South Fayette resident publishes book on Civil War regiment from Allegheny County
Christopher George knows a thing or two about perseverance.
After spending almost 20 years researching his family’s genealogy, George recently published “Day-by-day with the 123d Pennsylvania Volunteers: A Nine-month Civil War Regiment from Allegheny County,” a book about what life was like for the common soldier during the Civil War.
George, who lives in South Fayette, said while learning about his family’s history, he became captivated with understanding the context in which his ancestors lived. But when researching his great-great-grandfather, John Armstrong George, who fought during the Civil War in Company E of the 123rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and died in 1921, very few family documents or photos documenting his life survived.
To gain a better understanding about John Armstrong George’s life experiences, Chris George turned to the letters and journals of his grandfather’s contemporaries and stories from Pittsburgh newspapers.
During his research, George discovered what life was like for soldiers during the Civil War from 1862 to 1863, and what life was like for the families back home waiting for news of their loved ones.
George explained that during the summer of 1862, Pennsylvania was expected to raise approximately 21,000 soldiers to fulfill its obligation to President Lincoln’s call for additional troops. Knowing that this would be difficult task because of the normal three-year term of service, Pennsylvania Gov. Andrew Curtin received permission to raise some of Pennsylvania’s recruits for a nine-month term of service.
The 123rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was one of the 16 nine-month regiments formed throughout the state that summer. During a war meeting held in the basement of the 2nd United Presbyterian Church of Allegheny, the Rev. John Barr Clark encouraged the men of his congregation to enlist, signing his own name at the top of the list. Within a week, almost 1,000 men had enlisted, with Rev. Clark as their colonel.
“What is unique about the story of the 123d Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry is the fact that it truly is an Allegheny County story,” George said. “Over 900 soldiers in this regiment resided in the county at the time of enlistment.”
The book gives a sense of what life was like for the common soldier during this dark period of our country’s history said George. Many soldiers wrote almost every day, and many were well spoken.
Included in the book is a glimpse of what it was like for the families at home, waiting for word about their friends and relatives. Using the local newspapers from that period, George attempts to discover how families received news about the location and condition of their loved ones.
“This book has really come about because others took the time to record and preserve the thoughts and deeds of their lives,” George said. “The letters, journals, and memoirs that are sadly missing from my family tree have luckily been kept and shared from other family trees.”
George, a teacher with the Upper St. Clair School District, is a graduate of both the University of Cincinnati and the University of Pittsburgh. He lives with his wife and three children in South Fayette Township.
“Day-by-day with the 123d Pennsylvania Volunteers” is available on Amazon. George will also be selling copies of his book with the Allegheny City Society at the Old Allegheny Victorian Christmas House Tour on Dec. 9 and 10.