Author Archives: kwolfecav

On March 21, 2026, five ladies of the 62nd PVI LHF, left to right including Cindy McShane, Anna Wolfe, Katie Wolfe, Kara Wolfe and Adalynn Ciprich, presented at the Carnegie Library in Carnegie, PA on The Influence of Women: How Women Worked, Served, Sacrificed and Overcame in the American Civil War for the Second Saturday Civil War Series hosted by the Carnegie Library. It was an honor for our ladies to speak at this event, especially with the Captain Thomas Espy GAR Post 153 just upstairs. Captain Espy was a member of the 62nd PVI who lost his life at Gaines’ Mill in 1862, and so this location has always held special significance for the members of our living history family.

Katie Wolfe put the program together with the assistance of the other ladies and they all took turns sharing personal stories about the influence of women. Cindy McShane spoke of the fearless vivandiere French Mary, whom she portrays as a first-person living historian. The audience was intrigued and inspired by the story of this amazing woman, who was way ahead of her time. Katie Wolfe shared various stories of women who disguised themselves to serve as soldiers, women who served as spies, as well as doctors and nurses. Adalynn shared the incredible story of Louisa May Alcott’s time as a Civil War nurse and the effect she had on her patients, who appreciated the care and attention she gave them, especially in their last moments. Kara, Anna, and Adalynn also shared stories of young ladies who lived through the battle of Gettysburg including Tillie Pierce, Lydia Ziegler and Anna Garlach. These stories resonated with the audience, as they heard them brought to life by the young ladies of the 62nd PVI LHF.

Katie also shared the heartbreaking story of the Lowry brothers from Company C of the 62nd PVI, both of whom lost their lives in the war, and their Mother’s grief, told through the words of Mother Lowry’s own diary. The sacrifice of so many Mothers was reflected in her words, real and raw, as she tried to understand why both of her sons were taken from her…

To end the program on a slightly more inspiring note, no pun intended, the audience enjoyed listening to two songs from the Civil War era that reflected the feelings of the soldiers and the loved ones they left behind, including Just Before The Battle Mother and The Girl I Left Behind Me. These songs provided a glimpse into the soldiers’ thoughts on home, family, duty, courage and honor. Altogether it was a very memorable day, and a wonderful time of sharing history with our ‘family’, to keep the stories alive.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Katie Wolfe and other ladies of the 62nd PA Volunteer Infantry Living History Family will give a presentation on March 21st at 1:00 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall located at 300 Beechwood Ave. Carnegie, PA 15106 on The Influence of Women in the Civil War.

Drawn from an 1862 Harper’s Weekly illustration of the same title, “The Influence of Women” will explore the many ways in which women worked, served, sacrificed, and overcame during the Civil War. Women were everywhere during the war, serving both on the home front and on the front lines. This talk will include vignettes on…

Gone for a Soldier: Women Who Served
Hidden in Hair and Hoopskirts: Women as Spies
“Brave and Faithful”: Marie Tepe
The War on the Homefront
“The Angel on the Battlefield”: Nurses, Doctors, and Civilians
“She Ranks Me”: Mother Bickerdyke
A Mother’s Grief: The 62nd Pennsylvania
“Just Before the Battle Mother”: Civil War Music as a Comfort

This presentation is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there as we share the incredible stories of women’s influence in the Civil War!

The 62nd PA Volunteer Infantry Living History Family was pleased to welcome many guests to the Armstrong County Historical Society’s Christmas Open House on November 30, 2025. It was a wonderful day of sharing stories of Armstrong County history, in particular the stories of Civil War soldiers from the county. The ACHS Museum at 300 N. McKean St. Kittanning, PA houses a fantastic collection of local Civil War artifacts, many with ties to the 62nd PVI.

The Society also has on its grounds a relocated and restored historic log cabin that once belonged to the Rupp family, which our 62nd PVI Living History Family member Joe Rupp played in as a child! Joe welcomed many visitors to the log cabin as well and enjoyed sharing its history and connection to his family. We all had a wonderful day of fellowship together, and we hope you enjoy these pictures of some highlights from the day. Merry Christmas to all of our friends and followers, and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year, as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday!

Photos courtesy of Katie Wolfe.

Remembrance Day in Gettysburg is always a solemn and moving experience for the 62nd PA Volunteer Infantry Living History Family. This year marks 162 years since President Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address to dedicate the Soldiers National Cemetery, where over 3,000 Union soldiers killed at the battle of Gettysburg were buried, including several from the 62nd PA. For many years the 62nd PVI LHF has travelled to Gettysburg for Remembrance Day, and this year we continued this duty of honoring and remembering ‘the boys’ of the 62nd PVI.

November 15th, 2025 began with our traditional Wheatfield Ceremony, where we remembered the sacrifice and bravery of the 62nd PA at the battle of Gettysburg. Our soldiers marched in and the ladies followed to the 62nd PA Monument in the Wheatfield. Then our Co-Vice President Matt Hankinson shared stories of the 62nd PA’s struggle on the afternoon of July 2, 1863, including the sad story of Color Sergeant Issac Osborn, who gave his life for his country in the Wheatfield while defending the colors of the 62nd PA. Shortly before the battle of Gettysburg Sergeant Osborn wrote a letter home to his young sons. Private Gavin Zimmerman read the following words from that fateful letter written by Sergeant Osborn, “…I have been in many dangers since I left you, but I put my whole trust in God and he has spared my life while a great many brave men was killed by my side, and I was spared. But there are other great battles to be fought…And if your father falls it will be at the head of his brave company and die for the Union and the peace of our country. My dear children I will now close by asking you to always be true to your country as your father has and ever will be.”

To conclude the ceremony, descendants of Private Henry Bargerstock of Co. D of the 62nd PVI, laid the wheat sheaf at the base of the monument, and we closed the Wheatfield ceremony in prayer, remembering the soldiers of the 62nd PA.

The Remembrance Day Parade followed our ceremony, and we marched as a family through Gettysburg, with the men carrying the colors of the 62nd PVI, a solemn reminder of the desperate fight to preserve those same colors in the Wheatfield on the afternoon of July 2, 1863.

After the parade and a brief rest to enjoy a meal together, the 62nd PVI LHF concluded the day with the Illumination Ceremony in the Soldiers National Cemetery, where the 62nd PVI LHF stood as Honor Guard alongside our friends from the 66th OVI for an hour, silently and reverently watching over the graves of the soldiers buried in the cemetery. Each grave was illuminated by a candle as a heartfelt reminder of the cost of the Union victory at Gettysburg.

Photos courtesy of Van Cornish, Matt Hankinson, Danielle Troup and Matt Zimmerman. To view a video of the 62nd PVI LHF Wheatfield Ceremony , Remembrance Day Parade, and the Illumination in Soldiers National Cemetery, please visit the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu9-XLxjz2w to the YouTube channel Gettysburg Guy, maintained by one of our young members, Gavin Zimmerman.

The 62nd PA Volunteer Infantry Living History Family will once again act as hosts at the Armstrong County Historical Society’s Christmas Open House on Sunday, November 30th from 1-4 pm. This annual event is always one we look forward to, as we gather together as a living history family and welcome guests to the Armstrong County Historical Society. There will be three festively decorated buildings to tour that day- the McCain House Museum, the Rupp Log Cabin and the newly renovated Jim and Ann Oakes Carriage House, which will showcase vintage Christmas decorations from the 1940s-1970s.

A good friend of the 62nd PA Volunteer Infantry Living History Family, Mr. Paul Blackham, has created an incredible online resource for finding the final resting places of the soldiers of the 62nd PVI- the 62nd PA Virtual Cemetery. The website https://www.findagrave.com/virtual-cemetery/1702685 contains over 900 62nd PVI soldiers and links to information about where they are buried. Paul has devoted many hours of research to this project and compiled many stories of 62nd PA soldiers to give us a glimpse into their lives, pre and post Civil War, in addition to finding their final resting places so that we can still honor them today. Below are some pictures of what the virtual cemetery looks like and the information you can find. The soldiers of the 62nd PA are buried all over the United States, and their stories are waiting to be found. We hope you enjoy learning their stories to keep the history of the 62nd PA alive!

The 62nd PA Volunteer Infantry Living History Family is pleased to announce a special presentation on The 62nd PA Flag by our friend Amy Wilson on October 12th at 11:00 am, at the Gettysburg Heritage Center, 297 Steinwehr Ave. Gettysburg, PA, in conjunction with the 62nd PVI Living History Family’s encampment at the Heritage Center.

A number of years ago, we were asked to be the Honor Guard for the rededication ceremony for the Company M flag, held on July 2nd in the Wheatfield. Amy was one of the presenters that day, and in the years since she has been doing quite a bit of research specific to Company M, and the 62nd boys from the Hollidaysburg area.

This promises to be a very moving and informative presentation, and we hope that if you decide to visit our encampment on October 12th, you will also step inside the Heritage Center at 11:00 am for this presentation in the Heritage Center Conference Room on “The 62nd PA Flag: Stories Of Antietam, Gettysburg, And The Battle To Be Remembered”.