Nathan Rosenfelt, Sgt, Co. D
Nathan was one of 5 surviving children of Mayer and Fanny Rosenfelt who emigrated from Germany in the 1830's. Born and raised in Phila., Nathan worked as a "dealer or huckster" for four years prior to the war but the specifics of what he sold are not known. He was also a member of the Lafayette Fire Company along with fellow Co. D member John S. Riehl.
On June 1, 1861, Pvt. Nathan (21 y/o) and 1st Lt. John Riehl (36 y/o) were mustered into Co. D under the command of Capt. Wm. Swenk. Two months later on Aug. 1 Nathan was promoted to corporal. Fourteen months later in Oct., 1862 he became a sergeant. There are no letters home from Nathan so we can only track his life as a soldier in bits and pieces from the O.R's, his military records and his father Mayer's pension documents. In an 1880's deposition, his brother-in-law John Mc Cutcheon (Chief Engineer at the new Phila. City Hall & formerly Chief Engineer at the House of Representatives, Wash. DC) relates a meeting with Nathan early in the war. John served in the Navy through the war and in 1861 he was an Assist. Engineer in charge of the gun boat Union lying in the Potomac off Acquia Creek, Va. He reported that the 26th Pa was stationed on the MD side of the river in the same vicinity. As the Union was scheduled to return to Phila. for repairs, he met with Nathan who told John he was sending money to his father whenever he could spare it and then gave him about $15 to take home to Mr. Rosenfelt. John never saw Nathan again. In the margin of the pension examiner's report where John's story is summarized, is written "What a yarn!", possibly by a pension board reviewer. Whether the comment indicated disbelief that the meeting occurred or the content of the verbal exchange, is not known. However, the Supplement to the Official Records does indicate that Co. D was stationed at Doncaster MD from Sept. - Dec. 1861. Doncaster is across the Potomac from Quantico, Va. which is just north of Acquia Creek, Va. so the truth of the meeting is entirely possible.
Other than his promotion in Oct. 1862 a month after the Battle of Second Bull Run, Nathan disappeared back into the ranks of Co. D till May, 1863 when he was listed on a casualty sheet as being wounded in the arm at the Battle of Chancellorsville, but was returned to duty. Just two months later, he would fall mortally wounded at Gettysburg in the fighting at the Emmitsburg Road on July 2nd.. Also wounded were Co. D's Captain Swenk, and fellow Sgt. John Flannery (who would die 11 months later of his wounds). Killed were Cpl. Samuel Lynch, and Pvts. Adam Bohrert, John Boyle, Andrew Dougherty, Pryor Jamison, and James Mitchell. Pvt. Casper Salter would die of his wounds on Dec. 11, 1863 in Richmond. Nathan was wounded in the knee cap and eventually admitted to Newton University General Hospital in Baltimore on July 11, 1863, nine days after his injury. Although records give conflicting dates,(1st and 27th), he died in October, 1863 "through amputation of his leg at University Hospital". His military death record lists his effects as : 1 cap, 1 blouse, note paper and 2 letters, 2 combs, 1 toothbrush, and a purse containing $3 and a stamp, with a note that these were turned over to his father.
Mayer Rosenfelt initially applied for a father's pension in Nov., 1879 when he was 76 y/o. Over the next few years he continued to file to obtain a pension. There are numerous discrepancies from year to year especially with regard to his marriage. All these contributed to the delay in his pension.
| MARRIGAE |
| Deposition Date | Place | Performed the Ceremony |
| Nov. 1879 | Bremen | Solomon Isaac |
| Dec. 1881 | Germany | Soloman Stein |
| Jan. 1882 | Germany | Israel Jacobs |
| May 1883 | Germany | Soloman Isaac |
This last deposition had a note attached saying that any other statements were a mistake "being an old man [with] a bad memory". Mayer stated he ran away with Fanny as her family did not want her to marry him because he was poor. They got married in Bremen and then waited till the steamer was ready to sail to the U.S.. The pension examiner wrote to the U.S. Consulate in Bremen, Germany for proof of the marriage. The response in June, 1883 stated that there was no record of the marriage and that during the 1830's, "No Jew was permitted to reside or stay in Bremen, hence any evidence obtained here would be against him rather than in his favor". He referred the pension board to Barmen, Germany where he felt Mayer and Fanny were in more probability married.
| FANNY'S DEATH |
| Deposition Date | Date of Death |
| Nov. 1879 | Feb. 15, 1867 |
| Dec. 1881 | Oct. 15, 1864 |
| Jan. 1882 | Nov. 17, 1865 |
This question was settled with a copy of her Death Certificate showing in actuality Fanny died Feb. 16, 1867 at 52 y/o of heart disease. She was buried the next day in Mt. Sinai Cemetery, Phila. For some reason, Fanny never applied for a mother's pension which were available much earlier than father's pensions. A treasury Dept. document dated April 1883 reports that Nathan's parents were due his $100 bounty (Act of July 22, 1861) as well as arrears of his pay up to and including Sept. 30, 1863. They filed for this 11 days after his death on Oct. 12, 1863 and were paid in June, 1864. His parents were also entitled to an additional $100 bounty (Act of July 28, 1866). His Father's claim was filed on July 30, 1866 and his mother's on Nov. 12, 1866. Upon Fanny's death, the bounty was paid to Mayer.
| In an 1882 deposition, Mayer listed all his children and their ages in 1863: |
| Barbara | - 22 y/o (Born 1841) |
| Rachel | - 20 y/o (Born 1843) |
| Samuel | - 16 y/o (Born 1847) |
| Caroline | - 14 y/o (Born 1849) |
He had previously listed Caroline's birth date ranging from 1849 to 1852 with a variety of months as he had with Samuel's. It is not known which is correct.
By the time Mayer requested a pension, he was "stricken in years". By 1881 he was a resident of the Jewish Home and Hospital in Tabor, Phila. County, PA. A surgeon's certificate stated he looked his 79 years and suffered from varicose ulcers of his legs and chronic asthma. He had worked as a street peddler selling spectacles from his pockets. He was never able to walk long distances or work in the rain or cold due to severe asthma attacks and hadn't worked in over 20 years. He received assistance from his son-in-law John Mc Cutcheon.
Numerous despondents attested to Nathan's support and care of his parents before the war. He bought groceries, coal, and paid the rent. Many witnesses reported he frequently sent money home. One Charles Kidd reported that he "was in the construction corps in the US Army during the late Civil War" and had brought money home to Mayer from Nathan during the war. Another was John Reihl . He was promoted from 1st Lt. of Co. D to Adjutant on Feb. 10, 1863. Although wounded at Mine Run in Nov. 1863, he mustered out with the regiment in June, 1864. In 1883 at 56 y/o, his occupation now a "saloon keeper", he testified to having known Mayer for 20 years before the war and even sold him spectacles to peddle in the late 1840's.
In spite of all the affidavits, Mayer's pension was still being rejected. Someone or something eventually sparked a special review of the case in 1883. In March, 1884 a reviewer wrote that Mayer was old and had made some discrepancies but that he had established the fact of being Nathan's father and in need. He ended his statement with: "A Jew has rights under the laws in this country as well as white men."
On June 10, 1884 an Assist. Division Chief on the pension board ordered Mayer's case to be re-opened and submitted for admission in spite of the problems with establishing proof of marriage. He wrote "On account of the disabilities under which Jews labor in most foreign countries, it is difficult for them to have legal marriages in said countries, but the evidence of cohabitation and reputation in this case would be accepted in a widow's claim." Finally on Aug. 19, 1884 Mayer was approved for a pension of $8 retroactive to the date of Fanny's death (Feb. 16, 1867). Mayer died 19 mo. later in March, 1886.
COMMENTARY
Although at times confusing, this was an interesting record to review. The depositions speak so well of Nathan's and Mayer's character and one reviewer commented on the fact that he was impressed with Mayer and felt he testified conscientiously. It was interesting to note that everyone giving statements in the pension records could sign their name which is not usually the case in the records I've looked at. I enjoyed Mayer's resourcefulness in always providing a date when questioned even if they didn't jive with his previous testimony and chuckled at the thought of buying spectacles from a street peddler's pocket. I wondered if the family ever visited with Nathan in the 2 1/2 months he spent languishing in a Baltimore hospital before his father's sad trip to bring him home. We can admire Nathan's accomplishment in attaining and keeping a Sgt.'s rank and feel proud of the ultimate sacrifice he and so many others made. Lastly, I was surprised at the persecution the Jewish people faced in Germany even as far back as the 1830's as well as the comment made regarding their rights in this country. We read these records with hopes of learning more about the war and the soldiers that fought and died in it. But we also learn more of the world they lived in and are reminded that not all their struggles were on the battlefield.
Eileen Campos
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