Emil S. Reinhardt (1848 – 1931)

Pvt, US Army 1867 -1870

Emil S. Reinhardt was my great grandfather.  He emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1863.  On 23 August 1867, he enlisted in the US Army in Philadelphia, PA.  Until 8 July 1869, he was assigned to Company A of the 27th US Infantry.  He served at Fort Phil Kearny in the Dakota Territory until it was abandoned in 1868 per the terms of the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) and burned to the ground by Indians (thought to be Cheyennes) shorty thereafter.  Emil was transferred to Company B, 9th US Infantry on 8 July 1869 and served in this unit until his discharge at Fort Sedgwick, Colorado Territory upon expiration of his term of service on 23 August 1870.  During his time at Fort Sedgwick, the 9th US Infantry performed guard duty protecting workers from Indian attacks as they built the Union Pacific Railroad.

From a copy of US Army Register of Enlistments, dated August 1867:

• Last Name – Reinhardt
• First Name – Emil
• Date of Enlistment – 23 August 1867
• Place of Enlistment – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Birth Place – Baden, Germany
• Age – 21
• Occupation – Laborer
• Eyes – Blue
• Hair – Brown
• Complexion – Fair
• Height – 5 feet 5 inches
• Regiment/Company -27th Infantry/A, 9th Infantry/B
• Date of Discharge – 23 August 1870 upon expiration of term of service
• Place of Discharge -Fort Sedgwick, Colorado Territory

You can learn more about Emil S. Reinhardt at our Genealogy site.

Note – Age is recorded as 21 on enlistment records, but other known sources show Emil S. Reinhardt was born on 7 March 1848.

George Washington Gibson (1841 – 1929)

Private, Company D, 79^th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry

George Washington Gibson was my Great-Grandfather and, among other things, a Civil War veteran.  He enlisted in Captain McBride’s Company of the 79^th PA Volunteer Infantry at Monongahela City, PA on September 7, 1861 for “three years or the duration of the war.”

Captain McBride’s Company later became Company D, 79^th Pennsylvania Infantry.   

The regiment was formed in Lancaster County, PA.  Company D was the only company in the 79^th Pennsylvania Infantry recruited in Washington County, PA.  All other companies were originally made up of men from Lancaster County.

The records show George was 20 years old at the time; however, there is some uncertainty as to his exact age since the family Bible recording his birth was destroyed during a flood.

He received a gunshot wound in the neck at the Battle of Chaplin Hills, KY on October 8, 1862.  Records show he spent approximately two months in the hospital as a result.  The Battle of Chaplin Hills was called the Battle of Perryville by the Confederacy.

His unit (79^th PA Infantry) is also listed in the following Civil War Orders of Battle:

• Chickamauga, GA – September 19-20, 1863
• Chattanooga, TN – November 23-25, 1863
• Atlanta Campaign – May 4, 1864 through September 2, 1864.

During March and April of 1864, George was on detached service with the 78^th Pennsylvania Infantry.  There is no record of why George was on detached service.  However, during this period, 79^th Pennsylvania Infantry personnel who had re-enlisted were on furlough.  It is possible that George and others who chose not to re-enlist were put on detached duty because of this.

George was mustered out of the US Army upon expiration of his three-year enlistment in Atlanta, GA on October 3, 1864.

A roster of the men who served in the 79^th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, can be found here.  Note that there is a mistake in this reference.  The 79^th was an Infantry Regiment, not a Calvary Regiment.

You can find out more about George and his Civil War service at our Genealogy site.

Some of George W. Gibson’s records indicate he was a “non-veteran.”During the Civil War, soldiers who chose not to re-enlist upon expiration of their original term of service were called “non-veterans.”

George W. Gibson received a pension for his Civil War service from around 1890 until his death in 1929.