Burial scheduled: Third Union soldier discovered in Second Manassas surgeon's limb pit will be interred will full military honors at Arlington on Nov. 4

At far right, the graves of two Federal soldiers buried at Arlington in 2018 (Picket photo)

An unknown Civil War soldier whose remains were found in a surgeon’s limb pit at the Second Manassas battlefield will be buried with full military honors Nov. 4 at Arlington National Cemetery, officials announced Monday.

The closed funeral will include an escort for the teen soldier who died in August 1862 at the Virginia battlefield. The remains of two other soldiers found in the pit were buried at Arlington in 2018.

“On Nov. 4, Arlington National Cemetery will honor this Union soldier with the solemn dignity, care and respect earned through his service to our nation,” said Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries and the Office of Army Cemeteries, in an Arlington news release. “Although the identity of this soldier is unknown, his sacrifice has not been forgotten. His reinterment affirms our enduring obligation to ensure that every service member receives an honorable final resting place.”

The National Park Service in August announced the March 2024 discovery of the young man, saying he was apparently buried in a New York infantry jacket.

The limb pit was discovered in 2014 during excavations associated with water pipe maintenance at Manassas National Battlefield Park. Two bodies and seven (possibly eight) amputated limbs were removed in 2015. The burial occurred near the site of a field hospital.

The entire pit was not excavated at the time, apparently because of time and funding limitations. While archaeologists believed there were more partial remains, they did not expect a whole set to be found when they returned in 2024.

Archaeologists found six brass New York State Excelsior coat buttons and seven brass cuff buttons with the soldier, who may have been a teenager. (NPS photo, above)

NPS documents studied by the Picket indicate the excavation yielded four new surgically amputated limbs and the body of the soldier. “Found in direct association with this soldier's interment was a rubber pocket comb,” the agency said.

The Army has requested the comb for the burial. (Photo above, National Park Service)

Monday’s announcement said honors will include a casket team, firing party, bugle, folding of and presentation of the flag, a marching element, military band and caisson. An Army Arlington Lady will accept the flag on behalf of the unknown soldier’s family.

The boy soldier will be buried in Section 81, near the other two soldiers, who were laid to rest in September 2018.

Officials did not disclose who will be present at the November funeral ceremonies, saying services will be closed.

National Park Service archaeologists with human remains at Manassas in March 2024 (NPS)

Dedicated surgeons at a Manassas field hospital were unable to save a teen soldier in 1862. A rubber comb found in a limb pit with his remains will be buried with him soon at Arlington National Cemetery. Here's why

This hard rubber comb will be buried with the soldier at Arlington National Cemetery (NPS photo)

(Updated Oct. 16) -- Under horrifying circumstances, Union surgeons covered up to their elbows in blood worked feverishly to save lives at a makeshift field hospital on the Second Manassas battlefield.

The ground had been won by the Confederates in August 1862, but the surgeons had been granted permission to treat the Federal wounded, many of whom had been without care, food and water for days in the sweltering heat..

Hard choices on who to treat had to be made, according to a study written after the 2015 excavation at Manassas National Battlefield Park of two bodies and several limbs placed in a surgeon’s pit. Numerous amputations were conducted to save lives.

“They rendered aid as they were able until surgeons became uncertain whether operations could be tolerated by men already so weakened from their ordeal,” the paper says. “The medical party found itself impaired from continued disorganization and Confederate control that led to the continued lack of ambulances, supplies, and food.”

One of the recovered New York State buttons (NPS photo)

There was a third man buried in the pit, but his remains were not discovered and recovered until 2024. Officials this year announced he will be buried in the fall at Arlington National Cemetery, where the other two soldiers rest. No date for the burial has been announced.

The teen will be placed in a coffin with a hard rubber pocket comb found under his left femur. A report asserts the comb likely had been in his back pocket.

The soldier was apparently buried in a New York infantry jacket. Archaeologists found six brass New York State Excelsior jacket buttons and seven brass cuff buttons with the soldier, who was between 16 and 19 years old.

The National Park Service this week released photos of many of those artifacts, which include wooden buttons and a metal clothing hook (left).

Only the comb will be interred with the soldier, NPS officials on Oct. 16 said. That's because it was a personal object. "The other artifacts are government property, having been issued as part of a uniform. The future use of these artifacts has not yet been determined," a spokesperson said.

An associated NPS document says the comb was mass-produced, machine made and undecorated. “It does not represent a distinctive type, material, or method of construction/manufacture. The artifact has been subjected to high-resolution 3D scanning, physical replication, and photography, and that information will be stored by the NPS and made available for research and interpretation. The potential for extracting additional information from the object is low.”

The field hospital was established at the John Dogan farm, not far from the Deep Cut section of the battlefield. The property was known as Rosefield at the time. The pit was dug between Sept. 1 and Sept. 6, 1862.

Union soldiers occupied this property on Aug. 29, 1862, first using it as an artillery placement site, and later as a hospital after surgeons “took control of the house” for the remainder of the three-day battle, the NPS said.

Excelsior jacket buttons, comb, metal clothing hook and wooden buttons (NPS photo, click to enlarge)

The Excelsior Brigade, made up of several New York regiments and a veteran of multiple campaigns, fought near the Dogan farm and Deep Cut. The soldier may or may not have been in the Excelsior Brigade or wounded near Deep Cut.

It's possible he was wounded the evening of Aug. 29 in the fight at Groveton. He apparently suffered a neck wound.

There’s no way to know what treatment he may have received at the field hospital, but he showed no signs of amputation.

Park officials say they have not been able to identify the soldier or his New York unit. 

An archaeologist uses a brush for fine work in 2024 at Manassas National Battlefield Park (NPS)

Soil conditions, historic plowing and backhoe excavation during the water line project led to his remains being in poor condition, according to the NPS.

Roughly 40% of the remains were intact, and “no complete long bones were present. Historic plowing of the area crushed and relocated the skull (minus an occipital bone) and right arm” documents show. “The knees may also have been affected by the backhoe during waterline excavation. Fragments of assorted bones and teeth were found in soil within the excavated area. Little of the pelvis remained.”

The Picket reached out Oct. 10 to Arlington National Cemetery, which is managed by the U.S. Army, for details about the upcoming interment. A media official on Oct, 16 said details of the event will be released in the coming week.

New York Excelsior jacket button found at Manassas in 2024 (NPS photo)

The 2023 article, written before the third soldier was found, said Second Manassas “marked an inflection point for combat military medicine by highlighting the urgent need for improved systematic recovery and treatment of the wounded.”

The authors say the work of the skilled surgeons is rarely known or acknowledged today. That dedication is worthy of remembrance, the study suggests.

“Events at Second Manassas should be fully acknowledged as part of the essential transformation that propelled American battlefield medical care toward the creation and implementation of an effective triage protocol and emergency-transport or ambulance system.”

First on the Picket: Newly released photos of 2024 excavation of Civil War soldier's remains at Manassas battlefield. The teen will be buried soon at Arlington

National Park Service archaeologists with human remains at Manassas in March 2024 (NPS)

Sometime in the coming weeks, an unknown Civil War soldier whose remains were found in a surgeon’s burial and limb pit at the Second Manassas battlefield will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

The National Park Service in August announced the March 2024 discovery of the young man, saying he was apparently buried in a New York infantry jacket after his August 1862 death in Northern Virginia.

The Picket has been checking in since then with the agency regarding plans for burial and photographs of the excavation.

“The National Park Service is coordinating with the U.S. Army for the dignified burial of an unknown Civil War soldier later this fall. The date and time of the service are not being released at this time,” the agency said in response Thursday. 

National Park Service staff check in on the Manassas work in March 2024 (NPS))

The Picket on Friday received access to an NPS photo gallery; this post may be the first time the images have been published. Officials said they have only recently been made available to the media.

The limb pit was discovered in 2014 during excavations associated with water pipe maintenance at Manassas National Battlefield Park. Two bodies and seven (possibly eight) amputated limbs were removed in 2015. The burial occurred near the site of a field hospital.

The entire pit was not excavated at the time, apparently because of time and funding limitations. While archaeologists believed there were more partial remains, they did not expect a whole set to be found when they returned in 2024.

An archaeologist uses a brush for fine work in 2024 at Manassas National Battlefield Park (NPS)

Archaeologists found six brass New York State Excelsior coat buttons and seven brass cuff buttons with the soldier, who was between 16 and 19 years old.

NPS documents studied by the Picket indicate the excavation also yielded four new surgically amputated limbs. “Found in direct association with this soldier's interment was a rubber pocket comb,” the agency said. The Army has requested personal effects, including the comb, for burial.

In total, three sets of human remains and 16 amputated limbs were excavated and removed from the property in 2015 and 2024. The remains of the first two unknown soldiers were buried in a new section of Arlington National Cemetery in September 2018 

Marker at the battlefield includes sketch showing Dogan house, where wounded were treated (Devry Jones, HMdb.org)

The field hospital was established at the John Dogan farm, not far from the Deep Cut section of the battlefield. The property was known as Rosefield at the time.

Union soldiers occupied this property on Aug. 29, 1862, first using it as an artillery placement site, and later as a hospital after surgeons “took control of the house” for the remainder of the three-day battle, the NPS said.

Park officials say they have not been able to identify the soldier or his New York unit or exactly where on the battlefield he fought. He apparently suffered a neck wound.

Soil conditions, historic plowing and backhoe excavation during the water line project led to his remains being in poor condition, according to the NPS.

An archaeologist excavates human remains at Manassas National Battlefield Park (NPS)

Roughly 40% of the remains were intact, and “no complete long bones were present. Historic plowing of the area crushed and relocated the skull (minus an occipital bone) and right arm” documents show. “The knees may also have been affected by the backhoe during waterline excavation. Fragments of assorted bones and teeth were found in soil within the excavated area. Little of the pelvis remained.”

Asked by the Civil War Picket whether there has been an attempt to identify the soldier via DNA, the NPS in August said extensive archaeological and osteological analysis was done.

"Professional archaeological evaluations concluded that additional analysis was unlikely to yield significant new information. Throughout this process, our focus has remained on treating the soldier with dignity and respect while following professional standards and applicable preservation laws."

The Picket reached out Saturday to Arlington National Cemetery, which is managed by the U.S. Army, for details about the upcoming interment.

(NPS)

A Union officer lost family photos to Rebels near Manassas. A relic hunter found one in the 1970s. No one knew who she was until a man stopped by a Gettysburg shop. He remembered seeing a different image of the girl with the same brooch

Image of Sarah McAllister (L) was found by relic hunter; 2 others of her at right (Manassas NBP/Rutgers University Libraries)

Years ago, Civil War memorabilia collector Ken Johns stopped by a shop in Gettysburg, Pa., that was an unlikely combination of Christian bookstore and provider of metal detectors.

Among the items on display was an aged photograph (above, left) known as an ambrotype. It depicted a young woman staring blankly at the photographer, a round brooch or pendant affixed to her collar.

Store owner Donald Hinks – having bought the image around 1975 from a relic collector -- had no idea who she was. But Johns, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., did. He was familiar with a book of letters by Robert McAllister, who served in the 1^st and 11^th New Jersey Infantry.

The girl, he told Hinks, was Robert’s daughter Sarah, who was 18 years old when her father lost some of his baggage – and photographs of his wife, Ellen, and two daughters -- to Confederate troops in Centreville, Va., during the Battle of First Manassas in late July 1861. McAllister wrote home, lamenting the incident.

“It was instant,” Johns, now 85, told the Picket about recognizing the teen. “I remember it in total detail.”

That’s because East Stroudsburg (located in the Pocono Mountains) is near New Jersey and Johns had read “The Civil War Letters of General Robert McAllister,” edited by noted historian James I. Robertson and published in 1965 by Rutgers University Press.

The book includes photos of Robert, Ellen, daughter Henrietta and a different one of Sarah, taken a year or two after Manassas. She is wearing what appears to be the same brooch. Johns recalled that item when we stopped by Gettysburg that day.

Hinks, now 94, kept the ambrotype for years at the business for years. “Of all the things I have had in the store, it certainly was the most unique,” he told the Picket.

Hinks decided after he and his late wife retired in 2017 to donate Sarah’s photograph to Manassas National Battlefield Park and he reached out to officials there. The handover occurred about a year ago.

“Instead of selling, I thought it best it end up in the museum,” said Hinks.  

Park museum specialist Jim Burgess said, but for Johns’ visit to Hinks’ shop, the image believed to show a young Sarah McAllister would likely have stayed in a private collection.

“The chance of ever identifying the ambrotype was probably less than 1,000.”

Donald and Joan Hinks at their electronics and book stores (Courtesy the Gettysburg Times)

Some called him 'Mother' McAllister, with affection

Sarah was born in Juniata County, Pa., in January 1843. (Her father also was from that area.)

The dust jacket for his book of letters home describes Robert McAllister as former railroad construction engineer who became a successful Union officer.

“Soft of voice, calm of temperament, religious and averse to the use of liquor, he became the epitome of the Scotch Presbyterian warrior -- an officer so concerned for the welfare of his men that he came to be known as 'Mother' McAllister, yet so dedicated to the winning of the war that he was fearless in leading his men.”

McAllister was a lieutenant colonel with the 1^st New Jersey at the time of Manassas. His troops were part of Brig. Gen. Theodore Runyon's reserve division at the time and only got as far as Centreville when retreating Union troops from the battlefield overtook them, said Burgess.

In a letter to Ellen on July 26, 1861, McAllister (photo below, Rutgers University Libraries) wrote:

“I have lost some of my baggage, which is now in the hands of the enemy. The articles are about as follows: my fine large shawl, India rubber blanket, woolen blanket, a new pair of gauntlets never worn, two pair of gloves, several shirts, Henrietta’s portfolio with letters and papers, military books, army regulations, Hardee’s ‘Tactics,’ my large printed Bible with a whole lot of countersigns – and what is more than all, your ambrotype and Henny and Sarah’s dagguerrotypes.

“The reason I took them along was because as I was leaving Vienna, I thought I would get wounded or sick. I would then long to see you, and it would be a comfort to see all your likenesses if I could not see you in person. So now, dear, you will be gazed upon by those notorious Rebels. I want you all to get them taken over again and send them to see as soon as you conveniently can.”

“It is better to lose my bagged than to lose my head. My first campaign has been of use to me.”

Officer fought with valor in several campaigns

McAllister transferred to the 11^th New Jersey in August 1862, and fought at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. He was severely wounded at Gettysburg. The regiment brought 275 men into that battle. Over half that number were killed or wounded.

After months of convalescing, McAllister took command of a brigade. Subsequent combat included the Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Petersburg.

“His regiment distinguished itself at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg; his brigade was the first to pierce the Confederate line as Spotsylvania's 'Bloody Angle' and saved an entire wing of the army at the Boydton Plank Road and again at Hatcher's Run,” according to the book summary.

McAllister ended the war as a brevet major general and he returned to the business world. He died in 1891 at age 77, and is buried in Belvidere, N.J.

Interestingly, his brother, Thompson, served as a Confederate officer in Virginia during much of the Civil War.

Robert McAllister rides Charley in January 1862 (Rutgers University Libraries)

Relic hunter made quite the find in the mid-'70s

In 1975, a Gettysburg self-employed truck driver who enjoyed metal detecting for Civil War relics made a stop in Centreville, about four miles east of the Manassas battlefield. He often made the trek to Florida to pick up citrus and watermelons, according to Burgess.

Burgess said he was told the relic hunter combed an area in Centreville not far off Route 29 (the old Warrenton Turnpike) with a metal detector and came upon McAllister's lost photograph of daughter Sarah.

“Its case had crumbled over time but the glass, brass frame and image were remarkably well preserved,” said the National Park Service employee.

The enthusiast had no idea who she was. (The man died in 2019.) Hinks, Johns and Burgess do not know exactly where he found the item, how deep it was or other details.

The relic hunter sold the artifact to Hinks (right), who put it on display.

Neither Hinks nor Johns can recall when the latter stopped by and noticed the photo. It could have been in the 1970s to 1990s.

Hinks said until Johns stopped by all he remembered was the image had been found in Centreville.

He kept it in storage much of the time before deciding to donate it to Manassas.

Sisters attended female seminary, later had families

Johns (photo, below) is familiar with where the McAllisters lived and has studied another famous soldier in the 11^th New Jersey, John Schoonover.

Sarah and Henrietta attended Moravian Female Seminary in Bethlehem, Pa., from 1854-57. According to a register, they were ages 9 and 11 when they entered.

"Back then, the seminary offered K-12 education and in 1863, it began offering college level courses for older girls," said Cory Dieterly of Moravian University's Reeves Library. About 260 students attended the seminary while they were students.

One sibling later lived in Pittsburgh while the other had a family in Philadelphia.

 “He always loved his grandchildren,” Johns said of their father, the general.

He says Sarah and Henrietta (photo right, Rutgers University Libraries) sat for a portrait after First Manassas so there father would have them close by.

Sarah Elizabeth McAllister married Wilson Lloyd in August 1863 in Warren, N.J. They had five children, including one named for her father. Robert McAllister Lloyd was born in 1864.

Sarah lived a long life, dying in Mifflintown (Juniata County), Pa., at age 92 on Oct. 9, 1935. She is buried in a Presbyterian cemetery. Henrietta died in the same community in 1924 at age 79.

An obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer said Sarah's ancestors were among the early Pennsylvania settlers.

She was a member of the Colonial Dames of America and left two living children, 10 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Jessica Guyer, curator at the Tuscarora Academy Museum in Mifflin, said its collection includes a cradle quilt used for Sarah and Henrietta when they were infants, a pocket Bible that belonged to Sarah and a cane that belonged to Gen. McAllister. 

(At left, photo of Sarah's grave; click to enlarge.)

“Sarah's grave is actually just behind my house,” said Guyer, who is president of the Juniata County Historical Society.

“I often take walks in that cemetery because it's the only peacefully quiet place in town.”

Why the image won't be displayed, for now

As I looked closely at the ambrotype donated to the park (full image, right), I discerned what I consider slight disparities between the face of the young lady and the two other images of Sarah.

Could it be someone else?

Johns and Burgess believe they are one and the same: Sarah Elizabeth McAllister Lloyd..

“Our photo is certainly close to the photo in the book (with brooch). In football terms, there is not enough evidence to overrule the ruling on the field that our image is Sarah,” said Burgess. “I'm still convinced we have Sarah's image.”

Will this photograph ever come back to life, and be seen?

“The photograph is so small, it would need to be displayed where visitors can get up close to it and then only on a temporary basis to mitigate light damage,” said Burgess. “We may also need to get it properly treated and housed by a conservator first. This is all possible, but won't happen any time soon.”

The bedridden Widow Henry was killed by artillery fire in the chaos of First Manassas. The park now has her drop-leaf table that was struck by two bullets

Bullet damage along top of leaf and on pedestal (Manassas NBP) and ruins of home (Library of Congress)

The drums of war were beating in Washington, D.C., and the Confederacy’s Northern Virginia in late May 1861, when Hugh Fauntleroy Henry wrote home. His sister Ellen was living with their mother Judith at Spring Hill Farm at rural Manassas.

"Should troops be passing about the neighborhood, you and mother need not fear them, as your entire helplessness, I should think, would make you safe,” said the schoolteacher working in Alexandria, across the river from the capital.

He could not have been more wrong.

Two months later, the property was a maelstrom of ringing gunfire and accompanying bloodshed. The Civil War’s first great battle raged on Henry Hill, and Ellen and Judith were trapped in the middle.

Believing no civilians were inside, and firing upon Confederate sharpshooters, a Union artillery battery pulverized the home, fatally wounding Judith and wounding Ellen and Lucy Griffith, an enslaved girl. Judith Carter Henry, who was confined to bed, is considered the first civilian casualty of the war.

The 1870 rebuilt Henry House and the famous Henry Hill monument at Manassas (Picket photo)

Another casualty apparently was a drop-leaf table that belonged to the family.

“There are two bullets embedded in the table,” said Manassas National Battlefield Park museum specialist Jim Burgess. “One bullet bore a hole through the lower leaf and embedded in the central pedestal of the table while another bullet was stopped by the leaf but caused a crack in the entire length of the leaf along the grain."

The park was unaware of the table until last year, when a Vermont man reached out and asked whether it might be interested in purchasing the piece. Money was needed to pay for care for the table’s owner, said the friend, who had a power of attorney.

A typed note with the table provided details on its story. 

Park officials agreed to pay more than $10,000 for the antique.

 “It was a once in a lifetime acquisition,” added Burgess. “It certainly has plausibility.”

Sketch of Henry House by Capt. Leon Fremaux of the 8th Louisiana shortly after the battle

The curator hopes the table will one day go on exhibit with expanded information on the poor widow Judith Henry, who was 84 or 85 when she was killed.

“We certainly want to put it on exhibit once we have room for it,” said Burgess, adding that would require renovation to the visitor center and museum.

The provenance of the table is a little fragmented.

Like many historic items that turn up years later, the furniture has made a circuitous journey, including ownership by a renowned surgeon.

Henry House was in constant line of fire that day

Warder & Catlett map of First Manassas, note Henry House at center left)

The table likely originally belonged to Elizabeth "Betsy" Carter, daughter of Landon Carter Jr. of Pittsylvania house, and sister of Judith Carter Henry. 

When Elizabeth died in 1822, her home, Spring Hill Farm, and the table passed to Judith. Officials have not analyzed the wood furniture, which may date to the late 18^th century.

Judith’s husband, Isaac, a surgeon who served with the U.S. Navy, died in 1829. A portrait, of Isaac now belonging to the park (right), hung in the home during the battle.

The afternoon of July 21, 1861, was pure chaos as Confederate and Union forces exchanged ground on Henry Hill. Union Capt. James B. Ricketts turned his guns on the home, trying to kill or chase off sharpshooters.

Legend has it that Judith had been carried earlier from the house on a mattress but brought back inside to the second floor to obtain some form of safety. It wasn’t enough

Amid a cascade of splinters, boards and shingles, Judith suffered a severe foot injury and other wounds from cannon fire. (For his part, Ricketts was wounded four times, captured and later exchanged.)

“The house was peppered by Confederate fire just as much as Union fire. We really don’t know for sure what” killed Judith, said Burgess.

According to a National Park Service archaeological report on the site, Pvt. Otho Scott Lee of the 1^st Virginia Cavalry recollected assisting in burying the dead and collecting abandoned equipment on the battlefield.

"I then rode over to the Henry house where Mrs. Henry had been killed during the battle. I saw her dead body in the bed where she had been killed, with her family around her,” Lee wrote.  “During the battle a grape shot pierced the house and passed through her body, killing her instantly.”

Visitors to Manassas can see the small burial plot where Judith, Hugh and Ellen rest together. (NPS photo, left)

The mother’s headstone reads:

The Grave of Our Dear Mother

Judith Henry

Killed near this spot, by the explosion of shelling in her dwelling, during the Battle of the 21st of July, 1861. When killed she was in her 85th year and confined to her bed by the infirmities of age. She was the daughter of Landon Carter Sen., and was born within a mile of this place. Her husband, Dr. Isaac Henry, was a Surgeon in the United States Navy, on board the frigate Constellation, Commanded by Com. Truxton, one of the six Captains appointed by Washington in the organization of the Navy, 1794. Our Mother through her long life, thirty five years of which were spent at this place, was greatly loved and esteemed for her kind, gentle and Christian spirit."

Famous doctor took table in lieu of cash

 After Judith was killed and the Henry House suffered battle damage, the surviving members of the family found refuge at nearby Pageland. Their old homestead was picked over by souvenir hunters.

“The table and other valuables had to have been recovered from the house before it was completely destroyed the following winter,” said Burgess. “Hugh Henry and sister Ellen lived in a new house built in the 1870s on the site of the original Spring Hill house until their deaths in the 1890s.” Nephew Arthur Lee Henry then acquired the place.

Abdominal and gynecological surgeon Dr. Joseph Price at some point entered the picture. The Virginia native acquired the table prior to his death in 1911 as payment for services rendered on an unnamed member of the Henry family.

“It is uncertain whether he got the table from Hugh or from Arthur,” said Burgess.

Price, who was only 8 at the time of First Manassas, gained fame for his skills and advancement of surgical techniques. He later moved to the Philadelphia area. An article in the Buffalo Medical Journal after his death had this fascinating detail: (Price at right, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts) 

“For two weeks Dr. Price had been ill and was confined to his bed most of the time. The day of his death he was informed that a girl patient whom he had previously cared for had been received at his hospital suffering with appendicitis. He rose from his sick bed and did an appendectomy on this patient. Within an hour after the completion of the operation he complained of pain and informed his assistants that he was suffering with acute appendicitis and that an immediate operation was imperative. He superintended the preparations for the work and in a short time was operated. A few hours later he died not having recovered from the shock of the operation.”

Price was 58 years old.

The dining table passed to his daughter, Anne, and eventually to her second husband, Eric Renwick. Ann died in 1984. Eric survived her by 10 years and at some time he typed up an undated note about the table for a niece or nephew. He signed it “Uncle Eric.”

He incorrectly called Judith and Betsy “Henry sisters” – only Judith had that married name. Renwick describes Joseph Price as his father-in-law, though it is unlikely they knew each other; Eric was only 5 when the doctor died.

Renwick said the doctor was raised near Harrisonburg and operated up and down the region. “On one occasion he operated on one of the Henry’s. By this time they were short of funds and gave Dr. Price the table in lieu of cash.” The table was transported to Whitford, Pa., where the surgeon lived. (Click photo above to enlarge, Manassas NBP)

Renwick based his note on information passed down by Price and Anne. “I do not know when the table was made or who made it but knowledgeable people have told me that it was an antique in 1861.”

Vermont collector had a passion for antiques

Eric Renwick died in 1994; Burgess believes the table went to the niece or nephew and then to a Barre, Vt., resident whose business interests included a ski area and fuel companies.

He was a flea market and garage sale enthusiast as well as a noted local historian, the man’s February 2026 obituary says.

Marker at Henry Hill, the center of the Manassas battlefield (Shane Oliver, HMdb.org)

The 84-year-old was a respected antique collector and dealer in Vermont and the Eastern United States. His friend told the Picket he does not know how the collector got the table.

Manassas National Battlefield Park received the table in September 2025 and it remains in storage.

Eric Renwick concluded his note about the table with this line, which may one day come true:

“In several generations I feel that the table will be a museum piece.”

New park exhibits: Yankee cavalry wasn't much of a factor at First Manassas, but they rode to the rescue, literally, there a year later. It was a wild clash at Portici

Exhibit on fight at Portici, revolver holster for 6th Virginia trooper (NPS), Gens. Buford and Stuart

Ten months before he famously slowed the Confederate advance and secured high ground at Gettysburg, Brig. Gen. John Buford showed similar mettle at Second Manassas.

On Aug. 30, 1862, His outnumbered cavalry brigade protected the Federal retreat by boldly attacking Rebel troopers and slowing their pursuit. Buford’s defense was a bright spot on a day full of disaster for the men in blue.

The clash at Portici, a slaveholding plantation, was the largest cavalry engagement of the Civil War up to that point, to be eclipsed by Brandy Station nine months later.

Manassas National Battlefield Park has two new temporary exhibits marking the service of cavalry at First and Second Manassas. 

Museum specialist Jim Burgess said the case in the visitor center lobby features cavalry arms and equipment (Richmond Sharps rifle, M1860 light cavalry saber, M1860 Colt army revolver, picket pin, spurs, etc.) with brief descriptions of the cavalry action in both battles. (NPS photo below)

An exhibit in the main museum gallery provides more details about the fighting at Portici. The home served as the Confederate headquarters and a hospital at First Manassas in July 1861.

The National Park Service provides these details on the latter:

“Portici’s kitchen and hallways became operating rooms. The wounded, dead, and dying littered the floors throughout the house. Medical supplies and skilled personnel were scarce. Throughout the night of the 21^st, the work of the surgeon’s saw transformed Portici from a stately manor into a charnel house.”

At Second Manassas (Bull Run), action at  Portici came late in the day. A park marker says this of the clash between Southern horsemen trying to cut off the Union escape and Buford’s force deployed at Lewis Ford on Bull Run:

“The opposing lines crashed together head-on in the nearby fields. Buford's troopers initially surprised and routed the leading Confederate regiment, only to fall back when the balance of General Beverly Robertson's brigade appeared. In danger of being cut off, the outnumbered Federals hastened across Bull Run. The Confederates broke off pursuit short of the Warrenton Turnpike.”

The scene must have been amazing and awful, with dying horses rolling in the dirt as wounded men tried to get away on foot. Buford suffered a wound to the knee.

Robertson’s brigade served in Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry division.

I recently asked Burgess (right) to provide details on the two exhibits, Portici and other cavalry action in both battles. His responses have been edited for brevity and context.

Q. Were all these items at either of the battles, or representative?

A. Most of the displayed objects are representative. Only one of the displayed items can be traced back to its original owner. The revolver holster (photo at top) is marked on its flap, "C.H.S./Co. D/6th Va. Cav."  C.H.S. is Pvt. Charles H. Smith.

The 6^th Virginia Cavalry was part of Beverly Robertson's (left) brigade, which saw action at Portici on the evening of Aug. 30, 1862. This item was among a collection of items donated to the park by Robert Lewis, a former owner of Portici, in 1942. How he got it is not known. 

The Confederate Sharps carbine and one of the spurs also came from the Robert Lewis collection as did the M1860 light cavalry saber in the museum exhibit. We have no clue where he found them, but like to think they may have been recovered on the farm after the battle.

The fight at Portici occurred on Day 3 of Second Manassas (Craig Swain, HMdb.org)

Q. From my reading, cavalry saw a big role at Second Manassas. Was there much cavalry action at First Manassas?

A. On the Confederate side, there were independent cavalry companies assigned to support each brigade in Beauregard's army. Evans, for instance, had two companies of Virginia cavalry (Captains Alexander and Terry) covering his flanks at Stone Bridge.

J.E.B. Stuart brought five companies of his 1^st Virginia Cavalry to Manassas, leaving the balance of his regiment in the Shenandoah to watch Patterson. Stuart covered Jackson's flanks and made a notable charge on the Fire Zouaves (11^th New York Infantry) in the Sudley Road around mid-afternoon, which contributed to the loss of infantry support for the Union batteries on Henry Hill. That, in turn, led to the capture of those guns by Jackson's and other infantry troops.

Stuart subsequently shifted farther to the west to cover the left flank of newly arrived troops on the Chinn farm. From there, Stuart pursued the retreating Union forces to Sudley Springs while companies of Radford's 30th Virginia Cavalry pursued in the direction of Centreville, capturing many Union artillery pieces abandoned at the Cub Run Bridge. 

(Federal commander) McDowell had only one battalion (7 companies) of regular cavalry under Maj. Innis Palmer (left) which was assigned to Andrew Porter's brigade. They were not leading the Union advance. They initially covered Porter's right flank on the John Dogan farm. 

Later, after Stuart caused havoc on the Sudley Road, they advanced up the hill and managed to capture one Confederate officer, Lt.  Col. George Steuart of the 1^st Maryland Infantry. They attempted to help cover the retreat and rally the fleeing Union troops but without much success.

All in all, McDowell did not use his cavalry very effectively.

Q. Given so early in the war, I wonder how good the troopers were at First Manassas?

A. Palmer's battalion at least was regular army so they would have had some experience albeit some junior officers like 2^nd Lt. George Armstrong Custer were fresh out of West Point. The Confederate cavalry may have had some experienced officers with former U.S. Army and/or militia service but the rank and file were probably green for the most part with no combat experience and perhaps not as well armed as their Union counterparts. 

Q. Besides Portici, was there significant cavalry action at Second Manassas?

A. The fight at Portici (photo below) was the most significant action in which opposing cavalry confronted each other during Second Manassas.   

Prior to the battle, the 1st Michigan Cavalry, making a reconnaissance south of the Rapidan River, nearly captured J.E.B. Stuart at Verdiersville early on the morning of Aug. 18.  Stuart escaped but Maj. Norman Fitzhugh of Stuart's staff was captured with papers outlining Lee's plans.  

Union cavalry confronted and came close to capturing Gen. (Robert E.) Lee at Salem (today Marshall) on Aug. 27. Lee's staff presented a strong front while Lee was ushered to the rear. The Union cavalry withdrew, not wanting to risk a fight.   

Confederate cavalry confronted Robert Milroy's brigade at Buckland on Aug. 27 and attempted to burn the turnpike bridge over Broad Run but were quickly driven off.   

On Aug. 28, the 1^st New Jersey Cavalry was picketing Thoroughfare Gap and fell back to Haymarket on the approach of Longstreet's forces.   

The following morning, Aug. 29, Union cavalry brigade commander John Buford was in a position to observe several of Longstreet's brigades passing through Gainesville and reported this to McDowell, but it never reached (commander John A.) Pope.

Q. What can people see at Portici? I know of the reconstructed winter hut.

A. Unfortunately, not much. All we have are a couple of wayside markers. All evidence of the house (burned in November 1862) is buried. We have not made any attempt to mark the original house location on the surface, perhaps in the interest of protecting the archeological remains. In the late 1980s, archaeologists exposed the foundation (NPS photo above). Portici was subsequently covered again.   

Q. Regarding the crossed sabers, do you know anything about those particular weapons?

A. The saber with hilt on the left in the photo (at the top of this post) is a contract Model 1860 light cavalry saber imported from Solingen (Germany) during the Civil War. The bow & arrow marking on the blade indicates it was made by J.E. Bleckmann. These foreign-made sabers were close copies of those made by U.S. contractors (Ames, Mansfield & Lamb, Emerson & Silver, etc.) and the high demand for weaponry during the war spurred importation. Since it came (in 1942) from Robert Lewis, who owned Portici in the early 20th century, it is a possible battlefield pick-up that may have been handed down in his family. However, we have no idea where or when he got it so we can't prove anything.

The saber with hilt on the right in the photo is a Model 1840 "Dragoon" saber. These older M1840 sabers were commonly known as "wrist breakers" due to their slightly longer blades and heavier weight. This example exhibits the maker's initials "P.D.L." (P.D. Luneschloss), who was another one of the many swordsmiths in Solingen.

It was imported by Tiffany & Co. in New York who had a U.S. contract for cavalry sabers. The Tiffany imports were unusual in that they had iron guards on the hilt as opposed to brass guards seen on all other M1840 and M1860 cavalry sabers. This saber was transferred to the park from Saratoga Battlefield in 1951.

Both sides had M1840 and M1860 cavalry sabers and they would likely have been used at Portici. Domestically produced prewar M1840 sabers were perhaps more widely available to Southern units but if a lighter U.S. M1860 saber was captured, the Confederates would put it to good use. We have another M1860 saber on exhibit that was carried by Col. William S.H. Baylor who commanded the Stonewall Brigade at Second Manassas.

Q. How long might these two exhibits be up?

A. The two exhibits will be up at least to the end of the year and perhaps longer. The one in the museum may remain in semi-permanent status. It highlights a portion of Second Manassas that deserves more attention.