Chapters- MID 19TH CENTURY AMERICA --- EVERYDAY LIFE IN AMERICA -- CIVILIAN INFLUENCES ON THE MILITARY -- CIVILIAN PARTICIPATION IN THE WAR --- THE EFFECT OF WAR ON CIVILIAN LIFE --- THE END.
Summary
Provides basic information on individuals, their families and the society and communities in which Americans lived -North and South- at the time of the Civil War.
The General Thomas Welsh Family Papers is a collection of original correspondence, official documents, and ephemera. Many of the papers were created by or directed to Thomas Welsh between approximately 1843 and his death in 1863. They provide glimpses into his youth, his experiences in the Mexican War, his life in Columbia between the wars, and his rise in rank to Brigadier General during the Civil War.
The collection contains correspondence with his wife and family from 1861-1863. There are also official correspondence and documents related to Welsh's military service, autobiographical pieces, correspondence following his death, obituaries, and family papers into the early twentieth century. Other items in the collection include genealogy pages from the family bible, photographic images of Thomas Welsh and family members, two scrapbooks, newspaper issues and newspaper clippings, written notes from recollections of one of Welsh's daughter, and a biographical sketch of Welsh written by his son.
Admin/Biographical History
Thomas Welsh (1824-1863) was a Lancaster County native (born and raised in Columbia), who rose from hardscrabble origins to local fame, first as a Mexican War hero, and then as a brigadier general during the Civil War. He was well known and well respected as a no nonsense officer, for his leadership and gallantry in battle, for his dedication to the service of his country, and for his concern for the welfare of his men.
Welsh lost his father at the age of 2, and went to work to support his family at age 8. He had very little formal schooling, and was largely self-educated. In 1843, at age 19, he left Lancaster County for Washington City, then went west as an itinerant carpenter/laborer to Cincinnati, Little Rock, and Fort Smith.
When the Mexican War broke out in 1846, he enlisted in a Kentucky regiment, and was severely wounded at the battle of Buena Vista (1847) from which he never fully recovered. Returning home to Columbia, he re-enlisted as a second lieutenant, assigned to the 11th U.S. infantry regiment in Mexico City. Within days of his arrival in Mexico City, he was declared unfit for service on account of his battle wound, and sent home again.
Back in Columbia as a civilian, he dabbled in politics, and received a patronage job in the Pennsylvania Main Line of Public Works (the rail and canal system connecting Philadelphia and Pittsburgh). After several years, he opened up a grocery and dry goods store in Columbia's canal basin. He also became an insurance agent. In 1857, he was elected Justice of the Peace, and his reputation grew as a community leader. By 1860, he was president of the Borough Council, a founding member of the Columbia Board of Trade, Vice President of the Columbia Cricket Club, and a canal boat operator, in addition to a dry goods merchant, insurance agent, and Justice of the Peace. He had a wife, 5 surviving children, and legal guardianship of his sister's 4 children.
When Confederate forces shelled Fort Sumter, marking the beginning of the Civil War, Thomas Welsh raised and organized the first company of volunteers from Lancaster County, and took them into the field as their Captain. Within days, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment, which served out its 90-day enlistment in the Shenandoah Valley.
Returning to Harrisburg, he was appointed Commandant of Camp Curtin, the problem-plagued processing center for new recruits. In short order, Welsh cleaned up the camp's poor sanitary conditions, improved the health of the camp, and implemented soldierly discipline and training.
In October 1861, he resigned from his camp duties, and as Colonel of the 45th Pennsylvania, led his regiment into the field. After brief service outside of Washington, they were sent to South Carolina in December, where they were posted to Otter Island. After the battle of James Island, they were recalled to Newport News, in July 1862, then sent to guard Aquia Creek.
In September, now in brigade command in Burnsides' 9th Corps, Welsh chased Lee's Confederate army west into central Maryland. His brigade broke the enemy line in Fox's Gap, on Sept. 14, then 3 days later achieved the furthest Union advance at Antietam, reaching the edge of Sharpsburg, and nearly cutting off Lee's only avenue of escape. Welsh's gallantry earned him a field promotion to brigadier general, which Congress confirmed on March 13, 1863.
The 9th Corps (Welsh now in command of the 1st Division) was sent west in the spring of 1863, then dispatched south to support Grant's investment of Vicksburg. After Vicksburg fell, they turned east and defeated Confederate General Johnston at the Battle of Jackson. Welsh contracted malaria in the southern swamps, and died in Cincinnati upon their return north. One of his men later recalled, "Had he lived, Welsh would undoubtedly have attained a much higher command. 1
1. Beauge, Eugene, in Albert, Allen D., Ed., History of the Forty-Fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry 1861-1865, Williamsport, PA: Grit Publ. Co, 1912, p. 79.
System of Arrangement
The collection is arranged in series:
Series A Thomas Welsh before the Mexican War
Series B Mexican War, 1846-1848
Series C Between the Mexican War and the Civil War, 1848-1861
Series D Civil War
Series E Post-Civil War
Series F Miscellaneous Family Papers
Series G Papers from the families of Gen. Thomas Welsh and Blanton C. Welsh
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Some items are photocopies from other collections--researchers must obtain permission for reproduction and publication from the owner of the original material.
Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pa.
Classification
MG0828
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Almost all of the papers have been passed down through successive generations of Welsh's descendants, from Thomas Welsh's wife and children to his granddaughter, Emilie Benson (Welsh) Wiggin, to her daughter Nancy Jane (Wiggin) Townsend. After Nancy Townsend's death, her son Charles Townsend passed them on to his cousin, Richard Wiggin (grandson of Emilie Benson Wiggin) in 2015.
A few papers passed out of the family's possession and found their way into other collections. Richard Abel of Columbia, PA began collecting Welsh papers and artifacts some years ago, and subsequently transferred this collection of Welsh materials to Richard Wiggin in 2012.
This collection contains four letters from Henry Seiger to Anna Roland in Marietta, Pennsylvania and one letter in German that was either to or from Anna Roland. Henry Seiger was in the 12th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, which was also known as the 41st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He served in Company D, the Kepner Fencibles, under the command of Captain Samuel Wilt. Folder 1 contains the transcriptions, Folder 2 contains the original letters.
System of Arrangement
Folder 1 contains the transcriptions, Folder 2 contains the original letters.
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-570
Other Number
MG-570
Classification
MG0570
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Letters transcribed by WP, 2010; Processed by PP, 8 December 2010.
Letter to Deborah T. Simmons Coates from [a sibling], 1837
Letter to Elizabeth Coates from Alice, 1862 (Elizabeth Jackson Coates, future wife of Marriott Brosius)
Civil War diary of Marriott Brosius, 1863-1865, with damage from bullet that shattered his arm (original, digital copy of images of each page and transcription)
Note from Gertrude (donor's g-g-grandmother) to her daughters Gertrude and Helen regarding the diary
Framed certificate: Commission to 2nd Lt., 97th Infantry
Pass for leave, Marriott Brosius, 1863
Digital and hardcopy of "Marriott Brosius story"
Digital and hardcopy of "Marriott Brosius military regiment history"
This collection has not been cataloged, but may be used by appointment. Please contact Research@LancasterHistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Civil War letters to Moses Long and Joseph H. Long's obituary
Description
Item 1 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his brother, Joseph H. Long. Camp Nevin. With transcription. 29 October 1861.
Item 2 Photocopy of newspaper articles. "Col. Hambright Slashes Red Tape, Gets Lancaster Regiment in Field" and "Local Troops Chowless on Stalled Train." Reprinted in the Lancaster Intelligencer, 24 November 1961.
Item 3 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Camp Nevin. With transcription and genealogy. 8 November 1861.
Item 4 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Camp Cooper near Shelbeyville. With transcription. 20 June 1863.
Item 5 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Louisville, Kentucky. With transcription. 1 October 1862.
Item 6 Map of Gen. O. M. Mitchell's campaign.
Envelope addressed to Moses Long. Postmarked Nashville, Tennessee, 18 July 1863.
Envelope addressed to Moses Long. Postmarked June 25.
Item 7 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. With envelope and transcription.
6 June 1863.
Item 8 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. With transcription. 22 June 1863. (see MG0018_SerA_F060_It08)
Item 9 Pass for a person of color to mend a fence along the Manchester Road. Written by Capt. M. D. Wickersham. 6 August 1862.
Item 10 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Camp King, Kentucky. With transcription. 13 July 1863.
Item 11 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long with praise for Mart Bachman. With transcription. No date.
Item 12 Letter from Reuben C. Long to his father, Moses Long. Cowan Station, Tennessee. With transcription. 1 August 1863.
Item 13 Letter from Lt. Edward McCaffrey to Moses Long with news of Reuben's death. Chattanooga, Tennessee. With transcription. 28 September 1863.
Item 14 Letter from Samuel W. Lantz to Moses Long stating that Reuben's body was not recovered from the battlefield. With transcription. 26 October 1863.
Item 15 Photocopy of newspaper obituary of Joseph H. Long (1845-1934).
Admin/Biographical History
Reuben Clark Long (1843-1863) enlisted 30 September 1861 and served as a private with the 79th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Company E until his death at Chickamauga, Georgia on 19 September 1863.
Letter from R. C. Long to his father, 1863 (MG0018_SerA_F060_It08)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Civil War Collection (MG0018), Series #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact Research@LancasterHistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The Civil War Collection consists of material acquired over many years from different sources. Coverage is of Lancaster County soldiers and of daily life in the county during the Civil War. The collection contains records of various military units, family correspondence, "Home Front" papers, Civil War era diaries, the Captain John R. Bricker/Dept. of Commissary papers, celebration and reunion materials, images, newspaper clippings, and general orders.
System of Arrangement
The collection is organized by category into ten series.
The oversized documents of Series A, C, F, and H are oversized and filed flat in Box 4.
Series A Military Units: Series A contains documents of military units, including muster rolls, enlistment papers, discharge certificates, assignment and promotion records, and papers of individual soldiers and officers.
Pennsylvania Volunteers
Pennsylvania Militia
Certificate of State Regiments
U.S. Regiments
Series B Civil War Families
Benjamin Reed Family
Soldier's Letters
Series C The Lancaster Home Front
The Bounty Funds
Pension Claims
Articles
Letters
Series D Lancaster Notables
Series E Civil War Era Diaries
Series F The Captain John R. Bricker/Dept. of PA Commissary Papers
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Civil War Collection (MG0018), Series #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Restrictions are noted at the item level.
Copyright
Collection may not be photocopied. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at research@lancasterhistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Other Numbers
MG-18
Classification
MG0018
Description Level
Fonds
Custodial History
Much of the collection was cataloged prior to 1997. Added to database 23 March 2022.
Index card with biographical information about Benjamin McComsey
Description
Index card with biographical information that accompanied the letters, a tintype of Benjamin McComsey, and a needlepoint bookmark.
"This is the chief treasure of the McComsey family. Young son Benjamin volunteered to serve in the Civil War, and these letters tell the story of the remainder of his life.
Benjamin was the son of William McComsey, who was City Treasurer of Lanc. in the late 1800s. A descendant of Mathias McComsey, who was born in Manor Township in 1787. Benjamin's mother was Mary Dorwart, daughter of Henry, a tailor in Lancaster.
Benjamin died Nov. 7, 1862 in Berlin, Md. in the 18th year of his life. He is buried in the McComsey plot at Lancaster Cemetery."
Admin/Biographical History
Benjamin was the son of William and Mary Ann (Dorwart) McComsey. In 1860 he was a farmer living with his family in Providence Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Ben's service during the Civil War was brief. He enlisted in Lancaster on 7 August 1862 and was mustered into the U.S. Army on August 11 as a private with Company D, 122nd Pennsylvania Infantry. He died from typhoid fever in a military hospital at Berlin, Worcester County, Maryland on 7 November 1862.
Letter from Benjamin McComsey (MG0018_SerA_F077_It01)
Letter from Benjamin McComsey (MG0018_SerA_F077_It02)
Letter from Benjamin McComsey (MG0018_SerA_F077_It03)
Letter from Benjamin McComsey (MG0018_SerA_F077_It04)
Letter from Benjamin McComsey (MG0018_SerA_F077_It06)
Letter from Henry Benner (MG0018_SerA_F077_It07)
Letter from Henry Benner (MG0018_SerA_F077_It08)
Letter from Benjamin McComsey (MG0018_SerA_F077_It09)
Tintype of Benjamin McComsey (2009.014)
McComsey Family Album (A-15-01-01 to A-15-01-40)
Carte de visite of Chester Hubley (1-02-01-79)
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Civil War Collection (MG0018), Series #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact Research@LancasterHistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Discharge certificate. Private William Henry Lebkicher of Lancaster City, Pennsylvania, eighteen years old, enrolled on the second of August 1862 under Captain J. Miller Raub’s Company D 122nd Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, to serve nine months, was discharge from the service of the United States on the fifteenth of May 1863 at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Lebkicher Family Civil War Letters and Discharge Papers (MG0258) https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/4b929d84-1c6a-4e1f-8bc2-523672636170
Notes
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Lebkicher Family Civil War Letters and Discharge Papers (MG0258), Object ID, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available. Original documents may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only. Please contact research@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
1998.MG0258
Other Numbers
MG-258
Other Number
MG-258, Folder 11, Insert 2
Classification
MG0258
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Cataloged by JM. Added to database 10 September 2022.
