J. Howard Wert
Encyclopedia
J. Howard Wert was an author, educator, and Civil War veteran and collector.
to a prosperous and prominent Pennsylvania German
family, the only son of Adam and Catherine Houghtelin Wert. His father was a successful farmer and businessman and a veteran of the War of 1812
; his grandfather and great-grandfather served in the American Revolution
. All four generations had strong abolitionist
views and Adam Wert was a close friend of Thaddeus Stevens
. J. Howard Wert attended Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College
) where he and other members of his local fraternity were active in the Underground Railroad
. Wert graduated in 1861 and became a teacher.
invaded Pennsylvania. A member of the Adams Rifles militia unit, Wert served as a scout for the Union forces, gathering information on Rebel strength in Chambersburg
before the Battle of Gettysburg
. On the first day of the battle, he guided the First Corps to the Seminary and assisted in the retreat to Cemetery Hill
. On July 2 he helped Union forces reach Little Round Top
when it was threatened on the left of the Union line; that night he led Geary's Division back to Culp's Hill
on the Union right. On the final day of the battle he helped reinforcements reach Cemetery Ridge
to repel Pickett's Charge
.
In the days following the battle Wert walked the battlefield gathering artifacts left by the soldiers who fought there. Wert carefully notated exactly where each piece was discovered, which provided valuable information for later researchers. This was the basis for his Civil War collection, described during his lifetime as "Probably the rarest and most valuable private collection of war relics from the battlefields of the Civil War . . ."
Wert enlisted on September 8, 1864 in Company G of the 209th Pennsylvania Volunteers, serving as sergeant and 1st Sergeant before being commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on February 13, 1865. The unit served in the Army of the James and the Army of the Potomac and saw action during the Siege of Petersburg
, helping to repulse the attack on Fort Stedman
.
Schools. In 1875 he moved to Harrisburg
where he taught at and later became principal of the Boy's High School, a period covered in his book Annals of the Boy's High School of Harrisburg, 1875-1893. During his time as principal the Boy's High School admitted and graduated its first African-American students; Wert, with his progressive ideas on race, was important in overcoming public opposition and ensuring that the students received fair treatment. Wert served as the first principal of Harrisburg High School from 1893-94.
Wert was an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic
and wrote frequently about the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War, while continuing to acquire Civil War artifacts. Notable Civil War books include A Complete Hand-book of the Monuments and Indications and Guide to the Positions on the Gettysburg Battlefield (with an abridged version being released in 1890, The Two Great Armies at Gettysburg, Being chapters I, II and III of Gettysburg and Its Monuments) and Poems of Camp and Hearth.
Wert also wrote numerous newspaper articles and letters; a series of 35 articles published in 1912 and 1913 regarding Harrisburg's Eighth Ward before it was demolished in an urban renewal project has been collected and published. Wert also wrote a number of school books and novels.
Wert married Emma Letitia Aughinbaugh, a teacher, in 1869. They had four sons and a daughter. Wert died on March 11, 1920 in Harrisburg and is buried in Gettysburg.
Family and Youth
John Howard Wert was born on February 12, 1841 near Gettysburg, PennsylvaniaGettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
to a prosperous and prominent Pennsylvania German
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
family, the only son of Adam and Catherine Houghtelin Wert. His father was a successful farmer and businessman and a veteran of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
; his grandfather and great-grandfather served in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. All four generations had strong abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
views and Adam Wert was a close friend of Thaddeus Stevens
Thaddeus Stevens
Thaddeus Stevens , of Pennsylvania, was a Republican leader and one of the most powerful members of the United States House of Representatives...
. J. Howard Wert attended Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...
) where he and other members of his local fraternity were active in the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. Wert graduated in 1861 and became a teacher.
Civil War
In the summer of 1863 the Army of Northern VirginiaArmy of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
invaded Pennsylvania. A member of the Adams Rifles militia unit, Wert served as a scout for the Union forces, gathering information on Rebel strength in Chambersburg
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg is a borough in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is miles north of Maryland and the Mason-Dixon line and southwest of Harrisburg in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley. Chambersburg is the county seat of Franklin County...
before the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. On the first day of the battle, he guided the First Corps to the Seminary and assisted in the retreat to Cemetery Hill
Cemetery Hill
Cemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform which had 1863 military engagements each day of the July 1–3 Battle of Gettysburg. The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive "fish-hook" line, the hill is gently sloped and provided a site for American Civil War artillery...
. On July 2 he helped Union forces reach Little Round Top
Little Round Top
Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg....
when it was threatened on the left of the Union line; that night he led Geary's Division back to Culp's Hill
Culp's Hill
Culps Hill is a Battle of Gettysburg landform south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with a heavily wooded summit of . The east slope is to Rock Creek , 160 feet lower in elevation, and the west slope is to a saddle with Stevens Knoll with a summit lower than the Culps Hill summit...
on the Union right. On the final day of the battle he helped reinforcements reach Cemetery Ridge
Cemetery Ridge
Cemetery Ridge is a geographic feature in Gettysburg National Military Park south of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that figured prominently in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1 to July 3, 1863. It formed a primary defensive position for the Union Army during the battle, roughly the center of...
to repel Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee against Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Union positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Its futility was predicted by the charge's commander,...
.
In the days following the battle Wert walked the battlefield gathering artifacts left by the soldiers who fought there. Wert carefully notated exactly where each piece was discovered, which provided valuable information for later researchers. This was the basis for his Civil War collection, described during his lifetime as "Probably the rarest and most valuable private collection of war relics from the battlefields of the Civil War . . ."
Wert enlisted on September 8, 1864 in Company G of the 209th Pennsylvania Volunteers, serving as sergeant and 1st Sergeant before being commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on February 13, 1865. The unit served in the Army of the James and the Army of the Potomac and saw action during the Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
, helping to repulse the attack on Fort Stedman
Battle of Fort Stedman
The Battle of Fort Stedman was fought on March 25, 1865, during the final days of the American Civil War. The Union Army fortification in the siege lines around Petersburg, Virginia, was attacked in a pre-dawn Confederate assault by troops led by Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon. The attack was the last...
.
Author and Educator
After the war Wert served as the principal of Gettysburg High School and later as Superintendent of Adams CountyAdams County, Pennsylvania
Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
Schools. In 1875 he moved to Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
where he taught at and later became principal of the Boy's High School, a period covered in his book Annals of the Boy's High School of Harrisburg, 1875-1893. During his time as principal the Boy's High School admitted and graduated its first African-American students; Wert, with his progressive ideas on race, was important in overcoming public opposition and ensuring that the students received fair treatment. Wert served as the first principal of Harrisburg High School from 1893-94.
Wert was an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
and wrote frequently about the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War, while continuing to acquire Civil War artifacts. Notable Civil War books include A Complete Hand-book of the Monuments and Indications and Guide to the Positions on the Gettysburg Battlefield (with an abridged version being released in 1890, The Two Great Armies at Gettysburg, Being chapters I, II and III of Gettysburg and Its Monuments) and Poems of Camp and Hearth.
Wert also wrote numerous newspaper articles and letters; a series of 35 articles published in 1912 and 1913 regarding Harrisburg's Eighth Ward before it was demolished in an urban renewal project has been collected and published. Wert also wrote a number of school books and novels.
Wert married Emma Letitia Aughinbaugh, a teacher, in 1869. They had four sons and a daughter. Wert died on March 11, 1920 in Harrisburg and is buried in Gettysburg.
| Partial List of Books by J. Howard Wert |
|---|
| A Complete Hand-book of the Monuments and Indications and Guide to the Positions on the Gettysburg Battlefield |
| The Two Great Armies at Gettysburg, Being chapters I, II and III of Gettysburg and Its Monuments |
| Poems of Camp and Hearth |
| Little Stories of Gettysburg |
| Historical Souvenir of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1–4, 1913 |
| In the Hospitals of Gettysburg |
| Gettysburg Gem Souvenir |
| History of the 209th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry |
| Annals of the Boy's High School of Harrisburg 1875-1893 |
| Mystic League of Three (novel) |
| God's Centennial |
| Rhyme and Reason |
| Alecto and Ebony (novel) |
| Five Years in the Grave |
| School Composition Work Made Attractive |