April 27, 2015

** This blog published Mondays and Wednesdays **

Today’s little piece of Gettysburg is a photo of one of the 12-pounder Napoleons from Stevens’ Battery. Can you figure out why I like this picture so much? It’s ‘authentic’ (meaning a soldier from 1863 could look at it and not see anything out of place), it’s got a cannon, there are rolling mountains in the distance, and there’s blue sky. I mean, what else could anybody ask for? (Except maybe the chance to fire it, but we all know that’s not going to happen . . .)

According to the website Gettysburg Stone Sentinels, 2 artillerists were killed and 13 were wounded while operating and defending this battery. Of the wounded, it appears 2 died. The deaths were: Pvt. Sylvester L. Brown, Pvt. Charles Bryant, Pvt. Sullivan Luce, and Pvt. William H. Wydner. If you visit this battery, please take a moment to think of them.

**HONORED TODAY**

CPL. ISAAC BROWN NEWCOMB, JR.

Co. C, 22nd Massachusetts Infantry

Born November 20, 1820 --- Died July 02, 1863 at age 42

Cpl. Newcomb enlisted in September 1861. In civilian life he worked as a piano polisher. He married Margaret, who sadly died in 1858, and with her he had five children, only two of whom survived (Mary F. born 1849 and Hattie G. born 1857. Mary Jane was born in 1842 and died in 1843, Margaret L. was born and died in 1848, and Charles S. was born and died in 1855. Cpl. Newcomb later married a lady named Salome. He was buried at Gettysburg National Cemetery.

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