By Amy Philips-Haller

For The Almanac

writer@thealmanac.net

The Grand Army of the Republic applications, biographies and war sketches found at The Captain Thomas Espy Post 153 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library in Carnegie paint pictures of ordinary men with extraordinary stories.

Some of the veterans had friends, neighbors, and family members who were fallen comrades. Some were taken prisoner, and others received injuries that were life changing. No man was free from the horrific scenes that existed on the battlefield.

William C. McMillan was a prime example. According to The History of Allegheny County, McMillan was born in Upper St. Clair, where he lived on 75 acres with his father. One late summer day in 1862, he joined the 155th Regiment. He fought his first battle at Fredericksburg, and eventually ended up at Gettysburg where he received a wound to his head. In his own words he elaborated, "[The most important memory was] when I was on Round Top just before I got the spat on my head."

Stories of injuries were not uncommon in Post records. William U. Smith was at Antietam when he received a gunshot wound to his arm. It ended his career as a soldier. According to Memoirs of Allegheny County, he spent several months in a DC hospital before he was sent home in the spring of 1863. The following July, his younger brother, Frank, was killed in the Battle of Auldey's Gap, VA. William was the only child of W.D. and Martha Smith to survive past the civil war. After his service, he became a wagon maker, and a leading community member in Carnegie.

A veteran who resided in South Fayette wrote in his records that he was 21 when wounded at Fredericksburg. Private William England of the 9th Regiment was hit in the knee by a rifle ball.

"Today, bullets move at a speed that typically goes right through the person. Back then, that wasn't the case, it often lodges itself in the body," explained Ken Steinmetz, a 9th Reserve civil war reenactor. "The likeliness of amputation was high." In the case of England, his records indicate 'no amputation.' He was honorably discharged on a surgeon's certificate. According to Treasury Department pension payment records, he received a monthly allowance of $6 for his services.

Some men never forgot their fallen comrades. Civil War Veteran William H. Lea was very active in the acquisition of artifacts. In this particular case, G.A.R. records indicate that he and Post member Enoch Philips Holland worked together to secure the sword of Lieutenant Samuel H. Davis--who died at the Battle of Cold Harbor, VA. Lieutenant Thomas C. Sharp picked up the sword, with the intention to return it to the Davis family. Instead, he was killed at Petersburg. The blood of both men remained on the weapon when it was shipped to Davis's parents. Being Confederate sympathizers, they refused delivery. Lea and Holland found the weapon nearly two decades later. Lieutenant Davis and Lea fought in the same company.

Although the Post was named after Upper St. Clair resident Captain Thomas Espy, he never was a member. He was mortally wounded during a Civil War battle, taken prisoner, and died. G.A.R. Veteran Jared B. Fife fought in Espy's company. Fife was just barely 17 years old when he signed his enlistment records with the 62nd. A descendant of a Revolutionary War soldier, Fife was promoted to Corporal one year after he joined the service. Following the war, he became a prominent citizen of Carnegie.

"He was a charter member," explained Bob Gordon, descendant of Fife. Gordon, the former honorary chair of the Chartiers Valley Partnership's campaign, also descends from another founding member: Carnegie resident Sgt. Thomas Pascoe Sr. "Thomas was a Sergeant; he had one up on Jared," chuckled Gordon. Pascoe was promoted twice, and enlisted twice. "Both men were commanders of the Espy Post."

"These were people who acted in history and endured," commented Tom Board, Northwestern University Professor and relation to Enoch Philips Holland. The brotherhood of the G.A.R. gave the veterans empathy amongst comrades. More importantly, members of the Espy Post left an everlasting snapshot of their lives and the Civil War.