Oswego County, New York In the Civil War
by Charles McCool Snyder
1962 Yearbook of the Oswego County Historical Society
and the Oswego County Civil War Centennial Committee.
Chapter VI
The One Hundred Forty Seventh Infantry;
Immortality at Gettysburg
Perhaps Oswego County's best remembered regiment was the 147th Infantry, New York Volunteers; and it truly deserved its recognition. Its glorious stand at Gettysburg alone would merit immortality.
Its beginnings are closely linked to the 110th Regiment, since units unable to gain admittance became the nucleus for the 147th. Under the spell of the fiery eloquence of D.C. Littlejohn, "The farmer left his field, the artisan his bench; all pursuits gave way to the extreme necessity of the hour, and the men hastened to enroll their names under the sacred banner of their country."(1)
The formal drive for a new regiment was launched during the third week of August 1862, while the 110th Regiment awaited transportation from Fort Ontario. "Tremendous" war meetings were staged in East and West Park in Oswego, and subsequently in the various wards, towns and villages throughout the city and county.
If there was any think different in the appeal it was the emphasis given to the ethnic and religious groups. The Irish and Germans were especially active in the recruitment of the 147th. The Rev. Michael Kelly, pastor of St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Oswego urged his parishioners to enroll. The Church advocated allegiance to th state, he noted unless the government were tyrannical,. He pointed to the zealous advocate of the war as a means of preserving freedom under the Constitution by Archbishop Hughes of New York. A few weeks later, the Irish ladies of the third ward presented a beautiful silk banner to Captain Patrick Regan of Co. I" a company was Irish from "A" to "Z" (or at least to "W" or "Y"). W.L. Preston made the presentation and lauded the Irish (ro their valor in the war. (2)
At another rally, the German ladies of the city contributed a flag to Captain Delos Gary's Company G which had a substantial German flavor. The presentation was made by the Rev. Jacob Post, Pastor of the German Lutheran Church. The flag of black red and yellow, he observed had significance for Germans; the BLACK suggested the threatening aspect of the future; the RED was symbolic of blood to be shed for the GOLDEN LIBERTY. Scarcely an able bodied man remained in his congregation, he added. Following Captain Gary's response, Mr. Post addressed the audience in German. (3).