My greatgrandfather
Penrose Frank served in the Civil War from the beginning to nearly the
end. He enlisted first with the 15th Pennsylvania Volunteers,
on 30 April 1861, for three months. He was discharged at Carlisle
when this time was up. Later of course it became clear that the situation
was not going to be solved by three-month volunteers, and Penrose joined
the 84th Pennsylvania Volunteers, for three years, on 17 Nov 1861.
He was injured (not shot) while helping to retrieve a gun cassion stuck
in mud at the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862. He
was treated for several months at a military hospital in Virginia and discharged
on a surgeon's certificate on 11 Feb 1863. He apparently recovered
sufficiently to rejoin his unit sometime after that, however, and
was finally discharged for the last time on 11 Nov 1864, in New Bern, North
Carolina.
I have wondered
about the rather fancy uniform since Penrose was only a teen-aged private
of volunteers. His older brother Rufus was in the Regular Army,
6th U.S. Cavalry, at this time and it is possible that the uniform was
borrowed for the occasion. It has also been suggested to me
that the photographer may have provided it. The writing at the bottom
of the picture, which is difficult to read here, says "J. W. Choate, Carlisle,
PA", presumably the photographer, and so it may have been taken between
enlistments.
After the war,
Penrose married Mary Elizabeth Schultz, and the family lived in Middletown,
PA for a number of years. They had five sons: William
Henry born 1870; Edwin Penrose born 1871 (my grandfather); George Keller
born 1873; John Mervin born 1879; and Walter Leroy, born 1883.
Walter Leroy died in infancy but the others all lived a good number of
years, and here they are
|
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| George |
William |
Edwin |
Mervin |
Probably ca 1900
Schultz Page
Edwin Frank
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