Memorial Day sunset service in cemetery recalls bugler
POTTSVILLE — Before James Nagle was a general in the Civil War, he led a company of Pennsylvania volunteers to Mexico City during the Mexican-American War in 1846-48.
There, Nagle befriended a young Mexican boy, Emerguildo Marquiz, whom he adopted and raised in his Pottsville home.
In 1861, Nagle would recruit volunteers for the 48th Pennsylvania Regiment, sometimes referred to as the Schuylkill County regiment, in response to President Abraham Lincoln's call to arms.
And, following in his adopted father's footsteps, Emerguildo joined the regiment as bugler in the 3rd PA Cavalry.
Tom Shay shows portrait of Emerguildo Marquiz, a bugler in the Civil War at Memorial Day service in Charles Baber Cemetery. RON DEVLIN/STAFF PHOTO
Tom Shay recounted the touching story at a sunset service on Memorial Day in Charles Baber Cemetery.
Saying Memorial Day is about sacrifice and remembrance, Shay said Emerguildo learned music and was educated by the Nagle family. He's also buried near the monument of Gen. Nagle in the United Presbyterian Church cemetery in Pottsville.
'Emerguildo is definitely memorialized,' said Shay, an authority of area residents who served in the Civil War.
In brief remarks before a crowd of about 50 people, Shay also mentioned Nicholas Biddle, a Black man from Pottsville who was one of the first casualties of the Civil War.
A member of Pottsville's Washington Artillerists militia, part of the First Defenders, Biddle was injured by rioters as the unit passed through Baltimore on April 18, 1861. He is buried in Bethel AME Cemetery, Pottsville.
Biddle is memorialized on a Dave Naydock mural at Centre and Nichols streets in Pottsville, along with Gen. George Joulwan and other city personalities.
In another story of remembrance, Shay talked about the restoration of Lt. Curtis Clay Pollock's grave marker in Charles Baber.
Some years ago, Shay discovered the obelisk lying on the ground in pieces. Staff members at Charles Baber restored it and repositioned it on Pollock's grave.
'That did justice to Lt. Pollock's service,' he said. 'That's what he deserved because he gave his life for his country.'
Dr. Kurt Kovalovich, left, Tom Shay and Vincent Prestileo at Memorial Day service in Charles Baber Cemetery on May 26, 2025. RON DEVLIN/STAFF PHOTO
Dr. Kurt K. Kovalovich, priest-in-charge at Trinity Episcopal Church in Pottsville, said it was an honor to offer a prayer for those who served and died.
'On this Memorial Day, we remember the men and women who gave the full measure of their lives, and we pray that they will be granted eternal peace,' he said. 'We also pray for their families who still grieve so that they will know their lives have not been given in vain.'
Vincent Prestileo, a former of the Pottsville High School band who just completed his freshman year at Penn State Schuylkill campus, performed the timeless ritual of respect and reverence that concludes the day at U.S. military installations.
With a glint of the setting sun glowing through the tops of sturdy oaks, Prestileo faced the western sky and concluded the service with 'Taps.'
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