October 14, 2015

** This blog published Mondays and Wednesdays **

This photo is only vaguely battle-related, but I really liked the shot of the Railroad Cut being used for its prescribed purpose, though of course during the battle it was yet unused. The star emblem marks the route of the battlefield tour, while Chambersburg Pike / Route 30 runs from left to right. On the bottom left of the photo is a Union flank marker, but unfortunately I had not yet been able to identify it. Just to the right of the photo one would find Gen. Lee’s headquarters, which is being restored and will hopefully soon be rid of the pesky modern hotel that tried to steal its thunder :-) (No offense to anyone who enjoyed lodging there; I’ve stayed there myself, but I personally think historical preservation trumps anything constructed after the battle).

**HONORED TODAY**

PVT. AMOS RIDENOUR

Carpenter’s Battery (Alleghany {Virginia} Light Artillery)

1820 --- Died July 02, 1863 at age 43

Pvt. Ridenour, whose surname is also listed as Ritenour, enlisted in the infantry in March 1862 and was transferred to the artillery in September of that same year. With his first wife, Matilda, who died in 1846, he had two daughters, Mary (born 1845) and Minerva or Margaret (born 1846). He remarried to Elizabeth and had Clara, John (born 1848), Elizabeth (born 1850), Amelia (born 1852), Amos (born 1854), Martha (born 1856), and Turner (born 1862). Records say he was likely “killed in an artillery duel on Benner’s Hill.” Pvt. Ridenour was later buried at Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery.

(c) 2012-2015 Skies of Blue and Gray

October 12, 2015

** This blog published Mondays and Wednesdays **

Here we see the garden at the Lydia Leister house / Gen. Meade’s headquarters. This is a nice bucolic scene, I think . . . Taneytown Road and the Peter Frey barn can be seen in the background. Unfortunately, while I was visiting I didn’t take the time to notice what was in the garden, but I’m sure everything was well-researched for authenticity’s sake. The picket fence gives the scene a homey appeal.  

**HONORED TODAY**

CPT. ALFRED HORATIO LEWIS

Co. D, 64^TH New York Infantry

1832 --- Died July 02, 1863 at age 31

Cpt. Lewis enlisted in October 1861. He was married to Jane, and had a daughter Kittie born in 1859. After receiving a mortal wound at Gettysburg, he was buried at Sandusky Cemetery in Freedom, New York.

(c) 2012-2015 Skies of Blue and Gray

October 07, 2015

** This blog published Mondays and Wednesdays **

In all honesty, how many of us have truly taken the time to notice and appreciate the details and craftsmanship of the Irish Brigade memorial? We may take note of it from afar, but to really enjoy the details, you have to get up close and personal. For instance, look at the abundance of Celtic knots. Those can’t have been easy to create, and yet some determined soul kept up until they were just right. Did the sculptor(s) stand back at the end and say “wow, that’s really something, it turned out great!” or shake their heads and find something to dislike or say it’s not really how they envisioned it? Either way, it’s a beautiful monument, and one easily appreciated.

**HONORED TODAY**

LT. COL. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN CARTER

4^TH Texas Infantry

1831 --- Died July 21/22, 1863 at age 32

Lt. Col. Carter had a busy public career before enlistment, serving as the mayor of Austin in the late 1850s. A widower, he lost his wife Louisa and two children, with only daughter Ella (born 1858) surviving. He was struck by shell fragments on the 2^ND of July and was later transferred to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where he died of his wounds. He had requested only a Christian burial, yet it took some time until a Methodist parishioner arranged for his interment. It is believed that he is now buried at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Chambersburg. A photo can be found here.

(c) 2012-2015 Skies of Blue and Gray

October 05, 2015

** This blog published Mondays and Wednesdays **

I’ve always been fascinated by the bronze statues of Gettysburg. Such time and attention, such miniscule detail work, went into creating these magnificent memorials. My particular favorite is the North Carolina state monument, depicting soldiers readying for Pickett’s Charge (or the Pettigrew-Trimble Assault, if you happen to prefer that moniker). I always wonder who was used as a model for these sculptures, if the person was happy with the way it turned out or if he said ‘that doesn’t look like me at all.’ Were they pleased with their face being represented for all time in a public space?

**HONORED TODAY**

PVT. ALFRED HENRY DIBBLE

Co. G, 14^TH Connecticut Infantry

January 03, 1838 --- Died July 05, 1863 at age 25

Pvt. Dibble enlisted in August 1862 and was a farm laborer. The husband of Maria, he had a son, Willis, born in 1861. He was shot in the shoulder on the third day of battle and died two days later, eventually being laid to rest at Gettysburg’s National Cemetery. Pvt. Dibble was again reinterred, this time either at Lower Cemetery or Cypress Cemetery in Westbrook, Connecticut.

(c) 2012-2015 Skies of Blue and Gray