Tag: slavery
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From North Carolina Planter to Iverson’s Pits: The Life and Death of Oliver Evans Mercer
The command disaster on Oak Hill that led to the infamous Iverson’s Pits cost the Army of Northern Virginia some of its most seasoned, hard-fighting men. Many of these had fought at Chancellorsville and a half-dozen other engagements, which surely made their destruction even more terrible for Robert E. Lee’s army. Not only were they…
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The Mystery of Moses Farmer, Body Servant of William McLeod
If there is a hero in the story of Lt. Colonel William McLeod, it may well be his body servant, Moses, who made not one but two trips to Gettysburg: first with William in his travels with the army and then after the war with John Prescott and at the behest of Neil McLeod. Who…
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Guilford Ricks: The Widower who Left His Children Orphaned
Private Guilford Ricks was not your average enlisted Confederate. Contrary to media depictions, the Civil War was mostly a young man’s war—the average age of Confederates killed at Gettysburg was about 23. The average casualty was of modest means, owned no slaves, was unmarried, and had no kids. He was generally about 5’6″ to 5’8″,…
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The Men behind the Infamous Mag Palm Kidnapping
The Mag Palm kidnapping attempt is perhaps the most told event of her life. It has some striking similarities to the kidnapping of Catherine Payne in the motivations that triggered it. In the story, Mag is blindsided by three white men who attempt to load her into a wagon to be sold South into slavery…
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The Battle of the Crater: William Bedford’s Valor
William Bedford was born in Maryland, the son of Sylvester and Agnes (Williams) Bedford. Though records indicate he was likely living in Frederick County in 1860, his exact location in that year’s census is uncertain. Standing 5 feet 9 inches tall with black hair, black eyes, and a black complexion, Bedford would later find himself…
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The Mystery of Eliza Armstrong’s Age and Legacy
On January 9, 1907, the Gettysburg Compiler noted the passing of Eliza Armstrong, a black woman then residing at the Adams County Almshouse. As with similar articles of the era, it fixated on curiosities barely connected to the life of the person. In this case, the issue was one of age, and here the newspaper…
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The Anonymity of History: Remembering William Burley
You don’t know William Burley. Neither do I. On Presidents’ Day, we have nearly innumerable sources to draw from in contemplating the lives and impacts of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Naturally, both are inextricably linked to the story of freedom for all in the United States. Most of us never generate this sort of…
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Owen Robinson: From Enslaved to Entrepreneur
The roots of Owen Robinson may well be found in the pages of this will from the late 1700s. Wealthy plantation owner Thomas Barton Gorsuch carefully laid out the details of his plantation and those of his enslaved people, stipulating what his wife should get, his children, and even his grandson, Robert. To his wife…
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Francis Jackson: Enslaved to Soldier in Pennsylvania
When Francis Jackson went to war, he was 50 years old with whip scars on his back and gnarled, arthritic hands from his long days as a laborer and, likely, a slave. He joined earlier than almost every other black man in Gettysburg—he enlisted on July 18, 1863, in the 3rd USCT, just two weeks…
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Harriet Ciata Stanton: A Legacy in Gettysburg
Harriet Ciata Stanton’s ties go back to the founding of Gettysburg, and her descendants were still in Gettysburg at least through the early 2000s (and may still be there!). Even a hundred years ago, the newspapers referred to the family as the oldest in Gettysburg and Harriet as one of its most notable citizens. Harriet…