Leonard
Rowan
(1838-1862)
Leonard Rowan was born on Oct. 21, 1838 in Somerset County, PA, the son of James and Catherine (Harbaugh) Rowan. He appears to have been named after his maternal grandfather, Leonard Harbaugh Sr., and is one of many of our cousins to have lost their lives in the Civil War.
Leonard was raised in Stewart Township, Fayette County, PA. As an adult, he worked as a laborer, and "his earning went to the support of his [parents]." One friend recalled that before the war, he "lived with his parents and worked for neighbors and gave all his earnings which consisted of money, Flour, Meat and Grain, to them except what would cloth him and that he was for five years or over fully one third support of the Family."
Leonard is said to have never married, and had no children. Yet another source, the Cooperriders' 1947 book, Harbaugh History, states that he married Ann Williams, and that after his death, she married his brother Jonas. But this is not proved.
After the war broke out, when Leonard was age 20, he enlisted in the 85th Pennsylvania Infantry, on Aug. 18, 1861. His term was set forth as three years of service. He was one of many of our cousins in the unit, and earned $13 per month in pay.
Leonard and the 85th PA saw heavy action in the battle of Fair Oaks/Seven Pines, VA, on May 30-31, 1862. They later took part in the Seven Days' Battle, and were stationed at various locations in Virginia and North Carolina.
The Battle of Fair Oaks -- from an old Currier & Ives
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Records from the National Archives in Washington, DC show that Leonard suffered from "over exertion and fatigue while in line of duty." On Aug. 18, 1862, while on a march from Harrison’s Landing, VA, he left the ranks due to illness. There also is evidence that he may have been captured by the Confederate Army and held prisoner.
He was transferred for treatment some 60 miles
southeast to Hygeia General Hospital, a converted hotel at Fortress Monroe, near
Hampton, VA. The imposing hotel (seen here) was once a "nationally
prominent ... seaside resort during the 1830s, '40s and '50s," said the Newport
News Daily Press.
Sadly, Leonard did not survive his ordeal. Records show that he died of "Paralysis Aug. 22, 1862," at the hospital. The rare postcard photo seen below shows Fortress Monroe, surrounded by a moat on the Old Point Comfort peninsula along the Chesapeake Bay, circa 1909.
Leonard's body was not brought home for burial. He rests for eternity at the Hampton National Cemetery, Hampton, VA, in Gravesite 4925.
After Leonard's death, his widowed mother successfully petitioned the federal government for a pension since she had been so dependent on her son for income. Witnesses in the matter included her half-brother, Leonard Harbaugh Jr.; nephew Robert B. Leonard; and step-niece, Mattie (Knight) Jennings.
In March 2001, during renovations to the YMCA at Fortress Monroe, the archaeological remains of the Hygeia hotel/hospital -- the building where Leonard died -- were discovered, yielding many important artifacts. Said the Newport News Daily Press, "little physical evidence of the massive structure remained after it was torn down during the Civil War." Thanks to the firm of J.W. Waller Associates, consultants to DPW/Environmental at Fort Monroe, a copy of the Fort Monroe Historic Architecture Repair and Maintenance Plan, Volume 2, of the Norfolk District, US Army Corps of Engineers, has been added to our archives.
Copyright © 2001-2003 Mark A. Miner.
Lithograph of the hotel drawn by Edward Sachse circa 1861.