John F. Reynolds: His Final Journey Home - Gettysburg Campfire Talk with Ranger Brian Henry

but I'll take it but let me go ahead and introduce myself my name is Brian inter I'm a park ranger here at Gettysburg National Military Park thank you for joining me tonight for this program this program actually has been in the process being put together display that gonna be a lot on here as flight wise misses flight information but just prior you know just putting us together just putting information on John Reynolds he's such an amazing person and also being you know over these guys from the 19th also kind of put that connection together and I know you guys play has some connections to Gettysburg and whether you have family on that pot here or you guys just like weeding about the Battle of Gettysburg itself it's really neat when you really get into it because John rules was the kind of person that excuse me that was a person's soldiers soldier that makes sense he's a soldier soldier that means everybody that aren't officers that common soldier in the ranks loved him to death because he was fair he was fair he was right there for these guys whenever they needed something he would be there and he would actually take care of problems they might have that was John Reynolds so when we look at when John Reynolds is actually killed you see Buford you know coming up I showed you guys on the on that battle walk then he comes up he's like send up Hancock because John Hancock was with the Scott Hancock actually is that same kind of mentality that Reynolds had so when you had these guys actually beginning to fall back in through Gettysburg you get that was more at the morale is kind of low anyway cuz a Chancellorsville and you needed that commanding presence as what John Buford actually says we need some of the commanding presence here because he knew that when Hancock came in here that'd be like getting Reynolds and a white back to them because like I said when Phil Scott Hancock was a soldier soldier as well so how we're gonna do this on this slide show we're gonna actually go just the prior to the war and we're going to work our way up until he is actually laid to rest we're gonna start out there he is a young John Reynolds this is right after he graduates from from West Point generals is born in Lancaster Pennsylvania on September 20th 1820 Lancaster if you're from this area notice that that far from here okay so everybody's like you this long journey home how could it be long Lancaster's just down the road it's going to be a long journey and I'll point out the reason why it's going to be a little journey as we go along here in 1837 he was at the point to the US Military Academy at West Point he's going to graduate 26 in his class a class of 50 so he's about average he's in the middle of his class you know he's not to go you know he's at the very bottom like I'm I'm not gonna mention Pickett or anybody like that that's always good if you're not a goat you know you're you're pretty good a goat is the last person in the class from West Point that's that's what you get your nicknames ago so he graduates in the middle of his class soldiers soldier during the Mexican War he was awarded to private promotions earning the rank of captain major not only is he average coming to grades and things like that but also he's brave it kind of points out what goes on it helps will play explain a lot about what goes on here on July 1st he's very brave he's gonna win tuber Evans ones going to be with the artillery he's going to help stave off some some Mexican troops with his artillery he's going to order brevet for that action he's going to get another brevet when troops were actually surrounded at one point they needed somebody to take a running message to somebody for reinforcements he's going to jump on the horse go sideways on the horse and take off they get the message out so he is daring and he's brave kind of puts things in perspective for you guys doesn't it in a way here at Gettysburg when we start thinking the John Reynolds and what happens to it he's also going to be close friends with with will bill Scott Hancock Louis Armstrong you guys heard of George Thomas George Thomas western theater from Virginia George Thomas is going to be really close to Reynolds I'm sure that Winfield Scott Hancock I sent a message out to George Thomas out west that Reynolds had been killed after that actually took place but he was actually in the same artillery battery with Reynolds so George Thomas is really close and these guys were going to meet up and we're getting into California John Reynolds again 1859 Utah campaign he's going to serve there as you talk in paying the Mormon Wars there's different names for it he's going to actually serve the in the US Army during those campaigns he's also at 1860 he's going to soon command the cadets at West Point that's a big step I mean you know here he is giving you Provident now he's going to actually control command some troops at West Point itself he's going to be in that position for quite a while this is when I really didn't put too much in the 61 actually but nothing the system won but we're going to jump into 62 because I ran out of room on this slide just kidding but anyway he's going to be assigned to the union's North Carolina to Crystal forces on the Outer Banks anybody bending Outer Banks you guys see the if he had ever been in the Outer Banks you got to go because Burnside and his expedition and stuff and there's money missus stuff out there it's pretty cool in Cape Hatteras you get the lighthouse stuff and another national park so I'm kind of put the plug in for them as well but if you've never been up to the Outer Banks of North Carolina you guys need to go and do that also he becomes the Provost of the city of Fredericksburg I would not want that job I don't know if you meet somebody upset or what he's going to actually get a provost position within Fredericksburg and it's going to actually turn into something that's going to be pretty a life-changing experience for Reynolds because he's known to be captured at boats wooden swamp the bays know to be except aesthetic exchange about a couple of months later he's gonna be sent to Libby Prison and it was an embarrassing situation for him because what's going to happen is he's going to fall asleep under a tree and his men are going to leave him I'm not sure I'm sure they've tried waking him up but when he wakes up he was going to be pH Hill looking down at him and th Hills going to say he's gonna say John you know John you know this fortunes of war happens they're gay but you're my prisoner so he's going to be embarrassed he's going to be sick West Point he won't talk about that experience I'm not let's play bed at Libby Prison he's not going to talk about that at all he's not gonna even mention much about living prison because of such a terrifying and horrible you know predicament for him as well as the other man that were actually sent there he's going to be released he's going then to assume the command of the first court the Army of the Potomac he's gonna fight him bounce into the second ball round at Fredericksburg with these men who are now going to really love him 1863 first quarter not committed at Chancellorsville so they're not going to be part of that action at all however he's starting to rise in the ranks he's actually getting noticed by Abraham Lincoln and after Chancellorsville Lincoln's actually going to have a little bit of talk about him taking over the Army of the Potomac and he's going to say I don't want no part of that let's you know you can't blame him with a list of generals I mean there's like a song out there a couple most of you knows all the different general from firm side all the way up in the Cologne but he doesn't want any part of it so in June 1863 just prior to this battle he's going to become the commander of the left wing of the Army of the Potomac during this second his bird campaign moving up in towards Gettysburg itself July 1st 1863 tomorrow 155 years ago John Reynolds will come into town to relieve John Buford who's been struggling to hold on to the parts of the town as well as the ground west of Gettysburg John Reynolds like I pointed out daring courageous did he have any you know any reason to be in this fight he was in getting in behind the second Wisconsin urging the second west constant forward that's not you know where he should be he should be back behind the line back off that front line but he's a soldier soldier he's got that courageous feeling going on he wants to urge his men forward and those are going to be his last words forward men forward for God's sake and dread those fellows all the woods he's going to turn in his saddle we get pumped back in the neck back in the head Charles Beal his early slow to write general Reynolds fell upon his face his arms outstretched toward the enemy I had one sprang from my horse I ran to the side feel that first things he's stunned he can't find a wound on him he thinks he's just you know got knocked you know I spent ball head remember summer or something but he couldn't find any wound until he felt and then they found a hole in back of his neck and head area they say when he hits the ground his face is going to begin to bruise and this showed you some respect here this is another aid to Reynolds as a dead body of general Reynolds was carried out the field to capture Confederates manifested their mark respect for the Fallen Union general that amazing that he earned the respect of the enemy and they're gonna mark that as major rose-garden points out rentals of staff and a few soldiers moved with a fallen general to the George George house on in this Bert road because over that George George house says have you down it's actually a photography the old-time photographer photography studio now so if you go down the Emmitsburg Road and let's name that any bike you guys yell out there or what that demon that is at photography studios at the george joseph service okay yeah so if you go down the Emmetsburg road after the program you can actually look to the left they're actually going to take that Reynolds's body there there's going to be a few soldiers around they're going to take this body as well as these orderlies they're going to actually take rebels this body to that point off the line at the time of gettysburg the battle you got to remember that you didn't have McDonald's and you didn't have all this stuff out on this end of the battle so general pick pick a spot phase out there so the doors George House is actually on the outskirts of Gettysburg at the time so these guys actually have moved him back to that point you can pull a tell that these men and a shock go through them that they're even having to do this especially the shot going up and down the lines of the first core now we're fighting it out the west side of town how they felt because you know they're really fighting hard to play not trying to think about this but they have lost our commanding officer they have lost that important person that is going to actually leave these guys to the defense on the west side of town until the rest of the Army of the Potomac arrives to the south this is hard for these guys major joseph Rosengarten the sergeant Beall we're going to write into Gettysburg itself to find the casket for rebels as it remains the guy they put him in something and they're going to look around for some kind of casket to put him in the best they can do is find a marble packing crate but such a problem that mobile packing crate the crate is too short so they're going to end up breaking the crate on the end and they're going to make room for his feet so when he's laid down his feet are going to be hanging out of this crate they can't find anything else in the town at this time you got to remember there's a lot of chaos going on in town you got a lot of artillery going on you got troops still coming into the fight you got a lot going on a lot of chaos going on in the town of Gettysburg itself not just because we're retreating back but it's going to be later but this is actually as the troops are actually entering Gettysburg itself heading out toward the north and to the west northwest side of Gettysburg so what's going on at this point and they're going this slow they can find like I said a packing cream at that moment on that first day almost my great first lieutenant Major General George Meade when me finds out st. Claire Mulholland the Hudson 116th Pennsylvania kind of remembers the scene of what's going on in tony town at the time as he searched up the ride he says he was going to be a writer he's going to ride into into Taneytown he's going to actually start telling General Meade about the death of Reynolds and Mulholland remembers that Hancock sprung to his feet jumped into an ambulance where he wrote just for quiet just a little bit a little bit before he jumped a little horse into Gettysburg but he's going to spring in the action right away to get into town like I said that commanding spirit even then even Hancock dude someone was going on here especially he just lost a friend somebody who you were in the military with somebody who had fought with now you find out he's dead now we got kind of getting the grief of what how he's feeling trying to keep his composure as he's writing in to get his Burton to take him in into these troops here at this place a journey home he is not going straight back to Lancaster Vasia Rosengarten sergeant Beale and orderly sergeant RB kilometer will begin escorting the general south they're going to be going down the tiny town road heading south bill will ride Reynolds's horse while Rosengarten rides with Clevenger and the remains and these guys will not leave their general side until they get to put him in the ground and bury him these guys are going to be by his side clear up to that point throughout this whole journey they won't pass better the second the third courting towards Galesburg now everybody knows and these cores what's going on here horrible as they see this going on men never covered 13 miles so quickly but as they hurried along a halt was ordered the ranks opened and an ambulance passed containing the dead body of the heroic general john f reynolds st. Claire Mulholland 116th Pennsylvania this is a shockwave folks like I said morale within the Army of the Potomac how would you how would you say that is right at this moment his plate abuelo when you agree when you find out somebody that you respected somebody that's close to you I know some of you guys have in your entire and your own lives and ran into situations were and such a shock learning something has happened to somebody that you really care for and this is how these guys are feeling they might not have known him on a personal basis but they knew him by reputation and how he dealt with his men his death at this time affected us very much where he was one of the silver generals of the army a man his soul was in his country's who work what he did with his soldiers high honor and fidelity Frank Haskell aide to general Gibbon a journey home this is Gettysburg Taneytown Road you see he will be moved south along the time Town Road passing those troops like I pointed out in my earlier slides he's going to continue south he's that going toward though he's not going toward the west he's going to arrive in Taneytown Maryland the regiments move slowly and rapidly and then they're going to actually see this general move into the area they're gonna keep on moving south to Union bridge Maryland that means been the Union bridge I recommend you guys if you've never been to wood if you've never been down the Union branch it is a cool place last year I was actually trying to find different routes you know you gotta get bored taking the same route down to Maryland when you're commuting back forth to work so then I'm Friday I decided to make a little trip it's like you know I wonder where where they took Reynolds beauty and brains like we're in world's Union bridge and I pulled out you know google map I'm sitting on a train to Google map this thing is like it's not really coming up you know you're like zooming in trying to find this place and finally I run into Union bridge and if you guys know we're okay team are you guys know we're kemar is some of you guys underwear kemar is okay if you go out of Taneytown you get the tiny town a stoplight turn right addiction to chemo pretty simple there's a road right when you get to key tomorrow on the left turn left and actually follow it eventually takes you down into KITT hotel Union Union Bridge Road detention right downtown on seventy-five neat place I'll show you here where's me place that's a train station that quinoa and actually at Union bridge it's a Historical Society now and so actually also it is a tree Museum so if you and it's pretty cool because also this railroad was very important during the Gettysburg Campaign it was known as the hospital tracks you guys heard that term hospital tracks actually evacuated wounded down to Union bridge and from there they took them over to Westminster and down into Baltimore so this is a pretty neat place there's a placard here on the end that actually talks about Reynolds and his body actually arriving at Union bridge okay you guys are wondering how come he's that going west right over the Lancaster right east yeah okay East okay the reason why is that going east could you tell me ways that going east right Confederates are on route 30 and the Wrightsville bridge was fun okay yep we got there yep well the trains around it's no there's no way across yeah but say yeah there's no way yeah there's no way to actually get to where he needs to go that way as well as Stuart's out running around remember him the guy that leaves wondering where in the world's Lee I mean that we'll leave where Stuart well Stuart's out riding around out in that area so you can't go straight back to Lancaster so you're gonna go the long way around I mean when I say this is a long journey home ain't kidding this is a long journey home to let point outlaw roadless remains are going to arrive at the undertaking shop of John 40 at 15 West Broadway Street and Union bridge Maryland he hasn't been a bone okay John Holland burger Rollo carpenter I creates a coffin and the body was packed in ice and made ready for a shipment to Baltimore's he's still not bombed they pack him in ice by this time as they say his face is actually totally black on one side from that ball from the horse we're going to load him on a train they're going to be proceeding I get this right now South East but before that they're going to get to Westminster ok the route they're taking the end of Westminster Westminster is actually a supply hub for the Army of the Potomac at the time the battles still going on remember we still got a battle going on here at Gettysburg when all this is going on so you can imagine all the stuff being shuttled in to supply wagons for Gettysburg so a lot of stuff's going on here and we look at the train arrives with a hectic Westminster the primary supply depot for the Union troops at Gettysburg in the Army of the Potomac however general Hermann hat chief of the US military railroads arranges for the trim to pass through the depot without delay if they proceeded to Baltimore you talk about respect they're actually pulling trains off the tracks for rentals to get through that amazing how much he's affected so many people that they're actually moving trains around so he can actually get through and then he's going to begin the move southeast where he's going to arrive in Baltimore that's when things are finally going to be taken care of that needs to be taken care of that means that's where riddles is bodies going to be sent to James Weaver for the embalming process to be completed a lot of people is wondering where we verse shop is today and it doesn't exist we've been downtown Baltimore yeah well do any further than that but if you look at this I was able to actually take the address of where this is located and I took an historic map from the Library of Congress actually dug into a little bit deeper trying to find the roads in the crossroads I was able to do that took a little while to do but I did it that's Weaver's embalming shop right there today I believe it's either a house or it's like a park or something right now a general area but it's gone but it's that one building here I was able to determine where it was at from that point Reynolds is going to be sent to the Inner Harbor you're like holy cow this is all done I mean quickly I mean I just can't believe how fast this was but let me go back for a second to this to Weaver Weaver's also known to embalm to other great generals that died here at Gettysburg that was Zook and cross him bombs them and Baltimore thought that was pretty pretty wild when I found I was like whoa man Weaver's making some cash yeah on this yes they're going to take him to the Inner Harbor where they're going to put him on a boat like wow this guy did have a journey Dabney this is not a you know like I said this straightforward shot like we pointed out you know he's actually being sent you know because of Stewart being out you got the bridge out you got all this stuff going on here we got Reynolds trying to get to Lancaster by a sea route from the Inner Harbor of Baltimore yeah amazing like I said his aides were with him this whole time they will not leave his side for anything they're gonna stay with him Reles remains are taken to the light street wharf at the Endura harbor and place it on the Erickson line steamer bound for Philadelphia so if you ever guys are ever down in to Baltimore you guys go down the Inner Harbor for some of the fireworks or you want to go down see that what side of Constitution down there the ship yeah the Constitution you want to go down the Inner Harbor if you can find this war if you can actually have to see the place where they actually John Reynolds was there his remains were the same John rules have died at Gettysburg which isn't really kind of like I said kind of amazing that all this has taken place the steamer will pass through the C&D Canal and then moves north towards Philadelphia and show you that route it's going to leave Baltimore it's going to here to the Elk River it's going to come through here and it's actually going to take it into the final route of the canal into the Delaware River and it's going to be pushed into the north I always keep on coming back to the staff because these guys haven't slept okay and we're looking at this is the second by now this is despite how far he's gotten in just a day and a half so kind of shows you these guys are actually moving out to try getting him back home as soon as I can they're gonna arrive in Philadelphia in Philadelphia the boat will dock the body of Major General John Reynolds will arrive Philadelphia July 3rd and is greeted by his sister's his sisters are there to meet him his brothers are off the war the sisters are going to be there they have gotten word they got some of his things his effects when the fighting had was taking place and when he died they were able to get some things to him to his family that is and they're going to meet him there in Philadelphia there's one sister and roses brought to the home of his sister Catherine where he's going to lay in state for a few hours before he's moved to Lancaster they're brother and they're going to get a big surprise an unexpected visitor is going to arrive at the home of Katherine Kate Hewitt one thing John Reynolds had on his person he had a crucifix on Catholic well John Reynolds is a Protestant he got that from his fiancee that nobody knew about it was a secret engagement back in California he had met her there and she had confirmed the Catholicism they fell in love they had talked about marrying when the war was over that knock on the door Kate's going to be standing there someone to see John she was born in Stillwater Saratoga County New York she met John in the eighteen fifties in California as I pointed out she was a worker at the Catholic girls school run by the Daughters of Charity in San Francisco beautiful lady isn't she in 1860 she became a convert to the Catholic faith this led to the secret engagement between John and herself how would the family take it you know that you were actually engaged to a Catholic because there was some bias going on and then prejudice at the time against Catholics especially if you're a Protestant and the Catholics especially the Irish you get a lot of new Irish need apply kind of thing going on so that would be a big shock for anybody that you know Johnson you know gonna marry a Catholic holy cow on July 3rd she arrives at the home of Katherine and look she's normally accepted into the Reynolds's family they took her as one of their own as a sister she made a Val everything should ever happen to John she would join a monastery hit the bow she never married she had a rough time trying to adapt as some of the reports are written about her she has a rough time adapting to doing things you know the priors read the reading of the Bible constantly she has a little bit of problems trying to adapt to this and she will eventually leave the order and as she leaves the order she'll return to New York where she'll pass away and she is buried in New York today in her home community home again in Lancaster they're going to put John on a train again he's gonna make another journey that last trip and those guys like I said those were Lee's tired wore out high trying to get as much information as possible about what's going on here there Polly heard the news about the fighting going on with a second they probably got that information from play other runners things coming into them they're getting a little bits and pieces of information they're actually a little bit still in the dark like the population really is at this time however they're going to continue in to Lancaster with John on July 4th Rosa's bull Reynolds well right at Lancaster Pennsylvania and whole long trip took them three and a half days he's escorted by his family of those brave aides that have made the long and tiresome journey with him from Gettysburg and will finally say goodbye to their beloved commander before making their way back to the Army of the Potomac in the great Civil War they have to say goodbye now loyalty I mean I mean just trying to think of that loyalty that these men have for their commanding officer to finally a final resting place of John Reynolds as the Army of the Potomac celebrates their great victory at Gettysburg and the nation receives word the surrender of Vicksburg to federal troops family and friends by General John Bull Reynolds to rest in lancaster cemetery better suite when we think of this great battle that occurred here and everything going on here at Gettysburg Pennsylvania and all this fighting and all of a sudden we had this situation where you have just this one family and this that's just going to be that one family because after this battle is over those casualties are going to begin to be laid to rest in these fields of Gettysburg Pennsylvania they're also going to have some men actually being sent to their own homes in Indiana in the Michigan Wisconsin into Connecticut New York Maine into these other states coming home victory is bittersweet for these men and what I'm going to do now I'm gonna open it up wish that we got okay for a little bit of question and answer if you guys have any questions I'll do my best answer some of these questions for you guys and if I don't have it and you do have that answer throw it out there okay any questions yes how did she find out I believe it was one of the aides I think it was Beall knew something about this somebody knew something about this if I closed it might have been a Hancock it might have been Hancock it might have been you know George Thomas we don't really know in the detail would be something really to read up on you know something for you guys as well be want to learn more about Kate it's like this word got to her and she went straight for where he was yeah could've been in California no no she's back in she's back out in the East Coast but she's back in New York at this time back in the Pennsylvania area she is going to hear this she's going to actually come back from that point yes on the battlefield you have the marker it says maybe you can help me as well yeah that's right right so it's Ryan Reynolds Avenue just south of the red light yeah let's say yeah we're looking at the main area where the Milan monument is that's in that general area you guys know where the monument is right okay it's on the terse top one okay that next play that's a bus with this plane you had to stop one right on just inside the field there's a pyramid on top like a mound and it says Royals died here so you'll see that tomorrow if you get on the battlefield and you can do that actually if you as soon as I and you guys go out there before the park closes we can actually take a look at it as well but it's the man that says general rules died it actually fell out here and you can see that like I said tomorrow there are some programs out there tomorrow so you guys can do so any other questions yes that is one of the biggest trivial questions out there because there are three possibilities nobody knows exactly if it was a sharpshooter it was somebody from one of the gloves Tennessee regiments or if it was friendly fire nobody knows exactly what happened I mean there's I mean it's been argued for the police since the battle I mean who shot you know Reynolds I know that there was a one Confederate General that had went up against the Federals over America for the Biddle's line and when Jeff and baedal actually left actually got wounded and fell from his horse he thought that he and his men Ashley had shot Reynolds but it turned out it was baedal actually falling from the horse they you know he was you know slightly wounded so it didn't really bond but it really bothered that generally because thank goodness because all these years I thought you know my men were the ones responsible for the death of Reynolds and he was relieved that it wasn't because Chapman bill was in the same room he was able to be introduced to - that - that nobody else if not I'll go ahead and dismiss you guys again a good night's sleep also I want you guys to make sure you're hydrated tomorrow like I keep on pointing out hydrate hydrate hydrate drink some water gives you a little bit of time it's going to dark if you want to go through the battlefield a little bit you're more than welcome to do so I thank you guys for coming this evening [Applause] research you can on this but you're more than welcome to ask me the question I'll be sticking around for a little bit longer

Channel: StuffWriter

Views: 9,793

Rating: 4.8235292 out of 5

Keywords: John F. Reynolds, Gettysburg, Union Army, Iron Brigade, funeral, Catholic, Baltimore, Chesapeake & Delaware Canal

Id: oulqQplpqTE

Length: 40min 59sec (2459 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 13 2018