association, will sponsor the 20th Annual Antietam National Battlefield Memorial Illumination in honor of those soldiers who fell during the Battle of Antietam. In the event of inclement weather, the Illumination will be Saturday, December 13, 2008..
The Battle of Gettysburg is undoubtedly the most famous of all Civil War Battles. The reasons for that are varied. It was the High Water Mark of the Confederates push into Northern territory. It was three-days of horror where some 50,000 soldiers died, nearly as many as died in the entire sixteen year Vietnam War. The sleepy town of Gettysburg was thrust into the center of that horrific battle and for that presence in history, it is now surrounded by The Gettysburg National Military Park and National Cemetery. So Please make arrangement to visit Gettysburg's New Attractions
Check out the image space at the top of the page for new images regularly.
Thank you and enjoy viewing the copyrighted images.
Update: Images from "At High Tide" are currently on my Civil War Images Page
My personal Thanks to all the reenactors who participated in the "At High Tide" event on the 28th and 29th of June 2008! You all helped to raise money for the good of the County of Adams " {The Land Conservancy} to stop run away developement here in the heart of history country.
Once more My hat's off to each and everyone of you!
"Battle for the Fairfield Road?"
As told by Josiah Kepner, My cousin David Stoops was inducted into Company G of the 209th Pa Volunteers in Adams County to the Civil War about a year after the battle of Gettysburg, Josiah's stories will focus around the local historical record. I hope you enjoy them. They may be a bit slow coming as I research them.
Please......Stay Tuned Here is some more of the story... next the retreat through the Fairfield area on July 4th
After we went back and finished hid'n ol' Bessie we was plum tuckered out
but we was so excited by the hellish fight we had seen we couldn't wait to tell everyone we'd seen about it. As the day wore on we heard that the Rebs was camped just outside of Fairfield towards the gap. Of course our parents told us to not go away from the house cause we could get caught up in trouble, for awhile we jest kept talking with each other bout it and we convinced ourselves it would be okay to kinda sneak through the woods towards where we heard they was camped.
We was being as quiet as we could jest like we was hunt'n we could smell the smoke of the campfires and hear the noise of the Rebs. We got close enuff that we could hear em play'n banjo music and sing'n a song called Ol' Brown Rosy. They seemed like they was happy and was being loud and bragg'n bout how many men they'd killed and how they was proud they sent them no good Yanks to hell and the rest hightailed it away from the battle with their tales tween their legs. We got tired of lay'n in the woods and snuck back home. It didn't seem like much to us we was just happy we didn't get our tails licked for not listenin'.
For more of the story by Josiah about watching the battle unfold go to Josiah's Newsletter .....Brand new newsletter being worked on with more story to come
Folks! Thanks for coming by and visiting ya'll must like what you are seeing cause ya keep coming back. Josiah is going to be telling tales of the area Check out and sign up for his newsletter as I told ya'll I am Back and this ol' homestead on the dusty trail is going to be a changing folks!
Do you have an event, sports,civic,private or family I am available for any and all photography and design work! I WILL BE OPENING A PHOTO STUDIO AT 491 POPLAR SPRING ROAD ORRTANNA PA 17353 IN THE COMING MONTHS WATCH FOR SPECIAL PHOTO DEALS email me or phone 717-642-6338.
If you are coming to town and desire a private collection of Haunted History stories told in the comfort of your vehicle...... Call 717-642-6338....... Ask for Josiah Kepner to set up a time need two week advance notice for a private tour
Keep checking the catalog for an ever changing array of items.
Many new ideas are being instituted here at Buckhorn Bazaar, The Civil War will still be the focus, numerous Civil
War images will still have their own special updated page. So keep checking for updates and products.
Check out my blog at Dick's Photo Fun Tips for my wonderings on photography and other various comments dickbloom.blogspot.com got a question send me an email me
I want to personally thank everyone for the support and the great input on the site. I am currently swamped by the coordination of starting this new venture so please bear with me folks .
email Dick email me or phone 717-642-6338.
Contact me with your input and ideas you would like to see on the site from Adams County, Pennsylvania.
Check out the Celebrate Gettysburg Magazines for my archival images of the Adams County Heritage Festival in Gettysburg,
celebrategettysburg.com
LOOK for a latest copy in numerous businesses in the area!
Thanks Jess and Jaime for a great venture to tell folks about Adams County and it's wonderful and delightful countryfied county ways. An update! Watch for a new sign on York Street at the new offices of Celebrate Gettysburg Congratulations on the move!
All images and products are copyrighted and are the exclusive intellectual property of Dick Bloom and or BuckHorn Design!
for information email me
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