Perry County at Gettysburg

by Terry F Bender

Perry County At Gettysburg provides biographical sketches of 108 Perry County soldiers who were present at the battle of Gettysburg in the Union Army. It gives brief descriptions of the units in which they fought and the locations of those units on the Gettysburg battlefield. It briefly describes the lives of these men before the war and afterwards for those who survived Gettysburg. This book attempts to highlight the different walks of life from which these men came as well as relate the interweaving of their lives before and after the war. It is a unique look at the man rather than the battle and focuses on life in rural America during the mid-nineteenth century. Hopefully these men have been brought to life in these words.
About the Author Terry F. Bender is retired from middle management in the oil industry with a fantastic wife of 46 years, three sons and four young grandchildren. He enjoys woodworking, reading about the Civil War, visiting battlefields of that war and especially "being blessed with grandkids who I hope will get interested in the war so that I can pass along what I have learned."

90 pages, Hardcover

Published January 7, 2021

Reviews

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is only the second rating of this book yet here on Goodreads. The first rating granted was simply only one star. I thought that unfair, and hope to correct any wrong impressions created by that rater.
This is not a John Jakes novel. This 80 page book is simply a roll call of the veterans that were known to be from Perry County who fought at the Battle of Gettysburg. Even more restrictive is that these only are the veterans whose names appear on the famous, huge Pennsylvania monument (Arch) that you have likely seen if you have personally toured the National Battlefield. There are a few others whose outside military records place them at Gettysburg from July 1-3, 1863. The author honors them also by briefly mentioning them. This book is not made up of "letters from home", but rather from War Department rosters and later from census records that indicate place of birth, marriage certificates, children born to them, and death records. Occupations noted from census records show what work activity was pursued after departing the army. Rank and medals achieved, time spent in hospitals, wounds, type of discharge, and cause of death are also listed.
There are few first hand accounts and no interviews with children or grandchildren here.
I would believe that most of the descendants of these soldiers are unaware that their ancestors even fought at Gettysburg, or just "heard about an old tale". Here they can find out for sure.
The names of the Army Companies and the soldiers that made up them are listed at the end of the book. The names rae there, the same old names that you find in Perry County today: Bentzel, Black, Fry, Foose, Nipple, Graybill, Hench, Kistler, Meck, Shearer, Sheibley, Sweger, Rodemaker, and many more. Find your history here.
This is an important book for the genealogists!