51st Pennsylvania Casualties
Four members of the 51st
The three Pennsylvanians buried on the battlefield were not buried
at the same place and time as the casualties of the other regiments. They were
buried shortly after the battle in the edge of the woods by a large pine tree,
near the location occupied by their regiment during the battle. The dead from
the other regiments were buried the following morning near the road by members
of the 9th
According to Capt. J. Merrill Linn of the 51st PA, "one of my
company, Jacob Lenig, a gaunt man, with protruding
teeth, that made him lisp, and he had a natural stutter, was in most jubulant spirits, which seemed to know no fatigue, cutting
antics and playing pranks and sputtering out comic expressions. I heard some
one say, no doubt tainted by that old Presbyterian feeling expressed in the saw
- "laugh in the morning, cry before evening" - "Look out, Jake,
you are in too good a humor, they'll hit you to-day," and he replied,
"they can't hit me.
Later in the battle, Linn reports, "Some stood, others were
on their knees, loading and firing in an automatic sort of way, blazing away in
towards the front, regardless, some up close to the fence, peering over, or,
resting their pieces on the rail, taking a deliberate aim and seeming to be
looking for their game. Lenig was on one knee , his
other foot advanced, his piece aimed and his head bend towards it as if taking
aim, when he turned his face towards me, sputtered and spit out blood and a
couple of teeth, put his piece down, and lay down. He was carried away on a
stretcher.
Shortly after Hawkin's ill-advised
charge, Col. Bell gave his officers directions to prepare to charge. "The
field pieces of the enemy were in clear sight. The command rang out
"Charge." A great six-foot corporal seized a stake of the fence, gave
it a heave, two or three panels went down, and we all poured pell mell through the opening,"
said Linn. "A tall hand-some soldier of "E", Brouse
by name, was making a clean run of it just in front of me. He suddenly bounded
straight up in the air, seemed to roll himself in a ball, came down to the
ground and stretched himself out with an ugly quiver. He had been struck fair
in the forehead.
Earlier in the battle, Linn reported, "The fire followed the
regiment into the wood, now with shell, and cannister
rattled like falling nuts. A piece of shell struck a man of "E",
William H. Hoffman of Miffinburg, cutting his side
open and exposing his heart so that you could see it beat. Quarter Master Freedly, who had charge of the stretchers, stood there
smoking his long pipe, looked at him as the men made a move to take him up,
shook his head, "No use carrying him back." The young fellow, too
much shocked by his grievous wound to feel any pain, said, "
Oh yes, carry me back. I'm not much hurt." They lifted him on a
stretcher gently and four strong fellows bore him away. Before they reached the
field Hospital he was beyond all pain."