Restoration of the 17th CVI flagpole at Barlow’s Knoll
The flagpole on Barlow’s Knoll is one of the most visible landmarks on the 1st day’s battlefield. It also happens to be the location where Lt. Colonel Doug Fowler was killed on the first day at Gettysburg. The original wooden flagpole was first erected by the veterans of the 17th CVI in 1885. The current steel flagpole was set in place by the surviving veterans in 1921. It’s likely that most visitors to the knoll who don’t get out of their car do not even realize that the flagpole is a memorial to those members of the 17th CVI who fought there.
This spring the flagpole is set for a long needed restoration by the National Park Service, a project that is completely funded through a donation from Company F, 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. The members of Company F, 14th CVI have a long history of donating funds for the preservation of Civil War sites.The work should be completed this spring, in time for a planned re-dedication of the flagpole on July 1, 2018. For those who are counting, that’s the 155th anniversary of the fighting at that location.
According to Carolyn Ivanoff (a member of the 14th CVI and a long time friend of the 17th CVI and contributor to this site), plans for the re-dedication are still being finalized. Once they are they’ll be posted here. In addition, Carolyn will also be presenting a new program, Following the 17th Connecticut from Barlow’s Knoll to Spangler Farm and Beyond, July 1863, hosted by the Gettysburg Heritage Center on Saturday evening, June 30th.
You can read more about the restoration effort below: Restoration of Flagpole on Barlow's Knoll Article.
Interesting 17th CVI-related item going on the auction block tomorrow
For anyone who may be interested, on November 17th (yep, tomorrow) Cowan’s Auctions has the following item going up for auction – William Noble’s walking cane. I posted the link below just in case anyone has any spare change around – bidding starts at $350.
https://www.cowanauctions.com/lot/folk-art-carved-cane-presented-to-civil-war-general-w-h-noble-wia-chancellorsville-and-pow-3156384
New addition to blogs followed
This morning on C-SPAN I watched members of Emerging Civil War in a panel discussion hosted by the Gettysburg Heritage Center filmed this past July during the Gettysburg Anniversary (for anyone interested, here’s a link to same: https://www.c-span.org/video/?430759-5/interpreting-civil-war-public).
This was an interesting discussion and the blog has a great collection of material covering all aspects of Civil Wat history from a variety of authors. It’s worth checking out. The link to the blog is under “Civil War History blogs.”
Memorial Day 2017
While we enjoy the cookouts and ballgames associated today with Memorial Day, we pause to remember the soldiers of the 17th and all before and since who gave all. Here’s a photo of the members of the Buckingham Post No. 12 in Norwalk, Connecticut taken after decorating the graves of their deceased comrades at St. Paul’s Church. This is the resting place of Lt.Colonel Albert Wilcoxson, who was mortally wounded in Florida in 1865. This photo is from the 28th Anniversary Roster (their last one), published in 1908.
From an address given by Reverend W.C. Richardson to the post during an 1890 Memorial Day observance:
“I see a mighty host, shadowy and trim with silent tread and ghostly march. Away it streams in ceaseless majesty, rising and falling with stately swing, its phantom banners waving in the noiseless breeze, its muskets touched with the light of another world.”
Members of the South Norwalk Buckingham Post of the G.A.R. gather in the cemetery of St. Paul’s Church c.1908