George Messersmith
Findagrave Memorial� Joined Independent Company D of the 1863 Militia from July 18th to August 8th
� Mustered in at Harrisburg, Pa. on February 29, 1864 as a private in Co. H, 22nd PA Cavalry. Age of 18
� Fought during Sheridan�s Shenandoah Campaign, Battles of Opequan (Winchester), Fisher�s Hill, Cedar Creek, & numerous skirmishes
� Was honorably discharged on October 31, 1865 at Cumberland, Md.
� Born on December 20, 1845 in East Providence Twp, Bedford County
� Son of Alexander Messersmith
� Occupation: Farmer
� His wife Jemima Hanks was Abraham Lincoln�s first cousin
� Died December 20, 1929
� Shreves Cemetery near Clearville, Bedford County, PA.
George Messersmith was the first born child of Alexander Messersmith, also a Civil War veteran. George was born on December 20, 1845, in Bedford County, PA. According to the 1850 census, George was age 4 and living in West Providence Township. But by 1860 at age 14 he was living in Monroe Township. As an adult he became a farmer by trade. But the Civil War interrupted his life. He enlisted at 18 years of age on February 26, 1864, for a three year period. Since he was a farmer and used to horses, he joined the 22nd Regiment of PA cavalry at Harrisburg, PA. He was reported as having blue eyes, dark hair, and a fair complexion. He was 5 feet, 5 inches tall.
George is listed as having been in the 185th regiment, more generally known as the 22nd cavalry, company H. He fought at Martinsburg, VA, and then his unit left the Pleasant Valley camp on August 8, 1864, and joined the force of General Torbert that led the advance of General Sheridan. Sheridan had been put in command of the entire army in the Shenandoah Valley. They took part in the fight at Kernstown on August 21st and in the following days Opequan and Berryville. On the 25th they fought at Charlestown, suffering many losses. The next day they participated in charging the enemy lines, capturing a number of the enemy. They joined a detachment in Hagerstown and advanced to Martinsburg where they were attacked on August 31st. On September 2nd they attacked the enemy at Darkesville where they captured the Confederate�s wagon train. They continued to engage the enemy in many small actions around Bunker Hill.
On September 18, 1864, the 22nd cavalry charged the enemy at Martinsburg and pursued Gen. Early toward Winchester. On the evening of September 19th, the regiment joined in Sheridan�s cavalry charge and routed the rebel army through Winchester with the 22nd capturing a battery and 80 men. They continued to fight in the area and on the 19th of October, they were again fiercely engaged, losing a number in killed and wounded. My great grandfather and his friends related stories of the war to my father when he was a young boy. He repeated the story of George�s tale of Cedar Creek, VA. George said they were routed from camp early in the morning � and had to leave guns, horses, everything. They had stopped to rest on an old rail fence. Meanwhile Gen. Sheridan had heard the sounds of battle miles away in Winchester, and had ridden his black horse pell mell back to Cedar Creek and the fighting. They said his horse looked white from the lather coming from its mouth. My great grandfather said that was a true story because he saw Sheridan come riding up to them. Sheridan asked why they were sitting there and they replied they had no guns to fight with. He said, �You can holler can you not?� Then he led them to return to the battle, yelling all the way. The confederates thought the Union had gotten reinforcements and they fled. They recovered their horses and equipment.
Another story related by George was when he and his group encountered a rebel patrol. In the ensuing battle, his horse was shot out from under him. He carried his saddle and bridle for a few days until they came to a plantation which had a colt in the barnyard. George told his buddies to help catch the colt and he would saddle it and break it. He did indeed break the colt and rode it. He reported the young horse turned out to be a very fine mount and he rode it until the end of the war.
George also told of getting provisions where they could. They once came over a hill and saw rebels in a garden digging and eating sweet potatoes and turnips. George�s group fired on the rebels who tore off, leaving George and his company to eat the vegetables in the garden. George said they often had little to eat and were happy when they could get a chicken for fresh meat. He also said their clothes became pretty ragged. George and his friends said lots of times they�d lie down to sleep in trenches only to get up the next morning, after it had rained, with their ears filled with water. George contracted typhoid fever while serving and later received a pension of $4 a month starting May 4, 1882.
George continued to serve even after the war was officially over. Under the command of Lieut. Col. Greenfield, he and his unit continued in service until near the end of June 1865, when it was consolidated with a portion of the 18th regiment, forming the 3rd Provisional Cavalry. The new command served in West Virginia until October 31, 1865, when George and the rest of his company were mustered out at Cumberland, MD. George then got on the C & O canal barge and rode to Hancock, MD. From there he walked home, a distance of about 25 miles.
George married Jemima Hanks after the war on December 26, 1865, and became a farmer again. He and Jemima had 17 children, among them 2 sets of twins. However, only 7 children survived to adulthood. My grandfather, John Nelson Messersmith was the 9th of the 17 children born to George and Jemima.
George died on March 27, 1928, at the age of 82. It was reported in the Bedford Gazette that he dropped dead in front of the Bedford County Trust Company building in Bedford. He was a member of the Methodist Church and is buried in the Shreves Cemetery near Clearville, Bedford County, PA.
