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I am going to let the photos speak for themselves for this one…we shared many special moments with family over the Easter and Mother’s Day holidays…the Lord has Blessed us in ways too numerous to count, as these photos will show…
"Cayden"
"Faster Maw-Maw!"
"I see you!"
Sunday,1 May,2011…
Our monthly camp meeting for May included a part of the Ritual set by the soldiers of old
"Memorial Service;Colors being presented"
that I’m sure they performed more often than they cared to remember…it was a first for many of us, myself included, and one which I hope we don’t need to perform any time soon…the “Memorial Service for a Fallen Brother” is a brief, but very appropriate ceremony, honoring a deceased member of the Camp…Harry Waltenbaugh Sr. was a Charter Member of the Camp, and he and his family were very active and supportive of the Camp in it’s early days…His wife Ruth and son Harry
"Lantern Presented"
Jr. were in attendance for the service, and were presented a Camp#43 lantern[made by Camp and Auxillary members] which was used in the ceremony…Harry passed away in December, and the Camp performed the SUVCW funeral service at that time…I was honored to be able to pay tribute to Mr. Waltenbaugh and his family.
The Camp and Auxillary have been very active so far this year, taking part in events at the Armstrong County Historical Society Museum[April 23rd], and again this coming Saturday,21 May, from 10AM til 4PM…the ladies have been involved in a Tea/Fashion Show also, and we are all looking forward to many events coming up in honor of Memorial Day[which will fall on it’s original and intended date this year, 30 May]…we will attend a parade in Prospect on Saturday,28 May, a church service in Wattersonville on Sunday the 29th, and will perform a Gun Salute at the Kittanning Cemetery, march in the parade, and host the ceremony at the amphitheater in the park on Memorial Day proper…
In June we will be supporting several events in Indiana County to raise awareness and funding for the “Rest on Arms” Civil War Memorial project, at Saltsburg June 3-5, and at Jimmy Stewart Festival in Indiana June 11th…
The men of Camp#43 will be presenting “Arms and Armament”, a program focusing on the weapons, uniforms, and equipment of the Union soldier, Saturday,18 June, 1PM at the Worthington/West Franklin Public Library…
The Camp and Auxillary will be sponsering a “Blood Drive” with the American Red Cross on Monday,20 June, 12-6PM, at the St. Mary’s Parish Hall…stop in and help us help our community…pizza and snacks will be available for donors…
We will also be appearing at the Ambassador Dinner for the Indiana County Tourist Bureau at the Rustic Lodge in Indiana on June 22nd…
Finally, the “Rest on Arms” project is in full swing, with fundraising being our primary focus, next only to the reason for the project in the first place-honoring over 2,800 veterans who helped preserve the Union…we are currently seeking $1.00, that’s all, just one dollar from each citizen from Indiana County…that would pretty much cover the cost of the Memorial and it’s future care…of course, this is not limited to residents of Indiana County…after all, many young men walked to neighboring counties to muster in if their counties’ company or regimental enlistment was full…
So, come and see us, help us out any way you can, and by all means, consider joining us…we accept associate members[those without lineage], as well as descendant members…uniform/event participation not required…
Photo Credits: Photos by Susan Carson
On one of the rare sunny days of the year, Larry Smail and I met at the Worthington/West Franklin Library to do a presentation focusing on the 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and Larry’s painting of that units action in the Battle of Gettysburg, 2 July, 1863…I began the program by relating the local connection, the fact that Larry, myself, and many others are descendant of men who fought in the American Civil War…the
"Larry and I setting the scene."
62nd was one of many units recruited from this area, with Armstrong County sending over 3600 soldiers throughout the four years of fighting…I explained that the 62nd mustered in in July,1861, and served a three year term, mustering out in July through September,1864, suffering heavy casualties in that time…I gave a brief account of the engagements that the 62nd were a part of, including Yorktown, Second Bull Run, Malvern Hill, Frdericksburg and Chancellorsville, leading up to Gettysburg…In the second day at Gettysburg, what was left of the 62nd[less than 500 of 1600 that mustered in] fought valiantly, and found themselves nearly surrounded in Rose’s Wheatfield near the end of the day…It was that moment, when Colonel Jacob Sweitzer realized the “bad snap” they were in, ordered the regiment to change front[the direction they were facing]…this is the moment being captured in Larry’s painting…
That said, I turned the program over to Larry, who went on to talk about the painting, which is in the late stages of completion…it is a rare opportunity for peopleto get to view a
"Larry talks research"
work of art such as this before it’s completion, but Larry and I thought that would add to the presentation…Larry told the folks present the progression of the painting, from our first discussions about the project, through our trip to the Wheatfield to sketch and photograph the scene, to his first rough drawings, to the current state of the painting…a few guests were quite surprised when Larry took a piece of white chalk and added a few details still to be painted in!…
Following Larry’s portion of the program, we opened it up for questions, of which there were many, some concerning the painting, some about the original 62nd, some about the 62nd Living History Unit, and some about Gettysburg and the War in general…all-in-all, I think it was a success…Larry and I thanked Library Director Timi Kost for the opportunity, and Cindy McShane for making the connection…
To complete the program, as representative of Co.D,62ndPVI Living History Unit, I presented Larry with a certificate of Honorary Membership to the unit, for his willingness
"Honorary Membership"
and devotion to take on this project…A Red Maltese Cross, the Corps Badge of 1st Division, Fifth Corps, Army of the Potomac, will accompany the membership…tears were in our eyes,as it is easy to imagine it would have been with the veterans as they shared their stories, and their friendship…
The Worthington/West Franklin Library will also host programs featuring the John T. Crawford Camp#43,Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, on Saturday, 18 June,2011, at 1PM-focusing on “Arms and Armament”, the weapons and uniforms, and will include loading and firing demonstrations…
On Saturday,16 July,2011, 1PM, Camp #43, and the ladies of the Sarah A. Crawford Auxillary, will present “Civil War Life”, including stories from the homefront, fashions of the period, and many aspects of living during the Civil War.
Photo Credits: All photos by Susan Carson
Saturday, 2 April, 2011…
Sue and I[along with my Uncle Joe and Aunt Bonnie], boarded a bus very early in the morning for a one day trip to Washington, D.C….as with last years trip, it was well planned and organized by Mike and Mary Koma of Rural Valley, and is a great way to see historic America[with someone else driving!]…
"Mt. Vernon"
Mt. Vernon was first on the agenda, and despite some unpredictable and untimely weather issues, we were able to visit the estate of George and Martha Washington, inside and out…what a beautiful location, buildings and grounds…we were treated to a nice lunch, and the highlight of my first visit to Mt. Vernon was witnessing a wreath-laying ceremony at “General Washington’s” tomb…visitors get to take part in this event, which is brief, but very moving…
"General Washington's Tomb"
Then we reboarded our bus, which took us into the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery…what a breathtaking
"Arlington House"
site…tears ran down my cheeks as we climbed the steps to Arlington House, and the graves of so many Union Civil War soldiers…it was, after all, the Civil War which resulted in Arlington becoming a National Cemetery…the view of Washington from the mansion which
"2,111 Civil War Unknowns"
once belonged to Robert E. Lee’s wifes family, is truly beautiful…at times as we walked through the countless rows of graves, I found myself speechless, much the same as I felt when I stood in the National Cemetery in Andersonville…on a sad note, before leaving Arlington, I witnessed a group of youths putting on a display of disrespect which made my heart ache-obviously ignorant to the sacrifice made by those buried there…these things add to my desire to educate and demonstrate to the public what our forefathers endured to acquire and sustain our freedoms…
"Washington Quote"
I’ve been to Gettysburg two times already this year, with at least four more trips planned between now and November…the first trip for the year was in March, with my friends Randy Reed and Bill Sowers…we were joined by Ray and Linda Lizarraga, friends and
"The gang at the base of Big Round Top"
members of the 62nd for the weekend, and on Saturday Sue
"Chloe trying on Sue's hoop"
and Chloe arrived-Chloe’s first trip to Gettysburg!…this being a “non-event weekend” for us, it allowed time for walking the battlefield, shopping and enjoying historic Gettysburg…Our good friends Mike and Diane Smith[General and Mrs. Buford] invited Sue, Chloe and I over for a cookout on Saturday, and when we left to return to our motel, we drove around
"Silence on Cemetery Hill"
the battlefield to watch the rising of the “supermoon”, the large, full moon…Chloe was asleep in her carseat, and “Pap-Pap” was tired too,so I didn’t photograph it’s beauty, but I did shoot some the previous evening…
The second trip was April 8-10, for the 62ndPVI’s Annual Company Meeting…many of us spent the weekend at The Lightner Farmhouse B&B, where our meeting was held on Saturday afternoon…As always, our friends and hosts Dennis and Eileen Hoover took special care of us…we had a successful meeting, and spent the rest of our time dining together, shopping, and of course, walking the battlefield[with a visit to the 62nd monument and the Wheatfield]…look for more about the Wheatfield, and Larry Smail’s painting in a future post…
We are anxious for the next trip to Gettysburg for Volunteer Workday on the battlefield in June, to be closely followed by the 62nd’s encampment at the Lightner Farm for the Anniversary of the Battle weekend, 1-4 July.
Photo Credits: All photos by R.J.”Slim”Bowser
Sunday,15 May,2011…
You’d think with all of this rainy weather, I would have all kinds of time to set at the computer and write…unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case…maybe one day soon I can join my friend and fellow historian Larry Smail, and retire from PennDOT to spend more time doing meaningful things, and have time to write about it!…But for now, I am going to take a little time this rainy Sunday afternoon to start telling of my travels, adventures and blessings of the recent months, including several trips to Gettysburg, a bus trip to Mt. Vernon/Arlington National Cemetery, Camp#43 SUVCW and 62ndPVI events, and of course sharing family memories from Easter and Mother’s Day, this being the day that my Grandma Brumbaugh passed away in 1989…I can still see her setting in her favorite chair, reading her Bible…
So, as time allows, here we go……..
May 17, 2011
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R.J."Slim"Bowser's Blog 