April 27, 2016

** This blog published Mondays and Wednesdays **

In this photo of East Cemetery Hill we see a blend of nature and war , . . you have your typical leafless trees and bright autumn skies, which highlight an informational marker at far left and a lone Parrott Rifle at right. Though this tree is likely not a witness to the battle, it’s interesting to note that there was at least one large tree on Cemetery Hill in July 1863 and the place was not quite as bare as it is today.

**HONORED TODAY**

CPL. WILLIAM M. HAMILTON

Co. G, 18^TH Virginia Infantry

Born abt. 1823 --- Died July 03, 1863

Cpl. Hamilton enlisted in April 1861 and was a farmer. He was married to Mary and was the father of Betty (age 17 during the battle of Gettysburg), William (age 15), Laura (age 13), Indianna (age 11), Lucy (age 10), Alexander (age 8), and Martha (age 5). Beyond basic family information, little of is known of the soldier’s life. Some believe his middle name may have been Mosby, but that hasn’t been confirmed. 

(c) 2012-2016 Skies of Blue and Gray

April 25, 2016

** This blog published Mondays and Wednesdays **

For this photo I stood at the North Carolina Memorial and looked across Confederate Avenue toward the “line of trees” where the Southerners about to embark on the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge stood and awaited the call to battle. There are two artillery batteries seen at center left (one of the cannon is “parked” in front of the large black vehicle), which are Wingfield’s Battery and the Charlotte Artillery. 

The large white slab at right is a commemorative marker which includes a beautiful tribute to the North Carolina boys at Gettysburg. It states that “one Confederate soldier in every four who fell here was a North Carolinian.” I feel that the 1993 “Gettysburg” movie did more damage than good in that regard, as people were more or less led to believe that every soldier in Pickett’s Charge was a Virginian . . . of course Virginia deserves recognition as well, but many states participated in the charge.  

**HONORED TODAY**

SGT. THOMAS A. AHARN

Co. H, 82^ND New York Infantry

Died July 02, 1863

Sgt. Thomas Aharn came into a world in a place many of us find enchanting: County Limerick, Ireland. He enlisted in the Union army in September 1861, leaving behind his work as a stonecutter (some say shoemaker; possibly he was both) to fight for his adopted country. He was killed in battle and originally buried at the Nicholas Codori farm. Though he would have been moved shortly thereafter, I’m not sure of his current resting place.

(c) 2012-2016 Skies of Blue and Gray

April 20, 2016

** This blog published Mondays and Wednesdays **

If you want to imagine that you’re going to visit the Lydia Leister family on some random day in 1863 (hopefully not early July, as things were a bit of a mess) then this photo’s for you. It’s pretty easy to place yourself in the shoes of Mrs. Leister’s friends or family coming for a call. The only thing that proves this photo is modern is the peeling paint; the entire image evokes an older, simpler time. You can only enter the house on select dates, but you can stand on the porch and peer inside the windows (I don’t think the family would have appreciated that back then) and see vintage furnishings which evoke the Civil War era.

**HONORED TODAY**

2^ND LT. SYDENHAM PETER ADKINS

Co. D, 14^TH Virginia Infantry

Died July 03, 1863

2^ND Lt. Adkins enlisted in April 1861. He was previously wounded at Malvern Hill in July 1862 and spent some time away from the army to recover; soon after returning, he was mortally wounded at Gettysburg. His burial has been lost to time, and all that is known of his civilian life is that he was a farmer. There is a dearth of information on this man.

(c) 2012-2016 Skies of Blue and Gray

April 18, 2016

** This blog published Mondays and Wednesdays **

If you were a Texan on July 2^ND, 1863, this is the last view in the world you’d want the enemy to have. Actually, it was probably the last view you would ever have. Smith’s New York Battery got down to business when Robertson’s ever-ready Texans crossed Triangular Field, with disastrous results. Aside from the road and the marker at far right (Robertson’s Brigade marker) this scene is relatively unchanged, and even the boulders, though possibly larger at the time of the battle as it had not yet been ‘cut back’ for road construction, were in existence. The men in the open field had little protection . . . when the 124^TH New York surged down into that place, they surely discovered the vulnerabilities the Texans had already experienced.

**HONORED TODAY**

PVT. ADNA MORRISON HALL

Co. D, 12^TH New Hampshire Infantry

Born July 04, 1841 --- Died September 15, 1863

Pvt. Hall was mortally wounded just two days before his 22^ND birthday. Enlisting in August 1862, he was wounded in the hip (or possibly the back) and later sent to a hospital in Philadelphia. There he died from “hospital gangrene”. He is buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Philadelphia, though there is a marker in his honor at Homeland Cemetery, Bristol, New Hampshire. A photocan be found here.

(c) 2012-2016 Skies of Blue and Gray