1863 Civil War Letter from a Member of the PA 149th Bucktails

Francis Crawford DORRINGTON (1838-1925) was a native of Allegheny Co, PA, and distantly related to me through his aunt who married into my GLENN family.

When I was first looking for information on the family after visiting the St. Clair Cemetery and finding DORRINGTONs in the GLENN family plot, I ran across this 1863 letter.

Francis, or Frank, was the son of Joseph DORRINGTON and Eliza LONG of Allegheny Co, PA.

Frank was recruited as a member of Company D, 149th PA Volunteers in August 22, 1862.  Of interest is a note that his cousin James GLENN was elected as Captain and was active in recruiting of the local men.  This has also been mentioned in the 1862 diary of my great great Aunt Hannah which was first published in 2004 by two of my cousins and myself.

Frank mustered in as a 3rd Corporal.  The regiment arrived in Washington, DC in late August 1862 and stayed there until February 15, 1863.

This letter, written on February 11, 1863, details daily life in the camp and mentions several relatives who had moved to DC.  It was submitted some 40 years ago to a historical society in CA, but I have yet to determine how the submitter was related to Frank.

For me, it was a great find.  The salutation has me suspect it was written to his brother, Joseph.

Frank was severely wounded May 8, 1863, at the Battle of Laurel Hill.  His story of survival is fascinating to read and can be found in the regimental history by Nesbit.

Frank married Nancy HEWITT and had a family.  After the war, he was in the Temperanceville area of Allegheny Co, and ran a feed store.  Frank is buried at Chartiers Cemetery in Carnegie, Allegheny, PA.

Source:
General History of Company D
149th Pennsylavania Volunteers
John W Nesbit
1908
http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=pitttext&cc=pitttext&idno=00hc08553m&q1=dorrington&frm=frameset&view=image&seq=1


Ahh, genealogy.  Remembering the sacrifices of those who have gone before.

©2011 AS Eldredge

Tombstone Tuesday: "Just Didn't Know When He Was Licked"

The boys of Company D 149th PA Volunteers were oft heard to say that Captain James Glenn "didn't know when he was licked."

Captain James Glenn (1824-1901) was almost "reckless in his bravery" as he served his country during the Civil War.  Hailing from the area of Pittsburgh known as Carnegie, Glenn had no difficulty in organizing men to form the company in 1862.  Mention of some of these meetings was even noted in the diary that we (myself and two cousins) transcribed and published some six years ago in the Quarterly Journal of the Western PA Genealogical Society.

One note about his service was his promotion to take command of his Regiment after the fight at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863.  His location during the battle was on Seminary Hill, which saw some of the most intense fighting. General Abner Doubleday mentioned James in his official report of the day stating  "When the troops at this point (Lutheran Seminary) were overpowered, Capt. Glenn of the 149th Pa. Vols, in command of my headquarter's guard, defended the building for fully 20 minutes against a whole brigade of the enemy (Perrin's), enabling the few remaining troops, ambulances,, etc. to retreat in comparative safety."

I thought it fitting today to remember all the troops, no matter whether they fought for the Grand Army or for the Confederacy. Some estimates of up to 50,000 American men lost their lives during this bloody battle. The anniversary of Gettysburg was just celebrated with a re-enactment of the three day battle in July 1863. 
I thought you might be interested in learning a bit more about the battle and of the re-enactment.

   
The Battle at Gettysburg
Harper's Weekly, July 25, 1863
http://www.civilwarliterature.com/2Battles/The14thAtGettysburg/The14thAtGettysburgHistory.htm 


The Gettysburg Civil War battle lives again
by Daniel Terdiman


-If you're a Civil War buff, or even an amateur historian, you no doubt know the history of the battle for Gettysburg. One of the most famous battles of the Civil War, it was also one of the bloodiest. Over three days of intense fighting, Federal troops led by Major General George Gordon Meade fought off Robert E. Lee's Confederate troops, and the battles in and around Gettysburg are often thought to be a turning point in the war.......http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20009651-52.html?tag=rtcol;txt

Ahhh, genealogy.  How our hearts ache as we remember the pain of American brother against brother in the Civil War.  Oh- and yes, James Glenn was my cousin and is buried at the "family" cemetery known as the St. Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, Allegheny, PA.

©2010 AS Eldredge