While updating the AotW page for Colonel Albert Lewis Magilton, I came upon a quote about him. It’s from West Point classmate and fellow Lieutenant George B McClellan,  in a December 1846 letter McClellan wrote another Army officer, from Mexico.

McClellan called him “the never-sufficiently-to-be-admired Magilton”.

I don’t know exactly what it says about Magilton, but it seems pretty rich coming from a man of GBM’s apparent ego.

_________________

The quote is from a letter McClellan wrote another West Point classmate, Charles Seaforth Stewart, on 1 December 1846 from the steamer Corvette on the Rio Grande River. I found it in The Mexican War Diary and Correspondence of George B. McClellan (2009) edited by Thomas W. Cutrer. The original letter is in the Charles Stewart Collection at Houghton Library, Harvard University.

This poor photograph is the best wartime image I’ve yet found for 2nd Lieutenant Henry N Minnigh of Company K of the First Pennsylvania Reserves, wounded at Turner’s Gap on South Mountainn on 14 September 1862. It was contributed to his Findagrave memorial by by Pat Callahan.

He was in action with his Company on Little Round Top at his home town of Gettysburg on 2 July 1863 and mustered out as their Captain in June 1864. He was brevetted Major in March 1865 for his service.

The pages in the background are from his own History of Company K. 1st (Inft) Penn’a Reserves: the Boys who Fought at Home , online from the Hathi Trust.

This is Private William W. Bixby, Company D, 23rd New York Infantry, wounded at Antietam on 17 September 1862. He survived the war but died relatively young, at age 37, at the U.S. National Home for Disabled Veterans in Dayton, OH, in 1879. His photograph was contributed to his Findagrave memorial by Edna Crawford King.

Corporal Henry G. Van Vlack, 64th New York Infantry was killed while carrying his regiment’s colors in action at Antietam on 17 September 1862. His photograph was contributed to the Family Search database by Leigh Ann Smith [free membership required].

Two stories, one soldier:  Sergeant George A Jacobs, Company C, 61st New York Infantry, pictured here.

[After action at the Sunken Road at Antietam on 17 September] The firing had again quieted. [Lieutenant Colonel Miles] directed me [Sergeant Fuller] to take two men and go forward, part way through [Piper’s] corn field in front, and watch and report any appearance of the enemy. If I am not mistaken, I took Porter E. Whitney and George Jacobs of my company. We went forward half way through the corn field, which was for the most part trampled down. We arranged the broken stalks so as to be partially concealed.

After a time to our front and right, and on the brow of a considerable rise of ground, a body of officers appeared on horseback, and with glasses took observations. We discussed the propriety of aiming at these Confederates and giving them a volley. I finally concluded it was best not to take this responsibility, as it might bring on an attack that we were not ready for. In a short time these men disappeared. I sent back one of the men to report what we had seen. Very soon he came back with the word to join the regiment.

Longstreet in his book entitled ‘From Bull Run to Appomattox’ speaks of looking the field over about this time and from near this location, so, I judge, it was he and his staff that we had such a plain view of.

An interesting starting point for some great “what-if” stories, perhaps?

Jacobs was appointed First Sergeant of Company C in early 1863 and in September that year …

He was home on a ten days furlough. Of course, the best in the land was free to him, and he was feasted by parents and friends. As he was about ready to start back, he was taken violently sick with a stomach trouble and died in a few hours [on 18 September 1863 in New Berlin, NY].

_______________

These quotes from Charles A Fuller in his Personal Recollections of the War of 1861… in the Sixty-first Regiment (1906).