During the Battle of Antietam, the 50th Pennsylvania sustained 57 casualties in its fight with Confederate forces on the afternoon of September 17, 1862.
Sergeant Samuel Schwalm of Company A was nearly counted among the dead that bloody day.
A bullet ripped through his cap, grazing his head, while another smashed his rifle.
The native of Schuylkill County tried to explain what his experience at Antietam meant to him in a moving letter to his wife Elizabeth:
You might think how I did feel when I saw so many boys fall out of our Regt. All I have to say is to take good care of our children.
O my dear children, whatever you do don’t curse nor swear so if I can’t see you any more in this world, that we can meet in heaven where no war and no fighting can be anymore.
Sergeant Schwalm survived the Civil War and returned to his farm and family in Schuylkill County.
He is also my great-great-great-great grandfather.
Subscribe to the latest from Jake Wynn – Public Historian
Enter your email below to receive the newest stories.
I have the 50th Regimental Co. A roster in a frame, a very patriotic and colorful piece.
My g.g. grandfather, Charles Oswald, was in Co. C along with two brothers. I’ve been looking for years for the same Co. C roster without success. Other company rosters show up periodically on eBay for big prices from PA as well as regiments from other states. These were produced just after the war.