Venable Wesley (1832-1862)

A Harvest of Death. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 1863. Photographed by Timothy H. O’Sullivan

"Slowly, over the misty fields of Gettysburg—as all reluctant to expose their ghastly horrors to the light—came the sunless morn, after the retreat by Lee’s broken army. Through the shadowy vapors, it was, indeed, a “harvest of death” that was presented; hundreds and hundreds of torn Union and rebel soldiers—although many of the former were already interred—strewed the now quiet fighting ground, soaked by the rain, which for two days had drenched the country with its fitful showers." - From the original caption.

• Introduction
• Formation of the 137th New York Regiment
• Battle of Gettysburg: Second Day
• A Willing Soldier, Doing His Duty Well...

Introduction

All wars are terrible.  Civil wars are the worst.  While the number of military casualties can be counted as dead, wounded, and missing, the loss of a family member in war continues to produce civilian casualties within the surviving family for generations and generations.  The number of Americans soldiers who died in the Civil War exceeded the nation's loss in all its other wars, from the Revolution through Vietnam.   Each of the 620,000 deaths was a loss to the country as a whole.  Each loss was a tragedy for those American families who had made the supreme sacrifice.  For many of these families, the grief is still felt today.   The Wesley Family is no exception.

Born in Elmira, New York, Venable Wesley enlisted in Company D, 137th Regiment, New York Infantry in Ithaca, New York, on 11 August 1862.   His enlistment was for three years.  Mustered in Binghampton, New York, on 28 August 1862, the Company Descriptive Book described him as 5 feet 4 inches, light complexion, black eyes, and brown hair.  When he departed with the 137th for Washington D.C. on 25 September 1862, Venable left behind him his wife, Elizabeth J. (Whitehead) Wesley (married in Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, on 11 April 1854); and two sons: James H. Wesley, age 5, (born 1 August 1857), and John H. Wesley, age 3 (born 9 March 1859).

Formation of the 137th New York Regiment

In "137th Regiment Infantry: A Historical Sketch," Surgeon John M. Farrington described the formation and departure of the regiment.

"This regiment was organized at Binghamton, N. Y., from recruits enlisted in the Twenty-fourth senatorial district. Four companies were raised in Broome, three in Tioga, and three in Tompkins counties. The regiment was mustered into the United States service September 25, 1862, and left for the seat of war two days afterwards. Capt. David Ireland, of the Fifteenth United States Infantry, who was recruiting in Binghamton, was appointed colonel of the regiment, and Koert S. Van Voorhees, of Ithaca, received the appointment of lieutenant colonel. David Ireland brought to the command such knowledge and experience of military service that by his drill and discipline the regiment rapidly came to the front as one of the most efficient in the service. Lieutenant Colonel Van Voorhees had the advantage of several years' service in the New York State Militia, and was an able and accomplished officer. The regiment contained a noble body of men, of splendid physical appearance, most of whom had been reared in the rural districts."

"But little need be said of the departure of the regiment from Binghamton, for similar scenes were at that time occurring in many cities and villages of the state, as the boys in blue marched from their camps of organization to the railroads for transportation to the seat of war. These were the times that tried not only men's souls, but with more severity still those of the gentler sex. Deep seated below the cheers and applause which were given to these brave soldier volunteers as they marched through the streets, there was, in many instances, the most profound anguish; for there had been many a sad scene at the homes of these enlisted boys and men when the hour came in which to say good-bye."

Battle of Gettysburg: Second Day

"My God, what misery this dreadful war has produced, and how it comes home to the doors of almost every one!"  - George Meade, Letter to his wife, 13 April 1865

During Venable’s term of service, the 137th New York Regiment was attached to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd “White Star” Division, 12th Corps of the Army of the Potomac.  Read more about the 12th Corps.  The 3rd Brigade was under the command of Brigadier General George Sears Greene. Read more about General Greene. Following a reorganization in April 1863, the 3rd Brigade was comprised of entirely of New York Regiments. After various assignments in Virginia, the 137th saw action in the Battle of Chancellorsville in early May 1863 followed by the Battle of Gettysburg in early July 1863. Although the Battle of Gettysburg did not end the war, nor attain any major strategic goal for the North or the South, it remains the greatest battle of the Civil War in the minds of the American people.  During the 3-day battle at Gettysburg, more men fought and more men died than in any other battle before or since on North American soil.

The Battle of Gettysburg began on 1 July 1862 when General Robert E. Lee's 75,000-man Army of Northern Virginia and the 97,000-man Union Army of the Potomac under General George G. Meade met, by chance, when a Confederate brigade sent forward for supplies observed a forward column of Meade's cavalry.  By 2 July the battle lines were drawn up in two sweeping arcs. The main portions of both armies were nearly a mile apart on two parallel ridges: Union forces on Cemetery Ridge in the famous "fish hook", facing Confederate forces on Seminary Ridge to the west. Green's 3rd Brigade was positioned at the far right of the Union line, the "tip of the fish hook," near the crest on upper Culp's Hill facing east. Under Green's direction the brigade had constructed breastworks within which were aligned the New York regiments, from left to right, as follows: 78th, 60th, 102nd, 149th, and, on the extreme right, Venable Wesley's 137th.

On 2 July, the second day of the battle, Lee ordered an attack against the Union flanks on the north and south. Around 7:00 p.m. the majority of the 12 Corps having been ordered to reinforce Major General Daniel Sickles' 3rd Corps line at the southern end of the battlefield, General George S. Greene's 1400-man 3rd Brigade was left behind to hold Culp’s Hill. Worried about his right flanks, now exposed by the departure of the other two brigades of the Second Divions, Greene made a decision to extend the far right of the line. He repositioned 137th New York, including Company D, Private Venable Wesley's company, on the top of the lower portion of Culp's Hill, almost perpendicular to his main front.

Later on the evening of 2 July, while occupying Culp's Hill with no other troops in support, Greene’s 3rd Brigade was ferociously attacked across his entire front by Major General Edward "Allegheny" Johnson's Division, of 'Stonewall" Jackson's old corps.  Confederates from Maryland Steuart's Brigade gain control of a line of recently abandoned Union trenches on the lower hill and then turned and enfiladed the 137th New York. The 137th was driven back up the hill; however, the rest of the 3rd Brigade, sheltered behind breastworks, were able to hang on to most of the Union line. Although Johnson had almost three times the number of Union soldiers defending Culp’s Hill, the Confederate attack was successfully repulsed by the tenacious fighting of the 3rd Brigade.  General Greene's New Yorkers held against incredible odds with Colonel David Ireland's 137th New York, including Private Venable Wesley, defending against the attack in front of the breastworks on the far right of the Union line.  As Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain's 20th Maine had protected the far left and would not give, so Venable Wesley and the men of the 137th New York would bend but did not break.  The far right of the Union line remained secure into the night of 2 July 1863, the second day of the battle.

Confederate pickets on Culp's Hill, engraving from The Century Magazine, 1884.

The Union brigades taken from the hill earlier in the day returned late on the night of 2 July to find the breastworks below the 137th New York occupied by Confederate soldiers.  General Greene's troops, reinforced by their returning comrades, held their ground when fighting resumed in the early morning hours of the following day, 3 July 1863.   After a long, hard fight the 12th Corps succeeded in re-occupying its lost breastworks.

In his official report, Major General Alpheus Starkey Williams, acting commander of the 12th Corps at the Battle of Gettysburg, Division, addressed both the contributions of the men of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, and General Greene's skill in laying out the breastworks to advantage.

"General Greene, in attempting to extend his brigade to occupy the entire line of breastworks, after the withdrawal of the rest of the corps, found that the enemy had already seized upon and occupied in strong force the right of the line, from which he attacked Greene's brigade with great vigor. Fortunately, this brigade occupied a portion of the breastworks, which, turning at almost right angles to the line on the right, ascended a broken and rocky slope toward our left, and presented a steep wall of rock toward the enemy.  A narrow space between the angle of the breastworks and the open field toward, the Baltimore Pike was densely wooded and full of large rocks and boulders. General Greene seized with skill and judgment the advantages of this position, and held it with his small brigade against overwhelming numbers with signal gallantry and determination. At length, after three hours' night conflict, having been re-enforced by detachments from the First and Eleventh Corps, and subsequently by Kane's brigade returning to its position, General Greene succeeded in repulsing the enemy from his immediate front. This gallant officer merits especial mention for the faithful and able manner in which he conducted this defense, and protected, under difficult circumstances, a most important part of our line."

In "Regimental Losses in the Civil War," Colonel William F. Fox wrote regarding the 137th New York: "This regiment won special honor at Gettysburg, then in Greene's Brigade, which held Culp's Hill during a critical period of that battle against desperate attacks of a vastly superior force. The gallant defence of Culp's Hill by Greene's Brigade, and the terrible execution inflicted by its musketry on the assaulting column of the enemy form one of the most noteworthy incidents of the war."

Statue of Major General George Sears Greene on Culp's Hill, 22 February, 2004.

A Willing Soldier, Doing His Duty Well...

In "137th Regiment Infantry: A Historical Sketch, Surgeon John M. Farrington described the regiment's involvement in the Battle of Gettysburg as follows:

"On the morning of July 1st we marched to a place on the Baltimore and Gettysburg Pike called Two Taverns, and halted for dinner.  About 3 p. m. we heard the cannonading in our advance, and received orders to move as rapidly as possible in the direction of the firing.  The First Division turned off to the right and moved towards the field of battle on the east of Rock Creek, and about 4:30 p. m. that division confronted Wolf's HiII, which is east of Culp's Hill and on the opposite side of Rock Creek.  On reaching the vicinity of Gettysburg our division, the Second, was sent to the left of our army; but before morning we were moved to the right of our line on the west side of Rock Creek, and took a position on the slope of Culp's Hill, facing eastward towards Rock Creek. Here the men threw up earthworks the best they could without intrenching tools, and here they remained until the end of the fight."

"The breastworks were completed about noon of the 2d of July.  From that time until 4 p. m. the troops which had arrived were resting quietly, and all was as peaceful and serene as though there were no war in the land, when suddenly an artillery duel, the like of which this continent had never known, burst upon us.  Probably nearly 100 cannon were blazing away, and the roar of the explosions, with the shrieking and whizzing of shells, surpassed all possible description.  The writer was, at that time, in a position to see all along the centre of our line, where the artillerymen, midst fire and smoke, were loading and firing as rapidly as they could.  All the loose elements of the army, sutlers, hostlers, visitors, etc., were scurrying to the rear as fast as their legs or horses could carry them."

"General Greene, in his report of the battle on the night of the 2d, says: 'The First Division and the First and Second Brigades of the Second Division were ordered from my right, leaving the intrenchments of Kane's Brigade and Williams' Division unoccupied on the withdrawal of those troops.  I received orders to occupy the whole of the entrenchments previously occupied by the Twelfth Army Corps with my brigade.  The movement was commenced, and the One hundred and thirty-seventh Regiment on my right was moved into the position vacated by Kane's Brigade. Before any further movement could be made we were attacked on the whole of our front by a large force, a few minutes before 7, and the enemy made four distinct charges, which were effectually resisted.  About 8 p. m. the enemy appeared on our right flank in the intrenchments from which Williams' Division had been withdrawn, and attacked the right flank of the One hundred and thirty-seventh New York. Colonel Ireland withdrew his right, throwing back his line perpendicular to the intrenchments in which he had been in position and presenting his front to the enemy in their new position.  The officers and men behaved admirably during the whole of the contest.  Colonel Ireland was attacked on his flank and rear.  He changed his position and maintained his ground with skill and gallantry, his regiment suffering very severely.'"

"Colonel Ireland, in his report of the battle, thus alludes to the officers who were killed: 'Captain Gregg with a small squad of men charged with the bayonet the enemy that were harassing us most, and fell mortally wounded, while leading and cheering on his men.  Captain Williams I had thanked for his coolness and courage but a short time before he fell. Lieutenant Van Emberg, acting adjutant, was everywhere conspicuous for his bravery, and fell while cheering his men.  Lieutenant Hallett fell doing his duty.   Our regiment's loss was 40 killed, 87 wounded, and 10 missing.  The Confederate force against which our regiment and brigade fought was Johnson's Division of 'Stonewall' Jackson's old corps, then commanded by General Ewell." Read more about the 137th Regiment.

The 12th Corps lost 204 killed, 810 wounded, and 67 missing at Culp’s Hill.   Of the 204 killed, 40 were from the 137th Regiment.  Among those 40 killed was Private Venable Wesley.  Under “Remarks” in the Company Descriptive Book, is the following entry for Venable Wesley:  “Killed in battle at Gettysburg, Pa., July 2, 1863.  Was a willing soldier doing his duty well; when killed was out as one of the skirmishers in front of the breastwork.”  Venable was buried “with his effects” and rests in peace today in the Gettysburg battlefield.  His grave is marked with a tombstone engraved “Venable Wesley.”  Around him lie the other tenacious soldiers of the 137th New York Regiment who held the far right of the Union line on Culp’s Hill during the critical second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Many Confederate dead fell in front of the 12th Corps position on Culp’s Hill.  Johnson's Division lost 229 killed, 1,269 wounded, and 375 missing.  Among the 229 Confederate soldiers killed was another “Wesley,” this one dressed in grey with the last name of "Culp.".  Read more about Wesley Culp.

The tragedy of Venable Wesley’s death was felt by the Wesley Family for many generations.  On 11 July 1863, Venable’s wife, Elizabeth, applied for a widow’s pension established by Congress on 14 July 1862 for soldiers killed in the Civil War.  In making her pension application, Elizabeth was required to swear under oath that, among other things, “she has remained a widow.”  Hiram A. Ensign, of Ithaca, New York, assisted her in making the application.  A widow’s pension was awarded to Elizabeth J. Wesley effective 2 July 1863.   Two years later, on 23 August 1865, Elizabeth, married Norton Brown.  On 24 January 1866 she petitioned the State of New York to have Hiram A. Ensign, of Ithaca, New York, appointed legal guardian of her two children, James, age 9, and John, age 7.  The guardianship was to remain in effect until the boys reached the age of fourteen.  In return, Hiram Ensign received a minor’s pension for the children of soldiers killed in the Civil War.  The amount of the pension was eight dollars per month for ten years. Read more about the descendants of Venable Wesley.