Gettysburg's Unknown Soldier: The Life, Death, and Celebrity of Amos Humiston [Hardcover]

Mark H. Dunkelman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275962946 | ISBN-13: 978-0275962944 | Publication Date: April 30, 1999

He was found dead on the battlefield at Gettysburg, an unknown soldier with nothing to identify him but an ambrotype of his three children, clutched in his fingers. With the photograph as the single, sad clue to his identity, a publicity campaign to locate his family swept the North. Within a month, the bereaved widow and children were located in Portville, New York, and the devoted father was revealed to be Sergeant Amos Humiston of the 154th New York Volunteers. Using many previously untapped sources, this book tells the tale of 19th-century war, sentiment, and popular culture in greater detail than ever before. The Humiston story touched deep emotions in Civil War America, and inspired a flood of heartfelt prose, poetry, and song. Amid a vast outpouring of public sympathy, a charitable drive evolved to assist the bereft family. At the end of the war, the crusade was expanded to establish a home at Gettysburg for orphans of deceased soldiers. The first residents of the institution were Amos Humiston's widow Philinda and her three children: Franklin, Alice, and Frederick. In this extensive account, a full portrait emerges of Amos Humiston, the loving husband and father destined to be remembered for his death tableau, and his family, the widow and orphans who struggled for the rest of their lives with celebrity born of tragedy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“On the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Sergeant Amos Humiston of the 154th New York Volunteers was felled by a Confederate bullet. His body bore no identification save an ambrotype picture of his three young children clutched in his hand.... Dunkelman reconstructs his story...[in] a welcome contribution to understanding the popular culture of the Civil War and Vicrorian America.”–Choice

“A very human tale that can be enjoyed by historians and casual readers alike. Dunkelman weaves an intimate biography around a larger picture of late 19th-century America. In doing so, he has produced a very readable book.”–America's Civil War

“Rarely does a book reveal the tragedy of war as does Dunkelman's writing combines a skilled novelist's flair for words without sacrificing the historian's perspective....This book can be enjoyed as a biography or as a cultural study. Either way, it is highly recommended.”–The Civil War News

“It is a good book for the nonspecialist who is interested in the details of what life, and death, were like for the ordinary people caught up in the events of the nineteenth century.”–The Journal of Military History

“This book tells an interesting and little-known story.”–The Smithsonian, The Civil War Studies E-Mail Newsletter

“Dunkelman has written an extensive account of Humiston and his family - a tragic story about a family whose lasting place in history was determined by a life, too short - a soldier's death.”–Star-Banner

“Dunkleman provides a well-textured description of Humiston's military career, from training camp through a narrow escape at Chancellorsville to his fatal encounter at Gettysburg....Dunkelman does not push his evidence further than it can go. His knowledge of social history brings Humiston's pre-war and wartime doings to life, but he always distinguishes between what was going on with most "common men" and what probably was going on with Humiston. He never ascribes motives that he can't document.”–The Providence Sunday Journal

“With Dunkelman's book, the Unknown Soldier's story takes on new life and fascinating detail.”–Jamestown Post Journal

“Rarely does a book reveal the tragedy of war as does Gettysburg's Unknown Soldier. Mark Dunkelman delves thoroughly into the story of Sgt. Amos Humiston, his wife, and orphans. This new trek into well-worn Gettysburg lore is told with pathos and historical accuracy....Dunkelman's writings combines a skilled sacrificing the historian's perspective.”–Book News

“Dunkelman'a well-researched and deeply felt narrative offers an effective and fascinating look at how the tragedy experienced by the Humiston family fit into Civil War-ear assumptions about patriotism, fame, religious belief, and sentimental notions of sacrifice.”–Journal of Southern History

“Of the multitude of human interest stories associated with the battle of Gettysburg, that of Amos Humiston has long been regarded as one of the most poignant. But of all the many times that Humiston's story has been recounted, it has never before been told with the rich detail found in Mark Dunkelman's Gettysburg's Unknown Soldier. For the first time, the reader is introduced to Humiston the man...Mr. Dunkelman has woven together a compelling narrative that should fascinate all who are interested in the broader, human implications of the tragic events that occurred at Gettysburg in 1863.”–William A. Frassanito Author of Early Photography at Gettysburg

“The fate of Amos Humiston was one of the great human interest stories of Gettysburg....Mark Dunkelman has told Humiston's story with a verve and sensitivity that will leave no reader unmoved.”–James M. McPherson Author of Battle Cry of Freedom

“Mark Dunkelman's thorough research and facile writing has produced the definitive account of one of Gettysburg's best human interest stories.”–Harry W. Pfanz Author of Gettysburg--Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill

About the Author

MARK H. DUNKELMAN has written and lectured extensively on the 154th New York Volunteer Infantry, Amos Humiston's regiment.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (April 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275962946
• ISBN-13: 978-0275962944
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,366,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Civil War and the Common Man, March 9, 2001

By 

John Sarver (East Lansing, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gettysburg's Unknown Soldier: The Life, Death, and Celebrity of Amos Humiston (Hardcover)

So much of history focuses on the leaders, generals, and other famous persons of the era. Gettysburg's Unknown Soldier is interesting because it focuses on a common man, Amos Humiston, and his family. He is Gettysburg's unknown soldier because he was found dead holding a picture of his three children. There is nothing else to indicate his identity. The picture is used to identify Amos and locate his widow and children. Amos' attention to his children's picture during his last moments makes him and his family celebrities. While Gettysburg is Amos' defining moment in history, the author tells us the full story. Amos' years on a whaling ship were an adventure, but also a lot of hard work. If whaling was tough, it was nothing compared to the War. We follow Amos and his New York regiment as he marches and marches and marches and fights. After Amos' death at Gettysburg, the story continues with his widow and children and how his death changes their lives. If you like history and want the perspective of the common man, I recommend Gettysburg's Unknown Soldier.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful Civil War human- interest story, August 14, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Lovington , New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gettysburg's Unknown Soldier: The Life, Death, and Celebrity of Amos Humiston (Hardcover)

It was a time in history when folks back home held romantic images of gallant heroes for "The Cause". It is no wonder this powerful human interest story snowballed into a nation wide hunt for the children who's loving and courageous father died fighting to reclaim freedom of liberty for his country.

Mark Dunkelman vividly paints a splendid picture of Amos Humiston and his family, taking us through a journey of their trails and tribulations. Mark Dunkelman's painstaking research comes togther with a marvelous, moving, and timeless human-interest story.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Father's Love, January 19, 2012

By 

William G. Schmidt (Farmersville, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gettysburg's Unknown Soldier: The Life, Death, and Celebrity of Amos Humiston (Hardcover)

Amos Humiston might have been another one of the many unknown soldiers littering the battlefield at Gettysburg were it not for the love of his family. While the story of locating Humiston's family is Civil War legend, this book almost brings the man back to life. It's a well-researched look at Humiston's own life, his family and continues with their life after his death. Clasping a photo of his three children as he lay dying, Humiston showed us a father's love is timeless and transcends all generations. It's as poignant now as it was 150 years ago.