A Letter About the Loss of 118th Regiment Officers at the Battle of Shepherdstown

From SparedShared13.Wordpress. "1862-1863:  Edward Everette Coxe to family.

Camp Addicks

Near Tennallytown

October 3, 1862

Dear Bob,

The loss of Capt. [Joseph W.] Ricketts is a severe one both to his family and his friends --  particularly to his company of which he was a faithful member.  Lt. McKeen is a gentleman & I hope his wounds will soon heal & enable [him] to be fit for duty.  I was scarcely acquainted with [Lt.] J. Mora  Moss or J. Rudhall White.

"Capt. Ricketts I consider never acted in a straight forward, honest manner to me or else I would have been in his company when the regiment was formed, or I would have gone with him.  Had I gone, maybe today I would have been among the killed or wounded and perhaps  it was well I did not go at that time or with the regiment.

"I consider the order sending them into the fight so little prepared as they were as one of the most fatal blunders of the war & hope  the same thing will never happen to us."

--Old Secesh

Recruitment Poster of Co. K, 118th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment-- Part 1

From the September 15, 2021 Laurel Hill Cemetery Blog "A Philadelphia Regiment's September baptism of fire" by Russell Dodge.

They have a copy of a poster calling for men to sign up for Company K of the regiment:

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"$162 BOUNTY

STEADY, ABLE-BODIED MEN WANTED

FOR CO. K., 

CORN EXCHANGE REGIMENT,

At 241  Race Street.

First Lieut.  W.M. McKeen

Second Lieut.  J. Mora Moss

Captain JOS. W. RICKETTS"

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These officers were all killed or wounded at the Battle of Shepherdstown.

Then it went into the financial benefits of joining which I will cover in my next post.

--Old Secesh

Officers of Co. K, 118th Pennsylvania Infantry at Battle of Shepherdstown

From Steve's Civil War PHP page.

RICKETTS, JOSEPH W.--  Captain --  Killed at Shepherdstown, W. Va. on September 20, 1862.

CROCKER, LEMUEL L.--  Captain--  Promoted from 1st Lt. of Company C on September 20, 1862.  Resigned on February 26, 1864.  (I wrote about his brave river crossings to save his comrades last month.)

M'KEAN, WILLIAM N.--  1st Lieutenant--    Wounded at Shepherdstown, W. Va. on September 20, 1862.  Discharged on March 25, 1863.  (Also spelled McKeen which is most likely the correct spelling.)

MOSS JR., J. MORA--  2nd Lieutenant--  Killed at Shepherdstown, W. Va.  September 20, 1862.

WILSON, JAMES B.--  2nd Lieutenant--  Promoted from 1st sergeant Co. A on October 22, 1862 to 1st Lieutenant  Co. B on January 12, 1863.

So, Co. K had its captain and 2nd lieutenant killed and 1st lieutenant seriously wounded at the Battle of Shepherdstown.

--Old Secesh

Capt. Joseph Wattson Ricketts

From Find a Grave.

BORN:  16 January 1836   Baltimore, Maryland

DEATH:  20 September 1862  Shepherdstown, West Virginia

BURIED:  Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Civil War Union Army officer.  He served during the Civil War as commander of Company K, 118th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, being mustered in on August 21, 1862.

A month later he was killed at the Battle of Sherpherdstown Ford, (West) Virginia.

--Old Secesh

Joseph Ricketts and 1st Lt. William M. McKeen

"Joseph Ricketts was a strong man.    His energies were untiring, his sense of duty supreme.  He had had a military training; he was skillful as a tactician.  What he knew, he knew thoroughly.  He had fully  grasped the principles of his teachings and was apt and ready in their application.

"His generous sympathy was evidenced  by his readiness to relieve the suffering of horses, and his heroic death attested  his eminent courage.  Fitted for an advancement which the casualties of war would soon have brought him, he was destined thus early in his career for the most honorable of all soldier's epitaphs:

"killed in action."

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"First Lieutenant William M. McKeen was about this time  in the action also most seriously wounded.  A shot passed through his body involving a vital organ.  His life was for a long time despaired of.

"He recovered subsequently, however, to again take a prominent place in the business community."

--Old Secesh

Three Other 118th Pa. Officers Killed at Shepherdstown: Captains Ricketts and Saunders and Lt. Moss

From the "History of the 118th Pennsylvania Volunteers:  Corn Exchange Regiment."

Right as Lt. Col. Gwynn took command of the regiment after the wounding of Prevost,  Captain Courtland Saunders was killed by a musket ball through the head.    Lieutenant  J. Mora Moss was killed by a bullet through the heart.  The regiment was under heavy fire at the time.

Captain Joseph Wattson Ricketts also fell while in the act of firing his pistol.  Staggering forward, he was saved from falling by  Private William L. Gabe, who started to escort him to the rear.  "Leave me, Gabe," ordered the captain, "and save yourself."

But Gabe refused and continued until both were shot together and went down.  Gabe was wounded and the captain killed by these shots.  As they fell, Captain Ricketts gasped, "My God!  I am shot by my own men."

"Not so," said Gabe, "but by the 'rebs,'  who are right on top of us."

And then, the Confederate line swept over them.  The enemy's stragglers stooped over the body of Ricketts and against the  protest of the wounded Gabe proceeded to rifle the pockets of the captain.  They took his watch, diary, money and everything, including his sword and stole his coat, vest and boots.

--Old Secesh