Saving Survivors From the Field of Battle

The desk is ready for exhibit, and Bowers has moved on to conserving a chest of drawers that came from a Gettysburg home and was hit twice by bullets during the battle.

Elsewhere in the lab, conservation on other star attractions for the new museum is taking place. They include the litter that carried the wounded Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson off the Chancellorsville battlefield, a 34-star flag missing most of its stripes, a decorative apron resembling the U.S. flag and a wooden bed used by Lee in the field. None has been displayed before.

A pocket-size, leather-bound prayer book, which had been exhibited at the Gettysburg museum, also received attention. Pvt. John Cassidy of the 69th Pennsylvania Infantry was defending the Union line along a stone wall, known now as the Angle, during Pickett's Charge on July 3 when a bullet slammed into the book and his chest, killing him.

Park Service records are not clear about how the little book ended up at the Gettysburg museum, but it is one of the prized possessions. Its cover is darkened by much handling. The front lower corners are worn away, and the bottom of the spine is frayed, as though it had been shoved into Cassidy's breast pocket many times.

The bullet struck just above the middle near the right front edge, leaving a tunnel in the leather and paper.

Cassidy's prayer book, similar to religious books sold by sutlers at campsites, will have a prominent position in the gallery devoted to the third day of the battle. Nearby will be the spurs Gen. George E. Pickett wore at Gettysburg.

Linda Wheeler may be reached at 540-465-8934 orcwwheel@shentel.net.