We laid in camp until September 13th1)probably September 11th because the battle was on September 14th., then we marched for three days and went into our first battle, South Mountain, near Sharpsburg, Maryland. It was one of the hot battles of the war. Our loss in the regiment was small, but there were over 14,000 […]
We arrived at Washington that evening, had some coffee and hard tack, crossed the Potomac River and went into camp for the first night at Arlington, Virginia. It was raining. Next morning President Lincoln came to the camp to ask us to do him a great favor; to go under a flag of truce to […]
The next morning, September first, I had my last meal with Mother; then came the time to part, that was hard. I told her that I would see her some time in the future, then I kissed her and put that fifty dollars in her hand.1)Allegheny County provided a $50 bounty for enlisting, see earlier […]
When the Civil War began, I was eighteen years old; I tried to enlist, but the Glass Company blocked my game, for I was their bound apprentice. But in 1862 came the call for 300,000 volunteers from President Lincoln and on August 6th I enlisted in the 139th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. I took the pledge […]
Philip had been working in Milliner’s planing mill, learning the trad of patternmaker. John and I got jobs at the Dilworth Rolling Mill, packing railroad spikes. Our work was in a basement, near a large boiler which furnished steam for the large spike machines on the floor above. It was nice work and we each […]
Inn 1852, Henry began blowing glass at the Ihmsen Glass Company and he was also a teacher in a night school. That meant brighter days for Mother, and in 1854 we moved out of the smoke row into a better house on Eleventh Street up town. It was the first time we ever lived in […]
From 1850 to ’54, Philip and I went to German school. We had to pay fifty cents a month. Mother had four places to wash – Mrs. Waveham’s, Mrs. Ihmsen’s, Mrs. Brook’s, in town, and Mrs. Millinger’s on Mt. Washington and only got fifty cents a day. She did Mrs. Waveham’s washing at home and […]
One day in the summer of 1850 or ’51 Mother took me with her to the canal market in Pittsburgh. When we reached the canal, we saw a large parade, the bands were playing, and we were told that the Pennsylvania Railroad officials were coming from Philadelphia to drive the golden spike at the end […]
In the winter of 1847 Father took sick and was not able to work. We had to move to one of the smaller Ihmsen houses – two rooms and a little kitchen. From that time on, Mother had a hard time. With Father sick for about two years, the doctor and drug store got all […]
In 1844 Father was employed by the Ihmsen Glass Company to take charge of one six-horse and two four-horse teams. Then Mother had to move, for the Company furnished the house for the boss teamster. About this time, Mr. Hedrick’s son Philip, who was a school-teacher and musician, took charge of our Henry’s education. Henry […]