A “fitting and proper” tribute to Joe Bowser would [and should] be quite lengthy, and include the many details and aspects of his life, and for my part, would recount many trips to “search and research” our family connections to the Civil War, countless trips to Gettysburg, and one especially memorable trip to the Antietam Battlefield to witness the Illumination of that hallowed ground…words cannot describe the site of over 23,000 luminaries, each one representing a life lost in a twelve-hour span of time, casting their light over the field blanketed in fourteen inches of fresh snow…
But as for his life relating to the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Living History Family, and why I post this here, it’s quite simple…for all of my interest, involvement and interaction with the 62nd PVI LHF in the last twenty-five years, and any impact I may have had as a member and officer during that time, I owe it almost entirely to my Uncle Joe…
Probably without intent, and possibly without knowing it, he changed the course of my life, at a time when my life needed a change…what began as a mild interest in the Civil war and Gettysburg as a photographer, turned into what seems like a lifetime of “living history”…through his persistence in his genealogical research of our family, together we discovered many ties, and became personally attached to some of them, especially that of First Sergeant Daniel Warren Swigart, who served in the 62nd PVI…it was that connection that almost instantly moved me to join the 62nd family, which already included several dear friends and co-workers…
The rest truly is “history”…my wife and I, as well as our two grandchildren, have been members of a true family of friends and fellow historians, that reaches far and wide, and have also met many other descendants of 62nd volunteers, none of which would have been possible without “my Civil War Uncle”, Joe Bowser…
I was honored to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors with a man they said “would probably never walk again” following his work-related accident…he was a humble descendant, and so am I…
Thank you Joe…we will walk together again some day soon!
Many years ago, one of our long-time descendant members Joe Rupp mentioned that he was going to go to Gettysburg to work on the battlefield for a “Volunteer Work Day” program…I don’t recall if anyone else went with Joe that year, but in the years that followed the interest grew, to the point where we were recognized one year as the “group with the most volunteers” for that work day…
Over the course of our participation in the VWD efforts, which is under the direction of the Gettysburg Foundation [formerly “Friends of Gettysburg”], along with the National Park Service, we have been a part of many, many rewarding projects aimed at maintaining and preserving the Gettysburg battlefield for generations to come…this has included painting some of the historic structures [Codori Barn, McPherson Barn, Eisenhower Farm HQ building], historic fences, as well as building and repairing thousands of feet of historic fence lines, clearing brush along the fence lines, and several details inside the Soldiers National Cemetery [painting the engraved names on the Civil War markers, cleaning headstones]…
Which brings us to Saturday, June 7th, 2025, which started out with some light to steady rain for the morning hours…as it turned out, our small crew of five joined a much larger crew of volunteers for the “headstone cleaning” detail in the cemetery, and the rain didn’t bother us much, as the first step in the process of cleaning headstones is to wet them…from there, a cleaning solution [D2] is applied with pump sprayers, followed by a gentle scrubbing with nylon brushes, and then a second wetting or rinsing with the hoses…
This process results in a visible improvement, especially for the stones that were shaded and under trees, but the D2 cleaner is intended to produce a gradual cleaning of the marble stones through the repeated cycles of sunlight and rain, allowing the cleaner to penetrate the stone without causing any harmful deterioration…when you walk through the cemetery at any given time and see nearly pure white headstones, you are seeing the results of a cleaning cycle done weeks or months prior…
As with any of the duties performed involving the headstones, we never lose sight of the fact that each one represents someone who gave “the last full measure of devotion”, and to reinforce that, Wayne Motts, a man who wears too many hats to list, was kind enough to walk among the stones as we were cleaning, and stop to share a few stories about the fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, grandfathers or grandmothers whose names are engraved into history…
And so it continues amongst the volunteers…we had Tim Bowser, Matt Zimmerman and his son Gavin, and myself [Slim Bowser] with grandson Cayden Mechling, who along with many other fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, grandmas and grandpas, worked together to clean most [or all] of the non-Civil War headstones in the cemetery that day…
We were treated to lunch provided by the Gettysburg Foundation at the Gettysburg High School at noon, before returning to finish the job in the afternoon…the sunshine also returned, which gave us a chance to dry out, and made the white marble shine a little brighter…of course in that setting, among the thousands of graves, I couldn’t help but think of how God gives us the chance to become clean again, by submitting to the “cleaning process” provided by the blood of His Son Jesus, which makes us “white as snow” once we repent and believe!
At the end of the hard days work, we went back to get cleaned up so we could enjoy our annual “post work day cookout” at the beautiful log cabin reserved at Drummer Boy Camping Resort…it’s hard to beat setting on the cabin porch overlooking the pond, enjoying food, friends, and fellowship [and bullfrogs!] at one of our favorite Gettysburg locations…
The morning dawned with a hazy sunshine, and the temperature and humidity nearing the level of “uncomfortable” by 10 o’clock…I suppose you would think that I am quoting from one of the many first-hand accounts penned after the Battle of Gettysburg, as those indeed were the conditions on July 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 1863…and while most of us were unable to attend the actual 161st Anniversary events and remembrances this year, we arrived piecemeal near weeks end to spend a few days together, celebrating the 248th anniversary of our independence, and commemorating the time when war raged in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania…the weather replicated that of the war-time accounts…
And if I were to say “the sights of countless shells bursting directly overhead filled the evening sky with colors unimaginable, and the sounds of each explosion echoed in a steady, low ruble through the valley that seemed to last for hours”, again, your mind would no doubt envision the scene from Cemetery Hill near the end of the first day of July, 1863 as the Union troops struggled to maintain possession of the elevated position…those were our thoughts, as we gazed at the fireworks display on July 4th, 2024…
For our 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Living History Family, gathering together at various times throughout the recent weekend in Gettysburg again proved to be a fruitful and memorable experience…from our gatherings in small groups on the battlefield to watch the fireworks or discuss a part of the battle, to our planned “Wheatfield Tribute” and dinner gathering afterwords, each and every aspect of the weekend revolved around family and fellowship…
That hot, humid morning of Saturday, July 6th, descendants, families and friends of the 62nd PVI LHF assembled beneath a patch of shade along the stone fence separating Rose’s Woods from Rose’s Wheatfield…our Honor Guard marched into the field bearing the Colors of the 62nd Regiment, and included graying and seasoned veterans of such activities, alongside steady, dependable men of middle age, and bright young men, wearing the blue wool much too soon in their lives…again, sounds familiar, doesn’t it…
Our lovely ladies followed and took their place along the stone fence, represented by generation to generation as well, their dresses matching the colorful display of the flowers blooming throughout the fields…they, like the men in uniform, are no strangers to the heat of the day in Gettysburg…
Following the invocation by our Regimental Chaplain Jeff Ryder [appearing for the first time in his new role], it was my honor to address the audience, standing in the very field where my great, great, great uncle D. W. Swigart served with Company D…quoting from Colonel Samuel Wylie Black, the man who recruited the 62nd regiment, I read from the speech he gave on December 21, 1861, as he accepted the State flag of Pennsylvania, presented by Senator Edgar Cowan…and as has been known to happen during these events, as our words of tribute and remembrance are lifted up, so too are our flags, as the God-given breeze drifts across the field, unfurling the flag, and cooling our bodies as well…
“When the sky is clear, and the wind is still,” Col. Black said of the flag, “it leans upon its staff in patriarchal and peaceful repose–an object of calm and contented love. But when it trembles in the storm, a nation assembles at its silent call, battalions people every hill; the mighty hosts of the mountains hasten to the field; squadrons sweep over every plain; and sovereign States, sensible that loyalty is the sign of independence, form themselves into one solid squadron for its defense.”
He goes on near the end of his remarks, “The flag of the Union is our flag as it was our fathers’, and we receive from them, though dead, their living faith that it shall not perish”…
And while those words still rang in the ears of all in attendance, Pvt. Matt Hankinson stepped forward, and shared several accounts from the fighting on 2 July, 1863, quoting from Sgt. Isacc Osborne, Thomas Budlong, and others who struggled mightily to save the State, Regimental and National Colors in Roses’s Wheatfield that day…those names would be heard again near the conclusion of our ceremony…
Without allowing those stories to stray from our thoughts, General JNO Buford [portrayed to perfection by our devoted friend Michael Smith] gave an emotional and riveting address, including some very appropriate lines from William Shakespeare’s “The St. Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V”… [https://poetrysociety.org.uk]
Not lost on any of us as we spoke to duty, honor, patriotism and fellowship, was the fact that we were looking directly into the face of our guest and friend Colonel Tom Vossler [U.S. Army, Ret.], a man who has led men into battle, and has served as Licensed Battlefield Guide for over twenty years, co-authoring two battlefield guide books, “A Field Guide to Gettysburg”, and “A Field Guide to Antietam”, with Carol Reardon, as well as a third book “Battle Tested: Gettysburg Leadership Lessons for 21st Century Leaders”, with Jefferey D. McCausland…Col. Vossler was recently inducted into the ROTC Hall of Fame in October, 2023…
We then heard from three of our ladies, Chloe Armstrong, Ashley Ciprich, and Courtney Vitale…Chloe spoke about her love for Gettysburg, and how that love became even more meaningful upon the discovery that she is a descendant of Pvt. John A. Walker, Co. D, who was killed in the Wheatfield on July 2nd…as a 16 year old descendant and living historian, Chloe encouraged others in attendance to research their family history, and embrace the findings…
Ashley spoke on behalf of the wives of the 62nd PVI veterans, and to their trials and experiences of taking care of the homefront…being a wife and mother of two herself, she made a very interesting comparison from modern day responsibilities to those of the Civil War wives…Ashley also shared a story from a conversation between Samuel Hours [Pvt., Company E, 62nd] and his wife Mary, a conversation that no-doubt took place in countless homes during the onset of the Civil War…the story comes from the book “No War is Civil”, where Pvt. Hours recounts his first talk with Mary about his possible enlistment…at first she laughed, thinking he was merely joking, but upon seeing that he was sincere, she went into the bedroom, slammed shut the door, and turned the key to lock him out…after spending that night sleeping on the floor in the living room, Samuel dodged questions from the children as to his sleeping arrangements, and allowed the matter to settle, before pleading his case again…eventually Mary conceded, after protesting that if he was killed “she would never speak to him again”…
Courtney Vitale continued on the subject, while her husband, Colonel Chris Vitale and their three sons looked on…Courtney is the great, great, great granddaughter of Pvt. Christopher Hyser, Company H, 62nd PVI…Pvt. Hyser was captured during the July 2nd melee in the Wheatfield, and was taken to Libby Prison for a period of time, before returning to the regiment…following his service with the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Christopher Hyser re-enlisted with the 4th Pennsylvania Cavalry in February, 1865, and remained with the 4th until mustering out at wars end…Courtney too shared the sentiments of being a descendant, and her appreciation for all who served with the 62nd, and for the opportunity to represent her family in the very fields where he fought…
Then came time for the reading of the names of the 62nd men who lost their lives in that field, as well as those who died from their wounds shortly thereafter…General Buford eloquently read each name, allowing for a pause after each–and his words from the “Crispin’s Day” poem about becoming “household names” seemed even more appropriate in the moment…Among those names were Isaac Osborne and Thomas Budlong…
At the conclusion of our tribute to the 62nd men, I couldn’t let the ceremony close without also paying tribute to a few of our own family and extended family…prior to the ceremony, we had placed a blue wool blanket at the base of the 62nd monument, and four framed photos of those recently departed from our earthly home, along with a well-used coffee boiler…
Donna & Gordon Sheaffer were the parents of our Living History Family founder, Gordy Sheaffer…Donna and Gordon were avid supporters of the 62nd from the beginning and throughout our endeavors over the years…both suffered strokes last year, and passed away a few months apart…both Donna and Gordon were dedicated contributors to the Find-A-Grave registry…
David Bonham walked into our camp, and our lives, many years ago as we sat around the fire at the Lightner Farmhouse B&B in Gettysburg…as a fellow historian, Dave portrayed several Union officers over the years, finally embracing the persona of General Henry Slocum with great passion…in one of his first campfire sessions with us, he presented a shiny, new coffee boiler, along with his words “this is yours, if you’ll just keep it full of coffee”…that boiler traveled with us to many, many historic events, and served coffee to everyone who shared our fire, including our brother Dave…Dave Bonham died on May 22, 2024…
Ronald Hicks was a dear friend and extended member of our family, attending many of our encampments and events in Gettysburg, including our “Murder Mystery Weekends” at the Lightner Farm hosted by Dennis & Eileen Hoover…those who attended will never forget Ron’s velcro mustache!…Ron battled cancer for the last several years, and died June 4th, 2024…
Zoe Ward was the 5th great granddaughter of 1st Sgt. Daniel W. Swigart, Co. D, 62nd…I learned about Zoe through my ties with Swigart’s family, being a descendant myself…in June 2023, the family learned that Zoe had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor…in the months following, we received many photos and health updates as Zoe’s family traveled to appointments, trial procedures, and Make-A-Wish trips…on the morning of her 12th birthday, May 5, 2024, the Lord sent an angel to call her home to Him…
So, with tear-filled eyes, the Honor Guard were called to “present arms”, Bugler Brian Wolfe posted to his position, and “Taps” resounded across Rose’s Wheatfield once again…with the troops still rendering the salute, I retrieved our wheat sheave tribute from young Pvt. Zimmerman, serving for his first time with us, and asked Courtney Vitale and her family to present the tribute at the monument on behalf of all descendants, families and friends of the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry…Chaplain Ryder offered thanks to God for the glorious day together in remembrance, and prayers for His guidance as we departed, and for safe travels…
Family, Flags, and Fellowship were all properly remembered as the blessings that they are that hot, humid July morning…
My personal note of gratitude to all who participated in any way, and to those present to witness and support our “Wheatfield Tribute”…
Following our ceremony, many of us gathered together at the local Hoss’s Restaurant to share a meal and more time of fellowship together…everyone really enjoyed themselves, and many indicated the desire to do that every year!
May God bless,
Slim
Photos in this post contributed by Chloe Armstrong and Matt Zimmerman…
For quite a few years now, the descendants, members, families and friends of the 62nd Pennsylvania Living History Family have been participating in the Volunteer Work Day event on the Gettysburg Battlefield…the event, sponsored by the Gettysburg Foundation, to support the National Park Service in the never-ending process of preserving and maintaining the battlefield, Soldiers National Cemetery and the Eisenhower Historic Site, is an opportunity for folks to volunteer for a day, and contributing by working on selected sites as determined by NPS…
We have participated in numerous events, and have painted historic structures [Codori Barn, McPherson Barn, Eisenhower HQ house], painted historic fences at many sites, built fence lines, cleared brush along fence lines, cleaned headstones in the Soldiers National Cemetery, and painted the engraved names of the Union Civil War dead in the cemetery…
This year, we were once again honored to get to paint the names that are engraved in the flat grave markers…this is definitely the most personal duty we have been assigned, and this was probably our third or fourth time doing it…as you move from grave to grave in the rows, each one is one of “these honored dead”–the fallen of Gettysburg, 1863…
“The Wall of Faces: Gettysburg Visitors Center”
If you have ever gone to the Gettysburg Visitors Center Museum, you will see a map of the original burial sites, a map of the Soldiers National Cemetery, and, the Wall of Faces, where you can look into the faces of the many, many men [boys] from both sides who died in the Battle of Gettysburg…on several occasions the Gettysburg Foundation members have visited us while we painted these names, and would read the story of the soldier who’s name you are painting, which is a very emotional experience…unfortunately, the most common name in Civil War cemeteries remains “UNKNOWN”…this is due to the lack of personal identification during the Civil War, especially the early battles…it was documented that by 1864, in the hours leading up to the Battle of Cold Harbor, that the men were sewing slips of paper with their names into their jackets…
And so, with solemn hearts and minds, we entered the cemetery on Saturday, June 1st, 2024, nearly one hundred and sixty-one years after the battle at Gettysburg, to add some fresh paint to the names of the men from New York, Michigan and Maine, the sections selected to be done this year…while we worked, we shared some stories from our studies of the battle, and reflected on how the men from the 4th Michigan that we were painting had died in the Wheatfield alongside the men from the 62nd PVI…and the “Maine Boys”, whose men would have tramped ahead of or behind the 62nd on many marches…on July 2nd, 1863, those from the 20th Maine held the end of the Union line “at all costs”…many of them are buried in the Maine section that we painted…
It was a very rewarding day, especially for those in our family who were painting names for the first time…for all of us, it wasn’t hard to imagine the words of President Lincoln echoing across that solemn field of honor “we must never forget what they did here”…
And after our duty was done, we continued another tradition, by gathering at our cabin site at Drummer Boy Camping Resort for our “post work day cookout”…what better way to end the day than to enjoy food, friends and fellowship together and watching the evening set in over the pond, and the bullfrogs begin their chorus, while we discuss the events of the day, the weekend, and the thirty years that we have been together!
We look forward to returning to Gettysburg for the 161st Anniversary in a few weeks, where we will conduct our annual “Wheatfield Tribute Ceremony” at the 62nd PVI monument on Saturday, July 6th, tentatively at 10:30 AM…hope you can join us!
Here is a schedule of some of our upcoming events and activities…we hope that you are able to visit with us soon!
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2024: ARMSTRONG COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM, KITTANNING, PA
We will be presenting an afternoon of “early war” history in Armstrong County, as we share the museum grounds with “Proctor’s Militia”, a fine group of folks representing the Revolutionary and French & Indian periods in western Pennsylvania…they have been with us for several events at the museum in recent years, and are well known in the area for their accurate portrayal of that time in our local history…
Our 62nd family will also be there to represent the many, many men from Armstrong County who served in the Civil War, including those who enlisted in the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry…
There will be demonstrations throughout the day by both groups…of course, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to tour the museum, including some great new displays in the Civil War Room, as well as our log cabin, which is completed finished and furnished…
This event is free to the public, including parking along Vine and McKean Streets, as well as the rear lot accessible from N. Grant Avenue, and is recommended for those with mobility issues…
The event opens at 11:00 AM, and runs until 4:00 PM…
For more information, you can go to:
Armstrong County Historical Museum & Genealogical Society: https://achmgs.org
SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2024: VOLUNTEER WORK DAY @ GETTYSBURG
Each year, a number of our members, families and friends travel to Gettysburg for the Volunteer Work Day activities…this is a Gettysburg Foundation event to support the National Park Service at Gettysburg by providing many volunteers to assist in various jobs on the battlefield, Eisenhower Historic site, etc…
Registration is completed through the Foundation website and coordinators, including the job site selection, T-shirt sizes, and general personal information for each volunteer…since we request being able to participate as a group at a selected site, we register accordingly, which keeps us all together when possible…
Over the years we have painted historic structures such as the Codori Barn, the McPherson Barn, the Eisenhower HQ house, historic fence lines at the Trostle Farm, the Sherfy Farm and the Eisenhower Farm, built fences along the Emmitsburg Road, and cleared brush at various locations including the Culp Farm and the Sherfy Farm…
This year we are scheduled to do our favorite duty, painting in the engraved names on the grave markers of the Union Civil War dead at the Soldiers National Cemetery…this is quite honorable and solemn work, a very personal detail, as you move from grave to grave, seeing names, not just stones…in previous assignments there, we were able to paint the names of the 62nd boys in the Pennsylvania section, an extra special, as some of us are descendant of those men…
No matter where you are working, the Gettysburg Foundation provides lunch at a designated location where all of the volunteers gather to eat together, hear a few stories, statistics and encouraging words from Foundation and NPS representatives before returning to the afternoon work session…
Once the work is finished and everyone gets cleaned up, our 62nd family gathers together for a post work day cookout, along with a few of our “Gettysburg Friends”…this is always a perfect way to wrap up a very rewarding day…
“161st ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG: WHEATFIELD TRIBUTE”
Each year the 62nd PVI LHF returns to the Wheatfield at Gettysburg to pay tribute to the men of the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, along with the entire 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, and 5th Corps and the Army of the Potomac…our “Wheatfield Tribute” is typically held on the Saturday closest to the anniversary, in order to allow more folks to attend…this year we will gather at the 62nd monument on the morning of SATURDAY, JULY 6 AT 10:30…
The men, women and children of the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Living History Family will present a sheave of wheat, symbolic of the field in which they fought and in some cases, died on July 2nd, 1863…we also invite other descendants of the 62nd volunteers, as well as the support of numerous fellow historians and friends to join us in our remembrance…
The event is open to the public, and is usually 30 to 45 minutes in duration…please feel free to share in this tribute with us, and please follow National Park Service guidelines for visitation and parking for the ceremony…
As I look across the room, thinking of how to begin this writing, I can see two of my “reunion ribbons”, commemorating the gatherings of the veterans of the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry survivors…one is dated 1898, when the reunion was held here in my hometown of Kittanning, Pennsylvania…the other ribbon in my collection is a memento from the 1902 reunion held in Pittsburgh, PA that year…these events marked anniversaries of thirty-seven years and forty-one years respectively, from the time those men mustered into service with the 62nd [originally the 33rd] Regiment, to the times they gathered together to reflect on their service together during the American Civil War…undoubtably they also spent time remembering the many comrades that didn’t survive the war, or had answered their “final muster” since…
And there were many other reunions, not just for the 62nd, but for all who had waged war for four years from 1861 through 1865, including anniversaries of the great and terrible battles, such as Gettysburg, where so many of them would meet again in July of 1913, fifty years after the battle…
And to this day, on those same battlefields and historic sites, the families of those same men gather to remember “what they did here”, and place a wreath, or a flag, or a sheave of wheat…
Why do I write about these milestones?…on Sunday, March 24th, 2024, the members of the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Living History Family gathered together to conduct our annual Company Meeting, marking our 30th anniversary of remembering and honoring the men of the original 62nd, their families, and their service…we do not take lightly the heritage that we carry forward…
Sometime back in early 1994, a young man named Gordon “Gordy” Sheaffer mused what he could do to pay tribute to his ancestor Jefferson Truitt, who Gordy learned had not only served in Company D of the 62nd, but was killed in action on June 3rd, 1864, at Bethesda Church, VA, as part of the Cold Harbor disaster…2nd Lieutenant Jefferson Truitt and most of the 62nd Regiment had mustered into service the first week of July, 1861, answering President Abraham Lincoln’s call for volunteers…he died with only 30 days left on his enlistment…
By the spring of 1994, the 130th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg had been commemorated a few months prior, and similar remembrances would soon be taking place at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and the previously mentioned Cold Harbor battlefields…Gordy had shared his vision of paying tribute with a few other family members, and before long, a living history group was in its infant stages…for the first number of years, the focus was specifically on “Company D”, as that was Truitt’s Company, and the only company of men from Armstrong County to muster into the 62nd Regiment…soon other family members and friends were joining Gordy for events and activities, including trips to Gettysburg, and the famed “Wheatfield” there…as years went by, valued members whose ancestors served in other companies of the 62nd enlisted in the living history group, as well as a number folks without lineage to the regiment, and through time the “family” has grown to represent the entire regiment…
So as we gathered together at the Armstrong County Historical Museum to conduct our annual Company Meeting, we had a video slideshow running on the screen, with images from many of our events and activities over the last three decades…we laughed at many, cried at others, and reminisced about so many places we have been, wonderful people we have met, and historic events that we have been blessed to be a part of…but even as we celebrate the anniversary, and discuss possible plans for an “anniversary event”, we never lose sight of why we are still doing this thirty years later…to honor and preserve the memory of the men of the 62nd Regiment and their families…
Although I wasn’t involved in the early stages of Gordy’s dreams and plans for this Living History group, I remember well the joy in learning of my ancestor who served in the 62nd PVI during the war and in the years that followed, and the excitement in ordering my uniform and joining the group…I still experience the same joy in meeting other descendants and hearing their stories, and likewise, having someone approach us at an event or online, seeking to join us or support us, descendant or not, because they sense the sincerity and devotion in our presentations…I have been humbled by the opportunity to be a part of nearly everything that the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Living History Family has been and continues to be, and look forward to seeing the family continue to grow, as the story of the “ol’ Sixty-second” lives on through us…I believe that the fact that we not only focus on the Veterans of the Regiment, but on the fact that they were husbands, fathers, brothers, grandfathers, uncles, friends and comrades, and try to incorporate all of those aspects into our living history presentations, with our children, grandchildren, and entire families helping to “keep history alive”, has been the very thing that keeps people coming to see us, and the reason that we are still together and growing after all this time…
I hope you will join us for an event or activity soon, or contact us to share your interest in or connection to the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry…
I also want to share some photos with you of our 30 years as the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Living History Family. Please click here to access our slideshow: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jn8Hh5yiYFbamu8B7
The very nature of a living history organization is a constant state of “remembrance”…we gather at many historic places, and countless historic events, for the very purpose of paying tribute to the service and sacrifice of men who served and, in many cases, died in the course of the American Civil War…of course, we are especially dedicated to those who served in the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and their families…in many cases, we ARE their families…
And we, like those we were organized to honor, experience the same sense of loss…the very gentleman who started the 62nd Living History family twenty-nine years ago, Gordy Sheaffer, is mourning the loss of his mother Donna several months ago, and his father Gordon, just this week…in the early years of this organization, Donna & Gordon Sheaffer were constant and avid supporters of every thing pertaining to the 62nd, great and small…
And likewise, we remember our dear friend Joe McShane, who departed our ranks two years ago on October 1st…from the time Joe & Cindy McShane joined the Company many years ago, Joe was a loyal and dedicated servant to our cause, and our family…
So, tonight, as in every night, we remember…………
[ The photo collage in the image was created by Chloe Armstrong, in memory of Joe McShane]
The 62nd family has had a long-standing relationship with the Gettysburg Foundation for events and activities, including Volunteer Work Day, the Remembrance Day Illumination, and now, the Children of Gettysburg-1863…when our friend and museum manager Bethany Yingling contacted us about setting up a living history encampment to support the museum, we were very excited for the opportunity…for many years the Rupp House has been a notable stop for anyone visiting historic Gettysburg, and in recent years, it was the headquarters for the Foundation…
Two years ago, the house was transformed into an interactive display of the experiences of the children who lived in Gettysburg at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg…this is a fantastic source of information and personal stories, which reaches into the hearts of everyone who enters, but especially the children, as it teaches them many aspects and lessons, taught by the allowing them to become a child of Gettysburg, through the interactive nature of the museum…
Of course, having a living history family camped in the side lawn, including children of similar ages, added to the event for all who visited during the weekend…
Throughout the weekend, we were happy to demonstrate many aspects of “camp life”, including cooking [and doing dishes!], playing “rounders” and games, as well as the “soldier’s life”, by demonstrating some of the drilling, marching and soldiering lessons that so many young men and boys were quickly taught…
And once again, this event proved to be a source of great joy, as we were able to make a connection with another family member–another descendant of a 62nd Volunteer…it never ceases to amaze me how the Lord puts us right where we need to be, and our “family circle” continues to expand through our events…not only do we get to meet fellow descendants, and share tears and stories of how our ancestors served together, but several times in the last year, we have witnessed connections made within those families, either at or through our living history events…
It is my hope to start a page within this blog site soon that will share these connections, and stories, and how they came together…as I have always said, those are the moments that make each event a special and lasting memory…our visit to the “Children of Gettysburg-1863” was no exception!
Georgia LaCroix [descendant of Isaac Smith, Co. M] and I [descendant of Sgt. Daniel Swigart, Co. D]
Photos for this post were provided by Katie Wolfe, Amy Skeel and Georgia LaCroix
For the second consecutive year, the 62nd PVI Living History Family was invited to take part in a “walk through history” in Apollo, Pennsylvania…and once again, the Roaring Run Watershed, and event coordinator Chris Troup organized a wonderful weekend of history…
The event actually started on Friday, as Chris and his 40th PVI unit conducted morning and afternoon school sessions, offering various demonstrations, talks and activities for local children…it was during that time that the 62nd folks got our encampment established between the trail and the banks of the Kiski River…
For both Saturday and Sunday, there were Civil War events at both ends of the trail: The 40th PVI, along with a light artillery unit, offered skirmishes and demonstrations at the mouth of Roaring Run, which visitors could access by walking the trail, or riding the “shuttle”, a large wagon pulled by a tractor which made many trips throughout the event…there were also guest speakers scheduled each day, and as the events concluded for the day, the sounding of “Taps” echoed through the river valley, a solemn tribute to remember the countless lives lost during the Civil War…
As for the 62nd folks, we had our encampment at the other end of the trail, closest to the trailhead parking area…this made for a near perfect location to greet and educate the visitors to the event, which we took full advantage of…we were able to share cooking and baking demonstrations, camp life, drilling, and most importantly, personal stories of the men from Armstrong County who served in various regiments and capacities throughout the Civil War…and as is the case with every event we participate in, many friendships and connections were made, which makes it all worth the time and the effort…
If you would like more information about the event or the Roaring Run Watershed, you can go to:
We are grateful to Chris & Danielle Troup for inviting us to be a part of this great event…photos appearing in this post were submitted by Danielle Troup, Katie Wolfe and Susan Carson Bowser…
The morning dawned bright and quite warm, appropriately, for a gathering to remember the Battle of Gettysburg, one hundred and sixty years past…shortly after 9:30 A.M., the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Living History Family, descendants and friends, assembled around the 62nd PA monument in the lower portion of Rose’s Wheatfield…
A few minutes after 10 o’clock, the infantry Honor Guard marched into position, halted, and fronted the tall, granite obelisk that honors the regiment, at the very location chosen by the Veterans of the 62nd regiment…the ladies, children and grandchildren followed, and a small group of descendants and friends completed the assembly…
In keeping with tradition, I “opened the exercise with prayer” as my great, great, great uncle D. W. Swigart had done at the dedicatory ceremony in 1889…after a few welcoming remarks, I posed the question “what brings us here today”, as a matter of self-reflection…as the question lingered, Pvt. Matt Hankinson stepped forward, and immediately began to formulate an answer…Matt shared some background into the lives of two soldiers who served in Company I, out of Jefferson County, PA…Matt then read from letters penned by the two men, one from Sgt. Issac Osborn to his son, and a few moving paragraphs from Captain Edwin Little, to his wife Maggie, awaiting word back in Punxsutawney, PA…these were the last words from Osborn and Little–both were killed in what would be known to history as “the Wheatfield: Whirlpool of Death”…
In keeping with the emotional remarks, our long-time friend, historian and Veteran Mike Smith, in an eloquent portrayal of Major General John Buford, [Officers for the Union] shared a memorable story from Buford’s early war experiences with Captain Charles May in the 2nd Dragoons at Resaca de la Palma, Texas during the Mexican War…May’s attack order resonated as General Buford repeated “Remember your regiment and follow your officers”….
Before anyone could wipe the tears from their eyes, we were honored to welcome Col. Tom Vossler [U.S. Army-retired; author; battlefield guide] to share from his “battle tested” experiences, and from his heart for our nation and our history…Col. Vossler also has family ties to the Wheatfield, with lineage to the 64th New York Infantry…with the voice of a combat Veteran, the knowledge of battlefield scholar, and the passion of a friend and patriot, Col. Tom covered “all the bases” regarding our presence in that field of honor, and the reasons why we cannot allow the duty or the memory to fade…
With Col. Tom’s words still fresh in the minds of all present, I called upon three of the 62nd descendants present to join us at the monument, and each one read from a list of names, until the names of all twenty-two men from the 62nd PVI who had given “the last full measure of devotion” on July 2nd, 1863, had been called…in addition, Col. Vossler called the names of those who died of their wounds in the hours, days and weeks following the Battle of Gettysburg…
With that, Chloe Armstrong, descendant of Private John A. Walker, Company D, along with John Thompson and Matt Kirschner, descendants of Private John Long, Company D, proceeded to place the “sheave of wheat” [our tribute of choice, appropriate for the location and occasion] at the base of the monument, as the Honor Guard snapped to “present, arms”…the solemn silence was broken by the haunting yet familiar notes of “Taps”, beautifully played by Bugler Brian Wolfe…and THAT, is what brought us to this place…eleven years prior, another dear friend, descendant and author Tom McMillan opened our tribute by stating that “these men who fought here would be completely amazed to know that there are still crowds gathering in this place, to remember what they did”…over a decade later, we do not forget…
[As a footnote to our use of the “wheat sheave” or “spray”, if you will notice in the group photos taken immediately following the ceremony, the wheat tribute in the foreground is in its’ original shape…if you then go back to the photo at the beginning of this article, you will notice that the rain following our ceremony turned the sheave into a “wheat cross”, the Lord’s blessing on our tribute…]
As our ceremony of remembrance was concluded, the invitation to remain was given, as we had a piece of “living history business” to tend to…before breaking ranks, a “field promotion” took place, with devoted Privates Dan Lavezoli and Tim Bowser being promoted to the rank of Corporal…
Our sincere thanks to all who attended or participated in making this tribute a memorable one…may God bless you all, and the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry…
Slim Bowser, humble descendant and servant
*PHOTO CREDITS: “WHEAT CROSS” by Slim Bowser; “62ND FAMILY” , “62nd Honor Guard”, “62nd Honor Guard Procession”, “Col. Tom”, “Col. Tom & Descendants”, “62nd Sgt.” by Nancy Bowser
**CAPTAIN MAY: https://history.army.mil “Remember Your Regiment” [U.S. Army Center of Military History]
CoD62ndPVI 