Latest news with #48thPennsylvaniaRegiment
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
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.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Judge Burke recalls Civil War soldier at Memorial Day service
NEW PHILADELPHIA — Lt. William Cullen, an officer with the 48th Pennsylvania Regiment, died in the Battle of Antietam Creek during the Civil War on Sept. 17, 1862. Schuylkill County Common Pleas Judge William Burke, a direct descendant, recalled Cullen's sacrifice Monday during Memorial Day ceremonies in the borough's public square. Burke, who has deep family roots in New Philadelphia and neighboring Blythe Twp., recited a poem written by soldiers under Lt. Cullen's command the day after he died. 'Attention ye brave to this mournful story, that I am going to pen of a soldier so brave,' it read in part. 'Who started to reap a rich harvest of glory, but is now lying dead in his cold narrow grave.' Cullen, who lived in the Silver Creek section of Blythe Twp., is buried at St. Stephen's Cemetery in Port Carbon. 'I'm so proud of him,' said Burke, who has had family members serve in World War II and Vietnam. Judge William Burke spoke at Memorial Day services in New Philadelphia on May 26, 2025. RON DEVLIN/STAFF PHOTO Lt. Cullen's willingness to serve and give his life for his country was testament to the sacrifices of all veterans who have fallen in battle. 'I want to thank those veterans,' he said, standing near a combined honor guard of American Legion, Amvets and Catholic War Veterans members. 'If it wasn't for their efforts, we wouldn't be standing here in free assembly.' Less than a block away, Burke practiced law with his father, attorney Stanley Burke. George Matalavage, commander of American Legion Post 677, noted that the 48th Regiment was composed of Schuylkill County residents. Included were soldiers from New Philadelphia, Silver Creek, Valley Furnace and Middleport. Maroons player honored In a separate service, a flowering plum tree was dedicated to Lt. Col. Eddie Doyle on the grounds of Simon Kramer Cancer Institute, New Philadelphia. Doyle, a member of the Pottsville Maroons 1925 NFL Champions, led a detachment of the 168th Infantry during combat in Algiers, North Africa, where he died in combat on Nov. 8, 1942. Msgr. Edward B. Connelly, right; and Dr. David J. Moylan, left, officiate at a tree planting on Memorial Day, May 26, 2025. RON DEVLIN/STAFF PHOTO Dr. David J. Moylan, the institute's medical director, organized the tree planting in Doyle's honor. Msgr. Edward B. Connelly imparted a blessing on the tree, planted near the former Blythe Twp. High School football stadium. Doyle, who attended West Point, is reported to have been one of the first American casualties in the North African Campaign. His name is included in a wartime heroes display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
