George F. McFarland
Encyclopedia
George Fisher McFarland (April 28, 1834 – December 18, 1891) was a schoolteacher from Juniata County, Pennsylvania
and Union Army
officer during the American Civil War
. He was noted for a critical delaying action he led during the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg
that helped stave off the Confederate advance of the first day and supplied the rest of the army with time to reorganize.
. He worked as a boat pilot with his father on the Susquehanna River
when he was young and began teaching school in his 20's.
. He was later promoted to lieutenant colonel
of the regiment
. After the colonel
, Harrison Allen
, was given the rank of brevet
Brigadier General
, McFarland was assigned command of the 151st Pennsylvania. He and his regiment served as reserves at the Battle of Chancellorsville
in Northern Virginia
.
Three months later, at the first day of fighting at Gettysburg
, McFarland bravely led the 151st to glory as his regiment covered the retreat of the battered Union Army's I Corps
through the town of Gettysburg.
His regiment at the time of the battle was part of Brig. Gen. Thomas Rowley
's brigade, Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday
's division of Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds
' I Corps. The 151st's initial action at Gettysburg was to push forward to Herbst Woods, now called Reynolds' Woods, to assist the breaking Iron Brigade
, under the command of Brig. Gen. Solomon Meredith
, which was repeatedly being smashed by attacks from Confederate Maj. Gen. William Pender
's division. As the Iron Brigade fell back, 151st held off several enemy attacks along Willoughby Run, which ran through Herbst Woods. The 151st was forced to hold alone and barely supported. During their defense, the dueled with Col. Abner Perrin's South Carolina brigade and caused enormous casualties to that brigade, though losing the regimental flag in the process. Eventually, the regiment was relieved and allowed to fall back. Lt. Col. McFarland had his regiment rally at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, where several other regiments were also rallying. As they gathered, McFarland was met by a Federal lieutenant on horseback who held next to him a furled regimental flag. The lieutenant asked McFarland, "Sir, is this your flag?"
McFarland was about to confirm that it was his when a gust of wind flung the flag out. The flag read that it belonged to the 142nd Pennsylvania Infantry
. Disappointed, McFarland pointed out the commander of the 142nd to the lieutenant and then proceeded to continue organizing his regiment. Once the men were rallied, McFarland had them throw up a quick barricade around the Seminary building where the men would hold against the advancing Confederates, who were then bearing down upon them. With a few other regiments, the 151st held off repeated enemy attacks. During this fighting, a thick smoke from the heavy gunfire had engulfed the area. McFarland stooped down to try to see under some of the smoke to locate the enemy when a bullet went through his left leg and into his right. A private with Co. F had lifted him up off the ground and put McFarland's arm around his shoulder to support him. The private then proceeded to take McFarland into the Seminary for medical attention when a bullet came so close to them that it took the middle cuff button off of McFarland's uniform as the private supported him.
The 151st Pennsylvania was the last regiment to pull back in the retreat to Cemetery Ridge
. McFarland was treated in the Lutheran Theological Seminary
. His left leg was amputated below the knee. Shortly after Gettysburg, McFarland and the 151st PA were mustered out of the Union army, their nine-month term of enlistment expired.
, who has been proclaimed the "Father of the National Park Service
".
Juniata County, Pennsylvania
Juniata County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 24,636. Juniata County was created on March 2, 1831, from part of Mifflin County and named for the Juniata River. Its county seat is Mifflintown....
and Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
officer during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He was noted for a critical delaying action he led during the July 1863 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...
that helped stave off the Confederate advance of the first day and supplied the rest of the army with time to reorganize.
Early life
George McFarland was born on April 28, 1834, to John and Elizabeth McFarland at Todd's Mill in rural Dauphin County, PennsylvaniaDauphin County, Pennsylvania
Dauphin County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of the three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 census, the population was 268,100. The county includes the city of Harrisburg, which has served as the state capital...
. He worked as a boat pilot with his father on the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
when he was young and began teaching school in his 20's.
Civil War service
In 1862, he joined the Union army and was given a commission as the captain of Company D of the 151st Pennsylvania Infantry151st Pennsylvania Infantry
The 151st Pennsylvania Infantry was a Union Army regiment during the American Civil War. It was known as "The Schoolteachers' Regiment" because of the large enlistment of school instructors.-Forming of the Regiment:...
. He was later promoted to lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
of the regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
. After the colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
, Harrison Allen
Harrison Allen
Harrison Allen was an American physician and anatomist, born in Philadelphia. He graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1861, and in 1862 became a surgeon in the United States Army and served until the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865...
, was given the rank of brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
, McFarland was assigned command of the 151st Pennsylvania. He and his regiment served as reserves at the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
.
Three months later, at the first day of fighting at Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg, First Day
The First Day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War took place on July 1, 1863, and began as an engagement between isolated units of the Army of Northern Virginia under Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the Army of the Potomac under Union Maj. Gen. George G. Meade...
, McFarland bravely led the 151st to glory as his regiment covered the retreat of the battered Union Army's I Corps
I Corps (ACW)
I Corps was the designation of three different corps-sized units in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The units served in the following armies:...
through the town of Gettysburg.
His regiment at the time of the battle was part of Brig. Gen. Thomas Rowley
Thomas Algeo Rowley
Thomas Algeo Rowley was a Union Army general in the American Civil War from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Early life:...
's brigade, Maj. Gen. Abner Doubleday
Abner Doubleday
Abner Doubleday was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg. Gettysburg was his finest hour, but his...
's division of Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds
John F. Reynolds
John Fulton Reynolds was a career United States Army officer and a general in the American Civil War. One of the Union Army's most respected senior commanders, he played a key role in committing the Army of the Potomac to the Battle of Gettysburg and was killed at the start of the battle.-Early...
' I Corps. The 151st's initial action at Gettysburg was to push forward to Herbst Woods, now called Reynolds' Woods, to assist the breaking Iron Brigade
Iron Brigade
The Iron Brigade, also known as the Iron Brigade of the West or the Black Hat Brigade, was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought entirely in the Eastern Theater, it was composed of regiments from Western states...
, under the command of Brig. Gen. Solomon Meredith
Solomon Meredith
Solomon Meredith was a prominent Indiana farmer, politician, and lawman who was a controversial Union Army general in the American Civil War...
, which was repeatedly being smashed by attacks from Confederate Maj. Gen. William Pender
William Dorsey Pender
William Dorsey Pender was one of the youngest, and most promising, generals fighting for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early life:...
's division. As the Iron Brigade fell back, 151st held off several enemy attacks along Willoughby Run, which ran through Herbst Woods. The 151st was forced to hold alone and barely supported. During their defense, the dueled with Col. Abner Perrin's South Carolina brigade and caused enormous casualties to that brigade, though losing the regimental flag in the process. Eventually, the regiment was relieved and allowed to fall back. Lt. Col. McFarland had his regiment rally at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, where several other regiments were also rallying. As they gathered, McFarland was met by a Federal lieutenant on horseback who held next to him a furled regimental flag. The lieutenant asked McFarland, "Sir, is this your flag?"
McFarland was about to confirm that it was his when a gust of wind flung the flag out. The flag read that it belonged to the 142nd Pennsylvania Infantry
142nd Pennsylvania Infantry
The 142nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a volunteer infantry regiment that fought in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment primarily served in the Army of the Potomac in the Eastern Theater and was heavily engaged in the first day of fighting at Gettysburg.-History:The...
. Disappointed, McFarland pointed out the commander of the 142nd to the lieutenant and then proceeded to continue organizing his regiment. Once the men were rallied, McFarland had them throw up a quick barricade around the Seminary building where the men would hold against the advancing Confederates, who were then bearing down upon them. With a few other regiments, the 151st held off repeated enemy attacks. During this fighting, a thick smoke from the heavy gunfire had engulfed the area. McFarland stooped down to try to see under some of the smoke to locate the enemy when a bullet went through his left leg and into his right. A private with Co. F had lifted him up off the ground and put McFarland's arm around his shoulder to support him. The private then proceeded to take McFarland into the Seminary for medical attention when a bullet came so close to them that it took the middle cuff button off of McFarland's uniform as the private supported him.
The 151st Pennsylvania was the last regiment to pull back in the retreat to 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...
. McFarland was treated in the Lutheran Theological Seminary
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg
The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg is America's oldest Lutheran seminary and a site of 1863 Battle of Gettysburg military engagements.-History:...
. His left leg was amputated below the knee. Shortly after Gettysburg, McFarland and the 151st PA were mustered out of the Union army, their nine-month term of enlistment expired.
Postbellum
After the war, McFarland was the owner of a tree nursery, the superintendent of an orphanage, and the father of three children, one of which was J. Horace McFarlandJ. Horace McFarland
J. Horace McFarland from McAlisterville, Pennsylvania was a leading proponent of the "City Beautiful Movement" in the United States....
, who has been proclaimed the "Father of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
".