Excerpt from the Wilkes-Barre Weekly Record, 20 October 1903.
Local Heroes of Andersonville
Those Who Were Confined in That Memorable Prison Pen–
Recital of Some Thrilling Incidents.
S. L. Hagenbaugh
A Man Who Experienced Many of the Horrors of the Southern Prison Pen
Shadrach L. Hagenbaugh, the well known art dealer of North Franklin street, was born in Pleasant Valley, Luzerne County, and spent his younger years at Harveyville on Huntington Creek. He enlisted at West Chester, Chester County, July 19, 1861. He joined the 7th Pennsylvania Reserves, Co. F, and left with the regiment at West Chester soon after he enlisted. He was then 19 years of age. He participated in many engagements, among which were the seven days’ fight on the Peninsula, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg and the battle of the Wilderness.
At the latter place he was captured May 5, 1864, when the whole regiment was captured, officers and all. The regiment was cut off from the rest of the brigade and surrounded. It was taken to Lynchburg, Va., then to Danville, Va., where the boys were put in tobacco warehouses for a week. They were then placed in box cars and taken to Andersonville prison, Georgia. In the box car with Mr. Hagenbaugh were seventy-one men. During the long imprisonment in this dreadful place the men received only a pint of cornmeal every twenty-four hours, and the suffering was horrible. He, with a large number of others, was made to sign a parole of good behavior and they were then taken to a place called Florence, South Carolina, where they remained a short time. They were then taken to Wilmington, N.C., and were exchanged on the North East River, ten miles from Wilmington.
Mr. Hagenbaugh was almost famished from hunger and weighed only seventy-five pounds with no shoes on his feet. In this condition, in Febrruary, he walked to Wilmington, where he remained for several days. They were then put on transports and taken to Indianapolis and then went to Harrisburg and from there to Philadelphia, where he was discharged, eight months having elapsed since his enlistment had expired. He was discharged April 1, 1865.
Hagenbaugh was almost famished from hunger and weighed only seventy-five pounds with no shoes on his feet.
From Philadelphia he came to Wilkes-Barre and then to his native home, Harveyville. He worked for a year in a powder mill in Pittston, went to Plymouth and then to Scranton and came to Wilkes-Barre in 1869, following the carpenter trade. He went at picture framing in 1884, finally went into this business for himself and has been in the same business ever since. His present place is 10 North Franklin street, where he has been located for the past eighteen years. He is now 61 years of age. He has a wife and one child.1
Currently a resident of Burke, Virginia - I'm originally from the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have been a student of the Pennsylvania Reserves since 1997 and thoroughly enjoy telling their story. By trade I'm a former IT Professional but presently working as a Letter Carrier for the United States Postal Service.
