BGuthrie Photos: PA -- Gettysburg Natl Battlefield -- Visitor Center -- Exhibition Spotlight: William Barksdale and Alfred Hamilton

PA -- Gettysburg Natl Battlefield -- Visitor Center -- Exhibition Spotlight: William Barksdale and Alfred Hamilton:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. GETVCB_160321_010.JPG: Mort Kunstler The Grandest Charge Ever Seen, 1990 One of the most prolific Civil War artists working today, Mort Kuntsler's paintings capture grand moments, small vignettes, and the human element of the conflict. Kunstler studied art at Brooklyn College, UCLA, and Pratt Institute. He began his career as an illustrator, creating cover and illustration art for books, magazines, and movie posters, including the original The Poseidon Adventure and the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Turning to American historical art in the 1980s, Kunstler solidified his reputation through significant commissions for organizations, government agencies (including Postal Service stamp illustration art), and museums, as well as through the wide-scale distribution of "Signed and Numbered" prints of his paintings. These paintings have covered the Civil War, American Revolution, and World War II. Painted in 1990, The Grandest Charge Ever Seen depicts General William Barksdale leading men of his Mississippi Brigade into the fields east of the Emmitsburg Road on the evening of July 2, 1863. It places Barksdale at the center-point, captivating the viewer with the symmetrical positioning of Barksdale on horseback and the Confederate battle flag at the canvas's most prominent and illuminated point. Kunstler continues to work today from his studio on Long Island in New York.
2. GETVCB_160321_033.JPG: Firmness, Endurance, and Vigor In the 1904 148th Pennsylvania Infantry regimental history, Dr. Alfred T. Hamilton recalling his service as a US Army physician at Gettysburg used these four words to describe one particular soldier: General William Barksdale. The story of how these two men met on July 2, 1863, at a temporary field hospital, is one of the Battle of Gettysburg's most enduring and poignant episodes. William Barksdale: William Barksdale was born in Smyrna, Tennessee on August 21, 1821. After graduating from the University of Nashville, Barksdale relocated to Columbus, Mississippi. He studied and practiced law there before becoming the editor of the Columbus Democrat, one of Mississippi's strongest pro-slavery and state's rights newspapers. When the United States declared war on Mexico in 1846, Barksdale was appointed to a staff position in Mississippi's state forces and served in northern Mexico. Upon his return to Mississippi in 1848, Barksdale became active in politics, eventually winning election to the US House of Representatives. A slave holder, Barksdale was one of the most outspoken advocates for the expansion of slavery and state's rights in Congress. With Abraham Lincoln's election to the Presidency in 1860 and Mississippi's secession, Barksdale resigned his seat on January 12, 1861. Returning home he was appointed a general in the Mississippi state forces and later became colonel of the newly formed 13th Mississippi Infantry. Promoted to brigadier general in June 1862, Barksdale led his brigade (the 13th, 17th, 18th, and 21st Mississippi Infantry) in notable Virginia campaigns and battles in 1862 and early 1863.
3. GETVCB_160321_037.JPG: Alfred T. Hamilton Dr. Alfred T. Hamilton was born in 1836 in Lewistown, Pennsylvania. The son of a merchant lumberman, Hamilton chose a career in medicine and graduated from the Hygeia Therapeutic College of New York in 1858. He practiced hydropathic medicine, which was part of the growing field of "sectarian" (homeopathic and preventative) medicine in 19th-century America. After graduating, Hamilton practiced for two years in Tennessee before returning to Lewistown to open his own practice. The professional tension between "allopathic" (traditional chemical-based) and "sectarian" medicine in 19th-century America was so pervasive that only allopathic practitioners, could become US army surgeons. Many sectarian practitioners like Hamilton, however, wanted to serve when war erupted in 1861. So, listing himself as an 1858 graduate of the New York Medical College (an allopathic institution), Hamilton took the Pennsylvania State Medical Board's examination on September 11, 1862 in Harrisburg, passed, and became an Assistant Army surgeon. He joined the 148th Pennsylvania Infantry on February 4, 1863. The Journey to Gettysburg: Robert E. Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863 would bring both Barksdale and Hamilton together. Barksdale and his men began the march from Virginia on June 3, 1863. They crossed the Potomac River on June 26th and reached Chambersburg, Pennsylvania the next day> Remaining there until June 30th, Barksdale and his brigade then marched towards Gettysburg. Hamilton and the men of the 148th Pennsylvania Infantry began their march from Virginia on June 14th, crossing the Potomac near Washington the same day Barksdale's men were fording the river further west. The regiment camped three miles from Gettysburg on the night of July 1st where, according to Hamilton, they "threw up a defense of rails & dirt" and "did not get any sleep." Despite this, they were, he wrote, "glad when we trod the sacred soil of our native state."
4. GETVCB_160321_045.JPG: Matthew Brady William Barksdale, c 1858 Barksdale appears here in his days as a Member of Congress from Mississippi. This small format was known as the carte-de-visite. First invented by Parisian photographer Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disderi in 1854, this format (the size of a calling card) gained wide popularity in the United States and Europe in the years leading to the Civil War.
5. GETVCB_160321_053.JPG: Cased Dissection Set, 1857 Dated "Jan 13 1857" and inscribed with his initials, Hamilton used this dissection set to perform minor surgical work. Though made for civilian use, Hamilton brought this set with him during his service with the 148th Pennsylvania Infantry. He may have used it while attending to General Barksdale on July 2nd.
6. GETVCB_160321_057.JPG: Medical Syringe, c 1860 Hamilton likely used this medical syringe during his wartime service to administer a variety of medicines. He may have used it while attending General Barksdale on July 2nd.
7. GETVCB_160321_067.JPG: The Copse of Trees on Cemeetery Ridge (c 1880). In the center background is the Abraham Trostle Farm. Barksdale suffered his mortal wound in the fields at the top center of the photograph. The approximate location of his wounding is shown on the map above.
8. GETVCB_160321_072.JPG: Pocket Watch, c 1860 Alfred H. Mohler of the 21st Mississippi Infantry took this watch from a fallen Union artillery sergeant of Battery I, 5th US Artillery when the Mississippians overran the battery's position on July 2nd. The watch eventually landed in the hands of J. Frank Hume of the 21st Mississippi Infantry.
9. GETVCB_160321_077.JPG: Fez, 1862 Jacob E. Arnold was 20 years old when he eniisted in the 114th Pennsylvania Infantry on August 23, 1862 in Philadelphia. As a part of the brightly clad, French-colonial inspired "Collis's Zouaves," Arnold wore this fez. He survived the war and mustered out of service in May of 1865.
10. GETVCB_160321_083.JPG: .58 Caliber Bullet, 1863 While attending General Barksdale, Hamilton located and removed this lead bullet from the wounded Barksdale, preserving one of the projectiles that ended the Confederate commander's life.
11. GETVCB_160321_091.JPG: The Jacob Hummerbaugh Farm (c 1870), site of the field hospital where Hamilton treated Barksdale. The location of the farm is shown on the map above.
12. GETVCB_160321_107.JPG: the battle is terrific, the cannon ablazing [???] regular & continued. The rebs getting on both right & left flank, but held no ground any time. 148th stood well and lost considerably. The reb advanced and I remained at my temporary hospital. I turned my attention to a house filled with wounded men mostly from the 3rd Corps. I did what I could for them both in the house and barn. The Rebel Gen. Barksdale, McLaws Div, Longstreet Corps, was brought in, wounded through the breast from behind, came out above the heart, his left leg was broken off below the knee -- He said he was in the house of Reps. eight years from Miss[issippi]. He was clad in the grey jacket trimmed with gold braid on the sleeves from the cuff to elbow. There were three stars on the collar on each side next to chin -- two striped of gold braid down each leg of grey Kentucky jean, two pair of drawers, & a white fine shirt completed his attire. He was corpulent, bold and refined in appearance. I worked with the wounded until midnight, having gone around the wounded, doing what I could.
13. GETVCB_160321_112.JPG: The Physicians Handbook for Practice and Memoranda for 1858 This journal, reused by Hamilton from his days of private medical practice, contains multiple entries covering various aspects of his service as assistant surgeon of the 148th Pennsylvania. These include diagnoses for individual soldiers, supply lists, and Hamilton's daily diary entries. The page is open to the entry in which Hamilton records treating General Barksdale.
14. GETVCB_160321_115.JPG: Shirt Stud, c 1860 This is the last remaining shirt stud General Barksdale used to secure the top of his shirt, as noted by Hamilton in the 148th Pennsylvania regimental history. Hamilton most likely secured this stud after Barksdale's death in the early morning hours of July 3rd. It bears the emblem of the Masons, the fraternal order to which Barksdale belonged.
15. GETVCB_160321_119.JPG: Mississippi Button, c 1860 For its troops, the state of Mississippi specified a unique uniform button, a single star in the center surrounded by the words "Mississippi." This particular button is the last that remains from the uniform jacket of General Barksdale, described in detail by Hamilton in his diary and post war recollections. Like the Masonic shirt stud in this exhibit, Hamilton preserved this coat button as relic hunters had removed most of the ornamentation from Barksdale's body in the yard of the Hummelbaugh house between July 2nd and July 3rd.
16. GETVCB_160321_128.JPG: Discharge Certificate, 1865 Hamilton received this certificate when the Civil War ended and he was discharged from service on June 1, 1865. It notes that he received his final Army pay on that date as well. It also appears that Hamilton used the certificate as evidence to attempt to collect an enlistment bounty from the War Department in 1899. The claim was denied.
17. GETVCB_160321_135.JPG: Claim for pay bounty etc, disallowed July 1, 1899 by Sett, No. 270,655 WW Brown [???] Auditor for War Department
18. GETVCB_160321_143.JPG: Alfred T. Hamilton, c 1880 Hamilton sat for this portrait after the war, when he served as the public health officer for his home town of Lewistown. In this portrait, he wears a 2nd Corps trefoil veteran pin on his vest lapel and fraternal organization badge on his coat lapel.
19. GETVCB_160321_154.JPG: Unknown artist Alfred T. Hamilton, c 1900 Hamilton sat for an unknown local artist and had this portrait sketched around 1900. he would have been approximately 64 years old at the time.
20. GETVCB_160321_159.JPG: Model 1855 Rifle-Musket, 1860 Springfield Armory John A. Kelly enlisted as a private in Company I of the 13th Mississippi Infantry on August 19, 1861 and was just 19 years old at the time. Promoted to Corporal in September 1862, Kelly carried this Model 1855 Springfield rifle-musket through his first years of service, including Barksdale's assault on July 2nd. Wounded in the leg during the attack, Kelly was taken prisoner by Union forces on July 4th and imprisoned in Fort Delaware. The butt of the rifle-musket bears the carved inscription "J A Kelly Co I / 13th Reg Miss V." Kelly lived until 1926.
21. GETVCB_160321_165.JPG: Into the Battle: Barksdale and his men arrived in Gettysburg late in the morning of July 2nd. By 3:00pm, Barksdale's brigade had formed a line of battle on the southern end of Seminary Ridge, where they would be part of an assault on the Union left flank. Facing them were the men of General Daniel Sickles' 3rd Union Army Corps in a line stretching from Devils' Den to the Sherfy Peach Orchard. The attack began at 4:00pm. As other brigades attacked, Barksdale waited impatiently, eager to join the fray. When the orders for his brigade to advance finally came he was, in the words of Captain G.B. Lamar, "radiant with joy." Barksdale had ordered all of his officers to dismount to be less conspicuous targets, but he remained on his horse. "He was in front of his brigade," Lamar would recall, "hat off, and his long white hair reminded him of the white plume of Navarre." Barksdale and his men smashed into the brightly clad Zouaves of the 114th Pennsylvania at the Joseph Sherfy farm. Barksdale was determined to overwhelm the Union defenders. Having crushed the salient in the Union line near the Peach Orchard, most of Barksdale's command wheeled left, while the 21st Mississippi advanced toward the Trostle Farm. "Crowd them," Barksdale told his commanders, "we have them on the run. Move your regiments." Barksdale and the remnants of his brigade had now advanced as far as the trees along Plum Run, where they met strong resistance from a fresh Union brigade commanded by Colonel George Willard. At this critical moment Barksdale fell severely wounded, struck multiple times by Union small arms fire. His men attempted to evacuate Barksdale from the field, but a Union counterattack drove them from the field and Barksdale was left for dead. The 148th Pennsylvania arrived at Gettysburg on July 2nd and went into action that afternoon to counter the Confederate assault on the Union left flank. As the regiment engaged the attacking Confederates, Hamilton established a temporary field hospital at the farm of Jacob Hummelbaugh. "I did what I could for them both in the house and barn," Hamilton recalled in his diary. Late in evening of July 2nd, he came across a high ranking Confederate officer lying wounded in the yard of the house. The officer was Barksdale. Dave Parker of the 14th Vermont Infantry discovered the wounded general around 11:00 pm that night and carried him to Hamilton's field hospital. "he was suffering from bleeding inwardly and suffering very much," Parker recalled after the war.
22. GETVCB_160321_168.JPG: Hamilton documented Barksdale's condition in detail in his diary entry for July 2nd: The Rebel Gen. Barksdale, McLaws Div, Longstreet Corps, was brought in, wounded through the breast from behind, came out above the heart, his left leg was broken off below the knee -- He said he was in the house of Reps. eight years from Miss[issippi]. He was clad in the grey jacket trimmed with gold braid on the sleeves from the cuff to elbow. There were three stars on the collar on each side next to chin -- two striped of gold braid down each leg of grey Kentucky jean, two pair of drawers, & a white fine shirt completed his attire. He was corpulent, bold and refined in appearance. Hamilton's chapter in the 148th Pennsylvania's regimental history tells more: I attended General Barksdale... He was shot through the left breast from behind, and the left leg was broken by two missiles.... I gave him what I had to relieve him. He asked several times whether I considered his wound necessarily mortal. I told him I did. He desired peace, but only upon terms that would recognize the Confederacy. He was large, corpulent, refined in appearance, bald, and his general physical and mental makeup indicated firmness, endurance, vigor, quick perception and ability to succeed whether as politician, civilian or warrior. He told me he was a member of Congress under Pierce and Bachanan. He asked about our strength and was answered that heavy re-enforcements were coming. Said he, "Militiamen under McClellan?" He said that Lee would show us a trick before morning; that before we knew it Ewell would be thundering in our rear. He was dressed in the jeans of their choice. His short roundabout was trimmed on the sleeves with gold braid. The Mississippi button, with a star in the center, closed it. The collar had three stars on each side next the chin. Next to his body was a fine linen or cotton shirt which was closed by three studs bearing Masonic emblems. His pants had two stripes of gold braid, half an inch broad, down each leg.
23. GETVCB_160321_172.JPG: Barksdale died in the Hummelbaugh yard before sunrise on July 3rd. Union soldiers looking for souvenirs stripped away most of the gold braid, buttons, and Masonic shirts [sic] studs from his uniform. Hamilton himself preserved a remaining Mississippi coat button and Masonic shirt stud, which can be seen in this exhibit. Barksdale was laid to rest in a temporary grave on the Hummelbaugh Farm and remained their until January 1867, when he was re-interred in Jackson, Mississippi. General William Barksdale and his Mississippi brigade suffered greatly on July 2nd, sustaining 747 casualties, or approximately 50% of their men. They demonstrated the "firmness, endurance, and vigor" that Hamilton used to described the general on that day -- qualities also embodied by Hamilton himself. Hamilton continued to care for the men of the 148th Pennsylvania for the remainder of the war, even after battling typho-malaria He mustered out of service on June 1, 1865. These two soldiers, one whose profession was to lead men into battle and the other to save those who suffered the effects of it, met briefly on the battlefield of Gettysburg. The artifacts and objects they left behind are silent witnesses to the tragedy of Civil War and the role that each played in one of the war's most significant battles.
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