Here’s a Document Signed by Full Civil War Brigadier General

ISAAC JONES WISTAR


(1827 – 1905)

CIVIL WAR UNION FULL BRIGADIER GENERAL ,

2x WIA ANTIETAM COLONEL  and COMMANDER OF THE “HARD-FIGHTING” 71st PENNSYLVANIA INFANTRY

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POST-WAR DISTINGUISHED PRISON REFORMER and PENOLOGIST.

Wistar was wounded twice during the Civil War; at Ball’s Bluff and Antietam.  At Sharpsburg, during the bloody Antietam campaign, with his right arm nearly useless from a former wound, he had his left arm disabled.  He was noted for his criticized performance during the 1864 Bermuda Hundred Campaign.

After the War Between the States, Wistar became a distinguished penologist and a writer. In his early manhood, Wistar spent much time as a muleteer, trapper and gold miner!

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HERE’S A DOCUMENT SIGNED BY WISTAR, 1p., DATED DECEMBER 28th 1887, AN AGREEMENT CONCERNING THE EXTENSION OF A 10-YEAR LEASE BETWEEN THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY and THE MINERAL RAILROAD and MINING CO.

THE DOCUMENT IS ALSO SIGNED BY

GEORGE BROOKE ROBERTS

 (1833 – 1897)

PROMINENT AMERICAN CIVIL ENGINEER

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5th PRESIDENT OF THE MIGHTY PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD, GREATLY EXPANDING THE PRR.

 The document measures 8” x 10½” and is in VERY FINE condition.

BIOGRAPHY of GEN. ISAAC JONES WISTAR

Isaac Jones Wistar (November 14, 1827 – September 18, 1905) was an American lawyer, miner, farmer, soldier, and author. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, in which he was wounded twice, and was noted for his criticized performance during the 1864 Bermuda Hundred Campaign. After the conflict Wistar became a distinguished penologist and a writer.

Early life and career

Isaac J. Wistar was born in 1827 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He received early his education at Westtown Friends' School, and then attended Haverford College. Wistar later received a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania.[1]

Wistar began practicing as a lawyer in Philadelphia. In 1849, he moved to California in order to participate as a miner in the Gold Rush.[2] From then until the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Wistar held a great variety of vocations. Among these were: animal trapper, mountaineer, Indian fighter, a farmer, and lawyer.[3]

Civil War service

At the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, Wistar chose to follow his home state and the Union cause. He raised a company of men and was elected its captain. Wistar's company was added to the 71st Pennsylvania Infantry, originally known as the California Regiment.[2] This regiment was organized at Fort Schuyler in New York.[4] On June 28, Wistar was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel,[3] and on July 1 the 71st left for Fortress Monroe on the Virginia Peninsula. On July 22, Wistar and the 71st was then ordered to Washington, D.C., forming part of the capital's defenses until that fall.[4] Wistar participated in the much-publicized Union defeat in the Battle of Ball's Bluff on October 21. In the fight, he temporarily led the regiment and was seriously wounded, hit in his right elbow, his jaw, and thigh.[3]

Following the death of Col. Edward D. Baker at Ball's Bluff, Wistar became the commander of the 71st Pennsylvania, and was promoted to colonel on November 11, 1861. The 71st participated in the Peninsular Campaign of 1862, although it isn't clear whether Wistar was actually present; at the Battle of Seven Pines (May 31 and June 1) the regiment was led by its major, and during the Seven Days Battles (June 30 and July 1) commanded by its lieutenant colonel.[2]

Wistar fought in the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, and was wounded in his left arm. His commander, Oliver O. Howard, reported on Wistar's new injuries, saying "...with his right arm nearly useless from a former wound, had his left disabled." referring to the previous Ball's Bluff wounds.[2] On November 29 Wistar was promoted to brigadier general, and he was assigned to brigade command in the VII Corps beginning on May 16, 1863.[5]

Beginning on July 18, 1863, Wistar commanded the District of Yorktown in Virginia, and that August the post was re-designated as a subdistrict of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina. In April 1864, he briefly was given divisional command of the XVIII in the Army of the James.[6] On May 7, Wistar resumed leading a brigade and participated in the Bermuda Hundred Campaign, but 11 days later he was relieved of duty and replaced by Col. Griffen Stedman.[7] Military historian Ezra J. Warner surmises Wistar performed poorly during this campaign:

The conclusion is more or less inescapable, although nothing concrete appears in the records, that Wistar's handling of his brigade on the foggy morning of May 16 left something to be desired.[8]

Wistar's resignation from the Union Army was accepted by the U.S. War Department on September 15, 1864.[7]

Postbellum career

Wistar resumed his law practice in Philadelphia, and he also was a noted penologist.[3] He served as vice president of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, leading its coal and canal components. Wistar founded the Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology at the University of Pennsylvania in 1892, and also served as Inspector of the Pennsylvania State Penitentiary, both located in Philadelphia. He also served as president of the Pennsylvania State Board of Charities, the American Philosophical Society, and the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.[1]

Wistar authored several works, including an autobiography and writings about war and penology.[3] He retired in 1903 and died two years later at his summer home in Claymont, New Castle County, Delaware.[1] He was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.[7]

Selected works:

Notes

1. "New York Times newspaper obituary for Wistar" (PDF). nytimes.com. September 19, 1905.

2. Warner, 568.

3.  Eicher, p. 577.

4. "California State Military Museum site record of the 71st Pennsylvania Infantry".

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History of the PENNNSYLVANIA
71st INFANTRY
(Three Years)

 

     Seventy-first Infantry.-Cols., E. D. Baker, Isaac J.

Wistar Richard Penn Smith, Lieut.-Cols., William H. Penrose,

John Markoe, William G. Jones, C. Kochersperger, Majs., R. A.

Parrish, Charles W. Smith, George L. Ritman, Richard P. Smith,

Enoch E. Lewis.  The 71st, originally known as the California

regiment, was recruited in Philadelphia in April and May,

1861, by Edward D. Baker, U. S. senator from Oregon, under

special authority from President Lincoln.  Eleven hundred men

were enlisted within a month's time and rendezvoused by squads

and companies at Fort Schuyler, near New York city, where they

were mustered into service for three years.  Until after the

battle of Ball's bluff the regiment was treated as belonging

to the regular army, but was then claimed by Pennsylvania and

applied on the state's quota, its officers being commissioned

by the governor.  On July 1, 1861, it proceeded to Fortress

Monroe, via Philadelphia, and was immediately assigned to

picket and scout duty.  After the battle of Bull Run it moved

to Washington and on Sept. 11, it first came under any

considerable fire, when it displayed a spirit which proved its

excellent material.  Early in October it moved to Poolesville,

Md., where with other regiments it formed the Philadelphia

brigade, commanded by Col. Baker, Gen. Stone's division, Gen.

Banks' army.  In the engagement at Ball's bluff, Col. Baker

fell at the head of his command while cheering his men.  The

regiment lost here 312 men out of 520 in action.  The colors

were lost in mid-stream by the color-sergeant and never

recovered.  It then went into winter quarters, its decimated

ranks were recruited, and Lieut.-Col. Wistar was promoted

colonel.  In the spring it engaged in McClellan's Peninsular

campaign as part of Sedgwick's division, Sumner's corps.  It

was engaged with some loss at Fair Oaks; lost 96 in the action

at the Chickahominy; 68 in the action at Savage Station on the

afternoon of the same day; was heavily engaged at Charles City

cross-roads on the following day; and acted as artillery

support at Malvern hill.  At Harrison's landing the regiment

was reorganized.  Five of its fifteen companies, L, M, N. P

and R were disbanded and the men transferred to the other ten

companies.  It made a forced march with Sumner's corps,

reaching the battlefield of the second Bull Run toward the

close of the action, and served as rear-guard to Pope's

retreat, constantly skirmishing as far as Chain bridge.

Sumner's corps was in reserve at the battle of South mountain,

but was heavily engaged at Antietam, where the 71st performed

most gallantly, losing over one-third of its number engaged.

On Sept. 18, only 4 officers were able to report for duty.

Col. Wistar was severely wounded here while leading a charge

and was soon after promoted to brigadier-general, Lieut.-Col.

Markoe succeeding to the command.  The 71st entered on the

Fredericksburg campaign as part of the 2nd brigade (Col.

Owen), 2nd division (Gen. Howard), 2nd corps (Gen. Couch), and

was in the Right Grand Division composed of the 2nd and 9th

corps, commanded by Gen. Sumner.  In the battle of

Fredericksburg the command lost nearly a third of its

effective strength.  It was in reserve with the 2nd division

at Chancellorsville and after the campaign returned to its old

camp at Falmouth.  At Gettysburg, where the regiment arrived

on the evening of July 1, Gen. Hancock commanded the corps,

Gen. Gibbon the division, and Gen. Webb the brigade.  The 71st

was posted during the battle, upon the crest of the ridge to

the left and front of Gen. Meade's headquarters and a little

to the left of the angle in the low stone wall.  In this

exposed position it suffered severe casualties in the two

days, fighting, losing over 40 in the second day's contest,

being subjected to a fierce artillery fire for more than 2

hours on the third day, and receiving the full force of the

enemy's gallant charge which followed the artillery duel.

Altogether it lost over half its effective strength, including

9 out of 15 officers engaged, though it captured 4 stands of

colors.  In the campaign which followed Lee's retreat into

Virginia, it was engaged at Auburn and Bristoe Station;

skirmished at Bull Run; fought at Robertson's tavern, and on

the close of the Mine Run campaign went into winter quarters

at Stevensburg.  On May 3, 1864, it moved with the corps still

commanded by Gen. Hancock, on the spring campaign, was heavily

engaged at the Wilderness and during the advance to

Spottsylvania; shared in the fierce assault at the latter

place; participated in much of the subsequent fighting in the

advance on Richmond; was in the assault of the 2nd corps at

Cold Harbor and lost heavily in that engagement.  This was its

last battle, as the term of service of the regiment had now

expired.  The veterans and recruits were transferred to the

69th Pa on June 2, and the others returned to Philadelphia,

where they were mustered out on July 2, 1864.  Out of a total

enrolment of 2,200 men only 153 returned to be mustered out.

 

Source: The Union Army, vol. 1

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BIOGRAPHY OF GEORGE BROOKE ROBERTS

George Brooke Roberts (January 15, 1833 – January 30, 1897) was a civil engineer and the fifth president of the Pennsylvania Railroad (1880–96).

Early life and education

Roberts was born at his family's farm in the Pencoyd region of Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. In 1849, he graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and went on to teach there for two years before becoming a rodman for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). Beginning in 1852, he worked for the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad, returning to the PRR in 1862 as assistant to the president, J. Edgar Thomson. Roberts oversaw the construction of bridges and other engineering work, including the Connecting Railway Bridge over Schuylkill River in Philadelphia (attributed to John A. Wilson, 1866–67) that connected PRR's southern and northern lines. He became a PRR vice-president in 1869, and succeeded Thomas A. Scott as PRR president in 1880. He was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in 1885.

Career

Broad Street Station

As PRR's first vice president, Roberts oversaw the construction of Broad Street Station, a seminal event in Philadelphia history. Before this, PRR locomotives did not cross the Schuylkill River but instead deposited passengers at West Philadelphia Station (32nd Street) where horse-drawn streetcars brought them into Center City. Construction of a new bridge and a 10-block viaduct, the so-called Chinese Wall, carried the PRR tracks two stories above street level and into the Wilson Brothers-designed station at Broad Street.[3]

With the 1871 decision to build Philadelphia City Hall, the 1876 opening of merchant John Wanamaker's department store to the east, and the 1881 opening of the PRR station to the west, the center of Philadelphia's business district rapidly moved to Broad & Market Streets. The station's location at the heart of the city made commuting via the PRR practicable, fueling massive suburban growth, especially on the Philadelphia Main Line. By 1886, the station saw a million passengers a month. In 1889, a freight depot was built along the Chinese Wall at 19th Street, so the station could be devoted just to passengers. In 1892, Roberts hired architect Frank Furness to greatly expand Broad Street Station, consolidating PRR offices in a single building and turning it into the largest passenger terminal in the world.

PRR expansion

Roberts's first major accomplishment as PRR president was the 1881 purchase of a majority stake in the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, which froze the rival Baltimore and Ohio Railroad out of a direct Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., route that had previously rented trackage rights to both railroads. The acquisition gave the PRR a direct line from New York City (actually Jersey City, New Jersey, until 1911) to Washington. Amtrak uses this same route today.

Competition between the PRR and the New York Central Railroad was fierce. William H. Vanderbilt and Andrew Carnegie began construction of the South Pennsylvania Railroad across Pennsylvania to directly compete with the PRR's Main Line. In response, Roberts bought up land on the west side of the Hudson River for the West Shore Railroad, to directly compete with the NYCR on the east side. J. P. Morgan saw this as wasteful competition and negotiated an 1885 truce between Vanderbilt and Roberts, in which each abandoned the competing line. Vanderbilt's line became the right-of-way for the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and Roberts's line for the Palisades Parkway.

In 1887, the PRR introduced direct service from New York City to Chicago. The Pennsylvania Limited made the trip in 24 hours by way of Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. By 1902, an express train was introduced, the Pennsylvania Special, that cut the time to 20 hours.

The 1889 Johnstown Flood occurred during Roberts's presidency. The PRR's Stone Bridge over the Conemaugh River in Johnstown acted as a dam, trapping debris that covered 30 acres (and soon caught fire). The PRR was a major participant in the rescue effort. It reopened its line to Pittsburgh within 3 days, and was the primary means by which relief workers and provisions reached the victims of the disaster. The Stone Bridge still stands today.

For the depelopment of Asia, he invited Kadono Jūkurō to the Pennsylvania Limited as an intern for 4 years from 1891.

Death

Roberts died at his home in Philadelphia on January 30, 1897.

Legacy

Roberts greatly expanded the PRR, investing more than $50,000,000 in roadways and equipment – more than all his predecessors combined – and increasing PRR holdings to about $115,000,000 through mergers and purchases of affiliated companies. By the end of his 16-year term as president, the Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest private employer in the United States and the largest business corporation in the world.

Family

Roberts's ancestors had been among the founders of Pennsylvania. The first emigrant, John Roberts, bought a 1,100-acre (4.5 km2) parcel along the Schuylkill River in 1682, and built a house two years later that he named "Pencoyd". This was part of the "Welsh Barony", a 40,000-acre (160 km2) tract bought by Welsh investors from William Penn. The "Welsh Barony" made up much of the Philadelphia suburban region now known as the Philadelphia Main Line, named for the Main Line of Public Works, a cross-state rail-and-canal system that ran through it.

Roberts was the sixth proprietor of Pencoyd, and proud of his Welsh heritage. He chose Welsh names for some of the suburban PRR stations, including Bala and Cynwyd.

Roberts hired Frank Furness to expand the family house at Pencoyd in 1883, and in 1890 the architect designed the PRR's second Bryn Mawr Hotel (now the Baldwin School).

Theophilus Parsons Chandler Jr. designed St. Asaph's Church, at the southern end of Roberts's farm. Author Nathaniel Burt quipped: "The Church of St. Asaph, dedicated, as the saying goes, to the Glory of God and the convenience of the Roberts family."

In 1868, Roberts married Sarah Brinton, who died the following year after giving birth to George Brinton Roberts. In 1874, he married Miriam Pyle Williams, and the couple had five children: Algernon Brooke Roberts, T. Williams Roberts, Elizabeth Williams Roberts (who married Percy H. Clark of the Clark banking family), Isaac Warner Roberts, and Miriam Williams Roberts (married Spencer Ervin). Miriam Roberts died in 1913.

T. Williams Roberts became the seventh proprietor of Pencoyd, removed all the Frank Furness alterations to the house, and lived there until his death in 1962. Pencoyd was sold, and demolished by developers in 1964. Office buildings and a Saks Fifth Avenue department store now occupy the City Avenue site.

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