Walking In Their Shoes: Civil War

Patriotism That Runs in the Family

In 1777, as the British advanced on Philadelphia, citizens rushed to remove church bells and other valuable metals from the city. They feared these materials would be melted down and used to produce weapons and cannonballs for the British army.

Among those who stepped forward were John Jacob Mickley and Frederick Leaser, who transported the bells to Allentown, Pennsylvania, to keep them out of enemy hands. One of these was the Liberty Bell. It was taken to Zion’s Reformed Church, where Reverend Abraham Blumer, who also served as a chaplain in the Northampton Militia—helped conceal it beneath the church floor. The bell remained hidden there safely until June 1778, when the British withdrew from Philadelphia.

The family’s legacy of service continued. Reverend Blumer’s son, Jacob, later served his country as a lieutenant in the 2nd Regiment (Bache’s) Pennsylvania Militia during the War of 1812.

Eighty-four years later In September 1862, Reverend Blumer’s great-grandson, also named Jacob, answered Pennsylvania’s call for troops as Confederate General Robert E. Lee advanced north. He enlisted as a corporal in Company E of the 5th Pennsylvania Emergency Militia, formed to defend the state during this critical moment. After Lee’s forces were turned back at the Battle of Antietam, the militia was disbanded.

Outside of military service, Jacob built a career as a newspaper man, serving as business manager for the Chronicle and News in Allentown. He was also a member of E.B. Young Post 87 of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans.
Today, he rests at Fairview Cemetery in Allentown, Pennsylvania

(Pictures)

Great Grandfather Abrahams grave at Jordan Cemetery, Zions Church in Allentown as it stands today and an image of the Liberty Bell being transported from Philadelphia

Elias Greenawalt, born September 15, 1844, was the son of Stephen Greenawalt and Susanna Stein.

On March 26, 1864, at Reading, Pennsylvania, he enlisted as a private in the 14th United States Regular Infantry for a three-year term of service. The regiment, already hardened by years of conflict, had been formed in 1861 at Fort Trumbull, Connecticut, and had fought in the earliest major campaigns of the Army of the Potomac. By the time Greenawalt joined its ranks, it had already carried with it the legacy of battles such as Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg.

Assigned to the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 5th Corps, Greenawalt entered some of the most grueling campaigns of the Civil War. He marched and fought through the tangled thickets of the Wilderness in May 1864 and endured the brutal fighting at Spotsylvania, including the desperate struggle on May 12. He saw continued action at Laurel Hill and later at Petersburg, where months of relentless trench warfare tested the endurance of every soldier. He was present at engagements including Hatcher’s Run and Poplar Grove Church, sharing in the hardship, danger, and determination that defined the closing chapters of the conflict in Virginia.

With the war’s end, Greenawalt’s service did not conclude. Like many Regular Army soldiers, he was sent west to continue duty on the expanding frontier. By October 1866, he was stationed at Fort Rock, Arizona, serving in a vastly different landscape but one no less dangerous. According to his obituary, while carrying the mail he suffered a slight wound to his left hand. In a separate incident, he was struck in the cheek by a bullet during an attack, an encounter reflecting the tensions and violence of frontier life. His injuries required treatment at West Chester Hospital, where he remained for about a month.

After three years of service spanning both Civil War battlefields and the western frontier, Elias Greenawalt was honorably discharged at Mojave, Arizona, on March 26, 1867.

He is buried at Jacobs Union Church Cemetery

On August 27, 1861, twenty-four-year-old Sergeant Samuel Bierer enlisted in the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry at Latrobe, Pennsylvania. During his service, he was wounded twice, first on August 30, 1862, at the Second Battle of Manassas, and again on September 17, 1862, at Antietam.

He served alongside his brother, Captain Jacob Bierer, and remained with the regiment until the completion of his enlistment, receiving his discharge on September 28, 1864.

The 11th Pennsylvania Infantry, whose monument at Gettysburg is a personal favorite of mine, is notably accompanied by the likeness of its beloved mascot, a brindle bull terrier named Sallie, faithfully seated at its base. The regiment saw extensive action throughout the Eastern Theater, participating in numerous engagements before ultimately being mustered out at Appomattox on July 1, 1865.

Samuel Bierer is buried at Saint Clair Cemetery in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

An AI recreated image of him as an older man is included in this post was sent to me by a volunteer in Western PA. It is amazingly close to the original damaged one.

What a difference a few days and a little D/2 makes!

Sunday at St. John's Gernant's Church my friends at Berks County Association for Graveyard Preservation did a cleaning demonstration on the tombstone of Samuel Finkbone a 44 year old farmer from Leesport that tragically lost his life fighting at Antietam in September of 1862

One photo is from the May 15, 2026 edition of the Reading Eagle, taken by Bill Uhrich just a few days ago, and the other was taken today.

While some remnants of the cleaning solution are still visible and will gradually wash away, it’s remarkable how much brighter and whiter the headstone looks now!

The Howlett Line was a network of Confederate earthworks constructed in May 1864 during the American Civil War. Stretching across the Bermuda Hundred peninsula between the James and Appomattox Rivers in Virginia, it successfully bottled up nearly 30,000 Union troops, earning the nickname “The Cork in the Bottle.”

One of Confederate batteries along this line was Parker’s Battery, manned by what became known as the “Boy Company.”

My 3rd great-uncle, William Bell, would lose his life not far from there at Petersburg while serving with the 205th Pennsylvania Infantry on April 2, 1865, as Union forces finally broke through the Confederate defenses.

Fifty-four years later, in 1918, his nephew John Bell enlisted in the 80th Division, serving with the 313th Field Artillery, Battery D. During training, the battery was stationed at Petersburg and Dutch Gap before deploying to France.

In early November 1918, the unit earned distinction in combat, receiving the following praise:

“The 2d Battalion, 313th Field Artillery, commanded by Major John Nash, particularly distinguished itself in the eyes of the infantry. The regiment, commanded by Colonel O. L. Brunzehl, was in direct liaison with General McAlexander, and the 2d Battalion furnished the forward guns which were to follow up and support the infantry advance by direct fire. Immediately after the infantry jumped off, the batteries prepared to move forward. In order to reach their positions south of Grand Carré Farm and behind Ridge 270, it was necessary to cross the open ground under both machine gun and artillery fire. Going first at a trot and then at a gallop, Batteries D, E, and F went into action in a spectacular manner that rallied the infantry and caused men to remark, ‘With such artillery we can go through hell.’ Captain Anderson of Battery E was killed in this noble charge in the face of machine gun fire.”

Just days later, and only two days before the end of the war, John Bell was killed during an artillery barrage on November 9, 1918.

Today, he rests at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France.

A few years ago, I visited Parker’s Battery to walk in his footsteps, and I was able to find the area where the 313th encamped during training before departing for France.

This Memorial Day, I remember John Bell, William Bell, and all the members of my family who served in the military.

Great turnout for the talk and Cemetery tour at Gernants Church at Leesport Pa. My speaking partner was Lara Thomas from Berks County Association for Graveyard Preservation who talked about the Revolutionary war soldiers and tombstone preservation. Glad to share the stories of so many soldiers that hopefully will keep their names alive for years to come!

Program to highlight stories of Revolutionary and Civil War veterans buried in Berks churchyard Civil War historian Ben Varner will discuss his Civil War Heritage Project, an attempt to document every Civil War veteran’s grave in Pennsylvania.

Four years ago when I started this project the very first cemetery and church that I researched was St. Johns Gernants Chuch in Leesport. It's 52 soldiers buried there range the gamut from Herman Dersch who was enlisted in the US Regular 3rd Infantry before the beginning of the war who was stationed in Texas at the outbreak of the war and who fought in most of the major battles up until Gettysburg to Samuel Finkbone with the 128th Pennsylvania a 44 year old Farmer who lost his life near the famous Cornfield at Antietam.

I am super excited to be able to introduce the members and public to their Civil War Soldiers this Sunday the 17th during an tour from 1-4. I will be doing a short talk about the regiments these men represented then doing a cemetery tour to introduce folks to the men buried here.

I also created a virtual version of the tour here
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1B7JJSlNhPHI1f8J4p-onxPXBoRlnkLs&usp=sharing